How are you coping with this heat? Since it seems like the hot weather is here to stay, let’s consider how we can navigate through the scorching parts of summer and still enjoy the season!

I remember the old clunkers my dad owned when I was a child. We always worried about the car overheating in the summer. It was a trade-off back then—using the air conditioning only when not stuck in traffic, and sometimes skipping the radio or 8-track tapes to keep cool (or maybe that was just an excuse my dad made up!). If the car showed signs of overheating, we had to stop, let it cool down, and add water to the radiator.

If you remember those days like I do, consider that your body is very similar. We need to be able to read our internal "radiator" and ensure we're not at risk of "blowing a gasket"! Do you know if you are overheating? Even if you're not sweating visibly or flushed, you might still be in danger of burning out metaphorically.

Global warming is concerning. Many areas are in precarious situations because of it. I don’t want to downplay its impact worldwide. My family has taken many steps to reduce our carbon footprint due to the predictions of where this is headed. However, now that we're experiencing this heat in June (and we are understandably concerned about what August is going to be like!) we must adapt to what's here. We'll need to slow down, rise early for gardening or exercise, and find ways to regulate ourselves that do not further tax the environment.

Cooling down when we notice we're heating up is for our personal benefit as well as for those around us. I read about a study confirming that a hot environment causes people to be short-tempered. What a surprise! Who knew? Anyone who has been in a hot environment knows we're less patient and likely to make poor decisions when we are overheated. There are ways to work with the fire element that can benefit us, but it must be tamed enought so we can control it rather than it controlling us. So be cautious! Take it slow and be mindful. See if your usual activities are causing you to heat up too quickly.

You'll notice that on these very hot days, I modify our yoga practice to guide you towards recognizing your internal temperature. While we may feel entitled to do as we please and go full force, it's worth remembering the wise saying: "Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should."

Back in September, just after I got out of my cast, I fell on my knee. It took about a week to realize just how much I had hurt myself. Knee flexion was virtually impossible for a sustained period of time and knee flexion while in external rotation (which is basically sitting cross-legged on the floor or cushion) was impossible. Yes, quite ironic for a yoga teacher! I tried a bunch of different topical treatments, castor oil packs, comfrey compresses, acupuncture, heat, and some massage. While all of those probably helped somewhat, do you want to know what really made the difference?

Drum roll, please….

The turning point happened in February when I started doing the Joint Freeing Series (JFS) every morning before my shower. My knee was hurting so much during my morning meditation practice (sitting on a couch!) I was considering taking a painkiller before meditation. Then suddenly, I remembered that doing asana is supposed to benefit your meditation by making your body feel good enough to sit still. How about that—the thing I tell people all the time worked for me too.

So I started doing the JFS in the mornings, standing, in my bathroom. The results were remarkable. Not only did my knee improve, but my side seams loosened, my troublesome right shoulder regained mobility, and my overall energy and balance soared. Coincidence? I think not.

My fall wasn't age-related (I tripped on my pants!), but the slow healing likely was. The other aches - tight side seams, stiff shoulder, morning stiffness - most likely were age-related. This experience underscored a crucial point: even with a healthy lifestyle, age requires proactive maintenance.

What that means is we have to do more to keep it at bay. The JFS pinpointed where my range of motion was challenged, and offered the solutions to improve it. A seasoned JFS practitioner might not recognize my modified standing version because I have tailored to my specific needs after the JFS provided me the details of my limitations.

At some point in our lifetime, certain injuries and restrictions will not magically go away. Many injuries and limitations will lead to more limitations. Patience, observation, and increasing the intensity of the movements over time are all contributing to my healing, and you can do the same.

This experience has deepened my appreciation for the JFS, a practice I've taught since 2005. As I age along with many of you, it become more and more clear: the JFS is the foundational practice that can mitigate the body's decline.

I will be sharing many variation of the JFS with you in Yoga for Healthy Aging and more workshops to come!

Last weekend, I attended my 40th high school reunion. It was a blast! Seeing some people for the first time in 25-40 years was quite something. The most notable thing was how we fell into the “knowing” of each other with very little hesitation (even if we didn’t recognize each other at first!) I had a few very heartfelt conversations with some people. Of course, we spoke about where we were living, how many kids we had, and where they were attending college, but there were also conversations about how we remember ourselves from when we were young teens, and in some cases, we talked about things that we would not have dared to talk to each other about at that age. The cliques that defined us so long ago in high school had softened their hard edges. While we grew up in the same era and went to the same school, our student body spanned the vast expanse of cultural, economic, and experiential diversity that NYC is known for. 40 years after Ed Koch delivered our graduation commencement speech, we were happy to join together under the larger banner of Bronx Science Graduates, regardless of our current and long-ago differences.
Following the reunion, I attended a conference on the Second Look legislation that is seeking support to pass the bill in the senate. The attendees and presenters were all involved and passionate about seeking social justice for elderly incarcerated people, which is what this bill proposes. In addition to their passion, the presenters and speakers allowed vulnerability to shine through as they spoke from their hearts.
Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, I felt as connected to this group of “strangers” as I did to my classmates. It was a beautiful reminder that what connects us is not just shared memories and experiences. We can connect just by being open, by speaking from the heart, and by curbing our habit of intentionally excluding.
How amazing would it be to feel this connection always? You may believe as I do that we play just as much a part in the dance of separation as the others we feel are excluding us. When we can observe our walls going up, and our need to define roles as uncertainty morphs into fear of some sort, when we allow ourselves to see that, we can also choose to change it. It takes observation, courage, and practice to show up this way, but when we are passionate about healing the wounds of separation, we will find the motivation to drop the walls and drop the illusion and find the beauty and solace in connection.