A perfect recipe for February: it’s American Heart Month, freezing cold temperatures are the norm and for Catholics, it’s time to give up meat on Fridays.
This ingredient list may have a few vegetables that you’ve never tried before, but I encourage you to step outside of your iceberg lettuce and baby carrots safety zone, especially if you have any finicky family members that “don’t like vegetables.” You just might find something they like!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
3 cups peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 tablespoon…

Last night I was feeling a little bit of existential, or was it seasonal, angst. Something about the quality of the light and the length of the day, and knowing that they won’t be getting longer for a while weighed heavily upon me. For all my talk of festivals of light and interiority, I was up against it. Feeling the twinge, I can completely understand why some people experience seasonal affective disorder, particularly in these northern climes. But trolling my Tumblr dashboard this morning I found a gem in Being’s response to an anonymous listener, looking for some poetry heard on the show. It included this treasure from Rilke, read by Joanna Macy, about both of whom I have blogged before.

Joanna Macy reads “Onto a Vast Plain” by Rainer Maria Rilke.

“Onto a Vast Plain”

by Rainer Maria Rilke; translation by Joanna Macy and…

…yoga is good for you. Surprised?

The Eastern practice of yoga has become a modern-day symbol of peace, serenity and well-being in the West. More than 20 million Americans practice yoga, according to the 2012 Yoga in America study, with practitioners spending more than $10 billion a year on yoga-related products and classes.

The mind-body practice is frequently touted for its ability to reduce stress and boost well-being, but it also offers wide-ranging physical health benefits that rival other forms of exercise. While the scientific research on yoga’s health benefits is still young, here’s what we know so far about its potential effects on the body.

Related articles

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• 7 Common False Statements About Yoga With 1 Being: Yoga Can’t Increase Your Metabolism (allabouthealthandfitnessblog.wordpress.com)
• Why Men Don’t Do Yoga (yogablog.hari-kirtana.com)
• 15 Ways Yoga Transforms the Body (dailycupofyoga.com)
• If yoga is so good for…

It’s another beautiful late summer day, and I am emerging from a weekend spent with Bill Mahony, author of Exquisite Love, and my teacher Sara Davidson Flanders, at All That Matters in Wakefield, RI, reflecting on the Nārada Bhakti Sūtras in a workshop entitled “Return to Love.”

Among other things, I appreciated that Bill thanked those who were not present, especially those who enabled us to be there to steep in these deep teachings. I thought to my beloved congregation, and the activities in which they were engaging: fall cleanup, a presence at town day, and a Sunday service in appreciation of the “Days of Awe.”

I don’t quite yet know what to say about the weekend, except that I feel very full. It is interesting that Bill closed the session, according to tradition, with a mantra I included here recently (“A Place of Profound Individuality”…