Some people love to travel. If you ask, “Why do you want to travel?" they may say, “To see a lot of places. “So if you see a lot of places, what will happen?” “Well, I’ll be happy.” “If you ask the travel agent, why are you making all those arrangements for them to see this and that?” “Well, I’m happy to help them.” With every little effort, no matter what you do or how you do it, the answer to the question, “Why are you doing it?”,  is always the same: “I just want to be happy.” Sometimes, people don’t want to do things. So why is that? Ask them and you might hear this response: “Oh, I can’t do that because it will make me unhappy.” So, you don’t want to do things that will make you unhappy, but you want to do things that will make you happy. That seems to be the common goal. In that respect, the entire creation, not just humanity, is looking for this happiness. Ask the animals. Ask the plants. Take a plant and put it in a dark corner; it will strain its neck to look for the light. If you ask, “Why are you straining your neck? Aren’t you comfortable in this wall to wall carpeted room?” It will say, “Yes, this room is nice but I don’t have light. I want some light and then I’ll be happy.”  MORE

Most of us spend a lot of time planning for or anticipating the future. Though it is natural to make plans that support our well-being, we tend to constantly look ahead thinking about what we need to be happy. In doing so, we often miss the opportunity to fully experience the present and enjoy this moment as it is.  This is one of the reasons we decided to practice gratitude for the month of June. Gratitude begins with awareness of the numerous things we already have to be grateful for. In a world where many people struggle for safety, food and shelter, we take these basics for granted and become preoccupied with comforts and possessions others may never experience. Most of us have basically healthy bodies, and both the time for spiritual practice and access to a tremendous wealth of spiritual teachings. Gratitude implies at minimum that we acknowledge this abundance, which frees us from the “if I only had this” mentality that permeates our culture. Even better, we can commit ourselves to making good use of these teachings to shift from a me-centered to a we-centered way of living and make our world a better place.  MORE

Most of us understand that detachment plays an imperative role in building a healthy and harmonious relationship with ourselves and with others. However, words are easier said than done. We long for detachment, but we might struggle to find the proper way to practice it. Oftentimes, we have an idea about how to detach, but we put it aside, as we fear becoming aloof or apathetic. As I always clarify, detachment is not about withdrawing. It simply means seeing things from a different perspective, while remaining fully involved. It’s about releasing our need for the object of attachment. We still give it our all, but without being entangled in fear and anxiety. Consequently, detachment means more involvement, but without being attached to the outcome. It’s like stepping outside of who we are and seeing things objectively without the ego’s immersion. That said, there are four essential notions we can practice in order to internally detach, yet remain engaged. With patience and willingness, we can break our attachment to whatever is keeping us trapped—be it a person, an object, an idea, or a situation. Step 1. Examine the reasons of your attachment.  MORE

Re-enchantment: Gaining the Wonder of our Practice Again
By Michelle Jacobi

The 7th Integral Yoga European Reunion was held in Montpellier, France from April 20-24, 2019. Each year Integral Yogis—teachers and students—gather for a reunion and each reunion is hosted by a different member of Integral Yoga Europe. In 2019, France was the host country and Michelle Jacobi, director of Centre de Yoga du Marais was the main organizer. She shared this report after the reunion: I chose this theme for the reunion because sometimes life will indeed do its best to throw us off balance, and at times like these I feel connection with like-minded souls is the port in a storm or a sudden life raft, if you will forgive all these water metaphors, (It did rain a lot in the south.) Our organizing team chose the “Etoile” which translates as Hamlet of Stars, because of its rejuvenating atmosphere, its tranquil location in the south of France and because it could comfortably house perhaps 100 of us. We were 89 Integral Yogis gathered. Our hosts were very familiar with furnishing the needs of a large spiritual community and they were wonderful in accommodating all these. A strictly vegetarian venue, no meat is ever even prepared on their site.  MORE