Food for the Mind (Yoga Philosophy, etc)

Contemplations on readings and yoga philosophy.

Satgurus and Upagurus, Teachers and Teachings

In Paths to God, Ram Dass speaks of satgurus and upagurus.  A satguru is the true teacher.  The upaguru is anyone who teaches us something, which, when we are truly open to recognizing the good in all, is literally every… (READ MORE)

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What Does It Mean to Study War?

Martin Luther King, Jr. said:   “A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, “This way of settling differences is not just. …A nation that continues year after year to spend more money… (READ MORE)

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Bare Bones of the Trees (and Pratyahara)

One of the things that I appreciate most about winter is being able to see the bare articulation of the shape of the tree in the absence of its leaves. A dormant tree looks very different from a leafless, lifeless… (READ MORE)

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A Happy Coincidence (and the new Willow Street Yoga book club)

As regular readers may have noticed, last Sunday I was inspired to blog about Arjuna’s dilemma on the battlefield in connection with local events.  Later that day, I was reminded that this coming Sunday, January 16th, will be the first… (READ MORE)

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Another Encroachment on Individual Liberties (and Arjuna’s dilemma)

When I was waiting for the metro to go to Willow Street Yoga this Saturday morning to offer a free gentle/therapeutics class (new session starts for the class next Saturday, January 15th–all welcome), I heard a very disturbing announcement on… (READ MORE)

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My Top Yoga-Related Reads of 2010

These are not in any particular order.  Nor have I attempted to make a list of round numbers, such as “top 10,” though I could have found 10 to be “top” if I had really tried.  The emphasis here, with… (READ MORE)

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Two Temptations of Maya

In classical yoga, maya is the illusion that the tangible world is what is real.  Only atman is real; the world we experience through our senses (and our senses them selves) as reality is an illusion.  We renounce the world… (READ MORE)

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