We often tell ourselves a comforting lie: “I will start taking care of myself as soon as I feel a bit better, have less stress, get more flexible or have more time.” We wait for the perfect conditions to arrive before we take action. But waiting to feel good before you start yoga is like waiting to be clean before you take a shower. The ancient philosopher Lao Tzu beautifully expressed the answer: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In the original lang

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~John Muir Now that Summer's heat is receding, a walk in the woods in definitely in order. I love to walk in the woods in any season, but for me there is something primal about walking as the season changes. Being a witness to the changing season inspires me to get out of my head and go with the flow. The following is by an unknown author, from New York Times editorial, "The Walk," 25 October 1967, “How

I’m back from my Summer travels and happily getting back into the regular rhythm of life. It feels great to be home, but my trip actually taught me a massive lesson about my body. While I was away, I wound up missing six days of practice. In the 8+ years that I’ve been practicing Kaiut Yoga, that is the absolute longest I have ever been away from the mat! Honestly? My body noticed. Yoga is Maintenance, Not Just a Quick Fix A lot of people expect yoga to just fix things. And

Many years ago, when I began studying the Japanese art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, I was introduced to a powerful idea: a Universal Energy animates everything. Around that time, a quote by George Leonard became an instant favorite of mine: "At the heart of each of us, whatever the imperfections, exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm which connects us to the universe." I just love that. It perfectly captures the essence of this work. Over the years, my curiosity led me beyond Jin Sh

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." ~ St. Vincent de Sales In our Kaiut practice, I am always imploring students to slow down. I ask them to experience the journey of movement, and to remember that our practice is never about the pose—the destination—but rather about what we encounter along the way. Think about the difference between driving on a scenic r

"The sleeping fox catches no poultry." ~Benjamin Franklin I have some fascinating new neighbors: a fox family. While it is incredibly cool to see them daily, as many of you know, I have chickens... and foxes are predators! Seeing them prowl around my chicken coop has sent me on a deep dive into learning about and understanding their behavior. What I’ve learned brings a powerful lesson straight onto the yoga mat. Foxes are famous for their intelligence, but their true superpow

As a teacher of the Kaiut Yoga Method, I’m truly grateful to be able to share this book with my students and this community. This practice has had a profound impact on my own life, and it’s meaningful to have a resource that explains the “why” behind what we do in class. What makes this method so unique is its focus on joint health and calming the nervous system, rather than performance or flexibility. Instead of trying to achieve a certain shape, we begin to listen to the bo

“Your life is a story of transition. You are always leaving one chapter behind while moving on to the next.” ~ Anonymous Leaving one chapter behind! I did just that one year ago. I am celebrating the one year anniversary of leaving Alchemy Yoga and opening up my own in-person program in the Asheville area.. It is honestly hard to imagine that it has been a whole year and I am so happy to be able to offer these in-person classes for Asheville area students while still offering

“Truth lies within ourselves: it takes no rise from outward things, whatever you may believe. There is an inmost center in us all, where truth abides in fullness and to Know rather consists in opening out a way whence the imprisoned splendor may escape than in effecting entry for light supposed to be without.” ~Robert Browning The Source of Life Force Energy for our bodies is known, in Jin Shin Jyutsu, as the Main Central Universal Harmonizing Energy Flow or the Main Central.

“Slow down and enjoy the journey. ” ~Joel Osteen What good is the journey of life if we are moving so fast that we can’t enjoy or reflect upon the journey?! Our practice invites us to slow down, to really experience every movement and sensation, to notice whatever is there for us to notice and to take the time to integrate and reset before we move on! With practice on the mat, we can bring these qualities into our day to day life!

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm." ~John Muir Even with the bout of cold weather that we’ve had, Spring is busy unfurling. One of my favorite “weeds” is Mullein. It is a classic weed for your needs, used as a tea, a tincture, an oil, and believe it or not, is smoked for respiratory issues! The soft furry leaves are said to make good toilet paper. It is a biennial and the first photo above is of a first year plant that I took today. And the second photo from a

"Wanting a slower pace does not mean you are lazy. It means that you want to enjoy life, and not rush through it.” ~ Lori Deschene With the recent warm days, I have felt the irresistible pull to work in the garden, to clean up the slumbering beds and make ready for planting … many rush to put stuff in “ now that it is warming up”… after all it was 80 degrees just yesterday… but today as I write, it is blustery and very cold with snow flurries in the air and folks are worried

“ We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life. ” ~ C.G. Jung I came across this quote recently. It makes me think about how much we change and evolve over our lifetimes… always adapting and adjusting to new experiences and challenges. In our yoga practice, each day we are invited to meet the body with new eyes. As in life, we are always adapting and adjusting to the practice and evolving everyday. We start fresh each time we come to the mat...

“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you did today was breathe.” ~Yumi Sakugawa Our yoga practice helps us to develop the vital skill of intentionally calming the Nervous System. It gives us the opportunity to spend time each day shifting out of Flight/Fight/Freeze response and into Rest/Repair mode. When we find ways to sooth and calm the nervous system, we counteract the negative effects of STRESS. Stress is meant to be temporary, a short burst. We must re-establish calm

“Fear always accompanies the making of art, generated by the shock of seeing an idea taking its form. A sculpture in the mind is safe and secure… the actual work rarely behaves as intended.” ~ Andy Goldsworthy I have mentioned recently before class a few times about the retaining wall that I am currently working on and here is a photo of one section of it. It is still a work in progress but it is really starting to take form. I am using all found block, brick, rocks and concr

- a neuroscience-backed tool There is lots of research out there that gives us a scientific basis for how and why visualization really...

“You cannot be pain-free just because you avoid doing things.” ~Francisco Kaiut Pain is an indication of the presence of stagnation, a...

"Tending the garden and tending the body is the same practice." ~Veronica D'Orazio. Summertime is in full swing and I am thinking about...

“Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in.” ~Sebastian Vettel PAUSE: A temporary stop. Taking a break to reset, to...

What do you get when you mix and layer two complementary approaches to the body and self-care? You get a deeply meditative and...