Hridaya Yoga Blog:
Posts by Tasha Friedman

A Dance with Darkness: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
A Dance with Darkness: Celebrating the Winter Solstice By Tasha Friedman Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern

In Love with Emptiness: Contemplations on the Five Bhavas in Bhakti Yoga (Part 2)
In Love with Emptiness: Contemplations on the Five Bhavas in Bhakti Yoga (Part 2) By Tasha Friedman “There are moments of oneness with the Beloved,

Divine Relationship: Contemplations on the Five Bhavas of Bhakti Yoga (Part 1)
Divine Relationship: Contemplations on the Five Bhavas of Bhakti Yoga (Part 1) By Tasha Friedman Devotion is nothing more than knowing oneself. –Ramana Maharshi How

St. Giuseppe Moscati Feast Day
St. Giuseppe Moscati Feast Day By Tasha Friedman Today is the feast day of St. Giuseppe Moscati, the holy doctor of Naples! Moscati lived from

Celebrating the Life of Thich Nhat Hanh
Celebrating the Life of Thich Nhat Hanh By Tasha Friedman Thích Nhất Hạnh was not only a monk and renowned Buddhist teacher but a globally-renowned

St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day
St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day By Tasha Friedman How far are you willing to go for the Truth? How much are you ready to

Santosha: Contemplations on Contentment and the Fullness of the Present Moment
Santosha: Contemplations on Contentment and the Fullness of the Present Moment By Tasha Friedman We are all seeking happiness — it is our nature to

The Message of the Heart: Do Not Fear
The Message of the Heart: Do Not Fear By Tasha Friedman Whenever angels appear to people in the Bible, they always begin with the same

Celebrating Guru Purnima
Happy Guru Purnima! By Tasha Friedman Nisargadatta Maharaj, the great 20th-century master of Advaita Vedanta, used to do a strange thing. He continued to honor

Celebrating Padmasambhava
Celebrating Padmasambhava By Tasha Friedman The path is always before you, within you, all around you. But where it will take you is a mystery,

Celebrating the Dalai Lama
Happy Birthday to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama! By Tasha Friedman Happy Birthday to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama! Among Tibetan Buddhists, the

Into Great Silence: Approaching the Divine Mystery through Prayer
Into Great Silence: Approaching the Divine Mystery through Prayer By Tasha Friedman Eventually, the questions disappear. Slowly, as the echoes die out, or abruptly as

Celebrating St. Joan of Arc
Celebrating St. Joan of Arc By Tasha Friedman What are you willing to give your life for? Although we might not think of it in

The Monkey and the Tiger: The Synergy of Effort and Grace in Spiritual Practice
The Monkey and the Tiger: The Synergy of Effort and Grace in Spiritual Practice By Tasha Friedman “Krishna may embrace me in love or trample

Choosing Peace: The Path From Conflict to Love
Choosing Peace: The Path From Conflict to Love By Tasha Friedman Let’s begin with a bold statement: all people can exist in peace and harmony,

Celebrating Swami Lakshmanjoo, the Great Teacher of Kashmir Shaivism
Happy Birthday to Swami Lakshmanjoo, the Great Teacher of Kashmir Shaivism By Tasha Friedman Happy birthday to Swami Laksmanjoo—or Lal Sahib, “the friend of God,”

Celebrating Shankaracharya, the Father of Advaita Vedanta
Happy Birthday to Shankaracharya, the Father of Advaita Vedanta By Tasha Friedman “I am Consciousness and Bliss without form. I am Shiva, I am Shiva…”

Freedom and Balance in Meditation
Freedom and Balance in Meditation By Tasha Friedman There is a feeling that comes in meditation like letting go of the handlebars of a

Celebrating Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
Happy Birthday to Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion By Tasha Friedman Today is Guanyin’s birthday, or one of three birthdays on which the bodhisattva of

What Makes a “Good” Meditation?
What Makes a “Good” Meditation? By Tasha Friedman How’s your meditation going? A simple question, but not always easy to answer. When you’re learning to

Happy Birthday, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu!
Happy Birthday to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu! By Tasha Friedman Chaitanya wrote no books and left few formal teachings, but like ripples from a stone dropped

Courage and the Path of Love
Courage and the Path of Love Stepping out on the spiritual path takes the heart of a warrior. It takes tremendous courage to live with

Will Spiritual Manifestation Bring True Happiness?
Will Spiritual Manifestation Bring True Happiness? By Tasha Friedman You are the author of your own life. The divine power of creation and dissolution is

A Moment of Freedom Can Change Your Life
A Moment of Freedom Can Change Your Life By Tasha Friedman Transformation doesn’t always come with a flash and a bang. Sometimes, maybe most of

Tu B’Shevat: Happy Birthday to the Trees!
Tu B’Shevat: Happy Birthday to the Trees! By Tasha Friedman Today is Tu B’Shevat, the birthday or new year for the trees in the Jewish

