The Daily Downward Dog Blog
Inspiring Stories, Cool Yoga Playlists, and Yoga Tips!
Yoga Anatomy, Alignment, and Kinesiology
Can I just tell you how excited I am for Kreg Weiss to come to Richfield, Ohio? You heard that right – not Cleveland, not Columbus, but my very own ’hood! Kreg is one of the founders of MyYogaOnline, a certified and highly experienced Hatha yoga instructor,...
Is It OK to Laugh in Yoga Class?
If you want my short concise answer to this – absa-effing-lutly, YES! I teach a lot of students who are brand new to yoga, including in beginners’ workshops, and I always stress that questions are welcome and encouraged. I let students know that if they have a...
Go Ahead – Indulge Yourself in the Gift of Yoga!
Who doesn’t like getting a gift? Yes, it’s gratifying when someone gives you that gift, but there’s something incredibly indulgent when you give yourself a gift all on your own. This week as I went to practice yoga with a bit of a head cold, I couldn’t help but think...
Mantras are the New Resolutions
Last year I gave up setting New Year’s resolutions and switched instead to intentions. Intentions to me are bite-sized resolutions. They are less filling, I can set them anytime I want, and – the part I like the best – I get to send them out into the universe like a...
It’s the End of the World as We Know It – Hopefully!
Tomorrow is 12/21/12. According to the Mayan calendar, that means the world is supposed to come to an end. Even though I never believed this was going to happen, there were a few times over the last year when this prophecy slipped into my mind, giving my imagination a...
Finding Yoga Bliss at 6 AM
Daily Downward Dog Facebook post from Friday, December 14: Today I did something that scares me: I got up at 6 am and did yoga. The yoga wasn't the scary part – the 6 am part was! It's all part of the 8-day winter solstice celebration I'm taking part in at Yoga Bliss...
The Yoga Poetry Jackpot
Well, it happened again: I won the lottery! Last week I bought a Powerball ticket in hopes of winning the $325 million prize. I didn’t win at Powerball, but I did hit the jackpot that very same day when a copy of The Poetry of Yoga Volume 2 arrived in my mailbox!...
Listening to the Universe
Over the last few days, I took a little break from work and was blessed to be able to do what I love: hang out with my husband and family and practice yoga not only outdoors, but on a BEACH! Before I left, I fooled myself into believing that I still needed to work...
A Yoga Poem For Beginners
When I first started going to yoga classes, my body was completely inflexible, I had no clue what the Sanskrit terminology was all about, and I spent most of the class looking around to make sure I was doing the poses correctly. Despite my lack of yoga knowledge, I...
Get Your Yoga Download
I’m a big fan of online yoga video websites. Of course, nothing beats going to a live yoga class, but when you get busy, especially during this hectic month of December, you may have a hard time making it to a yoga studio at the exact time when they offer classes...
DIY Mantras
I’m not a real crafty kind of gal. I wasn’t born with that gene most girls have which gives them the desire to knit, sew, or scrapbook. But, I recently got the opportunity to get a little crafty with a do-it-yourself (DIY) form of mantra creation, courtesy of Wade...
When The Lights Go Out…In The Yoga Room
Don’t you just love that moment in yoga class when you’re a big sweaty mess and the teacher turns the lights down? It symbolizes that class is almost over, it’s time to slow down, and there are just a few more asanas until…savasana. If it’s been a spirited yoga class,...
Give Yourself the Gift of Solitude
Do you feel like your pitcher of energy is never quite full? Do you feel like you are spilling out your energy, creativity, and time in such huge amounts that you never let the pitcher fill back up? Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to take a few minutes every day to...
Yoga from a Male Perspective
It’s book review week on The Daily Downward Dog, and this time I read the male version of Eat, Pray, Love. Although Brian Leaf didn’t get to eat his way through Italy or travel to the yoga meccas of Bali and India, he provides a funny, testosterone-fueled,...
Writing About Yoga
It’s no secret: I love writing about yoga! That’s why I started The Daily Downward Dog. So imagine my curiosity and delight to read a book that is completely devoted to writing about yoga. In Writing Yoga, Bruce Black has penned a beautiful guidebook on how to keep a...
