MY BLOG

The world is better with you in it, and The Creation Greetings! I'm in the midst of a big transition, so I'll keep it brief. Share your gifts. The world is a better place with you in it. Here's a short reminder: Inspired by The Creation - Life Is Just Beginning #yoga #dharmayoga #compassion #ahimsa #dignity #kindness #poetry #writing #awareness #awakening #nonduality #mindfulness

Death, Yamantaka, and The Byrds Thank you for reading, In less than two weeks, I will be leaving Washington DC after nearly 25 years in this area. After nearly 12 years of teaching yoga in DC, I will teach my final in person class on Saturday July 10th (details below). There are many things I could say as I enter into a new chapter of life. I could recall many points at which transitions shook me, and where I had to search for steady ground within myself. But as I sit in the

Conceptual frameworks, and The Lemon Pipers Howdy friend, Last week's satsang was very powerful and timely. Our conversation touched on several themes that haven been arising over the last year with regard to truth, perspective, and our shared existence. After more than a year in a pandemic, while some countries are still seeing surges, we are fortunate to be alive. While the machinery of the larger social order of the world continues to move and maintain it's functionality,

One-Size-Fits-None, and The Peppermint Trolley Company Greetings friend, There is no one-size-fits-all solution to most human affairs. We are socialized to strive for convenience in all aspects of life, but this moves us to create hierarchies that lead to separateness and suffering. Often we trade quality for quantity, effectiveness for efficiency, justice for rule of law, and so on. It's said in some yogic scriptures that the enemies of contentment, joy, and wisdom are lust,

Questions, Richard Feynman, and Sopwith Camel To live in this world, is to let our questions drive us. Without our questions, we are contorted pantomimes; mere shadows of who we might be. Without our curiosity and inquisitiveness, We are automatons bereft of play, joy, or appreciation for life. A question has plagued me since childhood. Why are human beings cruel? My child heart answered, "Their mother didn't love them enough." My teen anguish said, "Because they can." My you

How to quickly settle the mind, and Dr. John Howdy friend, Your time is precious, and I value your attention. To become established in the practices and tools that make us steady in the constant changes of life, we all need to cultivate the quality of adaptability. It's up to us how challenging we want to make our practice, but ultimately, our presence requires no effort because it's already happening. Here's a short method for bringing calm to the mind: Inspired by Dr. John

Reflections on a newborn, and Gandalf. Greetings friend, I have been granted the privilege to participate in a new person's life recently. I had front row seating for his first breath. I look in his little baby eyes and I see someone looking at me, with no concepts or beliefs to hide behind. He is whole, open, and completely present in every moment. Everything he does is a full expression unfiltered by the world around him. There is vastness of possibility and power distilled

The answers are within, and Arlo Guthrie As I approach the final days of waiting to meet a new human being, I filled with a wide mix of thoughts and feelings. Primarily though, I have so much gratitude and awe. I find myself reflecting on whatever play of forces makes it possible to be something more than subatomic stew and have the faculty to be aware. I look at how we interact with one another, other forms of life, and this whole planet, and a deep sense of sorrow moves me.

We can change, and The Mothers Of Invention Hear the recording of this piece. Be gentle with yourself. Like stones smoothed in the current of a river, the world of human beings leaves no one untouched by the pain of loss and violence. As I look at the news cycle, I find myself awash with grief and disbelief often. The way we treat one another is heartbreaking; as though we can turn away from each other's pain and struggle, we busy ourselves with scrambling for more comfort an

Fungi teach profound lessons in their nearness to decay highlight necessary redistribution their whole being is sharing. Their fruits are given no loss, their capacity to live undetterred. And in their thriving, all other beings are nourished. Ryokan asked, "What is the heart of this old monk like? A gentle wind Beneath the vast sky." Would he say his body and mind were like a tender mushroom mycelium beneath the brush and bramble? Inspired by Lamont Dozier - "Going Back To M