Love Everyone and Tell the Truth: Satya, Ahimsa, and Living in Authenticity
Love Everyone and Tell the Truth: Satya, Ahimsa, and Living in Authenticity Yoga isn’t only what you do on the mat. Once you step onto

Happy Birthday to Paramahansa Yogananda!
Happy Birthday to Paramahansa Yogananda! By Tasha Friedman This beloved saint, who was influential in introducing yoga and Eastern spirituality to the West, is perhaps

Happy Birthday, Ramana Maharshi!
Happy Birthday, Ramana! By Tasha Friedman What to say about Ramana Maharshi? If you have participated in a silent retreat or Hatha Yoga module at

Celebrating Christ Consciousness: Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! By Tasha Friedman It’s easy to see God in a baby’s eyes. A shining, smiling newborn creature without a single care or contraction,

Seeing the Miraculous: Celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe
Seeing the Miraculous: Celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe By Tasha Friedman If we could see the world as it is, everything would appear as a

Bittersweet Desire: Intimacy and Otherness in the Pure Land of the Heart
Bittersweet Desire: Intimacy and Otherness in the Pure Land of the Heart By Tasha Friedman There is a place in your heart that is soft

Sharing Silence: The Beauty, Power, and Challenges of Sangha
Sharing Silence: The Beauty, Power, and Challenges of Sangha By Tasha Friedman A sangha is primarily a place for people to be alone together. When

Take a Walk: Meeting Nature from the Spiritual Heart
Take a Walk: Meeting Nature from the Spiritual Heart By Tasha Friedman A long walk in the woods is a spiritual practice in itself. Have

Happy Karthika Deepam! — Honoring the Inner Light
By Tasha Friedman Happy Karthika Deepam! This time of year, when in the northern hemisphere nights grow longer and daylight hours shrink, many cultures around

Onions, Garlic, and Ayurveda
Onions, Garlic, and Ayurveda: What Restricted Vegetables Can Show Us about the Yogic Lifestyle By Tasha Friedman There’s nothing as mouth-watering as the smell of

Yoga and Ayurveda: How to Develop the Best Practice for Your Dosha
Yoga and Ayurveda: How to Develop the Best Practice for Your Dosha By Tasha Friedman No two people are the same. So, no two yoga

Happy Diwali! — Celebrating the Inner Light
By Tasha Friedman Happy Diwali! Today India is blazing with color and light. It’s the first day of Diwali, one of the most widely celebrated

Learning to Love Useless Moments: Natural Cycles and the Beauty of Doing Nothing
Learning to Love Useless Moments: Natural Cycles and the Beauty of Doing Nothing By Tasha Friedman How many beautiful, precious, and perfectly useless moments do

¡Feliz Día de Muertos! — Celebrating the Day of the Dead
By Tasha Friedman ¡Feliz Día de Muertos! Día de Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) is iconic of Mexico, although it is celebrated throughout the Latin

St. Teresa of Ávila — A Consummate Karma Yogi
By Tasha Friedman “How do we make love to God? How does the soul make love to God?” Today is the feast day of St.

Navratri – Celebrating the Divine Mother
Navratri – Celebrating the Divine Mother By Tasha Friedman Navratri begins today! It is one of the most important Hindu festivals, spanning nine nights of

Beginner’s Mind, Open Heart: Living in Freshness and Simplicity
Beginner’s Mind, Open Heart: Living in Freshness and Simplicity By Tasha Friedman What do you believe that you know right now? And how much are

Be a Whole Human: Integration on the Spiritual Path
Be a Whole Human: Integration on the Spiritual Path By Tasha Friedman “A spiritual life is first and foremost a life, and must be lived.”

The Equinox: Finding Truth in Liminal Spaces
By Tasha Friedman Celebrating the Equinox First, a story. Prahlada is a young prince, and his father is a demon: Hiranyakashipu, a king among

Yom Kippur: Entering the Book of Life
By Tasha Friedman Yom Kippur: Entering the Book of Life G’mar chatimah tovah: May you be inscribed for good in the Book of Life!

Happy Birthday, Swami Sivananda!
By Tasha Friedman Happy Birthday, Swami Sivananda! “Love, serve, give, purify, meditate, realize.” –Swami Sivananda On this day in 1887, one of the greatest

Celebrating Pachamama Day
By Tasha Friedman Happy Pachamama Day! “Pachamama” is the Quechua name for Mother Earth or Mother Nature, translating literally as “World Mother.” For many

Meeting Pain with Love: The Grace and Paradox of Compassion
By Tasha Friedman Before we can say what compassion is, we should understand what it is not. Compassion is not pity, which comes from

Saying Nothing: Prayer and the Spiritual Heart
By Tasha Friedman “I say nothing to Him, I love Him.” –St. Therese of Lisieux Prayer is the Heart speaking to itself. It is

Maha Shivaratri: Awakening to the Inner Light
By Tasha Friedman At night, all distinctions disappear. Falling asleep to the outside world, you awaken to the life within. Shivaratri (the “night of Shiva”)