“Won’t you be my neighbor?”

— Fred Rogers

Family Weekend at the University of Iowa last weekend was a great success! Eight of us from Havia’s family descended upon her in Iowa City, where she was happy to play the part of tour guide, showing us her favorite places on and off campus. We were also introduced to some personal traditions of my brother and cousin for Iowa football games for the last 19 years. We all decked out in our black and gold, enjoyed the chilly air, and went to the Hawkeye vs Minnesota game. (Iowa won big, so that was fun!)

One University of Iowa tradition we got to participate in was recently ranked number one college stadium tradition by USA Today: The Hawkeye Wave.

At the end of the fourth quarter, 70,000+ fans, players, and students turn around to wave at the pediatric patients at the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, located just behind the stadium. Both teams’ players stand on the field together, waving at the kids. Both sides of the stadium,...

“A good tool improves the way you work. A great tool improves the way you think.” — Jeff Duntemann

If you're in the yoga or health/wellness world very much, you'll hear the word "tools" used to describe tricks of the trade that aim to help you feel better when you need it. I appreciate the use of this word, as I have indeed collected dozens and dozens of "tools" over the years to help me foster balance, remain calm more often, and enjoy life. It's kind of a passion of mine.

But I think the word "tool" has limitations. It sounds like it's something you use once and toss back in the toolbox for the next time you need it. And this may also be true for some health and wellness tools. However, it has been my experience that the vast majority of these tools need time and attention for them to truly show you what they offer.

I prefer the word "practices." Why? Because they require us doing them. Not thinking about them, or using them, or even perfecting them. Practices, when done ...

"Practice is not about escaping life—it's about meeting it fully."

Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness. 

As I sit in the front room of my house, on my big comfy red chair, with my precious red heeler, Lila, sleeping on her ottoman and ignoring the view of her outside domain, I am so touched. The evening sun is lighting up the bushes and trees outside in such a lovely autumnal glow. I have some instrumental guitar music playing on Spotify, supporting my creative endeavor of writing something that matters. Or at least doesn’t suck. 

I’m basking in a moment like this, because it feels hard earned. I’ve been driven and goal-oriented since my youth, and contentment does not come naturally. 

I first learned about contentment, or santosha in Sanskrit, in yoga teacher training back in New York City, 2004, which was probably the most competitive era of my life. Just hearing about santosha, which is one of the inner practices of yoga (niyama), spark...

A baby giraffe’s life begins with a six-foot drop

— a head-over-heels tumble to the earth —

where she’s caught by tall grass, tended by her mother, and

soon begins the intrepid act of standing and walking on her brand-new, wobbly legs.

I am happily home from my Paris/Chartres trip for my Labyrinth Facilitator training, and I have to say it was a wonderful experience. Being back at Chartres Cathedral felt more like home this time. It was as if I never left! There is a beautiful timelessness there that I find very comforting. 

And yet once again, I was struck by my body’s response to the space and to the labyrinth. 

As I walked the labyrinth the first time, I couldn’t believe how shaky my legs were. Yes, it had been a journey to get there and I’m sure I was tired, but this level of shakiness was something else. From my sacrum down I felt jittery, weak, and wobbly. I knew I wasn’t going to fall – I was safe – but there was a tremble within me that spoke of new life.

Yogaś Chitta Vrtti Nirodha

Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. 

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.2

Earlier this month I went to walk the labyrinth at The First Presbyterian Church of Austin. I remember my mind was incredibly busy that day. My thoughts were just spinning around and jumping from topic to topic with zero direction. As I stepped into the labyrinth and began my journey towards the center, I patiently waited for my mind to settle. And I waited. And waited. And less patiently waited. Eventually I realized that the dull roar in my mind was just going to stay there. I couldn’t force it to quiet down. So I let it go. I paid attention to my steps and let the mental noise continue. As I got closer to the center, two questions and answers cut through like a fog horn:

What is the purpose of yoga?

 To address the needs of the body.

What is the purpose of walking the labyrinth?

 To address the needs of the soul.

This little Socratic method moment was super ...

