Scott Kilpatrick

It has been some time since I have posted anything. Most of my work has been one on one with some of my students as of late. I did have a student that inquired about a subject that resonated with me and, through my response, I had obviously thought of […]

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“Every living being longs to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is […]

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  Several years ago, (five to be exact), I found myself at a plateau in my practice. Some of the people that I practiced with seemed to be in a similar situation, so I wrote  10 Steps to Take Your Yoga Practice to the Next Level. While these options are still […]

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Shifting Perspectives Growth is not always pain free. Sometimes growth stings twice for each lesson learned. As life unfolds, and experiences make you wise,  you reach a point of having a completely new perspective on your past. The unfortunate aspect of this two-part dynamic is the sobering realization that when […]

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It’s been several months since I have completed anything in writing. Though I have started numerous articles, how-to’s and blog posts. I’ve had trouble coming to a sensible end to anything. The thoughts have been there but they seem really disorganized. The last couple of months have been very interesting. […]

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Prepare for the Resolutions It’s that time of year. People who want change in their life are looking for something healthy to begin in January. I applaud those who desire to change, and recognize January as a crucial time to ensure so many new people have a great first experience […]

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The most rewarding aspect of being a yoga teacher is that I get to experience and witness a side to people that most others do not get to see. In class, I get to see a room full of people let go of societal expectations and step into the present. […]

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I have been teaching regular yoga classes for three years now and have a seven-year asana practice. My meditation practice began more than half a lifetime ago. I don’t consider myself to be an expert on yoga or even a good yoga teacher for that matter. I strive to continue […]

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The Psoas Aside from being the deepest and one of the largest muscles in the body, the psoas is often overlooked and misunderstood when considering strengthening the core. The psoas sits on each side of your lumbar spine where it attaches to the vertebrae and stretches over the hip joint […]

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While on my morning commute, I often take notice of the new yoga studios that seem to almost spring up overnight. It’s a great benefit to have so many options for access to yoga. However, of the Seven studios within a 15 minute driving radius, I find but only two […]

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The Gita Concisely Summarized The Plot The Quick and Dirty A guy is (understandably) upset about being on the brink of battle with his family. A trusted friend turns out to be a god, and reminds him of all the reasons there’s no reason not to slay them all- dharma, […]

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It is time. The signal by the earth has been given. The smallest of seeds begin germination. After a cold long winter, a tiny insignificant desire that was safely tucked away between the strewn leaves and dead grasses starts the first steps along a way defined by countless others before […]

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This is a well rounded flow that can be followed as is for a Intermediate practice or each of the main asanas can be focused on without the deeper expressions for a basics class.It’s divided into sections. The standing poses come after the warm up and lead into navasana early […]

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I’m currently enrolled in a yoga teacher training where the group is always tasked with home-play (homework) to finish off the course of the duration between sessions. This time, our home-play was to inquire into the nature of a person’s interaction or response during our interactions. The inquiry is something […]

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A co-worker admitted to me today that he wanted to “give yoga a try”. I responded, without pause. “Why would you want to do that?” To which he immediately responded, “You’re not a proponent of yoga!? Then why do you do it?” In my own amazement at the situation, I […]

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So I really haven’t been writing that much lately. Not as much as I used to anyway. My words are less ‘flowey’ lately, and have taken on a more technical tone because my job as an IT consultant. My career life has been creeping into my yoga life more and more. […]

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I work as an IT consultant and consider myself to be a guest at many of the corporations that specialize in the oil and gas and energy sectors throughout the U.S. I use the word guest, because I am invited into their organization for the consultancy process in which I share […]

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Lots of times, we cue lengthening through the crown of the head so that your Levator Scapulae Muscle will get a lengthening action. Thats on one end of the spectrum. Sometimes its to create a release in the rectus capitis posticus minor which feels very ‘destressing’ for a lack of […]

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Thumbnail image for Warrior I Woes

This week, a student asked why teachers cue the transition from Warrior I direclty into Warrior II during vinyasa sequences. She further stated it’s one of the most difficult and disruptive transitions in a sequence. If you think about it, there are few other poses that utilize the warrior I […]

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Partner Yoga Workshop   Centering In Prepare your Introductions and set expectations before centering. Please share with the group, that communication between partners is important for each partner pose. Communication before going into the pose, during the pose to make sure safety and comfort is maintained and communication for exiting […]

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Whether you’re a yoga newbie, or a seasoned practitioner accustomed to a routine practice, having the right teachers can make all the difference. If your teacher is good, he or she will not only teach you new things as your practices progresses, but may also inspire and support you through […]

