Surrender selfish acts and replace them with the desire to give. When we truly practice "sustained subservience", our actions become "actionless acts", leaving no negative imprints, because they are no longer acting, but it is the Self acting through them. Read More

Feathered Pipe Blog: Voice of the Wisdom Holders
The Feathered Pipe has been blessed to host many of the foremost teachers, guides and wisdom holders within the realm of yoga, meditation, spirituality, health and wellness during our four-plus decades of existence. The Feathered Pipe Blog offers you the opportunity to explore more deeply their thoughts and insights for opening to experience a more healthful and fulfilling life.
We are a society of over-doers. We are programmed to "do" a lot — it keeps us engaged and makes us feel productive and in control. Even when most of us “try” to relax, we go about it in a zealous, goal-oriented way. Read More
Intuition is a big part of my teaching, and way of moving through everyday life. It can be nurtured through practice, meditation and trust. When I bring that into nature everything works perfectly, it just becomes part of the place, it belongs, it’s like hOMe. Read More
Within the art of Ayurveda, there will never be one remedy or one sequence that brings everyone or their dosha back into alignment. The response to every inquiry about your health is that “It depends,” as my teacher, Dr. Robert Svoboda, was so fond of saying. Read More
Take a moment to remember the last time you felt happy…and I’m not talking about “top of the world happy,” just that simple kind of happy that involves having an inner smile, a sense of peace and contentment, and a freedom from most worries and concerns. That’s the type of happiness most of us are wanting. Read More
Imagine practicing the same sequence for a lifetime. Senior level Iyengar Yoga instructor Marla Apt was asked to suggest one set of poses you could do for decades, with modifications to honor the changes in energy and ability you’ll encounter at different times. It is assumed you have a basic knowledge of the poses presented. Read More
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes the true yogi as one who "keeps tranquility of mind in the face of dualistic extremes: heat and cold, success and failure, pain and pleasure, evil and good. She remains calm and composed through the ups and downs of life." Read More
Your immune system is made up of many components including the tonsils, thymus gland, lymphatic and circulatory systems, digestive tract, and bone marrow. Each of these systems (or parts of the body) plays a unique role in helping your body fight against foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Read More
How do we wake up? How do we heal? How do we build a world worth living in? Maybe the answers inhabit the small, steady acts of presence and compassion we can offer each day. Maybe they are tucked in the spaces we create to dream together, to listen to one another, to imagine what might be possible if we dared to try. Read More
Remember, where your attention goes, your energy follows. From a tiny cucumber seed smaller than my pinky nail, I have grown a crop of cucumbers. And every day I need to pull the weeds. What will you nourish? Choose your thoughts wisely and enjoy the journey home. Read More
Let’s uncover this “secret” found in the very first four sutras. They commence with “Now begins the study of Yoga. Yoga is the cessation of the movements in the consciousness. Then, the seer abides in his own true grandeur. At other times, the seer identifies with the fluctuating consciousness.” You have probably read and contemplated these sutras countless times. Read More
Our minds have the tendency to be overly reactive, to zero in on what appears to be the most pressing thing at any given moment, to the exclusion of everything else. For survival in prehistoric times, such focused attention was probably a healthy response. But to live mindfully (and thus to maximize happiness), it is best to minimize this tendency. Read More