If you were in class this weekend, you may have heard me talk about the "peace pool." I like to imagine it as a vast reservoir of peaceful energy that we can either contribute to or draw from. When we need peace, it’s reassuring to know we can pull from this pool. And let’s be honest, we all have moments when we're running low. But just as important, when we're feeling grounded, calm, and truly at peace, we can make a deposit, contributing to the collective well-being of others.
Does it really work like this? Think about how you feel in the presence of a positive, happy person—it lifts your spirits, doesn’t it? On the other hand, spending time with a negative person can leave you feeling drained. Why? Because we all radiate energy, and that energy inevitably impacts those around us. Sometimes, we can even tap into energy from afar.


Last night, for example, I was in Asbury Park when Bruce Springsteen was playing a huge concert. I didn’t have tickets, and truthfully, I don’t know much of his music (I grew up in the Bronx during the disco era, and then moved on to New Wave—so there was no "Boss" in my early life, nothing personal Bruce!). The excitement in the air was contagious—people were dancing in the streets, and the joy was palpable. Even without being inside the venue, I could feel the happiness and energy radiating through the entire town. It was like I was bathed in the peace pool without even trying.
So how do we give more to the peace pool? We start by engaging in activities that bring us inner peace. And how do we receive from it? Through gratitude and devotion. When we focus on these, we’re immediately plunged into the pool, and what's beautiful is that even when we take, we find ourselves giving right back almost instantly.


We have some upcoming events that will help you dive deeper into this peace pool. Guided meditation with Deb is a sure way to experience how giving from the heart brings more peace into your life. The upcoming workshop with Alex and Sarah will fill you with wonder and ease, while the Divine Feminine event will guide you toward reconnecting with your innate source of joy.
TRE helps to clear blockages so you can see that you are actually IN the peace pool.
Check out the upcoming workshops and let yourself be immersed in this beautiful and beneficial pool of peace!

My teacher Mukunda often reminded us that one of the best paths to higher consciousness is asking good questions. In the Yoga Sutras, this is known as Svadhyaya, or self-study. Mukunda would challenge us to ask ourselves an essential question: "Is what I am doing giving me what I want?" This question is powerful, and its true depth is revealed only when we sincerely apply it to ourselves.
What question could you ask yourself that might lead to an awakening? A full yoga practice—whether through asana, meditation, or mindfulness—offers a fertile ground for self-inquiry. For mindfulness, the question might be as simple as, "Am I aware right now?" In meditation, we could ask, "Am I lost in my monkey mind, or am I focused on my intended object—whether a mantra, a candle flame, or the breath?" During asana, we might consider, "Is this pose causing harm (himsa) or is it sattvic (harmonious)?" If the pose is causing harm, we can then ask, "Do I want to create harm in my own body, or would I rather cultivate santosha (contentment) through a more harmonious practice?"

Can you see the progression? By asking ourselves simple questions, we open the door to deeper inquiries that can lead to moments of enlightenment—if we are paying attention. Mukunda emphasized that discovering our own truth is the most healing aspect of a yoga practice, and he believed that this truth is the key to its therapeutic power.

We have a choice: we can follow the path of inquiry as it builds a structure leading to true awareness, or we can stop at the surface, claiming we already know the answers, and remain stuck in patterns that may cause our own suffering. To build a structure of higher consciousness, we must avoid limiting responses like "I already know this," "I completely understand," or "This is as good as it gets." These statements cut off the path to deeper questioning and prevent us from constructing a stronger, more stable foundation that leads to wisdom. Instead, try flipping these statements to questions like this: "What don't I know about this?" "Is there more to understand?" "Can this be better?" The less we rush to find answers, the more we will truly understand. This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
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This fall we have plenty of workshops that will help you ask better questions, whether they are about your asana practice (Yoga Immersion, Restore and Renew, Yoga Basics), what you mind is doing (Meditation, TRE) and if you are truly being mindful (well, all of the workshops really).

check out the workshops here

What question will you start with?  

I like to share some of the realizations that have arisen from my yoga practice because I believe documenting them is important. I think it also helps to counter, if even a little bit, how yoga attainments are portrayed in mainstream media (e.g., floating handstands, extreme range of motion, complicated transitions- all body oriented). I hope these insights might assist others in recognizing their own attainments, which may not be as obvious as finally finding balancing in a headstand or tree for example.

