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Closing the Year with the Chakras

Friends! It’s been a while. But what better topic to return on than picking up a series of themed classes focused on the chakras? At the end of the year, I like to devote the last 7 weeks of the year to calibrating the chakras. Here’s a high level guide to what that looks like this year. Class 1: Root Chakra (Muladhara) Theme: Grounding and stability Opening (5 min): Seated meditation with a…

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Talismans, Totems & Fetishes

I don’t think I’m alone in this, but as a kid, I honestly believed in a kind of inherent magic in the world. My mom, a product of the New Mexican desert where ancient Native beliefs collided with the New Age influx of people post WWII, taught hard sciences courses during the day but routinely saged our rooms before bedtime. I devoured folktales and various legendarium chock full of small but…

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Spring Cleaning for Your Well-being

Most of the yard is covered in 18+ inches of snow right now. The driveway is slick with ice and slush. And yet. And yet I can feel spring in the air. It’s almost like a psychic form of proprioception. I can’t see the flowers and grass yet, but I know they’re waking up. There are more birds outside, the squirrels and chipmunks are skittering over the snow more often. Having spent my entire life…

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Bringing Progressive Muscle Relaxation into Yoga Classes

In April 2018, I had been teaching yoga for all of three months at the YMCA. Then, I was slowly working on branching out and practicing new things and learning more about the space, and where I fit into it, when I was offered to take on a 2x-a-week class at a nearby chiropractic practice. This was one of the most transformational parts of my teaching career, and where I first started using…

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February Yoga Flow Sequence from the Heart

Any February yoga flow sequence is always dominated by heart openers. Ostensibly, it’s a reference the Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s, or whatever you might be celebrating). But heart openers–or any postures that help the chest open up–are extremely appropriate in the winter months. Especially in the frozen northern midwestern states like Minnesota. Heart openers have many benefits, but one…

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Finding Your Voice In and Out of the Studio

“Your voice is so low and melodious, I just kind of tuned out.” “I love what you’re saying, but I can’t hear it.” “SPEAK UP!” The last note is from my dad, but it’s a refrain that I’ve heard from many people, in many instances, many times. Evidently. Yet I still have trouble noticing when my voice gets softer. And from what I’ve observed in yoga classes, I’m not the only one. It’s been listed…

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January Yoga Flow: Back to Basics

January just feels like a time to go back to basics. There can be a lot of focus on making resolutions to better our lives (or as I prefer to do, refine my sankalpa), but sometimes what we really need to is to honestly chill and revisit the places where we’ve become a little complacent. My January yoga flow isn’t necessarily an easy one, I think, but it’s chock full of basic poses and mindful…

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Uninspired in the New Year: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Uninspired in the New Year: Seasonal Affective Disorder

A long time ago, I chose to stop treating the demarcation between December 31 and January 1 as a big deal. Partially due to the fact that it is, essentially, a completely arbitrary day. And the other reason is that it felt very triggering for seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD for a cutesy colloquial name, is also winter blues, seasonal funk, and probably a whole…

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"Uncover Your Sankalpa" at YogaFresh (Woodbury, MN)

“Uncover Your Sankalpa” at YogaFresh (Woodbury, MN)

Coming soon to YogaFresh in Woodbury, Minnesota: my ‘Uncover Your Sankalpa’ workshop on January 15! I previously hosted a weekly yoga nidra practice, and the role of this unique dharma in that practice is close to my heart. I love the idea of tapping into one’s heartfelt desire to become the person they want to be. And what better time to do it than the new year? What is a Sankalpa? Sankalpa…

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Crown Chakra Balance: Cosmic Consciousness

Crown Chakra Balance: Cosmic Consciousness

Sahasrara is the crown chakra. The chakra of enlightenment, highest being, universal knowledge, all that jazz. You can imagine that any imbalances – blocked or overactive – have big effects on how we process the world around us. Physically, this chakra is located at the top of the head. Some depictions have it floating, like a halo, just over highest part of the cranium. It’s also tied to the…

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Third Eye Chakra: Eye of the Soul

Third Eye Chakra: Eye of the Soul

The third eye chakra, or ajna, has many other names. In fact, it’s called the eye of the soul and the seat of intuition. Located between the eyebrows, in the center of the forehead, it’s a deep blue, whirling vortex of foresight with some interesting associations: The Third eye chakra is associated to the pineal gland in charge of regulating biorhythms, including sleep and wake time.…

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Yoga for the Christmas Blues

Yoga for the Christmas Blues

Elvis sang about having a Blue Christmas, but his twangy tune is a far cry from the Christmas Blues. There isn’t a single cause for the Christmas Blues, or the feeling of sadness that can accompany the end-of-the-year holidays. We’re constantly slammed with reminders to be merry, grateful, joyful, and other positive sentiments. The reality is that 1 in 6 people does not, in fact, feel merry,…

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Achieving Vishuddha Health

The throat chakra, or vishuddha, is associated with how we express ourselves. Sometimes through our voice–literally and figuratively–but also in allowing us to present ourselves with authenticity and honesty. The location is, of course, the neck, and the color associated with it is turquoise. Throat is an area in which I have a lot of issues, for some reason, and it’s definitely an area of…

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Opening the Heart Chakra

Opening the Heart Chakra

Anahata refers to the heart chakra, but is more accurately translated as “unstruck, unhurt, unbeaten.” Located in the center of the chest, it’s obvious why this is the home of our generosity, forgiveness and compassion. It’s the beginning of our higher selves, as well, at least in comparison to the lower chakras (root, sacral, and solar plexus, which are more about how we physically feel and…

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Balancing Manipura (or Solar Plexus) Chakra

Balancing Manipura (or Solar Plexus) Chakra

I’ve heard energy workers talk about the solar plexus chakra (or Manipura) as the furnace of the body. Think of it as a wheel in the middle of your body, a bit above your belly navel, and governing the fire elements in your spirit. Balancing Manipura – which translates to “city of jewels” from Sanskrit – usually works best in conjunction with the two lower chakras (root and sacral). There are so…

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Sacral Chakra Alignment

Svadhisthana, or the sacral chakra, is home to our creative, emotional, and sexual well-being. When it’s out of alignment, we tend to feel imbalanced in those areas (either under- or over-active can indicate some level of misalignment). When your sacral chakra alignment is correct — neither deficient or excessive — you’ll feel emotionally grounded, sexually confident, and creatively…

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Yoga for the Root Chakra

Yoga for the Root Chakra

The root chakra, or muladhara in Sanskrit, is where everything begins. When you hear the word “root,” what do you see in your mind’s eye? Is it a plant, or a tree? Is it a sprawling visual of a system designed to sustain a living organism? I won’t put too fine a point on it, but everything that comes to mind is the encompassed by the root chakra system. And when it’s blocked or imbalanced, the…