May 6, 13, 20, 27, 2025. $15 per session, or $55 for all four.

The post Tuesday Gentle Yoga at DRCC appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Throughout Scripture, we are told over and over to “be not afraid,” but “afraid” comes so naturally to most of us. We move through the world holding tight to what we know, trying to avoid change, and tip toeing around anything that might push us out of our comfort zone and into the unknown.

Then again, many of us tackle incredible challenges with grace and courage over the course of our lives without ever pausing to recognize how brave and bold we were when push came to shove. Whether it’s a serious illness or the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or the struggle of addiction, we are often forced to face things we’d rather not have to face.

Hanging on my office bulletin board is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I can’t say I live up to that motto daily, but I often try, even when that little voice in my head suggests I take the easier path, whether it’s something monumental (like leaving a job) or something exciting but less significant (like learning a new skill).

Case in point: I recently had the opportunity to try a stand-up paddle board yoga class. Having never set foot on a paddle board, I came up with a list of reasons against this seemingly fun outing: I’m too old. I’ve got too much work. My family will be in town. On and on the list went. But the morning of the class, I had to admit to myself that the only reason for not going was plain and simple: fear. And while skipping a lakeside class is certainly not a big deal, to me it represented a willingness on my part to be frozen in place by nothing more than my mind telling the rest of me what I can and can’t do.

So off I went to grab my life vest and backup eyeglasses (fully assuming I’d be falling head first into Thompsons Lake). I headed to Thacher State Park with a little knot in my stomach but also with a fiery energy that comes from doing something I knew I was afraid to try but went forward with anyway.

There was a moment, when my paddle board and I were stuck in a patch of lily pads, that I felt panic rising and started to doubt my decision. And then there was the instant when I accidentally sent my anchor sinking back to the bottom of the lake at the precise moment I was supposed to be paddling toward shore. As I came back to my breath and said a little prayer for trust and calm, I found I could do things I had not previously imagined — standing, for example, as well as down dog, three-legged dog and a lot more — all while balancing on a board rocking on the rough surface of a lake on a very windy day. (That’s me with my teacher, Vivian, in the photo above.)

When I got back on land, it all felt like a metaphor for life: How often do we shy away from the figurative choppy waters ahead of us and cling to the solidity of an old mindset or comfortable habit? When do we throw down an anchor in the least likely place hoping we can stay put and not face what must be faced? Where are the twisted vines of our own making that hold us down? Are we willing to loosen our grip and let God release us from the stranglehold of our sins and sufferings?

That favorite-but-challenging line from the Gospel of Matthew says: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” What version of tomorrow keeps you up at night or freezes you in your place? Can you let go of the reins, and trust that God will take you across the rough waters and back to solid ground.

If you’re interested in trying SUP yoga with Vivian and Jai Yoga School, click HERE for info.

The post Paddling past our fears appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

The post Total Beginner Yoga Workshop appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

The retreat is $175, all-inclusive. What does that mean? You’ll get rustic accommodations at the always-beautiful Pyramid Life Center with its mountains and lake, island and waterfall. It’s a beautiful gem in the lower Adirondack Mountains, the kind of place you never want to leave and you always want to come back to. In addition, that price includes homemade meals, kayaking or canoeing, swimming (if it’s warm), and all retreat activities — from daily talks and reflections and optional daily yoga sessions to journaling and collage-as-prayer. Plenty of free time is built into the schedule for doing your own thing, in solitude or with a retreat friend.

Here are a few comments from some folks who joined me for the Stillpoint retreat at Pyramid in 2020:

“Honest, this was one of the best weekends all fall for me.”

“…wonderful, uplifting and healing weekend nurtured by Mary and the amazing PLC staff. I have known PLC for over 30 years but now will ‘see’ it in a newly expanded way. Thank you all for your sharing, thoughts, laughter, and your presence at this Thin Space as we travel on our Pilgrim Journey together. I felt the presence of Soul Friends among you.”

“One week ago today I was checking into heaven! Not literally, of course, but if I had to describe heaven, it would be:
Beautiful surroundings
Beautiful souls, like minded souls
Laughter ( when we weren’t silent, of course )
Learning more of what we’ve come to love, prayer, meditation
Doing something new ( for me, yoga )
The Eucharist,
Meeting new friends
Delicious food
Beautiful weather, warm sun, starlight at night
And a promise to return”

Registration link is HERE. Scroll down until you see the Stillpoint listing. See you at Pyramid!

