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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

Last night, I experienced an enchanting meeting with an owl, right after dropping my friend of, late at night. The owl was just there in the middle of the road, ignoring my presence in the car. I stopped by its side and gazed for a long minute until it flew away. I’ve been seeing owls

Eventually we need to learn to be still. Stillness is where Yoga happens. Where we yoke and unite and acknowledge that our biological design is also a spiritual design. This is a great recognition that brings peace, that brings meaning in our lives. The word for peace in Hebrew is Shalom. Its verb is Shalem which