The Daily Downward Dog Blog
Inspiring Stories, Cool Yoga Playlists, and Yoga Tips!
The Crazy Awesome Yoga Retreat
Well, another Beach Yoga Bliss retreat is in the books, and I couldn’t help but recap all the reasons why Beach Yoga Bliss II in Aruba more than just rocked. It was crazy awesome this year, and here are a few reasons why. Walk This Way. Yoga wasn’t the only physical...
Beach Yoga 2014 Summer Season Starts May 24
I cannot even control the excitement over here at DDD headquarters because the Beach Yoga season is about to start in just 2 days! Wootie Woo Hoo! If you thought winter would never end, well it has baby, and we are springing our way right into summer! It's time to...
Let Your Heart Soar!
These last few weeks in northeast Ohio have been absolutely splendid. There is rebirth and renewal everywhere - a delightful transformation from gray to green, barren to blossoming. Last week we even got to experience our first day in 2014 where the temperatures...
How to Do Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
This is one of my favorite pranayama breathing exercises and a great way to clear the mental chatter to prepare for either an asana or meditation session. Nadi means energy channel, shodhan means to cleanse or purify, and pranayama is the name for yoga breathing...
Ten Great Reasons to Give Your Mom The Kind Mat for Mother’s Day
Moms spend a lot of time comforting their children – nursing them back to health when they are sick, making sure they eat right, and sharing lots of hugs and kisses. Now you can give your mother or a special lady in your life that same gift of comfort with The Kind...
Are you Dead-icated to Your Yoga Practice?
I have to say that these last few weeks of teaching yoga have been an absolute delight and full of creativity. Even though it was cold and snowing like crazy on March 29, a packed house at Yoga Bliss Akron heated it up so it felt as hot as Jamaica, and the picture was...
Spring Cleaning
Spring is a time of year that brings me a great deal of joy as nature comes alive again with budding trees, daffodils, and green grass. I get to wear sandals again as the weather starts to warm up after a brutally hard winter here in Ohio. But, there is one part of...
2014 YOGAR AWARDS
Well, the 2014 movie awards season may have come to an end, but it’s not too late to get dressed up (in some snazzy yoga pants from Onzie), roll out the extra-long red yoga mat, and hand out the 2014 YOGAR Awards! What are the YOGARs, you ask? Just a groovy little...
NEW Yoga Class & Retreat Announcements!
Woo hoo! It's been a bit busy over here at DDD headquarters planning lots of fun new yoga classes and my Summer 2014 Beach Yoga Retreat. I'm really excited to make these announcements! SAVE the DATE The 2014 Beach Yoga Bliss Retreat will be held on Kelley's Island -...
What If?
What if I let go of all of my fears today and did something I’ve never dared to do? What if I let go of regrets from the past and just focused on being in love with my life today? What if I put down my I phone and really connected with those I love? What If I let go...
Whispering Sweet Affirmations
Everyone loves to get affirmation, and yesterday I got to receive a huge dose of special affirmations whispered lovingly into my ear. Before you start thinking it was my husband getting all romantic before Valentine's Day, think again, because these beautiful messages...
Top 10 Reasons Why SKIASANA Rocked!
I have been home for more than a week, and I still haven’t come down from the blissfully high feeling I was left with at the end of SKIASANA. In keeping with tradition, I’m recapping the ski and yoga retreat with a top ten list of all the reasons why I can’t wipe the...
My New Yoga Theme Song: Best Day of My Life
It has been way too long since I wrote about cool yoga music or a song that lifts me up, inspires, and makes it irresistible to do a little dance on my yoga mat. So, it is with extreme joy that I announce my newest yoga theme song, “Best Day of My Life” by American...
Remembering Happiness
I heard on the radio that Monday, January 6, was deemed the most depressing day of the year. With the holidays over, bills to pay, the cold winter weather – and, for some, the thought of going back to work or school after a break – folks can get pretty bummed out....
