LifeForce Yoga Archives - Amy Weintraub

Are You a Meditation Dropout?

Are You a Meditation Dropout?

Are you a meditation dropout? I’ve been meditating for a long time. I received my first mantra when I was 19. In my twenties and thirties, as a householder, there were periods when I abandoned meditation entirely. It was during those periods that depression set in. Thankfully, in my late thirties, I found my way back to meditation through yoga, pranayama, and mantra chanting. In the more than 35 years since, I’ve rarely strayed far from my daily practice. I have strayed, though, letting myself get caught up in a morning routine that left little time for formal meditation. Even then, when I could, I practiced Yoga Nidra in the late afternoon. Still, when I [...]

Are You a Meditation Dropout?Amy2026-11-11T12:31:21-07:00

Drawing a Blank

Drawing a Blank

As a writer, when I finish a literary project and send it out into the world, querying agents, I feel a familiar mix of fear and hope. I also face the blank page of uncertainty: What, if anything, do I write next? Whether you write or not, I think this feeling may be universal. A kind of, "What now?" or "How can I best serve?" When these questions arise, I proceed by taking the next right step: volunteering for service positions in my spiritual and twelve-step communities, staying connected with friends, and responding to family members who reach out, while respecting boundaries. These responses serve me by opening my heart, bolstering my self-esteem, and supporting [...]

Drawing a BlankAmy2026-10-07T11:18:01-07:00

Through the Eyes of Love

Through the Eyes of Love

As I drove back and forth across the country in sometimes searing and unexpected heat this summer, the physical beauty of our country often brought moments of tearful prayers—gratitude was often in my heart’s mind. I’m back in Tucson now, and I fall asleep replaying precious memories with family, with friends and with my colleagues and students at Kripalu. Love guides me, breathes through me, and that is what I see reflected back in the eyes of those I meet. Most of the time. But not always. Daily life is not without setbacks, annoyances and disappointments and there were moments of these too. Living in acceptance means that I trust in the order of things. [...]

Through the Eyes of LoveAmy2026-09-16T12:11:49-07:00

Extraordinary Yoga Teacher Summit

The Extraordinary Yoga Teacher Summit is a free 9-day online gathering devoted to depth, personal practice, and steady teaching, and I’m honored to be contributing a session. I said yes because this offering is oriented toward what genuinely sustains yoga teachers — not what performs well. The conversations are grounded, thoughtful, and rooted in the heart of practice. The summit runs June 6–14, 2026, and is free to attend. It brings together 30 experienced teachers from many yoga traditions exploring what it means to teach — and live — yoga with integrity over time. Presenters include Lizzie Lasater, Todd Norian, Daniela Hess, Jillian Pransky, Lauren Walker, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Mark Whitwell, Larry Payne, and more. In my conversation with [...]

Extraordinary Yoga Teacher SummitAmy2026-05-26T05:51:59-07:00

Bahamas Beach Retreat 2027: LifeForce Yoga for Depression and Anxiety

This retreat offers the sweetness of in-person connection in an amazing location to ground and let go. Learn ways to shift your mood into a steady state of balance and acceptance and general well-being, no matter what life brings. LifeForce Yoga’s accessible formula blends modern science with ancient wisdom for managing depression and anxiety.

Bahamas Beach Retreat 2027: LifeForce Yoga for Depression and AnxietyAmy2026-11-10T11:03:47-07:00

Lifeforce Yoga and IFS (Internal Family Systems) Virtual Workshop

Lifeforce Yoga and IFS (Internal Family Systems) Virtual Workshop

Online Registration LIFEFORCE YOGA & IFS Virtual Workshop A Synergistic Integration to Soothe, Restore and Heal Wednesday June 17 | 5:00-7:30pm MT with Amy Weintraub and Laura Schmidt LifeForce Yoga practices help us access the self-compassion we need to safely down regulate our nervous systems. Internal Family Systems helps us relate to ourselves and others with curiosity, clarity and an open-heart. Experience how these two healing modalities beautifully integrate through a LFY introduction that blends a gentle, evidence-based, clinically appropriate yoga protocol to help you self-soothe and clear your mind. Through IFS, start to befriend your internal family of parts–the emotions, thoughts and behaviors who protect, manage and react, as well as the tender, hidden young ones who long for [...]

Lifeforce Yoga and IFS (Internal Family Systems) Virtual WorkshopAmy2026-05-12T13:44:09-07:00

Living in the Eye of the Storm + free practices

Living in the Eye of the Storm + free practices

Lately it feels like the news is full of what I call the “smite” stories — the “vanquishing our enemies” or “God is on our side” kind of headlines and quotes. Doesn’t it seem as if our world is becoming more violent, more divisive, more distrustful of the other? The constant stream of graphic images and minute-by-minute updates can make it feel as if the storm is raging everywhere. Yet the evidence tells a somewhat different story. The most violent time in human history, based on the examination of 3,500 human skeletons, appears to have been between 1200 and 400 BCE. While violence certainly still exists today, research shows that it tends to wax and [...]

Living in the Eye of the Storm + free practicesAmy2026-03-11T14:15:28-07:00

LIFEFORCE YOGA & IFS: New Tools to Bring Balance to Your Life

LIFEFORCE YOGA & IFS: New Tools to Bring Balance to Your Life

Online Registration LIFEFORCE YOGA & INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS New Tools To Bring Balance To Your Life   August 9-14, 2026 A Summer Retreat at Kripalu. We all have a Precious Center. A place within that is unsullied by life’s traumatic events. LifeForce Yoga skills remove restrictions and help us access the compassion we need to explore our wounds with clarity and wisdom. IFS teaches us how to relate to ourselves and others from a place of inclusion, empathy, and curiosity, and the two modalities dovetail beautifully. You will experience the blend of a gentle, evidence-based yoga protocol to help you self-soothe and clear your mind as you work with your IFS parts. The manager parts, reactive parts, and those tender young parts from a place of compassionate self-awareness that [...]

LIFEFORCE YOGA & IFS: New Tools to Bring Balance to Your LifeAmy2026-02-11T10:59:48-07:00

On Listening

On Listening

As I write, we as humans on this planet are in the midst of holiday festivities—or perhaps a quieter, more contemplative time. As you read this, you may be in recovery from the holidays. I can’t help but notice what my inbox looks like this time of year, when “Primary” feels more like “Promotions,” and “Promotions” feels completely out of control. By sending my monthly(ish) newsletter, I realize I’m adding to that noise. What does that mean? Maybe it points to something universal: a need to be heard. The human cry goes up—just listen to me! (Though right now there’s also a lot of just buy me.) Despite broadcasting my thoughts here (yes, I see the irony), I want [...]

On ListeningAmy2026-02-11T07:58:50-07:00

Gratitude Isn’t Always Simple

Gratitude Isn’t Always Simple

For many, gratitude comes easily this week. For others, this season stirs up complicated memories — and both experiences are real. Some hurts are small and fade quickly; others shape us in profound ways. Even those deeper wounds can reveal surprising gifts when we’re ready to look at them. What Research Tells Us Much has been written about the uplifting effects of gratitude, making lists, counting our blessings, and some research shows that gratitude practices can reduce depression. When compared to neutral writing (journaling), the effect was small, but significant. So, it may help, especially in times of confusion and uncertainty, times like these. Reframing Changes Everything A technique I learned when I read The Goddess Within by Jungian psychologist Roger [...]

Gratitude Isn’t Always SimpleAmy2025-11-28T08:24:41-07:00