Heartache to Heart Opener: How I Tuned Into My Body's Innate Intelligence

I used to love backbending. It was my favorite part of my yoga practice for a long time.

Then I got my heart broken. I was amazed to see how quickly my body took on the metaphor: all my muscles tightened around my chest and suddenly “heart openers” weren’t so fun anymore.

Eventually the muscles around my chest began to let go, and the pain shifted down to the bottom of my spine, to the joint where my pelvis and spine meet: the sacroiliac (or “SI”) joint.

Yoga and Feminism

When I was in school, I wanted to talk about feminism all the time. I loved its possibilities: a world where we could all be more feminine, a world where we all could be more masculine, or a world where we never needed to be either unless we wanted to, regardless of our born-with sex. It’s all so complicated and intellectually fascinating.

Portrait of a Yogi

"A Rabbit Noticed My Condition"

I was sad one day and went for a walk;

I sat in a field.

A rabbit noticed my condition and came near.

It often does not take more than that to help at times—

just to be close to creatures who are so full of knowing,

so full of love

that they don’t

—chat,

they just gaze with

their

marvelous understanding.

-St John of the Cross

Expose Yourself: A New Year Intention, Inspired By the Moon

It’s no secret that life can be hard, but the struggles we go through are also the way we learn.

When "Just Breathe" Isn't Enough: Practices for Deep Breathing

Breathing is, indeed, good for you. It’s been shown that breathing into the belly helps encourage a relaxed state in your body, nourishes your organs, calms the nervous system, and oxygenates the blood. It’s easy: just breathe.

Has anyone ever told you to do that when you are upset or anxious? Breathing deeply isn’t always that simple. “Just breathe” is the yogic equivalent to telling someone to take a chill pill. Urban Dictionary defines “chill pill” this way:

Translating the Secret Language of Your Dreams

Whatever you think dreams mean, they are undoubtedly fascinating, sometimes terrifying, and occasionally beautiful.

End of the World as We Know It: 3 Rituals for Solstice 2012

Well, folks, we’ve almost made it through 2012. The end is nigh. As someone with absolutely no authority or ability to predict the future, I’m here to tell you that it’s absolutely true, the world as we know it is certainly coming to an end on December 21st. And hallelujah! Our darkest day is coming.

Your Body is Talking. Are You Listening?

Injuries often happen in the silliest ways. We are intelligent adults; we look both ways before crossing the street, we don't run with scissors or swallow toothpaste. But we badly sprain our ankles while walking innocently down the street, get black eyes from slipping in the bathroom and landing on the tub edge, or throw out our backs lifting up a teapot. Everything seems to be going so well, and then BAM! You are down for the count, for such a mundane reason, you want to tell everybody that they should have seen the other guy.

Are You a Stressaholic? Here's a Five-Minute Fix

Increasingly over the past couple of years, I’ve been having outbreaks of hives and itchy skin. I finally sat down with an allergist, who gave it to me straight. I am allergic to pineapples, apples, and—get this—anything that touches my skin. Anything that rubs, scratches, or irritates my skin will create the itchy, irritating hives. He said, “Your problem isn’t actually the allergies. It’s stress and anxiety, so I would get that under control if you can.”

How to Create Your Own Personal Mythology

Every worldview, whether religious or cultural, is steeped in the structure of a story. Christians, for example, elevate the value of love through the archetype of Jesus, the ultimate picture of faith and compassion. Buddhists understand the value of spiritual seeking through the image of the wandering Buddha, finally enlightened under the bodhi tree. American mythology upholds the “American dream,” and the rags-to-riches story is retold again and again through the currency of Hollywood movies and reality TV.