Yoga Angels Teach Hope On The Mat Getting on a yoga mat represents hope for many, and at the Westwood Salvation Army, the yoga of hope takes on new meaning. The Salvation Army is home for families and people who are transitioning in their lives and coping with challenges including homelessness, living in shelters, rebuilding [...]
Sports such as basketball, football, baseball, cheerleading and dance are fun and challenging disciplines that encourage focus. But sports can also be brutal and unforgiving to young bodies. Because youth are resilient, they can often be unaware of the strain and stress the body endures during practices and games. After an intense practice or competition, [...]
How yogic principles can be applied to play with children. When our hearts feel joyful, the practice of yoga and meditation can themselves be playful. The lessons we learn in this path: equanimity, focus, stability, resilience, perseverance, union, connection and balance translate well into the language and practice of play and it is possible to [...]
Pregnancy and Practice I hated being pregnant. By the end, I could no longer fit into my maternity pants and had to wear an old pair of drawstring sweatpants every day. My arms were swollen and pink. They flapped back and forth, like the belly of a pig, when I washed the dishes. My butt [...]
The Generation Trap I’m a third-generation American, a second-generation control freak, and I now realize, a first-generation yogi. The other day, I was reading a teacher’s bio. Her first teacher? Her mom. She’s been practicing since she was two. “I’ll never catch up,” I thought, which just put me farther behind. If I’d been practicing [...]
Spiritual practice to nourish the self for emotional health and grief relief I was truly good friends with my mother, and when she died of a stroke at 54 (I was 20), I was certainly not prepared for life without her. For two-and-a-half years, I lived in a state of denial, completely disconnected from my [...]
In Memorium: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917 - 2008) The first time I met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was in Malibu, on the beach. It was a typical summer day in Southern California. Not much was happening. There was a south swell. From time to time a sun worshiper atop a towel would flip over, [...]
The Spiritual Path Looks Like You What does the spiritual path look like? It looks like you. Whatever you’re doing – it looks like you doing Bikram Yoga in the evening, or joining a 12-step group, or learning kickboxing. It looks like you taking care of your kids instead of going to the meditation retreat. [...]
Sutra 18 From The Commentary On The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra IN A SONG, IN THE SPACE of a few minutes, we can let go, lose ourselves and then return, refreshed, with a deeper sense of self. In music, we ride our passions into the vibrating core of energy from which they arise. On the [...]
Lao Tzu said: “Muddy water, let stand – becomes clear.” Sthira sukha asana. Posture should be steady and comfortable, as Patanjali states in the Yoga Sutra. No matter which school of meditation you choose to practice, the physical ability to sit comfortably and steadily affects the ability of the mind to stay focused during meditation. [...]