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As the days become shorter
and darkness deepens,
may I honor the rhythm
of rest and gestation
the earth teaches me.
Mary Rose O’Reilly

Oh, goodness. Yes, please.

Instead of forcing my house
to blaze with lights to defy
the ever earlier sunset.
Instead of succumbing to
the mad swirl of holiday time.
May I internally prepare to
mark the coming winter solstice.

Sunday Dec 21st will mark
the astronomical start of winter
with the shortest day of the year
and the longest, deepest night.

Remembering the slow things
that nourish me. Simmering
soups, long stories, flickering
flames, warm baths, nodding
off in a crumple of newsprint.

You are hereby granted permission
to s l o w down, yogi. You are
part and parcel of the universe.
Take a hint from what is happening
to the natural world around you.

Be at peace.
And also with your yoga practice.

Whether we cancel our plans, or life cancels them for us, being left with the empty space of a day that was supposed to be filled to the brim can be disconcerting at first. The temptation is to fill it yet again, to let other tasks and plans crowd in. But I have learned to relish the out-of-body sensation of reentering my life with a new perspective when some inevitable change takes place, almost as if I’m standing outside of things and looking in on another person’s life.
-James Crews

Just such an opportunity happened
to me recently. A friend was expected
for a visit and some yoga one
rainy morning. Driving conditions
were terrible and she had to turn
back home. We were both disappointed.

I put away the teacups, stared out
the window and thought what next?
Just before I let tasks spill into an
newly opened space of time, I paused.
I made myself a cup of tea,
placed my yoga mat in front of
the rainy window, and gave myself
a lazy, indulgent yoga practice.
It was heaven. The day picked
back up with work and tasks,
but you know, I remember that
morning still. A gift to myself.

Keep some open space for yourself.
Won't you?

Hope to see you on
the yoga mat this week.

I read this recent story in the NYT
with great interest. I love paper money.
And coins. And little change purses.
I am vexed when I visit a store and
they won't take you know, money.
I love that my local art store
will exchange my wrinkled lucre
for all the paint and paper I desire.

It's delightful to hand young cashiers
exact change for purchases.
They often act impressed. Or maybe
they're just mystified by this small
woman of a certain age who likes
to count out nickels. Indulge the ol' girl.

The anthropologist who speaks of
exchanging paper money as a point of
human connection hits on what I feel.
That moment of exchange is when
people comment on my FREE HUGS
change purse or gaze into the middle
distance for a moment of stillness
while waiting for me.

A few weeks ago at my farmer's market,
I gave a busker a couple dollars.
He lit up, put his pick in my hand,
and together we played some jazz
chords on his electric guitar.
I smiled all the way to my car where
two other guys passing me caught
my infectious grin and made their own.
Mmm hmm, connection!

Practicing yoga together
is another type of connection.
See you this week, friend.

You know when you go round the table
and share what you're thankful for?
Sometimes it can seem like playacting,
especially if life doesn't feel awesome
at the moment. But there's something
to it, a scientific something in fact.
FMRI studies have uncovered a neural
consequence of thanksgiving.

Generating gratitude stimulates
the stress regulating hypothalamus and
activates the pleasure producing reward
circuitry in our brains.

It's also been proven that expressing
gratitude brings out the best in others.
It's hard to stay cranky when fully
experiencing, sharing, or receiving
the gratitude of another.

You know what I'm thankful for?
You.
Thank you for trusting me with your
sweet self on the mat each week.
My life would definitely be
less awesome without you.

xo Taunia

I recently heard Bessel van der Kolk
talk about his reading of Darwin
from whom he learned this:
The function of emotions is to move.

Movements are necessary to open up
and learn what's happening inside,
to grow, explore, adapt, and evolve.

Yoga is a wonderful container
for this sort of exploration.
See what comes up when
you're practicing.
Sensitize yourself to
messages from your body.
Our yoga practice has more
dimensions that we could
discover in a lifetime.

Let's practice this
together this week.

Authentic love is to understand
both strengths and weaknesses,
of yourself and others, and
accept them all. It is a dynamic
dance of give and take without
conditions, of letting go into
uncertainty and vulnerability,
and being willing to help that
person when needed.
-Anam Thubten

Oh, my goodness.
Talk about yoga off the mat.
Our personal relationships
provide steady ground
for good work.
What good is all this effort
to balance on one foot,
breathe skillfully, notice
reactivity to physical challenges,
and work for equanimity
if not for how to live
well in the world?

We'll meet our own strengths
and weaknesses in asana
practice this week.
Practicing how to be dynamic
and helpful to ourselves.
A good place to start.

One of the common areas of complaint
I hear from yogis is dissatisfaction with
their hamstrings. They're so recalcitrant!

Here's why you always hear me instruct
to bend the knees when heading into a
forward fold (uttanasana). We want to
keep the lower back safe and work with
the hamstrings intelligently. Rather than
goofing around simply hanging forward
and wondering why we feel so tight.

Refer to Dr. Long's illustrations above.
1- Bend knees to release hamstrings
where they connect to the lower legs.
2- TIlt the pelvis forward to stabilize
hamstrings at their origin point.
Remember how I often cue "tailbone
to sky - belly towards thighs?"
Note the psoas muscle contracting.
3- Only then might you consider
lengthening the legs if you like.
This involves contracting your quads.

That pelvic tilt is essential, so you
can be forward folding your life long.

We'll work on this together this week!

Our ordinary minds demand
an ordinary world and feel
at ease only when they have
explained and taken for granted
the mysteries among which we
have been given so short a
license to breathe. Imagine the
state of wonder that would
possess our spirits had we
been suddenly transported to
the earth from some planet
undisturbed by the urge of life.
-Llewelyn Powys (1884-1939)

How easy it is to slip into
unseeing. Digesting mysteries
as though commonplace.
Perspective is everything.

Beginner's mind over and over.
Caught by surprise at a vivid sky
or the manner in which you've
learned to move your body
with grace and strength in a
myriad of poses on a yoga mat.

You're something.
So is this world you
find yourself in.
Gasp every now and then.

Practice anew this week.

Once I really grasped this concept,
I got serious about doing my
inner work. Looking at patterns,
especially the ones so ingrained
I almost couldn't see them.
God knows, I'll never ever
reach heights of complete
awareness in my family life,
but if I can be even a bit
more conscious, I'll leave
a lighter and softer legacy.

I've heard it said that
"The people we choose to become,
our children inherit."
Gulp.

You've heard of Swedish
death cleaning? You know,
when you try to get rid of your
physical detritus so your kids
aren't saddled with it all one day?
I think doing this on an emotional,
psychological level is far more
essential with more profound
benefits for not only those
who come behind us
but those around us now.

Yoga can support
this type of work.
Let's hone our awareness
on the yoga mat this week.

This poor fellow needs to
stand up straight in tadasana
and take 3 full body breaths
before he finishes his work.

Most of these ill effects from
poor computer posture are
probably old news to you. Yet,
I hadn't thought much about
adductor overuse. Holding
your legs close together or
habitually crossing them
leads over time to contracted
inner thigh muscles. That
tightness leads to imbalances
throughout the body.

And sleepy, amnesiac glutes
certainly don't help matters.

We want balanced strength
and suppleness throughout
our lower body. It's essential
to remain comfortable and
capable in our bodies.

There will be some happy baby
and chair poses in your future
should you practice with me
this week. I hope you will.