Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

In the past 2 months I have: Taught 63 yoga classes Taught 31 private yoga sessions Led 6 workshops Traveled to Ohio 3 times, twice unexpectedly and at the last minute Spent 35+ hours learning in yoga training Attended a funeral of a family member Decided to give away our puppy Learned that the foundation of our house needs to be replaced…now Learned that the people who renovated our house quite possibly took down a load-bearing wall, leading to the imminent collapse of our kitchen ceiling Cried Laughed Gave myself secret pep rallies in my mind to show up when I didn’t want to or felt like I couldn’t Surrendered to the universe Reminded myself I am human Practiced yoga Slept Meditated Indulged in a Nora Roberts book, a guilty pleasure Enjoyed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because I needed to soothe my soul (see Amanda, we’re not so different) And much more If you’re tired just from reading all that, you’ll understand that I’m tired too.

It’s a heavy subject and one most Americans don’t feel comfortable contemplating. And yet, it’s the only ultimate truth in the world. And one we have very little control over. So it’s funny that we spend most of our lives trying to control everything around us. For peace. For happiness. For health. These are the reasons we often cite for why we do what we do. Why we believe what we believe.

If you’ve ever experienced low back pain before, you know that it ranges in severity from mildly annoying to so severe you have to take off work because you can’t get out of bed.

Happy Winter Solstice! I love celebrating the solstices and equinoxes as they represent light and new beginnings. There is innate wisdom in nature and I think we human beings can look to nature to find more peace and happiness in our lives.

I woke up on Sunday with a sore throat. The last time I was sick was when I lived in Texas back in 2012. Naturally, I was annoyed. I thought it might just go away. It did not.

Last night was the last time I’ll ever sleep in my childhood bedroom. Tonight, I’ll sleep in a “guest room” in my parent’s new house. I don’t live in the same state anymore (and haven’t for the past 5 years), so I don’t really get a room in their house.

The universe likes to inspire me for content. This is a great way to receive content ideas, except that it requires patience. I’ve been thinking about doing a yoga for knee pain video for a while, but wasn’t positive I even knew what to teach for this particular condition.

It’s Vata season (fall), which means all of Vata’s wonderful qualities become heightened until Spring. As a quick recap, Vata is made up of the elements air and ether (space) and its qualities can include digestive irregularities, feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, creativity, and movement. Think wind, dryness, and cool air – all properties present in autumn.

Ever get stuck in a rut of negative thinking? Feel overwhelmed by the amount of complaining in your life, both by you and those around you?

Happy Autumn Equinox! I don’t know about you, but it’s slowly starting to feel like fall around here. Cooler weather. Pumpkins on display at the grocery store. Cravings for soup and hot tea. Northface jackets. And of course, football!

At my recent wedding, my dad mentioned in his toast how the Herzberger family is not particularly skilled at how to deal with change. This is kind of like one of those running jokes in the family where it’s funny, but not really.

The great thing about yoga is that it can be both energizing and calming at the same time. Energizing yoga poses are a fabulous alternative to other common energy boosters like coffee or energy drinks without the yucky effects of caffeine and high sugar.

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big advocate of practicing your yoga in whatever way works best for you.

There are plenty of funny articles online about the weird things you hear yoga teachers say, and I’ll admit I’m an offender on some of them.

I know you’ve heard it before. I’ve said it before. But what does it really mean to tuck your tailbone? When you should you tuck and when shouldn’t you? And can you tuck your tailbone too much? Yes, yes you can.

OK, I admit that happy hip stretches is a bit of an oxymoron as almost no one I know genuinely loves the feeling of stretching out tight hips. That s$!t hurts!