Category: Behind the Scenes

Between the political climate, soggy weather, tax season, and pervasive digital stimulants, many folks are having a hard time of it. People are sharing that they feel overly tired and more reactive. Good self-care can help. I’m increasingly appreciating, though, that self-care is not always an option, it may not even always be the best […]

Something I read last week from Buddhist scholar Stephen Batchelor* has been lingering in my mind – the idea that ethics are rooted in three things: empathy, courage and intelligence. My attention was caught in part no doubt because our current political culture, featuring a dramatic range of beliefs about what is ethical, has brought […]

A number of years ago I discovered that not only was I not good at being kind to myself, I was acutely afraid to be nice to myself. Somewhere along the way I had gotten it in my head that being extra tough on myself was the way to ensure I’d be an accountable, productive […]

A handful of years ago we began an annual tradition at 8 Limbs: coming together for the month of February in a community-wide commitment to practice. At a time when New Year resolutions often begin to lose their luster while the actual new year gains traction, we devote ourselves to several core yoga questions. Why really do we practice […]

Today I’m flying low and I’m not saying a word I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep. The world goes on as it must, the bees in the garden rumbling a little, the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten. And so forth. But I’m taking the day off. Quiet as a feather. I hardly […]

At the beginning of each month I make space to step back from daily responsibilities to get in touch with the broader conversations impacting those responsibilities. I hone in on a particular thread to follow and unpack in this column. In a typical month, one, possibly two or three ideas float up. This month? I’ve […]

It was as a grad student in Social Work that I formally started taking into account a person’s stage in life when working with them. I was studying developmental psychology and applying it in the field. As I progressed in my studies and career I began to more actively notice the ways, within a family […]

One of my primary charges as Executive Director is to bring our mission to life – are we doing what we’re saying we do in a way that we say we will? A core question implied within this charge as an Executive Director of a yoga studio is – within this mission work, are we bringing […]

Towards the end of 2015 the 8 Limbs admin staff dedicated 2016 to be a year to internally and externally hold space for difficult conversations. The foundation upon which we rested this commitment was a particular awareness––recognition of our consistent willingness over the years to move beyond our comfort zones and dive deep into what we’ve […]

“The bud stands for all things, even those things that don’t flower, for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness, to put a hand on the brow of the flower, and retell it in words and in touch, it is lovely until it flowers again […]