One of my yoga teachers once read the poem “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer at the end of class, and it has since been one of my favorite texts. We spend so much time being concerned with the small stuff, but what really matters at the end of the day?
The Invitation 
From http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com.
It doesn’t interest me what […]

This morning I started thinking about what brings me back to my yoga practice, day after day. The answer is pretty simple: a feeling of joy. Not happiness exactly, but a feeling of being alive and seeing the world more vividly.

Yoga and meditation can be tools to access an inner joy that is independent of external circumstances. This joy is always there, […]

Earlier this week my yoga teacher read the poem Today by Hafiz at the end of class, and it made me walk home slowly, looking at trees, flowers, dogs, squirrels and people, and just feel appreciation for life.
The poem can be found in the book The Gift:
Today 
I
Do not
Want to step so quickly
Over a beautiful line on God’s palm
As I move through […]

We often focus on what’s not working in our lives. We are stressed at work, too busy to cook, there is too much traffic, we can’t afford a vacation, it’s raining, the economy is going downhill, and on and on it goes. Think about the last time you were in a social situation. What did […]

 
To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, […]