Meditation is a lifelong gift. It’s something you can call on at any time. – Paul McCartney Why meditate? I led a meditation gathering recently at the Ratna Ling Retreat Center in a very beautiful area near the coast of northern California. Usually I include some guided contemplation at the end of a yoga class … Continue reading Meditating in Winter along California’s North Coast
"Won't you keep us from all harm, wonderful redwood tree," Van Morrison. One of the greatest albums of all time has to be Van Morrison's Saint Dominic's Preview. The album was released in 1972 after he moved his family to northern California and spent some time walking through the woods near his home. Of all … Continue reading The Trees of Northern California
What can you do with 36 hours in Rajasthan (which means, by the way, "Land of Kings"), India's largest state covering 132,000 square miles? I mean, that's plenty of space to visit and discover. Our adventure included not only a majestic wedding, but other very wonderful things fit for a king along the way. Our Shri … Continue reading 36 Hours in Rajasthan: Camels, Glamping and one very Amazing Wedding.
"As you eat, you produce your mind accordingly” - Rajasthan saying. At the start of an Ayurvedic wellness appointment this week my feet were soaked in warm water with rose petals. This represents the first time during my long life the words "my feet" and "rose petals" have ever been together in the same … Continue reading Food, Nature & Ayurvedic Learning in India
"Where are you in India?" I'm asked. Well, right now I'm sitting on a camel named Shanti. Shanti and I are gently bouncing through the soft sand of the Thar Desert (also known as the "Great Indian Desert"), a section in northwest India which serves as the boundary from Pakistan. The Thar Desert takes up … Continue reading The Colors of Rajasthan!
"That means it will rain tomorrow." We are driving to Toulouse, about an hour and a half drive west from the Lamothe castle and farm we are renovating into a yoga retreat center here in the South West of France. The precipitation prediction comes from Michel, our driver and a Frenchman who knows about these things, … Continue reading Yoga and other fun things to do outside in South West France
I'm up early at our yoga retreat castle in Spain. I teach yoga and meditation classes here, but I also cook. We have two groups for breakfast. The first, four uniformed people heading out just past dawn to race motorcycles, includes three men and a woman. She sort of looks like Kristen Stewart, if Kristen Stewart lived … Continue reading Torres de Fals, on the way from Barcelona to Cardona – lunch included!
Something just didn't seem right when I woke up this morning. In my Spanish castle huge bedroom the iPhone says it's almost 6:00 a.m. Outside, however, it's dark as can be. I see sparkling stars dotting the remote country sky, and that's about it. I make my way down the stairs to the kitchen, and finally figure it … Continue reading A Sunday in Spain Springing Forward up Montserrat
My flight to Spain went unbelievably quick. Departed in a NYC darkening spring dusk and was walking through a just waking up Barcelona-El Prat Airport before 7:00 a.m. the next morning. Now all I had to do was follow my instructions - bus, train, another bus and then a ten minute walk through vineyards - to get to the … Continue reading Welcome to Spain!
I want to give a shout out to Ford for doing something cool with yoga. In Summer 2016 I worked for Wanderlust. Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont was one stop on the tour through the U.S. and Canada. On Sunday June 19th - the last day of the Stratton festival - my job was being Section Manager for … Continue reading Yoga Helping Others
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