Having been isolated for many months due to the virus and, more recently, the fires and smoke here in California, I have had considerable time to think about relationships and the role they play in my life. How I see myself and feel about myself determines the balance and well-being of all of my relationships. Because I learned this a long time ago, my primary focus during this time has been my relationship with myself.

As human beings, we are often led by our ego and I have come to believe that one of the keys to a good life is a healthy, balanced ego. I have heard it said many times over the years that we have to overcome or do away with ego. This approach never resonated with my soul. 

Please hear me: I do not have all the answers. However, when talking with teachers I know, love, and trust, I am guided to balance and wholeness. Balanced emotions allow me to embrace life with passion while not being ruled by thoughts or emotions. For example, when I experience...

Allowing yourself to love and be loved makes life sweet.

Keeping an open heart is a challenge as recent events involving the United States and Iran are unfolding. I remind myself of my own journey when our country came under attack on 9/11. I did not allow myself to watch t.v. until that night because I taught yoga all day. My responsibility to be grounded, present and loving for my students outweighed curiosity and any personal response on my part. In my classes I focused the practice on comforting our own hearts and minds and sending healing light and love to our brokenhearted country and to our world.

That night, when I returned home from my last class, I turned on the television for the first time. I sat down and watched the attacks. Once was enough. My mind wanted to shut down and refuse those images. My heart convulsed within my chest. My body began to wretch and I ran into the bathroom where I experienced a round of projectile vomiting. My entire being was trying to...

I have practiced and taught hatha yoga and meditation for almost 30 years. This enhanced my mat practice and has brought my meditation practice to a level that takes me deeper into my True Self and my relationship with the Divine.

Just before signing in to write this particular blog, I visited the web site of a local studio to check out their current schedule because I am always open to new experiences on the mat, whether moving or sitting. I remain open also to teachers who approach their classes differently than I would. 

I remain open to learning...period.

A person who has come to believe that they have all the answers for themselves and, often, for others is missing out on life experiences that could bring growth, love, laughter, and sometimes tears (whether in the sorrow of loss or the joy of gain) to their life.

I thought my days of teaching were probably over. Oh, perhaps I would have an occasional student who wanted to understand meditation better, but not teach classes...