Yoga Therapy Classes at my studio are the most healing work I’ve witnessed. Leslie Kazadi and I are teaching, and Keri Frankenstein, Eve Baldwin, Lindsay Dunne, Teri Roseman, Ann Braden, Gina Shelton and Chani Nicholas are co-teaching/assisting. Every class has a teacher and co-teacher with a limit of 7 students per class. Each of these really brilliant yoga teachers are here with their hearts, so much attention, love and guidance, our students are willing to dig in, and feel all kinds of edges. It’s a phenomenon that I can barely put into words except to say, there is courage here.

A few months ago, Skechers asked me to become an advisor for the Shape-ups shoe line. I went for a walk, and agreed, because Shape-ups successfully employ a balanced design. Shape-ups help us include the extra elements ; balance, strength, and flexibility, with every step we take. It is true, in these shoes, you can shape up while you walk yourself well.

More about my Shape-ups experience: After spending some time, with my now several pairs of Skechers, I learned that Shape-ups use a dynamic rolling bottom, soft foam insert and dual-density midsole, to get the kind of results I can recommend in a walking shoe. All of these factors, the time I have spent walking, and living in Shape-ups, and the commitment they’ve demonstrated to not only developing, but studying the realtime performance of their shoe technology, proved to me that Skechers is serious about the health of the people who purchase their shoes, and walking on a regular basis, as part of a healthy lifestyle.

When back pain occurs: Should you practice or would rest be more helpful. Which postures are healing, and which are troublesome? Is fear a factor and if so, how do you unravel that? Are there times when ‘working through pain’ is appropriate? How do you learn to feel the variance in your own ‘edges’, so that you know when to respectfully back away, modify a posture, or rest it out? How long should a back injury take to heal? What other movements or even yoga postures in your daily life, are ‘unwittingly’ contributing to your back pain? And lastly, can you actually feel, when your spine is being fully supported by your abdominal muscles, as you move through your asana practice?