THE RIVER OF GRACE

When I first started practicing yoga at 17, my life was a mess. I was struggling with depression, trauma, addiction, and confusion. I felt lost — without purpose or direction — uncomfortable in my own body and mind. I was insecure and self-critical, my body was stiff, and anger and stress were my constant companions.

Then came Hatha Yoga. Thanks to my dad, who was my first teacher, I found a practice that began to realign my mind and my life. Yoga gave me the structure and stability I desperately needed — it grounded me in my body, quieted my mind, and introduced me to deeper states of natural bliss.

Now, nearly 30 years later, my practice has matured. The ongoing process of alignment feels more effortless, more subtle. It’s no longer driven by personal willpower but guided from within. I’ve learned that simple, repeatable practices — like shifting my focus toward gratitude, lengthening my exhale, relaxing my body, and letting go of control — help me reconnect with a deeper current I call the River of Grace. This sacred stream is always flowing, infinitely accessible, and constantly renewing.

When I was younger, I believed that the harder I practiced, the greater the results. That intensity served me for a time, deepening my commitment — but I eventually realized that my own effort was unsustainable. I needed to surrender to something larger, something more luminous and enduring. Meditation revealed that surrendering to a higher power is the master key to remaining relaxed, receptive, and open to this vast ocean of Grace.

Grace isn’t something we earn. It’s a natural, divine force — like a river that’s always flowing if we allow ourselves to receive it.

Yoga first taught me to draw my senses inward into the present moment, but my mind would still wander. Through meditation and prayer, I discovered that the awareness within never changes. It is still, quiet, ancient, innocent, wise, all-loving, and awake. It does not judge or condemn — it simply is. The more I practiced resting in this sacred awareness — without my ego pushing, pulling, or trying to escape — the more I began to see myself with compassion.

That’s when yoga became truly alive for me. I realized that when we rest in Spirit, Spirit does the rest. This universal presence of pure, loving attention is radiant, blissful, and infinitely kind. It is always here. As the great saint Paramahamsa Ramakrishna said, “The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.”

This loving awareness — the light shining through our eyes — is like that gentle wind, always blowing. To catch it, we must simply relax, open, and receive. Once we raise the sail, the wind will carry us exactly where we need to be.

Over the years, I’ve learned that while effort is important — especially at the beginning — it’s incomplete without surrender. Every inhale needs an exhale. The true treasure of yoga reveals itself when we open, relax, and surrender to Grace.

In one of my songs, “Treasure in the Center,” I wrote:

“There’s a treasure in the center,
A treasure in the center,
A treasure in the center that’s too deep to measure,
It can never be destroyed, it can never be severed,
And it shines forever.”

Grace is that treasure — the radiant jewel at the heart of our being. It emanates from within as pure, unconditional, divine love, shining equally in all directions like the sun. When we soften our grip, slow our breath, and shift into gratitude, the clouds of the mind part and Grace shines through. That’s why great saints like Ramana Maharshi, Neem Karoli Baba, and Anandamayi Ma seem to beam love and peace through their eyes — the clouds are gone, and only Grace remains.

All the practices of yoga — asana, pranayama, mantra, pilgrimage, ritual — are beautiful tools, but they all point to one essential truth: to relax, open, and rest in Spirit so that Grace can flow through us.

After nearly three decades of practice and learning from incredible teachers, I’ve gathered everything I’ve learned into one resource: the MC YOGI Meditation & Yoga App. The app includes guided meditations, short yoga practices, weekly prayer podcasts, my full music library, lyrics, and a growing collection of deep sleep audios.

Because the more we relax, the more we remember.
And the more we remember, the more we relax.
Over time, this simple rhythm becomes a living prayer —
a natural flow back into the River of Grace.