Pranayama with Sianna Sherman

I love the metaphor of welcoming each inhale as a sacred guest into your holy temple of being & then, sending each exhale out into the world with blessings, like a guest/friend/family member/loved one continuing on their way after a visit with you.

Who's Doing It?

Mad Men star, January Jones on her way to a Yoga class.

Cornel West: professor, philosopher, activist, blues man & modern day sage with a YOGI's heart.

"The country is in deep trouble. We've forgotten that a rich life consists fundamentally of serving others, trying to leave the world a little better than you found it. We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people, the courage to fight for social justice. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that's the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word."    — Cornel West


"In these downbeat times, we need as much hope and courage as we do vision and analysis; we must accent the best of each other even as we point out the vicious effects of our racial divide and pernicious consequences of our maldistribution of wealth and power. We simply cannot enter the twenty-first century at each other's throats, even as we acknowledge the weighty forces of racism, patriarchy, economic inequality, homophobia, and ecological abuse on our necks. We are at a crucial crossroad in the history of this nation--and we either hang together by combating these forces that divide and degrade us or we hang separately. Do we have the intelligence, humor, imagination, courage, tolerance, love, respect, and will to meet the challenge? Time will tell. None of us alone can save the nation or world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so."  — Cornel West (Race Matters)


"Whether one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, secular, agnostic or atheistic you must have compassion for something bigger than your own egocentric predicament." — Cornel West




Follow & be enlightened....  http://twitter.com/cornelwest

One of the strongest medicines available (no Rx required!) is right under your nose...

Just breathe!

Tis the season to do YOGA!

While some people are still cursing the holiday decor that has been on store shelves since Halloween & the Christmas carols playing overhead in said stores, MY Christmas spirit kicked in, full throttle, over the  Thanksgiving holiday. It may have had a little something to do with all my aunts, uncles, & cousins driving in from all corners of the country to celebrate Tofurkey day (& my fiance & I's engagement!) together in Pennsylvania. All the festivity & happiness packed into that one weekend would be sure to get any scrooge into the holiday spirit! Fortunately (or unfortunately for the bah-hum-bug people), that joy has overflowed into the playlist for my Yoga class this afternoon at a local Catholic high school:

Moola Prayer -- Sudha, Maneesh De Moor

M3 Mantra Remix -- Mark Bell

Carol of the Bells -- The Bird & The Bee

The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act 2: (Dance of the Reed Pipes) -- Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev

Amazing -- One Eskimo

Moment of Surrender -- U2

One Love/People Get Ready -- Bob Marley & The Wailers

O Holy Night -- Musiq Soulchild

Peace on Earth -- U2

Ganapati -- Girish

Across the Universe -- The Beatles

Silent Night -- Sarah McLachlan

*Being mindful of the fact that you never want to offend, disrespect or alienate anyone in your classes, this playlist, understandably, may not be appropriate for all classes (especially those at larger studios or fitness centers with students of multiple religious backgrounds) but..I'm hosting an after school class for teachers at a Catholic school so, I think I'm safe.

Happy Holidays! 

"In most cases, our so-called limitations are nothing more than our own decision to limit ourselves." ~Daisaku Ikeda

Do Yoga, Do Good

"Love everyone, serve everyone, remember God" -- Neem Karoli Baba