If you’ve ever taken a class with me via Zoom, at some point you probably noticed an adorable little ShihTzu stroll by, run by, lay down in front of the camera with a toy, or maybe even crawl into my lap while I teach. In his own little way, my sweet Furbaby Benny enjoys practicing yoga with his Momma. Now that we have snow and ice on the ground again, I always worry about Benny’s little paws. He won’t let me put boots on him, or anything to protect his paws before we go...

We talk about the nervous system a lot in Kundalini Yoga. But what does it mean, to strengthen the nervous system? 

It took me years of practice to really understand this system, but one day it just clicked.

I was driving down a pretty narrow street, there was a group of cyclists riding toward me when all of a sudden a car came barreling down the street (in the same direction as the cyclists) and moved into my lane to pass the cyclists. He was moving fast and right toward me. There were...

IzzyJi's end of year message in her Yoga off the Mat series.

Well, it’s that time of year again, when even during covid, we see an increase in commercials for: gym memberships, weight loss companies, cook-your-own-healthy-meal deliveries, etc. Companies bank on the fact that people are currently thinking about making a change for the new year. If you are like me, you may be beating yourself up for not sticking with last year’s resolution. You may be hoping to “do...

In many ways, January 1, 2020 doesn’t seem that long ago. 

And yet so.much.has.happened. 

At the beginning of the year, I was setting my goals and considered running two marathons this year. As I weighed my responsibilities, time and other goals, I decided it wasn’t feasible for 2020. 

Yet here we are at the end of the year and I actually feel like I ran the two marathons… and then some. 

Marathons require months of training and...

I was asked for some guidelines on spiritual parenting.  

Me and my kids, 2010.  

Here's what I picked up over the last 22 years (I just empty nested this year!).     

1. Children grow up treating themselves - not the way you treat them - but by the way you treat yourself. So exercise good self care and boundaries, and this includes with your child!
2. Tantrums are children's way of saying they aren't feeling seen or heard. Distractions...

What a year 2020 has been. At the beginning of the year, I became a yoga teacher (!) and learned quickly that even when you teach, you never stop learning. You learn from your students, and you learn from your experiences.

2020 has certainly been a year of uncertainty and challenge for many of us. A year of frustration, anxiety and fear. It has been a year of destruction, change, and hurt. It has been a year of illness, medical crisis, and heartache for many families due mainly to covid, job...

Do you have a burning question relating to your yoga, food, or wellness practice? 
Comment below and ask away! 

Here's the "first" of the burning questions, which was posed to Savitree about a signature practice in the kundalini yoga tradition called the Sat Kriya:

Thanks so much for your article on Sat Kriya, and for including both options of resting afterwards: taking savasana for twice longer than the amount of time you do the Sat Kriya versus doing it for...

Years ago, I worked in a nursing home. From time to time, I had the honor to sing to a resident as they were transitioning from this life. I remember always being amazed when one of the nursing staff would “predict” that someone didn’t have much longer for this lifetime. 

“How can you tell?” I asked. “ Mr. _____________ has been so much better today!” 

What I learned is that sometimes when someone is about to transition, they have what is...

This is part 11 in IzzyJi's Yoga off the Mat series. 

Yin and Yang. Day and night. Light and dark. Sun and moon. Land and sea. Hot and cold. Energy and calm. Awake and asleep. Fire and Water. Head and feet. Left and right. I could go on and on (and on)!

We learn early on about balance in yoga. I’m not talking about being able to stand on one foot kind of balance. I’m talking about the polar opposite connections that exist in life. The sun rises and sets-- as...

This is part 10 in IzzyJi’s Yoga off the Mat series. 

Music is in my blood. I absolutely LOVE music. My mom said that when she was pregnant with me I kicked a LOT. She used to hold a radio up to her belly and play classical music for me. That, and the sound of her voice reading to me used to calm me down enough so that she could get some rest as well.

I love music so much that I took percussion in grade school and began learning piano in Jr. High. I eventually decided...