build your home yoga practice

visit the archives of my internet radio show!

it’s called the Vibrant Health Revolution show.

one of my favorite shows is Build Your Home Yoga Practice

This show is especially for those interested in cultivating a more consistent mindfulness practice. Although I’ll be focusing on yoga, the content and principles can be applied to other fitness or meditation activities.  I’ll discuss:

• the benefits of a consistent yoga practice (deepen your practice while saving money!)
• simple strategies for making it doable and FUN!
• basic yoga practice sequencing and safety
• and my favorite yoga posture resources

see you on air!   😉

where did you get your training?

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…asks a follower from my proyogi tumblr blog...

i get this question all the time. people frequently say they’ve never taken a class quite like mine. i have even had a 18-year yoga practitioner tell me that i was the best teacher she ever had-i was really touched and honored.

i always say i’m a gypsy when it comes to my yoga training because i studied all over. my yoga training journey is a bit unusual and convoluted so bear with me as i relay the story briefly.

i was actually reluctant to start teaching. in june 2003, my first yoga teacher told me to pick a night in the fall. she wouldn’t take no for an answer. so i threw myself headlong into independent study.  i practiced daily and taught 5-8 classes per week. that summer was crazy!

i was always interested in taking formal training, but i couldn’t find the right teacher.  actually taught for 4 years before going to yoga teacher training. when i finally

how to… adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog)

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in this pic: me giving a juicy and playful assist to my good friend and DC-based acupuncturist extraordinaire Nicole Mires – http://www.pekoedc.net/

even if you can’t get anyone to stand on your back and giggle with you, you can still access the joy and receive the benefits of down dog… once you get through the mental dance you might have to do to consider that it’s actually a rest position.

things to remember:

1. from plank pose (heels over balls of feet, wrists beneath shoulders), inhale and activate the core lifting the belly button up and toward the spine
2. exhale push the hips up high and surrender the heart toward the earth
3. spread fingers wide and root down through

dream a healing solution

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before i went to sleep last night, i prayed to dream of a healing solution for my shoulder…

i got the inspiration to dream a solution from a discussion i had with my awesome roommate, who mentioned Asclepions, centers dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius, and designed for dream healing pilgrimages.

interestingly, i woke up with

save-my-shoulder yoga flow

i woke up with the most beautiful no-chaturanga flow in my head this morning. so flowy. so juicy. so good.

my shoulder plus ouch

last night, i went to sleep with a very hurty shoulder.  when i woke up, it was even more hurty, even though i had tried to sleep carefully.

it’s been going on for about 3 weeks; i jammed it while lifting my heavy steel bike up some stairs. blegh!

until today, i had been doing ardha chaturangas and down dogs, but when i woke up, my shoulder was like, hells-to-the-no!

so i listened to my body… and to this flow that woke me up. and went outside on the front lawn to practice next to the water, under a blue sky with seagulls coasting in the breeze.

and here, i’ll share it with you