Finally A Woman Who Will Admit Her Age – And Celebrates It!
“I believe the second half of one's life is meant to be better than the first half. The first half is finding out how you do it. And the second half is enjoying it.” –Frances Lear I’ve got a confession to make. In 2013 I will turn 50. Not 50 years old, but 50 years...
Sea Glass Lessons on Life
I spend a lot of time on the beaches of Lake Erie (yes, Lake Erie has beautiful beaches) going for walks. I’d like to say that these walks are all spiritual walking meditations, but I have to admit that most of the time my head is down, looking at the sand in search...
Yoga Mat Horror Stories
’Tis the season for scary stories and trick-or-treat! My mom calls me with scary stories all the time, mostly from all the stuff she hears on those lovely daytime talk shows. Yesterday she couldn’t wait to call to tell me that I was going to get a horrible skin...
Why Isn’t Everyday World Smile Day?!
Don’t you love all these yearly celebrations of everything from kohlrabi to maple syrup and bubble gum? This month alone we have World Vegetarian Day (Monday, Oct 1 – oops missed that one, but don't worry it's celebrated all month), National Chocolate Cupcake Day...
She Was A Yoga Road Tripper
Earlier this year I sent out some intentions that I would combine my loves of travel and yoga together and get out on the road for some yoga festivals and workshops. I even went so far as to document my dream of teaching yoga on as many beaches around the world as I...
Embracing the Detours in Your Life
With just a few weeks of summer left, it seemed like there was road construction and detours everywhere I wanted to go. These detours really hit home when the road into downtown Vermilion was shut down for a few weeks of repairs, leaving me with a big ol’ detour on my...
Messages from the Universe Part 2
Last week I wrote about putting the teachings of Erich Schiffmann into practice by meditating and asking the universe for direction on what I need to know. So far, so good. The universe has been calling me back (yes calling, not texting—the universe has not quite...
Messages from the Universe
Last week I experienced a few enlightening meditation sessions that I'd like to share with you. The credit for this enlightenment is due in large part to the expert instructions I received live and in-person from Erich Schiffmann, when I was lucky enough to study with...
Close Encounters with Erich Schiffmann
I spent last weekend hanging out with Erich Schiffmann, a yoga teacher of 44 years, author of Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness, and a dude who says “Wow,” “Yay,” and “Awesome” more than I do! I got to practice mirror-gazing meditation, get my...
Yoga Rocks the Park in Cleveland!
Of course yoga always rocks, and this weekend it is going to rock Lincoln Park in Cleveland, Ohio! If you’re not familiar with Yoga Rocks the Park, they are live music and yoga gatherings set in beautiful parks across the United States. The goal of the events is to...
Listen to Your Inner Voice
On Monday morning I rolled out of bed and prepared to go teach my very last beach yoga class of this summer at Main Street Beach Vermilion. I had a class theme planned, but for some reason this little voice inside my head inspired me to pull out an old favorite mantra...
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
Look out, you rock and roller yogis, the summer is coming to an end, and the Daily Downward Dog’s yoga class schedule is ch-ch-ch-changing! Yep, this week is my last full week of beach yoga classes. As sad as that always makes me, I’m really excited about my fall...
What’s SUP?
Better yet, what’s SUP Yoga? If you keep seeing the letters SUP and wondering what the heck they mean, no, they are not some shortened text lingo. They stand for Standup Paddling, a new craze hitting the shores worldwide – and even right here on the shores of Lake...
Be Present
If you’ve come to one of my yoga classes, you know that I continually make reminders to be present, let the mind go so you can focus on the union of the body and the breath, coming into the essence of what yoga is all about. Of course, being present isn’t always the...
The Awesome Twos – 222
Forget about the terrible twos. On August 20, the Daily Downward Dog hit its 2-year mark, and I’m here to tell you that the twos are not going to be terrible—they are going to be awesome! I was feeling a bit nostalgic on this auspicious occasion, so I spent the...