Imagine practicing yoga surrounded by the delicate beauty of spring—wildflowers nodding gently in the breeze, the scent of fresh herbs and tea leaves in the air. This is the magic of the Tea House, where nature and mindfulness intertwine to create a space for deep connection. We invite you to embrace the season’s rising energy in our April yoga series.
Meditation is not a linear journey. It’s not about achieving a specific state or reaching a final destination. Instead, it’s a variable practice that shifts and evolves. This fluidity makes meditation an opportunity for exploration rather than a pursuit of perfection. It invites us to let go of binary perspectives such as good or bad, right or wrong, failure or success.
Do you feel like meditation just isn’t for you? You’re not alone. Meditation is often seen as a gateway to calm, clarity, and balance. But the truth is, sitting in silence can feel anything but peaceful. It’s important to understand that meditation isn’t about achieving peacefulness. It’s about learning to focus on a single thought, noticing distractions, and gently guiding your attention back.
As the calendar turns and the new year approaches, it’s easy to get swept up in the tide of resolutions and the pressure to “start fresh.” We draft lists of goals and set rigid expectations, believing that January 1st marks the start of a perfect, linear path toward self-improvement. But what if we approached the new year differently? What if, instead of rigid resolutions, we embraced curiosity, intention, and a willingness to ease into this next chapter with grace?
The sacrum, often overlooked, plays a vital role in both spinal health and overall movement. It's not just a single bone but a fusion of five vertebrae that occurs as we age, usually completing the process in our 20s. Despite this fusion, the sacrum is part of a dynamic system that requires awareness and movement to stay healthy.
Friday Night Yin Yoga returns December 2nd @ 6:15 pm EST. Sam invites us to spend time in places we live in less to build our ability to not need an active state. Although each Yin pose is practiced on the floor, Sam offers numerous variations of the poses that will target the correct area but honor your individual body type and medical history.
Life is filled with things that we enjoy, raga, and things that we dislike, dvesha. The turbulence of seeking enjoyment and rejecting aversions keep us in a never ending cycle of desiring, of always wanting something more. Yoga teaches us to recognize our ragas and dveshas so we can be aware of what is driving us. Once we know what drives us, we learn to react with objectivity and embrace all that comes our way.
Osteoporosis affects 24 million Americans. The most common injury related to osteoporosis is bone fracture, which is especially common in the spine and hips. Yoga practices move the spine and hips in all directions, therefore it is important to learn about and experience movements that do not load your spine so you can continue practicing yoga safely even if you experience bone loss.
There is space for the online option of our Osteoporosis and Yoga Workshop happening this Saturday.
I enjoy getting my feet dirty as I play in the dirt and pretend to garden. I plant seeds, water them and let them grow wild. I enjoy the connection I have when I go out into the yard. And occasionally, I tend to the plants. After being on a vacation for two weeks in June, I was surprised that my overgrown garden turned into a garden of weeds. Why was I surprised that the weeds returned? I knew I wasn’t going to be able to clear all the weeds in one day, but I could clear a little section each week. So I put on my crocs and started to pull weeds. As the sweat poured down my face, the yoga analogies of thoughts being seeds made so much sense.
Pain is a signal from the nervous system that something is wrong. The uncomfortable sensations that you associate negatively, such as tingling, sharp, or throbbing. For many people chronic pain is an everyday phenomena. The body might not be in danger, but the nervous system keeps sending the pain message. Chronic pain can interrupt daily functioning, including social activities.
The news lately has been filled with tragic stories describing marginalized groups facing himsa (violence or harm). When we see injustice we might be compelled to react. However, when we react rather than respond, we might not act with ahimsa, non-harm in thought, word and deed towards all. Joan Halifax, PhD from Upaya Zen Center suggests we have G.R.A.C.E. Roshi Joan created this model for bringing compassion into interactions with others.
Technology is changing our lives. We have the world at our fingertips. But the tool that helps keep us connected has a profound effect on our spine. Maybe you have images of humans evolving to slouch over a computer or perhaps you notice that you are looking down more often. Our beloved technology is affecting how we hold our neck and in response our spine health. The new norm of checking phones and tablets promotes us to spend more time with our shoulders hunched, neck flexed, head forward and chest withdrawn, a position that is sometimes called tech neck.
May is mental health awareness month. It is a time to actively engage in conversations about our struggles and triumphs related to mental health. According to NAMI, the national movement has sought to raise awareness about mental health, fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
There is some evidence that yoga may be helpful in reducing depressive symptoms. But yoga is not a cure. Yoga offers tools that supports your mental health because it promotes a lifestyle aligned to the four major dimensions of recovery.
