Truthfulness: The Essential Quality on the Spiritual Path
We’re not all born angels. When I was five years old, I told a lie. Of course, I don’t remember what the lie was, but I clearly recall my father’s reaction: “You can’t lie to me—it’s written all over your face!” Imagine my horror at this discovery—when I tell a fib, writing appears on my…Read More
The Niyamas
Living yoga as a spiritual path is a journey. And it has a definite goal. Some people begin a journey just for the fun of it, like an adventure. Indeed, many yoga students begin with this in mind. You hear that yoga is good for your body. Then you discover that it also has some pleasant mental…Read More
How to Conserve Spiritual Energy
Energy—any kind of energy—is like money. It has value, and it’s generally considered a good thing if you have a lot of it. Energy may diminish, like money does, when care is not taken. Like an abandoned savings account, energy stagnates when ignored. Similarly, just as you can invest in your savings and make it…Read More
The Middle Path
Why the current fascination with extremes—extreme sports, extreme makeovers, extreme minimalism? Is it really necessary for us to prize things only in the extreme? Yogis and those on other spiritual paths know that extremes can be dangerous. They upset the valuable stillness of the mind. For example, it’s easy to understand this if you consider…Read More
What is a Guru?
Each year, at the time of the full moon of the Indian calendar month Ashadha, yogis celebrate Gurupurnima. This day is set aside to honor the Guru. On the Western calendar, Gurupurnima usually happens in the month of July. It’s an especially important day for yogis because the Guru holds the highest place in our…Read More
Spiritual Growth: Increasing Your Spiritual Bank Balance
Why does it seem like some people have all the luck? They have a harmonious family life, stable finances, a strong and healthy body, and a sharp intellect. We’d say that the cards of life are stacked in their favor. The conditions mentioned above can be thought of as good luck—or good karma. But there’s…Read More
The Spiritual Path
Two things are certain in our lives: birth and death. Everything between those two events is uncertain. Yogis tell us that we bring our past-life karma into each new birth. And that our attitude and the choices we make along the way determine the circumstances of our future births. We can’t do anything about the…Read More
The True Meaning of Yoga
Yoga has become a household word since its introduction to the West a little more than 100 years ago. Since then, the general public’s understanding of yoga and its primary purpose has taken an unintended turn. We’re accustomed to seeing the word yoga alongside an image of slim and fit people. They might be performing…Read More
Keeping Good Company – The Seeker’s Greatest Companion
Among nature’s many lessons applicable to our lives is this old proverb: Birds of a feather flock together. My parents were concerned about the “birds” of my teen years, my friends. The use of recreational drugs like LSD was on the rise. As good parents, they hoped to protect me from certain types of friendships….Read More
The Search for Happiness
Everyone wants to be happy. It’s such a strong, deeply rooted desire that we rarely even think about it. However, if we observe our actions carefully, we realize that the motivation behind them is the desire to be happy. In our search for happiness, we form relationships or change jobs. We buy the latest gadget…Read More
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