If we consider wakeful dreams to be stretches of the imagination, or nighttime dreams as a chance for the sleep-state mind to stretch out into far reaches of fancy or aspiration, we can practice the "stretchy" aspect of yoga in the same way.
Read moreAre things hard or do they just seem hard?
Learning to be fully present with what's rising up in the tide of right now, we can allow the receding tide to carry away the stuff that seems hard but isn't really. And then when we're left with the truly difficult stuff, we're ready for it.
Read moreBreathing Through the Jitters
We are days away from the culmination of a presidential election that is likely the most historic of the century. Much like the uncertainty of our lives for the last seven months, we face the real possibility of going to sleep the evening of Nov. 3 with more questions than answers. It’s unsettling at best, and the emotional litany goes on from there.
Read moreBehind the Mask by Chrissy Boylan
Are masks inconsequential in my mind’s eye? Maybe. Or maybe my human ability to connect via eye contact and body language rises above. Someway, somehow the reality of wearing a mask fades into the background of my felt experience as soon as I begin moving, breathing and focusing.
Read moreMindfulness in the Mayhem
Craving a crowd? Or indulging your peak introverted self? The same events provoke as many responses as there are souls in the world...we hope you're finding what you need.
Read moreThe Saving Grace of Yoga for Healthy Aging with Rixie
I had just thrown my back out, but Rixie’s class was my saving grace. I allowed her wise asana choices to test my body and its movement again in a safe and purposeful way. I allowed Rixie’s kind and knowing manner to heal my broken spirit by showing me I can still move and be present in a community of others who might be injured, healing, or on a challenging body journey.
Read moreVocalized Deliciousness: Yoga with Jennifer Eubank
Somehow she seems to know exactly my problem areas and missing links, offering solutions with soothing calmness. “Mmm hmmm”: like the bite of a chocolate chip cookie just out of the oven.
Read moreWith A Sense of Accomplishment: John Sherburne's Ashtanga Yoga
Did I think about paying my bills or what I had to do tomorrow for work while holding downward dog for another of John’s five long breath counts? No. Did I wonder if I fed the cat or obsess about that thing I said to someone yesterday while teetering in revolved triangle pose? No. John’s kind but stern focus on the proper poses and forms worked its magic on me.
Read morePossibility, Reassurance, and Routine: Yoga with Pooja
The whole practice is an analogy, she says. Like seasons, this isolation/pandemic period, too, will come to an end. We will come out the other side, the same way a season inevitably comes to a close.
Read moreThe Intersection of Wellness and Social Justice: A Message from Annie & Amir
We stand in a public square, where wellness and social justice intersect. Around this intersection is the scaffolding of four hundred-plus years of institutionalized racism, and we are either unwittingly benefiting from it, or suffering in its shadows. Neither condition serves the cause of wellness in any community.
Read morePersonal Connections: Class With Roger Panetta
Roger kneels down to floor level to check in with each person before class begins. “How are you doing today?” he asks gently, with namaste hands.
Read moreThe Long View
Creating longer distances within the body includes the opportunity to examine how that distance became shortened in the first place, and how it may get filled once created. Is a perpetually contracted chest the result of years of depression or self-defense against a broken heart? Does the one who dares to open that vulnerable stretch from shoulder to shoulder, across heart and lungs, do so in the hopes of breathing new life into the long reach from loneliness to belonging?
Read moreA Body That Can: Therapeutic Yoga with Amir
Amir offers wisdom on anatomy and how to bring the lessons of healing into daily life – for knees, neck, back, shoulders, hips, and other parts that have been beaten down from work, injury, disease, aging, or disuse. He provides the tools to practice at home and then wants you go out there and live: play sports, climb mountains, expand your reach with a body that can.
Read moreReflections on Impermanence at Minnehaha Falls
The yoga sages believed that our inability to mitigate suffering stems from a narrow perspective of how things really are, as if walking up an escalator without noticing it’s actually going down, wondering why it's so hard to get to the top.
Read moreLike She Already Knows You: Class with Jackie Shaffer
Jackie Shaffer’s voice is like sipping tea with an old friend on a front porch. It’s as if she already knows you before you have met and before you even know yourself.
Read moreThe Yoga Play of Flow and Yin: Class with Vicki Christian
With bright eyes and a big smile, Vicki brings excitement and positive energy to yoga class, like that of a beloved teacher you might remember from childhood.
Read moreNo Sweat – We're All About the OM
The dichotomy between sweat and OM is one that yoga folks have been talking about for the last decade, since yoga’s popularity skyrocketed, but above all, people come to Sun & Moon seeking the supportive company of others, the guidance of good teachers, the laughter and fun that happen when defenses come down, and the hallelujah of getting out from behind their devices.
Read moreA Magic Carpet Ride: Meditative Yoga with Alex Levin
Small, little movements that don’t seem to be doing anything, but then when it’s over, you feel really great!
Read moreGetting Traction
I treasure these morning walks with my dog Prince. I sing songs to him. My phone stays out of reach. I smell the trees, the grass, the firewood in winter and the humidity in summer. I smile at passersby and try to make eye contact and say hello to each one.
A common technique for walking meditations is to be conscious of each foot as it touches the ground, tracing each footstep’s outline, one by one. This is essential to avoid slipping on ice, but what would our daily experiences be like if we paid this much attention to every step we took, even on dry solid ground?
Read moreThe Best Meditation
by Amir
Last summer while teaching at The Mindful Unplug at our Feathered Pipe Ranch retreat in Montana, someone asked the perennial question, “which is the best technique for meditation?" The classic answer is, “it’s the one you will use."
The answer I actually gave was, "the best meditation technique is with your cat!” Whenever I lie down, I inevitably end up with a cat lying on my chest, gazing softly and lovingly into my eyes. At this point, I can't help but return the gaze and my mind clears of everything except my present connection with this magnificent creature. My body stays naturally still, because I don't want to disturb our cozy posture. And internally, we both create a feeling of love and caring.
Cats are masters of meditation and can teach us everything we really need to know about it. By nature, all felines are predators. They require huge bursts of energy to capture their prey. And because they have to preserve their energy for these huge bursts, they require much time for restoration and nourishment, sleeping up to 16 hours a day. If you have a cat, you may often notice her in a resting, kind of dazed state. Not asleep, but almost. Her eyes half-open and completely still, focused, and relaxed. The cat has just enough awareness to respond to danger if alerted, while still getting the benefits of relaxation. The perfect meditation. I get it. Not everyone is a cat person. Dogs are cool too, though you may have to teach them how to sit still and meditate with you.
I also get that not everyone is an animal person. In this case, try meditating with another human. In the same way that a yawn is contagious, simply meditating with another person can be all you need to get started. It doesn’t really matter who or what is your inspiration – the same principal applies – choose your source of quiet. Put down the phone and all the other distractions. Allow yourself to get lost in the sweet presence of stillness and ease, and it will call you back again and again and again. This is meditation, the natural and easy way.
