Sensitive, the Novel

“Be curious, not judgmental” is a quote often attributed to Walt Whitman and which I just heard for the first time on the show Ted Lasso - which I highly recommend, by the way. Curiously, the quote does not appear to come from any of Whitman’s writing and is often misattributed to a line from Leaves of Grass . Nonetheless, this dubious yet inspirational quote can provide us with a lot of direction in our yoga practice.   Be curious, not judgmental works as a reminder for any yoga practice - gentle to vigorous, in person to prerecorded, guided by a teacher or self-guided. Be curious, not judgmental. It’s a signpost, not a destination, like a lot (all?) of yoga and meditation. It is something to practice and - in the practicing - another place to practice being gentle and compassionate with our efforts and with ourselves.  When you step onto your mat, there are some switches to toggle in your mind relating to your body, mind, heart, and spirit.  ON    ...

The driving rain today on the heels of yesterday’s warmer weather and the bitter cold that preceded it reminds me that nature is always changing. Here in New England, we are coming to the end of one of our beautiful transitional seasons, autumn. Of course, the autumn season is different for each of us, but, for me, it is a favorite. In a typical autumn, our household would be moving from the long, slow days of summer to new school and after-school routines, and our days would be filled with a rush of activity. Free moments would be spent on some of our favorite autumnal excursions: apple picking, corn mazes, harvest fairs, walks in the woods. But always around this point in the year, there also exists a draw to go inward, pull out the warm blankets and fuzzy socks and read, snuggle, craft, bake, and rest.  This has not been a typical autumn, though, has it? For us, it has been a long and largely indoor time as we follow pandemic protocols. The children have all been doing remote sc...