Cherish your people. Hug them deeply. Tell them “I love you”, as often as possible. I recently realized, ever since the day I should have died in 2008, that’s how I live. You never know when “this” time together, or goodbye, will be the last. What is more: Choosing to be fully with who and what is present … Continue reading Love/Live Like It’s Your Last Day
I've been feeling unusually stressed lately. In exploring "why", two root causes revealed themselves. With several literal stacks of books to read for my doctorate project, looming papers to write, trying/struggling to teach more yoga, wanting to plan in-person events for my book (once we're allowed again), and more, future tripping is a prime culprit. When … Continue reading Being Here, Now, with Hearts Full of Love
I can't wait until ... things go back to normal, a vaccine comes, we can freely hug one another, our political and racial divides heal, I graduate, warmer weather comes, and the list goes on. What's on your "can't wait until" list? Mary Oliver said, "I don't want to end up simply having visited this world." As … Continue reading Being Great Full
This breathtaking view blessed me Thursday morning. Beauty is like kindling in that it ignites the flames of our lives. I can be having a terrible day, yet one moment of beauty will turn it around! It is nectar for our souls. Still, you know how we can’t help but gaze at a car wreck, yet … Continue reading The Blessing of Beauty Hunting
Heaven is in your toes. Bliss rests on my fingertips. Enlightenment shimmers on our faces. One of the biggest gifts of practicing yoga, has been increasingly experiencing the truth of these statements. You see, while our beautiful brain is super good at decisions, judgments, comparisons, and critiques, it's not so helpful when it comes to … Continue reading Heaven is in Your Toes
You know how in our era of rationality and logic it's easy to dismiss those who freely and fully believe(d) in angels and demons as "simple"? I wonder if they might be the wise ones! Whether literal or not, isn't there something demonic about the pull and power of excessive, repetitive, or controlling Want, Wealth, … Continue reading Slaying Our Demons with Understanding and Kindness
Is your mind a bit of a drama queen, like mine? You know, dwelling on the worst possibilities, fretting about 1 negative word or experience when there were 20 positive ones, blowing your missteps out of proportion ("I'm a failure!"), and judging others harshly for their mistakes. The more I live, the more I realize … Continue reading Thinking Less to Be More
I'm balding, need more sleep than when I was younger, am starting to grow hair in new and "fun" places like my ears, have all sorts of scars, and am getting evermore gray-haired and wrinkled. When I dislike such physical and life changes in myself or others, I suffer. When I yearn for something that … Continue reading Dancing With Life Like a Jujutsu Master
Yoga, it seems to me, can be summed up as the practice of this'ness. Enjoying this breath. Loving this person. Witnessing this moment. Caring for this world. Cherishing this body. Drinking in this scenery. Giving our all to this task. Listening well to this word. Savoring this food. Fully feeling this emotion or sensation ... especially ones we prefer to avoid. Yoga is the radical embrace, presence, working with, experience, and Love of THIS. Some … Continue reading The Life Changing Power of “This”
Has anyone ever said or written something to/about you that made you feel like your heart had been literally stabbed? I got an email like that the other day. Ouch! I've come to realize the thing that tears me apart the most is when someone inaccurately thinks or speaks poorly of my character, nature, intentions, … Continue reading What I’m Doing with a Hurtful Email
Grace and Peace Yoga 