I kind of hate these facebook-y quizzes, but you know I'm a sucker for Chakra "mythology."

I hate these quizzes, and yet... and yet... I'm powerless to a chakra quiz.

says "as the thumbs are a reflection of the work of the bicep, so to is the work of the breath, as a reflection of the mind... Or perhaps vice versa... Either way, breathe."

is being taught compassion and empathy today.

"The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated." -- William James. "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."-- Eric Hoffer

is becoming more comfortable with santosha.

is dedicating his day to the life and times of Ethel Gilmore. Om Shanti. Om. Peace, peace, peace.

"resentment is allowing something to live rent-free in the mind"

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.→ B.K.S. Iyengar

Do your practice and all is coming.→ Sri K Patthabi

New blog post at miDCityYoga.com about how we sense the self in this big ol' world: Peace and Proprioception: http://bit.ly/bjW3Uz

"A famous financier understood [life value] when he asked and answered his own rhetorical question: "When does a man have enough money? When he makes his next million." Time and time again, we find that the people who are truly satisfied and enriched in this life, the ones who have achieved what is indisputably happiness, are the ones who have sought to create value for others. -Charles S. Sanford, Jr

But it's good to try and understand why! On a grander scale, trying to understand people tends to stop fights and wars and stuff. YES THAT'S RIGHT I STOP WARS.

thinks the brighter he shines his light, the more darkness be discovers at the periphery.

is reminded that yoga doesn't exist on the four corners of the mat but the annals of the mind. Sometimes throwing heavy shit over your head and wearing bright colors can be a "practice," too.

See I never sugar coat any life lessons for you, 'cause I wanna make you equipped for the best.
And I can't always be here to rescue you when life gets crazy.

But I love you more than you'll ever know.
With you love never dies.
'Cause I love you more than you'll ever know.

Prop8 Overturned: "Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians. The evidence shows conclusively that Proposition 8 enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples...."

Dear Ganesh: I love you.

<3 signed, Govinda

On Gymnosophists (naked philosophers)-- Alexander [the great] asked how a man could be most loved; "If," said the philosopher, "he is most powerful, and yet does not inspire fear." Ahhhh, ancient yogis.

Sunday, coffee, mat
This is diff'rent somehow-- yes?
Where do you find God?

thinks MLK Day is the perfect day to recognize, honor, and celebrate universal oneness.

This body and I used to be enemies. Distrustful, failing each other often. Now, we're partners in crime (for better or worse). <3<3<3 love yourself. own your mistakes. put good stuff in. all will come <3<3<3

When tempted to skip a pose today in my practice, I thought of what Peggy shared: "The ashtanga yoga system should never be confused with "power yoga" or any whimsical creation which goes against the tradition of the many types of yoga scriptures. It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant body building." -- Mr. Jois

I didn't skip.

"'Practicing alll aspects of yoga destroys the impurities so that the light of knowledge and discrimination shines .' It is unfortunate that students who have not yet matured in their own practice have changed the method and have cut out the essence of an ancient lineage to accommodate their own limitations." --Mr. Jois

"Every living creature on earth dies alone."

let his body rest last night. Today, he awoke with the smell of Spring (and rebirth!) in his tickled, oft-upturned, nose. And upon awakening, the urge to run swelled in his dense, strong bones. Like trees and children, change is inevitable with time. You are who you were and will be who you are. Metamorphosis and realization are not acts of forgetting, but I hear they require time and patience.

"Length before strength" is a new mantra for me.

Control the body to control the mind... And make it pretty.

Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha

My first conference was fascinating. I got to view Sharath, the (these are my terms) titleholder of the Ashtanga lineage, through the lens of a man who deals with keeping the purity of a practice in the real world-- the world of parties, internet gossip, and multiculturalism. A fascinating, non-textbook experience. A highlight, paraphrased: "A man with two gurus (gu ru: dispel dark) is like a man with two doctors-- take both pieces of advice/take both pills, and you surely are worse for it."

