Today before yoga class, the lovely yoga teacher who was subbing in the class I attend each Monday asked how my mom is doing. Since she also attends the class as a student, we’ve chatted often, and she was aware of my mom’s medical issues. We got into to brief discussion about caring for loved … [Read more…]
The very first step on Patanjali’s eight-limbed path of yoga is the first yama: ahimsa. The word means nonviolence or non-harming. It can also be thought of as kindness. Understanding the First Yama Practicing ahimsa means doing no harm. We take care to act with kindness toward other people, other beings, and the universe itself. … [Read more…]
If you often feel yourself dragging during the day, you’d probably like to know how to feel more energetic. Well, here’s some good news for yogis: You can practice yoga for energy! Yoga creates harmony between mind, body, and spirit; when you’re tired, there is often an imbalance in at least one of these areas. … [Read more…]
As we tap into the fire of tapas and learn more about ourselves through the practice of self-study, we begin to strip away layers of ego. Eventually, we reach a point beyond our intellect, and at that point, we need faith to go any further. This is the fifth niyama, called Isvara-prandihana. The fifth niyama is … [Read more…]
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t met a lot of angry yogis. I’m not referring to yogis who get angry. I’m talking about yogis who are angry at their core. It’s not that anger is not a characteristic of yogis (in fact, a lot of us turn to yoga to deal with anger among other emotions), but because … [Read more…]
Recently, one of my yoga teachers gave a dharma talk on fear. She described how fear shows up in the body and how we can work toward managing fear with yoga. First, we need to understand where fear shows up, she explained. According to my teacher, one of the places we hold fear is the … [Read more…]
What’s on Your Bucket List? Recently, a friend asked me what’s on my bucket list. He began to name some things on his—mostly travel to various places. I couldn’t think of a place I need to see in my lifetime, though there are a few places I’d like to go. Go or not, I’ll be happy. … [Read more…]
One of my favorite images is of the Hindu deity Hanuman embracing Lord Rama. The devotion of Hanuman is a powerful legend. As the story goes, Hanuman, son of a monkey (his mom) and Vayu, the Lord of the Winds (his dad), had an impressive skill. As a boy, he could lift the hills and toss … [Read more…]
Among the many ways in which yoga can change your life it provides opportunities for getting grounded when life tries to topple you over. Getting grounded is important. It’s also difficult. Like anything worth achieving, getting grounded takes trial and error, failure and practice. Why is getting grounded important? Let’s face it, things change all the time. Every day, … [Read more…]
Recently, my yoga teacher gave me a book. The book is titled The Universe Has Your Back. It came at a particularly interesting time—a time when I felt the Universe might be conspiring to make me miserable. I wanted to trust the Universe, but sometimes it’s just so difficult! A few days before I received … [Read more…]