Cancer and war speech seem to go hand in hand. "Soldier on, be a warrior, kill those cancer cells." It’s natural to speak in terms that reflect some big fight with lymphoma, a war with my body, or battling this tumor. It’s common cancer-lingo, but it’s not language that I relate to.

It’s not unnatural that my body rapidly multiplied cancerous cells, created a tumor and took up residency in a couple of my lymph nodes. That process is one hundred percent natural. Sure - the cancer is life threatening, no doubt about it. Life threatening is fearful to humans. I get it, I'm human and I am not immune to fear. It’s often our human way to fight what we fear. But the end of life is not unnatural at all, and I don’t presume to be an exemption from one of the most natural things that happens on this planet.

Every species from plants to animals to humans is full of variations and disease, constantly interacting with the randomness of life. This means that a percentage of people, or flowers,...

When I began yoga, it was a tremendous a refuge for me. It saved me from debilitating depression and offered me a new, skillful way of looking at the world. Love and bliss were my experience of yoga for quite a long time. I began to shift my pessimistic world-view into one where I saw the world as a friendly place.

Over the years, the glow and newness of the practice wore off. I’ve had periods of time where I’ve struggled to show up or stay on my mat. I’ve had moments when I’ve felt disillusioned with the teachings. Sometimes my meditations have been just sitting down, getting up, and sitting back down again - over and over. And yet the act of showing up over and over to my yoga and Buddhist practices have evolved to become a discipline that is a very inward, supportive, and clarifying part of my life. The heart of keeping yoga relevant and meaningful for me, has been in accepting life as clearly as I can and not denying the very real first principle of Buddhism: that...

I've had a love a fair with the Ashtanga Primary Series from Day One. It's a breath-centered practice, a moving meditation that brings offers us a way of centering and settling inward. This method is a flowing and rhythmic, breath-practice that strengthens, purifies, and aligns the body both physically and energetically. It is athletic in nature, especially building arm and core strength. This class follows the Primary Series and is appropriate for those with a consistent vinyasa or power yoga practice, and familiarity with Sun Salutations. Unlike many led series, I will offer modifications (props will be offered if needed), poses will be taught progressively, and the series will be edited for length when necessary.

A traditional method of yoga, Yoga offers a set of posture in a specific, set series. There are six series in all, the first series being the Ashtanga Primary Series, or yoga chikitsa (yoga therapy). As originally taught by Sri Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga is no...