I hear a lot of yoga-related questions throughout the average day: “Am I doing this right?” “What’s a namaste?’ “What do you mean ‘yoga isn’t just a physical practice’?” But my favorite question I’ve ever been asked was beautiful in its simplicity: “What is gratitude?” And my answer is not as simple. Gratitude is an idea and a practice upon which I’ve built much of the last few years of my life. It is an underlying intention from which I live, love, move, and teach. It’s a practice of naming things, people, feelings, and ideas that I am grateful for in my life, and... Read More

The founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Marc Brackett, has conducted a massive survery regarding how people feel right now amidst the panic that COVID-19 has caused. Brackett has conducted similar studies before, but for the first time, this study found that 95% of people felt anxiety, stress, and fear. Even the 5% leftover are not feeling joy or happiness, but instead feeling hope and optimism that things will get better than they are now. With no way of knowing how this will continue to affect the world, feelings of stress could continue for an indefinite amount... Read More

Did you know that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month?  November was declared National Epilepsy Awareness Month in 2003 to help end the stigma surrounding the condition and to generate education and understanding for those living with epilepsy. People all around the country get involved and show support for epilepsy awareness to help promote change for those who are affected. I am one of approximately 3.4 million people in the U.S. living with epilepsy and 65 million people worldwide. Those affected by the condition are more than those affected by autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s... Read More

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the world premier of the documentary exploring marijuana’s use and evolution as a plant and industry, “The Legend of 420”. The film was produced and directed by Emmy and Academy Award-nominated, Peter Spirer, with Rugged Entertainment and XLRator Media. The premier in Denver, now the hub for hemp and marijuana movie premiers known as Hollyweed, was made possible by Amy Bourlon-Hilterbran, the founder and CEO of Millennium Grown Broadcast Network. Millennium Grown brought this premier to Denver, and contains online content about marijuana and hemp... Read More

For me, marijuana has always been a means of mental stress relief. Before I became a cannabis athlete, I consumed marijuana regularly to help with anxiety and stress. Before moving to Colorado, from Missouri in 2015, my life consisted of 60-70 hour work weeks in corporate finance, and if I wasn’t in the actual office, I was at a dinner, or an auction, or some other event related to my work. The success was nice, but the stress was overwhelming. After long days and/or nights at the office, I would come home and calm my nervous system with the relaxing smoke of marijuana. Being in Missouri at the... Read More

  My yoga instructor always says, “Do you think you are enlightened?  Spend some time with your family.”  The point is, even the most zen of us can get caught up in relationship patterns and history that can harsh our mellow.  You may have started the holiday season already stressed.  The 2016 election was unprecedented in its divisiveness and the levels of anger and frustration that played out before and after.  Some of that divisiveness may have been within your own family and, now that the holidays are here, it may seem like the level of frenzy is higher than usual.  The... Read More

If you’re like most professionals these days, you often feel stressed, overwhelmed and distracted. Naropa’s Authentic Leadership Center (ALC) offers evidence-based solutions to shift these destructive patterns while increasing focus, productivity and well-being through cutting-edge trainings and events. Fall “Mindful Workplace” Event Series in Boulder Monday night kicked off the ALC’s Fall “Mindful Workplace” event series at Naropa’s Nalanda campus at 6287 Arapahoe in Boulder. The ALC provides cutting-edge training for global leaders from every sector integrating transformational... Read More