Led Primary, chanting, Sanskrit, philosophy, and two trips to the Ramakrishna ashram. Today was busy, but had a keen reminder to count my blessings: I saw a funeral procession today. It consisted of a flower adorned handmade chair, the deceased strapped in, carried and paraded to the crematorium. Tambourines and gongs, laughter and tears.

Eat a little, drink a little
Talk a little, sleep a little
Mix a little, move a little
Serve a little, rest a little
Work a little, relax a little
Study a little, worship a little
Do Asana a little, Pranayama a little
Reflect a little, meditate a little
Do Japa a little, do Kirtan a little
Write Mantra a little, have Satsang a little
Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize
Be good, Do good; Be kind, Be compassionate
Enquire 'Who am I ?', Know the Self and be Free

Detachment can be a bitch.

Hear the Wild howlin',
"Time yet? Time yet?"

"Patience, patience,"
comes the Calm's reply.
"First the garden,
then the party."

With Radha,
Krishna danced.

Well, here we are at the intersection of willpower and surrender. ha!

what you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here

You wanna know how to make God laugh? Tell him your plans.

I once saw the other side of the universe and it was all the same and made of love. God is love and in the details. Surrender, surrender, control, surrender. Love.

"Action expresses priorities" -- Gandhi

Like a straight line to heaven, neon prayer. Are you there?

Don't let the fear of what you can't do shame you into not trying what you can.

Does Yoga Really Foster Transformation? A Personal Account ~ #ashtanga #iyengar #yoga

This body is a fleeting expression of the divine.

I'm thankful for my teachers in all of their forms for awakening me to the insight of the happiness of pure Being. A place without the poison of conditioned existence, the poisons of prejudice and hate. I'm thankful for my teachers, who provided the antidote (like a jungle physician). That antidote: be yourself. No hate. No prejudice. Just joy. Just love. Vande Gurunam.

"Finally, students should note that their progress in Vipassana depends solely on their good qualities and personal development..."

Begin: Noble Speech

Today I took a tumble in the last pose of my practice. "The highest sadhana (spiritual practice)? Bear insult, bear injury." -- Swami Sivananda

"But I'll push myself up through the dirt
And shake my petals free
I'm resolved to being born
And so resigned to bravery "

"Live light, travel light, spread the light, be the light! Miss you already! " -- Tova Steiner

"It startles me sometimes, that glow emanating from the faces and bodies around me...how did it get there? Does it take from my own? ...no, that light is so full, so diffuse, so slippery it slides over and illuminates all. It is my responsibility and choice to stand clear of the shadows, not only to encourage the light to come out, but also to let it in." -- Kristen Krash, I love you.

"Yoga isn't about criticism, it's about transformation. Self-transformation. You
change yourself, you change the world." -- Sharathji

No material expectations, just gratitude. Burn it to the ground, and with each ash know God. Bedtime, Christmas Eve. Mysore.

Burning karma, one year at a time. Next!

What I Learned at St. Philomena's: The King James Bible has a bunch of Dragons and Phoenixes.

"Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear." -- DrMLK

The beauty of rebirth abounds. All is full of love.

the importance of tradition fills my head as the smells of ethiopian cabbage fills the apartment.

change is a zephyr.

"Continue your loving kindness to all."

"Caution: Especially those who want to start practicing the two yoganga’s “Asana” and “Pranayama” without following the aforementioned niyamas, following drawing charts and practicing on their own freewill will not receive benefits but may also be responsible for tarnishing the name and bringing disrepute. " http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2013/08/krishnamacharyas-house-recommendations.html?m=1

Remembering today the queer negroes who fought for equality. Bayard Rustin, I'm grateful. My black brothers today, celebrate equality by letting your black brothers know you've got our back. Dr King, god bless.

Yoga Sutra 1.33-- In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil.

Practice yoga for selfless service, not yoga in service of selfies.

my first acupuncture experience... fascinating.

Pop Francis continued: “A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’”

“This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all,” he said, “not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people.”

Everywhere looking. Only God seeing.

