Dysmorphia. For years, the way my body appeared to my mind was distorted.  My sense of self worth was tied to a belief that if I could just look a different way, I would be worthy, valuable, loveable and safe.

Wishes. All actions begin at this level. All wishes can be filtered down to two primary wishes, that are like flip-sides of the same coin: The wish to be happy. The wish to be free from suffering. At heart level, therefore we are all the same.

Sand. Grass. Carpet. Mat. Snow. Changing the surface upon which we practice Hatha Yoga provides our brains with new learning experiences.

We use our senses all day long to be able to relate to the external world.  But what happens if we bring our senses inwardly, to the world held inside of our skin?  Doing so is what Patanjali named Pratyahara.  This is the fifth limb of eight which make up a full yoga practice.

Meditation and me. Not always the best of friends… to say the least. When I first encountered meditation, I could barely close my eyes without feeling instantly overwhelmed. It’s taken me, and I’m not kidding, almost two decades to crave it.

So this is me, in the hat I wore everywhere, in every season, about the age my daughter is now.

I was fortunate in my childhood; I was loved and I was safe. I know that this is not a guarantee for all children. Because I had this, I had an unfettered time before self-consciousness, self-doubt and self-deprecation took root in my mind. When I look at this photo, I know this little girl had not a moment’s hesitation about putting that outfit together and leaving the house. Story goes, outfits like this happened often the summer my mom was in summer school and my dad left me to my own devices.