A New Home for Yoga Therapy

Hey all, my blog is moving to sageyogatherapy.com.

I'm still in the process of making my site, but my blog page is ready to go. I would love your feedback on the site. Especially let me know if it isn't working right or looks funny on your browser. Also feel free to let me know if there are any topics you would like me to write about.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at my new site!

The Best Time To Do Yoga

I was reading an article about yoga the other day and one of the phrases really jumped out at me. "The people who tell you how amaaaazing yoga is are usually the ones who don't turn up regularly. Serious about your practice? Turn up when you're irritable as hell, then have the balls to take three deep breaths without running away." I love it!

The reason, well because it's so true. Anger and frustration are strong emotions and when you go to yoga you have to face your emotions. A lot of times they come up unexpectedly. I've had many students cry in class or later once they got home. Strong emotions we're buried in their bodies and their practice allowed a release. These emotions can be released through crying, laughing, screaming or shaking. It can last for a few minutes and may continue on and off for some with deep trauma for days or months. It's like turning on a hose. Once those emotions see a way out, they keep flowing till the well is dry.

In yoga, you have to breathe through the pain which brings you out on the other side a bit stronger. It takes courage to face strong emotions. It's easier to have a glass of wine and talk with friends about something that is upsetting you. But to face the situation alone, to feel it fully, well, that's brave. It's facing these fears that allows you to heal. Only letting go of something will give you peace. Masking it will do nothing but bury it deeper in the body.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to class mad about something. I felt like I was going to explode. But I couldn't. I had to use my soothing yoga voice and create a relaxing environment for my students. Going into class I would have given anything to not be there, but when I leave I feel great. I've processed my emotions by letting them go. Both in my mind and body.

It's important as a teacher not to pass on your negative emotions to your class. This should be true for everyone. People have enough stuff to deal with without you dumping more on them. There are some situations where it's appropriate to talk with people about things. However, yoga is a great resource for dealing with the little stuff that plagues your life. Leaving the time you spend with friends and loved ones to be filled up with happiness instead of nitpicking about the jerk that cut you off in traffic.


Yoga allows us to work through things in a slow and rational way. We push the physical reaction out of our bodies with the poses, we calm our nervous system with the breath and we clear the mind of bad thoughts by focusing on our breath and movement. By the time class is over you're calm and can look at the problem with a fresh perspective. You may find it isn't worth dealing with and simply let it go. Or you may now be calm enough to come up with a better solution than when you were angry.

Yoga is like Xanax. But it's not as simple as swallowing a pill. You have to get yourself to the mat, the mat will never find you. Yoga is a discipline. You have to do one pose, then another, even when you don't want to move at all. You have to take that first deep breath and follow with many more. Through the course of the class, what was once being forced, will begin to flow and the negative emotions and tense sensations in the body will begin to release.

Yogi's get the rap of being kind, relaxed and happy. Truth, we're human. We get mad, frustrated and sad. The difference between us and those that don't do yoga? We choose bravery over fear every time we step onto the mat. We're willing to face what scares us. We chose to be active in solving our emotional problems rather than stuffing them down deep or masking them with a pill until we think we can deal with it. So next time you feel that tension and frustration rise up, grab your mat and start to flow. Picture yourself as the brave yogi you are. Know that even though it's hard at first, you will eventually finish your practice feeling better. Grateful that you faced your fear and emotions head on.

Are You a Yogi?

What defines a yogi? Is it if you practice yoga, even if it's only once in awhile? Is it if you live a yogic lifestyle or perhaps it's if you teach? I truly don't know the answer to that one as I think it differs for each person. 

I feel what defines me as a yogi is that I live yoga in my daily life. I certainly don't get to class or practice at home every day. The physical aspect of my practice is pretty limited due to my schedule. However, my style of living and how I treat people is always being practiced along yoga guidelines. You could say I live my yoga daily, therefor I'm a yogi.

Some people are very proud to define themselves as a yogi. They feel that it puts them in a special light and it makes them happy to know that others see them living this way. That's fine, but not yogic. You should live that way because it makes you happy and gives you a good life. It's unyogic to live a way simply to impress others or even yourself. You should live the way you want to live because it's who you truly are or hope to be.

I've talked to so many people who tell me that they haven't tried yoga yet because they don't think they'd fit in. They don't have the right body or don't know enough about the practice. The truth is, we all have to start some where and we're all beginners at some point. All those yoga stars took their first step onto the mat with some sense of fear about what was to come.

