Learned another great tip from Harshada at Abhaya last night: If your legs start to fall asleep during meditation, switch to Baddha Konasana (Butterfly / Cobbler Pose) for a minute. Press the soles of the feet together. That should return some blood flow to the legs and wake them up. Last night’s meditation built on [...]

Tonight I learned the zamboni meditation, a wonderful experience from the wonderful Harshada Wagner at Abhaya Yoga. Breathing in and out, up and down, you let the breath wash over you. Like the guy in the truck, smoothing out the scratches in the ice. Some ruts are deeper; these are your personality. Sometimes there are [...]

I got a cute tip from the lovely Amanda Zapanta this weekend. She said she’d had a hip injury, too. But instead of focusing on the bum hip, she made sure to focus on the good one, and then imagined herself blowing the sensations of health over to the bad side. She did it all [...]

Book 1, Sutra 4: At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications. Book 1, Sutra 30: Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground and slipping from the ground gained – these distractions of the mind-stuff are the obstacles. I’ve been thinking about obstacles. [...]

At the suggestion of a friend, I’ve been reading a lot of Joseph Campbell lately. I recently watched his DVD interviews with Bill Moyers around the idea of myth and the hero’s journey. A piece of the interviews that really caught my attention is their discussion about the importance of having a sacred place in our lives.

I’ve always said that smoking is the American meditation. (Maybe the European one, too?) Taking a moment for yourself, focusing completely on your breath, noticing all the little sensations in your lungs, skin, and brain — isn’t that what meditation is all about? Yes, you could choose nicer companions than tar and ammonia. But let’s [...]

The Times has a profile of Tibetan monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, “The Happiest Man in the World.” He’s released a new book called Joyful Wisdom describing his methods. In his book he recounts being extremely anxious as a child in Nepal, having had what a Manhattan psychiatrist would likely diagnose as panic attacks, and how [...]

Last night in class, during the opening meditation, Amanda Zapanta asked us to think about what we look for in a partner — whether we’re single or in a relationship. She read / talked about how what we look for in a relationship is often something we’re not giving ourselves. Think about that. We have [...]

So we’re sitting comfortably. What’s next? With the focus between the eyebrows, there’s a slight buzzing. Like a fly circling in front of the forehead. With further attention the pulse becomes noticeable, a slight throbbing pressure. The eyes are still dancing around; once they are still, the head will become darker. As if you’re in [...]

When I first started meditating, it was not what you’d call meditation. I’d sit down, close my eyes, try to focus, and promptly have a panic attack about all the things I should be doing besides SITTING ON THE FLOOR DOING NOTHING. Gradually, I learned that there is some actual technique to this hobby. Yes, [...]