When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills”       ~Chinese Proverb As my students entered the house today, each shivered a little and made a comment about the weather – the wind is gusting and there is a brisk coolness to the air.  Fall has arrived and with it a bluster of action readying ourselves for the close of the year – holiday festivities, school exams, vacations, and family visits.   It can all seem a bit dizzying sometimes. In the

In need of a mini-retreat but no vacation in sight?  Take 40 minutes out of your day to try the following restorative sequence for a guided practice of intention, acceptance and gratitude. You will emerge refreshed and battle-ready.  The practice requires a rectangular bolster or 2-3 thick, but firm, blankets, and 1-2 blocks or additional firm bolster or folded blanket. Reclined, Supported Easy Sit or Reclined, Supported Cobbler Place your bolster lengthwise on your mat suppo

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.  ~BKS Iyengar I am often asked “What is Yoga Therapy?” and “How is Therapeutic Yoga different from regular yoga and from Physical Therapy or other forms of traditional therapy?”.  First of all, let me say that not all Yoga is “therapeutic” and not all “yoga therapy” is therapeutic for every person. At the core, Therapeutic Yoga begins with Awareness.  In this, it is very personal and, often, dif

Sometimes it takes a meltdown to cool down.         ~Evinda Lepins I’m hot, really hot.  Literally, I am actually HOT and wet, according to Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, I am a PITTA, which means my body, mind and emotions are guided by the elements of heat and water.  My hair is red, my intellect is quick and sharp and my emotions are hard to stir but strong when shaken.  Maybe you are hot by nature, like me, or maybe you have just experienced one too many North Carolina

It is not the load that breaks you down.  It is the way you carry it.    ~Lou Holtz Legs-up-the-wall is my very favorite pose – so easy and so profound.   The beauty of this pose starts with the sanskrit name translated into “making action by turning things around”.    The list of ailments of the mind and body that are eased by this pose are endless and yet there is no effort, no prerequisite pose and very few contraindications – you simply find a way to turn yourself upside-