Kate Dowdy Yoga

Missing my favorite local coffee spot, so I treated myself to a giftcard. Support your local businesses, and do nice things for your future self, all in one go! [Photography by Kaitlyn Scott]

Home yoga is the perfect time to practice balancing poses with a wall or chair nearby to help support your balance [Photography by Russell Posner]

If you're experiencing any intense pinching sensation as you practice yoga, your body is trying to communicate with you. Reclining with your legs in a figure four position, and perhaps reaching for the back of your upper leg, can be a nourishing alternative if pigeon pose isn't working for you today. The most important thing in your yoga practice is to listen to your body. If you don't know the modification for a pose that isn't feeling right, you can always freestyle! [Photography by Russell Posner]

Life is so serious right now, but your yoga practice doesn’t need to be an extension of that. Invite a playful attitude onto your mat- it’s not about whether you can hold a perfect headstand or what your practice looks like, it’s about exploring embodied shapes while hopefully having a little fun too! [Photography by Russell Posner]

I've been interspersing my hbo consumption with a little reading. Contemplative practice is repeatedly teaching me about nonjudgement. Less energy focusing on comparison and judgement, more energy nourishing yourself and practicing compassion. Always good, but especially now! Less berating yourself for watching an entire netflix series, more acceptance for where you are in this present moment. [Photography by Russell Posner]

It’s so important for me to move my body to find a sense of relative mental spaciousness, especially right now. It’s not likely going to look quite as scenic in your living room as it did on retreat, but trust me it’s worth it. Take it from me, who got too deep into the sims (oops) and spent the entirety of saturday not moving on my couch. I felt a lot better after going for a walk and doing some simple neck rolls and spinal twists! [Photography by Russell Posner]

Practicing at home is not the same as in a class setting. Developing a home practice is tricky, but I’d say its worth it. You don’t have access to physical adjustments or a teacher holding the space. But you do have access to your body, and it’s a beautiful opportunity to develop our ability to hear and listen to our own bodies. Plus, it can be easier to shift your attention from self-consciousness about your physical appearance to awareness of your physical experience when there’s nobody to compare yourself to! [Photography by Russell Posner]

Supporting yourself on your mat is fairly straightforward when you listen to your body, especially if you have a prop nearby. Taking care of mental health is less simple in this scary time. I’ve set myself simple self-care boundaries, including setting the intention to go outside every 2-3 days, and planning something small to look forward to every day, such as doing a face mask or trying a new recipe. How are you supporting yourself off of your mat? [Photography by Russell Posner]

Farewell for now my fluffy friend- I’m leaving for my second meditation retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center tomorrow. Chin rubs will resume in two weeks [Photography by Russell Posner]

Different variations of a pose aren’t better or worse, they just do different things! Holding opposite elbows is great for detaching from the ego because we aren’t tempted to measure the ‘success’ of our pose by if we can touch our toes, and hugging your thighs is a lovely variation for stretching out our lower backs [Photography by Russell Posner]

You are entitled to loving connection. You have the right to heal. You are worthy just as you are. [Photography by Russell Posner]

Finding a meditation position means balancing the effort required to keep a long spine and the ease required to allow the breath to flow freely. Not so relaxed that you fall asleep but not so uptight that you’re holding excess tension in your muscles [Photography by Russell Posner]

You can use your breath to move deeper in a pose even in stillness- inhale to find length in your spine and exhale to surrender more fully to gravity [Photography by Russell Posner]