Articles
Eight Self-Care Tips for Slowing Down and Savoring LIfe
January 24, 2020
We’re infected by the “disease of speed,” and it’s an epidemic. We’re all moving so fast that we don’t even notice the toll it takes on our health, relationships, diet, work, environment, and community. We wonder why, when we finally take a vacation, we get sick.
Why Anatomy Matters for Yoga Teachers: Building Structure, Support, and Safety
January 13, 2020
Many students come to a yoga class because they like the way it makes their body feel: stretched, strengthened, toned, relaxed. But even if they’re coming for the mental, spiritual, and emotional benefits, if they’re on the mat doing postures and breathwork, they are using their body...
The Yoga of Knitting: Peace in Every Stitch
November 01, 2019
It has been a busy—bordering on hectic—day: teaching multiple yoga classes, sitting in meetings, answering emails, running errands, and doing household chores. Feeling worn and a bit frazzled, I sit down and pick up my knitting. I begin to knit and, with every stitch, I feel my body relax, my breath become even, and my heartbeat slow down. ...
Finding Your True Self at Summer Camp
July 07, 2019
At age 12, at YMCA summer camp, I made a lanyard keychain by knotting orange and turquoise plastic threads into a boxy cord. (If you went to summer camp in the ‘80s, you probably remember making one, too.) That July, I was obsessed with Prince, the Go-Go’s, and ...
Five Reasons We All Need To Play More
July 24, 2018
When was the last time you did something purely for the fun of it—not because you thought you should, or because it was good for you, or because someone else wanted you to? If it’s been a while, maybe it’s time to tune into your childlike spirit and bring play back into your life.
Seven Ways to Make Doing Your Taxes Less Painful and More Mindful
March 01, 2018
Unless you’re one of the five percent of Americans who like or even love doing their taxes—or you’re expecting a nice refund—chances are you’re still procrastinating. But what if you turned your tax refund (or any other challenging task you're putting off) into a reminder to focus on your strengths, reassess your values, and get centered? ...
What Happened When the Stereo Broke: Practicing Silent Yoga in a Noisy World
When I practice yoga to music, it helps create a fluidity of movement that, like a wave, carries away my to-do lists, rankling conversations, even fatigue or dismay. As a yoga teacher, I can get lost in building playlists that provide that uplifting, peaceful, or contemplative backdrop for my students. I’ve relied on music for years to take them out of their heads, help them move more freely, and lift the overall experience.
Stillness and Strength: Preparing the Body for Medtiation
June 08, 2017
Meditation is an accessible practice with numerous benefits, including quieting the body, calming the breath, and soothing the mind. For many people, however, quieting the body can be a major challenge—tight hips, cranky shoulders, and rounded backs can get in the way on the path toward cultivating equanimity. ....
Yoga and Anatomy: The Art of Connection
A Q&A with Michelle Dalbec
In this edition of Ask the Expert, Kripalu School of Yoga faculty member Michelle Dalbec discusses how anatomy affects your yoga practice, how yoga translates off the mat, and what to be aware of when starting a home practice.
Meditaiton and Journaling:
Combining Practices to Reflect Your Inner World
“Who knows what will arise when we watch ourselves?” asks Kripalu Yoga teacher Michelle Dalbec in her R&R Retreat workshop Reflections on Your Inner World. By opening up to the richness of our interior life through meditation and journaling, she elaborates, we can invite deeper self-reflection and self-expression into our daily existence.
Practices for the Season of Blossoming
Yoga and Ayurevda for Springtime
Spring is just around the corner! Can you feel it? After the long winter (especially here in the Northeast), it sometimes feels like a mad dash to the finish line when the first hints of spring stirs in the atmosphere. Yoga and Ayurveda teach us to be fully present and engaged as we shift seasons and open to new perspectives.
Practices to Bring Light Into Your Winter
by Beth Hochstein
There’s an annual ritual in our household. When the days get shorter, my husband plugs in a special lamp that simulates sunlight. Prone to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), he finds that a half hour under the lamp, at sunrise and sunset, helps regulate his moods as daylight wanes.
