Dear Reader,

You may have noticed some changes around here if you’ve been with me for a while.

Before I continue, I want to let you know that my exploration and sharing of yoga and mindfulness are not going away. I’m not retiring from teaching.

My practice and teaching are evolving into something more integrative and alive.

But things are changing in my world because they have to. I believe the pandemic presented us with an opportunity (a euphemism for “dragged us kicking and screaming”) to reframe how we practice yoga here in the West. Instead of asana class being a place we escape to a couple of times a week, we’ve been invited to consider the practice outside a particular business model.

Instead, what does practice look like when we free it from perfectly appointed, heaven-scented spaces? What if yoga were more an orienting principle and less a thing that we “do” at specific intervals?

I look forward to diving into this with you. Same Yin Yoga, the same Taoist energetic practices, same Buddhist mindfulness, but less structured around “yoga class.” More adaptive to the everyday needs of people living in a challenging world. Plus, more curiosity and exploration.

What I don’t know is whether or not I’ll continue to offer teacher training. Another casualty of the pandemic. With these kinds of things, it’s my nature to follow the energy. I remain open to the possibility that my Yin training will return, but I’m OK if it doesn't.

Here’s what I am tending to now and for the foreseeable future:
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#1 Deepening into the concept of The Wilds.

This phrase came to me last Fall when I brainstormed names for my group coaching program, Into the Wilds. The Wilds is the way I make sense of the unknown. It’s where we expand into an experiential practice of impermanence. And in that space, we train up capacities to meet ourselves with compassion, knowing that being in The Wilds is scary, vulnerable, and also pregnant with possibility if we can open ourselves to it.

Yoga teachings and mindfulness practices were developed to help us make peace with and grow in The Wilds, even though the ancients didn’t call it that. This concept feels on point with where I’m going because I keep asking myself: how can I help people through this (waves hands around)?

On a practical note, this letter will have a name, “Dispatches from the Wilds,” and a new look starting next month.
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#2 Skillful self-inquiry as a way home to our essential nature.

Presently, this is showing up as Internal Family System (IFS) “Parts Work.”

This isn’t a surprise if you’ve been around me for the past few years. I’ve been talking about IFS and Parts for a while now. My latest news is that I recently completed all the requirements to become a Certified IFS Practitioner. 🎉

While hitting this milestone feels fantastic, the real magic is what I learned along the way as I connected with different teachers, worked with almost 100 people, and got feedback from mentors and supervisors.

While IFS started as a therapeutic intervention, it’s much more than that.

Unlike my therapist peers, whose orientation focuses on recovery and healing, my perspective as a yoga teacher has always been about human potential. I’m interested in expanding consciousness, spreading compassion, and waking up.

So my take on IFS is different. In particular, I’m exploring how Parts Work – the practice of nurturing relationships with our Parts – can expand upon the transformational process that unfolds in yoga.

I’m curious…

I’ve also come to appreciate how mindfulness supports IFS inquiry and vice versa. It’s much easier to access and relate to our Parts if we already have a practice of noticing our feelings and thoughts. And IFS offers a compassionate way to relate to what’s revealed when we ask ourselves, “What’s happening right now… in my body, heart, and mind?”

I’m looking forward to finding innovative ways to bring all these things together, and I especially look forward to figuring this all out with you.

I’ll leave you with a simple practice you can do right now, no matter what you’re doing.

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What's New on Skillful Means Podcast

Annie Moyer and I are thrilled to share a sweet, sweet episode with a very special guest: Sarah Powers. Sarah joins us to talk about embodying Love and Compassion so we can meet our full selves.

And I've posted another practice, Mindfully Eating an Orange. Mindful eating is among many practices that help us point our awareness to everyday things, not just things we prefer and enjoy.
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Parts Mapping Sessions

I've got room for 3 more Parts Mapping packages before I head on vacation this summer. If you're looking for clarity around something that's been hanging around with you for awhile, this will help

Parts Mapping is, in many ways, a mindfulness practice because it helps us to become aware of and stay with the parts of us that we might be habitually avoiding.

Once we get clarity around what's really going on, we can start to strategically choose the tools and practices that will move things forward.

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Find Out More

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Practice Yoga With Me

​Yin Yoga & Mindfulness​
​Online, Mondays 6-7pm EDT (NYC)​
Sweet and simple Yin practice with mindfulness woven throughout. Pay What You Can.

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Until next time, may you find peace within and peace all around.​
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