Greetings Reader, I talk to a lot of people who’ve tried meditation but can’t stick with it. Or who’ve read yoga philosophy but still feel like something’s missing. Or who believe in something more—but don’t know what to do with that belief. Bhakti-yoga fills that gap. It’s not about rituals you don’t relate to or vague spiritual affirmations. It’s a grounded, time-tested practice that combines philosophy, spirituality, and meditation into a path that’s both intellectually satisfying and...
10 minutes ago • 1 min read
Greetings Reader - This past week, the President of the United States got his wish: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It’s big, alright. But there’s nothing beautiful about it. It's advertised as a bill that will weed out waste, fraud, and abuse in social safety net programs. It’s really a declaration about whose lives matter, whose histories will be told, who belongs here . . . and who doesn’t. It's a refutation of the values of yoga, codified into law. Some people think that yoga teachers...
3 days ago • 3 min read
Greetings Reader, Well, the law of averages says that once in a while, the email app won't work. And so it went. Sorry - the email you received earlier today wasn't the email I intended to send. What you got was old news. Here's the new news: My next live online workshop will be an introduction to bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion. When I first got interested in spirituality and mysticism as a teenager, I never thought about yoga and meditation in a devotional context. That felt too...
5 days ago • 1 min read
Greetings Reader, A shift is happening in modern yoga and spiritual spaces. Teachings from sacred traditions are being reinterpreted—this time to support authoritarian narratives of social hierarchy, racial purity, and selective justice. Has ancient wisdom been hijacked to serve authoritarian ideals? Or has the yoga tradition always supported social hierarchies and inequality? Does yoga philosophy align with liberal values like inclusivity, environmentalism, and social justice? Or have...
6 days ago • 2 min read
Greetings Reader - Our free monthly series, Community Conversations, continues next week. This month, we’re going to talk about "Spiritual Economics" and a surprising fact: the yoga wisdom tradition has some specific ideas about tax policies and budget frameworks. Of, course, it should come as no surprise that the yoga wisdom tradition's social policies are designed for the material prosperity and spiritual upliftment of human society. But what exactly are those policies, where do they come...
7 days ago • 2 min read
Greetings Reader, When the world feels like it’s falling apart, joy can feel out of reach—or even inappropriate. And yet, we hear that allowing ourselves to be joyful—insisting on joyfulness in spite of oppression—is an act of resistance. If joy is to be a meaningful act of resistance, it has to be rooted in something deeper than our circumstances. Yoga offers that depth. How? By showing us a path to the highest love. Yoga wisdom describes a complete Absolute Truth that’s both a what and a...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Greetings Reader, I admit it: I've been an asana slacker lately. So I've made a commitment to dedicate more time to my physical practice this summer. Aside from all of its other benefits, a regular asana practice is a great way to wring the stress out of your body. And these are stressful times. Pranayama is also a great stress reliever; conscious breathing is how I get my mind and body in sync before I start my meditation practice. which is a little ironic because meditation is how I do the...
17 days ago • 3 min read
Greetings Reader, Pop quiz: Is yoga . . . A: neutral territory that welcomes every perspective? or B: based on a philosophy with a perspective of its own? You may think that yoga is inclusive, so the answer must be “A: neutral territory – everyone is welcome.” I think that’s true. But is everyone’s perspective welcome? If you think that everyone’s opinion is a personal truth that's just as valid as anyone else’s, then you might once again choose “A: neutral territory – all perspectives...
20 days ago • 2 min read
Greetings Reader, Many of my friends, students, and colleagues are telling me how overwhelmed they feel by everything that's going on right now: the horror and hostility, the parade and the protests, confrontations, assassinations, and a wannabe king’s unprecedented disdain for the rule of law. If you're feeling overwhelmed, too, you're in good company. Yoga wisdom tells us that moments like these—when the stakes are high and the path forward seems uncertain—are not new: they’re part of an...
24 days ago • 3 min read
Greetings Reader, A shift is happening in modern yoga and spiritual spaces. Teachings from sacred traditions are being reinterpreted—this time to support authoritarian narratives of social hierarchy, racial purity, and selective justice. Has ancient wisdom been hijacked to serve authoritarian ideals? Or has the yoga tradition always supported social hierarchies and inequality? Does yoga philosophy align with liberal values like inclusivity, environmentalism, and social justice? Or have...
27 days ago • 2 min read