Here is my latest report- I was with some good friends over the weekend and during the time we spent together I was able to notice when I was “eating air”. “Eating air” is a phrase I came up with during a home retreat to describes the times I am not present. The content of the retreat gave me to ability to see how, even when I was hungry for connection and presence, I was gulping in nothing (distraction and busyness) as if it could possibly satiate. Most of us are hungry for the sweetness of presence, but instead we follow distractions, eat air, and remain hungry.

Why eat air when there is so much wonderful food right in front of you? There are many reasons we do this, and perhaps one of the biggest reasons is because we don’t actually realize we are doing it. It may seem obvious gulping huge quantites of air will not satisfy a hunger, but I am here to report that I eat a lot of air! I also eat a lot of food, and I notice that when I am eating something I really like, the first and the last bites are the best. The first bite is exciting and gets the juices going. The last one I tend to savor because I know it is the last one. It is hard for me to stay present to the deliciousness of the bites inbetween. They are sometimes just filler, and I might as well just be eating air. This weekend my observer mind (which I am continuously seek to strengthen through practice) was telling me loudly when I was eating air. This observation gave me a chance to wake up and be present. It was a gentle, proverbial and constant, slap in the face.

Even though I was getting slapped again and again I was kind of excited because I had all of these chances to wake up. When I was able to notice I was not present, I was able bring myself back to enjoying the finely prepared meal in front of me- each and every bite.

This waking up can be practiced in asana class quite effectively. If you do an asana and you are distracted or confused, or in pain (which will then become the main focus) you might loose the nourishing qualities of the pose. If you are comfortable, confident and connected to a pose, you will be fed by that pose on several levels.

Are you “eating air” when you are doing asanas? Or, are you making it toxic for your system? If you forcing a pose to look the way the person next to you is doing it, or you are struggling really hard to “acheive” the pose, you can be making it toxic. It is like when we eat something that is inherently good for us, but we eat too much of it and it makes us sick- the healing food has become poisonous for the system. The pose that should be healing might be causing damage.

We have a few great opportunities to help you achieve “stheerum sukham asanam” (a steady, comfortable yoga pose) this fall. The "Introduction to Yoga" with Sarah will give you a solid foundation for your practice, especially if you're new to yoga and unsure about terms, names, or where to place your feet. When you have the basics down, you can more easily stay present.

If you have been practicing for a while and want to deepen your understanding of yoga, and how your mind can connect to the poses through observation, consider the "Yoga Immersion" starting in October. This immersion is suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. It will help you connect mind, body, and energy to the pose, creating a heavenly meal that deeply satisfies. This seminar is an excellent opportunity to nourish yourself at increasingly deeper levels.
Please see below for more information on these sessions:
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Yoga practice has been so glamorized and distorted in the west in the last decade it is easy to loose sight of what the practice is all about. On Saturday during the Yoga Immersion meeting I spoke about what a deep yoga practice offers us. Here are some of the take-away points:

• While the physical practice is great for our bodies, it's not about achieving a picture-perfect look.
• A healthy, flexible body helps create a healthy, flexible mind.
• If we’re not aware of our energy during poses, we’re not really doing yoga.
• The same goes for our mental focus during practice.
• It’s important to know where we should be feeling a pose to get the most out of it.
• Being confident enough to experiment with poses helps us connect better with our bodies.
• Our bodies are the tools we use to reach higher consciousness.

We also did some asanas that were all related through hip flexion. Same position, different ways of playing with gravity.

The potential for discovery and learning in a yoga practice is endless! (This is why I always ask for class suggestions. If you suggest a physical issue you want to address, and someone else does too, they both have to be tackled both in one hour, along with the pose of the month. That particular situation has never existed before, and we all get to experience this new combo-pack together!)  And it is this never-ending possibility for discovery that makes a Yoga Immersion something that can be done over and over. So many levels of understanding are present in one singular moment in time.  

If you would like to view the recording of the class please email me for the link. If you have an interest in attending the Yoga Immersion and have questions that were not addressed in the video, please feel free to email me. Have a mat nearby if you want to follow along with the recording!

