Zoe and Nick got hitched and had a stunning gorgeous wedding in Charlottesville. These are the skull and driftwood centerpieces. I was stunned. Tried to capture them, and instead got @unrulyascetic the bride taking @katelynntully to the dancefloor. I followed suit. Didn't take enough pictures because I was too busy getting my life.

Zoe and Nick got hitched and had a stunning gorgeous wedding in Charlottesville. These are the skull and driftwood centerpieces. I was stunned. Tried to capture them, and instead got @unrulyascetic the bride taking @katelynntully to the dancefloor. I followed suit. Didn't take enough pictures because I was too busy getting my life.

Am I art yet?

GRIT Steely-eyed, dirt on the sleeve stick-to-it-ive-ness is essential to success in yoga (and life!). Resilience…

GRIT

Steely-eyed, dirt on the sleeve stick-to-it-ive-ness is essential to success in yoga (and life!). Resilience is precisely so valuable because of what it demands.
1) you gotta be willing to try to bite off more than you can chew. This often times means ... Failure.
2) you gotta suck it up, look at your failure and try again.
3) You must learn something from the prior experience so as not to have the exact same outcome.
4) remember that "failure" only exists if you don't try. Otherwise, it's practice. Repeat steps 2-3 until shit works out.
This means looking at life through a much longer timeline than what we "want want want" in the now.
5) you gotta celebrate your triumphs, and any comeback is a triumph! This requires big picture thinking. If youre stuck on a too-confined timeline, youre gonna suffer.
Yoga develops resilience. It hones grit. Get out there and try
...
Join me this week in the mysore room:
Mon-Fri 6-9:30 @dcashtanga at @kaliyogadc
Tues: 12-12:40, Hot Spot Dupont @hotspotdupont
Wed: 6:30-7:30p, Vida U St @vidafitnessdc
Thurs: 12-1, Vida U St @vidafitnessdc
Fri: 12-1, Balance TC @balancegym

Transitions mean change. Change is scary. I have historicaly been guiled buy the idea of the encroach of Winter. …

Transitions mean change. Change has an inheritant taste of death to it, and death is scary.
I have historicaly been guiled by the idea of the encroach of Winter. It means the death of my favorite, Summer. Bribed by Halloween and all things pumpkin, I still don't much like putting away my tank tops and finding long sleeves.
This fall, I'm trying to change my tune. We like the idea of transforming into something better/stronger/wiser-- and transformation IS change. In my life, I don't want to be averse to change, Autumn or otherwise. It's an ignorance, to think things aren't always changing. Yoga practice is designed to free up that baggage.
In the Equinox, I practiced by the pool at @vidafitnessdc on U Street where I teach two new classes. I see in the eyes of practitioners a certain kind of hesitation and dare I say distrust at this new class, in me a new teacher, to them. I get it... I teach a practice that asks of them a real attention and effort. It is precisely so potent because of that. It's also sometimes scary to get a real, sober look at the churning of the mind.
It pings me strongly, as I feel a current kind of way about the transition of seasons and see inside of them an analog to me. I want these folks who turn up to trust me, to give potent and authentic practice a real go. But I know it requires time and attention. As I told my friend @mbwould-- "You can't hatefuck someone into trusting you." What to do? I'm gonna give fall a real chance. On my end, its the same as for them. These aspirants and I have a similar working schema:
1) Show up.
2) Pay attention.
3) Be willing to feel.
4) Be willing to try.
5) Be willing to not know.
7) BE WILLING TO LAUGH.
8) Be willing to try again.
Yesterday, I tried to welcome change. I went into the old street car station in Dupont and did a gong bath with @takefivemeditation -- letting the waves wash over me. Old ideas, can't force them away, but I can soften my grip. I can show up and look where I fight change. Maybe I can see things as they are, maybe I can lead by example. Change happens. But it doesn't have to happen violently.

Warm up 🙂

A rare peek inside the mysore room. Are you interested in going further in your yoga practice? Working one-on-one with a teacher is an incomparable experience. Go further, go deeper. What do you want to work on? Reach out michael@michaeljoelhall.com

I am the light that keeps the streets on.

I am the light that keeps the streets on.

Draw me like one of your French girls.

New tights who dat

Bam.

You gotta practice. Sometimes life gets away from you-- shit happens. Today, I ended up practicing at god knows w…

You gotta practice. Sometimes life gets away from you-- shit happens. Today, I ended up practicing at god knows what hour, modifying and relishing in what was available. You do your best. (PS: it was 830p and I'm a drama queen-- practically bed time)

My friends have superpowers. Tara can will emotion through the power of her voice. Evocative. @tara_lizbeth blows me away... Consider joining the Mt Pleasant Christnas Chorus to have a space to use yours!! Spent yesterday at a fabulous Jazz and Funk flavored concert in the charming hamlet of Mt Pleasant. Thanls to Frankojazz for putting it together.

