In Walden, Thoreau said, " To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." Outside the window of my townhouse stand a few palm trees. You would not believe how many birds live in these skinny trees. right now is my favorite time of year bec...

Lately, I’ve been practicing a lot of yoga. My Mom and I are having a difficult time getting along. Which is extra sad and frustrating because she has been sick and needs a lot of help. Every time I feel like I’m making a little spiritual progress in my p...

I keep waking up at four in the morning to my mind talking nonsense. Sometimes I lie there too long trying to go back to sleep, this only makes matters worse. When instead I can manage to get up and meditate I dedicate my practice to the benefit of all bei...

I am lucky enough to live right by a great yoga studio. The owner is incredibly kind. He recently invited me to attend one of his teacher training workshops for free even though I don't teach for him. A big gift. I graciously accepted. When the day came I...

I have this friend. She is an 80 year old Buddhist teacher. She doesn’t drive anymore and so I take her to run errands. We were in trader Joes and I was feeling hurried, pressured by all the “Important stuff” I had yet to do that day. She was determined to...

Over the holidays I attended my first ten day silent meditation retreat, also known as Vipassana. Going in I was excited for the silence but concerned by the fact that I was going to be forced to fast intermittently and not allowed to exercise. We woke at...

Around this time last year I was visiting my in-laws in Pennsylvania. I spent most of the first afternoon chatting with my Wife's Father while her Mother worked away in the kitchen. When it came time for dinner I realized that she had forgotten or didn't k...

I am fascinated by the ancient practice of capturing monkeys in India. In this process, small cages with narrow bars are made and a banana is placed inside the cage. The monkeys come along, reach in between the bars, and grab the banana. Then the monkeys b...

This week in San Diego temperatures sank to a rigid fifty-four degrees. I broke down and turned the heater on for the first time. Not before texting my Mom to see if she considered it an acceptable low and not before reflecting on how I had had the air-con...

This morning at the dog park I was reminded of something I read in a Book entitled, Dream Yoga, by Andrew Holecek. There is a teaching in Tibetan Buddhism called lions gaze. The teaching is that if you throw a stick out and away from a dog, the dog will ch...