This October, I will be leading another segment of the Yoga Loka Yoga Immersion. If you are wondering about the difference between a Yoga Immersion and a Teacher Training, read on!

When I moved here in 1997, I met my teacher, Parvathi Nanda Nath Saraswati, at a local gym. I had already been taking yoga in NYC with some of the yoga superstars of that time, and of course, I loved it. But meeting Parvathi revealed a deeper dimension to the practice. She drew our awareness away from the purely physical aspects and guided those of us who sought it towards the deeper practices of yoga. For those who wanted even more, she started a Yoga Apprentice program, which essentially became a teacher training for those of us interested in teaching. This was long before online certifications or one-week-long workshops sprouted up. We initially committed to a year, but many of us are still pursuing the teachings from Parvathi's lineage.

The apprentice program was exactly what it sounds like—we were apprentices. We followed her everywhere, observing and attempting to emulate her actions. We learned about her culture of origin (she was born in India) to understand the context and roots of the practices that had been transplanted to the West. We were taught to integrate these ancient practices respectfully into our Western lifestyle, as she had done herself. That didn't include cutting out the essence of the practice that was challenging, or changing the meaning to fit our western mind. During our apprenticeship, she was raising her three beautiful daughters, managing three furry dogs, and running a yoga school in suburban Bucks County, yet she remained dedicated to her practice. 

Even though her life appeared very American, she never diluted the practices she had learned from her family, ancestors, and teachers. If you were uncomfortable with the content, that was your problem to work out. If you didn’t understand the content, you either left confused (which was fine!) or continued to show up in order to have the lessons repeated until something clicked.

Twenty-five years later, a few original apprentices are still showing up, along with a much larger group. Fortunately, we are still very much confused, but we also recognize that much has been integrated. What is clear to us is that integration is far more important than merely learning something. Learned things can be forgotten, but what you integrate becomes a part of you permanently.

I have tried to model the yoga immersions at Yoga Loka in a similar way, one that seeks integration. This is one reason I prefer them to span a hefty period of time. The insights you gain about your body through the Joint Freeing Series can transform your perception of the body you have inhabited your whole life. People have had significant "Aha!" moments while practicing the JFS, and these realizations should not be rushed—they are to be integrated. Once this new knowledge is part of you, you will have the means and ability to understand other people’s bodies and comprehend why and how we practice yoga. This is what makes a great teacher. 

As my teachers have done, I mix yoga philosophy with the physical information taught. There is no way to separate them. What you learn about your body will change your mind, and vice versa. As your mind changes, your perception of the world around you changes. This shift takes time, patience, and guidance. It is not something that happens only during the 200 hours suggested for a yoga teaching certificate. Yes, something happens in 200 hours, but most likely it is not the transformation that a full, integrated yoga practice will support.

This round of the Yoga Immersion will focus on how typical asanas (like Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Triangle, etc.) arise from the Joint Freeing Series. If you know the JFS, you will have a better understanding of anatomy and kinesiology. If you don’t, you will still know more about asanas, and your body, than you did before. Additionally, we will cover topics such as koshas, Sanskrit, chakras, and prana. While this information will be valuable if you are interested in teaching yoga, it is invaluable if you are interested in integrating the multi-dimensional aspects of yourself.

If you are interested, click here to see more information about the immersion.

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.

This past Friday my slow flow class revolved around people finding the therapeutic value in their asana.  For some people in some poses, it's going to be more therapeutic to pulse in and out rather than hold a static position. But how big a pulse? 1 inch, or 2 and a half inches, maybe 5 inches? For some people a certain pose may be more therapeutic if they hold it and find all of the micro-movements in their muscles, perhaps allowing primary movers to finally kick in when secondary movers become fatigued. One may find that holding a pose and really observing it for a while is like looking at a work of art- the more we look the more we understand it, and the more we understand it the more we can feel how it relates to us on a personal level. In class I likened this holding and observation to a Where's Waldo puzzle. You had to stare at one of those a long time before finding that little guy. And when you found it a feeling of triumph followed. So in your pose, looking deeply for, and then finding, what the appropriate effort is, where the pranic movements are,  where is the " juice" of the pose is can be a phenominial personal triumph. The longer we look the more we can see and embody.


