WEEKLY TIPS on how to live a more healthy, present and embodied life. Whether you love to walk, swim, bike, dance, run, practice yoga or martial arts, my blog posts show you how to FOCUS your intention and CAPITALIZE on your potential for personal growth.
Leveling Up
Do you know the kind of feeling you get when things open up and you can see the bigger picture? That’s what my weekend in Arizona at #InsideEdge was like. The truth is, I could feel it coming. Whether or not we like to admit it, I’m coming to believe we can actually FEEL when we’ve been playing small. Emotionally, it feels like a sense of longing mixed sometimes with a bitterness that gets tweaked when you witness someone else playing a bigger game. Physically it feels tight, like a skin that doesn’t quite fit. It may come with...
read moreDepth: Honoring Past, Inviting Future
Lean forward. A little more. Feel the sun on your face. Feel your shoulders pressed into the space ahead. Open your eyes. Look out at the world. Don’t just look…peer. With a sense of searching, of curiosity, of yearning, let your gaze pierce into the unknown before you… In your body, there is a sense of alertness. And openness. In your mood, a sense of anticipation. “I’m ready,” you think. In the discourse of Somatics, the front of the body, and the space ahead, represents the future space. Our relationship with creation, with...
read moreWidth: Centering in Connection
Sometimes I’m happy. I’m outspoken. I’m available. Sometimes you can feel me. I’m like a door that is wide open. You walk inside. There’s plenty of room for both of us. My energy is expansive. My mood is open. My physical body is relaxed. I take up space side to side. I laugh loudly. I connect. On other days it feels as though I want to curl up in a ball. Maybe figuratively. Maybe even literally. On those days it’s hard for you to find me. I feel absent. I am tight. I am sullen. I am quiet. My skin feels like a sweater that...
read moreLength: Centering in Dignity
When was the last time you took a stand for your dignity? A few months ago, a mentor reflected to me that I seemed to lack “backbone.” She pointed out the ways in which I’m prone to losing myself in others’ stories, giving away my core values and riding the wave of other people’s emotions. She noted that, at times, I can’t even find my own point of view – I’m so worried of what she will think. On one hand, that rang true. How many times in my life have I found myself facing another human being in a state of collapse? And...
read moreMoving from Center… Again
Take a breath… Feel your feet on the floor… Notice your belly rise and fall… It’s easy enough to be centered in your body (and your life) while calmly sitting still. In a yoga class, or a quiet den, the context lovingly supports your goal. But can you stay present and connected to your self when things start moving fast? Even out of control? What happens to your state of ease and grace when life throws you a curve ball? There’s no doubt about it. Centering in motion is a skill worth investing the time and energy to...
read moreThe Sacred Flame
“If we are the ones we’ve been waiting for… why wait?” ~ Goddess Alchemy Project There is a sacred fire within. It’s part of your soul. It burns for you. It burns even when you forget your soul’s purpose. It burns even when you think you’ve sold out, though it may go underground. It burns louder or softer, in proportion to the amount you censor yourself in order to look good to others. It burns faster or slower, in proportion to the degree to which you’re willing to trust your own intuition and lean IN – to...
read moreThe Myth of Inclusion
I want to be part of the tribe. But I can’t. I really can’t. Because I don’t fit in. I’m too strange, too short, too fat, too smart, too pretty, too kinky, too straight, far too better than…. I can’t, because I once made a mistake that is so unforgiveable that they’ll never let me back in. Because someone else once wronged me in a way that was so unforgiveable that I’LL never let THEM back in again. I want to be part of the tribe but, you see, they just don’t quite get me. The hill to climb is far too steep. The...
read moreGamemaster
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso I hate to admit it, but I like rules. They make me feel safe and in control. Yet, I know that if I want to consciously play the Gamemaster of my own life, there’s a lot of unlearning to do. A lot of “rule breaking,” you might say. Because in the world of gaming, skillful play is like defying gravity. Imagine this: you are walking down a dark street in at eleven pm. You are slightly lost, but you know the general vicinity of your...
read moreElephant Speed
“Why are you in such a hurry?” the elephant asked in a booming, resonant voice that echoed against the cave walls. It was my first journey circle. Eyes closed, I tranced to the repetitive sound of the drum. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. The looming presence of a giant, shadowy figure with huge palm-like ears and a long waving trunk came into my mind. “Yes,” I thought, “why ARE we in such a hurry?” Just where are we trying to get to so very quickly? Guilty as charged. In a world of short cuts and quick fixes, it’s easy to...
read moreDo it Again: The Elegance of Repetition
Could it be that the thrill of adventure has a downside? A couple weeks ago, I found myself in a fellow Nia teacher’s class in Berkeley. Despite the early hour on a Saturday morning, I was surprised to see a myriad of students filter through the door. Yes, the room was packed. These women chose to come dance rather than sleep in late, and everyone felt alive. Thinking back over the past year, it occurred to me that my colleague was doing something very right – something simple, yet profound. She was showing up to hold the class,...
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