The July Shambhala Sun is mailing to subscribers now. That issue is all about your body — from pleasure and pain, to performance and path: Norman Fischer contemplates the deeper reality of the body, Karen Connelly feels the heat in “Flesh Sex Desire,” Thich Nhat Hanh offers three exercises from well-being, and four athletes talk sports and mindfulness.
Plus: Andrea Miller speaks with Jane Goodall, Sumi Loundon Kim tells why (and how) how she quit Facebook, Ruth Ozeki‘s new novel is reviewed, and more.
Look for all that, and more, inside our July magazine. In the meantime, browse the May Shambhala Sun here. If you’re not a subscriber, click here to subscribe and save.
Meredith Arena on what it feels like to be embodied and alone.
The lotus is a favorite Buddhist symbol. After all, it grows in the mud of materialism or suffering, but blooms pristinely above the water’s surface, symbolizing the achievement of purity or enlightenment. There are other plants that have similarly water-resistant and dirt-repelling surfaces but scientists refer to the phenomenon as the “lotus effect.” In 1964, the lotus effect was studied by scientists for the first time and since then it’s been adapted for industrial use.
If you’re even a semi-regular here, you likely know the name of our colleague and friend Andy Karr. 
Even at twelve, Chris Lemig knew he was gay — he just didn’t want to believe it. Spurred on by intolerance, ignorance, and fear, he took his first steps into the closet, and so began twenty-three years of drinking, drugs, and attempted suicides. Finally, after being victimized in a hate crime, Chris knew it was time to make a change. He came out, and in part thanks to his study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, got — and has stayed — clean.
“They tell me that this is a story of courage,” writes Sarah Lipton. “For me, it is a story that has been waiting to be shared for seven years.”
The relationship between the mind and the body is a fundamental part of Dharma practice. As 