Recently I wrote in a yoga article (published by the Winnipeg Free Press), in order to be happy no matter what emerges, we need to strengthen our positive response-ability. Ultimately, this means finding our centre (our true nature) and staying…
Many of you may remember friends or parents telling you that for the sake of polite conversation, avoid talking about death, religion or taxes. I assumed such polite conversation implied social discussions neither too controversial nor too upsetting, which for…
In my yoga asana (postural) practice, focusing on felt sense proved extremely helpful in locating blockages where breath and life force energy were previously unable to reach. By felt sense, I mean the subtle sensations I noticed when I focused…
Last year, a starving feral cat claimed my garden for his new home. Of course, the food we offered him made his decision to stay much easier. Time passed and now he lives in my home and has become quite…
I offer those around me patience, encouragement, support, a cheerful word, the gift of a smile – and most of all appreciation. Louise Hay I try to practice Louise Hay’s affirmation with every person who crosses my life path…
We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Although many practitioners in North America may initially choose yoga as a physical exercise, in its essence it is a spiritual practice meant to awaken us…
If we wish to find out what works, we must start with our own values and personal situation. Marvin Weisbord Change is all about learning new ways to feel, think and act. I am always seeking simple analogies that…
Whether personally or in business, January is a month for reflecting on the past and renewing commitments that move us forward on our chosen life paths. Without such reflection, our human tendency is to repeat the mistakes of the past.…
With the recent publication of our yoga actions book on legs and knees, I received a number of requests for help with eliminating knee pain. As we age, it seems our knees take the brunt of our daily stress and…
In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, “cultural legacies cast a long historical shadow.” They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social and demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished. Outliers: The Story of Success, 2008 In many…
Take a moment now to do some sense making. Move your awareness inside your body and see if you can sense whether you are content. If your experience tells you this is not the case, then sense what is there…
Ask yourself, “Which emotions are most challenging for you to understand and then to master? If you are like me, you probably answer “anger, hurt and fear.” In many respects this should come as no surprise considering corporal punishment, one form of social oppression, was only outlawed in Canadian schools in 2004. In essence, we have only begun to change oppressive behaviours that support the development of anger, fear and hurt. Even though research has proven that raising children (or animals) without love develops loveless and fearful beings, we are slow to change our behaviours and beliefs.
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