Through life’s many challenges, inviting equanimity into the foreground of your home practice can have remarkable results. With equanimity, true balance can be restored in all aspects of our lives.
What does it take to be happy? Frankly, a lot. And by a lot, we mean effort, self-thought, self-care, and self-love. Remember, it’s a happy person who can spread happiness!
Lighting the candle and stick of jasmine incense, I arrange the multi-colored stones into a pattern to reflect the harmony and depth I seek. In the corners of the table, set aside just for such a daily ritual, I place one pinecone, one feather, one small bowl of water and one tea light—each representing one of the four directions and corresponding elements. In the center, the original candle burns, standing in as me—the light of consciousness aware of this life.
As humans, we have a tendency to consume, discard, and repeat. Too much taking without giving back can (and does) reap dire consequences. For instance, cutting down a forest full of trees for lumber without planting new trees can cause major soil erosion, and it takes away from the animal habitat.
Today I'd like to share with you 7 ways you can give back to the Earth and the environment. We live in a massive circle of life and when we are given such bountiful gifts of love and life it is wise to keep that circle moving. Here’s how you can do your part:
During the earlier part of this week, my knee hurt. It could be because I tweaked it or slept funny, but I like to cover all my bases so I checked out what Louise Hay said in her book, You Can Heal Your Life. She said knee troubles have to do with inability to bend, fear, inflexibility, and not giving in. The antidote is forgiveness, understanding, compassion, and affirming, “I bend and flow with ease, and all is well.”
If you want a simple answer, yes you do. But if you’re looking for a long winded but more truthful answer, then no. One doesn’t lose weight by consecutively striking social media-worthy poses that you see professionals do quite effortlessly. The root of the problem here is that yoga is widely misunderstood for just one aspect that it represents: The poses or asanas, as we know them.
Trekking through a nearby state forest, I stopped dead in my tracks. I was appalled. A middle-aged man - who should know better - was openly defacing an iconic bridge. Have individuals lost respect for nature or is unaccountability leading their impulses?
Everyone’s meditation practice is deeply personal depending on individual needs, and certainly it helps to have the advice of a qualified meditation teacher. But our most profound guru dwells within us.