I am getting so excited about my return to the Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France next week! If you’ve been following my adventures these last couple of years, [blog post: Life is Messy] you know I’ve become an outspoken labyrinth enthusiast. I find this ancient spiritual practice so deeply effective, enjoyable, and revelatory, I’m telling anyone who’ll listen and everyone I meet. (Okay–maybe I’m not THAT overboard, but it’s not far off.)

I have so much enthusiasm about labyrinth practice, I just want to know more, do more, and lead. That’s why this trip is for me to do my Labyrinth Facilitator Training with Veriditas in the most well-known and well-walked labyrinth in the world; the blueprint for thousands of other labyrinths: Chartres Cathedral. 

Since you’re going to hear a lot more in this space about labyrinths and meetups and pilgrimages and events, I thought I’d answer the first main question that comes up:

What’s a labyrinth? And is it like a maze?

A labyrinth ...

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."  ~ Shunryu Suziki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

I don’t love crossword puzzles in general, but I do the New York Times mini-crossword everyday. I love it! It’s little, it’s timed, and it makes me think. One of the first things I noticed about myself when I started doing them on the daily during Covid was that my mind tended to lock in and lock down on what I think an answer should be. To change my mind about that was nearly impossible. I could almost feel the answer I had running a rut through my brain, digging a deeper and deeper thought trench until I couldn’t get out. 

Here’s an example: “What do you mean the answer isn’t ‘fresh'? It’s gotta be ‘fresh.’ That’s the only five letter word for ‘new!’...Oh–I see. ‘Novel.’ Yeah, that works too.”

This, to me, feels like an expert mind. I thought I absolutely knew it, but I didn’t. Surely the Times had it wrong this week! Had I come to th...

It's that time of year, and life, again. But this time it's even worse. This era is coming to an end...

Last year around this time I realized I needed to step back from my to-do list and step fully into the transition taking place: Nate was graduating high school. It was a happy-sad time of letting go and launching our oldest bird from the nest. (Remember this one? "Maternity Leave for Graduation")

After he was settled in his new life at school, things settled into a new normal, and my blogging, podcasting, teaching, coaching, and retreats returned full force. This has been an exciting year of yoga and intentional living for us all! 

And here we are again, but now it's Havia's turn to fly, and that's it for this nest. (Our dog Lila just said, "Excuse ME?") And I'm just as emotional, or more, than last year. I'm happy-sad all over the place! 

And when my emotions run high, my creativity runs low. (This is very chakra two, by the way.) 

I will happily continue teaching in ...

Do you have wise friends? Or at least ONE wise friend? Thankfully, I do. Several, actually. And when they drop a wisdom bomb on me, it sears in my mind and hopefully pops up when needed. I needed this particular wisdom bomb recently, so I hope this resonates with you as well and proves useful in the future...or perhaps right now.

This was several years ago, and I was sharing with this friend something that was happening in my life at the time. I honestly don't even remember what that thing was. I only remember her response. She said, "Things from God are simple and clear. Things not from God are confusing." 

Recently I was faced with a decision and I was trying to discern if something was an opportunity or a distraction. This "opportunity" sounded so great! But I couldn't get a really clear picture of what it actually entailed and exactly how I would benefit if I signed on. But it was so tempting if it was really true! I was having the hardest time deciding! 

And then I remember...

I hope you are feeling well today and are in the groove of Springtime! The bluebonnets are finally out here in the Texas Hill Country, which always makes me happy. They’re not as spectacular as last year, but they’re doing their best, I’m sure! 

And now with the New Moon behind us, I’ve been reflecting on our last Chakra Savvy™ Intention session.  It was so powerful!  As we went through the process of setting our intentions, I realized something that I wanted to bring to you here, and that’s how to create a powerful intention that will bring about the changes you truly desire. There is a skill to this, and I’m here to help! 

First, it really helps to settle the mind. If you ask your active mind a question, you won’t get at your deep heart answers, which are closer to your soul’s desire. So begin by settling your mind with some simple breath and movement connection. (In this week’s Chakra Savvy podcast episode 57 I take you through these steps more in-depth, so tune in wherever ...