[caption id="attachment_3825" align="aligncenter" width="235"] Durga Das (aka David Newman)[/caption] We had the recent pleasure of talking with Durga Das, a kirtan chant artist, sacred singer songwriter and a practitioner and educator of Bhakti Yoga - the Yoga of Love. David travels extensively sharing kirtan, devotional music and...
[caption id="attachment_3769" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Celebrating Holi[/caption] As spring draws near, so does the ancient festival of India called Holi. Originally known as 'Holika,' it is said that Holi existed several centuries before Christ. However, the meaning of the festival is believed to have changed over the years....
A friend of mine recently asked me, "According to Indian philosophy, what is the meaning of life?" While this being a very fair question to ask, I stumbled more than a few times in my response. After thoughtful consideration, I was able to distill it down to...
[caption id="attachment_3745" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Lord Shiva[/caption] Today is Maha Shivratri, an auspicious and important Hindu festival celebrated every year in honor of Lord Shiva, the lord of cosmic destruction and dance. Maha Shivratri, occurs on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark half...
[caption id="attachment_3724" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Award-winning poet, essayist and book artist, Marilyn Stablein, exiting a popular cave shrine in Kathmandu[/caption] We recently had the pleasure of talking with award-winning poet, essayist and artist, Marilyn Stablein about her colorful and rich experiences traveling in India, as a teenager...
A dear friend of mine recently referred to our friendship as Kalyanamitra, the Sanskrit word for spiritual friendship. According to the definition, kalyanamitra encompasses much more than a casual friendship, it refers to a person or even a thing that becomes our guide, a teacher...
[caption id="attachment_3404" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Connaught Place[/caption] Strolling around Connaught Circus, New Delhi, following siesta and shower from the heat of the day. Ladies and little children under the arcades selling necklaces of Jasmine and Night Queen blossoms, roasted cashew nuts, pistachios, strong scent of incense. All...
[caption id="attachment_3378" align="aligncenter" width="130"] Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Co-Founder, President Yoga Gives Back[/caption] LM: Can you tell us a bit about your organization, Yoga Gives Back, (YGB), how it was conceived and its mission to mobilize the global yoga community to empower women in India to build sustainable...
In Buddhism, kama is sensuous love. The vast majority believe it to be an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, perceiving it as selfish. Karuna is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is complementary to wisdom, and is necessary for enlightenment. Advesa and metta are benevolent...