Last Thursday evening, I attended a talk by Reginald Ray, founder of Dharma Ocean and tantric buddhist practitioner. He spoke about the intimacy and the power (and terror) of really Seeing another person. What is Seeing? It’s when we strip away the filters through which we most often see the world and take the time […]
Sankalpa – a New Year’s Meditation
This meditation comes by way of Rachel Zinman, a stunning ISHTA teacher in Australia. My favorite teacher and Mentor Alan Finger always recommends the Sankalpa Meditation as a great way to start the New Year. He says that a Sankalpa- setting an intention for your self is different to a New Years resolution. A resolution […]
Chakras – the practical side for the dubious
The chakras can seem a little…well, out there. Whirling wheels of energy? Rainbow light? Huh? But if we think about the body and its functions, the chakras do seem to match up pretty well to how we work. The root chakra – muladhara – is at our pelvic floor and deals with earth, downward energy, […]
Eckhart Tolle: Taking one conscious breath…
One Conscious Breath from EckhartTolle TV.
Clearing the Windshield
Our ego is like a sheet of glass that exists between the world and our mind. As information from the world filters through our senses, it passes through our ego on its way to our conscious thought. We screen though everything we perceive: “I like this because I did something like it before and that […]
Hum-Sa Kriya – Alan Finger
This meditation was one of the first that I learned from my teacher Alan Finger. It is a beautiful way to calm and still the mind and connect to the energy of your body. The Hum-Sa Kriya is part of the “Ishta Diksha.” Diksha, meaning “initiation,” is the physical transference of divine energy directly into […]
Mark Whitwell – What is yoga?
What is yoga? In this ten-minute segment, Mark – with his typical directness and humor – clarifies the purpose of yoga and exhorts us to participate with authenticity and intimacy in our own lives. I have studied with Mark on several occasions in New York and in Vancouver and always find his clarity and inclusiveness […]
Stroke of Insight – Jill Bolte Taylor
This astounding video recounts neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor’s experience of having a stroke. Not only is she able to contextualize the experience from a medical perspective, but she discovers that bliss may be a simple matter of “stepping to the right.” I also highly recommend her book, where she candidly offers her experience of recovery. […]
Live from New York with Chrissy Carter: Gayatri Mantra
On my latest trip to New York City, I had the privilege of assisting Chrissy Carter in the Yoga Works Teacher Training. In addition to being a superb instructor, Chrissy has a gorgeous voice. On the last day of the training, we recorded a few of her favorite chants, which I later converted into a […]
Om Shanti
Shanti means “peace.” This chant feels full of yearning and sadness to me, as most of us are when we’re struggling to find shanti. Om Shanti
Calling The Elements
Circle of Soul taught me this song back in New York City. We would improvise the harmony lines together so the song was different every time. I recorded this in a fantastically resonate shower. Calling The Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water
Ajna Chakra: Light
Ajna Chakra, located at the third eye center, opens us to element of light. In addition to literally seeing, this chakra draws us into the power of visualization, imagination, and abstraction. We literally connect to a higher frequency (Vishuddha was the frequency of sound, Ajna of light) and our experience moves further beyond the tangible […]
Om Nama Shivaya
I learned this chant while on a yoga retreat from my friend Julie Blumenthal, who has the most marvelous voice. I created the hamony line myself. This was recorded in a bathroom with kick ass acoustics. Om Nama Shivaya
Om Guru
Guru – the dispeller of darkness. It’s a wonderful song for the wintery time of year! I originally sang this song with the musical group, Circle of Soul in New York City. I learned both the melody and harmony line with these fantastic ladies. Om Guru
Vishuddha Chakra: Space
The link from the heart chakra to the more etheric upper chakras, Vishuddha (the throat chakra) is the center of conscious communication. Like the second chakra, Vishuddha is a creative nexus. However, unlike the unconscious, earthy, and sensuous energy of Svadisthana, Vishuddha’s creativity is connected to our higher consciousness. Through its power, we literally express […]
Anahata Chakra: Air
What more appropriate chakra to explore on Valentine’s Week than the heart chakra? We are all familiar with the sensations of the heart. Almost everyone can relate when someone says that they feel ”light-hearted” or that they have a “heavy heart.” In this way, the sensations of the heart chakra are some of the most […]
Manipura Chakra: Fire
Manipura Chakra is the seat of the ego and self-definition. Its element is fire and it the seat of the ego. Too much fire breeds anger, aggression, over-assertion; too little fire and we are not able to create boundaries, self-determine, or speak our minds. A healthy third chakra is marked by empowerment. When we are […]
Svadisthana Chakra: Water
As we move into the second chakra, life starts getting juicy. Now that our primal survival needs have been addressed, we move into the realm of feelings, pleasure, creativity, and sexuality. To paraphrase Anodea Judith, we are creating a container in the first chakra…and in the second chakra we fill this container with fluid and […]
Muladhara Chakra: Earth
Can we be strong without being rigid? Can we own our own space without being overbearing? Is our relationship with our body healthy? These are just a few of the issues encompassed by our first chakra. Located at the base of the spine, muladhara chakra is the “root” of the chakra system. Like the foundation […]
Fanning the Inner Fire
The increasing darkness of winter is an invitation to move more deeply into our shadow selves. We can hunker down, get internal, and examine what pieces of ourselves no longer serve. It is time to clear out space and let go of old habits and limiting patterns, so that when the sun begins to come […]