The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Who’s fault is it anyway?

Watching the news recently, I was moved to tears during footage of the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico. Remembering Alys’s great article Exposing oneself to the news – what’s the real story?, I was mindful of staying open and non-judgmental of what I was watching. I wanted to be able to see what was [...]

Why forgiveness of self is part of the yogic path toward samadhi (bliss)

Years of yoga practice has peeled away layers and layers of behaviours and thought patterns. The veil of avidya (self-ignorance) is lifting, but not without pain and discomfort. It’s this pain and discomfort that sent me fleeing from class so many years ago. It’s this pain and discomfort that has made my practice sporadic and [...]

How yoga has the power to transform and release avidya (self-ignorance)

My first experience with the power of avidya came about twenty minutes into my third ashtanga yoga class. Or maybe my second. The exact number is not important, just that I was a broke backpacker partway through a pre-paid ten week yoga course. The teacher, a long, lanky woman in her early forties, brought us [...]