In Action

Answering the Call
Reconnect with your innermost nature by going on retreat.
By Sarah Powers

Brave Heart
Find the courage to face your biggest fears by settling into the truth of who you are.
By Sally Kempton

Change is in the Air
Sometimes we crave change. Other times we dread it. Either way, we can't escape it. Here's how to live with it—and learn from it.
By Chris Colin

Come to Your Senses
Sleepwalking through yoga these days? Shake up your practice and your life with the animating force of rasa.
By Shiva Rea

Come Together
A spiritual community dissolves the sense of separateness that causes so much of our suffering. With a few friends, create one of your own.
By Sally Kempton

Compassion in Action
Breathe in the world's pain, breathe out love, and let karuna (compassion) blossom in your life.
By Anne Cushman

Consciousness in Motion
Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next—on the mat and in our lives.
By Shiva Rea

Create Your Own Holiday Rituals
Whether traditional rituals provide you with the comfort of familiarity or turn you away with their formality, here are some more ways for your soul to celebrate.
By Victoria Moran and Elizabeth Cutting

Cultivating Seeds of Mindfulness
Time in the flower patch gives us time to gather the roses and our thoughts.
By Nora Isaacs

Do It Yourself
You can become a more enlightened being. This practice will get you closer.
By Sally Kempton

Do the Right Thing
When life hands you a difficult choice, try this time-tested process for discovering your dharma—the right action for this situation.
By Sally Kempton

Do Yoga, Do Good
Karma yoga, the practice of serving others, isn't just the right thing to do; it's also a path to self-realization.
By Alan Reder

Forgive Yourself
How can you forgive yourself when the person you wronged won't?
By Dawn Friedman

Gift Exchange
Choose gifts that give twice by bringing relief and opportunities to women all over the world.
By Lauren Ladoceour

Gift Rapt
Practicing generosity not only makes you feel good but connects you with the essence of who you really are.
By Sally Kempton

In Trust We Trust
There are three kinds of trust. Not understanding the difference can lead to fear and disappointment.
By Phillip Moffitt

Is Your Ambition Healthy?
By Alison Stein Wellner

Karma Christmas
Each year, these compassionate yogis create their own holiday traditions of comfort and joy.
By Alan Reder

Kind Ambition
Living the yoga principles of detachment and nongrasping doesn't mean you can't be ambitious. In fact, applying them to your goals can make you more successful and happier, too.
By Alison Stein Wellner

Learning to Exhale
Diving the Great Barrier Reef, this yogi overcame her fear of breathing underwater by finally surrendering to the moment.
By Colleen Morton

Life Dancing
If all your actions are based on the pursuit of happiness, why is it that so many things you do yield anything but happiness?
By Phillip Moffitt

Managing the Holidays
Emotions often run high during the holidays. Manage your grief with these tips.
By Phil Catalfo

Me Talk Pretty
You can change the world, or at least your experience of it, by becoming conscious of the words coming out of your mouth.
By Sally Kempton

Nothing to Envy
Recognize the abundance of life itself, and petty jealousies—even those you may not be aware of—will begin to melt away.

Ode to New Orleans
If there is a lesson to be learned from Hurricane Katrina, it may be that life's uncertainty requires knowing when to act and when not to.
By Ellen Gilchrist

Om Alone
Yoga provides an opportunity to practice being free even while imprisoned in the mind of another.
By Mark Epstein

Om for the Holidays
Can you celebrate the season without compromising your Eastern spiritual beliefs?
By Victoria Moran and Elizabeth Cutting

Passage to Truth
How to contemplate a sacred text or poem.
By Sally Kempton

Paying the Boatman
Why would you choose to measure your life by endings when all the experience, the felt sense of being alive, is in the journey?
By Phillip Moffitt

Selfless Gratitude
Through the mindfulness practice of gratitude, you are able to rejoice amidst all life's suffering.
By Philip Moffitt

Sexual Healing
Couples wanting more from their sexual relations are looking toward the East for guidance, but the results can often be less than satisfying.
By Mark Epstein, M.D.

Sweet Solitude
Time spent alone doesn't have to be lonely. Embrace it as a chance to connect with what's truly essential.
By Sally Kempton

Take the Dharma Challenge
Life is full of difficult decisions. Get some practice making them by contemplating the following scenarios.
By Sally Kempton

The 2002 Karma Yoga Awards
Our second annual selection of yogis who bring their practice into the real world through service to others.
By Phil Catalfo

The Dharma of Life Changes
Does your desire to make New Year's resolutions come from wholesome motivation or unresolved issues in your life?
By Phillip Moffitt

The Knife's Edge
The only thing that can prepare you for the way life cuts the heart and mind is study, reflection, and practice.
By Phillip Moffitt

The Language of the Soft Heart
The true nature of love is not based on an advantageous response, but on the sheer openness of one heart to another.
By Phillip Moffitt

The Longest Goodbye
Losing someone you love is one of the most difficult challenges you can face, but yoga's healing power and wisdom can help you heal.
By Phil Catalfo

The Practice of Surrender
Ishvara pranidhana is not about what your yoga can do for you, but about approaching your practice in the spirit of offering.
By Shiva Rea

The Yoga of Relationships
Bringing mindfulness to your romantic life allows you to work with the inevitable difficulties and disappointments that arise.
By Phillip Moffitt

Violence against Self
Are you relating to yourself in a manner that results in your life being more emotionally or physically violent than it need be?
By Phillip Moffitt

Wake Up to Your Life
Why wait around for enlightenment, when you can enjoy everyday awakenings?
By Andrea Ferretti

What Should You Do?
Are you facing a decision that tests your sense of dharma? Try writing out the problem on a sheet of paper. Then ask yourself the following questions:
By Sally Kempton

Who Are You?
Understanding that your sense of identity is in constant flux can allow you to live more authentically.
By Phillip Moffitt

You Said: Reader Comments on "Integration"
Last week, we asked you how you connect yogic philosophy with your practice. Your answers were thought provoking, sometimes surprising, and often inspiring. Here are some of them.

Your Heart's Desire
To grow spiritually, you don't need to give up your BMW, become celibate, or banish all your aspirations.
By Rod Stryker