I remember when I first started practicing yoga like many of us I used to check out the people around me in class. Some times I did it to admire what other people could do. Other times I did it with a competitive attitude as though I was in a competition with them. This second outlook helped me to push harder which did not necessarily turned out good for me in many occasions. Over time I realized that I had to really focus on my own practice. What this means for me is to observe how I am doing the a pose or how I am transitioning in or out of it. It also means to observe how I am breathing and how the breath affects a pose and vice versa.

Today the full moon looks the biggest among all the full moons of the year. This is because at this time the earth and the moon are closer so as we look at the moon in the sky it looks bigger than usual. In the tradition that I follow on this night we celebrate the Guru or spiritual teacher. I met my teacher in 1996 during a Meditation retreat weekend I was attending at the Masonic Center in Pasadena, California. I decided to attend because I thought it would be a great way to spend a relaxed weekend. Little did I know that life would take a turn I had not even thought was possible or existed. In some many ways the world was still the same and yet so different after that weekend. I still contemplate every now and then how things shifted on that day and continue to shift to this day.

Mount Kailash which is locate in Tibet is a mountain considered so sacred that it is forbidden to climb it. In the hindu religion it is considered the abode of Śiva and Parvati, his consort. People from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash just to circumambulate the base of the mountain which is quite an endeavor. Even though making such journeys are great and usually have a religious significance for the person doing it, we don't have to go to such an extend in our efforts to connect with the sacred. The yoga masters say that you can connect to the sacred on an everyday basis right where you are. Connecting to the sacred for most people has a religious connotation and can be hard to relate to for many. The yoga masters explain that connection to the sacred in essence means to connect to a place within each one of us where only you and whatever you hold highest can enter. 

Saṃtulana is a sanskrit word that means balance, equipoise, and equilibrium. These words are usually defined as an equal distribution of weight/effort or two opposite forces being equal as to maintain steadiness.  In our yoga practice the balance that we want to experience requires a more nuance. When we practice there are many things to take in to account. In terms of the physicality of the practice  there are so many body parts to work with. Even though they all create a pose some parts are more involved than others depending on what form is created. Then there is the breath in which we want to even out the length of the inhalation and exhalation easefully. At a much subtler level there is the mind which we want to befriend so it stays with us while we practice rather than going 'grocery shopping' somewhere else.

I just came back from the New York City Pride Parade. It is always an amazing and fun experience to be part of it. The last two years or so I was able to be on a float so I got to really appreciate the crowd. This year I was not so I got to enjoy all the different floats and the people in them. I am always happily surprised of the diversity that is celebrated in my community at this time. It is not perfect but there is a place for everything and everyone. We don't always see eye to eye but for the most part every one seems to at least tolerate others. 

Saṃtoṣa is a Sanskrit word that comes from the prefix "Saṃ" which means completely, entirely; then there is "toṣa" that comes from the root "tus" which means  contentment,  satisfaction, and acceptance. This word is usually translated as contentment, a kind of contentment that envelops your being completely.