I love normal

Dear friends It was an interesting week…. It seems that we value our daily routine when it is suddenly gets interrupted. I was talking to a friend who was thrilled to feel normal again, after experiencing a challenging week….I love normal, she said. When our “normal life” all of a sudden  changes, we may feel […]

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The five Kleshas

Dear friends! I came upon a Johnny Nash song. I Can See Clearly Now (Lyrics by Jimmy Cliff): I can see clearly now the rain is gone I can see all obstacles in my way Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind It’s gonna be a bright Bright sunshiny day. Oh, yes I

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Habits

Yesterday on Shabbat, our Rabbi gave an inspiring sermon on habits, recognizing that habits can be both beneficial and non beneficial for our wellbeing. We are all creatures of habits, of conditioning. Some we know and are aware of and some may influence our lives, without us even understanding how programmed we are. In a way we become prisoners of

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A Vinyasa Flow

There is something magical in a vinyasa flow. Vinyasa means to place things in a special way, a sacred way. Things become sacred when we live with consciousness, when we move with consciousness. When our breath is synchronized with our movements. When we keep awareness of breath at all times. In a vinyasa flow, we stand

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Surrender

April is a month of transformation, of growth and change. Everything around us is cracking open, growing, blossoming. It is a month of ecstasy in nature. Next weekend there are two holidays; Passover and Easter. In both are the themes of metamorphosis. It is a time of year in which we are called to awaken

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The practice of Aparigraha

Michelangelo the famous  Italian sculptor, painter, architect and a poet of the the High Renaissance said: “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.“ Yoga has a similar approach as it is a journey back home to the

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The art of listening

While listening to the morning news (last Wednesday) a story was shared about a man falling off his fishing boat into the cold pacific ocean at the Santa Barbara Channel. It was the middle of the night and Scott Tompson thought this is the way he will end his life. What helped him survive a five hour

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“All we need is love”

“All we need is love”  (Lennon and McCartney)  This is the essence of our lives. This is a Universal Truth. In Sanskrit the word for loving-kindness is Maitri and it is a fundamental aspect of Yoga practice. It is an offer of the heart where there is full acceptance, goodwill, friendliness and a sincere interest in the people we

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Samadhi

Samadhi, is the final step in Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga. Samadhi means “putting together” and is often translated as integration or absorption. A stage we may come to when practicing Dharana and Dhyana. This stage is a liberation from the bondage of the egoic mind. All the likes and dislikes, judgments, worries and fears

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