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Yoga is Not a Competition A common phrase heard in yoga circles is; “Yoga is not a competition”.  While I admire the intent of this message, I rarely see teachers or students follow through on the philosophy of a non-competitive yoga environment.  Correct, yoga is not a competition, but people […]

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How would you describe your hands on your mat during down dog? Kittie Paws or Tiger Claws? I recently wrote and article explaining the reasons yoga teachers always ask students to smile during class and especially during difficult poses. I began realizing how often yoga teacher repeat the same things. […]

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As axioms change, the familiar becomes uncomfortable.  When ambitions begin to serve a higher purpose, motives are questioned from a lower perspective. Embarking upon a noble path may require officiating a farewell to imbalanced knowledge and its’ associations. We often try to manage or balance the good with the bad […]

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I was recently given the opportunity to travel to Anchorage Alaska for a business project.  Having already learned to suspend expectations when faced with the unfamiliar, I put aside all that I had heard and assumed about this great northern land.  The day I departed, I left Houston, TX where the […]

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Smile! How many times have you heard this cue from a yoga instructor? If you are hearing this command in class, then likely the last thing you are thinking of at the moment is a cheekish grin. Maybe you’d oblige to showing your teeth, and maybe let out a little growl to […]

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You can’t make tea by dipping a tea bag in hot water. It must sit for some time, become re-hydrated and then the effects of steeping begin to appear. The essence of the tea leaves and the water become inseparable.  As  the strength of tea is proportional to the length […]

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How important is purity of self-talk? It is commonly said that we are our harshest critic. It’s true, most of the time those around us rarely give us negative criticism. As people strive to be accepted and accepting, we often hear praise that we have done well or reassurance that […]

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In western society it’s common to be taught that in life, hard work reaps reward. It starts with school work. Better grades reward us with opportunities at prestigious colleges leading to  a degree in a field that promises a rewarding career. To what extent does the universal maxim apply to the practice of yoga? […]

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Hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid,hyaluronate,HA) is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans. HA forms in the plasma membrane of cells instead of the Golgi, It has a molecular weight often reaching the millions and it’s non-sulfated. Glycosaminoglycans are long unbranched polysaccharides consisting […]

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It’s intern season at the office once again, and there is an abundance of youthful eagerness with faces of excitement, Prep-school attire and wobbly high-heel gaits. I find it most rewarding to witness these young adults at the beginning of their career, so timid, un-assured even a little shy. But […]

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Lately my thoughts have been centered around sadhana and my inquires have pertained to the context of “why, how, where”. I think this is a phase in my practice where kriya is on autopilot and I’m simply following through with what I know works. It’s not quite taking my practice […]

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Recently, I’ve been giving thought to the topic of more advanced asanas. Yoga encompasses various bodily postures that range from the passive-restorative, which require little to no effort to execute, up through the range of physically demanding asanas all the way to the super-human level that many of us love to aspire […]

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Getting Familiar with your Joint Mobility, Tension and Compression. As we age, movement begins to lose its range of motion and connective tissue begins to get hardened and muscles begin to shorten. Yes, mobility is one of the first things we begin to lose as we age, but with awareness of […]

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On a recent retreat, I wrote down a few thoughts that i wanted to share. To learn, evolve and transcend, we use witness, comparison and our own insight. We draw on our own conclusions through previous experience. But to go beyond ourselves we have to subscribe to a practice, teaching or doctrine. […]

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I’ve heard that April is one of the cruelest months of the year. A time when nature is coaxing animals out of hibernation, encouraging seeds to break from their protective shells and prodding people out of their comfortable cozy patterns in life. This is the nature of spring and its’ essence of […]

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I began meditation at what I consider to be an early age. It was during high school when I discovered a book called The Mental Athlete. I can’t really recall what compelled me to read a book at that time, but I did manage to finish it once I realized […]

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I have been edging my way into teaching yoga after having my Yoga Alliance certifications for more than a year. I started with private coaching here and there and occasionally substituting for one of my teachers.  The availability has not been there for me to teach regular classes because of […]

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“Of all Yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in me, thinks of me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to me, is the most intimatley united with me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is my opinion”  –  Bhagavad-Gita 6.47 ( yoginām api sarvesāḿ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā […]

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In so many yoga and pranayama practices I find emphasis being placed more on the inhalation than the exhalation. It’s important to note that the overall quality of a breath cycle is just as dependent upon the quality of your exhalation as it is upon the quality of the inhalation. Through […]

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