I Can’t Do Yoga, I’m Embarrassed, It’s Weird!

  Tara and I like to go for walks. We meet lots of people on the street, and lots of times they tell us they can't go to yoga. You've probably heard the reasons. At first, it's often a simple "Oh I'm not flexible" or "I can't do all that stuff." Talk a little longer, lots of people say "I'm embarrassed." And a little longer, "Yoga's kind of weird!" Tara and I often respond a little differently. For Tara, it's pretty simple. Suddenly I hear her say   "You're Perfect! It's Fun!!"   Everyone is smiling. Yoga is suddenly on…

Is Yoga Working?

  Do you think yoga works? Do you think yoga helps, but it doesn't help with your job? And it doesn't help you lose weight. You're stressed, it's not helping there. Challenges are impassible roadblocks. Your health could be better. Your relationships aren't so good. You keep hurting yourself. Regular life is still a struggle. But yoga helps because it gives you a place to get away from all this. Is this what you see, looking at your yoga, and your life? Is this what you see in the yoga going on around you?   It sounds like this yoga…

What Do You Need?

  You don't need to be bigger or smaller, stronger or more flexible, longer arms or shorter legs, to do yoga. Or to do anything you want to do.   I've seen people of all shapes and sizes able to do very little. I've seen people of all shapes and sizes able to do a whole lot.   You just need to get to know your body, your mind. Know what you're working with. If you're good with what you've got, that's all you need.   -Mike   About Strala Yoga Training Strala combines the movement and healing wisdom of…

How To Find Balance Between Stability and Mobility

  More isn't better. Think about this in yoga. When you first start, a simple shoulder opener can feel incredible. After a while, to get that same incredible feeling, you have to go a little "deeper." A while longer, even more, all to get that same initial feeling. Keep on that path, and you'll become hyper-mobile. You'll be able to do some yoga contortions. Your joints will be less stable, and you'll be less athletically capable in your body. This is a normal part of being an entertainer; for ballet dancers and circus performers, it's a painful part of life.…

What Happens When You Trade Rules For Freedom?

  Is life just so tough that it's always going to be a struggle? Is it just reality that to accomplish anything, we have to kick and force our way to the top? I don't think so. I think very often what makes things so hard is when we're trying to do things in some way other than our own. What makes things so hard is trying to follow other people's rules, other people's paths, to get into other people's lives.   Life can get easier, and it's not a matter of dropping your goals. It's a matter of getting…