A yoga class for LGBTIQ folks now being offered in Portland! Check out the end of the post for class times and locations. I am offering Queer and Trans Yoga because I love my community and want to give back in a meaningful way. I want to celebrate our beauty and support our authenticity and […]
Myths & Methods: My Mahabharata Year
Greetings Yoga Heroes, Spring. In Portland. Spring in Portland!!! I never knew the power of daffodil yellow until I spent a few winters under the low grey skies of the Pacific Northwest. I hope this email finds you in a sea of it – a sea of daffodil technicolor beneath a tulip rainbow. I’m writing […]
Top 50 Yoga Blogs
“Some people find peace in finding God, others in finding the self, yet others in exercise. But, there is one thing which has been a source of comfort and helped countless individuals recover: Yoga. This age old practice has the capacity to restore your confidence, physical health, and mental acuity to a great extent. It […]
Storytime Yoga : Our Childlike Curiosity
Children possess a natural curiosity and sense of wonder. Stories are one of the first ways children expand their awareness beyond their immediate world. For both children and adults, stories can open doors in our imaginations to what we did not know existed or was possible. In Storytime Yoga, these ideas are combined to give […]
Resolution
It’s hours before dawn and I sit here listening to a heavy Portland winter rain come down. The dog is asleep, the house is lit by the glow of our small and delightful tree. It’s dark, and we meet the Winter Solstice tomorrow. Soon after, we’ll cross the threshold into a new year. We’ll make […]
Welcoming Winter
I grew up deeply embedded in the seasons. In the small ski town in Idaho where I’m from, the mountains are church and the weather is God. When I remember being a child, I remember temperature and light and how these delicious and fleeting touches of time carried everything I trusted and looked forward to. The […]
Confessions of an Extrovert
We had been staring at each other for three minutes. And in case you’ve never held sustained eye contact with someone for three minutes, let me assure you: it’s a lot longer than it sounds. We had started out smiling, faded to comfortable recognition, then spent a few seconds blinking and moving from left eye […]
Freedom and Yoga
After class at TPY NE a few weeks ago, a student visiting from Germany asked me to fill out a survey that was part of her work for an educational exhibit in Berlin. She and another photographer are asking Americans and Canadians about “What makes it so special to live in their respective countries.” My answer was […]
Studio Artists :: Daniela Molnar
Meet Daniela Molnar. Her work is currently on display at our SE Belmont studio. Please take a moment to soak in its beauty next time you’re at the studio. For now, read more about Daniela… Daniela Molnar’s work focuses on plant forms and color, posing formal questions about the distinction between figure and ground and conceptual […]
Yoga and Scoliosis: Finding Balance in Asymmetry
My journey with yoga and scoliosis began when I was a teenager living in a small town in Wisconsin. I starting having some discomfort and pain in my back and was soon diagnosed with a significant curvature in my spine. The options for treatment sounded bleak – bracing and the possibility of having surgery for a […]
Body Vulnerability in Yoga
When I first stepped into a yoga class I was incredibly scared of my body and the idea of embodiment. My body felt incredibly vulnerable and foreign to me. During that time of my life, I thought that if I was in control of my body than I would be loved, I would fit in […]
Pathways and Currents – Yoga Philosophy for Everyone
My first dip in Yoga philosophy as an adult was inadvertent – I went to Yoga class expecting it to be something like jazzercise and instead was introduced to a holistic form of moving meditation that integrated aspects of philosophy I had first become acquainted with as a college freshman. In addition to moving in […]
The People of People’s :: Maggie Jane Cech
Q: How long have you been practicing yoga? A: I first began my yoga practice about 10 years ago in high school with a Bikram yoga practice. From that point on, I practiced on and off in spurts until I started coming to People’s in April this year, which is when I started my current […]
Practicing Having A Practice
Practice. I just love it. The word, the idea, the habit. There’s such a softness to it. No beginning, no end. It’s forgiving and challenging at once. My seven year old daughter says, “I just can’t get the hands right!” She’s bummed because in a drawing that otherwise looks about how she means for it […]
Yoga + Woods = Happiness
One of the highlights of my summer has been taking my yoga teaching outside. The recent People’s Yoga Campout was no exception! Longtime friend and yoga buddy Alison Alstrom and I co-taught at the really, truly beautiful sanctuary of Big Bear Camp outside of Walton, OR. Paige of Eatin’ Alive made us delicious meals in […]
The People of People’s :: Teaghan
Q: Tell us about yourself! (Where are you from? What do you do? Do you have any kids? Whatever you feel is your story) A: I grew from babyhood to high schooler in Davis, California (where cows and bikes and privilege are the main currency), graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where I studied […]
The People of People’s :: Brennan
Q: Tell us about yourself! (Where are you from? What do you do? Do you have any kids? Whatever you feel is your story) A: I’m relatively new to Portland having moved here from Virginia in the beginning of 2014. I had just retired from my first job and wanted to pursue a master’s degree full […]
Interdependence for Independence Day
Interdependence. Three summers ago, I got these tattoos. These arrows came to me after a horrible break up and the subsequent months of agonizing heart break and pain that followed. The invisible threads that connect us all with lovers, with friends, with family, and yes, even strangers, felt as if they were winding themselves around […]
A Season of Change at The People’s Yoga
Summer. It is my time of joy. I wait all year for the return of the warmth and sun to run back to the rivers I love. On that first day, I return to my favorite spot, excited beyond measure, barely warm enough to swim, I meet my love anew. I investigate the changes the […]
Yoga for Athletes: Because Sometimes We Have to Test Our Metal
Last week, I received a Facebook message from a friend inquiring about my Yoga for Athletes workshop. He said he had seen the flier, was interested in attending, but he had a few concerns. Not only was he worried that he wasn’t accomplished enough to be considered an “athlete,” but he felt anxious that he […]