It was my total pleasure to talk with my friend and colleague Caitlin Casella on her podcast Practice Human. We go deep into a variety of subjects including: Why people themselves are often the … [Read more...] about Outside the Box Embodiment: Practice Human Podcast
Cue Your Classes Like a Pro: Laurel’s Mini-Workshop on the Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast
Do you go on auto-pilot with over-used yoga teaching cues? I got super nerdy with Mado Hesselink on her Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast all about 4 categories of cues. A few have extensively researched … [Read more...] about Cue Your Classes Like a Pro: Laurel’s Mini-Workshop on the Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast
Laurel on Michelle Nayeli’s Movement as Medicine
Michelle and I discuss how I got started as a yoga teacher, how I realized yogasana was hurting me (because my flexibility was outpacing my strength), how and why I changed my teaching and branching … [Read more...] about Laurel on Michelle Nayeli’s Movement as Medicine
Laurel on Julian Walker’s Freedom Becomes You
Julian and I talk about: why yoga teachers must continually adapt and change; the importance of cross-training your yoga practice by doing more than asana; and the importance a teacher’s ability to be … [Read more...] about Laurel on Julian Walker’s Freedom Becomes You
Your Bones Determine Your Flexibility, Too.
There's more to your flexibility than muscles. Your bones play a big role in your range of motion. Joint surfaces are the parts of bones that touch other bones and permit sliding, spinning and … [Read more...] about Your Bones Determine Your Flexibility, Too.
Yoga Sleuth: Moving with Inquiry
On a cold and rainy Thursday, Yoga Sleuth made her way to Laurel Beversdorf’s Hatha Yoga class at YogaWorks. Having visited almost all of the YogaWorks locations in New York City, I’ve started to … [Read more...] about Yoga Sleuth: Moving with Inquiry
Yoga Myths vs. Reality
Ahead of their upcoming YogaWorks 200 hour teacher training in Dubai, WH&F catches up with international teacher trainers Laurel Beversdorf and Thomas Taubman to set yoga's record straight. … [Read more...] about Yoga Myths vs. Reality
ALIGNYO: MAKE FAMILIAR POSES NEW
What’s amazing about Laurel Beversdorf’s class is that it takes you back to your school days. Her presence, voice and knowledge make her class, well – a CLASS. Interactive, tons of laughter, play and … [Read more...] about ALIGNYO: MAKE FAMILIAR POSES NEW
The Purpose of Purposeless Walking
I started taking what the BBC refers to as purposeless walks this past winter as a strategy to avoid burn out and make space in my packed schedule. On these walks, purposeless is the purpose. Starting … [Read more...] about The Purpose of Purposeless Walking
Nostalgia: El jardín inglés de las emociones
¡La primavera finalmente ha brotado! El fin de semana pasado disfruté plantar caléndulas e impatiens en jardineras de ventana con mi esposo, Nathan – fue nuestro primer intento de jardinería al … [Read more...] about Nostalgia: El jardín inglés de las emociones
Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (6/6) | Shoulder Soothing Sequences | Written for the YTU Blog | May 2015
In the previous installments of this series, I discussed the anatomy and mechanics of healthy shoulder movement and how the cues we’ve been passed down (and pass along) do not always do a service to … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (6/6) | Shoulder Soothing Sequences | Written for the YTU Blog | May 2015
Uplifting News for Depressed (5/6) | The Trapezius Trap | Written for the YTU Blog | May 2015
Because a teacher’s practice is the primary resource from which they will draw their movement cues, teachers will often wittingly or unwittingly help their students adopt the teacher’s own postural … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed (5/6) | The Trapezius Trap | Written for the YTU Blog | May 2015
Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (4/6) | Refining Upward Rotation | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
In my last post, I deconstructed scapuloclaviculohumeral rhythm, the co-movement of the bones of the shoulder (humerus, clavicle and scapula) during movement. To more thoroughly understand … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (4/6) | Refining Upward Rotation | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (3/6): Feel the Beat of Your Shoulder Rhythm | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Instead of attempting to draw the shoulders down while simultaneously trying to flex the shoulders, consider ways to work and cue upward rotation of the scapula. A cue such as “Lift your outer … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (3/6): Feel the Beat of Your Shoulder Rhythm | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (2/6): Finding the Beat of Scapuloclaviculohumeral Rhythm | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Let’s begin with one of the most important things to know about the shoulder joint complex. It’s not just one joint. It’s four. When you peel back the skin that curtains the shoulder stage, all four … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (2/6): Finding the Beat of Scapuloclaviculohumeral Rhythm | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (1/6): Parampara or a Long Game of Telephone? | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Originally, yoga postures were practiced to obtain spiritual enlightenment, not for musculoskeletal health. Renunciates used their asana practice to tame their unruly flesh in order to be able to sit … [Read more...] about Uplifting News for Depressed Shoulders (1/6): Parampara or a Long Game of Telephone? | Written for YTU Blog | May 2015
Nostalgia: The English Garden of Emotions
Spring has finally sprung! This past weekend, I enjoyed planting marigolds and impatiens in window boxes with my husband, Nathan - our first attempt at outdoor, urban gardening. I'm pretty … [Read more...] about Nostalgia: The English Garden of Emotions
La gratitud que los retos pueden inspirar
Estoy segura que ya han visto o escuchado el reto de gratitud en las redes sociales. Funciona así: cada día por un periodo de tiempo fijo, escribe tres cosas por las que te sientes agradecido/a. … [Read more...] about La gratitud que los retos pueden inspirar
Descubriendo la tristeza, recobrando la alegría
La semana pasada me uní a algunos de los educadores de movimiento más brillantes que conozco en la reunión cumbre de Yoga Tune Up en Ojai California. El tema de la cumbre fue la narración de … [Read more...] about Descubriendo la tristeza, recobrando la alegría
The Gratitude Challeges Can Inspire
I'm sure by now you've seen or heard about the gratitude challenge that's been going around on social media. It works like this: every day for a set period of time, you write down three things that … [Read more...] about The Gratitude Challeges Can Inspire
Uncovering Sorrow, Recovering Joy
Last week I joined some of the most brilliant movement educators I know at the Yoga Tune Up Summit in Ojai California. The theme of the Summit was storytelling. During this Summit, I climbed an inner … [Read more...] about Uncovering Sorrow, Recovering Joy
Serratus Posterior Inferior Is A Pretty Superior Muscle
It’s true that Serratus Posterior Inferior is not the musclebrity that Serratus Anterior is. If you read up on yoga anatomy, or take yoga from a teacher who does, you’re most likely enamored with … [Read more...] about Serratus Posterior Inferior Is A Pretty Superior Muscle