My dear second yoga teacher, Bri Damara, taught me never to worship any teacher, but to always respect, honor, and credit them for what I was taught and now passed on to my students. Read More
Feathered Pipe Blog: Voice of the Wisdom Holders
The Feathered Pipe has been blessed to host many of the foremost teachers, guides and wisdom holders within the realm of yoga, meditation, spirituality, health and wellness during our four-plus decades of existence. The Feathered Pipe Blog offers you the opportunity to explore more deeply their thoughts and insights for opening to experience a more healthful and fulfilling life.
After a stretch of dormancy, nature is coming back to life. Since we aren’t in nature—we are nature—it’s a time of great renewal for us too. The thing is that rejuvenating at this level requires a surge of energy. Read More
The beautiful, difficult commitment to knowing the self, is a great deal about un-selfing. Unwinding the stuff that we think we are, and revealing that which we actually are. Read More
While it may not always feel, or even be ideal, we have the tools to live mindfully within the havoc and confusion the world has to offer us. Pausing, we see that confusion and peace sometimes run hand in hand, as do uncertainty and beauty. Read More
If we stay with the practice, something begins to shift. Breath becomes more available. The body starts to trust again. Life feels a little less sharp around the edges. We move through our days with more steadiness, more ease, a deeper sense of being at home in ourselves. Read More
When we feel safe—when we are held in a calm, regulated environment—the vagus nerve sends signals to slow the heart rate, deepen the breath, and reduce muscle tension. This is the parasympathetic nervous system in action: the part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for rest, repair, and digestion. Read More
Iyengar yoga is sometimes called the yoga of alignment, but it’s about more than muscles and bones. Iyengar Yoga teacher Marla Apt designed this particular sequence to address the stuffy noses, swollen sinuses, and headaches associated with colds and seasonal allergies. Read More
If you watch people arrive at the Feathered Pipe Ranch for any retreat, any program, any teacher, any year—you’ll notice something curious. Within moments of stepping out of their cars or our Metta Magic transport van, shoulders drop a full inch. Eyes soften. The jaw unclenches. Read More
It’s not uncommon for each day to come with its own lineup of small troubles—an ache in your back, a careless comment from someone, a mistake you wish you could undo, a bit of unsettling news. These moments are real, and they sting. But they can also take on a life far bigger than they deserve. Read More
All suffering begins in the mind and…so does all healing. Journaling is a tool that helps you sift and sort through the FACTS – THOUGHTS – AND FEELINGS, to understand your suffering, and begin to make positive changes. Read More
The root cause of excessive tension often lies in our inability to manage our thoughts. Rather than guiding the mind, we let it control us—allowing it to dictate our emotions, reactions, and overall state of being. Read More
Surrender selfish acts and replace them with the desire to give. When we truly practice "sustained subservience", our actions become "actionless acts", leaving no negative imprints, because they are no longer acting, but it is the Self acting through them. Read More