Community
Effort, Ease, and Grace
My two favorite extra-curricular activities are trying to teach me something lately, and I have the feeling their lesson may apply elsewhere in my life. At about this time last year I began playing music with a couple of friends … Continue reading
My perfect afternoon…
A few Sundays ago I saw the Dalai Lama speak in Boston. What a surprise!!! I had never seen him before, but based on what I had read I expected it to be inspirational, a real tune-up for the soul. … Continue reading
What’s Your Biggest Obstacle?
What obstacles prevent you from getting the most out of your yoga practice? We asked our teachers what restrictions they most often see in their students. Some of their answers may surprise you. (Hint: it’s not about getting the pose … Continue reading
Pantanjali’s 7 Oars for “Rowing” Through Hard Times
I’ve spent my share of time on a therapist’s couch untangling knots in my brain. It was time well spent, a worthwhile if expensive self-exploration. But nothing a therapist ever said was as helpful to me as seven simple verses from … Continue reading
Not Stealing
As a kid I once pocketed the change and bills I saw on the tables in a restaurant. I thought the world inexplicably kind that day, and I didn’t think to ask whether the money belonged to someone. If I … Continue reading
Non-harming
Non-harming is the first practice on the list, a sign at the outer perimeter of the territory of the first ten practices of yoga. “Entering Non-harming Population: TBD” The countryside is initially familiar, with little to distinguish it from the … Continue reading
Having Fiery Energy
I prefer not to define this principle in the conventional way as zeal or discipline, mainly because I don’t aspire to be a zealot or disciplinarian. I like the term “fiery energy”; it is close to the Sanskrit roots and … Continue reading
Devotion
Last year I studied a book containing a dozen side-by-side translations of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, looking for differences and common threads. Among the scores of verses I studied in this way, the one on devotion had the most diverse translations. … Continue reading
Self Study
When I was a young man I had the recurring feeling of being dissociated from my body. Everything around me had a sense of unreality; I felt as though my Self was the only thing that truly existed. This was … Continue reading
Truthfulness
To a fault, it has always come more or less naturally to me to tell the truth. Earlier in my career I nearly lost my job by guilelessly telling the truth in a delicate political situation. My friends called this … Continue reading