This past weekend we had a lovely gathering of friends and family at the studio celebrating the life of John Bolan and the community he helped grow. There were gifted visual artists and artisans. There was divine music by Konstantin Polyakov. There was fresh produce and plant starts by local farmers. Most importantly there were
(From Thanksgiving 2018) Gratitude is more than feeling fortunate. Feeling fortunate has been aligned with luck. Reveling in personal luck and abundance over others’ suffering and lack implies a right to an unearned privilege. I cannot celebrate my unearned privilege of fortune and be grateful I wasn’t in a wildfire, earthquake, volcano, typhoon, war, genocide
“How do I turn my brain off?” This is a frequent question. “Will yoga teach me to turn off my mind?” The pace and pressure of modern American life is squeezing people into a corner where there’s nowhere to hide from the mind chatter. And most of the solace we take is in stuff that
Name: Betty Gauthier Pronoun: She, her, hers When did you start coming to Just B Yoga? What attracted you? Early 2017 I believe. I greatly appreciated the diversity of the classes and the love and acceptance of all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity. As a sexual abuse survivor I felt
There is a Lavender Farm in Lansing, just north of Old Town. It’s called Sixteen Sprigs. It’s off Cesar Chavez on Clifton. It’s amazing how beauty is right in front of all. We just have to open our eyes. Or change our patterns. Or walk a different route. Or turn a
My first experience with Buddhism was at a monastery in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. in the late 1990s. I took a fellow journalist to an introduction to meditation. It was in a listing in the alternative newspaper and it was free. It was led by Lama Norlha, the abbot there. My friend was itching
I led a group of about 7 people on a walking meditation recently. It was one of my workplace clients and our room had been changed to a conference room. I removed as many distractions from the room as I could. We cleared the white board of the project work that was scribbled there. We
We started a new contract offering midday meditation twice a week for employees at the Board of Water & Light this year. The first session, at the old depot station, started with just a handful of people, seated on the floor with essential oils diffusing. But a steady stream of late-comers tip-toeing in reflected the
What is yoga? Is it a religion? What’s the OM? I’m not flexible. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not advanced enough. Yoga. So ancient and yet so foreign to many of us. We are bombarded with images online or in magazines of perfectly sculpted bodies in seemingly impossible contorted grace. We are
“What am I supposed to be feeling?” This is a common question in yoga classes. What am I supposed to be feeling in this pose? In my body? What is it supposed to feel like? What “should” it be like, feel like? And quite honestly, the best answer I feel any teacher can
I’ve been playing tai chi for far longer than I’ve practiced yoga asana regularly. So my meditation in movement has always been slow and purposeful and full of strength as well as ease. Recently I’ve come to realize just how much that practice influences my relationship to yoga asana. My sequencing is fluid. My steps
A student recently asked if I had any resources for meditation on the road. They have a long commute and they have a stressful job. So they wanted something to listen to in order to keep their connection to calm heading into work and leaving. As I scrounged up some of my favorites I thought
Our studio exists because of donations and support from the community. We believe yoga should be affordable and accessible to all. Please consider supporting our mission:
Stay up to date on the latest of Just B Yoga.
Sign up for the Just B Yoga newsletter to stay up to date on the latest in yoga, meditation, and wellbeing.