This week a friend gave me a couple of plants: an orchid which I knew more or less how to take care of; and a Jade plant which I had to do a little bit of reading on. I found out that the Jade plant does not usually like a regular watering schedule. Just like a Jasmin that I have, one needs to check the soil regularly and water it only when the top soil is dry to the touch. I actually like this fact about these plants because it calls for a very regular and conscious interaction with them. Even if one waters them as directed the foliage needs to be observed too for signs of under or over watering.

I decided to create this virtual space dedicated to the many practices of yoga. These practices are conducive to getting to know ourselves in a very practical and profound way. These two aspects of a yoga practice go together. A practice that does not have a practical application in our lives could very easily become just mental or spiritual or physical calisthenics. A practice devoid of its profundity can quickly become irrelevant and shallow.

I took my first yoga teacher training at an ashram near the Yuba River in Grass Valley in Northern California. This was a place in the middle of nowhere. On my first night I was walking through the forrest from my room to the building where dinner was served when I felt the urge to look up at the sky. I stopped walking completely when I realized that I could see the Milky Way. It was such a powerful experience of awe, beauty, fear(yes for some reason fear), and recognition of the immensity of the unknown.

I love noodle soups when it gets cold. They take me to carbohydrate heaven. Every time I used to make this soup I ended up putting too many noodles because I love them so much. The result was not soup but more of a heavy stew. Over the years I have learned to avoid this mistake. There is a very delightful feeling when we have a warm bowl of soup that is perfectly balanced in all its ingredients in the winter.

This past weekend we celebrated Halloween. In other parts of the world, the day of the dead is celebrated at this time of the year. Death used to be a very scary subject for me when I was growing up. This has changed over time specially since I have been honored to be at the moment when three of my friends passed away (not at the same time). Today I was reminded of the Katha Upanishads which is an ancient wisdom text in yoga philosophy. This book is a dialog between a very wise teenager, Nachiketa, and the God of Death, Yama.