BREATHTAKING YOGA SCULPTURE

When we think of sculpture in Florence, Italy, Michelangelo's David immediately comes to mind. Now that's we seen the photo above, the artist Rabarama will also be top of mind. 


Rabarama, alias Paola Epifani, was born in Rome and creates incredible artwork of the human body that imbue a deep meditative essence. Her beautiful asana sculpture was photographed in front of the famous Palazzo Pitti in Florence. We don't know if it's still on display but hope it is. The pose, Tarasana, is so grounding and inspiring.

Yum Asana

How precious are these. :)  A bakery in Maryland conjured up these adorable cupcakes. Check out Natty Cakes website for other clever and colorful creations.

A Quote That Hit Home

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"After all of this is over - all that will have ever mattered is how we treated each other."


When we update our studio facebook page, we sometimes share quotes that sing to us. Many just make us chuckle and we hope they'll bring a smile to our fans. Others strike a powerful chord like the one above. That quote really hit home. Perhaps it resonated because it cuts through all the nonsense we face daily and gets right to the core of our very existence on this crazy planet. And it reminds us that in the end it's all about kindness.

We Can Relate. :)

Bryan Kest Makes Us Laugh.

There are few yoga teachers in the universe as famous as Bryan Kest. His Los Angeles studios, his videos, his charisma are well known. But what also sets Bryan apart is his wit and sense of humor. We know we're going to giggle, or more likely, laugh hysterically during Bryan's classes. It just took one line in the video below to have us laughing out load.

So we are super excited that Bryan will lead a master class at our Las Vegas yoga studio on Saturday, January 14, 2012. For more info, check out our Yoga Sanctuary website.

Does Yoga Burn Calories?

Forget all the hot yoga, power yoga and other vigorous forms of yoga in the universe. Many people still believe that yoga burns few if any calories. The photo above that we came across only reinforces this misconception. So it's refreshing to now see articles that focus on how yoga can be an incredible mode for weight loss. Check out this one at LIVESTRONG.COM. about the number of calories you can burn through power yoga.

Frankenstein Does Yoga.

Who knew Frankenstein was a yogi! :) ...Happy Halloween!

The Tao of Choosing a Yoga Mat

Who knew that choosing a simple mat would be such a challenge?

It wasn't the first time. When I took up yoga, I was a starving artist (the writerly kind) and so my financial resources limited my options to one: I went to the nearest big-box discount retailer and bought the cheapest mat available. It was the ugliest color of muted puke blue that you've ever seen, and it was so thin that I might as well have saved a trip by stretching out a sheet of saran wrap. But it was sticky and it did the job, and now I have a certain fondness in my heart for the little guy, kind of like loving your smelly kid brother.

After several years, my financial situation has improved (yay!) but my little blue mat is the worse for the wear. It's creased and pock-marked and crumbling, and I fear it leaves a little bit of itself behind after every class. Time for a new one! And this time, I can afford the best.

But here's the problem: What mat do I buy?

It seems like it'd be a simple choice, but the possibilities seem infinite. I think I'll do a little field research tonight at yoga, and share my results in the next blog.

If you have a favorite mat or a favorite way to pick a mat or a yoga mat horror story, please share them in the comments. This topic is literally the "foundation" of a yoga practice, so I'd venture to say it merits a lively discussion.

Marilyn Monroe: NOT A Dumb Blonde

Because of the image she portrayed on film, Marilyn Monroe was often perceived as a shallow dumb blonde when in fact she was much more. While Marilyn clearly knew how she was being judged, she had no illusions about how a woman SHOULD be judged. Just read her quote below:

"A woman is often measured by the things she cannot control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn’t curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. She is measured by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that don’t ever add up to who she is on the inside. And so if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become. Because as every woman knows, measurements are only statistics... and STATISTICS LIE." ~ Marilyn Monroe."