I've found it interesting that when people find out I teach, that they like to tell me all about how yogic they are. Oh, I take X amount of classes, or oh, I've been doing yoga for X amount of years. Instead I would love to hear more about how yoga has affected them and changed their lives for the better. After all that is the best part of yoga. Tell me how it has helped with any chronic pain or how you emotionally feel lighter and more in control of who you truly are. How yogic you are isn't measured by how long you've been doing it or how many classes you've taken, but by how it's changed your life for the better.

There are so many things in our lives that leads to competition, yoga shouldn't add to that. There's no sense comparing yourself in class to the other yogi's. Their level of ability, the way they're dressed or if they've been doing it for years and you've just started. It's ok if you only get to class once in awhile or if you don't know all the sanskrit words (I'm even a bit bad about that). How yogic you are isn't measured by any of those things.


You're yogic if you love yoga. If you live by the Yama's and Niyama's. If you share your love of yoga, simply because you want others to have the same positive benefits you did from adding it to your life. Whether you study yoga more in depth and practice every day or if you only get to class once a month, if you truly love yoga, your a yogi in my eyes.

How Yoga Is Good For Your Health

One of the biggest things I took from my yoga therapy training was that stress kills, ages and makes you sick. Sorry not to sugar coat that, but it's the truth. Yoga believes that stress is the root of all disease. How, well, when you're stressed it puts strain on your body. When the body is strained it doesn't function well and things start to break down. We become more susceptible to illness and disease.

One major system in the body that is affected by stress is our digestive system. When we're under constant stress, this system will slow down. It does this so energy can be sent to other systems in the body that need to be vamped up in order to deal with the stress on the body. This causes us to have poor digestion which can lead to a lot of health problems like heartburn, ulcers and IBS to name a few.

Besides our digestion, stress affects other parts of our body. The most common we see due to stress is high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic pain, weight gain, sleep loss and skin conditions like hives, eczema or increased allergies. Stress brings on these things and eventually it all starts to snowball. You'll come to the point when you realize that your health is in a very bad place. I bet if you sit down and think about it, all of your problems started to show up during a stressful period in your life. Remove the stress and you'll begin to gain back your health.

One reason our society is so stressed out, is that we're constantly on the go and in the know. With smart phones, the Internet and a constant bombardment of news and information we never get the time to shut our brains off. We no longer have the time to focus on one thing. If we try, we're constantly interrupted by a beep from our phones notifying us of texts, emails and updates. This lack of focus and concentration ages us and can actually make us dumber.

Stress causes your body to slow down major systems that allow you to function in a healthy manor. It hypes up your brain and thoughts which leads to poor sleep and anxiety. Are you starting to see how stress leads to poor health? The way to fix this isn't just in a pill. It's all about giving your body and mind time to slow down. Shutting off your stress response and getting your body back to neutral. Yoga is the perfect tool for that.

Yoga gets your body moving. It squeezes, twists and pulls it which wakes it up and motivates it to start working better again. It teaches you to focus on one thing, your breath, for longer than a few seconds. This gives your brain a break and allows your body to come out of fight or flight mode and into relaxation. This allows you to reboot. Yoga sticks with you so when you have a stressful moment you can simply take a few deep breaths and trigger that sensation of relaxation that you've learned in class.

The science behind yoga and how it helps with stress and our overall health is being studied. Things that long practitioners of yoga already knew are now being proven by science. Institutes like Kripalu's Healthy Living is dedicated specifically to how yoga can lead to a healthier life.

Yoga is a great way to get yourself back to health. If you have a serious medical condition, it's important to work with your current health professional in incorporating yoga into your life. Many yoga therapist will work with your doctors to help find the perfect yoga practices to help you get back on track. Be mindful in choosing the right practice for you. You'll know when you find the right fit.

Like medicine, yoga must be done every day. Not necessarily a full practice, but the core beliefs. The Niyama's and Yama's are a great way to do this. By living the life of a yogi, meaning incorporating focused attention, relaxation and healthy living, your stress will begin to fade and become more manageable. You'll learn about balance and how you can choose happiness over anxiety. You'll figure out that you're ok just the way you are and that by accepting that you'll remove a lot of the stress that invades your life. You'll see how yoga can have a profound affect on your health.

