Meditation and Yoga Saved My Life

  On the one year anniversary of my wife's death, I took her photographs off the shelf and put them into storage.  Thirty years of memories in a box.  One day, when I am ready I will let go of the box.  But for now it was enough to remove them from daily view.  Why?  Because I cannot bring her back.  Her photos are a painful yet fantastic reminders of a life lived.  A wonderful life, beautiful marriage and the best friend I have ever had.  As long as I am attached to those photos I will be unable to heal.  She is dead.  I also took her remains and send them to Minnesota to be conjoined with relatives she loved and adored.  All of her remains.  I did not keep any for myself.  Because even though she was a wonderful person and wife, her remains are just ashes.  I needed to let-go.  To become unattached to those things that were such a important part of my life, of our lives and love together.  It is time ...

  In Yoga poses we learn from our body just how much is enough.  Whether this is in downward facing dog, raised arms or warrior II, we communicate with our bodies about limits.  I love the art and meditation aspects of physical yoga.  I love to challenge my body.  I use tree pose to perfect my balance by envisioning I am on a ski bike balancing on one foot as I get off the chair lift.  This requires extreme concentration and breathing which will come in handy this winter when I embark on this new sport.  In Yogic thought I need to seek the perfect balance of what I am engaged in.  There are some things I take to excess.  For years I took food to excess and as a result I developed diabetes. Now I fast regularly and eat a diet high in raw foods.  I take alcohol to excess.  Practicing Brahmacharya will teach me to know when I have had enough.     Why do I move past the place of enough into excess.  Yogic thought tel...

  The eighth commandment given by God to man via Moses is Thou Shalt Not Steal.  It is also the third jewel in yoga Yamas ethical practice.  Since I was a child I understood the basic principle of don't take something that is not yours.  One day when I was about 10 years old, I took a notepad from a convenience store without paying for it.  I felt so guilty that I went back into the store and confessed my sin to the store owner.  Rather than punish me for my misdeed, the owner thanked me for my honesty, made me pay for the notepad and then gave me a piece of candy.  From that point on I have practiced complete honesty.  I do not take anything that does not belong to me.  If I mistakenly remove a product from the store, I go back to pay for it.  I am a generous man, but studying Astea made me realize I have been stealing from others all my life.  I recently was lent the book “Secrets of the Yamas” by John McAfee where he describes As...