You've forsaken all other activities, and taken the time to get to class.  You unroll your mat, setup your space and:  a: Go through the motions, muscle on through, and hope some of the Yoga sticks to you. b: Focus, Flow, and seek to understand how the teachings relate to you, and how you relate to the teachings. Taken at surface level, some of these teachings can seem superficial, trite, or yes, even dogmatic.   "Open your heart, Draw energy up the back of y... Read Full Story

 What is Vinyasa, anyway? by Daniel Dale Many experienced yoga practitioners who have studied in other Hatha Yoga traditions, have shared with me that on the whole their experiences taking classes labeled “Vinyasa” have been very frustrating. These are folks who approached me after taking a class I taught, and told me that they loved how we moved at a pace that allowed them to breathe. Some have literally reported that in all the “Vinyasa” Yoga classes they had ... Read Full Story

Just back from our annual Fall retreat.  Many thanks to those who could join us.  Sprit Fire is amazing. Not an austere event by any means!  in between focused classes and workshops we feasted on gourmet vegetarian food, Much of it organically grown on site. Yes, there’s coffee in the morning, and decadent snacks in between classes.  It was a joy to teach, we had a great group.  A full house, sorry for those on the waiting list, but as-promised, you’r... Read Full Story

 Namaste. I got some emails regarding the Fruit Fly Liberation blogpost.  Most were favorable, a few were fun, and a couple were hostile.  I’m used to the full-spectrum of reactions to my suggesting compassion.  For some reason, some people are threatened by the idea of caring for others.   I wouldn’t say they are cold or heartless, just misinformed.  I bet they care for their dog or cat just fine.  All of us have a level of compassion, where we... Read Full Story

 I’m often asked "What Yoga books would you recommend?"   I have more than a few favorites, but first a caveat. Jnanna Yoga is the pursuit of knowledge.  However it can be a trap.  When we approach our Yoga studies like the rest of our modern lives we ‘collect’ Yoga knowledge. We stuff ourselves with the facts and figures and leave no room for clear understanding.  Our culture is about more.  Yoga is about less.   There are acres... Read Full Story

When we chant Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu it means May *All* Beings Be Free of Suffering. We vow to do our best.  So you’ve got fruit flies? Here’s a pic of my nifty fruit fly catch and release system: I’ve found that a copy of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali works very well as the base, I think they come for knowledge as well as the tasty bit of over-ripe banana.  Leave this setup for a few hours. While you’re ... Read Full Story

"Want Change?  Make Changes."  is an old saying from back in my engineering days.  Don’t get me started about stagnation in the corporate world. Not just a big-biz phenomenon, We all form patterns of behavior, some serve us well, and some are in the way of who we’re becoming. Yoga asks us to look at things differently, through a lens that is continually cleansed and changed by our practice. Yoga asks us not to get lulled into the trap ... Read Full Story

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 I’ve been asked several times this week, "What is Kirtan?"    The experience of Kirtan is beyond words, But I’ll give it a try.  Technically, Kirtan is a method of learning via call and response. Back before teachings were written down, they were passed in an oral tradition.  Students would learn the acres of scripture by repetition and rhythm.   In the Vaishnava tradition, Kirtan is the only way to self-realization that works in our curr... Read Full Story

Psychology Studies have shown that happiness is contagious. By choosing to be happy,  you are helping others to be happy.  Read Full Story