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I was on Kauai recently and a Native Hawaiian performer asked me to come up and dance with her. The song was “Hanalei Moon.” Little did she know I’m completing a book on the moon! <3

Click here to watch the video of “Hanalei Moon.”

I completed a first draft of the Moon Salutation book. This is an important step in documenting women’s leadership in Yoga, as the Moon Salutation was created by women, for women to empower women.  

I’m happy for great reviews so far from 2 editors and 10 early-draft readers. I’ve started sharing excerpts in the women’s circles I’m a part of, hearing how the work brings chills of recognition and feminine nourishment.

Now starts the intensive process of revision and completion. Can you relate? Sometimes this second step takes even longer than the first.

We’re in the waxing moon of early spring now. Flowers and green grasses are popping out everywhere. It’s a great time to honor Mother Nature in her many forms in your personal practice, workshops, and classes. Enjoy!

My dear mom, Linda Johnson Cornell, passed away a week ago Sunday, September 16.

I am grateful that my relationship with her feels clear and clean. She knows I love her, and I know she loves me. There was nothing left unsaid. At the same time, I’m not sure that I can describe the pain that I feel in losing her presence in this physical world.

And that comes in waves followed by immense gratitude for her life, for her gifts to me, and an awareness of her journey into freedom and light.

This photo was taken two years ago at the retirement center where she lived in Everett, Washington, as she rode on an exercise bike!

Click here to see more photos of my beautiful mom, to read my remembrance, or to leave a comment. I’d love to hear your own experience of grief and mother-love!

One of the commenters so far called losing her mom “both heartbreaking and an unexpected and powerful rite of passage.” I agree!

I wrote a prayer today for Guru Purnima. I shot a quick video to share it with you, and the words are here below. Feel free to use this prayer for your own practice of Guru Purnima, or to read it in the classes you teach, gift to friends, etc.

Click here to watch now. 

What is Guru Purnima?

This is the full moon of mid-summer, a time when we honor all of our teachers who have brought us closer to our own Inner Light. Especially we offer Guru Purnima to the Great Teacher, that divine love that is always with us, guiding our lives from within and without.

How to practice Guru Purnima?  

First, name your teachers and feel in your heart how they have awakened or uncovered your own Inner Light. It may help to write their names in a journal, or to speak their names to a friend. Remembering your teachers enlivens the fullness of gratitude. Can you remember 108? You have definitely had this many! Continue reading →

I was so inspired by this story about Tammy Duckworth, who 2 weeks ago became the first sitting US Senator to give birth while in office.  

She’s also 50 years old, and openly shares her 10-year struggle with infertility after serving as a platoon leader and losing both legs in Iraq. Yikes!

I find her courage and clear desire to serve in the Senate WHILE ALSO BEING A MOM incredibly inspiring.

So many women struggle to balance work and family. Many give up or delay childbearing in order to pursue a career, only to struggle with infertility later. This is a challenge women most often face in silence.

Duckworth’s story highlights the need for…

~ Family friendly workplaces, such as the rules change allowing her to bring her baby and nurse on the Senate floor!

~ Paid parental leave for both women and men, whether adopting or physically bearing a child.

~ Greater support and less judgment overall for women, whatever life choices they make regarding their fertility.

To watch the historic moment of Duckworth bringing her newborn to the Senate Floor, click here. 

For an extended interview with Duckworth on her fertility journey, losing her legs in Iraq, and her decision to become a Congresswoman, go to YouTube and type “Full interview: Sen. Tammy Duckworth” in the search bar.

My prayer is that the sacred power we carry as women to give life be valued at all levels ~ political, personal, and spiritual ~ and that all women be supported in their life and mothering journey, however that unfolds.

After you watch the video, please comment and let me know what you think!

Happy Full Moon!

Several weeks ago I was sitting in meditation and felt the presence of Mother Mary with me. As I continued to sit, a new variation of the Moon Salutation was unfolded in my meditation.

I later tried it out on my body, and its flowing movements were inspiring. It took me a bit of time to get used to the slightly new sequence, but I ended up loving it.

I made a video to share it with you:

Just click here to watch the video on Facebook.

To me this variation brings a peaceful sense of surrender (who doesn’t need that when you’re a mother!). Continue reading →

Just over a week ago I woke to learn that massive fires were burning just 20 miles north of my California home.

(I was so grateful that the fires HADN’T been here 2 weeks earlier, when 24 beautiful women were in town for our Divine Feminine Yoga Retreat! Here’s a photo of these sweet souls whose radiance warms my heart to its core.)

It took a few days for the full import of the nearby fires to sink in…

… that a dear friend had lost her home and all her belongings on the first night of the fire… that a retreat center where I had led Yoga retreats had burned to the ground… that the fire was still 0 percent contained 3 days later… that so many friends, animals, firefighters and relief workers were suffering with exhaustion, displacement, smoke inhalation, and loss.

As the air filled with smoke and as schools and libraries closed and athletic events were cancelled, we could not escape the proximity of these fires.

But really, we are always living in the midst of fire. Whether internal or external, near or far, something is always burning, being destroyed, or transformed. And it is the internal shakti of each of us, that divine flame within, that makes being around our beloveds so powerful!

Take a moment to consider: What fire are you experiencing in this moment? What in your life is being burned, destroyed, or transformed?

In the Vedic tradition, fire is represented by the god Agni, and is a central part of rituals such as marriage or cremation, where we literally leave our old self behind and transition to a new form. There is also the dhuni, a feminine cleft in the ground that holds a sacred flame, where prayers for healing, protection, and renewal are offered. Continue reading →

Today marks the beginning of Navaratri, the traditional 9-night celebration of the Divine Feminine in India.

