YOGA ACTIONS for Wall Stretch
Learning to stand on both your feet and hands is a life-affirming teaching in yoga. Of course, we begin with what we already think we know and then progress to turning our world upside down with complex asanas such as…
A Yoga Teaching: Present Moment Awareness
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provide threads of wisdom to guide and support those on the journey to enlightenment (to attaining spiritual knowledge or insight). The first sutra as translated by Chip Hartranft states, “Now, the teachings of yoga.” Loosely…
YOGA ACTIONS for Unstable Knees
Over a year ago, I tore the meniscus in my left knee and reinjured it on several occasions since. Reinjury combined with a lack of knowledge requires tremendous patience on my part, which has become my yoga lesson. Very gradually,…
A Yoga Teaching: No One To Be
Many years ago, a wise person told me “We are all on a spiritual journey.” When I considered these words, I could readily accept that each person is in some way growing up, waking up, and showing up to be…
YOGA ACTIONS for Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana
When our body experiences physical, mental, or emotional stress, it releases hormones that produce cortisone and adrenaline in the bloodstream. Once circumstances return to ‘normal’, the body naturally eliminates or clears these hormones via urine, etc. However, if the stress…
A Yoga Teaching: Reacting versus Responding
In asana practice, yoga postures balance our outer structure (physical body) and cleanse our inner energy channels (nadis). As our practice matures, we reveal where cleansing is needed and stillness is absent. Mindfulness or present moment awareness is required to…
YOGA ACTIONS for Adho Mukha Svansana
Arguably, the asana most commonly associated with yoga is Downward-facing Dog. It can take yogis many years to master this posture given its requirement to balance your body’s weight equally between your hands and feet. In the early years of…
A Yoga Teaching: Ego versus Intuition
In 2000, when I began my yoga journey, one of the first teachings confronting my “rationally” trained mind was this — if we seek wisdom and truth, we cannot count on our ego to provide and protect. Instead, we need…
YOGA ACTIONS for Virabhadrasana III
Meditation can be a helpful tool to unravel complex emotions. By looking directly at the anger, you start to strip away the stories, focusing instead on the raw feeling, that stirs within you.Gelong Thubten Are you struggling with letting go…
Yoga in Every Day Life
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras teach us that yoga is both a practice with methods and tools as well as a state of being — more familiarly referred to as present moment awareness. Yoga’s tools and methods enable us to access our…
Annual Urban Retreat: DIAGNOSING BODIES
Yoga Actions for Seeing & Sensing Chakra Activation August 12-16, 2024 9 am – 1 pm, $400 + GST During asana practice, when we focus awareness and intention on each of the seven spinal chakras, we feel and see their…
YOGA ACTIONS for Virabhadrasana II
The following teaching from the Vigyan Bhairava [or God Consciousness] Tantra, Verse 27 states, When by itself the breath is retained after inhalation or exhalation – then in the end, through the Energy known as peace, Peace is revealed. This…