I spent January sinking deep into the study and practice of Yoga Nidra with Julie Lusk. I started practicing Yoga Nidra almost daily in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Over time Yoga Nidra became a respite from all that swirled around me. As we emerged from the...
In grief and loss, the mind is powerfully affected. The way we think is changed. The content of our thoughts is altered. Particularly in early and traumatic grief, we forget things, we lose things, we are distracted and inattentive. Alternatively, we can be utterly...
One of the most important things we can do to prepare for death is to think about it. Bring it into your life, and as Don Juan said, “Use death as an advisor.” What would you do if you had six months to live? What would you cut out of your life? What would you do if...
In the last days of 2018 and the first few of 2019, I had the pleasure of attending the 5-day New Year’s Silent Retreat at Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia. What I experienced was profound:The self studyThe deep quietThe dedicationIt changed meImmediatelyAnd still...
As a meditation teacher, people frequently tell me they want to meditate, but their mind won’t let them. When they sit to meditate and try to quiet their mind, they claim the mental chatter only gets worse. The truth is, they are correct. We can’t force our minds to...
I’ve been meditating for years now, but the same thought flashes through my mind every morning when my alarm sings its pleasant little riff at 5:30 am: Meditation is stupid. Sleep is better. But I get up and do it anyway, because my first thought of the day is...