Don’t Ask for Gifts, Ask for Presence
What did the yogi ask for the holidays? No gifts, only presence. I heard this joke earlier in the week and it made me remember a book I'd received as a gift called The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson. I shared the joke and the message from the book in the yoga...
Finding Bliss on the Darkest Day of the Year
Hard to believe, especially here in Ohio, that the first day of winter is this coming Saturday. With the weather we’ve been having, you would have thought winter was halfway over. After the summer is over, I start to go into a serious funk that starts with the first...
Yoga Retreat Repeat: Aruba Here We Come!
On the last night of my 2013 Beach Yoga Bliss retreat, after finishing an incredible dinner that the staff at Manchebo Beach Resort had set for us at a beachside table, the group of beautiful yoginis who attended were anxious to hear where I would host my next...
Goddess Gratitude
Recently I had the distinct pleasure of leading a two-hour yoga workshop on Embracing Your Inner Goddess. In the workshop the participants learned about the qualities goddesses possess, one of which is the importance of lifting up and supporting our fellow goddesses....
Beautiful Friday
So, today is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. I’ve always disliked the term “Black Friday” – it sounds so bleak. I kept telling everyone to not go shopping, but to instead go to a yoga class to make it Beautiful Friday. If you are curious about this...
LVR Love My Yoga Pants
First off, I want to go on the record to say that I have an absolute love affair with yoga pants. I just did a quick survey of my closet, and now that I’ve purged most of my old corporate power suits, it’s official: I own more pairs of yoga pants than regular pants....
When Did You Last Hear from Your Dharma?
I have the absolute best job – I get to teach yoga, but I admit I have moments when I forget how lucky I am. So I love it when I get those little messages from the universe that gently poke me in the ass to remind me how truly blessed I am. Case in point, the first...
What is Your Mantra?
So what exactly is a mantra? According to two of my favorite word mavens Merriam and Webster, the definition goes like this: man·tra noun \ˈmän-trə also ˈman- or ˈmən-\ : a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditating : a word or...
Women on Wisdom
I got the opportunity recently to sit in a room with a couple hundred women to listen to their words of wisdom. It was an invitation I couldn’t refuse, and let me just tell you, this room was packed with so much energy, love, and power – I was on a goddess-infused...
Yoga Like No One is Watching
Woot! Check out my latest post today on MindBodyGreen: Yoga Like No One is Watching! If you are wondering if I'm still on vacation, I'm back, and full of inspiration, just not enough time to get it all written down. I'll be back next week with some fresh new blog...
Knitting is the New Yoga
Ok, that title might be taking it a bit far, but knitting and the meditative qualities of it can be quite relaxing and beneficial to the soul. If you know me, you know that I was born without the female gene that produces the desire to cook, sew, or do anything...
The Role of Community in Yoga: A Personal Journey
Guest Post (woo-hoo) from Dominique Chatterjee Yoga means a lot of things to a lot of different people, both traditionally and personally. But there’s one very powerful aspect that has helped yoga spread throughout first India and now the world: community. Every...
The Ultimate Yoga Road Trip: Vote Now!
I’m asking for your help today – if you can contribute a few seconds of your time, it will help me spread the joy of yoga! I’d love it if you could head over to http://bit.ly/voteforyoga to watch a short video, and if you like it, give it a vote. This video is the...
Yoga Firsts!
Doing something for the first time can be really magical and memorable. Who can forget their first kiss, first visit to the ocean, or very first time in downward dog? I’ve made a lot of first-time memories on my yoga mat, like the first time I ever did a tripod...
Finding Happiness
If you did a worldwide survey on happiness, I’m pretty sure over 70% of the population would say they are searching for it. Theirs may not be a constant quest, but every human being is driven to seek out and find happiness. The funny thing about happiness, though, is...
With A Little Help from My Friends
What would you think if I threw a yoga retreat? Would you grab your mat and come to the beach? Lend me your ears, and I’ll chant you a mantra And I’ll try not to chant out of key Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends Mm, I get a yoga high with a little help...