I read an interesting item today. It was an essay that is an excerpt from Andy Raskin’s memoir, The Ramen King & I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life, that was in the March 2009 issue of Women’s Health magazine.
In the essay, Andy talks about how when he assumes the role of “teacher” in a relationship, it inevitably leads to the downfall of that relationship.
I’ve had boyfriends who like to teach me things before. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.
I am the type of person who needs to read the directions a few times, who …read more

Groundhog be darned, we are on final approach to spring, with March 21 just weeks away.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to plan for the months ahead.  I look at ways to clean up in a lot of areas of my life.  I finish up lingering projects, donate clothes I no longer wear, physically clean everything, shape up my diet and refocus my practices in hopes of making them more productive and fun.
These are my spring rituals, and when I carry them through to completion, I feel happier, more centered and at peace.  I feel as …read more

Saturday, January 24 is a big day for yoga.  Yoga Alliance Registered Teachers (RYT) and Schools (RYS) will be offering free or nearly-free yoga workshops at hundreds of locations across the U.S.
Created by the Yoga Alliance, the purpose of the event is to provide yoga teachers and schools with the opportunity to meet the “unique” needs of their own individual communities, and to raise funds for local charities. 
As the Yoga Day USA website explains, “in the practice of karma yoga or service to others, these amazing yoga teachers and schools use their talents to help build community and change …read more

As I personally reflect on 2008, with all of its change, turmoil and, in the end, stress, one word comes to mind–balance.
Whether I am contemplating my work load, family obligations, goals or personal life, I find myself tipping one way or the other, and not in a constructive way.  I place too much emphasis on one aspect of my life, often sacrificing the others.  Looking at the end result, it’s just not a productive, healthy way to go.   
As I look forward to 2009, I am determined to make a real change.  My practices in yoga and meditation respectively, and in Pilates …read more

Hello everyone!
Just a quick reminder to all of you getting into a practice, or hoping to expand your yoga wardrobe a little!  Be sure to enter the contest currently running on She Knows Yoga to win a cozy pair of new yoga pants from bepresent.com.  Just follow the simple rules below, leave me a comment and let me know how yoga makes your life a little better and you are good to go!  I’ll be drawing the lucky winner’s name December 12. Good luck and have fun! 
A Comfy New Pair of Yoga Pants Could be Yours!

If you’ve checked out my Holiday Shopping Guide, then …read more

Still searching for the right gift for your favorite yoga lover, or a little something for yourself?
Our friends at YogaDirect.com are offering a 10% discount exclusively to She Knows Yoga readers for the holidays. Go online and browse, and when you finish shopping,  just enter promo code SKY10 at the check out.  Yoga mats, bolsters, eye pillows, everything you might want or need for your practice. If you’re looking for other products or shopping ideas on the mat or off, be sure to visit my holiday shopping guide page for even more goodies.  More to come!
Peace. 

I felt this was a really appropriate topic today.   Returning to work after two weeks off, I thought I’d be a little more relaxed. Wishful thinking
.  I didn’t realize it until my should started throbbing at about 9 p.m. last night.  Anxiety was beginning to permeate my body, ever so slightly.
My right shoulder is always the first to go.  It’s what I call my stress “search light,” sending out signals that I will soon be tied up in little knots.
It goes from throbbing to burning to out-and-out pain.  Then it moves to my into neck and lower back.  …read more

There’s a lot to yoga–and meditation, Pilates, and especially to what I call the yoga “lifestyle.”
One of the most wonderful aspects of any yoga or meditation practice is how much you can deepen it over time.  I really do tend to be your typical American–impatient with myself (and sometimes others), eager to be an expert at something (like yoga) almost immediately.  
But that attitude is counter-intuitive to a yoga or meditation practice.  There are so many layers to delve into, so many depths to plumb, that it is just not possible to be what any of us would consider “expert” in a …read more

One of the most important–and with my schedule, too often overlooked–things I have time to do when the year winds down, is catch up on my reading.
Because, yoga, meditation, Pilates and what I call the “lifestyle” are such deep and studied topics, I am going to begin a new tradition with this blog.  I’d like to share with all of you some of the books I have found helpful and instructive, and recommend them to you to check out and share.   
My first choice would be the The Heart of Meditation, Pathways to a Deeper Experience, by Sally Kempton.  This is an amazing …read more

As part of my contribution to this year’s Holiday Shopping Guide, I included a lovely treat for yoga lovers of all levels!  I wanted to be sure to call it out here as a special welcome to She Knows Yoga.
Beginning today and for the next two weeks, readers can go to My Yoga Online, enter a special promotional code, and enjoy access to online instruction, information about sustainability and the yoga lifestyle, and generally hang out, learn more about your practice and get great tips, too!
Here’s how it works:
Beginning TODAY, just follow this link, and enter promo code RY097381 to activate your …read more