Category Archives: Philosophy

How to become stronger than you ever thought possible…

By mado | Published: December 13, 2011

 My senior year of college I had the brilliant idea of writing and directing my own play. What I didn’t take into consideration was that I had never written a full length play before. I had no idea what goes into it or how long it takes to create a coherent story that works well [...]

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Attitude of Gratitude: the why and how of positive thinking

By mado | Published: November 21, 2011

Our life is shaped by our words, we become what we think. –Gautama the Buddha As we gear up for the thanksgiving holiday, it is a good reminder to contemplate and appreciate all the blessings in our lives. While each of us has things to be grateful for, we also experience pain and suffering. I [...]

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Jnana Shakti: The Power of Knowledge

By mado | Published: September 27, 2011

Last weekend I was standing with a couple of friends discussing the way that the finer points of alignment in a yoga pose intersect with yoga philosophy when one of them sighed. “We’re such yoga geeks” She said. “Sometimes I wish I was a beginner again.” We all nodded our heads in agreement remembering the [...]

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icca kriya: the power of desire

By mado | Published: September 2, 2011

Everywhere we turn, advertisements are working to convince us that a product will finally satisfy our desire… until the next one. In a world where empty promises are as plentiful as drops in the ocean, many of us have become disenchanted with quick fixes and seek more meaning for our lives. As we delve into [...]

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A Tale of Two Yous

By mado | Published: July 24, 2011

Photograph by KatB Photography Have you ever been nervous for a job interview or a date and had someone tell you to “just be yourself”? What on earth does that mean anyway? If you’re anything like me, the command to be yourself is likely to make you even more self-conscious than ever. We have so [...]

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Are we all connected or are we all alone?

By mado | Published: June 20, 2011

Photo by Louise Docker I’m writing from the yoga mecca that is Los Angeles where I’ve come to recharge myself.  At first when I was planning this trip, I thought about trying to schedule some workshops or classes to teach, but I am relieved that I decided not to work at all.  Instead, I am making [...]

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Grace

By mado | Published: April 11, 2011

I bought my daughter her first pair of roller skates today. She is absolutely entranced with roller skating. I sit on the round carpet covered bench with too-loud music playing as I watch her make her way around the rink. She sticks to the center tonight. Saturday nights are kind of wild at the roller [...]

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Taking off the Armour

By mado | Published: March 28, 2011

Lately, I’ve been enjoying listening to Brian Johnson’s Philosopher’s Notes. In them, he condenses wisdom literature both old and new into their essential messages. He sent me to authentichappiness.com to take a test to discover my current top strengths. This is no vanity fair quiz; it’s 240 questions designed by professionals to unearth your greatest [...]

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Will you be my guru?

By mado | Published: February 18, 2011

My friend Kristin has a talent for finding and savoring the joy in life. No matter what circumstances she is under, she seems to be able to find something to be grateful for. Recently she stayed with me for 5 months along with her two kids and hyperactive dog. It wasn’t unusual for me to [...]

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2 key ingredients for lasting change

By mado | Published: January 5, 2011

With the new year comes the promise of new beginnings and the potential for change. Being a yoga teacher, it is easy to become jaded to the cult of self improvement that becomes the rage for just a month or so each year. Accommodating so many beginners who often come to classes that they aren’t [...]

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