Category Archives: Yoga

My Yoga Playlist May Surprise You

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Yoga teacher training changed my life.  Yet, in the thick of it, those six months were comparable to attending boot camp.  There were strict rules, high standards, and last minute schedule changes that had trainees jumping through hoops to find babysitters, teach impromptu classes, and cram for a "surprise" final written exam.   Our trainers were traditionalists.   Through the intensity of the program, their beliefs became deeply ingrained into my psyche in such a way, that they led to nightmares, like the one where I can't recall the Sanskrit names of the yoga postures I am teaching my students (bad!)  … Continue reading →

Church of The Diva

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I am a recovering adult child of the religiously traumatized.  If you were force fed religion as a child for the sole purpose of performing in a rite of passage ceremony at a certain age, perhaps you know what I mean.  If the messengers of that said religion delivered its doctrines while instilling in you fear, guilt, and confusion, then maybe you too, once suffered from the condition I am talking about.   It didn't help that the God they presented to me was not the most loving and forgiving of all holy beings.   God was watching, and he was judging.  … Continue reading →

Lucky

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Thirty eight dollar and ninety six cents? How can that be all that's left in my bank account? I stare at the screen of the ATM machine, and retrace my steps from the past few weeks.  I don't remember spending all that money!   Back at home, I lock myself in my office and go through my check records, but not without several knocks on my door. "Mommy, I thought we were going to the store to get ice cream," Miss F asks from the hallway. "We can't get ice cream today honey." "But you promised. " "I know baby, … Continue reading →

The Fierce Diva Guide to Being Yourself, Outside Voice and All

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It began with strings of hushed whispers in the corners of yoga studios around New Jersey.  I would run into a yoga friend I had not seen in a while, whose response would be something like, "I don't get here much anymore.  I go to Yogi C.'s studio now." "Yogi C. even turned my husband onto yoga!" "Yogi C. got me into Scorpion pose last week.  I never thought I'd be able to do that." I'm a skeptic when I hear of any teacher whose reputation creates this type of buzz.  You all know about my experience with Shiva Shakti, … Continue reading →

The Legend of Shiva Shakti: The Fierce Diva Guide To Trusting Your Instincts

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She sauntered into the room like a porn star arriving on the set, hips jutted out in front of her in a walk led by her groin.  As she strolled past me, I noticed the chipped polish of her neon green pedicure, the bleach blonde highlights that swayed between her tattooed shoulder blades, and the outfit that was slightly too revealing for her firm, yet post menopausal body.   "Namaste," she murmured, in an Oxycontin slur, as she crossed her tanned, bare legs into lotus pose.   Thus, began my workshop with Shiva Shakti, the yoga celebrity who boasted a national following.* … Continue reading →

When Diva Gets Dumped

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When Diva Gets Dumped: An Original Play in One Act, by The Fierce Diva  SCENE ONE (Distraught DIVA, an attractive young woman in casual attire,sits across from DUDE, at a small table in a crowded restaurant. Both have barely touched plates of food in front of them.Dude's body is slightly turned away from Diva. His arms are crossed.) DIVA (Sobbing into a tissue) It's me, isn't it?  What did I do?  DUDE I told you.  You didn't do anything.  DIVA Am I too clingy?  I'm too clingy, aren't I?  DUDE You're not too clingy.  DIVA I'm too independent.   You don't feel needed. … Continue reading →

Fierce Thinking

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"Happy" is not my default temperament.  As a matter of fact, I spent years and thousands of dollars in therapy seeking it, with the hopes that the person sitting opposite my couch would help me find that one "great insight" that would shine the light on ever-after contentment.   While my work in therapy did not afford me "happily ever after,"  it led to a self awareness of my destructive personality/behavior patterns (i.e., my "low self esteem" leads me to pick unavailable men, my "fear of failure" keeps me in low-paying, dead-end jobs , etc.)  Self awareness is helpful,  but it … Continue reading →