One of my favorite images is of the Hindu deity Hanuman embracing Lord Rama. The devotion of Hanuman is a powerful legend. As the story goes, Hanuman, son of a monkey (his mom) and Vayu, the Lord of the Winds (his dad), had an impressive skill. As a boy, he could lift the hills and toss … [Read more…]
On Inauguration Day, just as the new president was about to take the oath of office, I switched off my car radio and entered a wonderful new healing center down the road from my new home. I visited the center this day because my dear yoga teacher, Marla Sacks, had invited me to experience her … [Read more…]
Among the many ways yoga can change your life is it teaches you to get grounded when life tries to topple you over. Like anything worth achieving, it takes trial and error, failure and practice to hone this skill. Why is it important to get grounded? Things change all the time. Every day, the unexpected happens … [Read more…]
Recently, my yoga teacher gave me a book titled The Universe Has Your Back. It came at a particularly interesting time—a time when I felt the Universe might be conspiring to make me miserable. I wanted to trust the Universe, but sometimes it’s just so difficult! A few days before I received the book, which appeared … [Read more…]
For years now, no matter what my week is like, I have made my yoga practice a priority. Each week, I find time to attend a yoga class or two at one of my favorite local studios, and I practice yoga one or two more times on my own in my home studio (pictured below). The … [Read more…]
Paramahansa Yogananda, whose life is chronicled in the yoga classic Autobiography of a Yogi, said, “To be fit for self-realization, man must be fearless.” Yoga can make you fearless. It can also give you personal power. Fearlessness often comes up in yoga, particularly when students are learning challenging poses. But what does it mean to be … [Read more…]
You cannot be anyone you want to be. I read that sentence recently in a book about finding your dharma and it surprised me. The Great Work of Your Life, by Stephen Cope begins with an inspiring pep talk for anyone not quite sure what he or she is meant to do in this life. It’s also … [Read more…]
I had an interesting though unsettling experience recently. I posted a question online asking yoga teachers and practitioners to help me tease out the difference between the sixth and seventh limbs of yoga. One of the teachers who responded led me to think in more depth about yoga in the West. If you’re not familiar … [Read more…]
I was recently reminded of the importance and power of non-attachment in yoga philosophy. I did something for a friend and expected her to do something specific in return. Of course, as a yogi, I should have known better. After a few days, I realized the outcome I wanted hadn’t happened. And I noticed I was … [Read more…]
I had to smile when a friend thanked me for my attention to detail recently. I’d mentioned he could track a package he was waiting for with the FedEx tracking number so he’d know when to expect it. It seemed obvious to me, but he hadn’t considered this even though he had an email with a tracking number. My friend’s … [Read more…]
