In the Blood of Christ Mountains
This Easter morning I climb a scraggly rock strewn hill on the outskirts of the city of Holy Faith. I snake my way through prickly pear cactus and sharp volcanic cinders. At the top a simple wooden cross stands askew, its white paint chaffing at the mercy of the fierce …
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The Eternal Now
Our practice invites us again and again into the immediacy of the now. With intimacy, patience and care we come to the presence of this very moment. In every step, every breath, each sensation and fragment of dream we land instantly in the here and now. We are called to …
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Be As You Are
The real aim of any yoga practice is to be yourself, just as you are. It is ironic that we have to “practice” being who we are. Because the rest of society is hell-bent on making “progress”, we default to thinking that on the path we have to make ourselves better, more aligned or …
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Yoga and Male Power
Everywhere today on the front line of culture, we see a swashbuckling, uber-masculine presence that prizes itself on control and domination. It’s a mindset that assumes superiority, breaks rules, and acts without restraint. If left unchecked, masculine power can devolve into lies, violence, greed and sexual misconduct. These are the …
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Waging Peace
Om dyauh santih antarikşaň śāntih prthivi śāntih apah santih oşadhayah śāntih vanaspatayah śāntih viśve devah säntih Brahma santih sarvam śantih śantireva śāntih sā mã santiredhi Om Santih Santih Santih Om sky is peace. The atmosphere is peace. The earth is peace. The waters are peace. The plants are peace. The …
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One Thread, Many Beads
You, I, and the whole world are like beads strung on a mala. Each day in practice we realize the one single thread that holds us all together. Of course, we typically think everything exists divided and separate. All too often, we feel cut-off and isolated. This is because we …
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Celebrate the Broken, Transform it into Gold
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That’s how the light gets in. —Leonard Cohen There is beauty in broken things. This may be most evident in Japan where the fragmented is elevated to the level of …
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List Lovers of the World Unite!
Buddhists love lists. They have a list for love, a list for pain, a list for right living and a list for how to stay in present moment awareness. They even have a list for how to identify a living Buddha. There is the Eightfold Path, the Four-Noble Truths, the …
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Heart Medicine on a Sunday
When all the knots that fetter your heart are loosened the mortal becomes immortal. —Katha Upanishad The Katha Upanishad is a unique and powerful teaching on the heart. It is the story of an ardent student who gets to have a yoga private with the greatest guru ever named …
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Speaking Out Against Injustice
When I was seven, I recall looking up into the high vaulted ceiling of the First Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, CA. From the pulpit, my grandfather’s voice rolled out over the congregation, filling the sanctuary and nave. Now in my eyes, grandfather Little was a towering figure, appearing all the more taller …
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