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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

by Jessica Girija Jewell With electricity at our fingertips, it’s easy to drift out of conversation with the Moon.  We stay up late, wake too early, and lose the wise counsel of the ancient night sky. Let’s pause now for a moment and return to our relationship with Mother Nature — remembering that she has her own moods, her own intelligence, her own sacred potential, and that her currents move through us as well. As I write this, the New Moon in Scorpio has just passed and is

by Jessica Girija Jewell After a yoga class one day, a friend said, “ That was some transformational stretching. ”  The phrase made me laugh, and the more I use it, the more I like it. Maybe it’s because it holds a kind of truth — yoga is stretching, but also something far more meaningful. I think of it as a way to approach the practice — where something as ordinary as a stretch can open into something sacred. The Practice Begins Most of us show up for yoga practice a bit sca

by Jessica Girija Jewell A friend and I were talking recently about how we make plans — and how life so often rearranges them. She joked that it would be nice to know when those surprises were coming, when the clock was quietly moving us into the next hour. I said that astrology is used for just that — to understand the timing of our lives, when the clock is ready to strike and something new is set to unfold. The Science of Time In Jyotish — the astrology of ancient India — t

by Jessica Girija Jewell Each of us is born into a particular patch of cultural soil. It shapes how we see ourselves, what we value, and even what we imagine is possible. Every culture holds an idea of what a body should look like. In the United States, the ideal has shifted many times—from soft and rounded, to thin and angular, to today’s visibly muscular and athletic form.   All of these ideals share one thing in common: they judge the body from the outside. Yet a truly hea

by Jessica Girija Jewell Spiritual life is never effortless.  It may seem easier in curated environments — at the yoga studio, church, or...

by Jessica Girija Jewell This week’s note comes to you from New Mexico, the place I call home. I’m here visiting family and also...

by Jessica Girija Jewell  We all know the pull to keep going—doing more, staying busy, pushing past our edges. But that rhythm doesn’t...

by Jessica Girija Jewell What a week. I’ve spent a good amount of time resting, practicing yoga, and searching for guidance on how to be...

by Jessica Girija Jewell Paying Attention In yoga, practice begins with paying attention. Astrology supports this attentiveness—it helps...

Eclipses come to us in regular cycles, woven into the rhythm of the sky. Their predictability is part of what makes them compelling: they...

Once upon a yogi time , a man came to the edge of a great and mighty river. He hired a young woman to row him across. As the boat pushed...

Practice has a way of showing us not only what’s peaceful and luminous, but also the patterns that cloud our view. This week I found...

by Jessica Girija Jewell There are many ways to approach asana practice: You might aim to master a challenging posture. Use postures to...