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If you're outside an hour or so after sunset and look west, you'll see Venus in the constellation Taurus near the horizon with Jupiter in the constellation Gemini close behind. They are bright and brilliant, bedazzling to the eye and heart. Over the next few weeks, Venus is moving closer to Jupiter and they will come together in the constellation Cancer for a magical moment around June 10. When these two benefic planets shine together, they bring auspiciousness into our lives

by Jessica Girija Jewell Listen to this invitation here: https://on.soundcloud.com/qTfZaBRdROE4Q5ELUz We are living through a time of dramatic change. The structures of the past have been destroyed and the new ones haven't been built. We are standing in the rubble of one age and the next has yet to take shape. In times like these, even the most accomplished among us needs help. At the beginning of the Mahabharata War, Arjuna — warrior, devotee, a person of extraordinary gifts

by Jessica Girija Jewell Prefer to listen? I've recorded this blog for you. If someone, somewhere in the western hemisphere asks you, "What's your sign?", you will answer with one of the twelve signs of the zodiac — Aries, perhaps, or Taurus, or Gemini — sharing the Sun's heavenly location when you were born — based on the tropical zodiac. The tropical zodiac is a map of the constellations, paired with the precession of the equinox, and set by seasonal shifts. Did you know, t

by Jessica Girija Jewell When Arjuna is overcome with anxiety on the eve of the Mahabharata war, he confides in his divine friend Krishna who first advises him to get over his feelings and "just do it." However, as Arjuna drops deeper into despair and the direction to get over it fails, Krishna changes his tune. With the insight of someone who's been there, Krishna sighingly illuminates the problem. The problem is not the war, no. The problem is that Arjuna and the other warr

by Jessica Girija Jewell The Gayatri Mantra comes to us from the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas and among the most ancient texts known to humanity. The Rig Veda is a collection of mantras and rituals that have the potential to connect us with the upper luminous realms and the beings who inhabit them. These beings are always providing help but to receive their blessings, we need to ask. How do we ask for blessings? One way is through prayer. Mantra is a kind of prayer

by Jessica Girija Jewell "I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained to supreme perfection." — Bhagavad Gita 14.1, translated by Swami Prabhupada In the Bhagavad Gita — one of the most enduring and beloved texts of the yoga tradition — the divine teacher Krishna speaks intimately with his devotee Arjuna just as the great battle of the Mahabharata begins. In Chapter 14, Krishna shares what he calls "the bes

by Jessica Girija Jewell The Mars/Saturn conjunction is moving inexorably closer. When the passion of Mars collides with the discipline of Saturn, we may become passionately responsible, courageously disciplined, practically goal-oriented. Or as the heat of Mars meets the coldness of Saturn, the earth is scorched, power creates misfortune, diplomacy becomes punishment. Always, there is a range of possibilities for how energy manifests. Mars is the activating force, and its

by Jessica Girija Jewell Tuesday has a Martian quality — sharp, fiery, purifying. This is a new weekly offering to encourage the spiritual warrior in you. "Steadfastness is a lovely, old-fashioned word that we don't hear much about these days. It describes how warriors stand their ground, how they find their position and stay there, unshaken and immoveable. Steadfast people are firm in their resolve; they are not shaken by events or circumstances. They stand clear in their

by Jessica Girija Jewell At Yoga Together Lincoln, each teacher designs their own offerings, manages their own practice, and earns directly from the people who come to their class. It's a different model than most studios and gyms — one that makes it possible for teachers to receive more sustainable compensation for the work they're here to do. Every participant who comes to class is part of making that possible. Thank you! Each teacher has a unique story. The path of healing

by Jessica Jewell "When one learns that which is worth learning, there is bliss." — Vidura in The Mahabharata Most of us begin yoga through asana. We learn to move in sync with the breath and we feel the alchemy of yoking breath and body together. It is a wonderful practice, and it's an entry into something more. You see, yoga has a philosophical framework that makes the practice so much more interesting and valuable. After 27 years of practice I am still learning, still find

