Yoga, as described in sacred texts such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Upanishads, views fear primarily as a manifestation of underlying mental afflictions and a misidentification with the physical body and ego. The key teachings see fear…
Over the millennia, yoga has absorbed wisdom from other belief systems, namely Buddhism. One such teaching, called shenpa, reflects our human “knee-jerk pattern of moving away from being present”*1. Each of us has our personal triggers that kick us into…
The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) Both Peter Turchin, a Russian-American scientist and author, and Sarah Wilson, an Australian author and minimalist, agree that political…
photo by Jeremy Williamson Hope inspires and expands; fear inhibits and implodes. When I saw these beautiful crocuses, I was immediately reminded of how Earth provides for and protects us from harm. The hope of new growth exists even during…
All of life is a journey. We are carried along at life’s pace, whether we choose to run or sit still. Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, Hunters of Dune The first half of my life, I spent my time…
As yogis, we learn that physical sensations of tension or tightness indicate where in our bodies we hold pain and suffering. Alas, when we suppress our emotions, they don’t disappear, never to be seen again. Suppressed emotions are stored in…
image by Patty Lacosse
When we develop our self-awareness, we are strengthening our ability to make healthy choices and evolve self-mastery. In other words, our awareness of our inner experience, in the present moment, overrides our addictive dependencies or co-dependencies on another person. As…
After reading the title, you might be thinking, “Well isn’t that obvious; nothing new here”, and I would agree. But what if I added, all habitual behaviours that keep you from healing and growing are addictions. What is your response…
Several weeks back, I began writing this four-part series in an attempt to describe a critical path for expanding one’s creative and spiritual growth. Over many years of personal research, my experiences taught me that creativity and spirituality are intimately interwoven. In fact, I often wonder if we are using two different words to describe the same “way of being.” This series of blogs dabbles at demystifying our human “being-ness” by outlining four foundational pillars that liberate creativity — awareness, deep-felt experience, deep collaboration and finally, this blog’s topic, creative expression.
What drew you to yoga as your spiritual practice? In my case, it had everything to do with having a direct or felt experience of spiritual practices and philosophies. In the eight-limb practice of yoga, I do not have to…
Image by Dan In my past 30 years of personal growth, it became obvious that transforming fear into joy first meant relinquishing my addictions. Or, as Dr. Daniel Sumrok states, abandoning my ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking. When thought of as comfort…
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