Days before you say “I do” can be one of the most stressful times in your life. Last-minute preparations and chaos could cause you to panic and think “No, I don’t”! And without your knowing it, your friends and family, who are doing their best to keep you calm, are also beginning to feel overwhelmed. (more…)

Every year, I look forward to the explosion of blossoming Jasmine that takes over my back porch. When the Jasmine blooms, I move as much of my life as I can to the back patio. I read, meditate, write, eat, do yoga, drink tea – and sometimes I just sit and do nothing at all except bask in the spell of this intoxicating scent. (more…)

I think my dog has the right idea. She always seems content. Her biggest desire each day is to lie in the sun and soak up all the warmth coming off the bricks on the patio. She will be lying there when I run out in the morning to go teach a yoga class. She will be there when I come back and rush around the house to get ready to go and see my therapy clients. She will be there when I come home in the evening exhausted but happy from the activities of my day.
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This weekend I started noticing some of the people in my life who embody the spirit of yoga. Although I teach and practice yoga all the time, I am not talking about the people I see at the studio or on the yoga mat. I am talking about those amazing people I run into, who seem to have found the secret of serenity in their lives. (more…)

We recently had the great pleasure of meeting Nischala Joy Devi and experience her compassionate teachings. She  instantly filled the room with her generous spirit and  beaming smile.

Today we wanted to take a moment to let our readers know about her recent announcement of an audio version of one of her most popular books. (more…)

“Poetry is not fanciful rumination but an entryway into the heart temple where we are closest to our truth, vision and wisdom in action.”

Shiva Rea, is a yogini of transformational Vinyasa flow yoga and yoga trance dance. In last month’s LAYoga magazine she writes about her relationship with the writings of Mevlana Jelauddin Rumi.

This year marks the 800th birthday of Rumi, and the essence and honesty of his poetry has continued to inspire and illuminate a the manifestations of the heart. As Shiva Rea writes about her daily practice of reading Rumi and bringing it into her work, we are invited into her own process of understanding the heart’s desires. (more…)

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Today we honor and recognize the work of one of the world’s most inspired peace leaders – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As a man of faith, conscious and eloquence he strove to shift the world’s view on the American civil rights movement during a time of nationwide unrest. To uplift the human spirit by speaking of freedom, peace and compassion when all around him was untethered racism and inequality. But he stood strong and unwavering throughout his life. (more…)

With the change in the season, night falling sooner and new reflections of the year closely coming to an end, I found myself in “poetic motion” and I was looking for some inspiration.

Perhaps a familiar language that also engages in this journey of taking yoga one day at a time? (more…)

While at the Global Mala Project in Los Angeles, our team had the great fortune to view the inspiring work of Jasper Johal.
Mr. Johal is a photographer of some of the most intimate, artful and beautifully nude views of yoga poses. In his series entitled The Body as Temple we are offered a spiritual and sensuous insight of the body as a sacred being. (more…)

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. – Rumi

Another month comes upon us and perhaps you are once again, creating a list of what you need to or want to accomplish in this mere 31 days. How long is that list? Is it practical? Is it fanciful? Does it include your health and exercise goals?

How often do we assume that our exercise regime will just take care of itself? For myself, that may just be one too many days. (more…)