Shadow Work Archives | Essential You Yoga

Travels

I’ve covered many miles since my last post. I’m feeling gratitude for the big, comfortable buses of Costa Rica and the stalwarts who drive them, allowing me many safe landings. I also hold gratitude for the many kind strangers who gave me lifts. Hitchhiking doesn’t have the same taboo of danger that it does in North America. Here, it’s a normal and oft-used way to travel. I’ve been blessed to have had three amazing rides over this time, each with their own pearl of wisdom to share.

And oh the wisdom! Continue reading “Travels”

A Day at the Beach

My favorite thing to do lately is take long walks on the beach. It’s temporada baja, or low season right now, and the normally uncrowded beaches are virtually deserted in some areas. As I walk, there is endless ocean on one side, unspoiled sand in front of me, and a jungle lush enough that I can forget about the road on the other side. Sometimes the jungle pushes right up to the ocean and I move to a cool path that follows the beach. This allows for more interaction with the wildlife, like the other day when I paused to watch a Capuchin monkey enjoying the delights of a pecan tree.

Continue reading “A Day at the Beach”

Shadow Work

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana from Lesley Kaminoff's "Yoga Anatomy" — Eka Pada Rajakapotasana from Lesley Kaminoff’s “Yoga Anatomy”

As we stretch the body, we stretch the mind, which in turn stretches and thins our boundaries creating a stronger divine connection to all. I’ve been doing some deep hip work lately in my asana practice. The hips tend to be a place where many people, women especially, store unresolved emotions. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the emotions brought up in my asana practice have been reflecting in the world off the mat. The universe has given me some very clear mirrors in this work in the form of different interactions that bring up the same emotional patterns. I was hashing out the latest form these patterns have taken with a dear friend, and he suggested that it sounds like I’m being called to do some shadow work. Continue reading “Shadow Work”