Devotion (Bhakti)
Much is said about devotion in yoga, and there is a great privileging by many of the path of devotion — bhakti. With no clear answers, I contemplate often what it means to practice bhakti, to be devoted in a… (READ MORE)
What Do You See?
What do you see when you walk down the street or into a room? Do you see more or less depending on whether the surroundings are new to you or familiar? John Friend has said that when leading a class… (READ MORE)
“In, Back, and Apart”
As I was preparing my week’s classes, I was led to contemplate the off-the-mat import of the words — “in, back, and apart” — used to describe the actions that activate the Anusara alignment principle “inner spiral,” which is also… (READ MORE)
After the Exhileration, Work
We all (or at least most of those who would be reading this blog) have heard the Buddhist-inspired saying: before enlightenment, the laundry. After enlightenment, the laundry. The question is whether after the moments of enlightenment can we infuse doing… (READ MORE)
In Our Own Back Yard
It is a great privilege to be able to travel and to experience and witness what is made especially exciting to us by virtue of its difference. If we are open to it, though, we really need go not much… (READ MORE)
Asta Vakrasana Variation
I was working with photos today and came across this shot a friend took a little over a year ago. Long gone is the memory of exactly why I did not stay fully in the pose. Perhaps this was the… (READ MORE)
Hare Om Ganesha
A friend wrote an email to me this morning that in a recent office move, the plaster ganesha he’s had on his wall broke. Not to worry, though, he had been given another one to sit on his computer. Ganesha,… (READ MORE)
Happy New Year–Breaking Open (web version of e-newsletter)
Dear Friends, Midnight of the new year found me sitting in a hotel room near the Chidambaram temple at festival time engaged in intense conversation while listening to wild music and chanting and the cracks and explosions of fire crackers. … (READ MORE)
About the Monkey Mind?
Signs Around Town (and More Thoughts on the Dangers of Yoga)
These stickers have been around town for awhile; I first noticed them during one of the big marches. I assume that it is meant to be ironic. The idea of fighting for non-violence, though, certainly highlights the degeneration of much… (READ MORE)