My spiritual practice juxtaposed with ancient art inspired by others' own sadhana. Peg & I were art for the Smithsonian tonight... Like moon rocks, ruby slippers, and "Starry Nights." 5000 years of yogic art indeed. Om Namah Shivaya.

proactive > reactive > no practice

So many samskaras to burn through, so little time.

Can you do your practice, have a practice, without criticizing or condemning someone else's? Haters gonna love this.

All is full of love.

This year april had a blizzard
Just to show she did not care
And the new dead leaves
They made the trees look like children with gray hair
But I'll push myself up through the dirt
And shake my petals free
I'm resolved to being born
And so resigned to bravery

Yeah the one who leaves this also grieves this
Too much rain on a prairie flood plain
Houses floating, love is like that
We built on a river

-- Dar Williams, Spring Street

Let go. Dance. Don't hold the wall.

For me, chanting is harder and scarier than asana. Went to Dr. Jayashree's for chanting and philosophy, hoping to make Karuna proud.

“Hey, Tengo, do you know the difference between the English words ‘lunatic’ and ‘insane’?” she asked. “They’re both adjectives describing mental abnormality. I’m not quite sure how they differ.” “ ‘Insane’ probably means to have an innate mental problem, something that calls for professional treatment, while ‘lunatic’ means to have your sanity temporarily seized by the luna, which is ‘moon’ in Latin. In nineteenth-century England, if you were a certified lunatic and you committed a crime, the severity of the crime would be reduced a notch. The idea was that the crime was not so much the responsibility of the person himself as that he was led astray by the moonlight. Believe it or not, laws like that actually existed. In other words, the fact that the moon can drive people crazy was actually recognized in law.

-- 1Q84, Haruki Murakami

Wrestling with the "I Maker," ahamkara.

Value the present moment when confronted with presents in a moment. "May leaders lead with wisdom, may all nations be prosperous, and may all creatures everywhere be happy and free. Peace."

"I’ll try doing the same thing again—purely out of curiosity. I just want to know what will happen if I do the same thing in the same place wearing the same outfit. I’m not hoping this will save me. I’m not especially afraid to die. If it comes to that, I’ll do it without hesitation. I can die smiling. But Aomame did not want to die ignorant, failing to grasp how things worked. I want to push myself to my limits, and if things don’t work out, then I can give up. But I will do everything I can until the bitter end. That is how I live." --1Q84, Haruki Murikami

This. This x100. I just hope the end is not bitter.

"For better or worse, the areas that Fives explore do not depend on social validation; indeed, if others agree with their ideas too readily, Fives tend to fear that their ideas might be too conventional. History is full of famous Fives who overturned accepted ways of understanding or doing things (Darwin, Einstein, Nietzshce). Many more Fives, however, have become lost in the Byzantine complexities of their own thought processes, becoming merely eccentric and socially isolated."

"the siddhis are essential to achieving samadhi, which is the true power ... to deny them [the siddhis] is to deny your ultimate freedom. You can only step beyond these powers once you've acquired them. Renouncing them beforehand, as many practitioners of yoga do, mimics yet forestalls the true liberation... In addition, renouncing the siddhis, as some yoga teachers today advocate, keeps you powerless, and perpetuates your suffering as a victim." --Yoga, Power, and Spirit: Patanjali the Shaman, Alberto Villodo, Ph.D

Under the covers at 6pm--listening to Shakira and reading think pieces. Left handed tantra sounds good at 7 weeks in. Ready for deep bass & sweat in 8 more.

"Traveling down their own road, watching the signs as they go. Think I'll follow my heart (it's a very good place to start). "

"For something to be a discipline, one must be disciplined."

"Life is so short. You have to get into as many spandex outfits as you can with the amount of time that you have." ~ RuPaul Charles

Maha Shivaratri, celebrating the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, begins today. Auspicious for me, as "I" prepares to again be "we."

charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.

"What would RuPaul Do?" will be my go-to from now on when times get tough. Thanks, Amaya!

RuPaul would say "emotions don't scare me!"

Power Dynamics, Race, Gender and Ashtanga Yoga, RuPaul. Solange Knowles. Facebook feed, somedays you get me.

