I have been using this verse of the Bhagavad Gita as a theme for the past few yoga classes. Here are a few different versions. "As a lamp in a windless place Does not flicker, to such is compared The yogin of controlled mind, Performing the yoga of the Self." The Bhagavad Gita, by Winthrop Sargeant "When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place." The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran "A lamp sheltered from the wind

It is an honor to share this poem on my blog. Thank you, Erin! LEARNING TO FLY In gold touched movements All but still, Many skins are shed. Cocoons hang from their silken threads, And wing patterns become visible. Thousands of scales In a palate of perfection Push through transparency: The chrysalis opens to beauty. Delicate angels Spread gossamer wings Preparing to meet the world. -Erin Piazza Thanks to Katherine Talbert for sharing images of the tra

My dear friend Brynna shared this with her Meditation group, and also with me. Thank you Brynna! The reality that is present to us and in us: call it Being...Silence. And the simple fact that by being attentive, by learning to listen (or recovering the natural capacity to listen), we can find ourself engulfed in such happiness that it cannot be explained: the happiness of being at one with everything in that hidden ground of Love for which there can be no explanations... May

If you stumble, make it part of the dance - River Maria Urke Watching a romantic comedy, "Champagne Problems", a dialogue between two characters caught my attention: -"You'd be crazy to not be feeling crazy right now" -"Thanks. I wanna be more like you. I wanna be fearless in love" -"You think I'm fearless?" -"Mm-hmm" -"I stumble all the time." -"You do?" -"I've just learned to make it part of the dance". Searching for that quote somewhere, I found about River Maria Urke, her

Thanks to the Poetry Circle for bringing this poem into my day. “Instructions on Not Giving Up” By Ada Limon More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees that really gets to me. When all the shock of white and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave the pavement strewn with the

This part of the poem stays with me: For the divine alchemy to work, The Pitcher needs a still cup Read the full poem, from the book "The Gift" , Poems inspired by Hafiz, the great Sufi Master, by Daniel Landinsky. A Still Cup For God To make love, For the divine alchemy to work, The Pitcher needs a still cup. Why Ask Hafiz to say Anything more about Your most Vital Requirement? #hafiz #daniellandinsky #thegift #sufimaster #astillcup

In the Room of a Thousand Miles By Billy Collins I like writing about where I am, where I happen to be sitting, the humidity or the clouds, the scene outside the window-- a pink tree in bloom, a neighbor walking his small, nervous dog. And if I am drinking a cup of tea at the time or a small glass of whiskey, I will find a line to put it on. My wife hands these poems back to me with a sigh. She thinks I ought to be opening up my aperture to let in the wild rhododendrons of Ir

Opened randomly the beautiful book "Devotions", by Mary Oliver , to read this poem: The Buddha's Last Instruction by Mary Oliver “Make of yourself a light,” said the Buddha, before he died. I think of this every morning as the east begins to tear off its many clouds of darkness, to send up the first signal -- a white fan streaked with pink and violet, even green. An old man, he lay down between two sala trees, and he might have said anything, knowing it was his final hour. Th

I'm enjoying reading the book "Yoga for Pain Relief". Here are a few quotes that I love: ..."Finally, rest your hands anywhere that is comfortable. Notice the full movement of the breath in and out of the body and the full movement of the body as you breathe. Notice the sensations of each breath in and each breath out. This is your connection to life sustaining energy. All you need to do is welcome it. By devoting your attention to the breath, you give your body permission to

Thanks to Donna, who sent me this wonderful text, from the book Every Day Spirit , by Mary Davis Perfect Abundance Meditation from January 6, Every Day Spirit by Mary Davis Gratitude makes sweet miracles of small moments. Slow down a little. Notice more. Breathe is all in. Give thanks. We are rich with gifts, right where we are, when we begin this day with a grateful heart. Today, let's register the sight of natural beauty and linger over small moments of tea and frien

This is the poem that wanted to be read on the last night of 2025, and first morning of 2026. Thanks to all those who participated in today's practice, so grateful for our sangha and for each one of you. Welcome 2026, I'm ready for you! There are guides who can show you the way. Use them. But they will not satisfy your longing. Keep wanting that connection with all your pulsing energy. The throbbing vein will take you further than any thinking. ... Observe the wonders as they

Thanks to my friend Brynna for sharing this with me. It is part of a longer poem called "For the Breakup of a Relationship" (see below full poem), p.165 of the incredible book "To Bless the Space Between Us". This is the time to be slow Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt Scrape from your heart All sense of yourself And your hesitant light. If you remain generous, Time will come good; And you will find y

Reviewing my posts around the Holidays, I read "Preparing the Heart for the Holidays" , where I share part of a poem that Tara Brach shared in her talk. Here is the full poem. Peace Is This Moment Without Judgment by Dorothy Hunt ​ Do you think peace requires an end to war? Or tigers eating only vegetables? Does peace require an absence from your boss, your spouse, yourself?... Do you think peace will come some other place than here? Some other time than Now? In some other he

Path by Jack Hirschman Go to your broken heart. If you think you don’t have one, get one. To get one, be sincere. Learn sincerity of intent by letting life enter because you’re helpless, really, to do otherwise. Even as you try escaping, let it take you and tear you open like a letter sent like a sentence inside you've waited for all your life though you’ve committed nothing. Let it send you up. Let it break you, heart. Broken-heartedness is the beginning of all real receptio

During our Yoga Therapy for Brain Health session today, I shared this quote, which is originally in Spanish: "You may not know it, but your brain dances with you every time you move. When a song comes on and you let the body respond, something profound happens inside you, your neurons begin to synchronize as if they were following the same beat. Dancing is not just moving your body, it is a dialogue between mind, emotion and rhythm, and science confirms it. Dancing can heal y

If you ever feel that your efforts are falling short, read these quotes. The truth is that any intentional movement toward presence, even when you relapse into trance, interrupts old patterning and serves your healing - Tara Brach On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear. - Bhagavad Gita Read same quote by Tara Brach with link to one of her articles on this

Meditation, so I’ve heard, is best accomplished if you entertain a certain strict posture. Frankly, I prefer just to lounge under a tree. So why should I think I could ever be successful? Some days I fall asleep, or land in that even better place — half asleep — where the world, spring, summer, autumn, winter — flies through my mind in its hardy ascent and its uncompromising descent. So I just lie like that, while distance and time reveal their true attitudes: they never hear

The truth is that any intentional movement toward presence, even when you relapse into trance, interrupts old patterning and serves your healing - Tara Brach I shared this in my yoga class, and today I found this article , "Awakening From the Trance of Unworthiness", where she quotes Rilke. It’s here in all the pieces of my shame That now I find myself again. I yearn to belong to something, to be contained In an all-embracing mind that sees me... —Rainer Maria Rilke Glimpse I

Thanks so much to my dear friend Brynna Hurwitz for sharing this with me, and for reading it today in class. When I run after what I...

Today I opened randomly "The Essential Rumi", and my eyes fell into this poem. I have been listening to a beautiful piano solo by Johan...