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Two Things Instead of a List

A lake seen from a cabin yard on a bright day, with a sand beach and kids' toys in the foreground, a turquoise floating mat and an inner tube in the shallow water, a dock with a pontoon boat, patio chairs under a blue umbrella, and a black and white greyhound standing on the grass at the edge of the frame.
Minnesota summers fill up fast, and so does the list of things a person ought to care about. Patañjali offers two words instead: steady practice, and letting go of how it turns out. One gives you something to do, and the other keeps it from becoming one more thing to win at.

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Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch, Allow, Repeat

A snow-covered field at Kripalu on a bright winter day, with a single empty blue Adirondack chair, a set of footprints leading toward it, a bare tree, and clouds rolling over distant hills.
The first time I heard a Kripalu teacher say BRFWA, I thought it sounded like a sneeze. Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch, Allow is a slightly awkward name for a useful skill, good for getting centered and negotiating sticky conversations. These five letters have helped me to ride the waves of life instead of checking out.

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Taking Stock as a Skill

A white ceramic mug of black coffee next to a nanaimo bar on a glass plate, resting on a weathered wooden railing. Behind them, a red-roofed white boathouse sits on the water in a misty harbor, with sailboats and forested hills in the distance.
Tomorrow, before you reach for the phone, take thirty seconds to notice the body and the mind. Then decide what to do next. "Taking stock" is a skill of looking inward to guide what you do next.

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The Movie I Lost and the Software I Found

A man types on a white laptop at a kitchen table, one hand on the trackpad, while a newborn in a pale blue sleeper sleeps across his forearm.
Years ago I made a video of my daughter's first days with iMovie. But a software update made it so I could no longer open the project. My work: gone. That's how I found free software. Only later did I realize what I had found: not just better tools, but tools that were enough. What might the yamas and niyamas have to do with the software on your laptop?

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You Don't Need Four Specialists

A yoga mat and blanket laid out on a wooden platform in front of an altar with candles, a framed photo, carved figures, and hand-decorated prayer flags, in a sunlit room with snow visible outside the windows.
Before savasana, I often mention that we've done meditation, breathing, postures, and now it's time for relaxation. That's a reference to four of yoga's eight limbs. A therapist teaches you concentration and calls it mindfulness. A sleep app teaches you sense-withdrawal and calls it NSDR. But yoga has eight limbs that we practice together.

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The Wonderful and Amazing Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge

Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge with its span raised, stopping traffic at a red light and lowered gate.
Stuck waiting for the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge to rise, my first thought was "Dang, now we have to wait." The man who pulled up beside me jumped out with his camera, thrilled. Same bridge, two different experiences. Seeing the pure joy on his face reminded me of beginner's mind, the trees I don't own, and the opinions I'd be better off setting down.

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Winter Camping and the Four Requisites

A grainy vintage photograph of five young Boy Scouts in tan uniforms posing closely together outdoors. The second boy from the left wears a merit badge sash and smiles at the camera, while a blonde boy peeks over his shoulder making a goofy face with his tongue out. The other boys wear various hats and neckerchiefs, posing with expressive, wide-eyed faces against a background of trees and water.
Cleaning the basement, I found an old Boy Scout photo with a Wind Chill Thriller badge. It's a badge you get for camping in -50° wind chills, and I earned it three times. It got me thinking about how those brutal winter trips resemble monastic life: sangha, simplicity, and the only four things a monastic needs.

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Joy in the Arboretum, Joy Inside

An image of a dense cluster of apple or crabapple blossoms growing on a tree branch. The flowers feature five delicate white petals with a cluster of pale yellow stamens in the center. Several tight, unopened flower buds show a faint pink blush. Vibrant green leaves with finely serrated edges surround the blossoms, and the background is filled with a soft-focus blur of more white flowers and branches.
Yoga in the Gardens at the Minnesota Arboretum is pausing for 2026, canceling the classes I'd been contracted to teach. I've been slow to accept it. The world doesn't always cooperate with our desires, and learning to accept that is central to contemplative practice. The only durable peace is the kind you build inside. If that interests you, come practice with me at The Marsh.

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Use Any Means or Method

A smiling, shaved-headed Tibetan Buddhist monk wearing traditional maroon and yellow robes. He is wearing glasses and holding a black microphone in his right hand, around which a strand of yellow prayer beads (mala) is wrapped. He is seated on a couch with colorful, ornate, patterned fabric. In front of him, on a small table draped in a matching patterned cloth, sits a clear plastic water bottle and a glass of water. The background is a plain white wall.
Last Thursday I asked a Tibetan monk if our practices still work in a world reshaped by AI and political instability. He chuckled at the mention of AI, paused, and said to use whatever tools work. So simple: the goal is training the mind, and the tool is whatever works. Patanjali said something similar in the Yoga Sutras.

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