We are becoming a soft culture. When life seems a little challenging, it is easy to escape, and the escape routes are numerous. Food, alcohol, stores, television, and internet are among the variety of ways we can pamper ourselves. When we continually take these easy escape routes, we lose access to our capacity to endure. […]
Contentment is the basis of happiness and peace. Yet we live in a culture whose economy thrives on keeping us in discontent. Think of the constant bombardment that comes at us with the sole purpose of alluring us into discontent. We get pulled out of ourselves longing for what we don’t have. And where the
Taken from a recent article I wrote for Integral Yoga Magazine, Summer 2013, on Cultivating the Niyamas. I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, “Well, at least the war on the environment is going well.” These words captured the angst of our times where in the midst of so much not working, we are
Samkya philosophy, the philosophy that undergirds the practice of yoga, understands all matter to be the result of 3 strands of energy: that which expands, that which contracts, and that which moves these 2 along a continuum. This philosophy states that mastery in this world is obtained by choosing the action that will lead to
Seeking Equilibrium Read More »
As summer days find me pondering on my porch sipping a cup of tea, my mind flows to the preciousness of time. I mull over the countless teachers whose message is presence and mindfulness in the moment. And as the gentle breeze finds my skin and the sun warms my face, I understand. There are
I am back from India now, and I feel like I should write about my trip; trouble is, I can’t even find words to tell myself about it. This was my sixth trip to India, and although my idealism regarding India has lessened with each journey, my love for her has increasingly deepened. I, who
The town of Khajuraho is home to an exquisitely built temple complex known for its erotic engravings lining the interior and exterior temple walls. A tribute to human skill and endeavor, these temples represent the range of human capacity. The lower levels of artistic engravings display the beastly tendencies and ordinary daily activities of life.
If there is one thing India teaches a person, it is how little control one has over life. In India, the gods laugh at people who make plans. And I have to admit, I’m one of those people. I have an ongoing love affair with the illusion of control, and planning plays a large role
The Best Laid Plans Read More »
