I rarely watch TV, but the few hours a week I turn it on I’m bombarded with commercials pushing pills to relieve the symptoms of depression. As many of you know, depression has been something I have struggled with throughout my life. While it’s hard for me to write about depression, especially my … [Read more...]

Meditation, Mantras and Creating YOUR Life I’m not sure how long I’ve been meditating consistently. I started being more consistent when my yoga teacher suggested that “it will change your life!” during my yoga teacher training. Before that, I’d experienced a change in my life when I’d meditated … [Read more...]

The ego is a Big Trouble maker!! It’s always criticizing and blaming us or others for our perceived imperfections, mistakes, or differences. It’s a bully inside of us, comparing us, telling us we aren’t good enough. The ego is so afraid of being perceived as weak, so afraid that others will see our … [Read more...]

Four weeks ago my uncle, my mother’s little brother, lost his battle with cancer. He was a beloved son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to all. I have been shaken to my core by his loss. To take care of myself, I have been breathing deeper and digging deeper into my life skills and … [Read more...]

In the spring of 2006, I was finally getting an opportunity to sing with a band on the plaza in Kansas City—a big deal to me at the time. I was thrilled… but I had been taking allergy shots and pills for three years and I was still having relentless and intense allergic reactions. For the entire … [Read more...]

I started practicing yoga with my friend Jessica in 1998.  We were going for the  exercise and to relieve stress from dental school. Although I wouldn’t realize it for  years, practicing yoga became much more than exercise or stress relief. It  … [Read more...]

“For unto us a child is born… The Prince of Peace.”~ Isaiah 9:6 When I was young, I attended vacation bible school every year I could. (My favorite part was the Kool-aid, the cookies, and my friends!) I enjoyed learning about Jesus. I learned that he loved me and I learned that he loved all the … [Read more...]

We laugh at me sometimes…I can be the Grumpy Yogini. I wish I could say I’m always nice and happy, but I have always been a grump in the morning. It’s just my nature…maybe. I do notice a shift away from grumpy during and after meditation. My morning meditation helps me transition from foggy, sleepy, … [Read more...]

I’ve been praying for as long as I can remember: Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take When my Dad died, my prayers went through many phases. In retrospect, I can see that they reflect the grieving … [Read more...]

It may seem like a paradox to see “depressed” and yoga teacher in the same sentence. The most common image of a yoga teacher is happy and care free, living in perfect bliss…but many yoga teachers actually find yoga as an antidote for their own anxiety and/or depression. In August of 1980, my Dad … [Read more...]