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Why practice Yoga? Is it about turning your body into a pretzel? How will Yoga help me? I just can’t seem to get myself to my mat but would like to create a daily practice – what can I do to rejuvenate my practice?
If these are questions you have then you’ve come to the right place! In the Yoga Sutras – a centuries old teaching on yoga written by Sri Patanjali, we are told that Yoga is a practice that brings us to a state of unity. It is the turning of the mind towards that Universal Soul or Purusha, holding it steady, and aligning ourselves with the Divine...more
I've been thinking about what it means to be efficient as a lifestyle. Dictionary.com has these definitions of efficiency:
1. performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort; having and using requisite knowledge, skill, and industry; competent; capable: a reliable, efficient secretary.
2. Satisfactory and economical to use: Our new air conditioner is more efficient than our old one.
3. Producing an effect, as a cause; causative.
4. Utilizing a particular commodity or product with maximum efficiency (usually used in combination): a fuel-efficient engine...more
This important question is often a difficult one to answer. There are many considerations involved and yet often, even in the asking, we already know our answer. When we begin to wonder about this for ourselves or a loved one, we find ourselves caught between what we already know, what we would like to believe, and other factors which we haven’t yet thought of.
Consider these questions:...more
Authority Figure vs Role Model
The other day I read an email where someone was referred to as an authority figure. Now, while they are in a leadership role, I had never considered that they had "authority" over me. When I, in the past, had been in that role I had never thought of it as a position of authority either. I had, however, thought of it as being a role model...more
Our lives today are often based on the idea of competition. We teach it to our children, promote it in our workplace, and even center our recreational activities on the idea that competition is healthy. And while this competitive idea may have the appearance of leading us to seek personal improvement, it also drives us to continually judge ourselves and others on standards such as are we good, smart, or wealthy enough?
Often our desire to be Number One keeps us from supporting others in their good. Somehow our competitive worldview has even convinced us that if someone else is doing well then it diminishes what is available to us. We have come to believe that the universe is limited and has only enough resources for a few; and if we aren’t on top then we must be on the bottom...more
Think of your body as a system within many systems. Just as our individual lives are part of the greater life we call earth, the planet is in relationship to the solar system and the solar system is in relationship to the universe. Each part of your body is part of a greater whole. Often, when we think of ourselves, we get lost in the parts and don’t consider our relationship to that whole. If we manifest some disease in our body, we focus on just that which is being affected, and forget how it relates to the whole. Our cells are each a microcosm of our body, our body is a microcosm of our species; our species is a microcosm of the planet, and so on...more
Continuing our discussion on creating physical health we will talk about the three main components of food; including proteins, fats, & carbohydrates.
Protein – The amount of protein we need daily is individually determined by our gender, age, and activity level...more
Fats – We have been led to believe that fat is a bad thing. Fat free foods have done nothing to lower obesity rates and eating fat free actually increases our chances of weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and neurological disorders. The problem is the type of fats we eat...more
Carbohydrates – There are two types of carbs to think about, simple and complex. The easiest way to remember which is simple or complex is by thinking of them as refined and unrefined. Refined carbs (simple) are highly processed with little or no nutritional value. They are easily digested and have had much of the nutritional value removed during the processing. They significantly interfere with your ability to absorb nutrients from other foods as your body will utilize them first, and then store the other foods you eat as fat...more
Do You Really Need To Say That?
Recognizing that we all have 1st Amendment rights to free speech doesn't mean that it is necessary to say everything that is on your mind. It's always better to choose your audience. What could be a good reason to talk about your political, or religious, beliefs to someone whom you know has equally strong opposing beliefs? That is just being a bully looking to pick a fight. As someone with progressive views I've always been surprised at the people who've felt the need to engage with me, always in a negative and embarrassing way, because their beliefs are different from mine...more
Forgiveness as a Spiritual Practice
If you were to choose only one practice that you were going to engage in for the rest of your life, you would do well to consider the Practice of Forgiveness as your life’s path. Taking a regular inventory of how the past hurts and frustrations of your life are affecting you today is a way to clear your heart and soul. Forgiveness allows us to see ourselves as a part of a Greater Purpose. If we commit to forgiving each day the suffering that we have caused and the obstacles others have put into our path, we move easily into deeper compassion and love then we could ever hope to realize without this letting go of the pains of the days.
