[caption id="attachment_1702" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Monica Felix @ www.monicafelix.com[/caption] At my yoga studio, our instructors remind us to use every part of our body to achieve the total expression of the posture. Even the parts that are relaxed. Just because something is disengaged doesn’t mean it’s unimportant, they...
[caption id="attachment_1682" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Monica Felix @ www.monicafelix.com[/caption] Often times when I practice yoga, I set an intention before class. I plant a seed in my brain. I take a particular thought or problem or issue that I’m currently struggling with and use that as...
My sister had been practicing Bikram Yoga for awhile and she convinced me that it would really help me detox. It was only until the winter break after a busy first semester in graduate school, that I agreed to join her for a class in 2012...
[caption id="attachment_1661" align="alignleft" width="300"] Picture by Monica Felix @ monicafelix.com[/caption] Every yoga pose contains four essential stages. Setup, transition, asana and exit. But in our laziest and most impatient moments, we only practice the first three. Because exiting the posture requires mindfulness, alignment, focus, patience and understanding. And...
[caption id="attachment_1649" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Monica Felix @ monicafelix.com[/caption] Yoga brings up a common argument over stillness meditation versus moving meditation. The first approach uses being, i.e., stillness and concentration and contemplation, as the path to relaxation and enlightenment. Practices might include guided imagery, hypnosis, creative visualization,...
[caption id="attachment_1643" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Monica Felix @ monicafelix.com[/caption] When you’re sitting in a hot room, half naked, staring in the mirror, for ninety minutes straight, there’s nowhere to hide. It’s pure confrontation with self. And so, in the middle of cobra pose when you suddenly...