We are continuing our series “Your Body on Yoga” as we journey through all the systems of the body to consider how yoga is good for every single one. This post and the last post are about the reproductive system, truly an underappreciated system of the body. You see, many of us think that the reproductive system has a very limited role in our lives, that it is only useful if we are sexually active and seeking to reproduce. But in yoga we don’t just look at these things from the physical viewpoint, but we widen our understanding to include emotional, mental, spiritual and especially the energetic viewpoint.

Our reproductive system is a powerful energy center of the body. In the ancient chakra system of Yoga it is connected to both the root (muladhara) and pelvic (svadisthana) chakras. In other words, the reproductive system carries the energies of trust and creativity.

Trust is an energy signature of the root chakra, located at the base of the spine and descending through the legs. Every couple trying to get pregnant knows that trust and relaxation are needed for nature to take its course. And certainly anyone who has been a victim or perpetrator of sexual abuse must confront the issue of trust.

Creativity is an energy signature of the pelvic chakra. Giving physical birth to a baby is one way, but not the only way, to be creative. Many other “babies” are birthed through starting a business, beginning a new project, writing a book or a song, etc.

Trust and Creativity are nurtured when we care for our reproductive system. Here are some practices that explore these relationships:

√ Meditation on the first two chakras using color: The colors associated with the first two chakras are red and orange. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position so that your spine is in neutral position. Take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to settle your nervous system and bring in you into the present moment. Bring your awareness to the base of your spine and imagine the color red beginning at the spine and moving down the legs into the feet, and perhaps even into the earth. Associate this color and any sensations you feel with the energy of Trust. Next see the color orange filling the whole pelvic bowl. Associate this color and any sensations you feel with the energy of Creativity. Stay with this meditation for as long as you like. When it is complete, take a deeper breath, rub your hands together and place them over the lower pelvis as a way to connect with your reproductive system. Slowly move your limbs and transition into the rest of the day.

Excellent yoga postures include:
√ Goddess pose
√ Tree pose
√ High crescent lunge
√ Warrior 1, 2 and 3
√ Bound angle, seated or with legs on the wall – If this position feels too sensitive or vulnerable, place a folded or weighted blanket over the pelvis.
√ Legs up the wall – If you like, place a small bolster or folded blanket under the pelvis to lift it up, because whenever we lift a body part in yoga we give it more emphasis and support.

As you connect with the unique energy signature of the reproductive system, you will surely realize a more healthy relationship to trust and creativity in your life. 

We’re continuing our series on the systems of the human body called “Your Body on Yoga,” playing off the old commercial which simply showed two eggs frying in a pain while the announcer said, “This is your brain on drugs.” Thankfully, “your body on yoga” is so much healthier.

We’ve covered a lot of body systems so far so scroll back through the blog to check them out. The present conversation is about the reproductive system, considered by Yoga and Ayurveda to be one of the most precious of the systems. The main role of this system is reproduction, so it is significant for us to acknowledge that we carry within us the egg and seed which have the potential to become human beings. And to take birth as a human is a precious thing indeed!

In Ayurveda there is differentiation between male and female reproductive organs as well as additional channels for menstruation and lactation that are specific to the female body. We’ll look at these differences in upcoming blogs, but for today let’s discuss a body part that is found in all humans and is especially important for supporting the reproductive system—the pelvic floor. 

Yoga is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy pelvic floor.

Yes, both women and men have a pelvic floor. It’s shaped like a sling of three layers of muscles that attach to the bones at the base of the pelvis. There are openings for solid and liquid wastes to leave the body, and in women an opening for giving birth to a baby. When pelvic floor muscles are too toned or not toned enough, it can be difficult to hold the wastes in long enough to get to the bathroom.

Because of its proximity to the sex organs, pelvic floor muscles that are too tight or too loose also affect sexual health. It can be the cause of painful intercourse and inability to orgasm.

Yoga to the rescue!

Here are some things we do in yoga class each week to keep the pelvic floor healthy. You might like to try them at home too.

Goddess pose: This is a standing squat with legs wide and turned out. The best way to practice is to bend and straighten the knees, making sure the knees are tracking over the second toe so you don’t give yourself knee pain. Hold your arms overhead and bring your attention to your pelvic floor; you will notice it stretching open when you squat down and releasing to its natural position as you stand up. Do 10-20 squats several times a day.

Tree pose: Place one hand on the wall for balance. Shift weight into one leg. Lift the opposite knee, turn the leg out to the side, and place the foot on the inside of the standing leg. Pay attention to your pelvic floor as you do this. You are stretching that one side of the pelvic floor as the other side remains strong and still. Practice on both sides so you can compare.

As you move through your day, notice your pelvic floor muscles. How do they respond to standing, walking, sitting and lying down? Can you observe the two sides working differently at times? When do they feel weak and when do they feel strong? 

