In both Advaita Vedanta and the Yoga Sutras , suffering begins in a simple but powerful mistake: we think we are  our thoughts. A wave of anxiety comes — “I’m anxious.”A story of rejection appears — “I’m unlovable.”A surge of grief rises — “I’m broken.” But the teachings say something radical and contradictory to this. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, were taught: “Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ”  — Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.  And then:  “Tadā draṣṭuḥ s

I’m in a low lunge and my hip flexor is feeling it, not in pain but in sensation. I’m gently rocking back and forth to ease the pressure when the instructor says, “Find stillness. Trust your choice.” (Thank you Krishori ) Mind blown. What a metaphor for life, right? Stop wobbling back and forth to escape your discomfort. Stay still. Be with your present experience and learn to soften. Trust yourself to attend to the discomfort that is inevitable. I could write for days about

progress. How we cannot always see how far we’ve come. How the real signs of transformation are inward: more steadiness, more clarity, less reactivity. A quieter mind. A louder heart. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder in 2013, though the behaviors began long before that. Since then, I have moved through intensive treatment, excellent therapy and painful therapy, spiritual awakenings and dark nights of the soul. I have relapsed more times than I can count — or want to c

Coming out of retreat feels tender—eyes clear, senses wide, heart raw and unarmored.