Unwording
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Unwording

Unwording and the benefits of space, stillness and silence

Read More
The Two Darts
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

The Two Darts

There are two kinds of pain. The trick is to discriminate between the one that’s inevitable and the one that’s self-generated.

Read More
Resources I love
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Resources I love

Here are some great online resources on anxiety, fear, mindfulness and yoga philosophy.

Read More
Making space for mischief and aimlessness
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Making space for mischief and aimlessness

I’ve always been ambitious. I was the hyper-responsible eldest child. I was the people-pleaser and the kid who would finish my homework and then look around for other people who needed help with theirs. If I were a Simpson, I’d be Lisa.

Read More
Accessible Yoga
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Accessible Yoga

Accessible Yoga.org is an organization dedicated to making yoga practice available to everyone. Last week I was able to contribute and article to their blog. If you're interested the article is called: When is Accessible Yoga Actually Accessible?

Read More
Not making things worse
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Not making things worse

The past month has been so tough, for so many reasons. It feels like there are fires burning everywhere. If you’re like me, the temptation is always to withdraw into the safe shell of home, family and entertainment and to focus on what’s good for me and mine. But that translates into turning my back on people in need, and that’s an age old problem.

Read More
Permission not to be merry (and to avoid misery)
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Permission not to be merry (and to avoid misery)

I always struggle at this time of year with the influx of “cheerleading,” and “buy now!” newsletters that pile up in my inbox. Each year at this time we’re encouraged to get fit, find our true purpose, lose ten pounds and make more money. I think these things can be helpful and good, and yet, and yet…

Read More
The Wisdom of Patches. A guest blog by Leslee Bowen
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

The Wisdom of Patches. A guest blog by Leslee Bowen

My friend Leslee sent me this quite a while ago, and I meant to post it right away. I got busy and distracted and forgot all about it, which is all the more ironic in a person (me) who is always blathering on about slowing down. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Read More
The mysterious text
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

The mysterious text

Ask any yoga teacher about the origin of yoga and you are likely to hear that yoga is an ancient tradition going back thousands of years. This is not untrue, but not the whole truth either. Recent research has revealed that the form of yoga we practice today would have been unknown in India prior to the twentieth century.

Read More
Self-Acceptance: Coming Home to Friends
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Self-Acceptance: Coming Home to Friends

A friend of mine passed away a few weeks ago and I’ve been thinking about him a lot. Quish was an eccentric and entertaining person and full of self-acceptance. We shared a love of books, Ireland, Jamieson’s, and stories. He used to carry a wad of crumpled up Post-it notes that he referred to as his Blackberry. He once said his next house pet would be an Asian elephant because he needed something that would out-live him. (He was holding out for an apartment-sized elephant).

Read More
Accepting Limitations: Your body is a negotiation
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Accepting Limitations: Your body is a negotiation

John Mayer had a popular song a few years back called “Your Body is a Wonderland.” Lately I’ve been feeling that way about my own body, only in my case it feels like Alice’s Wonderland, a place where unexpected, bizarre, and sometimes inexplicable things happen. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that living in a body is more of a negotiation, or accepting limitations, than a case of mind over matter.

Read More
Moderation: Wrap it in Bacon
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Moderation: Wrap it in Bacon

I’ve been practicing yoga for over twenty years now. (I started before Madonna!). I’ve been immersed in a culture of healthy eating, moderation, reverence for all beings, compassion, empathy, and ethical living. And some days I have this irresistible urge to binge on Big Macs, Irish Whiskey and bad movies. I’m reminded of the cooking show called “The Two Fat Ladies” which featured Clarissa and Jennifer–chain-smoking, wine-swilling, excess aficionados who managed to incorporate bacon and heavy cream into everything they cooked. I adored them.

Read More
Time to get back to the garden
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Time to get back to the garden

Although it felt like it would never happen, the time for gardening is here. Remember that when you haven’t been in your garden for six months you need to start slowly and build up gradually.

Read More
Guest Post: Coping with Bereavement During the Holidays
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

Guest Post: Coping with Bereavement During the Holidays

Ancient India, the birthplace of yoga, produced a dizzying number of stories about gods and goddesses and their various exploits. The stories are symbolic, meant to teach about social mores, values, and psychological states. Usually the god or goddess has a “mount,” and this vehicle/animal has a meaning as well.

Read More
The goddess who is never not broken
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

The goddess who is never not broken

Ancient India, the birthplace of yoga, produced a dizzying number of stories about gods and goddesses and their various exploits. The stories are symbolic, meant to teach about social mores, values, and psychological states. Usually the god or goddess has a “mount,” and this vehicle/animal has a meaning as well.

Read More
The evolution of asana: new trends in physical practice
Elaine Jackson Elaine Jackson

The evolution of asana: new trends in physical practice

I don’t often write about the physical aspects of yoga practice. I made this choice early on, mainly because there are an abundance of excellent yoga websites that focus almost exclusively on the “asana” (i.e. postural) practice.

Read More