The post Stillpoint retreat Sept. 10-12 open for registration appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

The post Chair Yoga: Breathe, Stretch, De-Stress appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

In 1990, when I was deep into my practice and working as the part-time manager of the Austin Yoga Center in Texas, I signed up for teacher training, but circumstances made it impossible for me to get very far. Fast forward to two more near-misses with Yoga Teacher Training in 2011 and 2016, and I began to believe it just wasn’t meant to be. But when you’re meant to do something and you want to do something deep in your soul, the universe keeps chasing you until you put all the fears aside and take the leap. That seed of fearlessness was planted last summer. I wanted to get my yoga mojo back and signed up for a discounted new-student offer at nearby Jai Yoga School. Within weeks I was at Jai constantly, taking every kind of yoga class I could fit into my schedule. I didn’t just love the classes; I loved the community, the chanting, the whole package, and I quickly dusted off my old dream, pushing aside worries that 57 was far too old to take up a physically rigorous and mentally challenging program.

What began in January, with an amazing group of yogis learning alongside me, culminated in our graduation on Oct. 11 in a beautiful, socially-distant ceremony that was buzzing with emotion, energy and joy. We had traversed a pandemic-infused YTT program that lasted twice as long as planned due to COVID changes and required us to wear masks and refrain from hugging, much to our chagrin. Through anatomy and philosophy classes, sequencing and practice teaching, we carried on, pushing beyond our comfort zones and letting our guards down. We became a family, and we will remain a family forever because we have peered into each other’s souls, and you can never go back from that. And isn’t that a beautiful, magical, mystic thing.

Since graduation, I’ve been thinking about the yoga teachers who have walked with me on this journey — teaching me, inspiring me, motivating me, loving me. So let me start at the beginning, even if most of those teachers will never read this. Thank you to Sarah Brumgart, the modern dancer and yogi, who first introduced me to yoga and taught me semi-private lessons for the years I lived in Austin in the late 1980s. She was the first person to inspire dreams of being a teacher, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you to Suzy Yoga, who taught me pre-natal yoga when I was pregnant with Chiara and reminded me how much I loved and needed this practice. Thank you to the many teachers who only briefly touched my life but made an impact, such as Larissa Hall Carlson and Father Tom Ryan, C.S.P., both of whom taught me on my one visit to Kripalu, and Lauren Toolin, who encouraged me when I considered YTT in 2011 and 2016 and tried to get me to look beyond my fears.

Thank you to Deanna Beyer, who is not just a teacher but a dear friend who taught those pre-dawn classes at the Bethlehem YMCA that fed my soul and kept me sane. I loved the drive through darkness to those classes that Deanna managed to infuse with a spiritual light even though we were in a gym room next to treadmills and weight machines. When my dreams of YTT were dashed by what was believed to be a hernia, Deanna gave me personal training, helping me bring my yoga down to the most basic level so that I could maintain a simple practice while nursing my condition. She never gave up on me.

Finally, thank you to Meg Horan, my lead teacher at Jai Yoga School, who is not only an amazing yogi and teacher, but a beautiful human inside and out. I was so blessed to find your school and land in your classes and YTT program. Such a tremendous gift! There is nothing I can say that could adequately convey just how grateful I am for all you have given me. Thank you, too, to Dustin, Sabrina, Kristi, Natalie, Allison, Deb, Blair, Mandy, Mareena, and Laurel — all the teachers at Jai who have helped shape my training and my practice over the past 18 months. You are an amazing community.

A huge shout out and thank you to my family — Dennis and the kids, who put up with my long hours away from home and frantic studying and practicing. I could not have done this without you, and I am so grateful, not only for your support, but for your enthusiastic encouragement of all my crazy dreams and schemes. I love you to the moon and back.

Probably one of the common questions I get when I tell people about this journey is whether — or how — it complements my Catholic faith, or even if it’s possible for the two to co-exist in the same spiritual universe without harming one or the other. I am here to tell you that they can more than co-exist; the practice of yoga has made me a better Catholic, a more prayerful and compassionate person, and a more engaged and energized spiritual pilgrim. Years ago, I wrote about this in an essay called Where the Amen Meets the Om. You can read that HERE,

For those who don’t venture over to that essay, here’s the bottom line: My Catholic faith is my bedrock. The message of the Gospel, the teachings of Jesus, are essential to my life, to my very being. But I also know how easy it is for me to get distracted, to skip prayer or find it impossible to settle into prayer. Enter yoga, a practice that slows down my fast-moving body and mind and settles my soul just as it settles my limbs on the mat. When I step onto my mat and stretch and balance or sit cross-legged and breathe deeply, I open up a space where God can enter. And that is why yoga is so vital to my own Catholic spiritual life. And it is why I am so excited about teaching others how to use their practice to deepen their own prayer lives and to move them forward on their spiritual journeys in the most beautiful way.

If you’d like to know how to book a yoga class or retreat, or just want to know more about my yoga journey, visit my page dedicated to this topic HERE.

