Connect

Often when meditation is mentioned people harbor some vague, albeit extraordinary, notion of hocus pocus incantation or yogis in India miraculously levitating a few inches off the ground by the sheer force of their consciousness.

While I cannot vouch for aberrations from the law of gravity, consistent meditation offers extraordinary benefits that might amount to practical magic in your life. The practice is helpful for anyone controlling errant thoughts that otherwise might swarm with chaos. Meditation clears clutter that might overwhelm a person in the alternative.

I dearly love the British-English term “ablutions,” which refers to washing yourself, brushing your teeth and other personal grooming habits to get ready for the day. Unfortunately, we may sometimes give ablutions for mental hygiene the short shrift.

Your inner recycler wants to live in a shipping container! Shipping containers are just that – reused containers that were once used for freight movement on trains or barges. Turns out, they can make a pretty sweet set-up on land, too.

We all know that the benefits of meditation can help reduce anxiety and increase happiness for the individuals who practice it. It can help reduce reactivity and have a positive effect on one’s internal dialogue and even one’s work life. What a lot of people don’t consider when it comes to meditation, however, is how big of an impact it can have on your love life—especially if you practice it with your partner.

Down the stairs of my condominium and across Campus Drive, I walk along Leona Canyon Open Space Preserve. I encounter an expanse of wild radish and California golden poppies. Below, there’s a culvert and a pond lined in cattails, home to a family of mallards whose ducklings hide behind the rushes. I continue down a slope alongside a stream flowing out toward Mills College, and eventually, to the bay.

It takes next to nothing—a news story, a phone call, a happenstance event —and in a moment of distraction we’re carried off track. Learning to stand but still sometimes unsteady, we sensitive souls succumb to the weight we perceive. We shut down in our conversations for the rest of the day, we give as little of ourselves as possible to the task at hand, and we both consciously and unconsciously resist connection. We may not speak the words, but the sentiment shows: we feel we’ve lost our faith in humanity.

Pranayama is a powerful Yogic practice that clears physical and emotional blockages from the body, breathing peace into the mind.

“Yoga citta vritti nirodhaha.”

“The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is yoga.” - Patanjali

Holistic Health means to be happy in all areas of life. When we are happy life is easy to deal with. In the state of love, gratitude or joy we feel deeply connected; we regard our life as positive and our outlook on our future is optimistic. When was the last time you truly felt this way? For many of us these states are the exception. Around the clock we are busy coping with physical health, financial insecurity, relationship problems, emotional instability, mental worrying, addictions or spiritual isolation.

I have a confession to make: I want everything to be easy. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this. I think we all want a life of ease and comfort, but I had a conversation recently that irrevocably shifted my perspective.

I am a quiet person and I did not have natural public speaking skills when I began my teaching career.  To become a better teacher, I integrated my yoga practice into my public speaking practice.  I designed these six simple steps to help anyone become a better public speaker.  If the idea of giving a presentation in front of a group of people makes your nerves start to rise, you are not alone. But know that if you practice yoga, you are capable of moving beyond your fears.