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Matthew Tift

@matthewtift

Open web + ethical living. Yoga teacher. Drupal developer @lullabot. Free software advocate. Husband. Empty nester. PhD. he/him

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Posts 07.02.2024
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Latest posts by Matthew Tift @matthewtift

Finding Your Dharma or Living the Dharma? Another No Kings protest is coming, and people who practice yoga and meditation face a familiar question: what should we do? In yoga spaces, people often speak about “finding your dharma.” In meditation circles, the focus tends more toward training the mind, acting with care, and watching the results. My take? Practice first. Then choose your next step.

Finding Your Dharma or Living the Dharma?

10.03.2026 14:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Finding the Right Meditation Without Getting Lost Along the Way I built a new way to browse meditations on from Pretty Good Meditation, filtered by keyword and duration. Staying focused on what mattered turned into its own practice.

Finding the Right Meditation Without Getting Lost Along the Way

25.02.2026 17:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
If Not Now, Then When? If we can't be happy now, then when? Waiting for life to calm down keeps us stuck. Peace grows from the inside when we stop waiting for life to behave the way we want it to. There are practical ways to protect your heart, work with attention, and let happiness grow right here, in the middle of the mess.

If Not Now, Then When?

16.02.2026 14:29 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Walk for Peace In a time when fear and outrage feel increasingly normalized, a small group of Theravāda Buddhist monks is walking 2,300 miles from Texas to Washington, D.C., sharing a message of peace, loving-kindness, and compassion. They aren’t selling anything or making grand statements. They’re simply walking, day after day, reminding us that peace begins with presence, intention, and care. Their walk draws from the ancient tudong tradition, where walking itself becomes a form of spiritual training. It’s a quiet invitation to practice more kindness, steadiness, and goodwill in our own lives. # WalkForPeace #Metta #Goodwill #Buddhism #Mindfulness #Compassion #Kindnes

Walk for Peace

20.01.2026 15:32 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Practicing Contentment on Hard Days Yoga does not promise an easy life. It offers guidance for meeting fear, loss, and anger. Name the source of distress, then practice the opposite through goodwill and non-harming.

Practicing Contentment on Hard Days

12.01.2026 18:11 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Movember, Men’s Health, and What Yoga Has Been Teaching Me Movember brought some hard truths about men’s health into focus: loneliness, silence, and the stigma around asking for help. Here’s what I learned, and how it’s shifting the way I teach yoga and meditation.

Movember, Men’s Health, and What Yoga Has Been Teaching Me

10.01.2026 19:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Practice Needs Support Two weeks at Kripalu reminded me that yoga works best when it’s supported off the mat. Practice, service, and community lined up. Nothing dramatic. Just steady days, shared effort, and quiet joy. Thankfully, much of that life is already available at home.

Two weeks at Kripalu reminded me that yoga works best when it’s supported off the mat. Practice, service, and community lined up. Nothing dramatic. Just steady days, shared effort, and quiet joy. Thankfully, much of that life is already available at home.

🔗

05.01.2026 14:14 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Off the Mat into the Wedding Weekend At my cousin’s wedding, I noticed how yoga shows up in unexpected places: on the dance floor, at the candy bar, and in the vows themselves. Taking yoga off the mat doesn’t always look heroic, but it can shape how we meet each moment with presence and joy.

At my cousin’s wedding, I noticed how yoga shows up in unexpected places: on the dance floor, at the candy bar, and in the vows themselves. Taking yoga off the mat doesn’t always look heroic, but it can shape how we meet each moment with presence and joy.

🔗

05.01.2026 02:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Samsara, Free Dad Hugs, and the Ethics of Kindness Life moves in cycles. So does kindness. A hug, a mantra, or a single breath are small acts that ripple outward. At the Minnesota State Fair, I wore a “Free Dad Hugs” shirt. I hugged strangers, we laughed, and we connected. Samsara (the endless cycle of birth and death) turns, and we can turn it with compassion.

Life moves in cycles. So does kindness. A hug, a mantra, or a single breath are small acts that ripple outward. At the Minnesota State Fair, I wore a “Free Dad Hugs” shirt. I hugged strangers, we laughed, and we connected. Samsara (the endless cycle of birth and death) turns, and we can turn it w...

05.01.2026 02:31 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
What Is Ethical Living Through Yoga? | Matthew Tift In Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series, a tea monk and a robot wander the world asking, “What do people need?” The answer isn’t a product or a fix. It’s a feeling. A sense of being heard, valued, an...

Yoga today is often reduced to poses and products. But at its heart, yoga offers a path for ethical, purposeful living.

This week, I focus on the yamas and niyamas. Simple, steady guides for living with care, honesty, and peace.

Read more: matthewtift.com/blog/what-et...

#EthicalYoga

22.04.2025 15:07 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Standing with Coffee | Matthew Tift My first silent meditation retreat with Triple Gem of the North in March 2017 was a formative experience in my life. That weekend in Janesville, Minnesota was the first time I truly felt what it was l...

A warm cup of coffee. A quiet nudge from a monk. A small shift that changed the way I live my practice. ☕🧘‍♂️

On mindful coffee drinking, presence, and the path of yoga — one breath at a time.

matthewtift.com/blog/standin...

08.04.2025 18:29 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Sports should be about teamwork, growth, and belonging—not discrimination. HF 12 is a cruel attempt to exclude trans youth from the teams and communities that help them thrive.

Speak out now—urge #MNleg to vote NO!👇

17.02.2025 14:21 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
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We are stronger than we think Federal workers, faith leaders, unions and ordinary Americans are showing the power of collective defiance and how to make cruelty backfire.

Feeling like your actions don’t matter? Read Maria J. Stephan’s article, "We Are Stronger Than We Think." She highlights the growing resistance movement and provides lots of details about how ordinary people are fighting back against the cruelty and abuse.

wagingnonviolence.org/2025/02/we-a...

08.02.2025 20:29 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Five matches. The fourth is burned. The fifth is sprouting a leaf.

Five matches. The fourth is burned. The fifth is sprouting a leaf.

Part of our charter is to "help to prevent conflict and burnout", and this article is all about recognizing the signs and finding support.

Thanks @matthewtift.bsky.social of the Community Health Team for providing this resource.

https://buff.ly/42CUlH1

04.02.2025 15:30 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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In a world full of chaos, community is the antidote. By building your group — with Love at the center — you can support others and find peace for yourself. Show up, listen, and work together for justice. We’re all in this together. #Community #Love #Justice #Support

matthewtift.com/blog/finding...

04.02.2025 14:13 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
a group of people standing behind a side with love banner at the minnesota state capitol

a group of people standing behind a side with love banner at the minnesota state capitol

Amidst the chaos and challenges of the world, I've been striving to spread positivity and put my values into action. In my latest blog post, I explore how yoga and meditation help me navigate fear and embrace love and compassion:

matthewtift.com/blog/antidot...

24.01.2025 15:13 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0