This is a wonderful time to take a new action
or make an inspired commitment to yourself!

(Read below for the inspired action I’m taking…)

Navaratri takes place once during the fall and once during the spring, always when the Moon is waxing. Celebrating Navaratri aligns your energies with the growing light of the Moon during this seasonally-balanced time (not too hot or too cold). In so doing you are connecting with women all over the world who also celebrate feminine power.

Most importantly, by celebrating Navaratri you will be reminded of your own innate Divine Feminine being. This is who you are! A Goddess, brilliant and shining, sometimes waning, sometimes waxing, always whole.

Here are four simple steps to celebrate Navaratri:

*** Find a place to observe the light of the Moon close to your home ~ a nearby field, your bedroom window, or maybe a porch. Make a vow to look at Her (or in Her direction if the night is cloudy) with love at least once per night for the next 9 nights. Allow yourself to be surprised and delighted as she grows and changes (just like you do!).  Inwardly cheer her on, receive her growing blessings, and take them into your heart.

*** Bring extra beauty into your life at this time. You might create an altar of fruits and flowers, set up a picture of the Goddess where you can easily see it, or dress a little extra special yourself. The Goddess loves beauty and color, so allow yourself to feel the subtlety, joy and radiance you embody AND see in others. Continue reading →

In my late 20s I suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. I was constantly getting sick or getting better, unable to go out on the weekends, and barely surviving the work week.

Despite how debilitating this experience was, it turned out to be a great gift in disguise. Chronic fatigue brought me to yoga, and without it, I would likely not be practicing or teaching today!

Similarly, every healing crisis, every flu, cold or extended illness is an opportunity to consider where we have gotten out of balance, lovingly release what isn’t working, and open to entirely new levels of wellness and joy.

Here are 10 steps to survive a healing crisis ~ and to emerge happier and more whole on the other side!

1.  Forgive yourself. Everyone gets out of balance sometimes, even the most accomplished of yoginis. No matter how much we aim for good self-care, no one does it perfectly. When we let ourselves off the hook for being human, the healing process can begin.

2.  Take a pause.  Do you need to take time off from work? Ask someone to watch the kids? Take a mental health day?  For many women, the tendency is to put others first ~ our clients, our kids, our work.  Reverse this tendency now, and you will become a great model to those around you. And you’ll be able to show up at your best when you DO get back to work!

3.  Get expert support for your immediate symptoms. Do you need to see a doctor, an acupuncturist, get a massage, or call the advice nurse? Sometimes a day off is the only way to be seen.  Get help to begin to heal.  Continue reading →

Happy New Moon, and Happy New Year!

It’s raining here in California, and I’m enjoying a quiet day at home.

But so many women I know feel pressure to set New Year’s goals rapidly, to get back to work quickly, to be high performers for themselves, their kids, or their clients.

So I shot a quick video for you about the trouble I see with New Year’s.

Watch video now: Click here.

Nature isn’t pressuring herself to get back into full bloom, and we as women shouldn’t either! Here’s to happy resting, and a long, slow January.

After the election of Donald Trump
We are still free.

We are free to feel our anger, our rage, our tears.
We are free to love our men,
And love our women.

We are free to speak out for the vulnerable,
To protect those we love,
Comfort those in pain,
or living with fear.

Free to be angry at our own
Liberal smugness
And groupthink,
So sure our candidate would win.

Free to question ourselves:
What part of me led to this?

What part of me ignored the pain
Of factory workers losing jobs
To Mexico, or China,
Or immigrants?

What part of me has not understood
How it feels to be a wounded man
In today’s increasingly feminist world,
Or a white person overwhelmed
By the pace of change?

What part of me thought of Trump supporters
Or those uncomfortable with immigrants,
Or Muslims,
As “deplorable?”

What part of me has been unable to connect
With young people,
To truly listen to their perspective,
And reach out through their disillusionment?

What part of me went along
With the comedians’ glee
At Donald Trump’s entry into the race
Happy for someone they could mock so easily,
Until another part of me realized
“This isn’t funny any more;
I don’t want to hear any more jokes about this,”

Only it was too late,
Because everyone else had done the same thing,
And the genie was out of the bottle.

Now more than ever, I feel passion to grow,
To be even more disciplined in my practice, my meditation.
To be a light to my sisters, to the world.

My neighbor, whose parents survived the holocaust,
But whose aunts and uncles didn’t,
Tells me she is moving to Canada.

Another told me last week
Of abuses suffered at work
Because she is undocumented.
How is she feeling today, I wonder,
With threats of deportation hanging in the air,
And further abuses looming?

And what of my niece,
My beautiful, 9-year-old, biracial sweetheart?
What do we say to her,
As she watches the first African American president
(her true idol)
Replaced by someone embraced and celebrated
by the leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

I am you and you are me.
I am the immigrant, the Muslim, the child.
I am the one who was mocked,
And the woman who was assaulted.
I am the factory worker who lost his job,
And the woman afraid she may be deported.
I am the disillusioned youth,
And the disaffected citizen,
Who declines to vote.

And so I recommit to my practice,
I recommit to love.
I will become a brighter light,
Freer, purer.

I look to others who have been that light in the darkness,
Who have suffered hatred, and abuse,
For so much longer than any of us could imagine,
All with equanimity,
Without hating in return.

The Dalai Lama.
Sojourner Truth.
Nelson Mandela.
And so many, many more.
These will be our heroes this year,
These will be our true leaders.
I want to read their stories,
To live 1/100th of their light.

Let us be that candle, be that light.
Let us shine more brightly than ever before.

Because today, I am still free,
Free to be light, be love, be courage.
Free to have the best year of my life.

~ Yogeshwari Laura Cornell

Please pass it along! Namaste. <3