Often we are asked to listen and we feel compelled to give advice or talk about our own problems. My best friend, daughter, confidant sent me the following poem one day when she was in a psychology class for nursing. The instructor made copies for each student to have and of course she knew I would love it or, perhaps she was trying to tell me something. I am sharing because it had a profound impact on how I listen.

Listen,

“When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you

Waking up each day, I have a feeling of gratitude for all that I have, and truly know I have been blessed with a beautiful family, friends and community. My intention is to share this feeling of gratitude to those who do not wake up feeling happy and content. There is so much suffering and anguish in life and I wish I could take your pain away. It is hard to sit with heartache and sorrow. If it is not in your nature to be unhappy, you may have trouble understanding why people look on the dark

This past week, a small group of 18 yogis traveled to Menla Mountain for a retreat with the theme, “Living with Intent.” It was powerful and transformational for many of the us. The following column is a repeat from earlier in the year when the focus was on intentions. I hope this helps as a reminder to all to set your intentions!

“Sankalpa” is a Sanskrit word meaning an intention formed by the heart and mind. A solemn vow, determination or will. It is your connection to your deepest heart and

June 21 was International Yoga Day. I happened to hear the prime minister of India (who originally proposed to mark this day in 2014) speak. He said: “Yoga brings people together and could bring peace to the world.”

This resonated with me, as I often think that when we come to practice yoga—the whole of it and whatever type—everyone is equal. There is also a kindness that happens, a softness that is more prevalent than anything else. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, what position

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” (Attributed to Marcus Aurelius). Came across this in one of my notebooks—the notebooks where I jot down notes from online yoga classes, inspiring quotes and my own studies on different poses. 

Marcus Aurelius came back to me from my days of studying Latin—he was a philosopher and warrior according to what has been recorded a long, long time ago! The human condition has always been the same no matter what time period. We want

I had one full day to myself and decided to do nothing much else but read a book a friend had given me. It is a memoir of all different remedies one individual went through for several years of her life through relationships and family drama and all else that life brings to offer. She searched through all self-help connections and traveled extensively to experience various modes of proposed healing approaches, frantically trying to fill something, frantically trying to figure out what she