I’m a Sponsored Athlete! Really?

Last week the women’s clothing company, Athleta chose me as a 2013 Sponsored Athlete! For reals? Do they realize that I quit soccer in middle school? And during my 8th grade dance recital I leapt into the air and landed with an humiliating thump? In my Athleta application I outlined my thwarted athletic career: As a chubby girl on my rural, co-ed soccer team, puberty hit hard. Playing alongside the boys felt increasingly intimidating as my lady parts emerged. After � Continue reading →

Finding the Reset Button

Ah, the holidaze. Torqued schedules, buffets of indulgence, and hunting for the ideal sparkly accessories. As a Leo lady, I relish the full social calendar but need my reset workout more than ever. Beyond the din of festivities, the superego insists on punishing cardiovascular atonement. Yet as I settle into practice, a calm emerges. I submerge into down dog and crawl through standing poses. Squat. Vinyasa. Lunge. Handstand for an upside down. Backbend for an inside out. Lay down. Breathe. � Continue reading →

How to Teach “Broga”

As the In-house Yogi at Clif Bar & Co, I have enjoyed the challenge of introducing many dudes to yoga. After instructing sarcastic, athletic guys I now understand how to capture their attention and respect. 1. To build locker-room style camaraderie, refer to everyone by their last names. 2. Don’t hand out blocks. Use an underhanded toss. Anything that resembles playing catch will build competency. 3. Bring extra towels for the puddles of sweat. During abdominal breathing at the start of � Continue reading →

Are You Fit to Serve?: Enlisting into Parenthood

Traditionally the question, “Are you fit to serve?” scrutinized young men’s grit to execute their country’s military agenda. During the birth of my second niece I considered fitness and service very different context: parenthood. Instead of battling into an idealized body or fighting an opponent, what about training the body and mind to nurture? As Clif Bar’s perinatal yoga teacher I’ve witness the unique path women take into motherhood. Although I’m not yet a mom, watching my friends and clients has revealed � Continue reading →

Why’s Getting to Yoga So Difficult?

As a yoga teacher I perpetually have these two conversations: Scene One: Around town I run into a former student. They profusely apologize and confess, “Forgive me o’ yogi for I have sinned. It has been three months since my last class.” Then I hear about life’s onslaught: The kid’s soccer practice, work schedules, the sub teacher, the studio is too far. We declare ourselves victims of “busy.” Scene Two: Meeting someone who has heard the yoga PR but hasn’t � Continue reading →

Yogis: Let’s Get Loaded

After over a decade of yoga and traditional fitness training, the kettlebell rocked me. It literally threw me off balance. I immediately realized how this training could improve my core and endurance. If you have never heard of kettlebells, they look like a cannonball with a handle and range from 4 to over 100lbs. The rigorous Russian Kettlebell Challenge offered an experience as profound as my yoga trainings. The advanced techniques of the RKC have reshaped my practice, my teaching, and � Continue reading →

Spiritual vs. Physical Yoga

I have been asked, “Why don’t you teach the more ‘spiritual’ kind of yoga?” It’s true that I don’t talk about God and one of my students recently commented that I wasn’t an “Om’er”. That question puzzles me because it assumes a fundamental separation between body and spirit. It implies that we could attend to our physical health or transcend to a higher pursuit. With clear and erudite teaching, I enjoy classes with more mystical language, Sanskrit chanting, and spiritual � Continue reading →

Getting Off the (Yoga) Sidelines

I crawled out of bed every morning last week at 5:00 am to sweat my way through a yoga intensive. Wednesday’s sequence lead to titdasama: a straddle balanced on the arms. (See the picture above that I found on the web.) This arm balance presented the precarious challenge of suspending my booty and feet off the ground. At the same time. I made a brief attempt and quickly flopped down. I sat surveying the room of tattooed yogis wrestling through the pose. � Continue reading →

The 4 Causes of Injuries

The New York Times article “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” sent waves through social media this week. My teacher, Glenn Black, was prominently featured warning against the perils of yoga asana. The article describes practitioners who took yoga beyond the edges of safety and sanity. Yoga reveals how our personality permeates our tissues. When we see ourselves clearly, we notice common and potentially injurious behaviors. Beyond the yoga mat, here are four ways to get hurt: The ego overcompensates. � Continue reading →

Resolutions: Fitness Goals vs. Yogic Intentions

The new year offers a renewed promise for healthier living. How do we go about change? With one sneaker in the gym and a bare foot in the yoga studio, I observe two different approaches to self improvement. Fitness folks focus on outcomes like losing 15 lbs. or running a marathon. Goals provide measurable benchmarks and motivate us as architects of our future. Yogis set an intention called a sankulpa. Examples include, “I choose healthy foods” or “I exercise my � Continue reading →

Tag Archives: yoga