Now and then over many years I have written the occasional FOTM. I realize now, that in one way or another I always write about awareness. As it is such a huge subject, I have approached this in different ways; the present moment, consciousness, the wi …
The meaning of life is to drop all the meanness. When meanness drops away—what remains is kindness. To choose kindness over meanness is to live a meaningful life. The purpose of our lives is to remember who we really are—to remember our eternal connect …
On a very hot day, after a long and rather hazardous walk in the tiny streets of an unknown city, I stumble upon a jewel, an Ali Baba’s cave of sorts. The owner of the shop welcomes me in with a “bonjour”, and it’s a festival of colors, sounds, and te …
Most of us have had the gift of a yoga teacher in our lives. This teacher is someone who has mastered yoga and can teach us the tools and techniques of yoga practice while also embodying the ideals of yoga in their life and inspiring us to strive to ac …
In the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita, we see a very distressed Arjuna whose mind is confused and full of anxiety. He tells his chariot driver, Krishna, that he doesn’t think he can go into battle and gives many reasons why. He wants to quit his job an …
Everything in this material world changes. It doesn’t always change according to how we would like it to, but as a yogi we learn how to be steady and even joyful in the midst of upheaval. Happiness is our true nature, to be unhappy is to deny our true …
The Yellow Crane Tower “The yellow crane has long since gone away, All that here remains is yellow crane tower. The yellow crane once gone does not return, White clouds drift slowly for a thousand years. The river is clear in Hanyang by the trees, And …
A friend of mine who is an animal rights vegan activist asked me if I had any tips that might help her be able to be a better speaker on the subject. “Who will you be speaking to?” I asked. “Normal people, who know the typical ignorant small town Ameri …
Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease—meaning the virus jumped from animals to humans. The stress of confinement suffered by trapped and enslaved animals is known to bring about pathologies. We know this from past pandemics. Mutations allow diseases to jum …
As we embark on our spiritual journey, we might speculate on what is the final destination, if any, on our path? We have heard the accounts of the enlightenment of the Buddha. Perhaps we have read of the sudden satori of a Zen monk, or the ecstatic rap …
The mind must be trained to move slower than the slow and faster than the fast… If the mind can run faster than the speed of light, faster than the speed of electromagnetic waves, and slower than metabolic changes in cell physiology, only then can it n …
The first word in the yoga sutra is atha. Atha is considered an auspicious word, a good sign, a benediction that sets a musical tone; it means ‘‘now,’’ referring to not later and not before. Thus, for one to experience yoga one must put aside thoughts …