As you can tell from the photo, Marilyn practiced some yoga during her lifetime. We don't know if she studied the emotional and spiritual aspects of yoga, but her quote suggests that the wisdom of yoga rippled into her life.

video: Most Hilarious Substitute Yoga Teacher

Serving as a substitute yoga teacher can put you to the test. And if you're the student, being confronted with a substitute yoga teacher can also be daunting. No matter which role you've assumed, bring along a sense of humor when you watch this video. It is hysterical... just priceless! LOL!

video: "Step Into The Flow of Life" with Kia Miller

Honestly, we could listen to yoga legend Kia Miller all day. That voice of hers soothes us no matter what mood we're in. Add to that her reassuring message of what yoga can bring us ("Life comes to us instead of our having to reach out") and her beautiful practice, and you realize you're in the presence of a little bit of heaven. You'll see what we mean when you watch a wonderful video interview featuring Kia at this web page.

If you're in Las Vegas, come spend some time on the mat with Kia when she leads two special yoga workshops at our studio on September 30 and October 1. Click here for flyer.

Earning the Gift

In the introduction to her book on writing, the celebrated author Ursula K. Le Guin sums up the ol' talent vs. skill conundrum in the best way I've ever seen. You may be pondering this conundrum yourself when your limbs refuse to bend, while your neighbor on the mat is "floating" into a pinkie stand. Here's what Le Guin has to say about it:

There's luck in art. There's the gift. You can't earn that. You can't deserve it. But you can learn skill, you can earn it. You can learn to deserve your gift.

Le Guin's view on writing talent applies to yoga as well. Now I'll try to avoid the easy tendency to get preachy with this blog. Instead, I'll tell you how I found this quote helpful. (How you interpret it is up to you. In fact, you've already got the goods, so feel free to quit reading here, if you don't want my opinion.)

First, how the quote applies to my writing and how it applies to my yoga-ing are quite different. In writing, I fancy myself a born recipient of some modicum of the gift, so now I gotta do everything in my power to develop my writing skill. That means lots of hard work.

In yoga, I fear my practice will never be anything more than mediocre. I doubt I'll ever do a handstand or last longer than a strained second in an arm balance. But that's okay. For me, my gift in yoga is not my talent, it's the chance to do it. At the end of a long day at work, when my bones start to creak and my shoulders get stuck in the hunched-over-a-computer position, yoga is the best gift in the world.

So how do I earn that gift? Perhaps be a little more consistent with yoga. Maybe have a little more optimism with my handstands. I don't really know the specifics, but I think it boils down to lots of hard work. Same as for my writing, turns out.

video: Wisdom from the "Teachers' Teacher"

When it comes to yoga teachers, few are held in higher esteem than the remarkable Annie Carpenter. Renowned as the teachers' teacher, Annie unlocks the intricacies of yoga with a knowledge, relevance and passion that provide a timeless guide for students and aspiring yoga teachers alike. So we are super honored that Annie is coming to Yoga Sanctuary in 2012 to lead her legendary SmartFlow 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training at our studio with her gifted faculty. In the video below, Annie shares some of her wisdom and teachings. Enjoy!

For information about Annie Carpenter's Yoga Teacher Training course at Yoga Sanctuary, click here.

video: Say Something Nice

Sharing positive messages happens all the time in yoga classes. The environment is the perfect fit for kind, supportive words. But when it comes to kind words, we bet most people were surprised when passersby on a New York City grabbed a megaphone and jumped at the opportunity to shout out "something nice." (As native New Yorkers, we weren't surprised one bit!) Check out the video. It's guaranteed to make you smile. :)

video: Becoming One with Your Horse

We've always had a profound love for animals, so no surprise that we were attracted to a video about the world of yoga and horses. Kerry Borcherding is a psychotherapist who firmly believes that practicing yoga on a horse allows us to slow down, increase awareness and reconnect with the here and now. Makes (horse) sense to us. Kerry leads special workshops on Yoga with Horses in Colorado. Check out her video below.