Rewilding is a return to our roots, a reconnection with the natural world from which we come from. It’s recognizing that we are part of nature, rather than separate from it. It means to embrace our planet and become aware of it’s beauty and abundance, but also its fragility. Micah Mortali explains in his book, Rewilding, that human rewilding is “a return to our essential nature and an attempt to reclaim something of what we were before we used words like ‘civilized’ to define ourselves”. We live in a society that is disconnected from the natural world. Think about your typical weekday. Many people wake up in a heated house, take their car to work, and sit at a desk for...
This past week has not been easy for me. I hurt my back on Friday morning and was down and out all week long. I hadn't had back pain for years, and there I was on the ground not able to get back up because of a spasm, or a pulled muscle, or something! After a few minutes I gathered my composure and crawled to a nearby railing to help myself stand back up. I wasn't able to do much at all for the first five or six days and then things started to improve over the past few days. I had to cancel classes, reschedule a workshop, and put on hold some upcoming projects because of this injury, which...
I have always been drawn to spending time in nature. Growing up, I loved going to my grandparents cottage. Some of my happiest and most carefree memories are from time spent at the cottage, where I was outside pretty much all day, everyday. I remember waking up, having breakfast and heading down to the beach as fast as I could. I’d only come back to the cottage for lunch and supper and other than that I was busy swimming and building sandcastles. Not much has changed, I still adore spending time in nature, especially the beach, and it’s easy to see the many benefits that come along with getting outside! There’s something about spending time outdoors that feels uplifting and...
A few weeks ago I asked my students, “what is the main reason you practice yoga?” Many of them responded, “to reduce stress”. This actually surprised me at the time, as I had thought that many of these upbeat, energetic yogis practiced with me for the movement component, or even for the fun, social element within many of my classes, not for the relaxation aspect of class. This got me thinking, feeling stressed is a huge part of daily life in our society. Many of us feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed on a regular basis, and we aren’t really talking about it. I think there’s a lot of pressure to seem like you have it all figured out, that your...
