Serving others, practicing generosity, volunteering your time: these are all well-known (if somewhat counter-intuitive) paths to our own happiness. But the truth is, if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we will have little to give to others. And if we can’t extend ourselves from a place of emotional, mental, and physical stability, we […]
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The Remarkable Benefits of Social Connection
Do you make eye contact with strangers when you’re out in the world? Recently I’ve become more aware of my own tendencies to relate with others in what might be called random acts of social connection. I’ve made some changes that have made a significant impact on me. I’d like to encourage you to try […]
A personal journey: revisiting loss and the healing process
When the waves close over me, I dive down to fish for pearls.” –Masha Kaleko Recently, I learned about the untimely death by suicide of a high-school friend. It hit me hard and awakened a deep sadness as it resonated with and reawakened the loss of my mother by suicide when I was 11. […]
Yoga and the Use of Technology
This month we invite you to listen to an audio recording of a program entitled “Yoga and the Use of Technology,” presented August 19th at the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco. Heather Ford, Marc Morizumi, and I discussed our personal relationship to technology and how our use of technology can serve us, rather than […]
Ways to Tame the Technology Beast
One of the primary goals of yoga is to cultivate a sattvic state, in which we feel serene, balanced and peaceful. Technology can be an obstacle to gaining those qualities, invalidating even our best efforts at equanimity. But it seems such an ingrained, inevitable part of our lives. What to do? Here are the top […]
The Many Faces of Greed
The final and fifth yama is aparigraha, or non-greed. In this blog, we’ll examine several aspects of gluttony, including materialism, and the ways in which we exhibit greed in our thoughts and communication. Material Greed Greed is a gross and enduring problem of humankind. Endless stories through the ages have chronicled the devastating consequences of […]