In Conversation
  • Name
    Nevine Michaan
  • Location
    Bedford Hills, NY
  • Creator of
    Katonah Yoga
  1. Why are rituals important?

    I think of rituals as techniques to help people remember to remember. The nature of engagement is holistic when performing a ritual because rituals involve self-resolve mediated in time. With ritual there is a conscious willingness to participate in an action with an implicit intention.

  2. What are you most grateful for?

    I am most grateful for being conscious of myself as an individual and of myself as part of the greater whole. I am grateful to be alive and awake to my good fortune.

    I am grateful for having a mind, body and breath. I am grateful for the experiences afforded to me daily.

    I am very grateful that I can participate in my personal well-being and by virtue of my actions that I can participate in a greater collective and universal well-being. I am grateful that I can look outside myself and inside myself and be awed.

  3. Many people view you as a mystic. What advice do you have for people seeking more magic in their lives?

    Practice virtuous techniques.

    I think magic, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, is technical. A magician uses formulas to achieve defined goals. The product of great technique inspires awe and awe inspires revelation.

    When someone folds a sheet of paper, and by virtue of origami technique they manipulate it into a functional cup or a little boat, the result is joy. There is magic in fit. There is magic in function.

    The universe is both very mystical and very functional. My advice to those seeking magic is to invest time in training and to invest time in developing good techniques. Define and refine your goals, and above all make great personal efforts.

Drawings: Susan Fierro

www.katonahyoga.com