Sharon Fennimore

August 3, 2019

by Sharon

General

Loose Chickens

My eyes adjusted quickly to the hazy light of early morning in my bedroom as I woke with a start at 6:23 am to the sound of wood splitting and the insistent sound of annoyed chickens coming from our chicken coop. A chicken in danger makes …

March 16, 2019

by Sharon

Uncategorized

Mommy Belly: A Physical Therapist’s View

This is a guest post written by Dr. Kailee Venzin, Women’s Health Physical Therapist, specializing in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum services. She is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Did you bounce back easily after your pregnancies? Or does your belly seem to just “bounce” instead? Many new …

September 12, 2018

by Sharon

Satya as a Form of Grace

Satya is one of the most complicated of the yogic ethical principles. It is translated as “truth” in many texts, but truth is, in and of itself, a construct of culture. For example, I may hold as “truth” in my Quaker faith that everyone has the …

June 10, 2018

by Sharon

General

Embodied Childbirth Preparation

I am SO EXCITED and truly honored to have the opportunity to facilitate a Dynamic Childbirth workshop in Vermont at ZenBarn on June 24th. And, how amazing was it for Shaina Levee of Birth Love Family to write such a wonderful blog post to introduce me …

May 7, 2018

by Sharon

Online Matrika Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training and Certification

I’m so excited to have opened enrollment again in my online Matrika Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training and Certification course. My course is unique in that it brings Tibetan Buddhist subtle body anatomy, meditation, and cultural anthropology into the training. Included in the course is a section …

May 3, 2018

by Sharon

Beautiful and Sensual

I have been using essential oils in my practice and for self-care for many years. It all started when I participated in some classes and workshops taught by Amy Galper and Schuyler Grant around yoga, acupressure, and aromatherapy about sixteen or so years ago. A couple …

March 9, 2018

by Sharon

Imaginary Tea Party

In my memory, a significant part of my childhood was spent in imaginary play. From a quick review of photographs, I spent a lot of time in a leotard with a tutu. I was either dressing for the job I wanted or I just liked the …

February 24, 2018

by Sharon

Unicorn in the Sky and Other Magic

Hello there dear! It’s Bibliotherapy Saturday and I decided to start today’s exploration with a magazine I don’t usually read. Ever. I decided to start with February 2018 issue of Astronomy magazine. Why you might ask? Good question! It’s because there was a hook on the …

January 31, 2018

by Sharon

General

Opening to Enchantment

“Do not weep, life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we do not want to know it, and if we did want to know it, tomorrow there would be paradise the world over.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov en·chant·ment inˈCHantmənt,enˈCHantmənt/ noun 1.a feeling of …

January 17, 2018

by Sharon

Hiding in Public

It is only recently that I have learned that I am an introvert. More precisely, I am an extroverted introvert. I don’t not like being around other people and do not have trouble in crowds or social situations. I can introduce myself to strangers and make …

November 3, 2017

by Sharon

Happy (?) Holidaze!

Whether you feel like this is the most wonderful time of year or you’d prefer to go into hiding until it’s all over, I’m offering some services unique to the season that can help you find some relief or just create more time and space for …

January 31, 2017

by Sharon

General

Tibetan Yoga Classes

Tibetan Yoga on Wednesday Mornings 10:00 am In my personal practice of yoga, in the past five-years, I have started to bring more and more of my meditation into my yoga and more of my yoga into my meditation. Essentially, it is now one practice. This …

January 10, 2017

by Sharon

Professional Development for Yoga Teachers

In April 2013, I closed my brick and mortar yoga studio, Yoga Matrika, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and pioneered yoga and meditation studies through distance learning. In the process, I tried a number of different platforms for holding classes and teleseminars and worked with hundreds of …

December 15, 2016

by Sharon

General

Rejected Miracles

I’m a doula—a woman who nurtures other women during pregnancy, pregnancy loss, labor, delivery, and all the transformations after birth that sometimes feel like magic, but other times just feel like poop. A lot of poop. So, it seems appropriate to me that I feel very …

November 23, 2016

by Sharon

General

Attitude of Gratitude? Not so much.

While we all know that cultivating an attitude of gratitude is a part of living our most joyful life, how can we authentically do this when we are less than grateful? Feeling ashamed or guilty about the “real” nature of our feelings, or pretending to be …

November 9, 2016

by Sharon

Forward Folds and Bending Over Backwards in Nature

The number one thing that adults say when I tell them that I am a yoga teacher is: “Oh, I can’t do yoga! I’m so inflexible and I can’t even get close to touching my toes.” For about twenty-years now, I have tried every socially acceptable …

November 1, 2016

by Sharon

Ask Sharon Postpartum

The Truth About Parenting and Sleep

When I was pregnant with my first child, who is now ten years old, I was unable to sleep well through most of my pregnancy for a variety of reasons from nausea, insomnia, heartburn, a painfully itchy rash, and other reasons. Complete strangers, friends, and relatives would …

October 20, 2016

by Sharon

Pilgrimage

Geography of Awareness

Do you see these “markings” on the back of the fern’s leaves? In fact, these patterns are spores. Each one is a potential fern. The ferns carry their fertility in each and every leaf. If you are interested in joining a spore exchange group (not kidding), …

October 20, 2016

by Sharon

General

Monkey Legs

I remember the day that I learned there was something ugly and wrong with me like it happened yesterday. The summer after third grade, when I was nine, I was invited for a day trip to the beach in Brooklyn, NY. It wasn’t hot enough for …

October 14, 2016

by Sharon

Ask Sharon Postpartum

How to Claim Your Mammauthority

Many of my clients have experiences where their authority as a mother to make decisions for their infants and parenting, or lifestyle around parenting are not only questioned, but threatened. No matter how many children you have, the time when you have a newborn and for …