Root chakra awareness: Yoga teaches that the root chakra is located at the tip of the tailbone or just above the pelvic floor. Sit on the floor or on a hard chair with feet on the floor. Sit on the front edge of your sitting bones with a long spine. Become aware of your pelvic floor. Imagine you could breathe in and out through your pelvic floor. After a few minutes, notice how your muscles feel more at ease and working more harmoniously with your whole body. 

We had a snow weekend! Fortunately, we didn’t get as much snow as was predicted, and it’s not nearly as bitterly cold as was predicted either. Because of the snow and the cold, we held yoga classes online. It was so much fun to see who showed up for class, and I think some were encouraged by my “Zoom is not scary” email. 

Today I want to share with you a meditation I offered in restorative yoga class. Several people told me they found it to be meaningful and helpful, and I wish the same for you. 

As we begin a new year we are usually encouraged—even expected—to make resolutions or set intentions for the year ahead. These are always meant to be active projections for making our lives better, being more successful in our business, or working on relationships. And on the surface this doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Who wouldn’t want to experience better things in the coming months? 

But if you look below the surface of these resolutions you will see something concerning—they are built on the assumption that something is lacking in our life, or that there is some flaw in our character that we have to fix. A resolution or intention is really only needed if all is not right with our world.

As you look at the resolutions you’ve made in the past you might ask yourself two questions: “Am I better off for having made these resolutions in the past?” and “How quickly did I abandon my resolutions?” 

This year I recommend trying a different kind of resolution, one that is rooted in loving your life and accepting yourself. Here is how it showed up for me this week: The past two weeks have been challenging for me because we lost heat at the studio. We haven’t been able to meet there so I have had to cancel classes and appointments or move them online. And we had a major winter storm move into the area this week with all of the preparations that required. As a result, I felt anxiety amid the uncertainty. 

If I was doing a traditional resolution I could isolate anxiety as a character flaw I needed to work on. If I just work on the anxiety I’ll feel better, right? But is that realistic? I can pretty much guarantee that I will feel this anxiety again in another situation because no one escapes it! Instead, I accepted that anxiety was arising for me and tried to lean into it, get on the edge of it, peer into the other side. And when I did that I discovered it is not as scary as I thought it was. I set this resolution:

“I will allow anxiety to just be. I lean into it and accept myself as I am.”

Let’s meditate on this: Sit or lie down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Think back over the past week or month and look for ways in which you felt overwhelmed or otherwise struggled with your life. Pick one thing that arises for you, something that you might normally want to “fix” because it embarrasses you or because you think of it as a character flaw. Rather than push it away or try to fix it, lean into it. Get right on the edge and peer into the other side. Set your resolution:

“I will allow _______ to just be. I lean into it and accept myself as I am.”

Remain here for 5-10 minutes, then take three deep breaths, slowly get up and move back into your day with confidence, acceptance and peace.

​Ahimsa means “non-harming” and is considered one of the fundamental values of Yoga. Even more, in Yoga philosophy ahimsa is the first yama (or observance), which means that it colors every part of Yoga. Wow, consider what it would mean to bring non-harming to your yoga postures, your spiritual practices, how you think about and care for yourself, and all of your interactions with others? It would truly change the world, I think.
 
Ahimsa is also defined as “nonviolence,” a fitting topic on this day when we celebrate the birth, life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His teachings and life example are also worth reviewing in light of world events at home and abroad. Every day there are bombings and war, threats and abusive behavior from leaders and law enforcement, disagreements and misunderstandings that tear apart nations, communities and families.
 
This news can bring forth so many difficult emotions—fear, sadness, anger, despair. How should we think about these things? Dr. King said many inspirational things to encourage us:
 
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
 
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
 
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
 
“Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice, and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”
 
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
 
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
 
“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” 
 
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
 
“Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning.”
 
Dr. King was clear that thinking is not enough—there also needs to be ACTION. His choice was nonviolent direct action, where protestors willingly receive the physical abuse of the opposition, willingly accept being arrested for standing up to unlawful actions, never returning violence for violence, always responding to hate with LOVE.
 
How many of us today would be able to do the same?
 
Today, in honor of an inspirational teacher and moral guide, consider how you could put ahimsa into practice in your life, at home, at work, and in your community. The world needs this message and these actions more now than ever.

As a new year begins, we often think about letting go of the past year and embracing a new year. It’s a process as old as time and one that is deeply engrained in our physiology too:

When we breathe out, we release; when we breathe in, we fill up again. 

Here is an effective yogic breathing sequence you can do to activate both the physical and psychological benefits of this releasing/re-filling cycle.

Pranayama is best practiced in a seated position, on the floor or in a chair. Let the pelvis tilt slightly forward so you’re sitting at the front of your sitting bones. This brings the spine into a long position and creates space for breath to move.

