Hi Loves,

Well here we are at the end of the summer season. How did you all fair? As crazy and wild as life seems I feel like I had an amazing summer. Looking back, so much love and joy experienced including the heartbreak and sadness. Feeling grateful for this life even though the mind has many ways of telling me I shouldn't because of blah, blah, blah. So much gratitude for my sitting practice. And all it takes is sitting with the breath for a few minutes.

Hi Loves,

I hope you are finding all the ways to enjoy the season. The weather, the flowers, the water, the wildlife have all been tremendous. When I check in with folks it seems most of them are staying close to their own hearts and enjoying the precious moments. Ben and I took Tessa on her first backpacking adventure this weekend. It was my hearts delight to hear her utter the words, "This is fun!" and getting home and saying "That was fun!" Parenting win! Most people that know me would think that of course Tessa would think backpacking was fun and would be surprised that she hadn't gone earlier. But Tessa is her own being and resists much of what her parents think is fun. I don't particularly like to jump in cold water, no less swim in cold water, but I have been leaning into that resistance for some years now.

Hi Beloved Yogis,

This might be one of the most challenging newsletters to write in respect to the community I am writing it for. When I think of my email list I am often thinking of the Kings Beach Kula where my list first started. For those of you that don't know, the Kings Beach Kula/Community was really special. Like all yoga communities. It felt like family. It's amazing what one little, weekly yoga class built. We would gather at the North Tahoe Event Center every Tuesday night at 5:45-7:15. It wasn't a fancy yoga studio with all the fancy props. In the beginning most people brought their own props, although I did have a few blocks and blankets for those that really needed them and a bag full of old neckties to use as straps. People would tell me they loved my class because they felt they could show up in whatever comfy clothes they had and didn't have to wear fancy yoga clothes. It wasn't a pristine, peace filled yoga studio, but it had one of the most beautiful views of any indoor yoga class around. How many people get to practice in front of Lake Tahoe, once a week for $10, and then bring a new friend for FREE?

Hi Loves,

Where are you rooted these days? Lately I have been seeing these trees in the back of landscaping trucks getting whisked off to some new home. I pointed this out to Tessa as we were driving behind one the other day and we were kind of cracking up what the tree must be feeling like. "Where the hell am I going???" as it's leaves and branches are waving in the wind generated by the speeding vehicle. I think a lot of our minds identify with the trees in the back of the truck. Yes? We have all probably felt a little unrooted or maybe a lot. Our illusion of safety and security put right in front of us. And we are all grasping to whatever feels safe and secure which looks different to everyone. I just look how many people are moving to the Tahoe area to maybe feel safer and how many people that live here are afraid of that movement and not welcoming it. But I have come to find the only place of true safety and security is within our own hearts. So when I get caught in some kind of "Whoa, where is this going?", I see it and quickly come back to rooting in my own heart, grounding in loving presence. This is where the sitting practice is so helpful. It grounds us in presence where we can respond to the wind, the storms, the fires, the droughts more skillfully.

Hi Loves,

How you all be? Once again I have to say, "interesting times we are living in". Last week I felt like I was an escapist because Ben and I went on our annual Birthday climbing trip to City of Rocks, Idaho. Everything was beautiful- the climbing, the flowers, the weather, the sunsets and, at the same time, I found myself checking in with what was happening in our country, and the world ,when I had a spotty internet connection at our campsite. Like I was missing out, FOMO. And there is something going on that I want to be a part of- we are all waking up to the systemic racism that is a deep wound of the United States.

Hi Loves,

How are all of you? I made the conscious decision to come down to So Cal to check in on my family. Although the mind was in conflict, it felt like the right thing to do when I listened to my heart and gut. It's been a beautiful visit and it feels like it was much needed. I love my family and feel super blessed that I could still come down here and take my classes and groups with me. And Tessa could take her schooling too.

Hi Loves,

How are you? Personally in this moment I feel a little clenched which finds me short, impatient, defensive. Sigh! But bless my heart, the mind kept me up most of the night until my yoga nidra session eased my mind back to sleep. As things start to open back up, there is part of me that feels clenched, down to my digestion. Sometimes I don't know if it's mine or it's the collective. What interesting waters we all have to navigate, waters never navigated before, but I keep coming back to trusting my intuition. To listen to my gut, to listen to my heart, to listen to that inner knowing and trust to act on it, something we are not well versed in. But try it now. Close your eyes and ask yourself the question. Do I wear a mask in the grocery store? What does your gut feel? What does your heart feel? Is there a small voice that feels different than the head? My gut feels free, my heart feels a little tight, the little small voice says, "Yes, sweetheart, wear that beautiful mask that Molly Knickerbocker made for now."

Hi Loves,

Have you heard or even said, "I can't do this anymore. This is ridiculous. What the hell is going on here? I'm done. I don't think I can take this. What's going to happen? We are f**ked. I am f**ked. I can't believe....? They should.....We are not suppose to..........You are suppose to.........What about me? I need.......I want.......I give up. I'm exhausted." Or some version there of? Of course you have. This is what the mind can do. Our consciousness can get so contracted around the mind and it's thoughts which cause a whole lot of suffering for ourselves and the planet. But when we stop for just a moment and see what is really here, it's in that space, we drop into our wholeness. That which holds everything.