Handstand push-ups with a resistance band.

Saw #incabaretwetrust last night at @blindwhino -- it is SO good! An interactive futurist cabaret with fire twirlers, pole dancers, singers, hoopers, burlesque, and dystopian imagery that keeps you guessing. GO!

Saw #incabaretwetrust last night at @blindwhino -- it is SO good! An interactive futurist cabaret with fire twirlers, pole dancers, singers, hoopers, burlesque, and dystopian imagery that keeps you guessing. GO!

#fbf 7 years ago at pride, my plastic Starbucks cup fell off the fire escape and shattered. It landed next to a 10…

#fbf 7 years ago at pride, my plastic Starbucks cup fell off the fire escape and shattered. It landed next to a 10 year old who's Mom FREAKED out. I ended throwing something over my crop top so that I was decent enough to talk to the police. You'll note that one of the officers was wearing a cat mask. RIP cleverly disguised mint julep. Wearing lewks before the curve, living that barely 27 year old-ness on my sleeve. Literally had the kids shook. What else do you see?

New class times! Tuesday @ 12- Hot Spot Dupont Wednesday @ 6:30p- Vida U Thursday @ 12 - Vida U Friday @ 12 - Ba…

New class times!
Tuesday @ 12- Hot Spot Dupont
Wednesday @ 6:30p- Vida U
Thursday @ 12 - Vida U
Friday @ 12 - Balance TC

A portrait of my favorite faves.

Me AF being the me-ist.

Spent yesterday in the company of one of my best friends. School began for her this past week and she's on the gri…

Spent yesterday in the company of one of my best friends. School began for her this past week and she's on the grind-- school work, break ups, extended travel, etc etc etc. Interspersed inside the silence of our mutual responsibilities were fleeting moments of direct connection, bookended by hearty conversation. It was rad. I skipped the gym 😉

Looking for peace. Practice by the pool in good company.

Mercurial in nature. Sweat more, whine less. Reclaiming my time -- all the time. Totes fun.

its @mcgrillz bachelor weekend. Commence river-ing.

So, to recap: there's a day of the dead skeleton riding a giant cock into battle with a paddleboard oar on the la…

So, to recap: there's a day of the dead skeleton riding a giant cock into battle with a paddleboard oar on the label of this tequila.

Ordinary afternoon. Intermediate series. Firefly, and her many stages of life.

The first day of my week at the gym, I do lots of posterior chain strengthening stuff. I follow the templete @huggybear_mc has me on, but I also like to put these #JeffersonCurls in. They do a kicksss double duty of strengthening & lengthening. Strong people are more useful, eh @suenodevida_ecu ??

The look.

WOW 2017

The look.

Make of it what you will.

Friendship glitters like gold!

Convo like woah. Wow.

WOW 2017

WOW

WOW

But, like, how deep is that V? #haircut

A fun memory.

WHY WE SHOULD SEE THEIR NAMES: Freedom of assembly has an inherent imperative towards integrity that silent suppor…

WHY WE SHOULD SEE THEIR NAMES: Freedom of assembly has an inherent imperative towards integrity that silent support does not: it invokes a willingness to stand behind beliefs in a public space and rally others to do the same. This effort at constructing and propogating means those that have asssembled are now responsible for standing behind their beliefs-- not just in the spaces they've chosen for assembly, but in all public spaces. The culture created by a successful effort at normalizing a belief has a far reach, and the responsibility for it doesn't lessen when the rally ends. We have a responsibility for the fallout of our actions, this is simple karma. When I march for queer rights, reproductive justice, or anything else I am also willing to answer and defend my beliefs when asked, and I don't get to believe these things part time. To call to action a community requires the ethical where-with-all to stand behind your belief when asked, and if one can't, perhaps they shouldn't be emboldening others to do what they themselves aren't willing to defend.
CALL A BIGOT A BIGOT.

Sunday vibes.

Hendricks and cucumber, fried pickles, and real talk with @kayemjay1000 -- Saturday all day into the night success

Casual cleans and a shoulder press in my @ashtanganation tank from earlier in the week.

Found a painted rock on a fire hydrant. "Grow" was its imperative.

Current mood.

How we get to the Potomac. The paddleboard is in a backpack.

First Mate Charlie and I enjoying an afternoon on the water.

Back on the water.

A gentle reminder to reach.

At Aarti's wedding, I felt so honored to be able to share this life with, as Puja put in her speech, a family whos…

At Aarti's wedding, I felt so honored to be able to share this life with, as Puja put in her speech, a family whose values align with mine. 💖💖💖

Presented without commentary.

