Ganesha (and Contemplation)
Today is a good day for me to contemplate on the Ganesha archetype — the one who places obstacles in our way and gives us the wisdom to know how to remove them or avoid them. The obstacle I can… (READ MORE)
“The Yoga That Destroys Sorrow”
“For him who is moderate in food and play, moderate in performing actons, moderate in sleep and waking, for him is the yoga which destroys sorrow.” Bhagavad Gita, 6.18 (trans. Gitartha Samgraha, in Abhinavagupta’s Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita). Food… (READ MORE)
“A Balanced Diet, in Moderation, Is the Best” (Yoga of Eating Part IV)
Geeta Iyengar, in Yoga, A Gem for Women, sums up the proper diet according to Ayurveda as follows: “A balanced diet, in moderation, is the best. Ayurveda says that the stomach should be filled with two parts of solid food… (READ MORE)
On Reading Patanjali (to help get ready for work)
This morning my sit was full of lots of random thought waves. This was no doubt, in part, due to my having four meetings, a call, and a lunch scheduled. When I was finished, I went into the library, picked… (READ MORE)
Food is the link between self and spirit (Taittreya Upanishad and the Yoga of Eating Part III)
The Self in man and in the sun are one./ Those who understand this see through the world/ And go beyond the various sheaths/ Of being to realize the unity of life./ Those who realize that all life is one/… (READ MORE)
Yoga of Eating Part I (what it is and what it isn’t)
Yesterday, a former student of mine stopped me in the hallway at Willow Street and asked whether the “Yoga of Eating” workshop I will be leading on June 13th will cover Ayurveda. “I will mention it,” I said, “but I… (READ MORE)
?shva=1
is part of the string of characters for one of my email accounts. Is it a sign or is it a coincidence (that I would be asked every day whether “shva” is one)? Is something still a sign even if… (READ MORE)
Would My Life Have Been Different?
The other day I found myself wondering how and whether my life would have been different if at 20 I had been introduced to the writings of Abhinavagupta instead of those of Derrida. It is always interesting to contemplate “what might have beens,”… (READ MORE)
Why Study Yoga? (and Pete Seeger’s 90th)
In the session yesterday, in discussing the Siva Sutras, Paul Muller-Ortega said that the whole of the teachings are in the very first sutra, even in the first word (caitanyam — consciousness). For students who, on hearing the first word from… (READ MORE)
“Jiva is Shiva”
The inside book flap on Jaideva Singh’s translation and commentary on the Pratyabijna Hrdayam, say “Jiva is Shiva.” Singh notes that “pratyabijna” means recognition. The tantric philosophy underlying this work holds that by have acted from absolute freedom (svatantriya) to… (READ MORE)