Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Speaks On Consciousness And Our Ecology “We have always used the water of holy rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna to purify ourselves, but today we have reached a point where we have to purify this water.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. For spiritual leader and humanitarian His Holiness Sri Sri [...]
Stay Strong For the past seven years, David Newman (also known as Durga Das) has been traveling the world with his wife Mira and other band members (including beloved LA-based musician Philippo Franchini) sharing the art of kirtan (call-and-response devotional singing) live and with albums like Lotus Feet and his newest, titled To Be Home. [...]
I had made all the excuses I could think of to not learn Tibetan – I’m entering menopause and my hormones are erasing my memory; I don't have time; I’ve never had a propensity for languages. (I took five years of French at school and can remember about three sentences and have only some broken [...]
Shangri-La In the 1950's, a religious order rooted in ancient Indian philosophies established a center in the hills of Montecito. Have a century later, the Vedanta Society of Santa Barbara remains a serene retreat that embraces all faiths God was not especially welcome in our New Jersey home. On the contrary, my father offered the [...]
Yab-Yum Images In Tibetan Buddhist Art One of the most provocative features of Tibetan Buddhist sacred art is the frequent depiction of male and female spiritual beings locked in intimate sexual embrace – referred to in the Tibetan language as “yab-yum” or “father-mother” aspect. Whether shown seated together in meditative equipose or standing in dynamic [...]
Finding An Authentic Voice: Suzanne Sterling Singing is one of the most intimate outer expressions of our essence. Whether it’s chanting the sacred names of the divine, singing along with the radio or joining our voices in happy birthday, we can feel that singing is more than just making a musical sound; it’s the [...]
A Moment-By-Moment Meditation From The Radiance Sutras, A New Version Of The Vijïäna Bhairava Tantra Back in the day, I was a “fire and forget” yogi: get up in the morning, flow through some asana, praeayama, meditation, and then forget about yoga and just go live. That was the ‘60s, and that was the teaching. [...]
Animal Spirit Representations of Kundalini Energy Kundalini is a very powerful and transformational energy located at the base of the spine at a space within the last three vertebrae of the tailbone or coccyx that extends to the perineum. Kundalini is a natural birthright for all people and can be sought and nurtured with a [...]
Exhale Twice in Santa Monica Santa Monica makes room for another EXHALE Spa located at the Fairmont Hotel & Bungalows on Wilshire Boulevard. The green hotel partnered with Exhale when it wanted to build a spa that caters to each guest holistically. At the Fairmont, Exhale boasts massages and facials using organic and additive-free products, [...]
The Sport of Yoga On power yoga teacher Mark Blanchard’s website, Cincinnati Bengals player TJ Houshmandzadeh describes his yoga practice, “It’s like lifting weights and stretching at the same time.” When in LA, Houshmandzadeh trains with Blanchard and the football star appears in Blanchard’s newest DVD series. These types of testimonials may well inspire a [...]