"But it's not enough only to know what's right and wrong; action is the other, and more important half of moral understanding." ...

It was surreal to reckon with how irreverently I treated myself in my younger years, with absolutely no concept of or regard for future me.

Ahimsa does't offer a scale on which to weigh the value of a life--a gnat is as precious as a 5-year old child.

The toughest aspect of Ahimsa to confront is Flexible Morality: how we manipulate our values to serve us in the moment.

"May your choices reflect your hope, not your fears"--Nelson Mandela

Only I can keep myself down; I can't blame other people.

In a totally unexpected twist, it turns out I can create my own god, in much the same way I was always taught that god created me.

In order for me to embody this Niyama, I have to genuinely accept that presupposition: I have to believe in god.

Times are tough for everyone right now, and many of us need work. But that's no excuse for companies to lowball employees.

Although the basic values of the Yamas and Niyamas at their core could be considered universal, their application, both individually and as

Still in quarantine. It's been 6 or 7 weeks. I never really started counting because I didn't think it could possibly extend this long....

The last two Niyamas get more esoteric and spiritual, especially compared to the tangibility of Tapas. Svadyaya--self-study--is not about...

Finally, Tapas month is here! I have been looking forward to Tapas since I began this project. It's always been my favorite yama/niyama,...

As I alluded to in the last post, I started on a mental and emotional spiral near the middle of my month dedicated to Santosha. All this...

My month-long assignment is to ponder the words of Swami Rama and try to "fall in love with my life as it is." I hate that it's so hard...

This concept, Saucha (purity), is the one that brought my whole project to a screeching halt six months ago, especially the last task for...

I am officially overwhelmed with how behind I am on this project and blog. So rather than rush to catch up and rush through what's left,...

The last of the Yamas, Aparigraha, invites me not to grasp for or try to hold on to anything. Basically this precept covers everything...

I didn't think I'd have so much trouble living by this rule! It's not entirely the nature of the guideline that has given me trouble, I...

As I sit down to try to catch up on writing about 3 weeks' worth of challenges that I could barely remember--much less...