restorative yoga flow: constructive rest practice
This potent 6-minute restorative yoga flow practice is a simple sequence that weaves together Constructive Rest, with mindfulness meditation and breath-based movement. It's just enough to leave you feeling gathered: more present, grounded, and open.
the sweet release: meeting our tension
When I was about 12 years old, I had mononucleosis and hepatitis, and I had to have blood drawn practically every week for months. I have tiny veins, and it’s always been difficult for nurses to access them. They’d wind up using a painful procedure called fishing, which involves poking the needle in and spinning it until it makes contact with the vein. In addition to a lot of black-and-blue marks, I wound up with loads of anxiety about needles that persisted into adulthood.
our life partner, the breath. a love story.
Stressful situations will always arise in our life, and sometimes it will feel as if there’s no solid ground to support us. Each time we pause and replace our attention on our breath, our mind comes “home” to our body. Each time we replace our attention on our breath, we grow more grounded. For a moment, we stop thinking about the future or replaying the past. For a moment, we can stop zipping around trying to make things better.
when a panic attack becomes a gift
It was in Autumn 2000, and it wasn't a typical day.
I was coming home from Maryland after helping to clear out the belongings of my beloved sister-in-law who had just passed away from cancer a few months before.
change is inevitable, growth is optional
September races in, pushing us to a starting line. We launch eagerly into new commitments and rededicate ourselves to routine. Yet, along with the excitement of what is to come, we may also experience nostalgia, and sometimes anxiety for what we leave behind. While it is a time of new beginnings, it is also a time of letting go and release.
relaxation revolution
I admit, when glancing at an image of a restorative yoga pose, it could look like a luxurious nap. In fact, many people joke that it's yoga for lazy people. Another popular belief is that restoratives are really for sick, injured, or old people. And while Restorative is deeply restful and healing, it is not just a physical 'recovery' practice.
3 practices for better sleep
In Ayurveda, early fall and winter are known for wreaking havoc on our ability to rest. These three practices will help fortify your sleep and balance the excess Vata energy within, so you can feel more grounded and calm all season long.
land. arrive and relax into the new year.
Set Conditions to Feel More Calm, Clear, and Open This Year - with LARLAR
I remember it like yesterday. It was January 1993, I was walking up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan when a small gold sign advertising a yoga studio caught my eye. I turned on a whim, went in, and some two hours later, found myself sobbing on my yoga mat.
settling the psoas
At the core of our body lies the psoas. The psoas is a long muscle that connects the legs to the spine. When you feel unsafe, this muscle contracts. In fact, it’s said to be the very first muscle activated if you need to fight, flee, or freeze.
pause and relax with this 10-minute guided meditation
Take a few moments to lay down and find a comfortable position. If you need some instruction on propping a supported relaxation pose visit here →
metta meditation practice to expand love in your life
The practice of pausing and listening to our deeper inner voice rewires us. It allows us more access to our big-picture thinking, more comfort when we’re in a state of “not knowing,” and a greater capacity to pause before responding to challenging circumstances in our lives. It becomes easier to feel our own spaciousness and flexibility, allowing us to experience our relationships—and our life—in ways that we were not able to before. In other words, our perspective begins to change.
7 minute mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness is a major classification of meditation practices, known as vipassana, or insight meditation. Sometimes just called breath centered meditation. While it is taught in various ways, depending on your guide or the lineage of the practice, the practice always has some main characteristics.
expanding into the heart of winter
Winter is nature’s time of hibernation, retreat, and contraction. As winter’s cold, wet, dark, and heavy qualities increase around us, they grow within us as well.
