The first time I realized that I had something to learn from pole dancers was when I was teaching contortion at a pole dancing studio in exchange for private lessons on the Lyra (aerial hoop– it went fine). Some students I knew were nursing sore wrists, but the pole fitness enthusiasts who were also exotic dancers professionally seemed to be able to do twice the amount of stuff with half the prep. I guess if your money depends on you being able to hold on to a pole, you’re gonna take good care of your wrists. That wasn’t the only thing I learned about money from strippers, though. This article was inspired by a podcast I listened to called “The Economics of Everyday Things”– its…

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.

Today’s post intertwines the wisdom of my mentor, Kristen Krash, with my work as a mysore style Ashtanga Yoga teacher. Kristen, an inspiring figure in both my life and in her groundbreaking work regenerating a cloud forest in Ecuador, offers profound insights into the interconnectedness of all things.  Kristen’s article “Why those big-tree planting projects fail. And why ours is succeeding”  is a story of resilience, regeneration, and the intricate tapestry of community building— all in a forest environ. The gist of it is that it takes more than a bunch of big trees to make a forest. I see parallels between Kristen’s observations about forest regeneration and the nurturing environment of a Mysore yoga community. I believe these insight offers a unique perspective on how…

How can we break free from authoritarian educational constraints while fostering a learning environment that values autonomy, embraces diverse knowledge sources, and turns doubt into curiosity? That’s what I attempt to explore. Join me as I offer innovative solutions for overcoming dependency on leaders, welcoming unexpected wisdom, and transforming skepticism into a journey of discovery.

After I was assaulted and hospitalized in 2012, I became something of a media spectacle. We needed money for my surgery (titanium plates run about 14k a pop, and I needed a few), and my community rallied around me. From yogis to drag queens, so many people gave that we had to tell folks to stop. It was pretty amazing. There were even lots of news articles. I shouldn’t have read the comments in those articles. I know a lot about victim blaming now. Shortly after my recovery period, the non-profit activist group Collective Action for Safe Spaces (formerly: Hollaback!) approached me to raise some awareness for their cause: stopping street harassment. It should be a no brainer: you should be able to walk home without getting…

Talking about ashtanga can make you crazy. Or not. Or both. “Whenever we practice, we quickly run into paradox… this is what happens when we start to cling to any one formula or any one technique. We quickly run into this sense that it isn’t complete– when we run into another viewpoint coming up in the background–  there is this sense of paradox.  And, whenever this happens, we know that the yoga is starting to work. Its considered to be a very auspicipous sign. “ — Richard Freeman “The Self-Reference Paradox” With the right google search, you can find someone confirming any belief you’ve been kicking around. Confirmation bias takes us out of our present moment. It sets paramaters for our capacity to feel. And, I…