It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but what if that journey encompasses not only miles but also centuries of profound wisdom, timeless traditions, and a tapestry of influences that have shaped our spiritual heritage? In this...
Frozen Meltdown: Showing Up On the Path of Yoga
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...
We Are All Parts of a Whole
In the last ten years my work has been made much easier by the progress made in the fields of Neuroscience and Epigenetics. Following a great deal of scientific experimentation, significant evidence has materialized to show how the brain works and how meditation...
Christian Mysticism Meets Integral Yoga
Everyone seeks happiness, but happiness seems never to be stable. Something always happens to disturb our happiness. Religions were born to show a path to happiness that never dies. The mystical aspect of most faiths are particularly focused on this quest. Integral...
Pure Divinity
The goal of Yoga is to realize the Divinity within. This can be explained in different ways. A devotee will say, “I want to know God. I want to commune with God.” The jnani will say, “Tat Tvam Asi. I am That. I want to know this Truth—this Self or Cosmic...
Breathing Spiritual Life into Each Day
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...
The Paradox of the Journey
All major mystical traditions have recognized that there is a paradox at the heart of the journey of return to Origin. Put simply, this is that we are already what we seek, and that what we are looking for on the Path with such an intensity of striving and passion and...
The Light that Shines Through the Ages
We all need teachers in life; not everything can be learned from a book. According to Hindu tradition, there are four main teachers: Mata, Pita, Guru, Deva: Mother, Father, Guru and God. The mother is the baby’s first guru; she is everything to the baby: unconditional...
How to Face Feelings of Being Overwhelmed and Win
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...
Christmas Message 2023 from Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
+ Dear Family and Friends, The days are growing short. Winter daylight is fading early, as I’m watching the chickadees quickly snatching a few last sunflower seeds from the bird feeder. From my armchair by the window i can enjoy their antics all day long, as i look...
The Broken Christmas Tree: How Love Saved Its Light
My dad ascended the rickety ladder, thus launching our family’s annual quest to decorate our Christmas tree. Ours was no snowy trek to an idyllic woodland. Instead it was an ascension up the world’s oldest wooden ladder to a high and bafflingly small closet where our...
Seeing Through the Illusion of “Normal”
Do we still believe that the sun travels across the sky while we stand stationary on a flat piece of earth? No, these once held beliefs were dispelled long ago. But how many other things do we accept as true simply because our limited senses tell us so, or that is...
The True Spiritual Experience
People sometimes ask me, “What has been accomplished by my practice of Yoga all these years? I haven’t realized God. I haven’t had any noticeable spiritual experience.” I don’t know what experience they want. They haven’t levitated up from the floor at least a few...
Yoga and Unity: Ripples for Change
In life, many of us find ourselves navigating the world based on societal constructs and internalized beliefs. We may view ourselves as limited beings bound within the temporal and spatial confines of the body and mind. The passing of time may drive us, making us feel...
Diwali, Festival of Lights, November 12
Deepavali or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means "light" and avali "a row" to become "a row of lights." It is marked by four days of celebration. Historically, Diwali can be traced back to ancient...
Elmo Tries Yoga Nidra!
With over 18 million views, this video features Mr. Andy from Headspace teaching Sesame Street's Elmo a simple guided relaxation. Elmo is having a tough time settling down for bedtime but this clever video demonstrates how Yoga help even Elmo! Perfect to share with...