Loving-kindness is probably known to many as the Buddhist practice of metta, The formal practice of metta begins beautifully, by directing kindness toward ourselves or to someone to whom we can easily feel goodwill. Once we take a moment to actually feel that energy...
I dropped the corn seeds in the furrow and wondered if they would grow. In the dark earth they glowed like citrine quartz; it seemed improbable that in two months the tiny dry seeds would grow into plants that would stand above my head. Many gardeners told me growing...
Huddled inside my heaviest winter coat at the edge of a pond, I watched as my coffee steam merged with misty clouds of my breath. At dawn the cranberry bog in coastal Massachusetts was an expanse of frozen sand and wiry tangles of russet vines; old snow scudded across...
When people think about meditation, often an image of a blissed-out figure sitting cross-legged on a soft pillow comes to mind... Ahh, total peace, quiet, and comfort. Wouldn’t that be nice! While meditating in a quiet place without distraction is an amazing...
2024 is now underway and as we transition out of the festivities returning to our daily routines again, many of us may have found ourselves pondering the year ahead. This often includes setting New Year’s resolutions. We may have even already boarded that bus of...
I know so many people, that when I ask how they are doing, respond with something about how busy they are. It has become the status quo for our lives to be filled to the maximum and beyond so that we’re not really aware of how driven we are, how stressed our lives...
The beginning of a new year is a natural time to reflect on and re-envision our lives. The tradition of New Year’s resolutions can be life-changing or it can be a temporary way of fooling ourselves with lofty ideas that fade when reality hits. Clarifying our...
In today’s world we seem to be moving faster and faster, while taking on more and more. There are only so many hours in the day, and we’re expected to do a lot in those hours. Errands Work a job Care for kids Attend to relationships Clean the house Socialize Self-care...
In this open, honest and inspiring interview, Avi Gordon (director of Integral Yoga Teachers Assoc) and Tom Callahan (IYTA communications administrator) discuss what brought them to Yoga (and to living in Yogaville) and the questions that led to the recognition that...
My dog Ranger’s rear leg kicked then he exhaled his final breath. I smoothed his tan and black muzzle for the last time. Bone cancer had arrived with terrifying swiftness. A sudden lameness had revealed the insidious way the cancer had secretly been eating his bones....
Negativity is insidious. I had been slipping imperceptibly into a ruder kind of communication. I grew tense and snapped at loved ones. I caught myself up in the world’s failings, my own shortcomings and powerlessness to change anything, and the small, daily annoyances...
Kristi Nelson, Ambassador for Grateful Living and the author of Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted is clear about this: waking up grateful can admittedly be hard, and remaining grateful even harder. In this article, she...
Summer holidays and vacation time for many means getting on the road to visit family and friends, explore new places, and for Suzanne Borovcova and her photographer boyfriend Pierre Guilbaud it often means just living everyday life! Their van and life on the road...
As we enter a new year, we can make good use of this landmark in time to reflect on the way we make decisions and choices in our lives. Is there an overarching purpose behind the way we use our time and energy, or are we “going with the flow?” Are we acting on the...
For decades I’ve been ‘that guy’ who answers, “BUSY” when someone asks how I am doing. “BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!” What an outright deflection of the truth! Alice in Wonderland, anyone? The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. –The White Rabbit, Lewis Carrol The lockdowns of...
In 2023, Putumayo celebrates its 30th anniversary. Known for its joyful compilations of international music, featuring album covers illustrated by British artist Nicola Heindl, Putumayo World Music has been considered a pioneer in developing the non-traditional market...