I want to talk about food, sex, power, and money.

Retweeted Sri Dharma Mittra (@DharmaYogaNYC):

I believe in the Laws of Karma, but I still lock up my bike when I leave it down on the street. ~ Yogi Sri #DharmaMittra #lifeasayogi

Retweeted RuPaul (@RuPaul):

Quick Reminder: Breathe, laugh, repeat

Retweeted Ashtanga San Diego (@ashtangasd):

Devotion cannot be digitized.

"May you live for as long as you want, never wanting for as long as you live."

The Paradox of Sharing: Unique Experience, Confirmation Bias, and Ashtanga Yoga

"Allow yourself the uncomfortable luxury of changing your mind" - Marina Popova

Retweeted Think Different (@LifeLimits):

It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself. -Eleanor Roosevelt

"The irony is that a personality disposition normally seen as antisocial — disagreeableness — may actually be linked to 'pro-social' behavior,'" writes Psychology Today's Kenneth Worthy.

My mama, the big yogi: "The road ahead will always be a new adventure. Breath, smile, enjoy."

Don’t Be a Hater: On Selfies, Radical Self Acceptance, and Yoga on the Internet

Charlie, Ganesha, and Moushika

Retweeted Matt Gill (@ohyoga_matt):

Meditation...the path of royal yoga 🙂

Retweeted Nick Ruechel (@padartha):

"I urge you to please notice when you are happy." - Kurt Vonnegut (via wordsnquotes)

"What other people think of you is none of your business." ~RuPaul

Retweeted Shanti Yogini (@Shanticapetown):

Mysore Conference Notes 15 November 2014 ~ The Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga:

Retweeted Tatiana M Newton (@NewtonTatiana):

Today... #positivethinking #gratitude #yoga #fitnessmotivation #wellbeing

Retweeted The Illuminati (@TheEyeOfControl):

You are a ghost driving a meat covered skeleton made from stardust riding a rock flying through space. What do you have to be scared of?

Retweeted Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. (@emmaseppala):

"I slept & I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke & I saw that life is all service. I served & I saw that #service is #joy." -Kahlil Gibran

Retweeted love moves you (@Suanta1):

@emmaseppala @askauntieem1 As long as it is service for real people and not for capitalism. #peace

Kindness to a stranger has a longer half life than violence to an enemy.

Retweeted RuPaul (@RuPaul):

“In fact, by the age of 20, the elite performers (violinists) had each totaled 10,000 hours of practice” ~"Outliers" author @Malcgladwell

Retweeted RuPaul (@RuPaul):

Pollyanna was not oblivious to people’s character defects, she just chose to overlook them #ZenRealness

Retweeted Samantha (@Yogitastic):

Reminding myself that speaking poorly about someone reflects more on me than the person I'm talking about.

Repost from @avidyogi via @igrepost_app, #therules

Pick yourself up and pull yourself together.

The kinda day that leaves you inspires you to stand tall and meet the world with strength and a smile that says "I've got a lifetime."

“There is nothing in this world that never takes a step outside a person’s heart,” Leader repeated softly. -- 1Q84, Murakami

"It's not about what it is..."

True Wealth.

Repost from @larugayoga, Yes! 󾮖 #truth #liveyourtruth #wordsofwisdom

The cosmic bonfire started in June 2012 and is reaching its final great crecendo, burning through outdated paradigms and beliefs. Kali is here to cut the anchor and let open the sails

i'm so ready.

Retweeted NOC Yoga (@nocyoga):

"A candle loses none of its flame by igniting another." - Rumi

Ceiling. Contemplate the infinite.

this feels true

Where do you draw your line?

Ashtanga yoga is a really, really simple technique for cultivating insight. If you'd like to know more about bringing deep peace, attention, and insight into your own life, please reach out. (**especially if you're interested and you've heard that it has anything to do with strange bendy shapes and think it may not be for you. I assure you, the practice is for absolutely anyone)

Words are useless; especially sentences.

