Category: Personal Growth

A Yoga Teaching: Selfless vs. Selfish Service

Letting go of attachment to the fruits of one’s actions, one is ever content and does not have needs. Though one appears to be doing things (karma), actually the higher Self is the doer. Bhagavad Gita When we respond to…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: True Knowledge vs. Facts

In the ancient Yoga tradition, a spiritual teacher is called a Sat Guru, or teacher of truth. The word “guru” has two parts: “gu,” that which hides our true light, and “ru,” that which removes the covering. Nischala Joy Devi…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: Inside vs. Outside

In my mid- to late-twenties, I suffered with depression. In retrospect, I had undergone three S.E.E.s (significant emotional events) — my father’s death, the end of my romantic relationship, and the end of my softball career because of a coach’s…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: Faith vs. Fear

When chaos strikes, wheither outside of us in the form of political mayhem, war, and extreme weather conditions, or inside us with emotional grieving, conflicting values, or uncertainty, what we can also face is a crisis of faith. Although this…

Helen Maupin

Gone Girl – Poetry for the Self

Excerpt: This book, Gone Girl, captures watershed moments of passage beyond disciplining myself to forgive, accept, and surrender. It brought me across a threshold where being saved is eclipsed by even greater mysteries. And because I have always been one for…

Helen Maupin

YOGA ACTIONS for Supta Parivrtta Trikonasana

Parivrtta Trikonasana or reverse triangle pose presents several challenges for yoga practitioners, primarily maintaining the stability of the pelvis and legs while rotating the rib cage. Those of us with constricted rib cages or shoulders may find ourselves rotating the…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: Complicated vs. Complex

Complication is distraction.Complexity is depth. Yoga philosophy and practices intend to unite mind, body, and spirit. Bringing together these three aspects of our being increases the complexity of our experience. As an example, yogic philosophy teaches that human beings are…

Helen Maupin

Sustainable Strategies for Lasting Personal Growth

Photo via Pexelsby guest blogger Chloe Pearson Embarking on a personal development journey is an exciting endeavor, but maintaining momentum over the long haul requires a sustainable approach. By integrating various strategies into your routine, you can ensure continuous growth…

Helen Maupin

YOGA ACTIONS for Supta Virabhadrasana II

The three Virabhadra poses in yoga are named after a great hero warrior in Hindu mythology. The attributes of a hero — strength, steadiness, and fierce determination — are represented in practicing each virabhadrasana with integrity. We practice Virabhadrasana, not to…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: Niyamas’ Promises

A few weeks back, I wrote about yoga’s ethical guidelines, the Yamas, which fall under the first limb of Patanjali’s eight-limb practice. The second portion of this first limb, the five Niyamas, are choices we can make to forge an…

Helen Maupin

A Yoga Teaching: Yamas’ Promises

Yoga’s 10 ethical practices, Yamas and Niyamas, form the first limb of Patanjali’s 8-limb practice. This ranking signifies their importance in a yoga practitioner’s overall spiritual journey and moment-to-moment choices. These restraints and observances guide us to better relationships with…

Helen Maupin

YOGA ACTIONS for Supta Utthita Parsvakonasana

Supta Utthita Parsvakonasana is second in my series of supine standing poses, which will help you immediately identify where your conditioned, unconscious holding patterns reside in your body. The physical, energetic, and mental yoga actions provided with each pose will…

Helen Maupin