Probably the most important thing to remember when it comes to forgiveness is that it is not given for the benefit of whomever we are forgiving. Forgiveness is absolutely for our own well being. The person we are forgiving may not even know, or care, if we have forgiven them...more
What amazing creators we are! We are able to choose whatever we desire in life - as long as it corresponds to our beliefs. This Law of Attraction has been spoken about a lot in recent years. We are able to accomplish anything we set our minds to; we just need to figure out where we are now, and where we want to go. Once we have, all that's left is to learn how to get from here to there. Believe it or not, the hardest part is deciding where you want to go...more
I know that this is a difficult topic to approach. Each of us has a personalized idea of God, or whether there even is a God. It is probably even pretty egoic of me to consider this as a topic at all, after all, who am I to attempt it?
The Tao Te Ching teaches us that it is not possible to define God because the more we attempt it the further away from truth we get; and yet here I am trying to clarify in my own mind, perhaps finding some hidden gem that you will be able to relate to as well...more
Depression is one of our leading health concerns today. It is estimated that nearly 25% of our population will suffer from a depressive episode at some time during their life. 60% of these people will plan, attempt, or commit suicide. Those who experience depression may have various symptoms that include sadness, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, excessive appetite or loss of appetite, hopelessness, loss of interest in activities that are usually enjoyable, unexplained aches & pains, self-loathing and an inability to control negative thoughts...more
How to Know When it's Time to Quit
Here are some simple ideas to consider whenever you are thinking of quitting anything. These rules will apply whether you are considering quitting a job, relationship, practice, addiction, lifestyle...etc...more
Years ago I had a friend who I was quite close to. We worked together, went on trips, had great thoughts and enjoyed each others company. While I loved my friend there was one thing that often stood between us... on a fairly regular basis she was either late or would change plans at the last minute. This would bother me, I would feel disrespected, angry, and hurt...more
Most of us believe love is something we can see, taste, touch or hear… that it is what happens to us. We wait for it, search for it, and need it in order to be a fully complete person. In fact, we need it so desperately that we can’t ever hope to awaken to our true nature unless we are able to create and sustain it in our lives. We want to know what it is so we can be sure to recognize it, should it ever cross our path. We romanticize it, have neurochemical responses to it, fear it, and often avoid it. And yet it is our entire reason for being in a body...more
The 10 most important things to know - so far!
1) If you want to have great relationships you first must be great at relating. Don't wait for others to begin – you start by treating them how you want to be treated. There is only one person who will be in every relationship you’ll ever have, and that is yourself. You are the only one whose life and choices are completely within your circle of influence. Be the person you would want to be in relationship with. Once you do that all of your relationships will grow into your ideal perception of perfection...more
The Gratitude Game is something I found on Facebook this month. The challenge was to everyday post as your status something you are grateful for. I was happy to see the game because I am aware of how often we go through days or even weeks without even once considering how grateful we are for something or someone. When was the last time you actually thought about the blessings in your life? ...more
Many times people have come to me feeling dejected because their dreams haven't turned out the way they had hoped. They'd started off with this grand and brilliant idea but along the journey pieces of it had fallen away, until finally they were left with a minimized version, if anything was left at all...more
From one perspective suffering is often considered to be due to the vengefulness of an angry God as retribution for some horrible mistake we have made, or as the punishment of a loving parent again for some form of ignorance we have engaged in, some error committed, or some expected good not performed. In any case, it is the action of some entity, however divine or well loved, outside of ourselves who calls all the shots.
From a different angle we might imagine that our suffering is nothing other than the result of some action which we ourselves have put into play at some time in our past; the effect of our cause, our karma. The word karma means simply that every action we make sets into motion a series of events which ultimately results in the present moment of our circumstances...more
