Field Ledger Archive
13,337 entries across the years, 2003–2026.
View
756 results
December 2020
Well this is great 🙂
October 2020
My mom and dad inspire me every day.
August 2020
I love us. Its so good. I love you!
July 2020
My victory garden. <3
June 2020
NO, seriously... Where did 10 years go?
Today at 5:30! Outdoor yoga in Scott Circle! Sign up at michaeljoelhall.com or send me a note here!
March 2020
This image brings a bunch of mixed feelings and emotions-- the most relevant being: wow, ashtanga yoga is amazing and I'm so glad I have had a chance to learn a practice that has enriched my life so much.
Facebook livestream was fun. Join me tomorrow as I livestreaM from Balance Gym!
Joints!
January 2020
Discussing equinox, fair and free markets, and every day activism.
December 2019
Come!
On the fence? Send me a note and maybe i can sweeten the pot 😉 donât delayâ my sweet deal only lasts through today!!
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/main_enroll.asp?studioid=5362&tg=&vt=&lvl=&stype=-8&view=day&trn=0&page=&catid=&prodid=&date=12%2f12%2f2019&classid=0&prodGroupId=&sSU=&optForwardingLink=&qParam=&justloggedin=&nLgIn=&pMode=0
On the fence? Send me a note and maybe i can sweeten the pot 😉 donât delayâ my sweet deal only lasts through today!!
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/main_enroll.asp?studioid=5362&tg=&vt=&lvl=&stype=-8&view=day&trn=0&page=&catid=&prodid=&date=12%2f12%2f2019&classid=0&prodGroupId=&sSU=&optForwardingLink=&qParam=&justloggedin=&nLgIn=&pMode=0
November 2019
Yoga retreat to Montanita, Ecuador. Curious? 6-days, affordable, with additional excursions. Mid-late April. Into it? Reply here for super early bird pricing.
March 2019
Sebastian Cole Hall passed away today. He lived 15 amazing years with me, my mom, and my dad. He knew his toys by name, was fearless, and gentle. He helped make me the person I am today, and taught me about unconditional love. He was a very good boy.
February 2019
Oh I do like sharing this.
November 2018
This is such a good #tbt
October 2018
8! Years!
August 2018
8 years later and I still lol
July 2018
Hypocrisy Day: Klu Kluc Khik'n
7! Years! Ago!
June 2018
9 years ago -- woah.
Join Maggie and me in Knoxville, MD (near Harper's Ferry!) August 10-12 for a weekend of yoga, community, and philosophy.
https://goo.gl/forms/AmGL5ZocUSZaJIeG3
https://goo.gl/forms/AmGL5ZocUSZaJIeG3
Happy Melba Day-vis!
in image06/10/2009
May 2018
A fond memory.
Derby day!!!
April 2018
7 years later and all I can see is a fault head position and pulling with the arms too soon. That's progress.
Wow, eight years.
March 2018
Which witch is which? So many of my friends follow the moon and the stars and set intentions and play with crystals and read tarot cards and cast spells. 🔮Confession: I love it. The overlap of yoga and mysticism doesn't surpriss me. It's the attent…
Mayurasana: the posture named for the peacock. This one doesn't get its title from the full plume of the birds tail feathers, but because your elbows dig so deeply into a soft tummy, it's said to give the yogi the digestive power of the beautiful bird. …
February 2018
Into it.
Into it.
Into it.
💪🏻💀The body is a phenomenal tool for understanding the phenomenal world. Just as gravity and relativity help us explain and predict, so too can our bodies do the same for our individual relationship with the here and now. 🤸♀️💪🏻Am I breathing? Ho…
🚥What should be abolished must first be cherished. —Tao Te Ching chapter 36 🚥 Practicing methodically, keeping a very firm attention to detail, creates a solid foundation (bio-mechanically and spiritually). Sometimes, this can begin to feel like a b…
My teacher's buddy carved this ages ago. The water has smoothed it a bit, and it looks almost as though it was formed via the laping of waves. 🌊 The beach is covered in shacks now-- many advertising the rock, capitalizing on its beauty. On one hands,…
Staaaahp!
When I was a young stud.
I'm not made to be complicit-- I was born to misbehave. No, you can't stop me. #leather+sushi
This is always worth a share
January 2018
Psst: new yoga rugs & hand towels... Coming soon. Sign up for the newetter at to get the scoop about merch & workshops
Jo lives without a smartphone. She doesn't text. In fact, she checks her emails to coordinate plans. For the last five years, weve just happened to bump into each other-- every year.
