It was easy to be friends with Jack and Kathy. Just married, they had recently moved to Vermont, along with their two playful dogs. They were healthy and young, strong, meditators, and worked with people with developmental disabilities They were all-around good folks and fine neighbors. Their future looked bright and sunny. Just before Christmas, […]
Arise, Awake, Walk the Authentic Path Read More »
Joe was walking along the street when he saw his friend, Nasruddin, on his hands and knees. Joe asked, “Hey, Nasruddin, what are you doing?” Nasruddin replied, “I’m looking for my lost iPod.” “Let me help you,” said Joe, and he also got down on his hands and knees to search. After some time with
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Surpassing Understanding When I sit for meditation, I generally light a candle and an incense stick. It’s a common way that yogis create a pleasant atmosphere for sadhana, spiritual practice. One time, I lit my customary incense stick, but when I opened my eyes after meditation there were two incense sticks burning. I thought that
When my first book was about to be published, I was very excited. I fancied myself a successful author and a soon-to-be popular yoga teacher. Even more exhilarating, Yoga Journal was dedicating a two-page spread to the book, complete with an enthusiastic review. Not only was I destined to become famous, but I might also
Yoga Will Ruin Your Life Read More »
In one of the classic yoga stories, it is written that several thousand years ago the people in the Earth world had gotten themselves into a mess. The forces of selfishness and fear had taken over, with epidemics of stress and self-doubt infecting much of humanity. To heal the situation, God incarnated as Krishna, a
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My First Prayer I grew up in a Jewish household that was not religious in the least. Our Judaism involved cheering for the Israeli contestant in the Miss Universe contest and screwing in electric light bulbs in a Hanukkah menorah. We didn’t believe in religion and no one ever prayed, or anything like that. When
A guy was driving his truck down the road when he blew a tire. He got out to fix the flat and, drats, he didn’t have a jack to complete the task. He saw a farmhouse up ahead a bit, so he walked towards the place to borrow the tools he needed. Walking along, he
Imagine you wake up one night and your barn is on fire. You jump out of bed and race to your shed where you have two buckets, one filled with water and one with kerosene. Because it is so dark and chaotic, you cannot tell which bucket holds which liquid. Make the right choice and
Seven Steps to Wisdom Read More »
There are many, many yoga asanas (postures) which we can explore. I have heard it said that there are some 840,000. Most of us do not practice quite so many; we work with a much smaller set. Asanas are designed to develop the body, harmonize the breath, and bring peace and wisdom to the mind.
The first time I led a kirtan in New York City was quite a heady trip for me. The hosting yoga center advertised the event considerably, so the hall was packed. They also arranged for me to be accompanied by a band of talented musicians from the city. I felt like the proverbial country bear
