News
For Ashtanga Yoga Lovers…
If you’ve ever taken a vinyasa yoga class, it’s likely to have in its lineage an Ashtanga Yoga practice. Ashtanga Yoga was developed by Pattabi Jois in India about a hundred years ago. Ashtanga Yoga, which has a pre-defined set of movements, can either be taught through a “called” practice (with a teacher calling out […]
Announcing a New Kids Bando Class
Dear Friends A few months ago, one of my neighbors, Wills, was told by his parents that I had a number of swords. He’s been watching various shows about metalworking and swords, and his mother asked if I would show him some of the swords I have collected through my years of training. Wills showed […]
Teaching Yin and Learning Acceptance
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to spend a week with a talented, compassionate, and downright funny instructor, Biff Mithoefer. The six-day seminar, on Yin Yoga, was focused on a fundamental question: How can I create a safe and open space during Yin sessions that allows people to embrace their authentic selves? One of […]
Heart and Soul
In our monthly Health Defense classes, Grandmaster Joe Manley is sharing with us his “Internal Journey”, which includes a fusion of Daoist and Ayurvedic practices that are said to enhance internal health. This is the second essay in a series that looks at the five major organs: lung, kidney, liver, heart, and spleen. (Click here […]
Fear and Loathing in the Parking Lot
(With apologies to Hunter S. Thompson…) The other day, while loading groceries into the car, I saw a man and a woman arguing in the parking lot. They were both very upset, and also clearly did not know each other. I don’t remember who said what, but did see the woman furiously snap photos at […]
Strengthening your Liver, the Organ of Spring
In our monthly Health Defense classes, Grandmaster Joe Manley is sharing with us his fusion of Daoist and Ayurvedic practices that enhance internal health. In the Daoist tradition, the five major organs that support internal health and wellness are the Lung, Kidney, Liver, Heart, and Spleen. Each of these corresponds to a season. Each organ […]
Rainbow Yoga at Powers Farm and Brewery
Two years ago, Melody and Kevin Powers look a leap of faith and opened their own brewery in Midland, Va (near Warrenton Airport). It’s a welcoming, friendly place where conversations can be easily started with the person sitting next to you. In the summer, I love coming there to collect my CSA share from […]
March 2019 Healing Arts Seminar with Dr. Gyi
While many people think of martial arts as focused on physical fighting, the techniques in the Hanthawaddy Bando system as taught by Grandmaster (GM) Dr. Gyi can support three main objectives: Hurting, Healing, or Harmonizing. In this model, hurting, of course, is related to inflicting pain and or damage, whether it be physical or spiritual. […]
Book Review: Chapter 1 of Meditation and the Initiation Process
Several of us have decided to dive into Volume 6 of a series on the Mind, written by Bodo Balsys. This book, Meditation and the Initiation Process, is not an easy read; we’re aiming for one chapter a month. This month, we’re tackling the Chapter 1 – Introduction. Balsys is a scholar in Buddhism; he’s […]
What is your source of joy?
This holiday season, I continued one of my current traditions of making an insane number of cookies to share with family and friends. Typically, I make multiple batches for roughly 10-12 different recipes, yielding 70 – 100 dozen cookies (yes, that’s on the order of one thousand treats!). This year felt different, though, not because […]