Yoga School
Essays on Yoga philosophy and practice for Michelle Marlahan’s Yoga School.
The Effort Effect
It occurred to me that the difference between the fixed and growth mindsets is incredibly important on the spiritual path.
Good Fences, or On Being a Holon
To be truly capable of setting and maintaining good boundaries, we have to know who we are and where our center lies.
Asana as a Loving Practice
I understood in a flash that the practice of asana is an expression of love, of extending awareness and attention deeper and deeper into every portion of the body – both those parts of which we are fond, and the ones which have been asleep, frozen or neglected.
On Satya, Part Two
In it’s essence, the heart of the technique is about sticking strictly to what I know to be true, which is to say my own direct experience.
Surprised by Honesty
It seems like we swim in a sea of subjectivity, of opinions, of feelings colored by the moment that will shift as surely as the weather. It seems like the surprising shocks are generally more of the nature of opening a dark closet and revealing something dark that had been concealed behind platitudes and false smiles.
Seeing the Seer
It’s as though the flows of consciousness have a kind of gravity and if there’s not enough energy present, one gets pulled in and only after awhile does one emerge and become aware that awareness had been lost.
On Satya
I’ve come to appreciate what a large gap exists between what we actually know and what the reality out there actually is. In between (and around, and throughout) is a lot of mystery and unknowing.
Separation and Violence
What is hate except a very forceful expression of separation? That is not me! That thing revolts me. I want that thing out of my space. I want it out of existence.
The Yoga Matrix
I’m reminded that the process can be enjoyable, even with its stickiness and resistance… that it’s actually yummy to dig in and push, spread, squeeze the dough, then roll it all back into a nondescript ball and begin again.
On Atha
I can feel Atha as an exhalation, a deep sigh, a letting go and a sense of “finally, here we are, we can begin.”