Just like that, the ground has shifted under our feet.  Things are “falling apart.”  It is easy to seek people to blame.  It is easy to seek a narrative that makes sense of it all. 

Yet the unraveling is just beginning; it is too soon to ask questions whose answers are yet to be revealed and understood.  We do not know how many of us will die.  We do not know the economic outcome.  We do not know what relief packages our political leaders will pass into law.  We do not know what miracle cures will be discovered.  We do not know.  

But who we are right now, in this falling apart of things, will shape what is to come. Each one of us is more powerful than we ever could have imagined.  The thoughts we entertain, the use of our imaginations to build apocalypse or utopia, the capacity of our creativity to build something new out of the ashes of our failures, our choices to hoard or to share, to withdraw or to reach out, to break down or to break open….these are already determining what will be and how we will live into it.

We are falling apart together, but we are also laying the foundation for what will come.

Someday history will put all of this in context; it will weave together the causes and the outcome of these times and tell posterity how we did.  What will it write about us?

The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice can now be purchased in Spanish from or Sirio Editorial or Amazon

I love to watch movies with superheroes and heroines.  No matter how desperate things get, nothing is required of me.  Someone with super powers will come along and save me, along with the rest of the planet.

Unlike superheroes who do the work for us, the wise teachers of the past and present don’t “save” us; they teach us how to grow into a people who can “save” ourselves.   They model for us things like awareness, discernment, compassion, shadow work, and a growing love and inclusivity of others.  These qualities require constant vigilance, practice, and a willingness to sacrifice self-centeredness.

While watching Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a documentary about Fred Rogers, I found myself taking notes.  I was moved by his gentleness and honesty, especially with children. One comment that found its way to paper was Mr. Rogers’ invitation to “make goodness attractive.”

In contrast to Mr. Rogers’ statement is an October 3, 2018 article written by Adam Serwer, a political staff writer for TheAtlantic.  Entitled “The Cruelty is the Point”, Serwer suggests that for many in this country finding pleasure in the suffering of people they hate and fear has become a bonding mechanism that fills the vacancy of cultural loneliness.

It is no secret that our world is struggling for its very survival while we humans determine the very nature of our species.  Superheroes will not save us.  Nothing will change until we realize that we are the game changers and that goodness can be found within us.

As 2019 approaches, can we envision a world where we each find pleasure in “making goodness attractive” and together be the super power we are waiting for.

Wayne Allan Dirks

My father died 2 weeks ago.

He not only had his will, his wishes, and his belongings in order, he also had his heart and soul in order.  He was ready to accept what life brought and to accept death when it came.  He was ready to take his last breath with a prayer of gratitude on his lips.

One of my final memories was sitting on Dad’s hospital bed, holding his hand.  He was in a lot of pain, yet his mind was incredibly sharp. I asked him what he wanted to happen in his pained, weakened state.  He looked at me with the smile I had come to expect and said,  “If I die, I get to be with Jesus, and if I live, I get to stay here with Nancy…either way I win.”

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I have noticed lately how often people use the word busy or talk about how much they have to do. Busy has almost replaced the word “fine”, when responding to the question, “How are you?” Even my 3-yr-old granddaughter felt compelled to tell me how busy she was, although I wonder if she knows what the word means.

It seems there are high expectations placed on us by both society and ourselves to meet a certain criteria of accomplishments daily.  I am amazed how much of a failure I feel each day that I don’t post, or go on Facebook, or accomplish much of anything.  I keep looking for something to do, even when my body objects.

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This article written by Deborah Adele first appeared in Yoga Internatiional 7.10.18

After the 2015 publication of my article “Living in Brittle Bones: My Life as a Yoga Teacher With Osteoporosis,”I was greatly surprised by the response I received. It wasn’t just the number of comments or the enormous interest in the topic. What surprised me was some of the content in what has been an avalanche of emails, that even now continue to arrive in my inbox. The majority of these emails have been from yoga teachers or yoga studio owners who are dealing with the same thing—an osteoporosis diagnosis—and who, in some cases, were told by their diagnosing physicians to give up yoga completely. That surprised me.

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In the beloved story of the Bhagavad-Gita, a corrupt and narcissistic king sits on the throne. He is selfish and greedy with little concern for the welfare of the people he rules. As a result, everything is out of balance and suffering prevails.

Enter Arjuna, our main character. Arjuna is a warrior, and it has fallen to him during these difficult times to lead a battle against the forces of self-interest in order to restore wellbeing to the whole kingdom.

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