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…
Eknath Easwaran, in The End of Sorrow, laid out a spiritual path that enabled him to “fulfill the supreme goal of life, self-realization. As he counseled, the following disciplines are available to everyone who embraces them willingly and with dedication.…
The aging process is most often marked by a spine that slumps forward. When our inner core and spine are no longer strong and flexible, we further demonstrate aging by hunching the shoulders up and forward. Both these misalignments are…
For those of you who know the benefits of a daily yoga asana practice, the 60-minute sequence below offers poses you could do every day. However, should 60 minutes be too great a commitment, choose 3 or 4 poses instead…
As social and physical distancing become a greater part of our everyday life, our physical activities do not need to take a back burner. In fact, it is even more important to find ways to stay active, which fortifies our…
It may sound radical to state that no one has the power to make us feel anything. Our egos will insist on blaming outer circumstances or people for causing our feelings, but it’s not true. No one can completely get…
Image by Tuomas Lehtinen freedigitalphotos.net Beware of destination addiction: The idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, or even with the next partner. Until we give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will…
Although many Western practitioners of yoga “come to the mat” to heal some aspect of their body, soon enough they learn of its holistic approach. As a spiritual practice, yoga integrates our whole being rather than separates the physical, energetic,…
For millennia, yogis practised asanas (poses) as well as breath regulation (pranayama) for whole-being wellness. As mind-body-spirit beings, humans are more complex entities than merely a physical body or a collection of emotions and thoughts. Nonetheless, western medical practices still…
Both practice and non-attachment (nonreaction) are required to still the mind. Yoga Sutra 1.12 For millennia, the yoga sutras have provided its practitioners with aphorisms or truths meant to increase understanding and provide direction with regard to the mystery of…
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