My new year’s wish for you

My new year’s wish for you

Dear ones, As I prepared for the holidays this year, I found myself wondering how it was possible another year had passed. For our family, the year included many joyous occasions and celebrations, but just as many moments of chaos and quibbles. The kids are coming...
The direct connection between happiness and giving

The direct connection between happiness and giving

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” We’re happier and healthier when we think of others. Which is why I’m over the moon to be a new Africa Yoga Project...
The most popular snack in my house. Ever.

The most popular snack in my house. Ever.

Alice Waters’ latest cookbook My Pantry is a gem. In nearly sixteen years of cooking for my family, I haven’t seen such universal love for a recipe as the one on page 30. Alice Waters, legendary founder of Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard, invokes the...
Why it’s ok to stop chasing your dreams.

Why it’s ok to stop chasing your dreams.

As a dyed-in-the-wool dream chaser, never thought I’d write those words. But it’s true: Chasing doesn’t work. Because chasing is the opposite of allowing. Force is the opposite of grace. And yet, I know I still push. And chase from time to time. And...
Wine and yoga: That’s my kind of yoga.

Wine and yoga: That’s my kind of yoga.

OK, we’re not drinking wine while we practice yoga. But internationally acclaimed writer, philosopher, performance and movement artist Cameron Shayne is coming to Albany to play in the vineyard with us. The wine tastings are later in the day. Local yoga guides...
How dreams come true: Do one thing (at a time).

How dreams come true: Do one thing (at a time).

Do one thing. Hard to do, but that’s the key. One thing. (At a time.) I’m still on a high. Revved with the juice of being in the presence of thousands of souls, just like me, who want to feel good and do good in the world. Chef Ann Cooper rounded out the...
More soulful and less goalful in 2014

More soulful and less goalful in 2014

If there was one thing that 2013 crystalized for me, it was that I can be OK even if everything else isn’t. And you can, too. Feeling is better than not (feeling); and channeling the ocean is how it works. Core desired feelings 1. Ebb and flow. Even if it feels...