PinnedMember-onlyI Stand With The Dalai Lama. Here’s Why.Background: When I received a call about 11 years ago to coordinate a tour for the monks of Drepung Gomang monastery in Maryland, it was one of the greatest blessings of my life. I was given an opportunity to do my small part in helping to highlight parts of a…Dalai Lama8 min readDalai Lama8 min read
PinnedMember-onlyMA CHRONICLES (Part 2): SEARCHING FOR SOLID GROUND. WHAT IS HOME TO AN IMMIGRANT WITH ALZHEIMERS?MA CHRONICLES (Part 2): SEARCHING FOR SOLID GROUND. WHAT IS HOME TO AN IMMIGRANT WITH ALZHEIMERS? When my parents divorced, my mother didn’t want our Indian family to know, especially her mother, which made visits to India particularly difficult. My grandmother was one of the softest, kindest, devout and faithful…Alzheimers4 min readAlzheimers4 min read
PinnedMember-onlyMuddy waters, Muddy Roots, Still Grow Flowers.Recently Jivana Heyman of the Accessible Yoga organization posed the question on FB: “Re: Cultural appropriation, how do you honor your teacher if they are/were abusive”, naming the Sivananda organization. I haven’t felt compelled to write about it until this moment, but now I do. *trigger warning: rape, assault, abuse…Guru6 min readGuru6 min read
PinnedMember-onlyMa Chronicles: Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s (part 1)“How is your mom?” asks a face staring through the tiny zoom screen, as one popped up after the next to say hello to each other before the gentle yoga asana class begins. Somehow, on this day, I tried a new answer. “Well it’s hard to say.” “Is her disease…Alzheimers7 min readAlzheimers7 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThrough A Yogic Lens: Is It Really Cultural Appropriation? Or Something Deeper?BY ANJALI SUNITA We’ve all seen it: the deity tattoos, the turbans, self-appointed spiritual names, goddess circles, Yoga business courses, pornographic Yoga pose selfies, events described as “tribal” galore. If you like Yoga or are of Indian ancestry, you will have…Cultural Appropriation12 min readCultural Appropriation12 min read
Apr 21Member-onlyMa Chronicles: Caring for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s (Part 3) The Self Care EditionWhen caregiving, you get a frequent reminder from everyone in your midst to “take care of yourself”. It serves up a lukewarm feeling of receiving kindness, mixed with vague well-wishing, garnished with guilt. You must refill your cup, they say. Take care of the caretaker. The clichés seem endless. And…Alzheimers6 min readAlzheimers6 min read
Dec 16, 2022Member-onlySeven Ways to Awaken Your Body’s Natural Wisdom: Ayurveda for beginnersAyurveda is the indigenous medicine system of Ancient India, with texts dating back thousands of years from doctors, surgeons, and specialists, which parallel all branches of modern medicine. The systems are still alive and practiced today both in lineage folk traditions as well as through medical colleges in India. Ayurveda…Ayurveda5 min readAyurveda5 min read
Nov 17, 2022Member-onlyThree Reasons to Integrate Ayurvedic Wisdom into your Yoga PracticeIf you have found your yoga practice has plateaued or become rote, disconnected from the rest of your world, lacks context, feels rigid, and is relegated to the yoga mat at best, or if you feel lost in a home practice without your teacher giving instructions, there are many reasons…Wellness4 min readWellness4 min read
Mar 18, 2022Member-onlyEmbracing the cool, Kapha SeasonEMBRACING THE COOL KAPHA SEASONAyurveda4 min readAyurveda4 min read
Feb 23, 2022Member-onlySpiritual People, please stop naming and blaming the Universe.Today as I lay with my leg up in a moon boot after breaking the base of my fibula, I am starting to count the number of times people call upon the Universe to explain the unexplained. This week alone in response to my broken bone, I have heard some…Spirituality5 min readSpirituality5 min read