“Our world is wounded, fractured, broken and burning. We are products of this place and it is our job to heal the world through the healing of our selves.” ~ Chani Nicholas The difficulty of maintaining peace of mind during this world’s current upsets is obvious. On the eve of the U.S. Presidential Election, I…
Tag: Compassion
Spring Break (Through)
I think I am finally back to my old self. The one that smiles lovingly, that adores humanity, that feels her body, heart and soul energized by everything in this crazy, amazing, beautiful life. Welcome back, Holly. Welcome back. Stick around. Phew, what a winter! I feel like I am waking up from a bad…
Not Love: Anger
LOVE: Brief (and maybe not so brief) explorations for our February class focus. (Or maybe not.) * * * I am sooooo tired of my brain right now. Tired of flip-flopping between compassion/anger, yoga/rawness, awakened/avoidance, should/shouldn’t. Yesterday afternoon I was verbally attacked by someone who was obviously stressed before our encounter, poised to pounce and…
My Heart Exploded
The night before the world would end, my heart exploded. I’d been asleep for about an hour, when my eyes gently opened. I was lying on my back, with my hands resting on my chest. Suddenly, in the core of my heart center, I sensed a feeling that is hard to describe. At once heavy…
Compassion for Killers, Revisited
“For as long as space endures and the world exists, may my own existence bring about the end of suffering in the world.” – Shantideva (8th Century Indian Buddhist Scholar) * * * I cannot dwell in resentment. Because if I do, I am only adding to the pain of the world. In light of…
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…
Peace Tools: Raja Yoga
(Note: Much of this is adapted from my May 2010 post on “Transition & Balance.”) According to my teachers, the ancients invented Hatha Yoga so people could sit longer during a specific task. Back then, yogis were sages who were meditating toward the highest state of harmony, otherwise known as Samadhi. In his commentary on…
Ahimsa Now: 100 Days of Intention – The Final Word
Ahimsa Now. I just spent 100 days exploring violence, its patterns, its causes and the tools for avoiding it. (For background, see “The Roots of ‘Ahimsa Now: 100 Days of Intention’” at the bottom of this post.) What rings true in all of my observations and experiences – when someone is in pain, that person…
Peace Tools: Infinite Compassion
“For as long as space endures and the world exists, may my own existence bring about the end of suffering in the world.” – Shantideva (8th Century Indian Buddhist Scholar) * * * For the final quarter of my 100-day exploration of Ahimsa (for a brief background, see “The Roots of ‘Ahimsa Now: 100 Days…
Ahimsa Now: 100 Days Of Intention – The Halfway Mark
Back in April, I launched a 100-day exploration of “Ahimsa” – the Sanskrit word for “avoidance of violence” or “avoidance of harm.” Each morning, I light a stick of incense and say, “Ahimsa Now” – the name of my envisioned non-profit organization. Ahimsa Now’s mission is to use yoga and related practices to address emotional…
The Urban Yoga Den 