Strala Graduation Speech: Why listening to yourself is a huge risk you can’t live without

Strala Graduation Speech: Why listening to yourself is a huge risk you can’t live without

  I want to ask something of each one of you. I want to ask each of you to take a risk. I want you to take the risk of listening, to you. Why is this a risk? That doesn't sound risky at all! In fact it sounds completely normal. But it's not normal, for most of us. And it's a risk, because it means changing some pretty big beliefs we have about the world. And some even bigger beliefs we have about ourselves.   You can survive without taking this risk. But you can't live without taking it.  …
Everything We’ve Ever Been Told About Achieving is Wrong

Everything We’ve Ever Been Told About Achieving is Wrong

I've learned something incredibly valuable over the last several years, and it goes against everything I've been taught about achieving in my life. It's been a revolution for me, allowing me to achieve more and actually enjoy the process of working toward my goals, without stress, tension, struggle and defeat. When I started to dive into what I was discovering, I found there was a strict rulebook in place for life.  If we follow it diligently, work really hard, keep our head down, and push on through all the stress and struggle, it tells us we might just get to something good, someday. I don't…
Drop the Struggle

Drop the Struggle

  Everyone has told you life is hard. You have to push harder, force past the rest, get ahead by tensing everything you've got and one day you'll break through to something else. Maybe. If you're lucky. What if the struggle wasn't real and the only thing real is the tension we create to make ourselves believe we are working hard enough & to shut out the fear that we aren't good enough and don't deserve happiness unless we are miserable first. What if you move easily, everything you've got, in every direction you can. What if you move naturally,…
How to make your yoga – and your life – look like you

How to make your yoga – and your life – look like you

In 2011, a bureau chief for The New York Times identified what Strala was up to as a substantial shift in yoga and wellbeing.  We were just getting started then (it still feels this way), but as Strala keeps evolving, we're beginning to have a better sense of what she saw.   In the last 80 years, every form of yoga has focused on instructing poses. Strala instructs movement. Why do we do this? Where does it come from?   Instructing Poses Instructing poses puts yoga into a world of correct and incorrect, based on what the pose looks like. In this world, everybody tries to…
Barcelona Classes!

Barcelona Classes!

Exciting news! I'm coming back to Barcelona for a visit and to lead some Strala classes, and to celebrate our new partner studio, Strala Barcelona that has been opening since last fall!     Last summer I was in Barcelona for some super fun adventures with the W. We went paddle boarding, did sunrise and sunset yoga, and had the treat of my long time friend, Josep, and his band play for class. The Strala girls were busy renovating their studio and it was an exciting beginning. Now it's in full swing with super good vibes and lots of great…