Ayurveda is the best writing teacher I’ve ever had. The world of mung dhal, dinacharya, and five elements seems like an odd place to study my craft, but the moment I began to study Ayurveda I began to write daily – in my morning journaling practice, my public journal...
My husband and I once spent a very hot winter together. Not quite like that. Then again, it was exactly like that. I wrote a bit about it here. It was a hot winter because we were living in the tropics. It was a hot winter because we were fighting like cats and dogs...
I need to clear something up: I am a witch. I’ve secretly known this since childhood -- I used to silently cheer on the crone with the green face (I mean, that girl dropped a house on her sister and stole her best shoes). But I had no one to share this hidden truth...
Consistency is about showing up as much as it is about not showing up. For four years, I worked for and studied under a teacher of Ayurveda and yoga who was known to be a strict disciplinarian. Her students reported daily at 5:00 a.m. for nearly three hours of...
I describe my paternal grandfather as an honorable elder in my life. One thing he taught me from a young age was that we learn from our mistakes. Not that it mattered when I broke off the head of the carved onyx knight from his chess set. Or when I neglected to tell...
Is the dirt worse these days or is it that we know too much? When my daughter was 16 months old, I posted a picture on a private online photo album of her drinking from a hose. It was pure and innocent, a refreshing reminder of how I often cooled down on hot days as a...
Karen, we all know her. Or do we? The first time I heard the Karen trope -- you know, the middle-aged white woman who demands to speak with a manager -- was early in the days of the pandemic. It took me nearly a year to be called one myself. The experience let me in...
It is not possible to live a life free from indulgence. Again for those in the back: It’s not possible to live a life free from indulgence. But you’re saying, Sonja, you teach Ayurveda and yoga, two doctrines that tell us that happiness is living free from the chains...
Let’s talk about embarrassing tattoos. I have one that makes me cringe. It was a good idea at the time (aren’t they always?), but it hasn’t held up. I got the tattoo on a whim two decades ago. I had gotten a raise at work and paid for my tattoo and one for my then...
As I write this my daughter is settling in for a nap for the first time ever at her daycare. At first glance, it may sound odd to say that with such a dramatic tone. I mean, to use the precious beginning line of a post to tell you that she’s taking a nap at her school...
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Turn your greatest pain into your most powerful strength
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The Bhagavad Gita 2:40