Author Archives: kristinshepherd

Beyond the Fling

I didn’t think I’d have to revisit the headstand in yoga. I did, after all, learn to fling myself up against a wall, remove one foot at a time from the wall, slowly, and balance for a good ten seconds … Continue reading

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Priests and Doctors

When I was a kid, priests had a lot of clout. You were rude if you questioned them. (Isn’t this original sin thing a bit negative? A bit manipulative? How does saying 29 Hail Marys absolve me of the sins … Continue reading

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Edna and Thich Nhat Hanh

I’m pretty certain my friend Edna has never met Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk with whom I spent a week in silence a few years ago. My guess is that, if she did meet him, she would think he … Continue reading

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The Solstice 108

My yoga group celebrated the winter solstice by doing 108 consecutive sun salutations. This is not a joke. I don’t know the significance of the 108. Perhaps it’s an Upanishad thing. Perhaps it is the number of lifetimes you should … Continue reading

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Ho.

We have no lights up. We have no tree, yet. We look like lonely Jehovah Witnesses, lonely because we aren’t Witnesses, so we’re not inside hanging out with Witness friends, enjoying some specific biblical interpretation that keeps us satisfied with … Continue reading

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One jump at Christmas

So I can do it in one jump, now. The headstand, I mean. And it is fantastic. Totally exhilarating, though like so many victories, it’s been eclipsed by two things that have happened since. First, I showed my headstand to … Continue reading

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A Life in Two Jumps

I may have mentioned that I recently visited a yoga class during which I was kicked in the face by an eager headstander. It was a hard kick. I staggered a bit. I may not have mentioned that I had … Continue reading

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Stamp this on your forehead

Avery is about four years old. She comes into my clinic with her mom. One of Avery’s favourite things to do is find one of my office stamps – the kind that stamps my clinic address on cards and magazines and … Continue reading

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Gump

So I’m in this play called Marvin’s Room, having been cast about three days ago as Marvin, a man who never actually appears to the audience, and who has no dialogue. Not one line. He makes sounds (he’s had a … Continue reading

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Say we’re apples and we want a big, sweet, juicy life

(Or a few thoughts on how to get what we want.) 1. Stop going around saying we’re small and sour.  So what if we are?  We’ll grow into something different, and being sour about being small and sour is a counterproductive drag. … Continue reading

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