5 Ways to Do Your Yoga Practice by Building Willpower Many people understand that a daily yoga practice leads to a more enriching life. When we practice, we feel better. We are more in tuned with our senses, with our friends and family, and with the world at large. The problem many of us have is […]
Yamas and Niyamas Discussion: Tapas and Yoga The yamas and niyamas Overview: The Yamas and Niyamas are the first two limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras — this post will discuss the niyama called tapas. The yamas and niyamas can accurately be described as ten guidelines to purifying life and reaching true freedom and mental emancipation. The […]
Threads of Yoga: reading and interview — Matthew Remski from her skin like summer on Vimeo.
Tapas is a practice of balanced austerity, sacrifice, discipline. Tapas means “heat” or “fire.” Go through the heat and accept it – invite it in. The fire brings transformation. If you are not in stillness, you are craving or having aversion. Transformation happens through the fire – burn off some layers and emerge as something new – […]
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What is Svadhyaya? Words from our teacher inspired by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sadhana Pada, Sutra 43 This article was inspired by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sadhana Pada, Sutra 43: Svadhyayat istadevata samprayogah (Translated) Self-study leads towards the realisation of God or communion with ones desired deity. Quite regularly I ask myself questions, […]
I am constantly amazed how much there is to learn in studying yoga. Certified for seven years, I’ve barely reached the tip of knowledge involved in the complex world of yoga. I believe every yogi should own these five books to refer to often. 1. Light On Yoga By B.K.S. Iyengar This “bible” of yoga was […]
What is Brahmacharya? In recent posts, we’ve discussed many Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga, but what is Brahmacharya? The Yamas are the first limb on yoga’s eight-limbed path. They are ethical disciplines Yogis live their lives by. In the last few weeks we have wrote about the four other Yamas: ahimsa, satya, asteya, and aparigraha. Today […]
Aparigraha and Nonattachment in Everyday Life Aparihraha is part of yogic philosophy. For an introduction to yoga philosophy, it is important to learn about the yamas and niyamas. Aparigraha and Nonattachment Overview Aparigraha is one of the yamas ~ the definition is nonattachment. Feelings, thoughts, emotions, and possessions are all impermanent. This post will focus on nonattachment […]
What is Satya? In English, the Sanskrit word Satya is translated to mean “truth.” Satya is one of the Yamas from the Yamas and Niyamas that Patanjali passed down in Yoga Sutras (arguably the most important yogic text). The Yamas and Niyamas are the first two limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The Yamas and Niyamas can be best simplified […]
What Are the Yamas and Niyamas? When Brian and I first studied yoga extensively, we were fascinated by the origins and composition of the yamas and niyamas. There are books on the topic and one could study this for a lifetime. Here is a brief overview of what I learned from Rory Trollen combined with […]
What is Ahimsa? How Can One Practice Ahimsa? This post is all about answering the question, “What is Ahimsa?” In a previous post, we explained that Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras specified 8 limbs of yoga with the first limb being the yamas. Within the yamas, there are 5 different principles. The principle we will focus on […]
Asana is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates as “poses” or “postures” in English. Asana is one of the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga. When the average Westerner thinks of yoga, they think of the asanas. It’s great to see that so many Westerners are finding yoga but we also feel that as a result, yoga has become […]
What is the first limb of yoga according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras? Yama is first limb of yoga and it is as important if not more important as the asana (physical postures). “Practice of asanas without the backing of Yama and Niyama is mere acrobatics.” -B.K.S Iyengar The Yamas: Ethical disciplines. The Yamas represent a series […]
“Wisdom which a wise man tries to pass on to someone always sounds like foolishness…Knowledge can be conveyed, but not wisdom. It can be found, it can be lived, it is possible to be carried by it, miracles can be performed with it, but it cannot be expressed in words and taught.” One of the […]
“Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don’t try to figure anything out. Don’t try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest.” ~ Tilopa
Recently Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage. Back in 2011, when she filmed this TED Talk, she had no idea that she would ever complete her goal. It is fascinating to hear someone as driven as her talk about failing, especially now […]