some of my favorite pieces of writing started as iPhone notes
which is exactly where dumpster yoga [a practice for the masses] began. a quick note saved on my phone. where many of my most pressing ideas live.
the idea struck me as my friend was explaining how she did stretches at the bus stop. and was practicing balancing on one leg as she rang people up at the deli counter at the co-op. and how she wanted a to pray while she took out the trash.
i felt the truth of her words radiate inside me. i was in yoga teacher training at the time and my thoughts were cluttered with how to use words to guide people into their bodies, and how our bodies, breath, and attention can guide us into spiritual connection. given this, what she was expressing felt urgent. and necessary. and important.
it felt like this huge missed opportunity—the fact that all these people were moving around their lives in these bodies ALL DAY every day not even realizing they could be practicing yoga.
[insert something about how commodification of wellness and spiritual practices disenfranchises people and communities from themselves and their bodies here]
initially, i pictured dumpster yoga as a cute little zine. pocket sized with a pink or yellow cover and blocky lettering. but life is life. and i am inpatient and chronically short on time (mostly due to my need to keep very busy and very obligated and very caffeinated at all times).
the point is: i wanted to get this idea into the world, and right now substack is how that is going to happen. so, yay! another substack!
i want dumpster yoga to be a place where people build community, share ritual and routine, and connect creatively. i believe that yoga and spiritual practices should be accessible and useful and integrated into fabric of our lives. dumpster yoga is how i plan to share the ways i work toward that end, in hopes that others may connect or relate what i share to their own lives and experiences.
a bit about me and what i believe
(yes, i am plagiarizing my “about” page)
i am a writer. i write nonfiction, mostly essays and poems. you can read things i’ve published here, here, here, and here. i believe in the power of words.
i was raised by a writer in an arts oriented community. i believe in the power of attention.
i am a yoga teacher. i do not currently have a home studio, but have led intensives on several retreats. my teaching practice centers functional approaches, accessibility, and spirituality. i believe words and movement and movement and words can be combined in beautiful and transformative ways.
i am the youngest of seven. my big complicated family has been and continues to be one of my greatest teachers.
i studied child development in college and i am currently parenting a 2yo foster child. i think about babies a lot. children are one of my greatest teachers.
i grew up in Minnesota, surrounded by rivers and lakes and snow. water is one of my greatest teachers.
i am sober and actively in recovery. i believe in radical honesty, and forgiveness.
i believe in connection and community. i want to find ways share practices more widely. (hence, this newsletter).
i’ll leave you with this: welcome! i’m excited to give this a shot. if you want, take a minute and introduce yourself on the intros thread. or send me a message, or leave a comment.
today, i am grateful to have had the chance to write this. to have started. to be working to translate this idea into words. to untangle a bit of this knot for (and with) you. i’m so glad you’re here.