Mindfulness & Yoga

Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW MFA I tell this story a lot, purposefully, as beginning a meditation project is brutal and stories and while stories failed meditation are plentiful, little talk comes as to why the meditation practice fails. When I first started meditating, about ten years ago, I wanted to do it “right.” I thought it meant sitting still, breathing slowly, keeping my mind focused on the breath or the body. I thought it meant reaching some version of quiet. With my dog P

Lex Enrico Santí, A Key Therapy LCSW, PLLC (With gratitude to Matt Kahn) In my practice, one of the teachings I return to most often—particularly with clients struggling with self-doubt, anxious thinking, or intrusive thoughts—is a talk by Matt Kahn titled The Will of the Heart. In this deeply compassionate lecture, Matt unpacks what he calls the most self-defeating phrase in the human language: “I hope this doesn’t happen.” The first time I heard this I was taking a drive to

Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA Ramakrishna, the great Indian saint, often told the story of the three robbers as a metaphor for the different forces that shape our lives. As a social worker at Cornell, I saw parallels between this story and the challenges students faced in understanding themselves, navigating external expectations, and ultimately striving toward personal freedom. Sri Ramakrishna The Story of the Three Robbers A traveler is making his way through the forest when

Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA What is Dharma? Dharma is a concept deeply embedded in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, often translated as "duty," "righteousness," or "the path." But it is more than just a job or a moral guideline—it is the unfolding of one’s true nature in alignment with the greater harmony of the world. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, "It is better to live your own dharma imperfectly than to live another’s well." Dharma is not about choosing the right pr

Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA I have been on the path of yoga, seemingly, all my life. I have enjoyed sharing perspectives and the spiritual path as part of my method of supporting clients and connecting what it means to be a being who is working on themselves in this lifetime. I don't always get it right--and the path of trying to work on yourself is fraught with pitfalls. Here is some of what I have learned of being on the yogic path. Yoga, in its truest sense, is not merely

Reposted from CrossFit Pallas Blog By Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA I began my yoga practice when I was fearful, and I began CrossFit when I was depressed. Reflecting on this, I realize that there is something to the intersection of these seemingly opposite practices. As a yoga instructor in a community of CrossFitters, I embarked on a journey to blend the two practices together, creating a holistic system that interweaves body and mind awareness. I believe that if this system

In 2018, I chanced upon a cinematic masterpiece that profoundly resonated with me, artfully weaving together a tapestry of life elements I hold dear. "On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace" swiftly ascended to become the most transformative movie I have ever encountered, leaving an indelible mark on my consciousness. This film transcends mere entertainment; it is an enlightening odyssey that I sincerely recommend every reader to embark upon. The film introduces us to Michael O'N

I write a monthly blog post for Pallas Fitness about the intersection of yoga and CrossFit. I repost the blog entries here. Has it been really another year of the CrossFit Open? We sit now; bodies still sore and the experience of the open is now somewhat behind us. We reflect, we rejoice and we set out for another year of fitness. I have been at Pallas since “the old gym” a topic for another blog entry, and I recently sat down and put together that my first Open must have be

What is Mindfulness? And other questions about how I approach therapy. I get asked this a lot: what is your approach to being a therapist? Or rather, what can we expect therapy to be like together? My approach to therapy is informed by a number of factors the first is my background and training. I came to this field later in life. I didn’t always think I would even become a therapist, even though I have long admired and worked next to the profession as a crisis manager and ad

This photo has always had a special place for me. I had the opportunity to go to Cambodia and do work with agencies that work to end human trafficking. I was a photographer on the trip, two weeks meeting men and women who had endured horrible pain and suffering in this world. I remember taking this shot after my partner at the time, who would later break up with me, had finished her set. We walked into the sun of the facility and there sat a lotus in the midst of this courtya