Trauma-sensitive yoga isn’t a style. It’s a skill set.

Around three years ago, I had just finished my first yoga class at a women’s shelter in New Hampshire.  I had meticulously planned a “trauma-informed” yoga class for the women there.  I used all of my knowledge and training with the TIMBo program, plus some additions that I found helpful to me in my own

Let’s Massage!

As many of you know, I took some time away (er…at least a very reduced workload) from my massage practice last year. I have been licensed since 2009, which is a long time considering the average massage therapist’s career is six years! 😮. At the time, my practice began to feel unsustainable. I began my

Move Me, Baby

“When you move, I’m moved.” Movement by Hozier The first time I experienced tremors was in 2014 in a heated power flow class.  I am fortunate to be surrounded by so many caring yoga teachers.  I kindly took their offered extra water or electrolyte tablets, because saying I was dehydrated felt safer than admitting the

Babywearing Yoga to Soothe You and Baby

When my daughter was a colicky newborn, babywearing pretty much saved my sanity. In the early postpartum days, it was really hard to find the time for a yoga practice. Her awake time had a lot of tears (hers and mine), but babywearing helped soothe her. As an added bonus, yoga postures helped keep me

A statement

Last week, Yoga teacher Christie Roe wrote an article about her abuse at the hands of teacher Mark Whitwell, and I was floored. While I have never studied with Mark personally, I became aware of him through workshops and podcasts by a teacher I have met personally: J. Brown. While Christie’s courageous piece is about

Allow Yourself to Be Moved

When I first became pregnant, I was a little obsessed with “keeping my practice.” I wanted to practice how I always did, because I believed that changing my practice would mean that I would lose muscle tone, and I would never get it back (or I would have to work really hard later for it.)

And How are You?

Since telling the internet and everyone else that I’m pregnant, I’m getting asked, “how are you?” a lot more than usual. Sure, here in America “How are you?” is like another way of saying hello. We say it all the time, but we rarely listen for the answer. I’ve tried my best to be honest

State of Emergency

Two weeks ago, I was practicing yoga, and as soon as I arched my back into cow pose, I felt an uncomfortable pull on the right side of my abdomen.  Weird. The next week, I was teaching a class and was demoing a forward fold and I felt a huge stab on the right side of my

Don’t Mind the Weeds

If you know me personally, you know that I am a gardener.  I like it so much that I started a YouTube channel about it.  Gardening is a lot like my yoga, when yoga is not my yoga…if that makes any sense.  There’s something liberating about being pissed off and walking outside to pull some

No One’s Coming for You

About two years ago, I was teaching yoga at 5:45 am.  I’m not what people would consider “a morning person.” I don’t naturally get up that early or particularly like it.  But at the time, it seemed like a good idea.  I felt about teaching early morning the way professional dog poop picker-uppers feel about

Return to Form

I’ve missed you. I’ve missed writing. I didn’t think I had anything to write about.  I did. I was wondering if people even read anymore.  I wasn’t reading anymore. I took all my opinions over to Instagram.  I like videos, but they aren’t the same as writing.  They don’t feel as therapeutic as taking my