Beyond Asana Blog

A highlight of my near-daily walks is viewing Mont Pinnacle, a mountain that has always felt sacred, powerful, and mysteriously alluring to me.

Originally part of the Abenaki people’s ancestral lands, Mont Pinnacle is now under the stewardship of a private trust committed to preserving its natural habitats. As a result, it's rarely open to the public, allowing the mountain to remain wild and untamed.

While I typically witness the mountain from afar, I occasionally drive over to sit at its base and call in its energy.

From a distance, Mont Pinnacle stands as a towering presence – dignified and steadfast. Up close, however, her wildness is revealed in a dense, tangled...

Species loneliness – a deep, unnamed sadness stemming from estrangement from the rest of Creation, from the loss of relationships.

- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

In our fractured world, perhaps the most vital role of an introspective yoga practice is to help heal our imagined separation from each other and all of life.

Indra’s net is a powerful metaphor that illustrates the truth of our interconnectedness. It originates from the Atharva Veda and was later elaborated by the Mahayana and Huayan schools of Buddhism.

It describes a net of jewels crafted by Lord Indra, the king of the gods, that stretches out infinitely in all directions. At each...

We’re in the midst of Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors – a two-week period in the Hindu calendar dedicated to honoring one’s lineage.

This traditionally focuses on the three generations that have passed: departed parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. It can also include beloved teachers, mentors, friends, and even pets.

Consider that your ancestors’ gifts – the strengths they cultivated, the skills they honed, the virtues they embodied - are your inheritance, a legacy you carry within.

It’s a powerful perspective to apply to your yoga practice as well. Just as you embody gifts from your ancestors, yoga itself is...

In this video snippet, Marjorie Wollacott talks about the 25-year disconnect between her life as a neuroscientist and academic and that of a spiritual seeker and meditator.

Many of us Westerners who embrace Eastern spiritual traditions might relate to the bifurcated reality she describes. We might even experience this separation within ourselves.

There are some good reasons for the internal conflict that arises from the contrast between our inner and outer worlds.

Our rational mind struggles to accept what can’t be seen and measured, yet the subtle experiences we might have in meditation or yoga feel undeniably real, even if they can’t be explained intellectually.

...

"Meditation is about developing a relationship with yourself that doesn’t depend on what your mind thinks."

It changed everything for me when one of my teachers said this. Like many, I struggled to quiet my racing mind when I tried to meditate. Just sitting down to meditate often seemed to make my mind race even faster. Perhaps you can relate.

Hearing that it was possible to shift my relationship to my mind was revelatory!

Instantly, I no longer had to be the mercy of a seemingly endless current of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and moods. Through the gift of my self-reflective consciousness, I could learn to observe my thoughts in meditation without getting so entangled in them.

...

Biomimicry is the practice of learning from and emulating nature’s strategies to solve human design challenges.

It’s an emerging field of inquiry that holds great promise for creating more sustainable products, policies, and ways of living that are in harmony with the natural world, supporting individual, collective, and planetary healing.

Innovators worldwide are applying this approach in fascinating ways. Engineers are studying the formidable strength and elasticity of spider webs to create more durable, resilient materials. Architects are learning from termite mounds how to design more sustainable buildings.

This approach to inventing views nature as mentor, learning...

I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks being what many would call “unplugged” - on spiritual retreat, in nature, with family, largely away from the daily grind.
 
It occurs to me that it’s quite the opposite. What many might perceive as unplugging is actually a profound and essential way of plugging in - to ourselves, to nature’s rhythms, and to the live wire of renewal and resourcing within and around us.

Our daily responsibilities tend to turn our attention and energy outward, disconnecting us from inner selves. Our practices bring us present, and back into alignment with our bodies and breath.

There, we discover what’s been...

It seems like the perfect week to revisit the significance of the lotus in Eastern spiritual traditions.

In the Indian tradition, the goddesses of yoga are often depicted seated on a lotus throne representing purity, perfection, and the transcendence of worldly life. 

Similarly, the Buddha is also sometimes depicted seated on a lotus flower, symbolizing his state of self-realization.

The way the lotus floats on the water’s surface represents how spiritual teachings and practices help us rise above the fluctuations of the outer world as well as the turbulence of our minds, leading us to a more serene state of being.

The journey that the yogi undertakes is likened to...

May you awaken like the sun at daybreak,
Ready to make your sacred offering.
Set forth with delight, like a pilgrim on his journey.
 
O heroic one, move forward with resolve
To make this sacred offering of yourself to life.
May you plant the banner of victory
In the service of humankind.

- Rg-Veda

 
After living in India for four years, one thing I dearly wanted to hold onto was the idea that everything I do can be approached as an offering. I wanted to remember that, above all else, my deepest wish is to be of service to others.

To keep this intention alive, I placed a small candle on my desk and lit it each day when starting my work.

Over time, I stopped lighting the candle...

What better time than a sweltering July day to consider the paradox of the ice sculptor?

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into creating the most exquisite art you’re capable of, while knowing full well it’s destined to melt away.

It’s not unlike the challenge of living a courageous and wholehearted life. We're invited to give it our all, knowing everything is temporary.

Our practices can help us master both sides of this equation: creating with purpose and dedication, and gracefully letting go of the results.

Through watching the ebb and flow of your breath, the arising and subsiding of sensation and thought, and the progression of each practice, we attune ourselves to...