8 November, 2015 This week marks the Indian holiday of Diwali, which is generally known as the Indian Festival Of Lights. Yet, it signifies so much more. Most markedly, the 5-day festival celebrates the triumph of Light over Darkness by recalling the many battles won by virtuous warriors over evil demons. On a social level,…
Category: Gratitude
A Warm & Fuzzy Feeling
Today I am applauding the little kid who assaulted me in June. I dedicated my morning yoga practice to this child; I am smiling; and my heart is singing. For the back story, please read “Peace Tools: Infinite Compassion” from June 2012. To summarize – one evening last spring, a familiar kid (about 7 or…
Gratitude, Pt. 2: Shiva and the Darkness
I recently found myself apologizing to god. It was the umpteenth time that I’d broken out in sobs while singing along with Jai Uttal’s “Om Namah Shivaya.” To be exact, it was Monday, October 24th. I was driving to rehearse with The Shaktis, an all-female Kirtan group with whom I play percussion. Two days before,…
Focus: Abundance – Love & Light
I have long believed that people are beautiful beings, inside and out. Our humanness, our perfect imperfection, our state of constant growth gives me faith in the beauty of life as a whole. Tonight a street drunk and I watched a meteor fireball together. I was walking to yoga class when a huge white comet-looking…
December Focus: Abundance
Snowflakes are falling on the homepage of WordPress. I’m listening to Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #1” in which young lovers dig a tunnel from house to house after the neighborhood is buried in snow. And outside, for real, it’s finally Winter cold. I’m fasting today. Liquids only.* There’s nothing like an empty body for writing about…
Focus Wrap Up: Gratitude
Thank god for Facebook! I NEVER, EVER thought I’d hear myself say those words. Yet indeed, I am grateful for the social media connector that I ignored for years. Why? Because my Facebook community brims with love-filled, purpose-driven, truth-telling, soul-baring, mistake-making, frustration-sharing, poetically-waxing, wisdom-seeking yogis and other beautiful humans who strive to live an intentional…
Focus: Gratitude – Inter-Faith & Cultural Fusion
Around Thanksgiving, some might grunt and gripe about family dynamics (me included) This year I want to offer huge gratitude to my parents. Because Mom and Dad motivated my passion for fusing spiritual and cultural influences. Mom (rest her soul) was a blue-eyed Church of Christ farm girl born to Irish settlers near Nashville, TN….
Monthly Focus: November – Gratitude
Today I feel really, really lucky. The amount of joy that I get to experience throughout the days is beyond what I might have imagined years ago, when I was stuck in shadows and pain. I dare say, life IS a bowl of cherries – sweet fruit, crunchy pits and all! And because of this…
Focus Wrap Up: Yoga In Action
To wind up our September/October class focus of “Yoga In Action,” we are expressing appreciation for noble acts of service through Pranayama and Asana. Whether your service occurs within your family, your workplace, your community or otherwise, please take some time to breath deeply into your beautiful, generous heart center and celebrate your efforts. Lift…
Oh Death
“Well what is this that I can’t see, with ice-cold hands takin’ hold of me?” – Traditional Folk Song I’ve got Ralph Stanley’s rendition of “Oh Death” in one ear and cheesy music-on-hold in the other, as I wait for a Southwest Airlines phone agent. I’m wondering if I can make it to a funeral…
The Urban Yoga Den 