In 2006, I was enrolled in a year-long yoga teacher training with Vishali Varga.
One weekend, we spent an entire day focused on observing downward-facing dog in each trainee. We discovered a range of ways that bodies can inhabit this basic yoga pose, and we learned to give different types of instructions about how to come into better alignment.
When it was my turn to be observed and coached, Vishali said:
“She has so much access to movement that … READ MORE
adam(ah), watercolor and ink on Arches coldpress
Cultivating inner freedom is an important aim of transformational work. In 1941, social psychologist and humanistic philosopher Erich Fromm wrote about the choice that humans can make to “unite…with the world in the spontaneity of love and productive work or else to seek a kind of security by such ties with the world as destroy…freedom and the integrity of…individual self.” Difficult times create the conditions where we can consciously work to make such choices, and also have the potential to overwhelm us.
May each and all of us keep our connection to joy, freedom, … READ MORE
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have … READ MORE
It can be easy to relate to the Enneagram solely as a personality system that describes various clusters of psychological type. Many of us are so blown away by the accuracy, richness, and depth that the Enneagram transmits that when we land on our dominant type, we spend most of our energy and effort there.
One of the gifts of the Enneagram Is that there is always more to be discovered, always an opportunity to open up new territory and insight. This investigation can include a robust study of how our dominant type works and … READ MORE
You were born with vast capacity for wisdom, creativity, power, and love. One way to unfold the full potential of that capacity is to bring greater intention and consciousness to the true nature of your Body, Heart, and Head, which the Enneagram describes as the three Centers of intelligence. Although there are a myriad of approaches to the working with the centers, three overarching principles – Self-Observation, Compassion, and Practice – can serve as guides to the ongoing cultivation of presence in each center.
Self-Observation (the Head Center)
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and … READ MORE