Ryan Leier is the energetic and inspired owner of ONE Yoga Saskatoon and Yoga For Youth which is a project that has been responsible for bringing yoga and meditation into public schools and community centers throughout the Saskatoon school district and into lower-income neighborhoods. I was lucky enough to get the busy man on the [...]

My friend Roseanne Harvey, genius behind “It’s All Yoga Baby” had an interesting post the other day about new, nude trends in yoga, and as she said “the precarious relationship between yoga, nudity and sexuality”. She talked briefly about the work of Abby Winters who started Nude Yoga Girls (which features exactly that ok… so [...]

Michael Stone is a psychotherapist in private practice, lecturer, yoga teacher and author. He co-leads the Centre of Gravity Sangha, a community of Yoga & Buddhist practitioners in Toronto and travels internationally, teaching in academic, yoga studio and conference settings. Michael offers courses and retreats that focus on integrating yoga postures, breathing practices, meditation and [...]

Salabasana and Bhujangasana

Salabhasana (sha-la-BAHS-anna) Salabha- Locust or Grasshopper, Asana- Pose
Bhujangasana (boo-jang-GAHS-anna) Bhujanga- Serpent, Snake, Asana- Pose
Salabhasana variations are simple backbends performed while lying prone (on the belly) that prepare the body for deeper backbending practice by strengthening and lengthening the muscles of the back, legs and “core”.
There are many variations of Salabhasana, here are a [...]

In case you felt bored with your asana practice and were wondering what else there was to do… Check out the Advanced Ashtanga Series… And then take a deep breath and remind yourself that there are always things to aspire towards ; )
Absolutely Ashtanga is a great website and asana resource run by Sacramento Yogi [...]

Happy Valentines Day!
Regardless of the plethora of possible associations you might have to this particular holiday, it’s never a bad excuse to explore the essence of the day… The heart.
In western society yoga and meditation have started to receive recognition from the medical community as to their value for cardiovascular health and aiding in the [...]

(Raji Thron is pictured here demonstrating Ashtangasana. Please don’t try this one at home, unprepared or unsupervised.)
Ever wonder what pose is which one, where and how? Good thing there’s this kick-asana (ooh…) web index of asana variations complete with notes, references, instructions and bibliography.
And if you’re wondering what to do with all these poses, check [...]

Oooh! Goldmine!!
I love it when I find amazing web resources like iHanuman. Hanuman the monkey-faced god of the Hindu tradition is considered to be a symbol of Bhakti (devotion) and love. As one incarnation of Lord Shiva, Hanuman represents good fortune and benevolence. iHanuman pays tribute to the namesake as an online community of yoga [...]

Thanks to my friend Robert for bringing this recent New York Times article to my attention, it was sincerely one of the most entertaining 15-minute reads I’ve had in a while.
It seems to me that the point of both yoga and food get lost a lot. The practice of yoga is one that has so [...]

Street Yoga was founded in 2002 when the executive director began teaching a yoga class to homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. Since then, Street Yoga has grown to about 20 volunteers, offering 4 weekly classes in the Portland area, 2 weekly classes in Seattle and periodic wellness workshops.

Street Yoga’s primary focusing is teaching yoga and [...]

Yoga Hope is a non-profit yoga outreach program based in western Massachusetts bringing the practice of yoga and meditation to underserved women; women who have been incarcerated, are undergoing addiction treatment and rehabilitation,  living on the streets, battered women and women transitioning from hospital treatment for disordered eating.
Founded by Sue Jones, the program consists of [...]

Shanti Uganda is a project that I am seriously excited about! The women that started this project are deeply committed to the vision of yoga as a healing tool and are doing wonderful work to spread the love and peace (shanti) of the practice. If you happen to be here in the Portland area I [...]

In the next few weeks I’ll be posting on many of them and I’ll also be interviewing a few of these yogActivists for FTY News. So if you are someone or know of a person or project that should be interviewed or featured, let me know!

Pangea Organics founder Joshua Onysko is not only a groundbreaking entrepreneur who’s organic, sustainable body products line is changing the way many companies are thinking about the future of business, he’s also a chef who knows how to cook on a budget.
After starting a Facebook challenge to cook meals for one week that were organic, [...]

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: King is recognized as a martyr by two [...]

The World Food Program is sending out all available resources to bring nourishment to the people of Haiti after the devastation of a massive 7.0 earthquake on January 12th.
Haiti is a place that is described as “hell on earth on a good day”. In the last decade this island has endured a political coup, mass [...]

While I was back I had the good fortune to discover yet another in my growing list of excellent yoga-photographers. I love it when a photograph can actually recontextualize my understanding of a posture and shift my perspective in a new way. Boulder photographer Jim Campbell works with a gorgeous aesthetic that evokes a movement’s sensuality and explores playful and quirky approaches to his subjects.

Here are some wonderful online archives of teachings; written/transcribed, audio and video files from His Holiness Urgyen Trinley Dorje. Included in the audio archives are MP3 downloads of his talks on Nagarjuna’s “Letter’s To a Friend”, teachings on Tibetan Buddhism for a western audience.
Born in the eastern region of Kham, Tibet, Urgyen Trinley Dorje was [...]

Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit for a while. Either sit with your eyes closed or let your gaze be still and unfocused towards the ground in front of you

I have a not-so-secret shortbread obsession. While I don’t see anything particularly wrong with occasional binges on organic, humane, free-range butter… It’s also nice to know that there are alternatives. This month’s ingredient is Butternut Squash and due to my penchant for purees I’ve also been experimenting with squash-based baked goods.