April, 2025

Happy Spring! Crocuses are such a happy sign to me that the season is emerging! Nature’s beauty is everywhere this time of year. Be sure to pause and take in the little signs of joy this spring has to offer.

I’m excited to be offering more regular monthly in-person all-levels yoga classes through Bodhi Tree Yoga. Classes will be held at Mt. Hope Chiropractic & Wellness on Penfield Road in Penfield. The next in-person class is on Sunday, April 13th at 3pm. We will practice a mindful approach to yoga postures, with an emphasis around the hips and shoulders. There will be plenty of time for guided relaxation as well. There are a few spots left to register. If you’re interested, here’s the link to find out more https://bodhitree-yoga.com/schedule-1

I have always had a passion to continue learning, whether it be deepening my yoga studies or sound healing. I am currently taking an advanced biomechanics course and love how I am feeling in my body! During a session with me, we go over your personal goals and intentions, explore movements, breathing practices and sound healing to calm the nervous system. If you’d like to schedule a Yoga Therapy & Sound Healing session to see what it’s all about, check out my “Work With Me” page for more information.

May, 2024

I hope that you are well. Springtime is my favorite time of year as it offers such delight for the senses. I was walking by a beautiful lilac bush yesterday and stopped to drink in the scent. I stayed in the moment and noticed the light around me, the sound of birds, the feeling of sun on my skin and my feet on the earth. There are so many ways to stay in the present moment that are truly right in front of us.

Some news to share:

I am offering an In-Person Restorative Yoga and Sound Bath with Singing Bowls on Saturday, May 18. There are a few spots remaining. If you’re interested in signing up or learning more, you can visit my online yoga studio at www.bodhitree-yoga.com.

Also, I have been adding Sound Balancing with tuning forks and singing bowls into my private yoga sessions and folks are really noticing how it helps them to feel more relaxed and sleep better.

Back to studying! I am embarking on a 6-month certification program for becoming a Biosonic Repatterning Facilitator starting at the end of May. I will be learning to work with folks using tuning forks on and around the body to restore balance and harmony to the five elements (earth-grounding, water-adaptable, fire-transform, air-insight and ether-space). These elements are always at play in our body and mind. I’ll be needing folks to practice with, so let me know if this might interest you.

Thank you so much for your support. I hope you enjoy the little moments of presence in your life, and look forward to seeing you soon!

September, 2022

Lower Back Pain

The other day, I noticed my lower back was feeling uncomfortable, a bit achy and stiff. I decided to lay on the floor and do some gentle hip movements, slowing down, breathing easy and focusing on how well my leg bones were moving in the hip sockets. It’s very common when we have lower back pain to want to stretch our back out to make it feel better. There’s certainly nothing wrong with stretching, mind you, and I also realize there are other options which can often be more helpful to reduce or even eliminate lower back pain.

The hip joint is designed to provide us with six ranges of motion. Flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal rotation and external rotation. How amazing is that? When we don’t move our hip joint in all of those available ranges of motion very regularly, the muscles around the hip joint start to get limited and “sticky”. When this happens, the lower back will often pick up the slack for the job of the hip. This is one reason why just stretching out our back isn’t always going to make the pain or stiffness go away.

More often than not, when I work with folks in a yoga session, we discover that the pain isn’t really where the problem is. Even though someone may be feeling pain in their lower back, we often start together by focusing on how the leg bone is moving in the hip socket in all six ranges of motion. As I help my clients to move more slowly, with awareness and show them how to reduce compensation, they often find their lower back pain symptoms are greatly reduced and they feel more relaxed and at ease.

Here’s a short video clip of one of my favorite movements to explore supporting the lower back. And even if your back is feeling fabulous, it might still be nice to take a few moments for yourself and practice nourishing your hips. Click Butterfly Movement below!

Butterfly Movement

June, 2022

Have you noticed how quickly time is flying as we move into the warmer weather? It’s such a great time for us to nurture mind, body and soul with a walk in the park, tending to our gardens or dipping our feet in the water at a beach nearby or on a little get-away. It can also be a great time for slowing down the pace of life a little. As the days grow longer, it’s so easy to want to pack a ton of activities into our waking hours.

When life gets jam packed with activities (even if they’re a lot of fun), our physical, mental & emotional layers of our being (called the Koshas) can get overwhelmed. Sometimes, this can lead to feeling fatigued, over-tired, mental fogginess & tension in our bodies. And even though we might be feeling tired, we may have trouble falling asleep or find ourselves waking up in the middle of the night. This is where we can start to explore sleep meditation. I’ve recently completed a Level 1 and Level 2 Rest & Revitalization Sleep Meditation certification with Anne Douglas. Since so much of the training focused on our own personal practice, I think what has amazed me the most is how it has impacted my energy levels and sense of well being. Just a short practice a few times a week has helped me feel more refreshed and relaxed even as I go about my daily activities. There’s an underlying sense of calm and lightness that is present.

