A few weeks ago I wrote about practicing yoga with Nancy Gilgoff, who passed away on March 22nd. Last Sunday, I did my first led primary series in months. I’m no stranger to intermittent ashtanga practice. It’s actually my norm to practice the primary series sporadically. This is probably misguided; I’m not sure that ashtanga is designed for dabbling. But it suits me. I have other practices that feel good on an every day basis. After a few months I inevitably crave the…

One of the big adjustments that I’ve worked on in the past few years is to know when and how to slow down. But occasionally there’s a week in which slowing down is impossible, or so inconvenient that it might as well be impossible. This past week was one of those. On top of it all, I was battling some sort of stomach bug that was mild enough for me to keep going but pronounced enough for me to be aware of it….

Through my yoga and mindfulness practice, I’ve been introduced to the concept of maitrī. Maitrī is part of the brahmavihārā, a series of virtues and attendant practices that can help us to cultivate joy, well-being, and maybe even enlightenment.  Maitrī is similar to metta, which I’ve written about before; in fact, it’s another word for the same concept. Maitrī is a Sanskrit word, while metta is a Pali word. Both can be translated, most simply, as loving-kindness. Loving-kindness, yes. But there are lots…

I got out of town very briefly this past week for a friend’s wedding. The ceremony happened on a crystal clear, sunny and warm afternoon in Phoenix. There was laughter and merrymaking until the sun set, and after it set the party continued under a canopy of illuminated tree branches. It was a beautiful event in celebration of a devoted young couple. On my flight home, I got to thinking about how difficult weddings were for me in my thirties, when I was…