Beyond Asana Blog

If there’s one thing I love in the morning, it’s a strong cup of coffee, and I’ve become particularly fond of the pour-over method.

While travelling this month, I packed my high-quality Japanese glass cone and some premium filters. When those ran out, I switched to cheaper, flimsier ones.

The difference was stark – just as the water began flowing, the bottom would give out, sending coffee grounds cascading into my cup. What a waste!

This failing coffee filter strikes me as an apt metaphor for how many of us are feeling these days – our familiar ground is shifting beneath us in unpredictable ways. It can feel unsettling and overwhelming.

Where do we...

Running out of time at my recent Yoga for Strength and Resilience workshop was serendipitous – because the concept I wanted to share about harnessing the inner warrior deserves a broader audience.

Think of your inner warrior not as an abstract mythological figure, but as a flame already burning within you.

This warrior spirit appears in many forms in the Hindu tradition: Arjuna standing resolute on the battlefield of life in the Bhagavad Gita; the fierce Virabhadra, whose power we embody in our warrior poses; and perhaps most compelling, the goddess Durga, summoned in the universe's darkest hour to face what seemed undefeatable.

The righteous warrior archetype transcends...

High up in the hills of Berkeley, California, I paused beneath a brilliant, cloudless sky to take in the magnificent sweep of San Francisco Bay below.

"Wow, what an incredible view," I said to a young man working in a nearby yard. With characteristic Northern California friendliness, he stopped to take in the vista with me.

“Yep…this view’ll make you live longer,” he replied.

His comment struck me as quite yogic – this intuitive connection between expansive views and longevity. Who’s to say whether the spacious perspective we cultivate in yoga extends our lives, though it surely enriches whatever time we do have here.

From the broader vantage point...

A student in our Bhagavad Gita course recently shared that her usual grounding practices were no longer working. It echoed an article I read a few days ago about how our typical self-care routines might feel insufficient in these chaotic times.

If you're experiencing this, know that you're not alone. Even when we faithfully maintain all our trusted methods for staying centered - the morning meditation, the evening yoga, the mindful walks - we may still find ourselves frazzled, anxious, and overwhelmed.

What can you do when your tried-and-true self-care strategies fail to calm your nervous system, quiet your mind, and lift your spirit?

The answer is simple, though not...

 
When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But … that is not what great ships are built for.

- Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Like great ships, we too are built for more than tranquil waters.

In my three decades of teaching yoga, and ten years writing this blog, I've connected with countless practitioners who have spent not just years, but decades – 20, 30, even 40 years or more – practicing yoga.

When I reflect on the many brave, sincere, and kind-hearted people I've met over the years, it feels truly remarkable! More than that – in these troubled times, your presence fortifies my spirit.

I think of all the many...

Picture a mighty bull, its four powerful legs representing the pillars of righteousness: austerity, cleanliness, compassion, and truthfulness. In Hindu scriptures like the Srimad Bhagavatam, this bull represents dharma – the cosmic order that sustains the universe.

The tradition describes four world ages, each spanning hundreds of thousands of years. In Satya yuga, the golden age of truth, all four legs of dharma stood strong, upheld by humanity’s dedication to these virtues.

As time progressed, with each subsequent age, another leg weakened and fell – marking our gradual drift from these principles.

We now find ourselves in Kali yuga, the age of...

When I’m caught between a rock and a hard place ~ let me become water. 

- John Roedel

"Go bang your head against the wall,” was my parents’ inane advice when I would complain of boredom. I even tried it once. I guess my little girl brain thought my mom and dad, in all their wisdom, must have the solution to my problem.

While hitting my forehead against my bedroom door did nothing to cure my boredom, it inadvertently taught me something valuable: I could keep futilely complaining or find something to do.

That early lesson in facing reality stayed with me, though it’s deeper meaning emerged only years later, when I began exploring the concept of right effort...

We’re on the cusp of the Solstice, a pivotal moment in the earth’s annual cycle. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the return of the light - a literal and symbolic turning point from darkness to illumination. 

In yoga, such turning points are sacred ground for insight and breakthrough.

Consider Arjuna’s predicament at the start of the Bhagavad Gita. He’s the greatest warrior of his time, standing on the brink of an epic battle. Looking out across the battlefield, he sees friends, teachers, and relatives positioned against him.

He is forced to choose between fighting or refusing to fight - each path laden with dire consequences. Paralyzed by fear,...

During her service in the US Marine Corps, Bailey Williams pushed her body to dangerous extremes through intense physical activity and disordered eating. Her memoir, Hollow, chronicles her journey from self-destruction toward healing.

Now a yoga teacher, Williams credits yoga and meditation as key to transforming her relationship with her body. Where she once treated her body as a machine to be dominated, she now experiences it as a source of profound wisdom and great delight.

Her story is a testament to yoga’s remarkable potential for healing, illustrating how we can fundamentally reshape our relationship with our bodies—from antagonistic to allyship.

Yet, the practices...