Who’s your perfect nemesis? Or conversely, whose perfect nemesis are you? It’s a question we might do well to ponder on both personal and an artistic levels – to understand ourselves as well as to understand what makes for great, relatable narrative. Our perfect nemeses aren’t necessarily the Big Bads in our lives – the…
blog post
Zen in the Pen… taking Yoga with Pigs
Have you ever been in a great yoga class and thought to yourself, “gee, what’s really missing here is pigs”? No? You don’t know what you are missing, you with your mat not covered in a hundred muddy hoof prints. I recently got to take part in a “yoga with pigs” class, mat placed square in…
What’s the Rock Monster’s Motivation? What’s Yours?
In the glorious movie Galaxy Quest, there’s a moment where a rock monster is chasing Tim Allen, playing an actor pretending to be the captain. In response, over the communicator, Alan Rickman’s Dr. Lazerus posits acerbically, “you’re just going to have to figure out what it wants. What is its motivation?” To which Taggart yells,…
Turning off your Red Alert
How long have you been on red alert? You can call it “Fight or Flight” if you like, that physiological response to perceived threat that makes your heart pound. Or just “stressed out,” a state so common it hardly bears mentioning when someone asks you “how are you?” Whatever you call it, if you’re like…
A Lexicon of Light
Light is mind-boggling. On one level it’s the simplest stimuli we have available to us, the first thing we notice when we are born. On another, it is infinitely complex. Light is an interaction of electric and magnetic fields across space – only a tiny fraction of which is visible to us. It enters our…
Anne of Green Gables Flow at Prince Edward Island
Recently we had the pleasure of visiting Prince Edward Island, home of the beloved Anne of Green Gables. Here is a yoga flow chronicling my own attempt to channel Anne and live some of her adventures.
How to Be Extra in Yoga
The evolution of language is fascinating isn’t it? In particular, I’m enjoying the recent new generation’s take on slang – which seems to involve taking normal, boring words and laying new meaning on top. It almost feels like a secret code that they’ve got going on. Something or someone is “basic” or “lit,” which sound…
Cries that Compel; Tears that Transform (Camel Pose)
Emotions get a pretty bad rap, even amongst us non-Vulcans. Crying especially is looked at with some disdain. It’s like it’s not just your eye fluid leaking, but your inner untamed beast bleeding into civilized society. Those of us with our hearts on our sleeves often feel like a hot mess. We can’t hold it together, we…
Fandom’s best, bravest “Joie De Vivre”
“Joie de vivre” is such a funny, fascinating little phrase. The not-quite-so-fancy English translation is “joy of living.” But in any language, how strange it is to think of being joyful solely for living – not for lattes or tacos or sleeping late. How especially strange it is to be joyful when life can often…
Fandoms and Real Life Resistance
Fandoms can be silly but they can also be powerful tools for helping us understand and act on important ideas – the most important, in some cases. Just look at the number of signs at the Women’s March using lyrics from Hamilton (including my own which said “Tell Your Sister That She’s Got to Rise…