The Sanskrit word santosha means contentment. Contentment is a slippery idea: If we say that we are not content, or feeling discontented, there are those who will look upon us as being ungrateful, or needing to work harder. If we say that we are content, there is sometimes the illusion of complacency. How can [...]
A Discussion Sparked By Dr. Mark Singleton’s Yoga Body At any given moment in Los Angeles, from pre-dawn into the evening, from the beach to the Valley, and all across the basin, people are striking a pose. Surfers are standing on the shore doing Yoga-inspired moves to warm up for the waves. Runners, dancers [...]
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait Karma Yoga In Action In his evococative biography, Touched by Fire: The Ongoing Journey of a Spiritual Seeker, teacher Pandit Rajmani Tigunait PhD describes his own path of spiritual seeking and questioning, of meeting his spiritual teacher, Swami Rama, and the great benefits that can come from living the contemplative [...]
Our sense of hearing is a vital part of who we are, how we relate to the world, and on a spiritual level it is a vital part of how we relate to the Divine. Unfortunately, as we age our ability to hear typically begins to decline and as a result, so too does the [...]
These colorful produce items all peak in Southern California in November, providing a gorgeous bounty for your Thanksgiving table. Ayurveda divides the world among three primary doshas or seasons – vata (Fall into the early part of Winter), pitta (Summer) and kapha (late Winter into Spring) and we in the West tend to [...]
The Indian name for the planet Mercury is Budha, derived from the Sanskrit root “budh,” which means “awaken, become aware.” A “buddha” is an “awakened one.” With its slightly different spelling, “budha” means “awakening,” as well as “intelligent, clever, or wise.” It can also denote a “wise or learned person.” In ancient Greek and Roman [...]
Free Yoga For Children With Special Needs What have I been put here to do? It’s a question I asked after recently seeing Wayne Dyer speak. It has become clear that I am here to inspire and to heal, through teaching Yoga, and even more importantly, through giving back. Through seva. My sister wrote the [...]
“The future of sustainability is in our cities and towns. Urban neighborhoods are ideal for the promise and potentials of permaculture design. Our cities embody the greatest concentration of the social, intellectual and physical resources needed to create a sustainable system.” - Larry Santoyo. EarthFlow Design Works. Vice President of the Permaculture Institute. Permaculture (named [...]
Benefits of Forest Bathing and Taking a Walk in the Woods One can easily enough imagine a walk in the woods as peaceful and promoting a feeling of well-being. The Japanese, having acknowledged the therapeutic benefits of such time, even have a word for it – Shinrin-Yoku – forest bathing. Immersing oneself in nature is [...]
Ritual in Motion, Unmasking the Secrets of the Body Through The Thinking Body, The Feeling Mind® When you step over the threshold of Linda Lack's Two Snakes Studios on La Cienega Boulevard where she teaches her signature technique of The Thinking Body, The Feeling Mind®, there is an immediate feeling of entering sacred [...]