I like birds OK… I admire the little hummingbirds that flit and feast from the feeder at our window and I will always stare in awe when I see one of the lovely birds of prey and the herons… well, their long legs dangling, gangly, from their otherwise graceful bodies always make me smile.
That said, there is one bird that drives me a little crazy… The Pigeon!

It could be said, I suppose, that Pigeon is probably the posture from which I can achieve my greatest growth and expansion, both physically and spiritually.
And I get that. Really… but damn, it hurts. I breathe. I adjust. And I breathe some more. Like I said, I endure. Despite my willingness to expand my yogic horizons through this posture, my hips are not as amenable. They continue to resist.
So, the trick is to respect the perspective of my tight hips, but slowly, gently ease them into opening just a little further each time. It means managing my own expectations, of course. I don’t get to tell them what to do.
It’s yet another exercise in surrender… for both of us.
Pigeon is a posture I would just as soon avoid, in favour of others I prefer (hello, Child’s Pose!) but I don’t.
I don’t let either of us off the hook!
For the low-down on how to get your pigeon on, here’s a lovely variation.




Finally… a school district that has actually taken on the “higher” in higher learning!
I guess yoga isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to makin’ babies… and surely, I don’t think I ever thought of massaging my innards with a ball when it came to the months we spent trying to conceive the energetic little pip that is my second son.
Lovely, lovely… and, despite the exertion involved a nice relief from the previous posture, Dekasana- airplane.
In time for Christmas, I turn to the the OM-nipresent, the OM-nicient, the OM-nipotent and the ever OM-nificent… to guide me through the minefield that is holiday shopping. And, in case there’s some confusion to whom I might be referring, let me be clear… I’m talking about 
Back from Thanksgiving and, Idon’t know about you, but I’m finding the need for balance, in diet- navigating my way from abundant meat and cheese (until Christmas, creamy fondue and Calabrese salami!) and back to hot rice cereal, greens and lean protien… and practice! Whew! Moving on in the series we find ourselves moving from grasping our toe
Just when you thought all was well with the world… you’ve successfully unwound yourself out of Eagle and with a long, delightful exhale are ready to take it down a notch.