The post Becoming a yoga teacher, fulfilling a dream appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

After months of wondering whether my retreat would be on or off due to COVID-19, I am happy to report that it is ON, and Pyramid Life Center is ready to receive guests and offer us a safe and socially distanced atmosphere. We’ve got nine 20 people signed up for this retreat so far, which means there are very few slots left in order for us to keep this gathering small and in line with health protocols. Of course, small groups make for more intimate and powerful retreats anyway, so… win-win.

Stillpoint: Creating Calm amid the Chaos will be offered Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 13. It will be a weekend to nourish body, mind, and soul as we enter into the beautiful fall season at Pyramid Life Center. Check-in is at 5 p.m. on Friday; the retreat concludes at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

This retreat will focus around the theme of “meditation in motion” and will include practices to help us discover the divine in the everyday, the miracles in the mundane moments of life. Optional yoga classes will be offered for those who are interested, as well as collage-as-prayer, journaling and more. Participants can also personalize this retreat by creating prayer practices around their own interests — photography, hiking, kayaking — in the abundant free time that will be scheduled into our weekend. This will be a semi-silent retreat: silent breakfasts and silent evenings after our closing sessions. (For those who want deeper silence, there is the option to take all meals in silence.)

The cost is $150, which includes the retreat program, rustic accommodations and all meals, as well as access to kayaks, hiking trails, and plenty of Adirondack chairs for resting and daydreaming. It’s a truly beautiful physical location with a gorgeous lake, mountains, loons, herons and more. To register, click HERE and look for Stillpoint in the dropdown menu.

Pyramid Life Center is operating according to COVID-19 health requirements, with social distancing enforced through facilities. You will be screened as you enter. Don’t forget your mask and your hand sanitizer!

The post A mountain retreat: Find your stillpoint appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Bookshelf: So this weekend I thought I’d thin out my book collection. It didn’t take long for me to remember that there’s a very good reason my book collection is out of control: I love them all!!! Even the ones I never finished, or haven’t yet picked up. Almost all of my books have some sort of story or connection attached. It was a favorite book during college, it was the book that got me to expand my writing, it was the novel that sucked me in and changed me forever, it was the spiritual book that introduced me to new places in my soul. Bottom line: No books were harmed during this exercise. In fact, I had two more books arrive via Sunday USPS delivery: Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening Nature, which may have been an overreach on my part since it looks very outdoorsy and challenging, and One Degree Revolution: How the Wisdom of Yoga Inspires Small Shifts that Lead to Big Changes,” which looks like the perfect complement to my yoga teacher training and life in general during this time of isolation. I’ll let you know if I tackle any of the fire-stoking, shelter-building and trail-blazing in Rewilding. If you don’t hear from me for a while, send a search party. I’m lost and completely ill-equipped to forage for food (another activity in this book).

Now Playing: This isn’t really playing now, because I’ve already seen it, although it’s free for viewing during the pandemic, so I might watch it again, and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves silence or wants to learn to love silence: In Pursuit of Silence, a meditative exploration of our relationship with silence, sound and the impact of noise on our lives. You can watch it free HERE. I loved this so much that I then purchased Notes on Silence by Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen. It’s so marked up with neon pink post-it notes, the pages are more marked than unmarked. Check it out, and let me know what you think. And if you try these and want more, go check out the podcast Encountering Silence, which is what I used to listen to as I drove to and from work — back when I used to have to leave the house to work.

Soundtrack: Although music is a staple here in the Poust House, this week I have to share with you the Audible book I am devouring: What to Remember When Waking: The Disciplines of an Everyday Life, by poet David Whyte. I ended up with this book because Audible recommended it for me. I had never heard of it before and clicked the “purchase” button because I figured, Why not? It sounded pretty good. Oh, it is SO much better than good. It is beautiful, astounding, heartbreaking, soul-filling, mind-stretching… I could go on. I plan to buy the print book, because see above adjectives, but if you are going to give this book a try, by all means, go with Audible. His reading of this book is as good as the writing of this book. I actually found myself weeping at one point when the author read one of his poems about his daughter and the slant of light on her palm as he carried her. It is a gorgeous book that I believe I’ll come back to again and again whenever I need a dose of beauty, peace, inspiration, and perhaps a nudge toward transformation. Go buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

Viewfinder: My camera is usually pointed at something we’re serving up for dinner or something spotted in my yard. It’s that kind of pandemic. Maybe that will change in the not-too-distant future. Let’s hope. But here’s a quick glimpse of what I’ve been seeing and snapping this week:

Menu: Lots of good food happening over here, but this was definitely one of the highlights: a nutella-strawberry crepe whipped up for me by Olivia. It was unbelievably delicious, and I am unbelievably spoiled.

