Categories for Essays

Find the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

December 14, 2016 / Announcements

Our wonderful teacher, Anya, recently went on an trip to Ireland. She blogged about her adventure and I asked her to share some of the things she learn on the way. Thank you, Anya! In early August, I traveled to Ireland. I wrote a blog post about the experience: 10 Things I Learned in Ireland…. Read More

Yogaville and the Power of Community

June 8, 2016 / Announcements

I recently spent a month living at an Ashram, called Satchidananda Ashram (and often referred to as “Yogaville”), in southern Virginia. It is located right along the James River, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge; a picturesque setting to take a step back from “real life” and work on developing a practice. But what… Read More

February Meditation Challenge

February 2, 2013 / Announcements

For those of you who see me regularly, you might notice I am almost always wearing a mala around my wrist. What is the purpose of a mala? They are beautiful reminders to breathe, to meditate during down time, and to stay committed to the intention set for the day. My most recent use of… Read More

Cultivating Our Inner Guide

January 31, 2013 / Announcements

In the Yoga Sutras (an ancient and foundational text of Yoga) Patanjali describes the purpose of Yoga, that which is to cultivate stillness in the mind.  In this space of clarity we begin to find our inner guide, that special voice that reminds us of our purpose.  The internal compass that allows us to traverse through the landscape of… Read More

The Obstacle is the Path

December 17, 2012 / Announcements

What better time to write about obstacles, pain, and suffering than when sick in bed? In life we have choices: the be miserable or to be content. To complain about unfortunate events or to learn from them. One of my favorite Buddhist sayings as of late reads “The Obstacle is the Path.” Each and every… Read More

Perfictionist, anyone?

October 30, 2012 / Announcements

Having lived most of my life raveled up in the world of a perfectionist (in my mind), I have come to know the anguish and anxiety that comes from this perspective.  In this space, the words “I should have” are playing in an automatic replay mode that is too common for comfort.  Sure, being a… Read More

What do you eat when you do yoga? by Helen Pratt

October 26, 2012 / Announcements

We are right in the middle of the second IPY Commit to it Challenge. Everyone involved is working on practicing yoga as much as they can AND eating healthy! It seems like a lot of people get involved in yoga to try and lose weight, but Vinyasa yoga isn’t a walk in the park type… Read More

Grace in Greece

October 10, 2012 / Announcements

Having recently returned from an amazing to trip to Greece for a yoga workshop, and since it was impossible to bring you all along with me, I thought I would share some of my experiences with our wonderful IPY community.  When I first booked the trip with my daughter Caroline months ago, I was a… Read More

Grace

July 22, 2012 / Announcements

It seems that all my bridges have been burned, But, you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works I have been pondering this Mumford and Sons lyric recently. What is grace? Imagine a new mom with a 7-week-old baby. Terrified. Hormones raging. Living in a third-world country. She is scared to be alone, but… Read More

Confessions of a non-cook

July 18, 2012 / Announcements

Sometimes we aren’t who we see ourselves to be, and it takes a long time to realize. I’ve always wanted to be THAT girl who could walk into a kitchen and work marvels delighting family and friends with my culinary skills. Trying over the years to get cooking in my blood, to learn how to… Read More