​Nobody Loves Perfect

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Hello, my name is Beth and I am a Perfectionist! Some of you may recognize yourself in this essay, but may not be ready to come out of the closet. And you know which closet I’m talking about; that perfectly ordered closet, aligned by season, coordinated by color and organized by tops, pants, jackets, dress clothes and shoes. And let’s not even discuss the linen closet or your kitchen cabinets. More of the same, and you know it. It takes a whole lot of mental energy to sustain perfectionism. It’s exhausting.  ​

Bitchcraft

"​My son gave me the title for this essay. We were celebrating his birthday with dinner at a local Chinese restaurant and catching each other up on our creative projects. He’s a graphic artist and a musician. I told him that I was working on an essay that explored the word bitch, how it is applied to women, how women apply the word to themselves, and how we could use its power to navigate a world loaded with minefields of ‘isms’ (sexism, racism, ageism, liberalism, conservatism, nativism, populism and so on). I was going to call it, "The Bitch Has a Voice".

Yoga Therapy: An Emerging Modality

The emerging field of Yoga therapy is steeped in the history and tradition of Yoga, which goes back 2,000 years in terms of recorded history. One can say that modern Yoga and Yoga therapy began to be developed about 200 years ago when western science and medicine began to notice and study Yoga.

​The creation of modern Yoga is a product of traditional influences and modern innovation. 

Yoga for the Whole Child

What is Yoga for the Whole Child? 
Several years ago, when I was teaching yoga in an after-school program in Hartford, Connecticut, one of my young students was consistently disruptive in class. I asked her why she came to class, since participation was voluntary and she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself. Her answer: “When I feel bad, I go sit on my bed and say Om, and it makes me feel better.”

That was a watershed moment for me. I realized that this child, in spite of her behavior, had made the connection between a challenge she faced and the effective use of a yoga technique as a solution. She had become a problem solver!

Let the Children Teach Us

Once upon a time, an anthropologist studying the habits and customs of an African tribe found himself surrounded by children most days. So he decided to play a little game with them. He managed to get candy from the nearest town and put it all in a decorated basket at the foot of a tree.

Then he called the children and suggested they play the game. When the anthropologist said "now", the children had to run to the tree and the first one to get there could have all the candy to him/herself.

Enough

It's October in the Catskill Mountains of New York and I'm in the middle of a sweat popping Sun Salute Strength Series, incorporating the warrior, triangle, and side arm balance. I'm struggling to hold up my body's weight on one foot and one hand.
"Hang in there," says Joan, "Breathe. Feel your power. Let me hear some deep sighs."
​I sigh and hang in. I like Joan's style of Hatha yoga. It keeps me reaching for my personal edge. Fourteen years ago I didn't know what to reach for.