by Rachel | Jan 25, 2018 | Blog
Sometimes we get stuck.
It doesn’t start out this way. In fact, quite the opposite–in an inspired moment we create some new structures and practices. We dive into them with enthusiasm and commitment, and enjoy the experience of focus and clarity that they bring.
And this can last for a while, sometimes quite a long time. The enduring commitments that cultivate energy and affirm our well-being become anchors and routines in our daily lives.
BUT OTHER TIMES we find ourselves in a groove that just doesn’t work.
There is a stagnant quality of energy and attention.
A restlessness.
A subterranean movement that indicates CHANGE is on the horizon.
Getting unstuck is a bit of a project. But it’s so worth it. And skilled support can be really helpful.
In order to make deep and lasting changes, we will:
- identify what is truly nourishing for you
- shift away from the habits that drain your well-being
- direct energy toward your aligned goals and aspirations
I listen. You envision. Together we Catalyze and Calibrate
Let’s talk! To schedule a free phone consultation click HERE.
by Rachel | Jan 23, 2018 | Blog
25 years of practice.
Rewind…October 1992.
A rainy day in New York City. I walk into the Jivamukti Yoga Center on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street. The walls of the yoga studio are purple. There is an altar with pictures of Ram Dass, the Beatles, Jesus, and almost every guru in every lineage of every eastern mystical tradion. The heavy scent of Nag Champa incense is in the air. I am transported from the chaotic streets of Manhattan into…I don’t know what. A familiar feeling of recognition and home in myself, a feeling that I am absolutely in the right place…and I have no idea why.
Since that day, I have been practicing and studying Yoga. I have immersed in countless hours of training, in the lineages of Jivamukti, Sivananda, Kripalu, Iyengar, Forrest, and Anusara, as well as the post-Anusara lineage teachers who continue to refine the alignment principles that I currently teach. I have constructed and de-constructed asana practice based on the needs of my bodymind at any given phase of my life. In these 25 years I have leaned into asana and sitting meditation as the most steady anchors in my life.
In these 25 years I have expanded, contracted, gotten married, given birth, incurred injuries, healed from injuries, moved through a few different careers, questioned everything, and continued to practice. And I continue…
I don’t believe in asana the way I once did. I was taught that the forms have some inherent wisdom/magic/energetic power to transform. I believed this wholeheartedly…for a while. And I don’t anymore. And here’s why:
I have seen myself and many others go down the road of “deepening/advancing” asana with the idea that there is more enlightenment and less worldly suffering on the other side of these physical forms. And my personal is experience is–there is not. In fact, as I have grown older, the intense practice of these more advanced asana forms has taken its toll–I have some injuries that are the result of putting my body into positions that are just not healthy over time, even with the most refined attention to alignment and detail.
My perspective right now is this–asana is a gateway toward the more contemplative practices. It grounds us in the physicality of being human. We learn to breathe and feel. We learn to tolerate a certain amount of discomfort–and even this is a slippery slope with regards to valuing/attaching to pain–and with wholesome intention I think we can navigate this as well.
- I want to teach from a place of honoring–honoring myself and what is true for me about the depth of this practice and the related practice of sitting.
- I want to honor my students on their paths.
- I want to honor what is profound about embodying presence, knowing oneself in physical form, and I want to honor the limits of that exploration and guide practitioners to other methods of knowing.
There is no path to awakening that excludes a large percentage of the population based on the ability to execute extreme physical forms that often involve a certain amount of hypermobility, either natural or cultivated. I have to believe that an awakened body/mind/heart is the result of other inquiries, and has nothing to do with one’s flexibility, strength, or technical execution of asana.