Sleeping through conference.
The cost of gold. 22kt life.
Each of us has a perspective that is informed by where we are at any given time. Here, quite literally, the golden hour looks different than it does in America. The light hits the earth in a different kind of way... Colors take on a different vibrancy. …
Back in Panjim, after the shortest visit with @livelyogini -- but a total adventure. I had almost forgotten quite how amazing dusty ol' Mysore is. Kingfisher is 70 rupees for a big bottle strong in Goa. It's like 215 there. Funny, no?
I was reminded that Shankrathi was coming up by this beautiful lady. Shankranthi is a harvest festival, one of the highlights being the adorned cows.
Oh boy. Panjim >> Mysore
Stretching.
An oldie but a goodie.
Word.
I’m ok with this! Formal wear, yoga videos, and hardcore ridiculousness. Perfect.
December 2017
Hair on face: cut Hair on head: grow
🐄🏝 🏖💪🏻
At #DCAshtanga, we value cultural exchange, and denounce bigotry and oppression of all stripes. Here I️ am doing forest yoga, not to be confused with Forrest Yoga. Did you know we have the best landlady— @gratefulweirdo who owns and operates @kaliyog…
Wigs, short shorts, formal wear.
Wigs, short shorts, formal wear.
“We call this mosquito net green. But how do you know what I see as green looks like what you see as green? No, all we can say is that we both agree that this thing we see is that which we both call green... which tells us nothing about either the net or…
From the last time I was in the best shape of my life.
26 was dope.
Musica universalis, literally the music of the universe. This music may not actually be audible, but is in fact observable in the relationship of movement and object proportions— particularly prescient when discussing celestial bodies— the sun, the moon.…
November 2017
Even as she molded this flesh like clay, she knew it wasn't hers. The parts of me that stuck to her were as happenstance and inevitable as the parts of her that stuck to me. She was not god, not molding me in her image, but wanting only for me to find mi…
@davidgarriguesyoga is doing a Led 1/2 Primary and talk on Thanksgiving at @ashtanganation -- 8am. Wanna take a yogi field trip? I excited-- this is his first time teaching in Northern Virginia in quite some time. Come raise money to fight childhood obes…
My #wcw is also my #blackandwhitephotochallenge #failedit -- @suenodevida_ecu who taught me to see the art inside of the yoga.
This x1000
Day Two: #blackandwhitephotochallenge #failedit
I learned to pretend to be a cat my first day of yoga. I didn't want to be called a cow. Now I'm pretending to be …
Day One: #blackandwhitephotochallenge
October 2017
Ashtanga yoga's primary series, as counted by Sharath Jois, can be completed in an unhurried manner at about the s…
I owe my friends all the thanks: @pamelaxing for the face, @yoantoine for the wig, @mbwrld and @jrene01 for the dr…
Living.
Oh hey, Miss Adams Morgan Pagent.
Oh boy.
Make the breath sound pleasant. Breathing is an inherently pleasurable activity-- it means you're not dead yet. An…
Marichiyasana... eh?! What're you doing over there?
The Gayatri Mantra, written by Rishi Vishvamitra, is mentioned in the Buddha's Pali Canon, the Bhagavad-Gita, and …
Seven years ago, my friends and I won a cow for our exploits at the cave man Olympics. I was getting into the "best shape of my life" -- I look back at these times incredibly fondly -- the resilience, determination, and unfuckwithableness I gleaned in that time has proved invaluable as I continue to grow in my inner and outer fitness.
Vasthistha, the great sage, lead a peaceful community-- the kind where people got on swell and took care of each o…
Tomorrow at 4 -- @hotspotdupont -- I'll be sharing the 26+2 sequence in a 60-minute format. It is one of the most …
September 2017
GRIT Steely-eyed, dirt on the sleeve stick-to-it-ive-ness is essential to success in yoga (and life!). Resilience…
Transitions mean change. Change is scary. I have historicaly been guiled buy the idea of the encroach of Winter. …
I am the light that keeps the streets on.
You gotta practice. Sometimes life gets away from you-- shit happens. Today, I ended up practicing at god knows w…
#fbf 7 years ago at pride, my plastic Starbucks cup fell off the fire escape and shattered. It landed next to a 10…
New class times! Tuesday @ 12- Hot Spot Dupont Wednesday @ 6:30p- Vida U Thursday @ 12 - Vida U Friday @ 12 - Ba…
Spent yesterday in the company of one of my best friends. School began for her this past week and she's on the gri…
August 2017
So, to recap: there's a day of the dead skeleton riding a giant cock into battle with a paddleboard oar on the la…
The look.
