Uncategorized – Diary of a Pilgrim

Nagaland

ASHTANGA YOGA IN CHIANG MAI — 21ST DECEMBER 2014 TO 9TH JANUARY 2015

If you’re in Chiang Mai, Thailand over the holidays, go study Ashtanga with Liz Derow!

Chihuly at the Denver Botanical Gardens

If you are in Denver anytime in the next few months, do yourself a favour and go see this extraordinary art exhibit by master glass blower Dale Chihuly.

My favorite vipassana meditation retreat center in Thailand

One of my favorite places for a meditation retreat is Wat Suan Mok, in the Surat Thani province of Thailand. Just an hour’s drive from the planet’s oldest rainforest and Khao Sok National Forest, this gorgeous retreat center holds a monthly 10 day vipassana retreat for westerners from the 1st to the 10th of eachContinue reading “My favorite vipassana meditation retreat center in Thailand”

How to Practice Meditation

These days, you see references to sitting meditation everywhere. People sell cars now sitting in lotus posture, eyes closed with wind gently tousling their hair. It’s enough to make you gag. But if you truly want to learn to meditate, check out this practical guide to learn to meditate from one of Tibet’s great yogis,Continue reading “How to Practice Meditation”

Ashtanga Yoga and Beginners Mind

20 years ago this month, I had the good luck to find myself in an Ashtanga yoga class taught by Richard Freeman. It was my first yoga class. Richard’s specialty was (and is) his Level 1 class for beginners. We never did more than one or 2 sun salutations, a few standing postures and perhapsContinue reading “Ashtanga Yoga and Beginners Mind”

Art, Life

I found these inspiring words by The Artist’s Way author, Julia Cameron recently. Try substituting the word “life” for “art.” It is all too easy to think of art as something we aspire to, an ideal by which to measure our efforts and find them falling woefully short. Well, that is one way to thinkContinue reading “Art, Life”

4 Ways to Get a Grip When Things Fall Apart

If you are like many of us these days, you may be feeling the sharp edges of impermanence. Whether you attribute it to global warming, economic crisis, pole shifting, dramatic upheavals in weather patterns, or a mass rebellion against one too many passwords to memorize, change is in the air. Ok, I’ll admit, it feelsContinue reading “4 Ways to Get a Grip When Things Fall Apart”

a vote for independence–and integrity

“Despite the clarity of the teachings, we often lose sight of this essential aim of eradicating mental poisons and self-clinging. In fact, instead of eliminating those poisons, we often end up increasing them. For example, people that practice the Dharma have a tendency to gather together and organize themselves. They create institutions, Dharma centers, andContinue reading “a vote for independence–and integrity”

perspectives

Sometimes life takes a sharp left turn. Foreign landscape: things look blurry or crooked. Unfamiliar. Better to just enjoy the beauty and not ask too many questions. Go for a nice ride. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche put it nicely: “There is a problem in thinking that you are supposed to be advancing in your practice allContinue reading “perspectives”