illustration from The Gokhale Method
When learning the proportions of a
human head for drawing purposes,
we find the eyes hallway down the
head in line with the middle ear.
This is true when the skull is
nicely stacked upon the spine.
You know how I often instruct
"imagine a high ponytail being
pulled upwards" in order to align
the chin and lengthen the neck?
Or just make a fist and tug your
hair upwards from your crown.
This is a good idea not only when
you're on a yoga mat, but when
you're standing or sitting
or moving around the world.
Or at a computer! Ahem.
People who do this look awake,
aware, like they've got it going on.
Stack it up, dears.
You'll avoid compressing your
cranial vertebrae thus averting
spinal compression & degeneration.
Phew. Well done, yogi.
Come to yoga
to practice this!
excerpted from Rosemary Gladstar's new book The Generosity of Plants
I just like this poem.
It's spare
but offers me sparks
of subtle feeling.
Kind of like yoga.
Thought I might offer it to you.
I'll happily share a yoga practice too
if you wish to join me.
Groovy Bubble Mama at Nashville's Earth Day Festival
We've just marked another Earth Day.
I did so at the festival here in Nashville
where I heard Leah Larabell of High
Garden Tea offer an antidote to feelings
of loneliness and isolation. Put your feet
on the earth and look at what's growing
all around you. Then recognize that
the earth provides what you need.
There's hardly a weed or wildflower
that doesn't want to nurture you somehow.
Get in relationship, yogi.
Leah thinks we can feel safer and more
connected if we realize we are part
of this lush functioning ecosystem.
Don't douse a dandelion with Roundup.
Dig up its roots for a liver tonic tea.
Eat its leaves for potassium, iron, calcium,
and a rich assortment of trace minerals.
Use the stalk's interior milky latex
to cure warts. You get the idea.
The earth is for us.
Talk about feeling part of a community!
You are also part of a yoga tribe.
Come practice this week!
Behold a bit of wisdom from Roald Dahl
in his inimitable The Twits.
Just in case you're spending too much
time pondering the fate of the world,
finding your nervous system caught up
in political and financial turmoil like a
tumbleweed careening down the avenue.
Take heed, yogi!
Sure, we live in this wonky world
but we do have some control of
our immediate environment.
May we keep space & time
for some good thoughts,
so we might shine like sunbeams
and cast a little light on our fellows.
Find me on the yoga mat this week!
One of my favorite childhood memories
involves making mud pies one summer
afternoon with a hose and aluminum
pie plates at my disposal. I got so dirty.
It was fantastic.
David Bates of Bates Nursery here in
Nashville offers a little science as to why
digging in the dirt feels so good to us humans.
"Gardening is a methodical practice,
a way to disconnect from the noise of daily life
and reconnect with the earth beneath our feet.
Our modern world is complicated, our minds
constantly engaged. Yet, just minutes spent
with hands in the soil can break the cycle of
overthinking, offering a moment of clarity.
This isn’t just sentiment—it’s science.
Soil is teeming with life, including saprophytic
bacteria that have co-evolved with us.
These beneficial microbes stimulate
serotonin production, offering natural
anti-depressive, anti-inflammatory, and
immune-boosting benefits. The 'Prozac effect'
of gardening is real, and it’s one more
reason to dig in."
If gardening is not your thing, I highly
recommend an afternoon of mud pies.
Goodness knows there's
plenty of mud around at present.
Yoga is always a good idea.
See you this week?
Spring (Again)
Michael Ryan
The birds were louder this morning,
raucous, oblivious, tweeting their teensy bird-brains out.
It scared me, until I remembered it’s Spring.
How do they know it? A stupid question.
Thank you, birdies. I had forgotten how promise feels.
Lately, I don't need an alarm clock.
The frenzy of birdsong wakes me
pouring through my bedroom windows
well before the light does.
I've taken to imagining the sound
winding its way over my body
like the sparkles of sun on water
as though prana is entering me
here, then there, encircling my heart,
entering my feet, crowning my head.
It's a splendid way to begin a day.
So, thank you, spring.
Thank you, birds.
Take in the prana of spring
however you can, wherever
it appears and accosts you.
Maybe on a yoga mat?
We're not the kind of person
we think we are,
we're the kind of person
our habits are making us into.
Notre Dame philosophy prof
Meghan Sullivan reminds us of
this warning from Aristotle.
It stopped me for a moment.
I have all sorts of ideas about the type
of person I think I am, or hope to be.
But what would an outsider posit
were she simply observing my habits?
It reminded me of the axiom
If you want to know what's
important to someone, see
where they expend their
resources.
No judgments here, but rather
the opportunity to do a little
reverse engineering if we wish.
Am I spending my time and
treasure on the kind of things
that I most value, that have the
propensity to form me into
the sort of creature I aspire to be?
I think I'll ask myself this
every now and then.
Staying true to my yoga practice
is definitely a tick in the
YES, KEEP IT UP column.
I hope for you too.
Muscle mass matters!
Here's what I've learned lately.
1. Muscle is the most active
metabolic tissue in the body!
It helps blood sugar regulation.
As muscle mass lessens,
so does your metabolic rate. 🙁
2. Muscle helps keep your brain sharp!
Studies show those with high muscle
loss are 3x more likely to develop
dementia perhaps due to high markers
of inflammation related to muscle loss.😟
3. Muscle actually works as an
endocrine organ through the production
of myokines, signaling molecules that
exert effects on tissues and organs.😲
(this blows my mind)
After age 30, muscle mass declines
at a rate of 3-5% per decade.
After 70, that loss accelerates to
7-8% per decade.
Unless you resist this statistic
by building muscle
on purpose!
Hello, planks, lunges,
one legged balances, etc..
Bring on the yoga!
Oh, nuts, how I love you.
My pantry is full of raw nuts.
I eat a handful in between
yoga classes almost every day.
They get me through the next
downdog until lunchtime.
Hurrah! They're good for us.
walnuts: reduce both cholesterol levels
and inflammation. A regular walnut habit
improves endothelial function
and reduces heart disease risk.
almonds: help lower LDL while
maintaining healthy HDL cholesterol.
Reduces blood pressure and
improves vascular function.
pistachios: high in potassium and
antioxidants, they enhance heart
health. When I was little I loved these
because they were dyed red.
I know, the 70's, a kooky time.
cashews: high in magnesium, they help
regulate heart rhythm & blood pressure.
pecans: lots of monounsaturated fats,
anti-inflammatory polyphenols, and
vitamin E - good for your brain & heart.
Brazil nuts: awesome selenium
source for thyroid health and
some say avoiding depression.
Munch away.
Then come to yoga,
you nut!
Gulp.
Wise advice just now methinks.
Sometimes speaking out,
speaking up, or honestly simply
speaking w i t h a fellow soul
can make all the difference.
Instead of holding truth
only on the inside, I can
set it free out into the world
where it might do some good.
And honestly, this is the best way
I know to take care of myself.
I'm learning that storing things
inside my body is hardly ever
the best idea. I want to keep
things free and fluid in here
-energetically and physically-
for my own wellbeing.
So the next thing can come in
. . . . and in time, be let out.
Ah, flow.
Yes.
Let's try this
on the yoga mat.