Here comes the sun!

by Margot Martin

Recently, as I zipped up my coat and put on my gloves to head out for our morning walk, I thought of the Aesop’s Fable about The North Wind and the Sun. I have found myself this winter feeling closed up, cranky, and desperately praying for the sun to warm me up. I searched for this old fable and was struck at how much it spoke to me, my life, my practice, and the way I teach.

If you know me, you know I love hard work. I tend to be aggressive with my physical self, and that definitely translates to most of the classes I lead.… Read the rest

Belize Retreat 2013

by Carrington Jackson

“Stay… I got this.” That was my text to Jill after she painfully made the decision to stay home instead of return to our beloved Belize. It was last minute, in hopes her back would somehow miraculously heal. Each morning I texted her (in a slang it seems only we understand), “How is?” and her replies about the same… no miracles. After her decision, came the reminder where the universe is concerned, you just never freaking know. A year of planning, dreaming, and fantasizing, it came down to me leading the retreat. No friend, no partner, no Jill.… Read the rest

Uniting Yoga and Qi Gong for a Transcending Experience

by Anisha Desai Fraser

Pan Gu Yoga is a system of yoga that uniquely blends the deep principles of Pan Gu Mystical Qi Gong with the essence of yoga. Both paths share a common purpose, to discover the profound relationship between man, nature, and the universe and to be in union with Grace, with Divine Spirit, sharing that Compassion and Kindness with others. The light, energy, and healing principles of Qi Gong are infused within the movement and breath of a simple yet powerful yoga practice, grounded in love and kindness.

This weekend (January 28), we’re offering a Pan Gu Yoga workshop instructed by Anisha Desai, our lovely and wonderful yogini of Monday night’s Flow & Stretch.… Read the rest

Be Transformed by the Savanna

by Jill Sockman

The African Savanna is a place that has captured people’s hearts for centuries. Even those who haven’t yet been able to experience the savanna face to face can’t help but be inspired by the images of a migrating herd of wildebeest or the lion pride that captures its unfortunate stragglers. Perhaps the best example of how humans love to view nature in its “purest” form is the 8-minute You-Tube video called, “the Battle at Kruger”. In a very short period, an extraordinarily lucky tourist filmed lions stealing a baby buffalo from its herd, a crocodile that immediately tries to pinch the catch leading to an intense tug-o-war, only for the buffalo to walk back up to the lions and throw them completely out of the picture, rescuing back what belongs to them.… Read the rest

by Jen Davis

Have you ever seen a stick figure drawing created by a child? They are hilarious! I have seen arms that hang to knees, heads as big as torsos and legs three times as long as the rest of the body you get the idea. Teaching kids correct body proportions when drawing is a great way to tap into body awareness. As part of this yoga art workshop I asked each student to draw a stick figure on a piece of paper. While each student was able to identify body parts during yoga, it was interesting to see the figures they drew.… Read the rest

What To Do With Time

by Sandy Scherer

Back in the day, when I worked in the corporate environment, a couple of my employers used different “personality tests” to gauge how people worked. The idea was that once you knew your own personality type and understood and appreciated that of others’, effective work teams for specific projects could be created by pulling in people of various “types” or skill sets. One such test I took at a workshop with my peers was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.

You may be familiar with this. Essentially, the results indicate a number of factors, like if you focus on your outer world (Extraversion – E) or inner world (Introversion – I).… Read the rest

Training For Enlightenment

by Jill Sockman

Every time I leave the guest house here in Dharamsala, it’s a climb up 166 stairs. If I go to a yoga class down the hill, that’s another 103. Most restaurants offer rooftop seating, so that’s another 30+ stairs each meal out. I suppose we go out a minimum of three times per day, so that’s a bare minimum of 500 stairs up and 500 stairs down each day. It’s no wonder then that you don’t see loads of husky Tibetans roaming the streets. At altitude, I feel like I’m in training for some enlightenment event: step by step, no end in sight, one foot in front of the other.… Read the rest

The Possibilities

by Anisha Desai Fraser

Over Memorial Day, my husband was taking me on a surprise adventure. The weekend started out pretty trying, with a six-hour drive filled with hail, strong winds and thunderstorms. The B&B was not as luxurious as he wanted, we felt isolated, and we thought it was going to pour rain all weekend. I immediately went to disappointment and sadness with this idea that “the weekend is ruined,” and my husband went into his own negativity, which was more of the same. We were set on leaving the next day to return home because it turned into something we were going to have to “get through.”… Read the rest

Don’t Worry. I Got This.

by Suzanne Weiner

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Probably the best line in the middle of a story ever. On our recent retreat to the North Carolina mountains, lots of time was spent in storytelling. Yogi’s seem to excel at the art of the story, and this group in particular could be found laughing hysterically at all hours of the day and well into the night as we told each other the funny stories that have made us the people we are today.

The weekend started for many of us with a delicious lunch at Salsa in Asheville followed by a short drive up some very steep hills.… Read the rest

Blueversary In Review

by Jill Sockman

What a fantastic weekend!
There are so many thank-yous to send around that I don’t quite know where to start. Organizing, publicizing and hosting three days of by-donation classes takes more effort that you might guess. So let me cut to the chase:

Thanks to the faces behind the front desk: they are often called “blue peeps” and they are always called indispensable. But this weekend they went above and beyond the call of duty, taking extra shifts to assist with registrations, donations and altercations! Thanks, Peeps! You’re the best.

Thanks to our team of blue lotus yoga instructors- the best yoga anywhere!… Read the rest