Bellows, or bhastrika, is a warming breath, perfect for cooler winter days. Place your hands on your thighs with elbows open to the sides. Remember to relax your shoulders and neck. As you exhale, begin to round your spine, bow your head, and let your elbows swing slightly forward. As you inhale, slowly straighten your spine, lift your head, and bring your elbows back to the starting point. Practice for a minute at a pace that is comfortable for your body and breath. Rest at the end. If you have the time and inclination, practice for another minute.

Downward-releasing, or apana, breath is grounding and settling, perfect for the fast-moving energies that want us to go, go, go at the beginning of a new year. Rest the backs of your hands on your thighs with elbows slightly bent. Remember to relax your arms, shoulders and neck. Begin by breathing naturally and feeling your body connect to the earth through your feet or your seat. Inhale, feel the breath enter through the nose and flow into the lungs; exhale, imagine the breath could continue down through the feet or seat and into the earth. Continue to breathe like this for a minute or two, gradually increasing to 5, 10 even 20 minutes. 

As you rise from your seat, experience balance and ease, feeling confident and settled. Take this into the rest of your day, and the rest of the year!

Check out the previous two posts about letting go. It’s just as essential for our mind as it is for our body.

​Welcome to part two of our discussion of the systems of elimination and how Yoga helps rid our body of toxins in a safe and healthy way. This is a continuation of the series “Your Body on Yoga” as we systematically go through all the systems of the body. 

According to Ayurveda—Yoga’s sister science devoted to physical health—there are three wastes the body needs to eliminate every day. They are feces (solid waste), urine (liquid waste), and sweat. Here’s a little bit about each one:

Let’s start with the easy one—sweat. A lot of people think yoga does not make you sweaty, but it’s a good idea to do enough strenuous work in your yoga practice to bring some sweat to the surface of the skin each day. Sweat expels toxins from the body, such as heavy metals and chemicals found in plastics and cosmetics. Sitting in a sauna works as does drinking hot, spicy teas. You can also practice yoga in a specific way.

Try this: Begin your day the traditional way with 5-10 rounds of Sun Salutations. Not only will you wake up tight muscles and loosen stuck joints, you’ll also begin to sweat. 

Or try this: If Sun Salutations are not your thing, squat in chair pose, hold lunging poses like Warrior and Side Angle, and do a 2-minute plank and locust pose. Strength poses will make you sweat too.

Next let’s talk about urination. As a reminder, we should be drinking enough water to have clear urine that has no odor. If your urine gets dark, cloudy or smelly, that’s a sign you haven’t been drinking enough. Fresh filtered water and herbal teas are best because caffeine acts as a diuretic, meaning it makes the body produce more urine causing water leave the body faster. And it’s worth mentioning too that sweat also removes water from the body, so if you’re doing a lot of sweating you’ll need to drink more water than usual.

Try this: Twisting poses will squeeze the bladder to stimulate urination, while the back bending pose Sphinx will lift and stretch the kidneys to keep them functioning well.

Here’s the truth about feces—we are supposed to have at least one, if not two or three, bowel movements per day. When you eat you should poop, it’s that simple. If you have a cat or a dog or other animal in your family you certainly observe this behavior in them; they eat and then they immediately eliminate. Ayurveda teaches that when feces stays in the body it becomes ama (ah-mah), putrified toxins that make us sick from the inside out. Two tell-tale signs are irregular bowel movements and a white coating on the tongue. 

Try this: Wind-relieving pose. Lie down on your back and pull your knees into your chest. Moving the knees away from the body and pulling them back in several times can be helpful in stimulating the downward movement of the colon. 

And try this: Squatting. The full yogic squat is a great position for the act of elimination because it reduces stress on the rectum. This position will often stimulate the bowels as well. 

Taking good care of your elimination systems will make you feel free and unencumbered, just what you need to make a fresh start in the new year.

​It’s time for another installment of our series “Your Body on Yoga.” We’ve been looking at the many different systems of the body and considering how yoga keeps these systems healthy throughout a lifetime of use. One thing that jumps out for me is the realization that Yoga truly is a holistic system for our overall wellbeing; EVERY system of the body is nurtured by our yoga practices. 

This is the last post for 2025 and what a fitting time to discuss the elimination system since we typically vow to let go of the old year in order to bring in what the new year has to offer. Our body does the same thing through the elimination system. It’s actually a three-part process: assimilate, release and let go.

1) Assimilate: Take in and absorb what is useful. Put it to good use wherever it is most needed.

2) Release: Stop holding on to whatever is stuck in the body, mind or spirit.

3) Let go: Remove what’s weighing you down because you don’t need it anymore. Flush it away and don’t think about it anymore.

