Journal
Here you'll find writing on mindfulness, neuroscience, mental health, physical wellbeing, and yoga.
These topics often overlap: attention, behaviour and embodiment are all part of the same ecosystem of experience, and the aim here is to explore those connections in a thoughtful and practical way. Some posts draw from research, others from lived experience and teaching. The intention is to share ideas that are useful, considered, and occasionally a bit different from what is typically said.
July 8, 2019
Here we find ourselves just on the other side of the longest day of the year, which gave me reason to pause and reflect on light and what it means for us here as the creatures that we are on this endless journey around the Sun.
May 3, 2019
There is a saying we use in yoga to describe the power of the mind: “Wherever attention goes, prana flows.” Rachael recently shared a quote by […]
March 1, 2019
This month at Kushala we are putting asana, the posture practice, in the spotlight. It’s typically what we identify with yoga, but it’s sometimes maligned for not being the […]
January 4, 2019
I love the simplicity of yoga. More than ever, as the year gains momentum, this is the quality I appreciate the most. With so many “could”s that arise in […]
November 26, 2018
Bring a food, toy or cash donation for our annual Food and Toy Drive, to support SHARE Family & Community Service's Food Bank and Christmas Toy Shop. In 2016, they assisted 1,219 local families during the holiday season.
September 5, 2018
This season is often prefaced with the lacklustre statement: Back to… {descriptor of your routine}. Time to muster up the energy to find the new normal. And it’s […]
August 6, 2018
You know that feeling of pulling on a thread with one hand, while the other hand is busy with other things? Once in a while, glancing […]
July 1, 2018
I can't believe the longest day of the year is already behind us. I enjoy how the seasons play catchup with the sun, the peak of summer happens while the daylight is recessing. I feel like I'm in catchup mode like that, but gently assured that what needs to get done will get done, pushed along by rhythms bigger than me.
April 11, 2018
In all kinds of yoga, we use props. Your yoga mat is a prop that keeps your feet and hands from sliding, and it gives some […]
April 1, 2018
Joan Sutherland, Zen buddhist teacher, wrote recently for Lion’s Roar Magazine: In our world things are always getting broken and mended and broken again, and there is also […]
March 6, 2018
A traditional definition of yoga, from Patanjali’s Yogasutra is “yoga is the cessation of reactivity in the mind”. This is one translation… and there are many […]
February 3, 2018
Last week Chris and I watched the movie “On Yoga – The Architecture of Peace” (2017), which is available on Netflix. The film follows a photographer’s journey […]
January 3, 2018
Happy New Year! Life is abuzz from an infusion of energy of new beginnings, the opportunity to put more attention on the ingredients that form our […]
December 1, 2017
Even with good intentions, this month can stretch our energy in many directions, with preparations, travel and gatherings. At times, it is nearly impossible not to be […]
November 1, 2017
The first light snowfall last night reminds me of the passage into winter. Anticipation, preparation, gatherings, and precious niches of quietude. Looking out into the bright […]
October 1, 2017
Tree trunks are hugging in energy, drawing it away from their leaves in a gentle act of preservation for the cold winter. Our story is not […]
September 3, 2017
Michael Stone taught that we Practice to Fully Arrive in Your Life. Our practice is not only supported by our teachers and a personal sense of willpower, but […]
August 1, 2017
Can we be inspired by catastrophe? Our friends visited the other day with their 2-month old daughter. In speaking about how they chose her name, they explained […]
December 4, 2014
The holiday season is around the corner and although many of us are excited about seeing loved ones and participating in family traditions, this time of year can also be exhausting and overwhelming. Check out these five health tips!
July 2, 2014
In the prime of your life, and want to keep what you've got? Zoomer Yoga is a class designed by Chris Ridout for those 45+ who want to experience the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits of Yoga.