WOW 2017
WOW
A fun memory.
WHY WE SHOULD SEE THEIR NAMES: Freedom of assembly has an inherent imperative towards integrity that silent suppor…
Current mood.
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…
July 2017
An all time favorite.
How often do you see a shape like this? I make one at least twice a day, most days.
Saw @bethditto touring the unbelievably good album "Fake Sugar" -- which I think is her best work yet. Had to peel…
A little collage with some of my most influential teachers: David, Rolf, and Sharath. Marci (who is very much one …
Led primary was filled with folks I've had the good fortune to work with for over three years each (wow!!) So, I p…
Twinning.
Freedom, 1776. But, then again in June 26, 2015. The third 4th of July as someone viewed as equal under the law he…
I spent Canada Day biking, napping, and lazing. Also dancing and ducking (no, for once that isn't ab auto correct …
June 2017
Me at 27, living the good life.
New hair.
Pre-Wonder Woman-- you know I love a grand hall.
In this life, I'm insanely lucky to be coming up on two and three decades of friendship with folks-- and these two…
#Reposting @stuiestyle_yoga with @instarepost_app -- Thank you for Mixtape @djmattbailer and @sheavanhorn. You guy…
Love is love-- and oh how I love y'all! #Reposting @tugga_life with @instarepost_app -- Love is love...Thanks for…
The accuracy. #pride
"you look ready for the day!" I said. "I am," she replied. "one more plaque to go, for the front. Its of me and my…
Charlie's kinda wondering why I skipped happy hour. After a day of teaching, my singing lesson, cleans, deadlifts…
WHAT MAKES A GOOD MANTRA? One that works! I often sing "When you're good to mama" from Cabaret to myself when I …
The Ashtanga Yoga practice, as taught to me by my teachers in the tradition of Sri K Pattabhi Jois, is incredibly …
#Reposting @hotspotdupont -- We have a lot of gratitude for @michaeljoelhall for sharing an amazing class with us …
You can break down this stuff three ways: work, play, and deliberate practice. For my dear friend @livelyogini & I, we wanted to take some of the time we've spent with deliberate practice of the Ashtanga methods D.C. and utilize its skills differently, in a form of play.
@antoninaletunovskaya gave us a contortion/acrobatic private, and we got to P L A Y-- and it was SO MUCH FUN. As a student of integrative studies at George Mason, I developed a taste for knitting together and leaning into different and often disparate fields of study and especially their experts.
It was such a great experience-- Antonia is an absolute gem. At 29 and 34, Maggie and I get to say we did something we've never done. Luckily, as teachers of Ashtanga Yoga, we're in the business of believing the impossible is possible.
Fun is fun, and play is play. Good practice requires deliberate attention.
Let your practice let you play!
@antoninaletunovskaya gave us a contortion/acrobatic private, and we got to P L A Y-- and it was SO MUCH FUN. As a student of integrative studies at George Mason, I developed a taste for knitting together and leaning into different and often disparate fields of study and especially their experts.
It was such a great experience-- Antonia is an absolute gem. At 29 and 34, Maggie and I get to say we did something we've never done. Luckily, as teachers of Ashtanga Yoga, we're in the business of believing the impossible is possible.
Fun is fun, and play is play. Good practice requires deliberate attention.
Let your practice let you play!
May 2017
I love this picture!
Was I ever really 23? The Hotel Helix is now Mason & Rook, she's a doctor, and I'm... 34. #fbf
In the practice of Ashtanga yoga, concentration on the subtle perceptions of the body leads to stability and tranq…
Kindness, love, and bliss are infinite metrics that are tells of practice. You have to be willing to be hurt, to …
Hmf.
I love flying @porter -- the flight attendants knew the gayborhood, Kiki'd about gentrification, and helped me sor…
You do t always know when you're looking in the wrong place for what you think you need. Trust your intuition, and…
Post singing lesson selfie. Two years with Dr Miskie-- and I've learned and grown so much. She's been trying to co…
Xo
April 2017
Another day, another surya a. We are expanding our hours at D.C. Ashtanga! 9-11, open practice. T & Th 11-1, assi…
Hmmm.
