A man in a Hallmark store was poking through greeting cards for a long time, lingering from one card to another, when a clerk came over and asked, “Sir, is there a problem?” “Yeah,” he sighed. “I can’t find one card my wife will believe.” This bitter sweet anecdote struck me. Do you believe the… Read More Do you believe or do you know?

Every July Fourth we celebrate the day in 1776 when the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that we as a nation would no longer accept the rule of the British monarchy. It was a rejection of tyranny and, at the same time, an affirmation of human equality. Ideally, no longer would it… Read More Freedom and Independence: Outside and Inside

Welcome to the month that brings the first day of summer! It also brings Father’s Day and the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6th 1944. That’s him in the photo on the right. (Thanks for my sister, Marilyn, for getting it to me.)   Six days after the fiercest fighting of the D-Day invasion, my… Read More Dads

If you know Svaroopa® yoga, you know that much emphasis is given to your tailbone. In every class, we teach poses that release your spinal tension, beginning with the tailbone. Why the tailbone? Consider the problem of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Construction on the tower began in 1173 A.D.  A shallow foundation and the… Read More More About Svaroopa® Yoga: What’s All the Fuss About the Tailbone? (Part 1)

Phil (Krishna) Milgrom In Part 1, the focus was on the structural significance of the tailbone. Why does Svaroopa® yoga begin with releasing the tailbone first and then follow with the rest of the spine, from bottom up? The tailbone is not just an inconsequential (“vestigial”) appendage, as it has often been considered. As noted,… Read More More About Svaroopa Yoga: What’s All the Fuss About the Tailbone? (Part 2)

By Philip L. Milgrom, CSYT In conversations with folks unfamiliar with yoga, we often hear their hesitation expressed as: “I can’t do yoga; I am not flexible enough.” They might be thinking of a magazine photo they saw, in which a petite model was contorting like a pretzel. That is not the yoga you will… Read More Svaroopa® Yoga: Yoga for Every Body

The photo below and the following quote are from Swami Nirmalananda’s recent Facebook post: “Hasta Padasana – arms up in the air – brings up joy. It’s reliable. You don’t have to wait for spring. You can do it anytime. I planted these forsythia and now they’re bigger than me. That’s what I want all… Read More You Don’t Have to Wait for the Sun to Shine for You to Shine

Why is April called April? According to www.dictionary.com, one theory is that the name is rooted in the Latin Aprilis, which is derived from the Latin aperire meaning “to open”— which could refer to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees.   Another theory is that it derives from the Greek Apphodite, the Greek goddess of love.  … Read More You Are Blossoming

I can feel it. I can see it. The earth, once frozen and dormant, is beginning to breathe again. Trees, left barren and ghostlike under the icy grip of winter, are starting to pulse with life again. Their sap is already flowing, and an aura of energy graces their crowns like glimmering garlands.   Seedlings… Read More Springing Up

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! And here’s a happy belated February newsletter to you as well!   The good news is, to paraphrase Mark Twain, we have made it through some of the worst winter storms that never happened. That’s nature’s Valentine to all of us. And, we have passed the midpoint of winter. The sun… Read More Stay Free

Greetings! “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb So, let’s turn that around: may today be the day you start what you wish, and at the end of the year—and every day between — may you be glad! And if what you start has anything to do with… Read More May You Be Glad!

One night, a 5 year old child looked up at the stars and exclaimed, “God’s home! All God’s lights are on!” Yoga teaches us to see God’s Light in one another. Look into the eyes (the window to the soul) and see the Divine Light shining through. Yes, you are seeing that God is home.… Read More Peace and Joy

Hello One and All!   First of all, thank you! Thank you for your continuing support. Thank you for your continuing interest in what we are offering. It gives us great delight to be able to serve you. It’s an honor. And speaking of honor, we honor those who have served our country. We thank… Read More Giving Thanks

Swami Nirmalananda (Gurudevi) always begins a talk with this benediction: OM svaroopa svasvabhavah namo namah It means: “I bow to your own inherent Divinity, your Self. I bow to my own inherent Divinity, my Self. I bow to the inherent Divinity of all beings, the One Divine Reality being you, being me and being all.” And… Read More Bow to the Self Masquerading on Halloween, and to Barbie!

One of the highlights the past few weeks, for each of us, was getting time to read a good book. Mine was Sometimes Brilliant, by Larry Brilliant, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and winner of the TEDPrize. He really is brilliant. So are you, by the way, but more on that later.… Read More You are brilliant