Rooted in thirty-five years of experience, Dennis Dean has shared the practice of yoga nationally and internationally, founding and guiding four yoga shalas along the way. A lifelong reader and writer, he has been publishing newsletters since 1994, offering reflections that weave together philosophy, practice, and lived experience. At 65, he remains passionately committed to cultivating his pedagogical skills and continuing the growth that has shaped his decades of practice—even when it requires shedding the skin of ingrained or indoctrinated perceptions to fully embrace new ones.
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The Sunday Pranasphere: January 25,2026
Published 9 days ago • 3 min read
The Sunday Pranasphere
Robyn Barron | Cultural Homeostasis
Robyn Barron, The Art of Balance
Featured Lesson: Cultural Homeostasis Between the Covers: One Sitting Books PDF↓ The Hard Wired: Robyn Barron
Hi Friend,
I often teach a class for my students on Sundays, 9:00–10:45am. Before, during, and after class there is a wonderful mixture of insightful, playful, and endearing conversation that often informs The Sunday Pranasphere.
Today we had quite the mixture of personal anatomical analysis, revolving around ideas that included words such as acetabulum, homeostasis, and the biological names of desert wildflowers—which, by the way, are wildly exploding in the desert just east of us.
Homeostasis, the theme for the class, is usually described as a biological process—the body’s ability to maintain internal balance amid change. Yet this same regulating intelligence operates at the level of culture. Cultural homeostasis refers to the shared practices, values, rituals, and narratives through which societies preserve coherence while adapting to shifting conditions.
I couldn’t help but feel moved by what I sensed we really wanted to talk about. To simply sit in a circle, a candle in the middle, and share stories about how difficult and challenging the world has become. But that’s not always how it works for us.
Instead, we speak with our bodies and our breath through movement—subtle and dynamic. We are joined in unison through the Metta Meditation, which allows us to become clear, focused, and embodied in groundedness. Across cultures, balance is maintained through shared practices and rhythms. But these collective expressions begin internally. When body and breath move together in awareness, an inner culture is formed—one of steadiness, presence, and connection—that quietly shapes how balance is lived outwardly in community. ox Dennis
Between The Covers
Wicked weekly picks from my personal collection—from ancient texts to contemporary journalism, classical literature to obscure discoveries.
Amazing books, you can read in a single sitting. All of these books occupy one particular portion of the bookshelf section of my room. They are short and usually can be read within one sitting. Currently, I am reading "The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, Walter Isaacson." It analyzes the line from the declaration of independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." What could be more perfect to read right now? Down load the PDF that has a short outline of each book herePDF↓: (in no particular order) 1. The War of Art, Steven Pressfield 2. The shortness of life, Seneca 3. Zen and the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel 4. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, Walter Isaacson 5. Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff 6. Montaigne, Stefan Weig 7. Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh 8. Courage Under Fire, James Bond Stockdale 9. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 10. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Hard Wired
The Hard Wired is a term I use to represent people (authors, thought leaders...), subjects, places etc. that I tap into on a regular basis and most likely will go to see in person or already have...
Robyn Barron is a botanical photographer and horticulturalist based in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, whose work celebrates the intricacies of plant life and nature’s textures. She has worked in the garden industry for over 20 years and combines her deep horticultural knowledge with a fine-art photographic approach, often shooting in studio with side lighting and simple backgrounds to highlight subtle detail and form. We think you will enjoy her work as much as we do. Enjoy
Get it here: The Pranasphere Vintage Hat I've seen this symbol welcome thousands of students through my studio doors over the years. Three Aum symbols together in the Enso (円相) fashion—has a special place in my heart. A north star through transitions, through changes, through growth. If you've been part of this journey, you know what it means. If you're just finding us, welcome. The Triple Aum: The Buddha, The Dharma and The Sangha. Enso (円相): The Zen Circle
*Past Newsletters can be found here. *Merch can be found here.
Know you are the light, Dennis
About The Sunday Pranasphere newsletter: You are receiving a newsletter that is part of an ecosystem called The Pranasphere at Pranayama.com. All modalities within The Pranasphere, including this newsletter, are designed to deepen our understanding of how we are inherently connected. Rather than emphasizing difference, we focus on shared patterns of experience, with the intention of counter balancing modern media’s aggressive narratives that often amplify fear and separation.
Though the subjects may differ—culture, science, nature, philosophy, literature, lived experience, and the ways in which they are delivered (i.e., newsletter, podcast, visual arts, listening practices, embodied somatic movement, Metta Meditation)—they are gathered to deepen our shared understanding of life-force literacy, and how becoming educated in the language of the breath reveals how a lifetime of experience is held in the body and expressed in the present moment.
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Dennis Dean
Senior teacher, Author.
Rooted in thirty-five years of experience, Dennis Dean has shared the practice of yoga nationally and internationally, founding and guiding four yoga shalas along the way. A lifelong reader and writer, he has been publishing newsletters since 1994, offering reflections that weave together philosophy, practice, and lived experience. At 65, he remains passionately committed to cultivating his pedagogical skills and continuing the growth that has shaped his decades of practice—even when it requires shedding the skin of ingrained or indoctrinated perceptions to fully embrace new ones.
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