Do you believe in vibrations? Does the shaking of the very electrons that make up the star stuff inside of us have frequency? Can we tune in?

I didn't get in to Mysore for January, but when my teacher asks "who is your teacher" to one of those who have shared space in my Shala, I feel like I'm there, and niyamas take over. Is this "parampara"? Wow. I miss and love my teacher, but just wow. #dotherightthing

She told me to let go of my hope, and it was the hardest bit of yogic wisdom I had ever received. But the sky, it changed. Like being far from the city, I could see all the stars. No hope, no fear.

I apologize for my purposefully divisive comments on prayer, fundamentalism, and letter of the law religion. I recognize in them a lack of compassion.

As an individual who prays to a supreme (not Diana Ross) power, I see value in prayer. Due to the value I also see in the dissolution of labels and constructed beliefs, I let my interest in the dissonance that can bring destruction override equanimity in tone and presentation.

I cannot destroy your constructed beliefs nor force an experience of any kind-- I forgot that, as my passion got in the way.

Please understand: I am challenged in tonality by strong opinions on faiths that recommend slaughter or subjugation. Many do.

A better framing: does your faith pray to a God that would cast anyone to a hell for getting the name of God "wrong"? That would enslave a people? That kills? How does this make you feel in light of recent tragedies?

Seeking to be a source of inspiration frequently fosters in others aspiration. The aspirant sound is a gasp-- not rich, not full-- dying. Be yourself and let others choose.

"From silly devotions and sour faced saints, good Lord, deliver us," the mantra of Saint Teresa of Ávila.

From Dattatteya's "Yoga Shastra" -- there will be success for the practitioner. [But] how can there be [success] for the nonpractitioner? (83)

Success is never gained through mere reading of books. (84)

Those who [merely] talk about Yoga and wear the apparel [of a yogin] but lack all application and live for their bellies and their dicks-- they cheat people. (92-93)

These timeline truths #onefingerpointedthreeback

I have had my fortune told. I have revisited a past life. I have had seers tell me visions. The world is strange and beautiful and unceasingly surprising. Have a great day!

When I give all the right fucks, there are 0 fucks given.

Ancient yoga paradox, like a good Koan... the dopeness of realness.

Today, they all came dressed as pirates. They let me talk about dharma, the love I have for my gurus, and the great hunt for the greatest treasure of all. I am so happy and feel so much love that it is hard to type, but worthy of sharing.

doing scary stuff is good for the soul. feel the fear and do it anyway!

"A flower won't open if I yell at it and say “Bloom!" -- Marion Woodman

"The essence of divine experience is unending devastating bliss and an unshakable silent peace." - yogani

Today, a picture of Rolf (a dear teacher of mine) popped up -- him with many of his dogs on the beach.

Yesterday, there were no pictures of me from David's (my dear teacher here) intensive, but many with Charlie. Rolf doesn't care for having his picture posted.

Today, a student came to me to borrow goggles to practice in. Not so long ago, I learned how to do just that.

Feeling parampara-y (tradition).

Things will escalate.

Expansion before contraction.

Prayers of peace for every living creature.

I fell asleep on my yoga mat today-- I didn't make it far, and it wasn't time for rest.

Last night, I couldn't sleep... I was wrestling with black lives mattering, brown lives mattering, pink lives mattering, white lives mattering...how to find parity between that and the fact that I believe that no one exists on purpose and life itself is a consequence of action (and so, it's only meaning is that it is an effect).

Everything comes down to charachter, and the world is full of valorless men and woman who wear all kinds of uniforms and masks.

It is also full of people who do the right thing, even though no one is keeping score.

We are people. Disarm the police. Disarm the populace. Disarm your angry, bigoted minds. I don't know how. I have no answers.

All I want for all beings is peace.

A collection of videos in which Dave Chapelle tells his story about walking away from 50 million in order to maintain contentment and clarity of self. Important stuff.

It's okay to show, so long as you also go in. "Artist" -- "performer" -- yes, but also yogi.

A thousand times yes.

