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A great many of my most important teachers are people I’ve never met. That seems like an odd statement, I know, so I’ll have to explain. I’ve been an avid reader since – well, since the moment I learned to read. As a child, my first favorite book was The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. I have a very clear and distinct memory of thinking, Someday I want to write books like this, after reading it at around the age of eight.
I am number four of five children who grew up in Ohio with a loving family. I moved to Florida in 2003 with my husband after dreaming about moving here since our first vacation in 1979. I work in a dental office as a business assistant and have been in the dental...
The palms gracing Fifth Avenue South in Naples, Florida pull the eye to the unseen horizon where the beach meets the Gulf of Mexico. The horizon becomes visible at the pristine beach at the end of the road. From the first hint at the vastness of that place, I knew...
By Margit Bannon If you play tennis it’s not such a stretch (pardon the pun) to say that you might enjoy the practice of yoga, and if you practice yoga that you might enjoy tennis. Let’s consider the parallels between these two disciplines. As yogis we often...
Growing up in the Netherlands, I was introduced to yoga as a child by my aunt, Frieda Thepass, who lived with us. In 1957 she founded Stichting Yoga Nederland (now known as Yoga & Vedanta) with a small group of yoga friends. It is still one of the most respected...
The word Sadhana in Sanskrit means spiritual exertion towards an intended goal or the means of accomplishing something. According to Vedic teachings, that something is to live in a state of Self-realization, and any discipline or practice undertaken for ego-transcendence, freedom from suffering, or spiritual liberation is the final goal of life.
I was born and raised as the youngest of three children in Kempen am Niederrhein, Germany, and then West Germany. After my school years I did an apprenticeship in a local firm. I met my husband (who was in the army) in 1974, got engaged a year later, and we married in...
I was born, raised, and educated in Brooklyn, NY. I studied social science at Fordham University, NYC and 35 years ago married my husband Jay. We have two sons, Ian and Ryan. Jay and I lived in NYC, Long Island, and Boston before purchasing our home in Punta Gorda in...
Teacher Appreciation Day By Gwen Burdick "Everything in the world has come out of one Divine Being, the sacred fire. The sages are the direct manifestation of that fire. No one understands them. No one talks to them. No one walks with them. They live in their own...
A few times over the past couple years I have been asked the question, “When did you start practicing yoga?” I realized that, subconsciously, I have been practicing yoga throughout my life and in various ways since I was five years old. At that age, I would put on...
My name is Sarfraz Islam. I have lived in Port Charlotte for the last 30 years and recently moved to Punta Gorda. I am a physician who has practiced for 30 years, until March 2014 when I retired. I have always been inspired by the physical and spiritual aspects of...
Around the year 1965, a woman named Sue Luby moved to my hometown of Andover, Massachusetts and changed my life. Sue offered yoga classes – we’d never heard of yoga, but for some reason my mother decided we should give it a try. This would have been around the early...
Bob and I first met when a temporary housemate of his whom I had been casually dating invited me over to see the house. Bob was painting the ceiling of his sunroom, I recall. There was an immediate attraction. Bob recalls that I was wearing tight yoga pants—I don’t...
My first yoga class was in 2002. I remember one pose in that class, Viparita Karani, known in English as Legs Up the Wall. It struck me as being very relaxing and not at all what I expected. In 2003 I retired and found myself with time to devote to a more fit...
I was born in Michigan and moved around the mid-west as a child, living in Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana. When I was 15, I was a passenger in a car accident. During the accident my sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae were dislocated, partially severing and...
“Unified Consciousness results when the gunas return back inward because the Ascendant’s purpose is fulfilled, or when the Absolute Self is permanently stabilized in the Divine Power of Pure Consciousness.” The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra IV.34 Of all the...
As we approach the busy season here in Punta Gorda, I can’t help but be obsessed by this idea we call time. We all have a million expressions for it: “Don’t waste your time,” “It’s about time!” “In the interest of saving time,” and so on. I, myself can’t help but feel...
This month, we are honoring Jane Eckles, who recently passed away, as our yogi of the month. Jane has been a part of The Yoga Sanctuary for quite some time. She was kind and compassionate, and always interested in others. She loved her family and really enjoyed her...
I was born and raised in Wheaton, IL as a fifth generation Irish Catholic. My mother still lives there. I have two brothers and a wonderful husband of 36 years, Paul. I unexpectedly retired from the telecommunication industry after 32 years of service due to multiple...
An important lesson that I have learned since beginning my yoga practice in 2005 is that it’s best to not overdo, overthink, or over plan, but instead to go back to the roots of existence, to the rules of nature, and to feel one with what really matters. It’s what we...