I find this hugely liberating, as a teacher, and as a practitioner. There is really nothing else for me to do but show up and be:
-honest
-curious
-aware
-sensate
-gentle
-compassionate
-responsive
This is no small thing for myself or for any of us. It means continually dropping out of an idea, a fantasy, a plan to be better, a wish that asana was the answer. In writing these words, I’m aware of stepping aside from some prevalent ideas and images of Yoga in the mainstream Western culture. I’m now able to do this with a clear mind and heart. I trust that I will align with the students and the studios that will support me to deepen in my practice and my teaching.
In honoring and celebrating this quarter century of practice, I am most grateful to my teachers, my colleagues, my students, and the path of inquiry itself. May all beings be free from suffering. And may we all find the teachers and practices that lead us toward the end of suffering.
In addition to ongoing weekly yoga classes, I also offer counseling for women, and bodywork.
Check out the other pages on this site and email me here to set up a free phone consultation.
by Rachel | Feb 2, 2017 | Blog
Stagnation. Dis-orientation. Where to begin? There will be times in our lives where we want to re-focus//shake things up//get back on track But we just don’t know how to start. What do you do when a shift is called for? When in doubt, orient toward what is most tangible and doable. Whether it’s a short-term experiment, or a longer-term shift, it can be helpful to frame the new idea/practice in this way:”I would like to do___________this many times per week/month. In order to do this, I may need to let go of __________, and I’m willing to see what effect this has after _______ weeks/months.”
Be realistic and be kind to yourself. Creating and sustaining change takes some work and focus, but the reward of living in closer alignment with your values can be immensely energizing, and bring unexpected gifts to other areas of your life– for example, your realized goal of getting more consistent exercise might help you sleep more soundly (even though you weren’t trying to shift that in a direct way) This is just one of many tools I use when working with private clients. If you would like to learn more about this approach, please email me here to set up a free phone consultation.
by Rachel | Dec 23, 2016 | Blog
Seriously. It’s the thing that has been a steady YES in my life for the last 25 years. Yoga and sitting practice.
One rainy afternoon in NYC, in late October of 1992, my life changed. I walked into the Jivamukti Yoga Center on 2nd Avenue, full of doubt, heartache and discontent. Various things were not going the way I planned or wanted, and I found myself feeling jaded, cynical and stuck in a rut. A friend had recommended yoga to me months before, and I finally decided to check it out for myself, not unreluctantly, somewhat ready to be disappointed…again.
On that day, I discovered a seed of grace, faith, and beauty that has remained ever-present for me in some form. I found a way of communicating with myself that simultaneously touched a deep place of longing and also felt like a homecoming. I found practice.
As a trained professional dancer, I understood the value of disciplined practice, and the benefit of exploring a body/mind “puzzle”. What felt so different to me about Yoga and meditation was the absence of a goal/performance/presentation. This created a pivotal shift in my perception, which at first was not altogether exciting. It was hard to orient toward my inner witness, to practice without striving or reaching for something different or better. It took a long time for me to realize, in an embodied way, that Asana (the physical aspect of Yoga) was a gateway toward a different practice, the practice of sitting/witnessing/holding spacious awareness.
The most important thing I would like to relay as a teacher is this–
Practice. Now. Not next week or next month or in 5 years when you think the timing will be better. The timing is always perfect or terrible, and that’s the thing–practice is practice. It’s about showing up as you are–joyful, expansive, faithful, inspired, clear, distracted, heartbroken, angry, confused, resigned, or apathetic. It doesn’t really matter, the practice is here as a way to engage with ALL OF IT. We don’t have to be better or more in shape or happier or even in the mood. We DO have to show up to get the benefit. We have to be somewhat willing to look a little deeper, to feel a little more, to be with our distraction and discomfort.
I’m not saying this is easy. It often isn’t. But it’s what we’ve got. We’ve got this body, this mind, this tender heart, and the capacity to take some action in relation to our suffering. The action I often take is practicing. I invite you to join me in this. Come as you are. You are most welcome.
In addition to ongoing weekly yoga classes, I also offer counseling for women, and bodywork.
Check out the other pages on this site and email me here to set up a free phone consultation.
