Underground Yoga ॐ

11/24/2025

Life lessons that change our lives…
Teaching ourselves “health boundaries is not for the faint of heart.
We want to be liked and accepted. That’s natural. Maintaining relationhips in fear of not being liked is problematic.
Let’s agree the “energy” you put “out there” inevitably comes back to you. Good or bad.
And, we have all tried too hard to keep all the balls in the air. This leaves us exhausted and emotionally drained.. and eventually can turn into resentment.
That’s a heavy load.
Add to this the holiday season, and it could feel like the walls closing in.
Setting healthy boundries ahead of time can save some grief.
The reality is, we deserve more than convincing someone else of our worth.
We deserve to spend time with the people that value our connection/friendship/relationship.
What about when we dodge someone at the supermarket only to find out they’re right behind you at the checkout. It’s awful. You might engage in small talk and they suggest lunch sometime and you’re polite and agree - knowing full well you have no intention of spending time with this person, let alone having a meal with them. For whatever reason – no judgment. We can’t click with everyone.
The point being, we need to be a little bit more honest face-to-face, kind of course, but more honest.
And honest with ourselves.

For many years, I’ve put into practice these sure fire ways succinctly listed by ‘Recovering People Pleaser’ that button up healthy relationship boundaries that can be life changing:

1. "I'm SO sorry but I can't, I have this thing and I feel terrible about it!"

Now: "Can't make it."

That's it. Full sentence.

2. "OMG yes of course! When?? I'll make it work!"

Now: "That doesn't work for me."

Why pretend my schedule is infinitely flexible.

3. "Are you mad at me? You seem mad. Did I do something?"

Now: "If something's wrong, let me know."

I'm not responsible for reading minds.
Or managing their emotions.
Or apologizing pre-emptively for existing.

4. "I mean... I guess? If you really need me to?"

Now: "No."

One word. A full sentence.
The friendships that survived this = the ones worth keeping.

5. "I'll try my best!" (knowing I can't)

Now: "I can't commit to that."

Honesty upfront > disappointment later.

6. "No worries at all! You're so busy! Whenever works!"

Now: "This is the 3rd cancellation. I'm stepping back."

Patterns matter. Noticing them saves a lot of grief.

As a new chapter unfolds for us all, guide yourself back to healthy relationships even if it costs you some not so healthy ones.
Make space for yourself.
Yes, it’s hard.
But we’re stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

11/22/2025

My favorite joke to tell in class is when I nearly skip a side and when someone undoubtedly begins the 2nd side & I get to say “Mary will be teaching tomorrow” and we have a good laugh.
Yoga is serious business but we learn not to take ourselves too seriously.
Life is meant to be enjoyed. 😌

11/17/2025

Dear friends…

11/09/2025

My Dad always said, if you “loan” money (friends/fam/someone in need), never expect it to return. If it does, great. But never bank on it. Never place an attachment on the money you’re handing over. In this case, that $3,000 became an investment on herself.
We shouldn’t grip things to tightly-otherwise we’re just setting ourselves up for disappointment.

“Ten years ago I met a professional flower girl. She was 24-years old. She was going through a tough time, so my husband and I tried to help her. We let her use this space. We laid out all the money: transportation, allowance, everything. I worked alongside her in the shop. But the flower girl, she always party. She took the $3,000 I gave her and disappeared. It’s OK. She was young, whatever. We were going to close the shop, but my husband said: ‘You are always happy when you are here, why don’t you run it yourself?’ So that’s what I did. I used to be a fashion designer, so I’m very good with color. I know composition naturally. And also-- everything I touch, it grows. People think it’s a miracle. It’s not a miracle. It’s just a matter of caring. When your customer authorizes you to do something, do the best you can offer. People are not dumb. They can see how much thought and time you put into your work. They can tell if you are like crocodile, doing as little as possible, trying to eat all the money you can. Look at all the shops up and down the street—you can see who puts their heart into it. Look at the plants in front of the store. If the plants are dying, the business is dying. It’s a matter of caring. You must care for everything around you. First, I take care of myself. That is most important. I’m seventy-one. If my muscles feel pain, I stop. I’ll do my stretching. Then I care for my husband. He’s a very good partner. Two years ago he had a stroke; he has some minor health things still. So I care for him. We adopted two little kitties. We make them delicious food like human food: turkey, chicken, fish. They grow very big. We take good care of them. Then we care for our friends, our customers, even our customer’s dogs. If you treat your customers’ dogs well, they will smell you and remember you. Everything is together: plants, animals, humans. If you care, you will grow. But not enough people care. It's not that they aren’t smart. It’s that they want to try everything, so they never care enough about any one thing. Too many choices. Me? This is my only choice. Come by anytime, I’m around.”

11/02/2025

Your November ID and Password should be in your inbox.
This month we’re mitigating anxiety! Yay!😉
Just in time for the holidays!

11/02/2025

We are back to 9:30am Sunday mornings via Zoom.
Krishna Das leading chant is like balm for the soul. Enjoy!

10/25/2025

As picturesque as our sanctuary is, we’re on Zoom at 10:30 as it will be in the 40s & low 50s 🥶
Sorry 😅

10/18/2025

I don’t know where my post went!
Just wanted to thank everyone that came out tonight for Meditation as Mediation: Kosha Nidra. 🌀
I get just as much from it as you all do. 🙏🏽
It will be in the 50s on Sunday morning, so needless to say, we will be having class at 10:30am VIA ZOOM. 🥶
Yes, 10:30am. ⏰🍂🍂
(Bohdan took this📸at Promised Land)

10/18/2025

10/11/2025

We’re on Zoom at 10:30 am in the morning!
Friday evening is our Meditation as Mediation: Kosha Nidra with Nadya-please dm to join us!