We are living through historically difficult times. There is tremendous turmoil, seas of suffering, and hateful behavior from people in power. I'm alarmed by images of children shivering while trying to start a fire with their family's furniture. I'm unnerved to see the bones of babies through their paper thin skin. My heart grips when hearing that young people are killed while attending school. I imagine myself, my children in these circumstances, and shake my head, unable t

by Jessica Girija Jewell This week I'm offering three short asana sequences — a small gift for your home practice and, I hope, an invitation to something larger. I put these together with the season in mind. We are in the mercurial passage between winter and spring, between the vata and kapha seasons — between the cold scattered energy of air and ether and the slower, earthier awakening of water and earth. Outside my window today, the wind is moving hard through the trees. Mo

by Jessica Girija Jewell Sometimes life tests our practice. Not to evaluate the length of our hamstrings. Not to measure how long we can balance on our hands. Not to give us a grade based on the erectness of our spine as we sit on a mat, amidst peaceful people, and mood-moderating music. Nope. Instead, sometimes life tests the length of our patience, the strength of our kindness, and the depth of our surrender. These tests might show up as confusing conversations, difficult d

by Jessica Girija Jewell I’ve been reading a book I’ve owned for years — The Awakening Body by Reginald A. Ray. I’ve picked it up before. Underlined it. Put it down. Returned to what I thought was “real” spiritual work — refining the mind, disciplining attention, chanting mantra. But this time, something landed differently. Ray describes what he calls somatic spirituality — a Vajrayana Buddhist approach in which the body itself becomes the field of awakening. Not th

by Jessica Girija Jewell There’s something most of us sense, even if we don’t often articulate it: time has a feeling to it. Morning feels different from night. January feels different from June. Halloween feels different from Valentine’s Day. 2010 feels different from 2026. Our lives unfold within the framework of time, and time has qualities — texture, density, pace, and tone. Astrology is a tool for attuning our attention to these qualities and for learning how to respond

by Jessica Girija Jewell A friend and fellow student of The Yoga Sutras recently shared a story that was so perceptive—so insightful—that I’ve been thinking about it every day since. This friend was talking with a yoga teacher about persistent neck pain and asked what stretches might make the pain go away. The teacher’s reply was both clear and compassionate: “There are no stretches that will get rid of your neck pain.” That’s a truth bomb. Of course stretching can h

by Jessica Girija Jewell Let me start by wishing you peace, love, and happiness in 2026. At the beginning of a new year—especially one that unfolds in the heart of winter—it’s natural to turn our thoughts toward the future: to set goals, to dream, to imagine what might manifest through the efforts we make. I think this is a wholesome way to wile away winter weather. I’ve been setting goals since at least 1989, when I first read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

by Jessica Girija Jewell As we stand at the threshold of a new year, I’d like to share a prayer by Reverend Maureen Killoran. Each winter I revisit it because it inspires in me a tender tenacity to live more courageously and more connected — as though I were a hinge, opening a door toward a more generous and kind future. I hope it offers you inspiration too, and helps you remember your quiet dignity and your sacred place in time. "N ot gold, nor myrrh, nor even frankincense

Shanti mudra and the tea cup As the days shorten and the to-do list grows, many of us feel life whirling— not chaos, exactly, but a turning that creates a sense of disconnection from ourselves and from one another. Some days, the to-do list feels concerningly colossal, as if we’ve stumbled onto a set of tasks meant for someone with eight arms, three heads, and a collection of sacred objects. During this season of invitations, celebrations, kindnesses, and connections—alongsid

In a world that can tilt sideways without warning, I found myself struggling with gratitude—not the real thing, but the performative kind we’re expected to summon each November. Then I came across a simple phrase shared by writer Maria Popova, and it softened something in me: what works needs our praise. Not praise on demand.Not gratitude squeezed from a tired heart.Just a gentle noticing of what is faithful and true. Lately I’ve been praising the small and steady thing