Yesterday, I met a new student who has recently retired and is filling her days with activities and hobbies, but she shared with me that she feels a bit empty.

Yesterday in class, we were holding our standing poses for a minute each, which is no joke. While holding triangle pose and breathing deeply, I was adjusting a new student who was shaking in the pose. I reminded her that shaking is beneficial, as it helps build strength and improve the flow of chi (energy).

The Earth Element time of year is when it is easiest to fortify the spleen and stomach meridians. These energy pathways nourish the organs, allowing us to feel grounded as our energy flows in a harmonious rhythm.

After class the other day, we were discussing what drives us to practice yoga regularly. I was inspired to hear several yogis who started in their 50s and 60s say how much more they enjoy life when they practice just a couple of times a week.

One of my favorite aspects of this time of year, during the Earth element, is the feeling of contentment and being comfortable in my skin. When I feel insecure and over-worry about something, I know that my earth chi (energy) needs tending to.

I noticed a subtle, yet profound shift in a student I've had for years, whom I'll call Hannah - one who I'd describe as having imbalanced Earth Qi (energy). She was the kind of student who always arrived early, yoga mat in hand, eyes scanning the room. She rarely missed a class. She is a dedicated student, but energetically, something always felt heavy around her, like her presence carried more weight than it needed to.

According to Chinese Medicine's 5 elements, our energy (chi) is the most subtle, yet profound part of our being. The energy flow is like our electricity, when excessive we burn out, when weak our energy flickers and exhausts easily. Our energetic flow determines our emotional well-being as well as our physical health.

As I walked yesterday, I felt the shift in the season from the early summer of fire energy rising, to the mellow sweetness of midsummer. As much as I love the transition from spring to summer, the energy rising up can be intense and a bit nerve-racking, like fire rising.

Over 30 years ago, I came to yoga to help heal my lower back and anxiety that came with chronic pain. It was, and still is, a healing journey, as when I don't practice for a couple of days, my back starts to ache and my nervous system becomes tight and reactive. It's a lifestyle for me to practice every day to remain pain-free and cultivate a calm and centered mind.

Now that we have fully entered summer, it's time to tend to our hearts. According to Chinese medicine, the heart is the organ that energetically runs the strongest in the summer, making it the best and easiest time to regulate any imbalances and disharmony.

The fire season of early summer is one of my favorite times of the year, as the sun stays up late, everything is in bloom, the hummingbirds are back, and I'm swimming as much as possible (once it warms up here in the northeast!).

Most of us were conditioned not to feel. "Oh, don't cry," we've all heard, when really crying is so therapeutic and healing. It releases tension, which creates space and relief.

I was listening to author and renowned speaker Peter Crone discuss the concept of heaven and hell. He says heaven is an expansive, inclusive space filled with love and peace.

Over the years of teaching yoga teacher training, I've taught students in various professions who were burnt out and needed new ways to sustain and thrive.

I had two private sessions last week, and both represented what it looks like to have balanced liver chi (energy), which runs at its strongest in the spring, compared to stagnant energy. Witnessing them walk in the door was telling. First came a woman, I'll call Maya, who walked in relaxed and confident with a warm smile.

This photo of me sitting under this willow tree honors resilience. In fact, I call this tree 'Resilience' because just a couple of years ago, she was struck by a storm and leveled to a stump. I couldn't believe it, as she's a favorite tree of mine, gracefully growing over the pond that I walk to daily.

After this past spring's Revitalizing Workshop weekend, where I taught about the three Hun, our three observing minds, I bumped into a previous student who had taken the 300-hour teacher training a few years back. She shared with me that her world was in flux, and she felt nervous but excited.

When I was driving to see my family last week, I realized that I was harboring some old resentment towards my sister, which was old and outdated...like 30 years old! Geeze, when am I going to let go of it?

Last week, a student walked in our doors with a look of despair. She sat on the couch in the lobby and cried to me about her chronic pain. She's in her 30s and wept about feeling like a cripple. Oh, I know that pain and despair! I was in my 20s and 30s with debilitating chronic back pain that would not let up.

I had a realization today while journaling. I witnessed an old pattern that I needed to grow out of! I was feeling resistance that was keeping me in a small, bratty mindset that was young and immature. Journaling about it put me in the observer seat to recognize the pattern and understand how it affected me and probably others around me.