Dear Ones, Research tells us that intense grief can alter the heart muscle so much that it causes "broken heart syndrome," increasing the risk of heart attack 21 times after the loss of a loved one. On the other hand, feelings of love, whether for a child, a lover, a four-legged being, a spiritual teacher or the Divine increase feel good hormones like oxytocin, prolactin and dopamine. We feel as though the heart expands with love. We live in times where protection, be it a mask, a vaccine, or fear of the other makes us feel constricted. More than ever, we need practices that open the heart to love, that connect us to others and to the Divine as we [...]

Dear Ones, I’m elated today! Most of you know how I suffered from depression for many years until yoga and meditation transformed my life. Well, writing fiction has been a lifetime journey, fraught with rejection, which did not help my depression, as well as gratifying personal reward. Having so many dismissing letters like this one: “Oh I loved this book and I stayed up all night reading it, but it’s not for us,” one editor wrote my agent. The editors usually end their letters with, “Best of luck finding a home for this excellent novel.” Now, I am thrilled to tell you about my collaboration with the actor Daisy Fair to bring Temple Dancer’s principal character Saraswati to life on [...]

As our hemisphere turns to spring, the thermometer registered 95F in Tucson. The desert is filled with birdsong, lizards, and ocotillo blooms. And yet amidst all the beauty, all the renewed energy of emergence, depression can linger. Do you sometimes feel like a late bloomer, the 'not yet ready for prime time' one? Friends have had varying reactions to the vaccine. Covid has taken its toll on some dear to me. We are on the other side now, and I am grateful. Throughout, my practice has been my anchor. Here is a pose that helps me face each day with renewed energy and trust. After practicing, I feel brighter and ready for what life brings. I hope you will too. [...]

Finally, Spring. I feel movement and a cautious release into new beginnings. Do you feel it? I’m thrilled to announce that Foreword Reviews has chosen Temple Dancer as a finalist in the 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards! You'll find Saraswati's story here in Religious Adult Fiction. Though I wouldn’t call it religious, it IS a novel of spiritual awakening, sacred sexuality and intimate and eternal connection. Temple Dancer is steeped in yoga philosophy and spirituality. What do you think? Does that make it religious? Whether religious, sacrilegious or a mystery enveloped in magic realism, I’m proud to be a finalist. The Finalists were determined by Foreword’s editorial team. Winners are now being decided by teams of librarian and bookseller judges from across [...]

I admit that when I first read Becoming Safely Embodied in manuscript, I had just upgraded to Windows 10, and I didn’t realize it was doing battle with my Adobe Reader program. Through no fault of the PDF Deirdre had sent me, it was hard to read the manuscript in full. So when it became available last week, I downloaded the book. Reading Deirdre Fay’s work in its entirety, tenderly uncoiled old feelings of unworthiness in a young silent part that still tightened my belly when I made a mistake. This is a beautifully written and thoughtful book that I recommend for self-care and healing, whether you have a history of trauma or not. Paraphrasing a question Fay asks in the introduction gives you [...]

Tucson's feminist radio show “Broad Perspectives” is excellent. Have a listen! I want to share with you one of those interviews that just seemed to click. The interviewer, Aspen Green, asked the probing personal questions that allowed me to share my passions. In under thirty minutes (because they also let me pick a favorite song—Chris Williamson’s “Song of the Soul”) we talked about creativity, my journey from depression to published fiction (my new novel Temple Dancer) and the benefits of yoga for optimum mental health. I feel grateful to Aspen and to Kathleen Harris, the co-hosts, of “Broad Perspectives” on KXCI for offering me this opportunity.  After you’ve listened, I hope you feel grateful to them too!   [...]