GPS: I have not left the premises since the April 29 outing I posted about here last week. How crazy is that?!? Still locked down. Although I have to admit that I am pretty content living within the confines of my house and yard and slowing down long enough to soak up the everyday beauty all around me. Not that there aren’t also everyday annoyances, but, overall, I’m pretty lucky to be locked down in such a beautiful, comfortable spot with my whole family at home. #grateful

Datebook: Coming up on May 23 is my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training midterm. I have not taken a midterm since I graduated from college in 1984. The struggle is real, especially when anatomy is involved. But, I’m chugging along, taking practice tests, reading and re-reading and trying to remember where the heck the “h” goes in every Sanskrit word. Is it after the “b” and “v” but not after the “d.” I’m working on it folks, getting closer every day. I am so excited to be shifting back into forward motion on this training and to know that maybe certification and registration as a yoga teacher is not that far away. This goal has been a long time in the making.

See you next week. Stay safe, stay happy, stay true to you.

The post Manic Monday: poetry, podcasts and more appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

And therein lies the beauty and joy and inspiration. I spend a lot of time with younger adults these days. In our training studio, we are learning together for 25 hours at a clip over seven weekends. I am humbled and inspired, awed and amazed by the young people who are wise beyond their years, deep on the spiritual path and committed to making the world a better place. I sit beside them in class, or huddled over a plate of rice and lentils at lunch, and soak in their enthusiasm and determination.

Learning past midlife is often underrated or avoided. We age and think we know it all. We age and think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The truth is that it is only through continually growing and learning—in our spiritual lives, our physical lives and our intellectual lives—that we remain vibrant and relevant, engaged and enthusiastic, not just for the things that matter directly in our lives but for the things that matter to others, to the greater community, to the people we love and to the strangers who join us on the path.

One of the key things I’ve realized during my training is that it’s not just about the learning; it’s about the community that surrounds the learning. We can learn while sitting in front of a computer screen at home, but learning that puts us into relationship with others, that draws us deeper into community, is what changes us on a fundamental and foundational level. Much like the way our Church and our parish are meant to change us. Sure, we can pray at home—and we should—but, at some point, we have to join our prayers with those of others in community where we strengthen each other and move forward together. That’s what most people crave; that’s what many people find missing: a united community that does not just say the words together on Sunday but lives the truths together day by day.

When I walk into my training community at Jai Yoga School in Slingerlands, N.Y., fellow students rush over to hug me and inquire about the people I’ve asked them to pray for. We share our deepest fears and greatest hopes, we make mistakes in front of each other, cry in front of each other, and laugh together. There is so much joy, not because everything is perfect but because we are willing to be vulnerable before each other.

Finding a new class will help you stay physically and mentally fit, but finding a spiritual community will carry you when you are in need, challenge you when you think you’ve stretched as far as you can go, and connect you in ways that will soften your heart and transform your life.

In “Bread for the Journey,” Henri Nouwen wrote, “Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own.”

Where do you find that kind community? Who makes up your spiritual tribe? Cultivate connection and compassion somewhere in your life today and watch the magic happen.

This Life Lines column originally appeared in the March 25, 2020, issue of Catholic New York.

The post The gift of community, the joy of the tribe appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

The past two times I considered YYT-200 training, it was with Lauren Toolin of Yoga Vidya. Both times she was encouraging and firm, letting me know it wouldn’t be easy but it would be so worth it. She didn’t need to convince me, and yet both times I let fear get the best of me — I’m too old, I’m not fit enough, I don’t have the time, it’s too much money, where would I teach anyway, what about liability insurance, and every other excuse in the book. I hate it when fear wins.

Today I was on Instagram and came across a Yoga Vidya Salon with Lauren, where she answered questions about her own path in particular and yoga in general. Her message is one that so resonates with me: It’s not about perfecting a pose; it’s about going deep within. Sitting in total silence for 30 minutes can be much harder than doing a headstand. And yet I get stuck on the fact that I can no longer do a headstand.

Toward the end of her video, in response to a question, she says:

“Yoga changes people, and that’s a beautiful thing, but change isn’t always pretty or easy…Yoga is a great way to change, if you want to change…”

Ah, there’s the rub. Do I really want to change? We often say we want change, but we usually want a transformation of our own making. We have an idea and an image in our head of what our transformation should look like, but that’s just us trying to put our human constructs on the Divine. True transformation means accepting that we might not have any idea what it will entail or whether we’ll like every aspect of what needs to happen, and beginning anyway. That involves letting go of fear and falling in with trust.

Do you want to change? I’m putting together a plan to gather a little tribe of sorts to support each other in whatever change we’re after, to encourage each other, and to give each other a little nudge when one of us is stuck in fear. Do you want to join me? Let me know, and I’ll keep you posted as things develop.

Here’s the full Yoga Vidya Salon video with Lauren if you’d like to check it out. Enjoy.

The post Yoga, the True Self, and fear of change appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.