The overwhelming sense of community in the Who Dat celebration of New Orleans Saints’ victory can actually inspire a great lesson of yoga: You Belong!

To understand fully how special you are and what this wave of excitement from New Orleans has to do with you, check out this article: New Orleans Teaches Us About Community Of The Heart.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully and quiet your mind.

Feel your breath dance within you.

Feel your heart beat.

As you tune in to your own inner music,

Realize that each being on this planet shares

The experience of breath and heartbeat.

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Yoga cultivates strength, wisdom, and the ability to discern truth from confusion – all attributes of a skilled Peaceful Warrior. Even Warrior Pose comes up in myriad forms during an asana practice.

As your yoga practice extends into every aspect of your life, you find yourself becoming stronger and yet more receptive; making choices which benefit both you and the greater good.

Personally, I have witnessed an incredible shift in my own self; changing patterns that were not serving me and re-creating myself as who I want to be.

I share the following with you because these inspired words came to me this morning, and I think you may see yourself reflected in them. Read more…

In the minds of most people, perfection is an unachievable yet oft reached for thing, yet with this perspective that I learned from Anusara® yoga, stress and anxiety can melt as you shift your perspective.

You hear the term ‘perfectionist’ and it conjures images of someone who is constantly striving for every little detail to be ‘just right’, and quite possibly affecting innocent bystanders (family members, friends) with their slightly neurotic behavior.

Sound like someone you know? Maybe you?

This idea of inaccessible perfection tends to cause a lot of unneeded pressure and worry.

But there is a different way to think of perfection. Read more…

The devastation Haiti has experienced, this latest time with a massive earthquake, moves the heart to want to contribute something, anything, to help. It is this response of deep caring and compassion that makes us human.

Because it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and doesn’t have the kind of infrastructure necessary to deal with what has happened, monetary donations are very needed.

However, money isn’t the only thing you can send them. Blessings, prayers, and healing light are incredibly powerful and can do so much to shift the energy of that part of the earth into harmony.

Below this short video is a simple meditation you can do to shine light and love into the heart of Haiti. Read more…

When you unfold the treasure of the Anusara® Yoga Invocation, you see within it the philosophy that informs freedom and awakening which is the reason hundreds of thousands of people have been drawn to this path of celebrating and refining the self.

Anusara yoga has its roots deep in the soil of ancient tradition. The chant itself is very old, and carries with it a resonance of powerful wisdom and transformation. Yet, while this school of hatha yoga joyfully honors that which has comes before, it also opens up to the unlimited possibilities of evolution.

One of the many strengths of Anusara yoga is its innovative spirit. There are Universal Principles of Alignment™, which guide both the thought and action of the yoga. Using these guiding principles, you can do anything! Invention happens daily. Creative expression and beauty are a part of every practice, on and off the mat.

So let’s take a look at how a relatively short little song can describe an entire system of thought and practice. Read more…

The following short thoughts I found upon opening the latest book I’m reading. I think they sum up the quest and reality of who we are as human beings in a beautiful and motivating way.

To me, yoga is the path and guide and community that helps me see clearly the way of my mission in the here and now.

May this poetic and powerful composition give you insight into yourself…

“What is a deeply satisfying human life

And how do we design one?

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Sunset beauty in Nicaragua. So grateful.

Though this day signifies a time of giving thanks in the US, everyone in the world can benefit from the power of gratitude every single day.

Gratitude is one of the most direct ways into the light of the heart.

Giving thanks helps you to feel the interconnectedness of all life, and so doing, enter the flow of grace in a most beautiful way.

Mini-Meditation:

Sit beautifully, in full awareness of your posture.

Take a deep breath, and as you exhale feel the earth beneath you.

Offer the nurturing planet gratitude for everything she provides.

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One of my first teachers, Shane Perkins, is beloved in my heart for his clear embodiment of unconditional love. He taught me much simply by the way he conducts himself with kindness and integrity at all times.

When speaking on the topic of meditation, Shane summed it all up in these words:

“Show up and let go.”

Show up, as in be present, be aware, be in the here and now. Then let go, meaning release the struggle, let the thoughts float by without attachment, allow the moment to simply be.

Applying this approach to meditation and life can be an ongoing practice, to be sure, but one that is infinitely rewarding. Let’s try it now, shall we?

Mini-Meditation: Show Up and Let Go Read more…

This tree is massive! The trunk is about 8 feet wide.

Yoga is a practice of recognizing the interconnectedness of all things, and skillfully living in harmony. So, naturally, that extends beyond the human family and into the rest of the earth…

I found a new friend today in Audubon Park, behind the zoo in New Orleans’ Garden District. It’s a tree, and a magnificent one at that.

Yes, I consider trees my friends. For one, they breathe us humans and create an environment where we can live. So that’s a practical reason for a grateful relationship.

But beyond that, I admire their beauty and meditative existence. They basically breathe, grow, and drink of water, sunlight and the nutrients in the soil. They are steadfast. Any time I need grounding or need to let go of heaviness, all I have to do is spend a little time with a tree… Meditating under a tree is one of my favorite ways to get centered.

What about you? What aspect of nature do you feel most drawn to?

It’s amazing what is possible when we work with nature, listen to her rhythm, and add symbiotic innovations of human design to more harmoniously co-exist.

Check this out: It is perhaps the most inspiring video I’ve seen in a while! Read more…

The light is so beautiful this morning.

Everything green dances in the wind.

I simply sit and let the visions come to me;

The face in the tree, the waving branches,

The constantly shifting shades of illumination.

Read more…