When you think you're James Bond and being cute but really you're holding up James who just wants to Poop.

The rest was twice as amazing. I couldn't be bothered to grab my phone because I was gawking. #aartibride

Wardrobe change.

Current situation: Sunny and Aarti get married.

An all time favorite.

My first love, Sebastian, and me, #tbt 2010.

Well, I'm here for #tentacletuesday

How often do you see a shape like this? I make one at least twice a day, most days.

How often do you see a shape like this? I reckon I make one at least twice a day, most days. Also: what does it look like to ya?

Charlie and me doing what we do.

Charlie bear, sitting pretty.

KAPOTASANA
What's really interesting here is finding places of weakness, tightness, or asymmetry, and targeting it directly. If something's out of whack, we gotta build both the length and the strength to put it back. So first things first, we we have to FEEEEL the asymmetry, but then we begin to introduce actions that encourage symmetry. When I practice I don't always know how to do that! Regularly at the gym, I play around with strength building concepts and overlay them onto poses. You've seen a bunch of them so far in this feed, right? #
So much of the practice of yoga is *strength building*-- the front body needs to both *lengthen* and work. Same with the front of the legs, the back of the thorax, back of the legs, pretty much everything.
This will keep your thighs forward enough that the spine can mobilize in all of its different places (not just the low back) and you can research the posture further, for longer.
Pretty great post deadlifts and cleans 🙂 Grab a pvc pipe!

HIPS: there is a real effort keep the navel over the hips and the hips over the knees for as long as possible so as to give the spine a chance to lengthen and circularize. You're not trying to rest on the ball so much as gesture forward from it.
SPINE: the key is finding an anchored and stretching front body -- floating ribs in, coccyx down, lower spine extended, upper spine extended, back muscles engaged.
The spine goes up up up.
SHOULDERS: To move from an extended shoulder joint to a flexed shoulder joint, you just take your arms from down to up... except for our purposes, it requires scapular protraction (wide) , upward rotation (bottom of the blade in to the rib) , and some elevation (just enough to stretch!) ... WTF: first part getting easy? In the second part, I'm using a resistance band to move from a flexed elbow to an extended elbow in a manner that strengthens the tricep. A stable shoulder girdle is essential for longevity in this posture (and practice)!

SAMASTHITHI

There are so many ways to observe samasthithi. Today, I took yoga straps and strapped them to a tree. Keeping the back flat and the stomach engaged, I worked my pulling muscles with out losing the feeling of a constellated center line. @davidgarriguesyoga would like those terms, i think. They sound like him.
My coach would call these rows. I might call it samasthithi research. Regardless, these moments of turning inward and reflecting soberly on the here and now are valuable. It is certainly not the method... but it also very much is.

I didn't make it to the disco.

It does get really hot out here. Ya gotta work quickly sometimes.

Saw @bethditto touring the unbelievably good album "Fake Sugar" -- which I think is her best work yet. Had to peel…

Saw @bethditto touring the unbelievably good album "Fake Sugar" -- which I think is her best work yet. Had to peel put of my romper. @yoantoine killed the game.

Accessory work. These (plus some other great stuff) follow deadlifts and cleans.

Attracting pigeons.

Monday Moonday got me like.

My favorite firework, "Night World", from Chris's bday party 😉

Living that life as Uncle Skippy with the Agne family and friends.

A little collage with some of my most influential teachers: David, Rolf, and Sharath. Marci (who is very much one …

A little collage with some of my most influential teachers: David, Rolf, and Sharath. Marci (who is very much one of my teachers) and Saraswati, are pictured also. The sunglasses <3

Led primary was filled with folks I've had the good fortune to work with for over three years each (wow!!) So, I p…

Led primary was filled with folks I've had the good fortune to work with for over three years each (wow!!) So, I put my mat down and we all practiced together, taking turns calling the postures.

Fun stuff at the gym: Double dumbell overhead holds for 20 seconds at 55 lbs each.

Glad to be back in my city.

Twinning.

Twinning.

Freedom, 1776. But, then again in June 26, 2015. The third 4th of July as someone viewed as equal under the law he…

Freedom, 1776. But, then again in June 26, 2015. The third 4th of July as someone viewed as equal under the law here in our United States of America.

Teaching dogs to swim with the besties.

Outside of the military surplus in Kensington.

Not my hat-- just my life.

I spent Canada Day biking, napping, and lazing. Also dancing and ducking (no, for once that isn't ab auto correct …

I spent Canada Day biking, napping, and lazing. Also dancing and ducking (no, for once that isn't ab auto correct mistake)

There was some rubber duckie controversy.

Because Toronto