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 [...]

Super late on posting this, but I wanted to share some healthy New Year’s Eve options! I’ve done yoga on NYE for the past four years (at home, in the Bahamas, and here in NYC), and it leaves you WAY less broke and hungover than the typical celebration.

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. [...]

An oldie but a goodie. We’ve all been here. Cover illustration from The New Yorker: December 8, 2003. Illustrator unknown.  

We all know that stress is killing us. Or at the very least, aging and annoying us. It’s wearing out our adrenal glands, graying our hair, lowering our immunity, disrupting our sleep, and building our bulges. But how can we battle a cultural cornerstone? What are we, if not busy? If you reduce stress and [...]

Yesterday morning I headed up to Union Square. Slushy weather and train delays didn’t help the trip, and I began my meditation practice a bit early as I tried to let the irritable thoughts float up and away. 9:35 was still a fine time to arrive, it turns out. I settled onto a bolster and [...]

On Saturday, I took a break from all the screens, cursors, and endless tidbits of information that filter through to our various in-boxes. I was exhausted and worn out, and my creativity was taking a serious nose dive. I closed my Mac, turned off my phone, and collapsed in a heap on my yoga mat. My brain was so full that I couldn’t even think clearly. Everything around me seemed fuzzy.

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.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on clearing my mind more often during the day. The natural tendency for a busy mind is to work ever harder to crack a problem or find an innovative solution. The yogic belief is that a clear, unburdened, relaxed mind is actually a more creative, efficient problem solver. And now that belief has a boost from hardcore science.

Last week I decided to reinvigorate my meditation practice with a group class. Shambhala Meditation Center, on 22nd Street, offers a one-hour “learn to meditate” class each Wednesday, no experience required. It’s $10 (suggested donation).