I’ve wondered about Murphy’s Law, the saying that asserts, “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” People reference Murphy’s Law when complaining of multiple unfortunate things that happen in a short period of time or in an interrelated way. And it’s true that certain days or events or projects seem a little cursed, right? Or is it that, once one thing has gone wrong, we become more sensitized to what’s not working? Were there always a lot of things going off the…

I was happy to join Dr. Laurel Trujillo on The Yoga Hour podcast this past week. The Yoga Hour is a podcast that explores how practices and insights drawn from Kriya Yoga can help us to navigate the human experience. My conversation with Dr. Trujillo focused on veganism as a personal expression of non-harming and on meal prep as a form of self-care. Dr. Trujillo asked me about how I started meal prepping. I told her that meal prep became my sole means of…

At the end of this school year, my mom will be retiring from her career as a studio art and art history teacher. This past Friday, she was honored as part of her school’s end-of-year gala. I was happy to attend the celebration with her, and it was so nice to see her receive the gratitude and admiration of a whole community. It seems like the right time for her to close this chapter of her life and make more space for her…

A few weeks ago I wrote about practicing yoga with Nancy Gilgoff, who passed away on March 22nd. Last Sunday, I did my first led primary series in months. I’m no stranger to intermittent ashtanga practice. It’s actually my norm to practice the primary series sporadically. This is probably misguided; I’m not sure that ashtanga is designed for dabbling. But it suits me. I have other practices that feel good on an every day basis. After a few months I inevitably crave the…

One of the big adjustments that I’ve worked on in the past few years is to know when and how to slow down. But occasionally there’s a week in which slowing down is impossible, or so inconvenient that it might as well be impossible. This past week was one of those. On top of it all, I was battling some sort of stomach bug that was mild enough for me to keep going but pronounced enough for me to be aware of it….

Through my yoga and mindfulness practice, I’ve been introduced to the concept of maitrī. Maitrī is part of the brahmavihārā, a series of virtues and attendant practices that can help us to cultivate joy, well-being, and maybe even enlightenment.  Maitrī is similar to metta, which I’ve written about before; in fact, it’s another word for the same concept. Maitrī is a Sanskrit word, while metta is a Pali word. Both can be translated, most simply, as loving-kindness. Loving-kindness, yes. But there are lots…

I got out of town very briefly this past week for a friend’s wedding. The ceremony happened on a crystal clear, sunny and warm afternoon in Phoenix. There was laughter and merrymaking until the sun set, and after it set the party continued under a canopy of illuminated tree branches. It was a beautiful event in celebration of a devoted young couple. On my flight home, I got to thinking about how difficult weddings were for me in my thirties, when I was…