**Was Jesus Palestinian?** People ask the question as if identity were a single, unmoving stone — something that can be lifted, weighed, set neatly on a shelf. But the truth is softer, older, more fluid than that. Jesus was indeed a Jew of the first century, a child of dusty roads and crowded synagogues, a son of Judea’s hills and Galilee’s wide, whispering fields. He spoke the language of his people, prayed their prayers, carried their stories the way one carries a flame cupped in both...

There is a strange myth in our culture that compassion is a fragile thing—soft, yielding, almost naïve. As if to care is to be somehow unguarded, exposed, soft, or easily swayed. But anyone who has ever tried to meet the world with an open heart knows the truth: compassion is not the path of the weak. It is the daily practice of the courageous. Compassion asks us to stay present when it would be easier to turn away. It requires us to hold our ground—not in dominance, but in understanding. To...

Begin Where You Are by Ajani As a yoga teacher, I lead my classes with the intention of helping participants unite the 3 pillars of mind, body, and spirit. To yoke, bring together - this is the true meaning and intention of yoga. I know that others have their way, but this how I choose to share the gift with others. I begin each class by revealing this intention, along with two other very important things: "Yoga 4 All" - I plan and sequence my classes so that no matter who you are, and no...