tapaḥ-svādhyāyeśvara-praṇidhānāni kriyā-yogaḥ (PYS 2.1) “You must be fueled by a burning desire to continuously study the Self, which is only available in the present moment, and to devote your self wholly to this effort – these are the actions to be taken to attain Yoga.” ~ Sharon Gannon, Jivamukti Yoga Read more
Overview: In this episode of the Humanitou Podcast, Jessica Patterson shares some intensely shaping experiences in her life and where her feral spirit comes from. We talk about yoga as a homonym, how the word, while it looks and sounds the same in its uses, conjures different meanings for different Read more
There’s an energetic shift underway in David Gonzales’ art studio. In a small work space with David’s name on the exterior, the artist taps into a dynamic flow of one kind or another. The obvious: painting, nearly an aerobic workout in its rhythms. Most often vibrant in its colors. Always Read more
Connection is a word I have thinking about more and more in recent months. As I prepared to share a bit of my Humanitou story at a PechaKucha event last fall, I recognized that that one word — connection — summarizes what Humanitou is about. Then I started noticing it’s Read more
A lot happened with me and Humanitou in 2018, its first full year. Here are some gratitudes and highlights from the past 12 months, and some glimpses of what’s in the works for the coming year. Thank You … The list of good things below comes with credit due to Read more
If there’s such a character as the devil I think I’ve found it in the formless beast that is my thinking mind. That bleepin’ bleep has kept me up well past my bedtime, stressed my sleep thin till dawn, then woke me in a haze of worry. For what? I Read more
Chris Dwyer leads yoga classes at SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs, Colo., with a sense of ease and humor. On and off the mat, Chris offers honest evidence of his practice. By how he shows up. By how he teaches, writes, engages in the community. That’s what has drawn me Read more
I engage in yoga daily. But I do not “do” yoga. Millions of others do “do.” Same-same? Semantics? What’s it matter? It doesn’t matter. Maybe. But as a word guy, I use writing to process the world, to help it make sense. To me, words matter. Clarity and precision of Read more
Note: This is an excerpt of “Seva, Karma + Karma Yoga.” The original post has been re-published in full at Humanitou Yoga. With Veterans Day approaching, and my being a U.S. Army veteran, I’ve been contemplating the concept of service. It will be the theme that guides the Rooted in Seva Read more
The images we see of yoga largely are a limited view of a Western trend. It emphasizes the physical practice of asanas. Bodies bending and stretching into shapes on a rectangular mat. Defined minutes of a class conducted within the defined walls of a studio. But the ancient spiritual practice Read more
Love is a subject that has come up in many Humanitou conversations. I often am the one to bring it up, or at least to grab hold and ask for more of it when it does. I have a lifelong question and quandary about love. There is love in my Read more
Judith Hanson Lasater cited a passage (book 2, verse 44) in the Bhagavad Gita in her book, Living Your Yoga: “Krishna explains the nature of success, emphasizing that all those things obtained in the world are transitory and are not ultimately success. When we define success in a worldly way, we Read more
When things derail and we get agitated, we often say we’re not feeling centered, we’re not feeling grounded. We’re just … off. If we don’t have a specific go-to practice, an awareness of when we need to return to center — and why and how — it’s tough to get Read more
Christine Kathryn recently turned the microphone toward me for her Creating Space podcast. She brought the questions and I gave up the answers. I am used to being the one behind the questions and the camera. It’s a rare experience for me to see how other interviewers connect the dots, Read more
It’s easy to get swept up with the mountains. I love ’em lots. They are dynamic, imposing, inspiring and, seemingly, something more than the lands of their non-mountainous cousins. That contrast is stark and can have us feeling disinterested, even ungrateful, for the non-mountainous territories we experience. Hiking on the Read more
A tall teenage boy looked at me from the street corner as I neared the intersection in my old VW bus. He had no crosswalk. I had no stop sign. He looked hard at me and then plunged into the street, his body language dripping defiance. White earbuds filled his Read more
There can be a follow-the-leader quality to yoga classes. Like going into an aerobics class and doing whatever the instructor says without giving it thought. I’ve done it. I’ve followed the instructions of yoga teachers and not connected to the deeper purpose. Now, after several months of intensive study in Read more
“The moment that you feel, just possibly, you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself … That is the moment you might be starting to get it right.” ~ Neil Gaiman Read more
There is a line in sanskrit, the language of yoga, that acknowledges the one true teacher of yoga in each of us as ourselves. Om bolo shri satguru bhagavan ki — Jai! The teacher within is the one true teacher — Right on! Turning within and tuning in leads us Read more
At the end of June I completed a 230-hour yoga teacher training with Root Center for Yoga and Sacred Studies. I’m about to add to that intense 32-week swim into the broad and endless ocean of yoga. I will continue with a 50-hour apprenticeship during the coming months. It’s a Read more