10 Ways to Break Mindless Eating

Mindfulness and eating habits are a great combination. Of course you want to be aware of what you are eating, right? I’m talking about the mindless hand-to-mouth eating we do sitting in front of the computer, watching movies, and mingling at social gatherings. The mindfulness comes in when eating becomes overindulging. Our tummies have a maximum […]

Breathe Easy

Breathing is a natural part of life. It’s necessary for survival. Breathing in oxygen helps keep your blood circulating, allows your organs to work properly, and eliminates toxins and waste. No one will argue the importance of breathing. While breathing came to us automatically at birth, it can be difficult to perform “breathing exercises.” If you don’t […]

Happy International Yoga Day!

With June 21st being recognized as the first International Yoga Day, I reflect on my relationship with yoga and everything it has taught me. I get a little nostalgic reminiscing about how yoga has brought me where I am today through memories of my first classes at Casa de Luz with my first teacher. Practicing yoga since 2000, I find it difficult to answer […]

Peeling Back the Layers

You probably already have a good idea of what needs improvement in your life. Knowing what your problems are, or becoming more self-aware, is the first step in changing habits or behaviors. Even though you may be aware of your problems, it’s important to pry deeper to uncover the root of of these matters through […]

When Your Typical Methods Fail You: Dealing with Everyday Anxiety

Living with anxiety is no fun. It sucks the life out of you. Feeling like you are at the mercy of fear-based thoughts, worries, and overreactions is especially frustrating when you take good care of yourself. Even if you eat healthy, or go to the gym, or have lots of tools in your toolbox to […]

Give Yoga Therapy a Try!

Sometimes a yoga class may leave you feeling more refreshed, peaceful, and grounded than a traditional psychotherapy session. For me, it was a night and day difference. Many times after leaving my therapist’s office, I felt more keyed up and anxious from reliving and retelling the stories of my frustrations than when I started the […]

One-Day Yoga Retreat with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee

This post is part of a series about my experience at the SF Yoga Journal Conference in January 2014. Rodney Yee holds a special place in my yoga heart. When I barely knew anything about yoga, I remember watching his yoga videos and feeding my practice with his signature style – metaphorical, yet eloquent language, […]

Notes from the Yoga Journal Conference

I’ve always dreamed of attending one of the Yoga Journal conferences, and this year I received the best Christmas gift ever: a 4 day pass to the one in San Francisco! Super stoked, I perused through the course descriptions and started highlighting all my favorite yoga teachers’ classes. So many influential teachers and interesting workshops […]

Shhh, Be Quiet Monkey Mind

This video is a great introduction for those interested in learning more about meditation.  Mingyur Rinpoche provides a simple explanation of what meditation is and why it is beneficial.  By comparing the constant flow of thoughts to that of a monkey mind, he describes meditation as the practice of learning to let go and giving […]