Recorded some of the stuff I do when I'm horsing around at the gym. svadhyaya isn't always fun, but so nice when …
The game? Your first profile pic and your current profile pic. I flubbed and picked a recent post. 😉 July 2007, April 2017.
Four years, eh?
March 2017
Saw Cameron Carpenter and the International Touring Organ at Strathmore. Friendship meeti…
Come practice!
Moonday -- sleep in, wash stuff.
Don't worry-- we're back to business on Monday.
Don't worry-- we're back to business on Monday.
Selfie.
Inside each and everyone of us is a beautiful soundless sound. To my soul, it sounds like…
Can't wait to share some of the shwag I came home with this year. Oils, Earrings, and Mal…
Workshops & Teaching! March 26: Kali Yoga 8-9: Intro to Mysore ($45) 9-10: Pranayama ($2…
February 2017
"Okay fine, Dad. You can have a kiss. Jeeze."
Perfect.
Jason and I have known each other since we were 18/19. We closed down bars together, and …
Easy come, easy go. Surf & Sand? In my Heart & Hand. Don't leave until you've left.
Lady Gagasana: when your snacks somehow ended up on the roof. Where are my keys/ I lost my…
Rounding out the shwag I'm coming home with at the Mapusa Market. Earrings, and Oils, and…
Ah! From the shala in Mysore!
Mask4Mask
Cats meow side.
Time flies.
January 2017
I love this pic. Sleeping in conference.
As I was leaving the beach, this shack was playing an excellent remix of "Short Dick Man" …
Shopping.
I'm hearing these horror stories about manatees in red hats descending on my city, demandi…
Me, on a night off from practice.
"Led-Laundry-Beach" My own version of gym-tan-laundry.
Moonday.
Add today's profile, and it's 15 years 😉
Went to an event called "Ecstatic Dance" -- a jungle pavilion overlooking the sea with an …
Practicing dynamism -- working each vinyasa as a part of a whole.
Each dynamic position, each"count" in the vinyasa krama, has an infinite number of breaths that can be explored. But much like garment construction, you have to eventually piece it back together and hope it wears well. @rupaulofficial and @michellevisage would read you to filth if you came out on the runway in just a sleeve, but a well constructed frock gives you a polished look. Oh, sure, the dristhi might be off, or the hem of the skirt, but so long as you're keeping that waist cinched... Sorry. You know I get distracted by drag queens. Anyway.
Rolf told me to go practice in the afternoons on the beach. "Keep your back to the ocean, and work on your ticktacks. Many people learned that way." Playfulness is so important to me, and dynamism sparks just that.
Each dynamic position, each"count" in the vinyasa krama, has an infinite number of breaths that can be explored. But much like garment construction, you have to eventually piece it back together and hope it wears well. @rupaulofficial and @michellevisage would read you to filth if you came out on the runway in just a sleeve, but a well constructed frock gives you a polished look. Oh, sure, the dristhi might be off, or the hem of the skirt, but so long as you're keeping that waist cinched... Sorry. You know I get distracted by drag queens. Anyway.
Rolf told me to go practice in the afternoons on the beach. "Keep your back to the ocean, and work on your ticktacks. Many people learned that way." Playfulness is so important to me, and dynamism sparks just that.
Sprout let me try on his Manicorn cowl (it! has! a! cape!)-- he told me I could be a womyn…
Today's check-in is from Ashtanga's advanced a section. #Vishvamitrasana was so challengi…
Spent New Years with a crew of South Americans-- then hung out with some great Iranians. M…
December 2016
Unexpected adventures leading to changes in perspective -- from the very tippy-top of Vaga…
Me, on a night off from practice.
Turns out, in this economy, driving for Lyft wasn't paying the rent. So, Charlie got a sec…
Woke up to a dog chasing a monkey. The monkey won, natch. 4th stay at #beanmeup -- a fab v…
The ca
Juhu beach in Mumbai. Made the best of my lay over. I'd sooner get in the water in varnass…
This is the elephant in the Jagdesh temple-- he's looking over at my hotel. Not pictured: …
Atop the Agra fort was tied a gold chain that went over the river-- and affixed to the cha…
I arrived in Delhi only to find the ATMs all out of money and a shutdown all over at the c…
Before.
People have been asking what Charlie will be doing while I am in India. Well, after his di…
November 2016
@[821580710:2048:Amaya Naomi] and @[100000908140794:2048:Chris White]
One of my students gave me this little guy. He's modeling Triangle at the DC Inspection St…
Charlie has been assisting at @littleriveryoga in the afternoons while @livelyogini is in …
Can you spot Ganesh? This is my little alter at @dcashtanga ... From the darkness before d…
This is why yoga will never be mainstream.
