Musings

I love summer. I love the feeling of the sun warming my skin. Long summer days by beautiful Oregon rivers, gathering with friends to share the summer’s bounty. As summer wanes and the days grow shorter and the mornings hold a whisper of autumn in the chilled air, a pit of loss always develops deep in my belly. I am a true Oregon baby… (click the title to read more)

When I came to Eugene Yoga about three and a half years ago, I needed a refuge. My life as I knew it had been pulled apart as a debilitating chronic illness forced me to move back home to Eugene, across the world from my husband and job. I needed somewhere to go every day, a place to move and to be in my body… (click the title to read more)

Each breath we take is a connection of mind and body; a natural channel into our emotions and well-being. So ingrained in us as we live, yet not always aware of how it permeates throughout our days. In yoga we’re guided through our breathing and feel a calm overcome us as we practice, but off the mat I haven’t always efficiently utilized each breath I take… (click the title to read more)

Everything you’ve been carrying
is not actually part of your body.
All these choices have attached
themselves like timeworn crust,
old skin tags in awkward world… (click the title to read more)

After working at Eugene Yoga, I decided to expand my own practice and earn a yoga teacher certification. This 200-hour program, which spans over 8 months, is coming to an end this month. As graduation approaches, I am amazed by how difficult and transformative it has been to learn about yoga—and how much I still have to learn about myself… (click the title to read more)

With prescription glasses, I can see signs of aging with greater clarity, and I know I’m not alone. Osteopenia. Joint stiffness. Did I forget to mention memory? With each new grey hair, I search for the granny gear to slow this train down… (click the title to read more)

You utter the popular “the struggle is real” saying to someone and you’ll almost always get an all-knowing nod or head shake. Because we all inevitably suffer the trials of life. It’s a thing that makes us human, and it connects us all. The struggle is one important reason we practice yoga… (click the title to read more)

“Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body.” This quote from a James Joyce novel often brings a smile to my students’ faces. It literally expresses the opposite of embodied yoga… (click the title to read more)