Albuquerque Yoga Studio Blog: Yoga Art Space

Thoughts on Life and Authenticity

Most Hatha Yoga I experience being practiced in studios today has gone so far from its home that I'm not sure it will ever find its way back. I'm referring to how "achievement" based the practice has become; how externalized the focus of the intent to practice. This line of thinking has led me to question the path my life has taken. The main question I have had to recently ask myself is this: If I had a week to live would I spend it doing what I'm currently doing? For the most part we do not ask ourselves this question as it's too scary to answer. If the answer is "no," then we either need to take on the personal challenges to change our circumstance or remain an emotional zombie wandering t

Maitri and Motivation: Cultivating Loving-Kindness in Our Practice

As practitioners of yoga and meditation - novices and professionals alike- one thing we all struggle with is losing- and then regaining- our motivation to practice. Like never before, modern life in the digital age is chock full of tempting and tantalizing distractions, and more often than not we find ourselves lost in what one of my students refers to as the "Netflix hole" instead of on our mat or cushion. Worse, after the fleeting satisfaction we receive from the chosen distraction wears off, we make things worse by feeling guilty for not practicing and chastising ourselves for our lack of discipline, self-control, and strong will. We promise to ourselves that we will be more steadfast,

Post Yoga Treat!

It’s officially summertime in the Land of Enchantment (or at least it feels that way!) Now, we all know the benefits of yoga and how maintaining a consistent practice is important for our bodies and also our minds. But today, I am here to discuss a post yoga practice. I'm a huge fan of juicing and making smoothies. I've always had fresh juice or smoothies growing up. I wasn't really allowed to have the sweet stuff like sodas and juice boxes, so when I was given fresh watermelon juice or a banana and strawberry smoothie with breakfast, I figured it was the norm. I remember making fresh lemonade and cantaloupe juice with my mom and to this day we still make it. The benefits of fresh juice are

A Deeper Understanding of Yoga Asanas

I thought explaining the Sanskrit word "asana" would be fairly straightforward. However, like many aspects of yoga, even the term asana has many different meanings, levels of complexity and types. In modern times, especially here in the West, we think of asanas simply as poses or the physical practice performed during a yoga class. The father of yoga, Maharishi Patanjali, defined asanas as that which gives “bliss and comfort”. He classified yoga practices in two categories: Bahirang Yoga and Antrang Yoga. All visible practices of yoga, including Yama (restraints), Niyama (observances), Asana, Pranayama (breath) and Pratayahara (withdrawl of the senses) are Bahirang Yoga, which literally me