Yoga studio
Barbara Benagh's Yoga Studio

I'll be teaching a long weekend, January 8-12, hosted by Down Under Yoga. Hope to see you there. Full details of the classes and workshop: https://www.downunderyoga.com/boston-yoga-te/barbara-benagh

An extra special Happy Holiday season to you and yours. Thank you, Maddy Prior, for this spiritual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUpUMXxCgY

A serious piece that is well worth the read. Lots to ponder. https://www.vice.com//conspirituality-explains-why-the-wel

DREAMIN' OF THE YOGA VACATION IN JAMAICA, FEBRUARY 15-20, 2021 https://yogastudio.org/workshops/jamaica-yoga-vacation/

The audio recordings of my October and November classes are now available on my website. Enjoy: https://barbarabenaghyogastudio.bandcamp.com

Though not the family gatherings we expected there is so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you Lincoln Project for this video. It says it all. https://www.facebook.com/thelincolnproject.us/videos/1059561977828513

Congratulations to KAMALA HARRIS. First woman elect Vice-President of the United States of America. Second Black American (both children of immigrants) to be elected to the Executive Branch. First Asian woman. Proud graduate of Howard University. Proud Indian woman. Proud Jamaican woman. Yah, Mon! Go Kamala Go.

Yoga Sutra 1:33 - Upeksha, equanimity. The practice of remaining calm in difficult circumstances.

https://god.dailydot.com/6-month-crisis-slump/

Well! That was a sweet class! I knew it when I did a little twist at the end and got a satisfying pop pop in my spine. My body always pays attention when I’m teaching and I love it when I feel like I also practiced. And, just maybe, a lesson to students that mindset is as important as pose. And thanks for all the messages -more than usual. The class was taught in memory of my beloved teacher, Penny Nield Smith, who had an indelible influence on me. It brought back so many memories of my early (1972!) yoga days and a yearning to revisit, albeit with the influence of Angela Farmer, Mary Paffard, Richard Freeman and others. No doubt this will be a theme for awhile in class. See you there. Next up - October 12.

Here is a review of Breath by James Nestor. It is a great read. Any yogi will want to read it! https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020//21/arts/living-breathing/

Keep practicing! https://www.nytimes.com//ergonomics-work-from-home-injurie

https://www.washingtonpost.com//understanding-racism-ine/

https://www.nytimes.com//amazon-earth-rain-forest-environm

A deeply inspiring listen from today, June 21, TED Talks on NPR. The entire hour, The Greater Good, is excellent but this one segment stood out. And inspires hope. https://www.npr.org//george-monbiot-how-does-this-moment-c

https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1247121896082157568 The only thing I disagree with is breathing in with the mouth open and no focus on breathing out as long as in.

http://www.unitywoods.com//a-12-week-iyengar-yoga-progra/

Fascinating evidence about breathing in a prone position. Supported Child Pose and Crocodile Pose are perfect for this. https://www.health.com//coro/proning-treatment-coronavirus

https://www.bostonglobe.com//japanese-art-tidying-up-is-n/

These are unprecedented times though, when I think of my grandmother who lost her parents to the cholera pandemic in 1903 and my parents who went through both the Depression - my mother sent to an orphanage, and WW2 - my dad at the horror that was Gaudalcanal, I feel we are the lucky ones. They had rations; I can order delivery from Whole Foods. Not to diminish what we are experiencing, I simply want to say that live-streaming classes has been a gift. Truly, a gift. Seeing... so many students both from Boston and those who have crossed my path over the years has been heartwarming and brought me to tears on more than one occasion. I know that these are hard times for all of us - lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost routines, lost...so much. There is grief and I am now, more than ever, thankful that I stumbled into yoga all those years ago. This is not nothing, it really isn't. I simply want to thank everyone who has reached out to say hello. I say hello back at you. Be well everyone. Much Love ~bb See more

https://www.wsj.com//can-house-shoes-stave-off-germs-and-b

https://www.newyorker.com//the-secret-formula-for-resilien

https://www.npr.org//406246/how-namaste-flew-away-from-us

Great news for Boston area students! Two of my favorite Boston teachers, Ryan Cunningham and Fez Aswat, have joined the faculty Down Under School of Yoga. Check the schedule for their classes - you're in for a treat!

I experienced awe of nature yesterday as a hawk dove like a rocket into my backyard and tried to snatch a dove that was puttering around. Dove won. My mouth fell open in awe. https://www.nbcnews.com//why-scientists-say-experiencing-a

Slow down everybody! https://www.nytimes.com//21/opin/summer-lying-fallow.html

Fascinating! https://www.washingtonpost.com//9ecad1f4-87ad-11e9-98c1-e9

OK - we already knew this... https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325374.php

My annual Summer Intensive is nearly full up. So don't miss out! July 13 & 14 at the Winsor School in Boston. https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/main_enroll.asp

https://www.bbc.com//yoga-in-schools-has-profound-impact-o

April is National Poetry Month. This poem by the wonderful Billy Collins is about poetry but could just as easily be about how yogis analyze the magic out of asana. Introduction to Poetry from Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light... like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem’s room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author’s name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. See more

https://www.nytimes.com//breathing-through-the-nose-may-of

Happy Halloween!