What To Do When Meditation Is Annoying

I have an anxious mind and I'm a notorious multitasker. Sitting down and trying to shut off my brain is no easy task, for that very reason meditation has eluded me for years. A yoga practice has always worked for me as a way to relax. By the end of class my brain has shut off and the tension has left my body. I consider my yoga practice a moving meditation.

There are times in my day where I really need to let go and relax. A yoga practice just isn't practical (like when driving). But when I try to meditate, I can't get my mind to focus. I feel like I'm getting more anxious. Instead of meditation relaxing me, I find it annoying as it builds frustration because I can't let go.

I'm a physical person, which is why my brain and body responds so well to my yoga practice. I enjoy movement and find it calming. To sit still is so hard for me. Moving meditation is great, but not always an option. So what to do?

There's a lot of buzz out there about how great meditation is and how it can solve so many of our emotional and stress problems. There's almost this pressure to practice it. I often feel guilty that I don't practice meditation regularly, one would think as a yoga teacher I would practice it daily.

The first step to enjoying meditation, is not to feel that you have to do it. You can't make yourself relax. If you force it, you'll just end up causing more stress. You'll find meditation when you're ready. You can also ease into it. Don't feel that you have to start a daily practice. Perhaps just try it when you really need it in times of stress.

Add physical movements to your meditation. One thing I like to do is focus on my breath. On the inhale I'll ball my  hands into fists and picture my stress being squeezed in my hands. I then exhale through an open mouth (like a long sigh) and release and open my hands, imagining my stress floating away. The same technique could be applied to your shoulders. Inhale and raise your shoulders up towards your ears, on the exhale allow them to relax down.

Any kind of subtle movement will work with this technique. You're basically giving your mind and body something to focus on instead of all the chatter in your brain. Experiment a bit till you find the right little movement for you. Find a comfy position. If you're tired and trying to sit up in a perfect meditation position, you'll be annoyed. Sit against a wall or find a restorative yoga position. The key is to be comfortable, but not too much so that you don't fall asleep.

Mala beads are another great option. They're similar to prayer beads, where you run the beads through your fingers. With each bead you say a mantra (a positive saying). By the time you get to the end of your strand, hopefully your mind has cleared. Be specific when choosing your mala beads. They are generally hand made and the stones that you choose should have a specific meaning or energy that suits you.

The other nice thing about mala beads is that you begin to associate them with relaxation. On days when you know it's going to be hectic, you can wear your beads as a reminder to slow down and take a breath.

With the budding popularity of meditation, there's a lot of books and articles out there to reference and learn from. It's important to understand who you are and how you work. Meditation isn't a one size fits all. Just like you chose a yoga practice that works best for you, you'll want to choose a meditation that works best for your mind. Meditation shouldn't be one more irritant in your life, it's there to help you let go and cope with life's stresses.

Is Yoga All You Really Need?

I had a student ask me the other day if I thought yoga was the only exercise he needed (he's in his early 50's) or should he incorporate weight training into his exercise routine. Regardless of your age or fitness level, I feel that yoga is a well rounded form of exercise, but it can only do so much. In order to stay strong and build additional strength, you'll need more than your daily practice. Yoga does indeed build strength, but you'll eventually reach a plateau as you can only lift your own body weight.

There is a large variety of yoga classes out there, but not all of them focus on strength. If this is the case for your regular class, then you would definitely want to add weight lifting or a type of circuit class to your routine. One of the biggest dangers of yoga is hyper-flexibility. Once your muscles go past their stretch point (the point where they don't bounce back and protect your joints, think of a rubber band being over stretched) your major joints are left unprotected. This can lead to injuries and chronic pain.

If you're already at the point of hyper-flexibility, a good strength training routine will help prevent anymore damage and may help with chronic pain that you're already experiencing. Make sure to start slow though. When your muscles are over stretched it's easy to strain your tendons (where muscle connects to bone) which can cause tendinitis. The only way that heals is to not use the affected joint, which means no yoga or strength training for at least 4-6 weeks and in some cases even longer. 

Adding strength training will help keep your muscles in balance. It will also give you added strength and stamina that will take your yoga practice to a whole new level. It will improve your postures therefor protecting you from injuries because of weak muscles putting you into incorrect alignment.

Circuit training classes also help to boost your cardio. Yoga does have some cardio benefits, but not necessarily to the point that one should count on it as your only source.