I’ve included a short sleep meditation for you to try here.

If this resonates with you, and you’d like to explore this kind of work more, or would like to meet with me one on one to customize practices like this for you, feel free to reach out to me for private in-person or Zoom yoga therapy sessions. May this summer season bring you much joy and ease of being!

March, 2022

Less is more…..

During my yoga therapy training, one of the recurring themes throughout was the idea that less is more. “How could this be?” I thought. I’ve always been someone who worked hard and pushed myself to make progress in my yoga practice. If I’m honest with myself, I’d have to say pushing hasn’t always served me very well. It may have served my mind, but perhaps not so much when it came to my body. I decided to explore this idea with Warrior 2 pose. (Here’s a short video clip detailing my Warrior 2 exploration) . I recall attending many yoga classes where we would be instructed in Warrior 2 pose to step our feet 3-4 feet apart. This is a great general cue for working with a group class. However, I noticed in my own practice that when my feet were 3-4 feet apart, my pelvis would fall into an anterior tilt in order to accommodate the width of my stance. Then, when I added the rotation of my legs to move into Warrior 2, I would often feel strain in my lower back and sacroiliac joints (see image below). When I applied the less is more idea to Warrior 2 pose, I stepped my feet only as wide as my pelvis didn’t anteriorly tilt. From there, I turned my legs for Warrior 2. I noticed that I didn’t have that nagging lower back strain and sacroiliac joint pain anymore! It holds true that when I moved in a range of motion that honored where my body was at, I actually had more stability and more ease in the pose. I felt a lot stronger and more stable in my legs and had better balance. And no sacroiliac pain! As my pelvic stability grew, I was able to start taking my legs a little wider without the strain on my lower back. So, taking a shorter stance actually led to more freedom and stability in my hips and lower back. I also noticed when going out for walks, I had more stamina and ease in my stride. I was enjoying everyday activities more. Less really is more!

October, 2021

Happy Fall!

Autumn is a beautiful time of year whether you get a chance to be outside amongst the colorful changing leaves or are just able to look out a window to see the beauty they offer. It’s a time of change when we move from the warmth of summer towards the colder and drier time of year. These seasonal transitions can also be a time when we feel subtle changes in our body and mind. With nature’s qualities of wind, cold and dryness in full play right now, our sleep may be lighter, our minds may be busier, and our bodies may feel cold and a bit stiff or achy.

Here’s a picture of me in a yoga relaxation pose. I used to think this was an indulgent activity that I only practiced occasionally. However, I now consciously carve out time to practice poses like this several times a week. To balance out the qualities of cold, light, dry, and mobile (i.e. busy), this restorative pose can bring warmth, heaviness, groundedness and stability to body and mind.

You might be saying “I don’t have time for relaxation like this in my life – I’ve got too much going on!” Even just ten minutes of relaxation can have a huge impact on your mind, body and nervous system. When we feel more at relaxed in our body, and our mind is calmer, the flow of our life just falls into place more easily.

To get you started, here is a short 10-minute relaxation audio for you to practice with. You don’t have to position yourself in any fancy pose. You can do this lying in bed, on the couch, or set yourself up like I have in the picture. Enjoy!

And if you’d like more help finding ease in your body and mind, feel free to reach out to me.

May the beauty of this season fill your hearts with joy and contentment.

December, 21, 2021

Happy Solstice! I hope you are enjoying all that this time of year has to offer. It’s a lovely time to reflect back and find moments of gratitude for the joys we have experienced as well as the challenges that have come our way to teach us more about ourselves.

I’m settling nicely into my new office/practice space at Browncroft Blvd. and appreciate seeing so many of you for private yoga sessions. I have some upcoming openings in February, 2022 if you’re interested in working together. Included with each session is a customized video practice to support you in between our visits together. We can meet in person or connect through Zoom.

I’m also excited to share that I was a recent guest on a podcast with Cindy DeCarolis from Blissful Balance. We had such a great time talking about yoga therapy and how it can be so beneficial to anyone regardless of yoga experience. Whether it be to reduce stress and calm our mind, decrease physical strain and pain, or help us to feel more balance and ease in daily life. You can listen to the podcast here:

Blissfull Balance's Podcast Guest Cathy Dasson

Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year ahead!

Much love!