I did shed a lot of bad habits over the winter, but I was recently hit with what can only be described as a round of just really bad luck in several aspects of my life. When I was finally able to come up for air, I realized that I still had a little shedding to do — funny enough, the same week that Mother Nature decided winter wasn’t quite over yet.
Read moreLokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu
By chanting this mantra of Lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu we move from our personal self and radiate a prayer of love for the world around us. It releases us from our ego and our limited worldview and emits from us wellbeing for all, everywhere — those we know and love, those we know and don’t love, those we don’t know yet and those we won’t ever know. It is a reminder of our universal spirit.
Read moreWinter Solstice 2023
The holiday season is already so stressful, but when we add our regular lives (homework, jobs, housework, pets, cooking, grocery shopping, medical appointments, etc. etc.) into the mix ... well, it can feel nearly overwhelming and impossible. So, we ask: How are you holding space for yourself in the midst of this busy, at times stressful, season?
Read moreMeditation :: The Practice of Metta or Lovingkindness
This month, we’ve been focusing on lovingkindness as a practical way of practicing Ahimsa — the first of the five Yamas (moral/ethical guidelines of yoga). Ahimsa means ‘non-harming’. The absence of violence. It goes beyond physical violence. It’s a principle of ‘first do no harm’ that we should all apply to our lives when thinking about ourselves and others. It can be as simple as not gossiping or meeting an unkind person with kindness and grace; knowing that their unkindness is probably more about them than it is about us.
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