With so many 200 hour registered yoga teachers (RYT) in the US (and dare I say, globally) it may seem like everyone and their sister, brother, mother, cousin and neighbor is also a qualified 'teacher'. But what makes a teacher 'good'? What makes a stellar teacher? To me, an excellent teacher completes plenty of training as well as demonstrating evidence of personal experience - meaning, they have a well established personal practice, and they've been around the block in regard to hands on, contact hours of true teaching experience. Yet training and personal practice can, at times, be rote memorization and become mechanical or uninspired - or even dangerously unchecked when driven by one's ego or insta-famous ambitions, or lacking depth of understanding and context gained from time … [Read more...]
What is the Franklin Method?
Imagine being able to practice anywhere, anytime, no yoga mat required. What if you knew exactly how your body was designed to function, what you need moment to moment, and you could be your own trainer, teacher, best coach? What if you felt confident and felt exactly how you wanted to in your body? Although this is possible for any practitioner willing to embody their chosen modality - The Franklin Method is THE modality that teaches you to yourself. It enhances running, yoga, pilates, dance, daily chores, your drive to work - everything. When you change your mind, you change everything. Franklin Method is a self-generated, embodied, experiential practice - a movement modality to enliven and refine whatever else you practice. What I love about it is the … [Read more...]
Sage Hayes Talks about Embodied Liberation
I found this video when researching Somatic Experiencing trainings...something I've pondered taking for a few years now. Especially since I've always wanted a graduate degree (achievement driven, yes yes). Yet finding a master's program that seems to ask the right questions, or provide the right framework, or blend the disciplines I am drawn to has found to be elusive. My intuition has always whispered, "That's not the right path. No, not that one, either." And so, I continue to study, practice, integrate, teach and ask questions. Embodiment is an ongoing practice and choice, and my devotion is unwavering. In Somatic Experiencing, the body is recognized, tracked, and inhabited in a way that allows trauma to unfold and potentially, resolve. It's requiring us to show up, be present … [Read more...]
Before You Do Anything, Do This
I'm taking a stand today for what I call Uni-Tasking. The Yoga Sutras describe yoga as 'a training of the mind to focus and sustain that focus on one object'. When our mind behaves like an unruly monkey, our body often interprets that as a Stress Response. No Bueno for our health and happiness, and it reduces the quality of our work and relationships. Could you use a moment to slow down and regroup? I thought so. Monkey mind is common (bad news bears!) But more and more research is showing that we can indeed change our minds and rewire our brains for healthy, more resilient patterns. First step, though, is becoming aware enough to interrupt the old program so we can give ourselves an upgrade. More good news - we can create new neural patterns through neuroplasticity in as … [Read more...]
One Year, Unfurling
This is, in part, how my daughter got her name. Unfurling. The ever expanding awareness of self, life, love. My love of nature, the rich black earth, springy under my feet mile after mile on the Superior Hiking Trail, and the ongoing process of growth, reflection, maturation, an unfurling into who we are meant to be. Becoming. Embodied. Life worth living. I didn't realize until after we named her that ferns were recognized as a symbol of fertility, and often used as an 'old fashioned name' however long ago. Oh, how I've discovered that 'Suffering is fertile.' If we choose, anyway. Creativity takes on many forms. My work, I'm sure, will never be the same, although birth and motherhood have intensified my devotion, depth and specificity of my teachings and … [Read more...]
What is Embodiment?
I often call my work 'a practice in embodied living'. My tagline on my website even asks you to 'engage with life' as a remedy to our modern culture's capacity to overstimulate, disengage or disembody us in the face of overwhelm, stress, social media and information overload, abuse, violence and oppression. Being embodied means showing up to experience our world as it is - and to strengthen ourselves so we can do our part to direct the future for all.Most of you likely know I work through the physical body, movement and awareness. The word EMBODIMENT can mean many different things to different people, though. Some online entrepreneurs use this term to conjur up images of being a 'badass boss babe', coaching women to be embodied leaders, confident business women, and to learn to embrace … [Read more...]
PSA: Avoid this Common Lower Back Cue
Hello core training fans! Lower back lovers! Posture practicers! So many people want a 'strong core' and 'good posture' and a 'flat belly'. So they turn to core training, often assuming if they just work those ab muscles enough that it'll do the trick. Sometimes, that works. Many variables are in play when it comes to getting after these goals. The best results come from embodiment -intelligent, functional training with our body, mind and breath - and your overall lifestyle, which includes stress management, nutrition, digestion and more. We won't get to cover all of these aspects in today's post, because I want to focus in on the relationship between the pelvic floor, the lower back, and what NOT to do when you're on your mat if you want your body to last for you with … [Read more...]
How to Kegel The Right Way (and Decide Whether You Even Should)
Kegels often seem like 'the' go-to exercise for the pelvic floor, yet many women aren't sure they're doing them correctly, how many they need to do, and whether they're doing any good. After all, I've heard from a number of women that they've done their duty in the kegel department for a while (sometimes even years) and still have trouble leaking when they sneeze, cough, or run - a sign of continence issues. Or they still have trouble with other pelvic pains or disassociation from their pelvic area. So - What is a kegel? A kegel is a pelvic floor contraction. It's an engagement of the muscles that support and contain our pelvic organs, running between the sit bones and from inside the pubic bone back to the sacrum and coccyx, or tailbone. Sit up well in your chair and see if you can … [Read more...]