Sometimes the Support is the Success

Sometimes the Support is the Success

I got to watch a long-time practitioner nail her first straight-leg jump-through this week. Liz has been practicing for years with my dear friend and colleague Jen Rene before joining me shortly after the pandemic. She’s a gem. Right after hearing the tell tale ‘swiff’ of a clean jump through, Liz and I locked eyes. “First one EVER,” she yelled. Liz had attended my bodyweight transitions workshop at the Yoga Club just a few days prior to all of this, and I told her that I was going to tell everyone that fact. I’m joking around, of course. All credit goes to Liz. She had a few skills that were *this* close to coordinating, and she was able to find her thresholds, push pass them,…

I was shocked when Lululemon moved into the neighborhood, and now I’m shocked it’s gone

I was shocked when Lululemon moved into the neighborhood, and now I’m shocked it’s gone

They closed down the @lululemon in my neighborhood because the theft was just too high. Bummer. I was a brand ambassador for lulu for a few years. My image got used nationally. It was super cool. Lululemon helped me leverage my skillfulness as a teacher into something more meaningful. By offering opportunities to teach via their community development projects (for which i was paid and dressed) i was able to reach across the city to find intereated practitioners. So weird to have been an influencer before there were “influencers,” or to have been ‘sponsored’ by a brand. But its true! And it was great! People in hugh paying positions liked seeing me in new, expensive clothes. It opened doors. They invested a lot in my…

cumulative strength: how a casual approach to chanting helped me appreciate my practice more

cumulative strength: how a casual approach to chanting helped me appreciate my practice more

When my brother passed, I felt blindsided. It hadn’t occurred to me that such a thing would happen, even though looking back I can see that with that kind of drinking, it was inevitably going to happen. You can’t drink like that and not die of either health or fate. I was too young/new to this– I hadn’t actually seen anyone drink themselves to death at that point. Yikes. But, I mean, I didn’t realize what was going on and I get why: a sour combination of cognitive disonance and inexperience. I was heartbroken. So often in those moments, I turn to asana and meditation. These were not readily available at that particular time because of an overzealous deadlifting session gone awry. A very real…

Self Practice and Grief

Self Practice and Grief

When I got to Goa, I felt anonymous again. In Mysore, I felt like everyone had heard. I was the ashtangi who got hate crime’d in the face after his house burned down. I wanted to be the tall pretty one. Or the smart one. But for now, I was very much the tragic one. Luckily, Rolf wasn’t watching the news. I was just one more 6’3 drop back for him to do. And he was happy to oblige– quietly sharing lite bits here and there in my ear about his work. But not so happy with it that I didn’t get assigned sone extra. Great. After 27 years of shrinking myself for others, I got to just be the big one. You gotta gang…

Rolf Naujokat

Rolf Naujokat

“Easy come, easy go,” Rolf would say. My teacher has passed. Rolf taught along the Arabian Sea, between the psytrance and the sand— just in from the jungles of Goa. As complex as he was simple and straightforward, he lived and led by example. He changed my life. He made clear that liberation was available to each of us, starting with the malarkey of our present condition. I want nothing more in this life than to make him proud. He’d likely rather that I be gardening, swimming, praying— anything other than typing. Especially not posting photos. Rolf would say how unimportant it was for your guru to even know your name— that your guru just needed to know you. It meant something to me when…

The Glitter and the Grind: Drag Queens, Yogis, and the Price of Dissent

The Glitter and the Grind: Drag Queens, Yogis, and the Price of Dissent

RuPaul’s Drag Race has had an incredible impact on the queer community in the United States, turning hardworking performance artists into household names with niche celebrity status. comes inevitable scrutiny and challenges.This dynamic reminds me of the issues within the Ashtanga yoga system, particularly around authorization, certification, and the balance between a marketplace driven by profit and power versus being a learning organization.

Scalability in Ashtanga Yoga Practice

Scalability in Ashtanga Yoga Practice

Ashtanga Yoga, while rigorous, is designed to be a lifelong practice. Scalability in this context refers to the ability to adjust the practice to suit different stages of life, physical conditions, and personal commitments. This adaptability ensures that Ashtanga remains beneficial and sustainable for practitioners, regardless of changes in their circumstances.

Integrating Systems Thinking into Ashtanga Yoga Community Support

Integrating Systems Thinking into Ashtanga Yoga Community Support

How tailored support networks and practical interventions can not only enhance individual practice but also strengthen our collective journey towards well-being.

From fostering collaboration over competition to extending our reach beyond the studio, we explore innovative strategies that enrich our community interactions and extend the benefits of yoga to broader societal contexts.