I finished a private session this past week with a woman who was suffering from chronic shoulder joint pain, and she commented on how surprised she was that yoga has as much strength-building as it does flexibility.

I found myself sitting in my bed the other morning ruminating about an issue I was dealing with. I was overthinking it all, every possible situation that it could turn into, and spinning it until I was exhausted and felt depleted by it.

Are you a chronic worrier? if so, this is the opportune season when we can regulate ourselves so we're not a nervous wreck all year long.

It's this part of the summer that I love the most. According to Chinese Medicine, the seasonal energy has shifted from the fire early-summer season of blooming to the earth season of fruiting.

The other day, I taught several back bends in class, as it's the season for the heart, according to Chinese medicine, so back bends seemed appropriate.

Sitting on my meditation cushion this morning, I observed and felt all of the different emotions I was experiencing, and witnessed how complex this blooming time of year is!

Last week, I had to make a big decision on what to do with a family member in need. It wasn't easy, as it required a big move. I wasn't sure what to do, as our lives would be seriously impacted, and we couldn't make this decision lightly.

Today marked the real first day of spring for me, as I was able to meditate and do my practice outside! While meditating, I was enraptured by the sounds of birds around me and the warm breeze, both of which felt so gentle.

In the past few weeks, I've worked with a few new students who have never done yoga before, and the common response they admitted after class was that they were intimidated about starting, as they were under the impression that you had to be flexible to do yoga.

If we focus on what we want to cultivate, that will grow. But if we are consumed by stress, anger, complaining, or any difficult emotion, which is usually unconscious, it will also grow.

The other night, I was talking to a friend who said something that felt harsh and uncalled for. Thank goodness for yoga, or I might have put myself in a situation I would regret by reacting with the same negativity.

It's a powerful time: the start of the Chinese New Year (Fire-Horse), Lent and Mardi Gras from Christianity, Ramadan from Islam, and the start of a new moon cycle. Lots of new beginnings, which always bring hope and excitement.

A dear friend recently came to me after receiving a difficult diagnosis. She shared that she felt overwhelmed with fear, insecurity, and mental restlessness—like she couldn’t quite land in her own body.

I've been listening to a lot of folks complain that this is an intense winter here in the northeast, and we still have a few months to go. In my classes, I have been teaching about the water element of winter according to traditional Chinese medicine, and all that it relates to: physically, emotionally, and spiritually, also known as Jing (physical) Qi (energy) and Shen (spirit).

For many years, my lower back was my quiet teacher. The pain wasn’t dramatic at first—just a dull ache that appeared when I was tired, stressed, or pushing myself too hard.

As winter settles in, the world grows quieter. The light softens, the pace slows, and nature turns inward. In Chinese medicine, winter is the season of the Water element, governed by the Kidneys—the keepers of our deepest vitality, or Jing.

Last winter, one of our students shared something many of us quietly feel this time of year. She had always loved running, but as the days grew colder, she noticed it was leaving her more depleted than energized.

As we get closer to the holidays, I find solace in the teachings that unite all religious and spiritual traditions: the celebration of the return of the light.

The returning of the light is not only from our sun, but the remembering of who we truly are, the spark of divine light that lives in our heart.

The winter water season is upon us! With this fresh snow and cold, long nights, the autumn metal season is now transitioning to the winter water season, according to Chinese medicine.

I've come to realize that there's a reason we have this day of Gratitude this time of year. Yes, for the harvest, but to keep our spirits lifted as the days are getting darker and colder.