I have been really struggling with anxiety and depression the last several months. So much self doubt showing up. Doubt in myself and the path of teaching trauma-informed yoga to women that has chosen me. The fear of not being able to make a living piecing all of these parts of my life together. The…
I used to think strength meant presenting an image of strong silence and always looking like I had everything together. I was a Marine, a leader, and could never make a mistake. I became a Marine to serve, and loved being part of the Corps. As with anything I have ever loved intensely, the military…
BACKGROUND I am a Mother, a Poet, a Yogi, and a disabled Veteran with a vagina. I have served my country, first as an active duty Chaplains Assistant, then as a military wife, then as a divorced military spouse, and finally, as a disabled veteran fighting (waiting) for over 5 years with the Veterans Administration.…
“We came to this country to unite, you need to show them we are here to work hard. That’s it. You show them by example not by arguing or crying.” Those were my fathers words when I was crying after somebody made a racist comment about Mexicans being lazy. I took my father’s advice to…
I’ll admit, when I first signed on to work with Arts Holding Hands and Hearts of CultureTrust, I was more than a bit nervous about going behind bars to teach teenage boys in the juvenile justice system. Sure, I had been a troubled child and spent my fair share of time in the system, my…
I want to see a new convergence of yoga, mindfulness, and social justice. Can this happen? I don’t know. I have a gut-level, insistent feeling that it’s possible. But I also feel that if this possibility is ever going be realized, the time to take action is now. Why do I feel such a sense…
Take a moment and think about a time when you were in a community that felt safe. It could be a community of any size 3, 15 or 100. Simply call to mind an experience that allowed you to fully contribute your gifts and talents as you held others in the community in full support.…
The Cycle of Violence Ends in Your Own Heart by Jacoby Ballard* So many of us do the work that we do in the world because the pain of injustice and inequity break our hearts, and many of us have been effected directly by that which our work seeks to heal or change. So often…
Yoga for First Responders: Waking Up Through Serving Domestic Soldiers by Olivia Kvitne* I remember the moment when the definition of “teaching yoga” changed for me. Barking out asanas in a hot room with a required Top 40 playlist didn’t seem to fulfill what I had intended to offer. I also didn’t practice that way,…
The Beauty and Versatility of a Chair Yoga Practice in Institutional and Clinical Settings by Joanne Spence I have just had the great fortune of finishing up a three-week trip to Australia, where I have been teaching some yoga workshops and visiting friends and family. It has been an exciting opportunity to revisit the country…
