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Chocolate for breakfast
Today marks the 8th anniversary of my yoga classes in Kamogawa. They started as a twice weekly practice at Satoyama Design Factory and later become a daily class first in person and then via Zoom. I never set out to be a yoga teacher, but I am glad that I did. My practice has created…
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Yoga classes upstairs
This weekend, with house guests and local friends all gathered to help us move, we did our yoga sessions together in the upstairs of 555. (Still need a name for the upstairs!) We comfortably fit five people. Plus Mamiko joined us via Zoom from her mountain cabin. She’s our best class photographer. On Saturday we…
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Yogic art and movement
Every morning as part of the Satoyama Yoga warm-up sequence, we twist our spine in a movement I call Washing Machine. It’s a direct descendent of a Kundalini kriya. Last weekend, we practiced art meditation and I unexpectedly drew the pose and I like it. I thought I’d share Washing Machine and also how to…
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Chat GPT & yoga
Yesterday, I decided to test Chat GPT in a knowledge realm I know well, yoga. I wanted a new sequence for today’s class, so I gave it this prompt: Hi, Chat GPT. I’m a yoga teacher. I teach classes online. Can you help me create a 15 minute class for my middle aged students? I…
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Distal Focus
This morning, I watched an Instagram Reel about shoulder pain that got me thinking. A Tokyo-based physical therapist, Sam Gilbert, demonstrated how the body increases or reduces pain depending on how you focus attention. If you lift your arm to test the injured shoulder, your mind is focussed on the painful part and it hurts.…
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Yoga fitness test
Do you keep track of your physical status? Many of us track our steps with a smartwatch or use an app to log weight, heart rate, and other vitals. But do you also track your flexibility, balance, and endurance? They are just as important especially as we grow older. My yoga class is mainly middle-aged…
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1000 days
Today marked 1000 days in a row of Satoyama Yoga’s online class. It has been a pleasure to lead this class every day. Without it, I certainly would not have a regular daily practice for myself. It’s hard to digest everything that’s happened in this time, but these statements are true: Personally, I taught through…
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Mandala meditation
Once a month, I put on two hats at once and lead a Satoyama Yoga class that incorporates Drawing Meditation. Today we worked with mandalas. Before we started to draw, each of us set an intention or asked a question by writing it on the back of our sheet. The seed of my drawing reflected…
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Yoga for Shoulders & Neck
When I check in with my yoga class to see what they want to work on, the request is often for neck and shoulder stretches. Here are a few sets of class notes, in case you want to do some stretches, too.
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4 minute life story
Fridays in Satoyama Yoga classes are for community reflection and conversation. We practice half an hour of movement, then sit together and talk. It’s one of my favorite days, and not because I lead only 30 minutes of asanas. Today, we had a special assignment: tell your life story in 4 minutes. I gave a…
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