Should have had the sensitivity not to do this to begin with. https://www.huffingtonpost.com//fort-bend-county-texas-rep

Someone just asked me about the history of the profile picture on my FB page. My dear friend and gifted photographer, Clark Quin, took this shot of my Thursday evening Advanced Level asana class at my Joy St. studio in 1990 with a Widelux camera. It is a classic and I love it. Look at those beautiful headstands!

The Summer Intensive in Boston 2018 was such a wonderful weekend! 20 years and going strong! Thanks to everyone who shared 8 hours of yoga. It fills my heart up to see so many familiar faces.

A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another you, and another you, and it turns into an us. When there is an us, there begins a revolution; a revolution of tenderness. Tenderness is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. Pope Francis

All things are our relatives; what we do everything we do to ourselves. Black Elk, Olgala Lakota spiritual leader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgyey4lhOM

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King

https://www.nytimes.com//want-a-better-workout-just-breath

Thank you J. Brown for inviting me to have this conversation with you on your Yoga Talks podcast.http://hwcdn.libsyn.com//jbrownyogatalks-ep93-Barbara_Bena

http://time.com/4825261/back-pain-yoga-physical-therapy/

Question posed to Ramana Maharishi: How can I be more helpful to others? Ramana Maharshi: There are no others.

Over 700k refugees have resettled in the United States since 9/11. During that time, not a single one has carried out an act of terror. Video by Valerie Bischoff.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//12-minutes-of-yoga-for-st/

Congratulations to the graduates of my final (yes final) 15 month In Depth Studies and Art of Teaching Yoga course! I have so loved teaching these courses and thank the beloved first group of long time students who pressured me, despite my reluctance, to do this. It has been a huge joy and delight. In Depth Studies will continue, just in a new way. Plans are in the works!

Here are ways to help the thousands of refugees facing a winter with little more than the clothes on their backs.http://www.huffingtonpost.com//how-to-help-refugees-winter

Loved, loved, loved the summer intensive! Thanks to those who joined me for this immersion. Same time, next year!

Very funny, irreverent poke at yoga. This reads like a piece from The Onion but it's the New Yorker.http://www.newyorker.com/hum/daily-shouts/yoga-teacher-bios

Look at this study from UCLA that shows the positive impact of changes in diet and the inclusion of yoga and meditation on restoring memory. http://abc7news.com//non-drug-treatment-may-revers/336963/

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/624316/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/20//15/heel-pain-treatment/&

Condolences to my friends in the Iyengar tribe. Their guru, BKS Iyengar, was a true genius. He changed the world. Even those of us not of the Iyengar tradition are inevitably influenced by his enormous contributions. I am grateful for all I learned from him and those who carry his genius around the globe. It's a sad day.

This has been my favorite charity for years and my graduating In Depth Studies class has made a donation in my name to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. I love them for it. The elephants have their privacy and lots of room to roam after years of cruel treatment as circus acts. They can be watched being free via the sanctuary's webcam. Check them out and , maybe cry a little, but mainly to smile that they are free. And they know it.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard... on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Maya Angelou See more

Keep moving! http://www.npr.org//when-older-people-walk-now-they-stay-i

A very educational video about what strength really means. A must see for yoga teachers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRw6lpkBjSc

Your brain on yoga! http://www.bostonglobe.com//4VDbzH6y27euM8Rsj3/story.html

All yoga teachers and students will be interested to see TimothyMcCall's intelligent and level headed response to Wm. Broad's latest sensationalized article about yoga that appeared in the NY Times. http://hosted.verticalresponse.com///282570461/1d76922bae/

Science knows still practically nothing about the real nature of matter, energy, dimension, or time; and even less about those remarkable things called life and thought. But whatever the meaning and purpose of this universe, you are a legitimate part of it. And since you are part of the all that is, part of its purpose, there is more to you than just this brief speck of existence. You are just a visitor here in this time and this place, a traveler through it. Gene Roddenberry And just who is he? He's the author of Star Trek! Cool, huh?

Today's Boston Globe Letters to the Editor!

Let me tell you about my favorite charity - The Elephant Sanctuary near my hometown of Nashville, TN. These wonderful people offer real lives to these highly intelligent animals who have been tortured to give "entertainment" to circus audiences. The above link tells the heartwarming and heartbreaking story of Tarra the elephant and Bella, her dog. Consider The Elephant Sanctuary for your holiday giving and boycott circuses that use animals. Those days should be over.

We already knew this but it's nice to know studies now prove yoga helps reduce back pain.

Yoga off the mat- if you eat seafood please eat in a way that sustains the eco-system. The planet thanks you.

YOGA OFF THE MAT Where the food we eat comes from is as important as the food itself. A little education about the source of our food goes a long way. I recommend Barry Eastabrook's Politics of the Plate website and blog.