Finding balance between building strength and a yoga routine will be different for everyone. You'll want to make sure that you've recovered from class before you go to another one, be it yoga or strength training. For example, I have a circuit class that I love and it's offered 5 times a week. I used to go Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do yoga on Tuesday and Thursday. My body told me pretty quick that I was over doing it. The fact that I was still sore by the time I went to my next class should have been a red flag for me to slow down.

Over use injuries are common in strength and circuit training. A lot of times injuries from this type of exercise is what brings people to yoga in the first place. As with anything, the type of exercise is all about balance. I now only do one or two circuit training classes a week. It all depends on how active I've been and how my body is feeling. The point of all this exercise is to make your body stronger, not weaker and more vulnerable to injury. If you feel sore or over tired, don't go to class. Consider a restorative practice instead. Exercise should give you energy. If it's only making you tired, you're doing too much.

Another great thing about adding strength to your routine is you can work out muscle imbalances in the body faster. Yoga is great at pointing out your imbalances, but slow at fixing them. Adding weights into the picture will speed up your body's ability to balance out, therefor allowing it to function better and less pain will be the result.

Yoga isn't a magic pill that can fix everything. It's important to keep other forms of exercise in your life. Just be mindful that the exercises you're doing are kind to your body and giving you some type of benefit. Keep the same mindfulness with your yoga practice. Injuries can and do happen, some slowly over time. The most important thing is to listen to your body.

Knowing When You're Too Tired

It's a beautiful Spring day here in Vermont so I decided to go and do a walking meditation in the woods to chill out. About five minutes into the walk I realized I was too tired to go on. I'm recovering from walking pneumonia, packing to move and painting our new house. I only teach once a week but have subbed for four classes in the last week. I'm tired.

In the past with this much on my plate, I would have pushed through and finished my to do list. Choosing my list over my health. I'm over that. Perhaps it's because I'm older and I know that the world won't fall apart if I don't get things done. Or maybe it's because I'm tired of being sick and worn out. You can't enjoy life if you're sleepy.

Knowing when to say when is important. For some of us it isn't easy. Perhaps you're a Pitta and you're driven by success. To you, if that to do list isn't done or you don't keep up with your social calendar, you've somehow failed. Perhaps you're shy and don't feel comfortable saying no to people.

Whatever the reason is for you being overbooked, you have to find a way to cut back. Make more time for yourself. In my case, I won't do anymore packing after dinner. That's my time to reboot. If friends ask me to hang out, I'll ask that they come to me so that I don't have to make more time in my schedule that I just don't have. Or, I just say no thanks and find another time to hang out.

One thing that people understand well is being busy. We've all had times in our lives when it's ruled by chaos. Chaos makes us plan, it makes us learn to control our stress and it teaches us that sometimes things don't work out well, but that we can come out on the other side of the situation stronger. In order to cope with life's adversities, we need to be rested. When we're tired we aren't on top of our game and life is harder.

What to do when you do decide to take time to relax and someone in your life gives you grief? Tell them that you think they should take the time they would have otherwise spent with you and use it to relax some themselves. Some think it's scary to have downtime, it's foreign to them and they often aren't sure what to do. If this is you, don't worry, once you get a taste of letting go, you'll crave it. It's like a long savasana, one of the most popular yoga poses. At first it's hard to be still, but eventually you'll wish the teacher gave you more time in the pose.

Yoga teaches us to honor our bodies. We do this by being mindful in our practice, feeding it healthy food and exposing ourselves to loving relationships. By allowing ourselves to get worn down, we aren't honoring our bodies. Like anything, if you overuse it, it will eventually wear out and not work right.

Everyone has their own thing they like to do to relax. Find yours and make time for it. Find something on your list that you can cut out. There's always something that can go. Don't feel you have to do your regular yoga practice. You can do a whole yoga practice laying on the floor. Restorative yoga is wonderful when you're feeling out of steam. Here is a link to a simple restorative practice. There's tons of info out there on the web and many studio's provide restorative classes.

When doing a restorative practice, only do poses that you want to do. If a pose is offered in class or in a video and you don't feel up to it, don't do it. The whole purpose of this is to do what feels good.

Never feel guilty about taking time for yourself, everyone needs to reboot. Making relaxation a daily practice in your life will have a profound affect. You'll be better able to handle the little things that come up daily. You'll know that when life gets busy that you still have your quiet bit of time carved out to let go. That alone will help you get through any tiring schedule.