I consider one of my triumphs as a yoga teacher is guiding people to understand and care for their bodies. A the end of that particular class when I suggested people going in to a reclined spinal twisted of their choice, there were as many different twists as there were bodies in the room. It was truly a beautiful sight. 


I consider one of my roles as a yoga teacher is for people to find a connection to their bodies, not my body. So many times I've had people say to me "Well, I can't do it as you are doing it." Only if a person has a similar DNA, similar life experience, similar injuries, and a similar time practicing yoga should even consider a comparison to my asanas to be relevant. A student should not even consider imitating my poses a goal, unless it leads them to a deeper connection with their own bodies. The outer is just not as impactful as the inner.


As I recover from my injuries incurred last year, and I reckon and realize the impact age has on my body, I find it more and more important to offer my students the means to a better relationship with their body.  It has been the injuries and the aging that have given me a yet even deeper relationship with my own body. That, and my deepening meditation practice, have given me the inner space to realize that it's never too late to develop this relationship, and it is essential for happy aging.


Working with my injuries have taught me a gentleness towards my body that I think is perfectly timed since I am stepping lightly towards my 60's. Outwardly, it may seem as though it is  fierce determination to maintain youth, which unfortunately is what many people end up using yoga practice for.  Rather, for me, what is arising from this gentleness and practice,  is a loving, and enthusiastic reclamation of range of motion and strength that is appropriate and possible for this 58 year old body. 


I'll take enthusiasm over frustration any day! How about you?

This quote was shared by one of the speakers at my daughter’s graduation this past weekend. Smith College invited five speakers, each an incredibly inspiring, strong, and accomplished woman. Most inspiring of all was the class president, whose message was, "You are enough." She also encouraged her classmates to pay attention because the things that inspire us the most might be found in everyday interactions.


What impacted me the most this weekend was my perception of time and the “impossible." As we cleaned out my daughter’s room, we peeked into some of the other rooms on the floor that had already been vacated. One of the rooms we peered into was the exact room we saw five years ago during our Smith College tour. Five years ago, I couldn't not conceive of how it would be possible to afford to send my daughter to Smith, her first choice, never mind her having a private room! But now, in 2024, the “impossible” has been achieved. Back in July of 2023, I couldn’t conceive of how I’d ever be able to do crow pose again. Not only was I in constant pain from a wrist break, but I was also in a splint. While I was very concerned with being able to shower, but the thought of not ever being able to do crow again was definitely on my mind. And this weekend, I was able to pop up into the pose. (Maybe it’s no coincidence that the Airbnb we stayed at was affectionately dubbed "the Crow’s Nest," but I like to think that it also had to do with my dedication to regaining my range of motion.)


It’s hard to believe my broken wrist was less than a year ago! It’s hard to believe that less than five years ago, we as a family were fretting about college applications, affording two kids in college at one time, and having my daughter so far away from me for so long. And now, as it happens, these things are done.


And so, what of the improbability of me healing my current knee injury fully and being able to do child’s pose one day, getting over the cold I have, making it through this heatwave or coldspell, getting past a bout of sleeplessness, or ever coming out the other side of a personal or business challenge? Will this ever be done? When one thing is accomplished, another (or many) arises.


It is possible that sharing this with you will help me remember the next time I think I’ll never make it past whatever it is. I will recall standing in a hallway at Smith in 2019 "knowing" I couldn’t provide my daughter with what she wanted most, and "knowing" a year ago I would never be able to get into crow pose again. How about in 2021, "knowing" we would never eat in a restaurant again or sit in the same room with people who were not in our Covid pod?


Ten years ago, I "knew" I would never get wrinkles, saggy skin, or a menopause belly!
I am selfishly hoping that if I share some of these things I "knew" for sure that didn’t turn out the way I dreaded, or foolishly hoped for, maybe I will remember the next time I "know" something. I will remember that I don’t "know" anything at all. Maybe I will remember that what seems impossible is only impossible until it’s done. And that whatever happens, I am enough.


My big question is, when we “know” something, what does it prevent us from doing? How does “knowing” limit our interactions in this world and restrict our dharma? If Nelson Mandela and the ANC had “known” apartheid would never change, what might have happened (or not happened) in South Africa?


What do you “know” that you are willing to challenge?