I don't do it. It's not highbrow elitism, it's because I actually 100% care about the majesty of experience-- and every experience is by definition unique.

Share with me.

Never forget: We are alive within mysteries.

Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.

-- Wendell Berry

Imagine, Create, and Inspire.

This is the Hour
We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people
this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Where is your garden?
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be the time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
And push off and jump into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.
See who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time for the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word "struggle" from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for..."
- The Elders, Hopi Nation, Oraibi

"It is good sometimes. You touch the fire, and for sure you know it is hot."

There is unlimited potential for solidarity, connection, and compassion inside of each and every one of us. The loneliness you feel, the sorrow of disconnection, is the inner voice telling you to plug in and wake up. Might I recommend Ashtanga yoga? It's very simple and incredibly effective. DCASHTANGA.COM

"The origin of truth is love."

"Learn to mock convenience"

Yoga & veggies best practice: when you can, go local, go organic, go unmodified from the seeds of origin when you can. Heirloom tomatoes and yogas with lineage. I'm into it.

Maybe the cicada is my spirit animal? Some of y'all are monarchs, others painted ladies-- that's well and good.

"They have an exceptionally loud song. Most cicadas are cryptic, singing at night to avoid predators. The periodic cicadas spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerging only after 13 or 17 years, which may reduce losses by starving their predators and eventually emerging in huge numbers which overwhelm and satiate any remaining predators.

Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad, and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have been used in myths and folklore to represent carefree living and immortality."

Overheard today: "Remember the spiritual principal of persistence."

I rely on mantra in so many different ways in my daily life, my yoga practice, and my teaching practice.

Regularly, the good Sis Britney is bringing me that patience and resolve to hold space in trying times:

Break it down, break it down, break it down
Break it down, break it down, break it down

This ain't no foolishness or fuckery
I'm handling my business (Business)
Holler if you hear me
Hey, can I get a witness
Preacher, preacher
I'm the teacher, you can learn
Watch your fingers, boy
You might get burned

If you've ever been to heaven, this is twice as nice. Break it down.

I've been abroad for the most recent conversations regarding the changing landscape of yoga in DC. We're seeing an unbelievable rise in yoga chains in DC-- Yoga District, Yoga Works, Down Dog, The Georgetown Yoga/Shaw/Dupont Conglomo, Yoga Heights, and Corepower. What does it mean for those who are highly trained and highly skilled to have chains expanding? What does it mean for those who want access to a contemplative practices and philosophy sets that goes back a few thousand years? What does it mean for those who don't know any of that and teach fitness with curated playlists under a homophone? Meg is interested in ensuring that modern postural yoga doesn't go the way of Lombrusco.

“…I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” …there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation"

AS MLK WROTE IN HIS Birmingham letters, Rattling the establishment is very useful. Its true, you might find yourself a pariah, but to an unrepresented community of people, you are representation, giving voice to those that have been largely voiceless. It requires valor and bravery, as MLK later came to discover, as standing your ground may in fact become the hill that you die upon.

Much like my affinity for drag, I recognize that yoga will never truly be mainstream because it "mocks ego," as RuPaul says. Yoga is very good for marginalized people. It's goodness for the voices unspoken is directly proportionate to its threat to the establishment.

The establishment, the Man, is invested in maintaining its power, and because that power comes from a deified ego, the establishment further marginalizes those that dare question ego.

Anything that mocks ego becomes an inherent threat.

Those vested in the power that comes from the establishment, and for this I say as clearly as I can: especially ONLY from the establishment-- those people will always attempt to (at best) diminish and (at worst) silence (by any means necessary) that which shows that the emporer has no clothes. They will do it with a clear conscience as only those who have made a god out of a toothless tiger can murder guiltlessly.

The very best way to rattle the ego starts by creating tension. Without discounting your inherent value, question your worth. You can't use your privileges for good if you don't admit you have them. We all have god given rights and innate gifts. What are your gifts? Where have you struggled? You can't recognize your growth potential without a sober assesment of where you are. This will help build empathy.

