(From Italy) These last two years I tried to know myself, love myself and hoping to understand that if I don’t love myself nobody can do. I tried to practice the path of love and truth and understanding. Everything was ok until I fell in love. After the first part, romance, paradise etc, things went wrong, he vanished literally, then I became the worst person I ever met. I cheated, lied to friends, cared for nobody else but my feelings for him. I lied to him too just to stay with him. Am I a person who lies, who can kick friends just to have what she wants? How can all my work on my ethic disappear in two months for something like love? I felt despise for my behaviour but I still did it. But I also discovered I’m not the good girl I thought to be, maybe I don’t deserve love till I don’t change. I’m not only confused I don’t know from where to begin.

I’ve been struggling with a negative body image/unhealthy relationship with food for about 5 years. Recently it has spiraled out of control and I feel like I’ve hit my lowest point. I tried going to therapy but didn’t find what I was looking for, so about 9 months ago I turned to yoga, meditation, and your book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga for guidance. Reading your book and others really opened me up to my spiritual being and being conscious in the present moment. I realize that my body and food does not define who I am really am. However, even though I understand and embrace the concepts in your book, I’m still struggling with out of control binge eating. Each morning I review the spiritual law of the day, perform the sun salutations, and try and meditate for at least 5 minutes (meditation is a struggle for me) but when the afternoon rolls around all I can think about is food. I start eating and don’t stop until I’m extremely full. It’s as if I become unconscious and don’t know what has hit me until I feel so sick and disgusted with myself.

Is there hope for freedom from this suffering?

I seem to have father issues..I am sure its set some limits on my life…..my dad is 80 I am 56….I’ve asked my dad to “connect and relate” with me, to hear me correctly, to allow common ground and understanding and to join the vision……….he seems unwilling or unable to do any of that….saying things like i have more important things to do….we email a lot but its mostly fighting or him twisting what i think are good normal intentions and desires to be heard understood and feel loved(i do have lots of other loving friends)…. he mostly seeks to avoid or be a void….and this is years of this….any insight? Thanks

I am the eldest of 12 children and only survivor who did not perish the Australian fires. I feel the guilt being spared from working abroad.
Despite my own problems here, being wiped out financially and facing homelessness, I realize the God I know does not care.
I find myself disgusted and truly disappointed with Him.
I tried to end my life only to awaken alive in a worse way.

Why does he take the lives of precious people who doesn’t want to die yet the ones who truly wants, he keeps alive?
As I read thru your blogs, I can’t help but notice you and your followers are the chosen favorites of a caring God .
As a last call to ease my pain, I want to know your God, your Higher Power.
I have fired and through with mine.
Show me the path to yours.

On the Ellen DeGeneres show you said that you get up at 4:00 am to meditate. I would like to become an early riser also, because the early morning is the only quiet time for meditation where I live, but also because I would like to get more done during the day. I never sleep through the night, and this has been a life-long pattern. I go to bed around 11:00 pm and usually wake up around 3:00-4:00 am for a couple of hours, then fall asleep again, waking at  8:00 or 9:00 am. If I have to get up earlier than this I feel a lot of anxiety and end up sleeping very little or not at all. I have tried many things to improve this (including doctors, meditation, hypnosis and counseling, EFT, yoga, spending time in nature, working on personal goals) but nothing has helped much. I have also tried getting up and meditating at 4:00 am, but I end up getting tired again and I have to return to bed. Our ancestors used to sleep for a few hours, then get up and return to bed, and I suspect that this ancient habit is partly related to my interrupted sleep. When I wake up, I feel groggy for a couple of hours and don’t really get going until about noon. I drink a few cups of coffee in the morning.

I am tired of living this way, and was wondering if you had any suggestions to help me adjust my pattern from that of a late riser to an early riser. Were you always an early riser, or have you been able to condition yourself in some way.? I deeply appreciate your writings, which inspire and uplift me when I am frustrated and depressed.