My sense of place and time pleasantly dissolve whenever I enter David Hollander’s Upper East Side apartment. Perhaps this feeling arises from a unique mix of the sky-blue ceiling, the aged wood floors, a few decades worth of his vibrant paintings adorning the walls, wonderful Hindu deity sculptures, the thriving and leafy plants by the large living room window, the low tables, Indian fabrics, guitars, the crowded shelves full of loved books, yoga props, and his easel that always supports an artwork in progress. Maybe this sense is just from positive energy filling the space.

David, in his home studio.

Before I continue, I want to mention that my words can only attempt to describe David, a multi-talented and innovative individual who is well recognized for sharing his knowledge of yoga in New York for nearly 15 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it’s early on a bight Sunday morning. I’m getting ready to head to Boston via the somewhat notorious Chinatown bus for a brief visit with my enormously loving, inspirational, and wonderful Aunt Cheri and Uncle John. I am looking forward to it!

I wanted to share a brief quote of Mahatma Gandhi’s that has been inspirational to me.
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During a recent conversation with my friend and art curator/ framer Gibson Glass, the subject of embracing the process of the practice arose. This was in context to the disciplined yet therapeutic process of creating art and music, which led to the topic of gardening (something I’m trying to learn more about), to yoga, and I suppose, to life in general.

In a society often fixated on “the final product”, I occasionally find myself drifting away from appreciating and working with the present moment. I catch myself becoming overly elated when things go “according to plan” and foolishly disheartened when they “fall apart”. Read the rest of this entry »

During my first visit to Mysore, Karnataka, South India in the summer of 2006, I visited the Ranga Rao residential school for blind girls. I unknowingly arrived in time for their yoga class. It was incredibly inspirational to watch as these girls (who are at least 45% blind) gracefully transitioned from asana to asana at the instructor’s request. According to the school’s director, yoga has become a therapeutic, strengthening, and calming force in many of the girls’ life.

Girls at Ranga Rao in urdhva dhanurasana (chakrasana or full wheel)

Seeing these children in such command of their bodies made me think about how dependent I am on my outer gaze in my own asana practice. Thus, I decided to experiment and practice with my eyes closed. Read the rest of this entry »

I am excited to announce the launch of www.Energy4Orphans.org!
Energy 4 orphans, a 100% non-profit organization founded by my Canadian friend Michelle ( www.embraceyoga.ca ) in 2006, raises support for orphans and destitute children in Asia and elsewhere. We are an ever-expanding, energetic group of yoga teachers, artists, and other friendly people. We are currently trying to raise $7,000 to construct a girls’ campus at the Deenabandhu Trust Children’s Home in Chamrajanagar, Karnataka, South India.

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“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” Mahatma K. Gandhi

Gandhi-ji in Union Square. (part of an old photo of mine)

Ahimsa, Sankskrit for non-violence, is a strong component of the ethical foundation of yoga. Non-violence, of course, is part of the moral fabric of many ethical or theological systems. The observer of ahimsa, be it in a yogic tradition or not, tries to make his or her thoughts and thus words and actions as non-injurious as possible.

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I was planning to write a little something about ahimsa today, but, as it is Mother’s Day, I had a change of heart. (Although, I suppose the selfless love of a mother can sometimes best exemplify ahimsa.)

My graduation from the Cooper Union. May of 2007

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Ahimsa, or non-violence, is a large part of yoga’s ethical foundation. Before writing more about ahimsa later today or tomorrow, I would like to share this brief entry from Mahatma Gandhi’s An Autobiography or The Story of my Experiments with Truth .
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