Then, go out and get loud.
Rattle the establishment.
Do yoga.
Fight AIDS.

Make MLK, RuPaul, and this little yogi proud and go out there and color with all the colors in the crayon box.

We can harness our power.

Don't you wonder how to find liberation?

It comes from inside ourselves. Wim Hoff teaches people go control their nervous system-- cold, oxygen deprivation, attitude-- all Interrelated.

In a society that profits from homogeny through anesthesia, being authentic is a rebellious act. Get Woke. Be Proud. 👊🏼

The Gods of Indic history are known by a variety of their names based on their cycles of rebirth - I can’t help but feel affinity- I'm Mike, Skippy, Mikey, and Michael here. I feel indescribably blessed to have an overlapping and overflowing community of friends who know *me* and call me by my name. Here we are, NYC.

May all souls in all realms be at peace.

How do we tether a soul to another? What twine or taffy makes them stay? Is it love or god or byproduct of inevitability?

Perhaps there is no real delineation-- all three the same, differently labeled, but effectively borderless. So then too, this is a reflection on both marriage and friendship, both of which can bind so equally and tightly. It seems to me there is no distinction -- both a pact with another to participate in the process of complete cooperation with the inevitable. Sounds an awful lot like enlightenment.

The great sages of the yogic path say that the surest way to the end states of yoga are through love and devotion. They call that path to enlightenment bhakti.

There is no surer way to know God and the self than love.

Till death do we part, indeed.

com·plic·it
kəmˈplisit
adjective
involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.

"Support of Trump makes you complicit in the dehumanization of woman. "
"Deifying Jois on Guru Purnima makes you complicit in silencing victims of sexual abuse in spiritual communities"
"Eating at chick-fil-a makes you complicit in the oppression of the LGBT community"
"Supporting India with your tourism dollars makes you complicit in radical Hinduism."

How much complicity can you stomach?

a reminder from someone on the path a good bit longer than me. Thanks, DG.

Putting the finishing touches on an Ashtanga Practice Intensive-- a deep dive into the history, philosophy, pedagogy. In-person, on-line, and for those interested, includes Mysore. Right around 300 hours, but really, a whole lifetime of study.

What does it mean to go to a place like Ecuador in order to create and participate in economy? And how does one do that in a respectable, regenerative, respectful way?

Ask Kristen.

She and her partner Juan are growing cacao and heirloom cacao in a regenerative food forest with zero waste.

The optics in this post hit close to home.

I try not to dress up in a costume for the purposes of selling you the product of yoga. I can’t actually sell yoga yoga— and sell you my time.

My time as a practitioner, a seeker, a student, and a finder. And as a yoga facilitator/teacher/guide, it’s why you don’t see me in my dhoti very often... And why i tend to only wear my mala when I meditate.

There are so many ways to signal your desire to be seen as aspirational— biceps and bindis and baba harem pants. Andean throws. The thing is, when you have something valuable to share, you want to share it.

When you have devoted your life to something, you hope that you can make enough money to keep devoting your life to it. And, you might even try to sell the image of the thing using appropriators prints.

It’s a tricky thing... this authenticity piece. I love that Kristen and Juan encourages folks to make of all of it what you will.

In the mean time... should I teach you to handstand, shirtless?

Hi team! It's your friendly neighborhood yoga coach! Balance gym is at it again— matching donations and elevating queer POC’s voices.

One of the seminal yoga texts, the Bhagavad Gita, has the story of a Arjuna, a young Archer, going to war to fight injustices (against his cousins, no less). He grapples with the concepts of pacifism, patience, and change-- aren't Yogi's suppose to be peaceful??

“Inaction is action,” Krishna tells him. He shows up as his chariot driver, guiding him to find a right action In his confusion and concern. Krishna doesn’t want anyone to get hurt! Especially not his cousins... but as Krishna reminds him, sometimes it is a greater injustice to nor Fight for peace.

If you are a practitioner looking for a way to help stop injustice, and your money goes further than your arrows, please consider doing the yogic thing and donating.

Balance gym will match your donations!

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Birmingham city jail