Yoga aids this process by providing us with 

√ Postures that bend the body in all directions to stimulate the organs of elimination—kidneys, bladder and all parts of the colon (large intestine). In your practice focus on forward bending, back bending and twisting.

√ Pranayama breathing practices and Chakra balancing to move energy downward, whether that’s literally into the toilet or symbolically into the earth. We eliminate rather than hold onto things we no longer need.

√ Meditation sessions to help us make peace with the letting go. We become more adept at choosing what is for our highest good.

In case you haven’t noticed, let me point out that the three steps of assimilation, releasing and letting go are not just confined to what we experience in our physical body, but also our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies too. Every time we practice Yoga we have the opportunity to begin again, and “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” (“Closing Time” by Dan Wilson)

What is ending and beginning for you at this turning of the calendar? Happy New Year!

When you think of the end-of-year holidays, certain qualities are emphasized over and over again. Peace, hope, love and joy are the main ones that come to mind. This season I’ve chosen JOY as the quality to keep an eye out for. I’ve seen

-the delightful response when someone opens a gift
-smiles as people see a million twinkling lights
-hugs and tears when greeting family and friends we haven’t seen in a while

I have a question for you: What qualities express the end-of-year holidays for you? Choose one of those qualities and pay attention to where you see it expressed around you. What do you see? 

Here are some quotes on joy that have been inspiring me this holiday season:

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” – Albert Einstein

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

“Gratitude is the gateway to joy.” – Brené Brown

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river of joy within you.” – Rumi

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Think joy, talk joy, practice joy, share joy, saturate your mind with joy, and you will have the time of your life today and every day all your life.” – Norman Vincent Peale

​We are continuing our series “Your Body on Yoga” where we look at the different systems of the body and how our yoga practices support them. Today we are looking at the water system, all of those parts of our body which carry water or regulate the flow of water in the body. Wow! This one is really important because our body is 75% water. Just think of all of the parts of the body affected by these functions: the cerebral spinal fluid in the brain and spine, kidneys and bladder, gastric secretions, sweat glands, salivary glands, blood, and synovial fluid in the joints.

The water system deserves special attention during the fall and winter. As I wrote in an earlier blog post on November 17, Ayurveda teaches that late fall/early winter is Vata season, a time of year that has these powerful qualities: cold, dry, light, mobile, rough, erratic and clear. You always know you’re under the sway of vata when you feel cold and dry! In that post I also offered a dozen helpful practices to overcome these symptoms.

Yoga postures help move fluids through our body efficiently and regularly so we can feel more hydrated and move more fluidly:

√ Fluid movements like cat/cow pose and sun salutations stimulate the joints so that synovial fluid is refreshed and replaced. You’ll have less popping, stickiness and pain in the joints.

√ Backbends like sphinx, cobra, locust and wheel stimulate the kidneys, the small but mighty organs that filter about 200 quarts of liquid per day. You’ll support your immune system by sending more wastes out of your body through urine.

√ Forward bending and twisting poses (seated, standing or lying down) stimulate the spinal column so that cerebral spinal fluid moves more easily between the brain and the spine. You’ll strengthen your brain health and support a balanced nervous system.

One urgent reminder: Please hydrate! Yoga can only work with the water you have invested into your own water system. What is your ideal weight? Drink ½ of your ideal weight in water and herbal teas every day. (For example, for 150 lbs drink 75 oz, approximately 9 ½ cups) It’s time to get a drink of water!

Yesterday we had a wonderful Holiday Meditation Retreat at the studio. What a joy to share the gift of meditation with so many people! And several of us were sure we felt Victor’s presence in the room, maybe for just a short time, but it was truly a lovely moment of connection and support from our dear teacher.

The theme of the retreat was “Inner Peace on Earth,” and we shared a meditation from the Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. I recorded a 9-minute version of the meditation and placed it on Dropbox. (My cat Homer came for a visit and added some of her sounds as well)

Here is the link

If you don’t already have one you can create a free Dropbox account then transfer the file from my box to yours. It’s easy! You can also download the file to your device and enjoy the meditation whenever you like. 

Here is a written form of the meditation to cultivate inner and outer peace:

Begin by aligning the first couplet with your in-breath and out-breath, then meditate on the two focus words for as long as you like. Move onto the next couplet when you are ready. Feel the meaning of the words in your body, mind and spirit. 

“Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.       IN  /  OUT
Breathing out, I know that I’m breathing out.”

“Breathing in, I see myself as a flower.       FLOWER  /  FRESH
Breathing out, I feel fresh.”

“Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. MOUNTAIN  /  SOLID
Breathing out, I feel solid.”

“Breathing in, I see myself as still water.     WATER  /  REFLECTING
Breathing out, I reflect things as they are.”

“Breathing in, I see myself as space.              SPACE  /  FREE
Breathing out, I feel free.”