Yoga

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”  (Leonardo da Vinci)    Are you a fashion victim?  Do you wear shoes that are too tight, too floppy, too stiff, or too heavy ? I recently found the best pair of boots I’ve ever had.  They are light, flexible, waterproof, and they fit my foot shape, which has a narrow heel and a wide toe box.  It’s amazing what a difference it can make in daily life to have shoes that really fit well. Our feet need to move and stretch throughout the day to remain healthy. Often our shoes restrict us, while providing “support” and protection.  I see many clients whose feet are weak, and sadly collapsing under the weight of the rest of the body. This collapse affects everything else in their posture.  They may say “I’ve always had flat feet” but actually in most cases, the arch is … Read more

Attention: Media scare: Yoga is dangerous for stiff men and flexible women. Generalizations like this amaze and disturb me, because people read this and are scared to try yoga, or scared to continue if they already do it. Big message here:  Not all yoga is the same. People need to use discrimination in choosing an appropriate style of yoga and a good teacher. A well-educated, well-intentioned teacher can give instructions that will protect students from the errors that are easy for anyone to make: poor alignment, over-efforting or under-efforting. As one teacher taught me years ago, there are two mistakes in yoga: doing too much and doing too little. Beginners might tend to do too little, and experienced people might tend to do too much, although that’s another generalization, so feel free to disregard it. Yoga is not about imitating a shape, it’s about inner transformation.  It’s not meant to be competitive, but it is … Read more