Vaastu Shastra, the ancient Vedic science of construction and architecture is a pre-Feng Shui, traditional Indian practice derived from knowledge dating back some 5,000 years. In Sanskrit, Vaastu means dwelling, Shastra means scientific treatise. Vaastu teaches us how to live in harmony with nature and influence nature for our benefit. The principals of Vaastu inform [...]
My teacher, Erich Schiffmann, said it best, “If you want to push yourself in Yoga, push yourself to show up often.” With a chuckle, he would add “Once you’re there, there’s no need to push yourself. If you do, you get hurt. Then you get mad at Yoga, and it’s not Yoga’s fault. [...]
While teaching a workshop recently, I tried something I had never done before: I demonstrated a sequence without speaking a word. In the hushed movement of our shared breath, the participants observed my modified sun salutation and organized themselves into pairs to take turns witnessing one another. I was hoping to engage a recently identified [...]
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 [...]
Can Ancient Ritual Heal Modern Separation Anxiety? Two hours after sunset in the mountains outside of Ojai on the Winter Solstice, the longest, darkest night of the year, I lost signal on my GPS. Even though I am a country girl at heart, I still felt disconcerted blindly navigating a landscape without streetlamps, without gas [...]
Twenty-Three Years of Forming Fellowship And Promoting Possibility The word agape has its origins in the Greek language, in which it means love. One of the meanings of agape in English is love. Not just any kind of love: Unconditional love, compassionate love, brotherly or sisterly love, love of God and even the [...]
Around The World And On The Stage ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES into the practice and we knew we were in over our heads. Guru Kal, (short for Kali), a powerful lion of a man, was barking out commands in a rapid and incomprehensible (to us) dialect of Malayalam. Following his direction, we awkwardly threw ourselves to [...]
Brother Achalananda speaking at the Self-Realization Fellowship annual convocation in Los Angeles. Self-Realization Annual Convocation in LA August 2 - 8, 2009 There’s something both powerful and inspirational about sharing an enormous room with nearly 4,000 people, all poised and sitting silently, creating a meditative space that vibrates far beyond the walls. This [...]
A Family Photo Album Sometimes you're born into a family, sometimes you marry into one and sometimes you find your family in a room filled with sweaty headstanders. But whether you are bound by blood, love or belief, family means family photos. Usually the family comes first. But recently I discovered a part [...]
Everything in life has a unique rhythm. From our heartbeat, to the cycles of the moon and the length of each season, everything follows a pattern or tempo reflecting the cyclical nature of life. As a mother, I am learning to become more comfortable with the rhythm of motherhood and the balance between being a [...]