Engaging in materialistic or sensual pleasure with little focus on higher purpose is not yoga-- it's called bhoga. Bhoga, left unchecked, can lead to pain in the body or/and mind-- and this is called roga.
On the flip side, Roga and Bhoga can both lead back to yoga. Once you make a commitment to not harming or deceiving by paying attention to what is, the pain and discomfort can lead you right back out of the yick and into something better: reality.
For yoga to arise, attention to reality must be fixed and firm... Even when it becomes unpleasant. Even when it is inconvenient. Only then can we see what's under the hood.
Yoga will never be mainstream, but nowadays is a great time for alchemy. For transmutation. Turn this time of grasping and grabbing and pain into abiding love and bliss, by doing the inconvenient and uncomfortable.
When the tide comes in, all boats are lifted. "Other" is only illusion. The side effects of yoga are worth the effort: abiding joy, made of honesty and love. This does not mean "free of pain" but it does mean "free of suffering."
Engaging in materialistic or sensual pleasure with little focus on higher purpose is not yoga-- it's called bhoga. Bhoga, left unchecked, can lead to pain in the body or/and mind-- and this is called roga.
On the flip side, Roga and Bhoga can both lead back to yoga. Once you make a commitment to not harming or deceiving by paying attention to what is, the pain and discomfort can lead you right back out of the yick and into something better: reality.
For yoga to arise, attention to reality must be fixed and firm... Even when it becomes unpleasant. Even when it is inconvenient. Only then can we see what's under the hood.
Yoga will never be mainstream, but nowadays is a great time for alchemy. For transmutation. Turn this time of grasping and grabbing and pain into abiding love and bliss, by doing the inconvenient and uncomfortable.
When the tide comes in, all boats are lifted. "Other" is only illusion. The side effects of yoga are worth the effort: abiding joy, made of honesty and love. This does not mean "free of pain" but it does mean "free of suffering."
This week, I have felt the love, support of community. They come together to support each…
Charlie Roike Hall, age 2 1/2. District of Columbia's finest small black dog.
Sebastian Cole Hall, age 11. King George Pound Puppy Extraordinaire.
October 2016
Moon day, All Hallows' Eve Eve, & vegan chicken wings. Craft beer. Witch Craft. Crafty Bas…
"it's kind of fun to do the impossible" This fortune cookie gets it.
The latest in yoga fashion.
Renny magic
Yoga, with animals. @livelyogini helps me with the bear necessities of practice at @little…
Sure isn't.
My personal favorite:
Never a dull moment. Apparently 14th Street Asian Bistro Cafe paid Maria $8.00/hr and the …
September 2016
The grand opening of @oceanprimedc exceeded imagination. The lobster tails were prepared p…
I'm sharing tips, tricks, drills, and more next weekend from my journey into an open heart, strong legs, and distress tolerance.
My experience is not unique. Over and over, I've seen people flourish and amaze themselves.
It's all about breaking it down into pieces... And then putting it back together. I mean, who doesn't want pain free backbends?
Sound useful?
Please join us:
http://tinyurl.com/mtmbackbend
http://tinyurl.com/mtmbackbend
My experience is not unique. Over and over, I've seen people flourish and amaze themselves.
It's all about breaking it down into pieces... And then putting it back together. I mean, who doesn't want pain free backbends?
Sound useful?
Please join us:
http://tinyurl.com/mtmbackbend
http://tinyurl.com/mtmbackbend
Out of town & want a tee or tank? Hit me up.
Ever feel like a zebra in a room full of horses? Really, we're all just unicorns that forgot ou magic. Get woke 😉
Unisex (xs,s, m, l, xl) -- $20 + shipping & a variety of colors (and $5 off two!)
Ever feel like a zebra in a room full of horses? Really, we're all just unicorns that forgot ou magic. Get woke 😉
Unisex (xs,s, m, l, xl) -- $20 + shipping & a variety of colors (and $5 off two!)
Today, I did a photo shoot with @livelyogini -- I forgot that this could be fun. Parched?…
Oh how tacky.
Want a DC Ashtanga t, and can't grab one in person? HMU
Holy cow
August 2016
Part 2. Twister in Chicago 😉
Souper Tuesday: the greenest, most delicious fight-a-fever bone-broth broccoli cheddar sou…