One of the most beautiful teachings within the Yogic texts is the reminder to engage fully with the world around us.It’s easy to become stagnant in our practices/routines and remain within our comforts. And it’s even easier to feel overwhelmed with daily responsibilities/roles in our fast paces lives, forgetting the nature of our essence. Both […]
Timing and Transition
Just as the Serpent sheds its skin, we too, have the capacity to shed old patterns and ways of being so we can step more fully into our power and purpose. Our yoga practice is one of many gateways into this process of purification. Physically, when we move our bodies into new shapes and forms, […]
Happiness…it’s an inside job!
There is a difference between transitory (temporary) happiness and genuine (sustained) happiness. Temporary happiness satisfies our cravings momentarily and often leave us desiring more, while genuine happiness fuels our Soul and leave us feeling rejuvenated, more at peace and tapped into sensations that go beyond the physical experience. And the truth is, we all have […]
Christmas Spirit & the Pillars of Joy Believer or not, Christmas is upon us and for many it is a source of great angst such as shopping with the masses, budgeting for gifts, stressing over what to wear to the parties, traveling to homes where the reason you go only once a year is because […]
Skip the Negativity
It’s human nature to focus on the negative. A hundred things can go right in a day, most of which we won’t even notice or realize. Yet one wrong thing happens and we completely lose our minds. We obsess, we beat ourselves up, and we waste precious emotional energy by allowing the negative to take […]
Let’s Give Thanks
Thanksgiving is almost here! For most of us it means we gather with family, make plates full of delicious food, and count our blessings. Yet, this practice of gratitude is often saved solely for certain times of the year: the holidays. We think about how lucky we are to have our families, friends, good food, […]
A Grateful Heart Challenge
I’m sure you’ve heard about how important gratitude is. That’s not just a made up idea to get people to be nicer. Being grateful has a physical and emotional effect on your body and overall life. Though many studies have been done on this subject, Professor of Psychology, Robert Emmons is acknowledged as the pre-eminent […]
Dhyana- Limb 7
Almost to the end of the 8 limbs! Today we will discuss Limb 7 – dhyana, or meditation. This limb may be a little more familiar to those interested in yoga. You almost can’t go a day anymore without hearing about the benefits of meditation! Dhyana occurs when we have focused our concentration on something […]
Dharana- Limb 6
Today we will talk about Limb 6 – dharana, or concentration. Recall that the last limb discussed (Limb 5) was pratyahara, or withdrawing the senses from the outside world and bringing them toward the internal world. In a way, Limb 5 marks the transition from the physical world to the inner spiritual world. Limb 6 […]
Limb One- The Yamas
The first of the eight limbs of yoga is the yamas. The yamas are the physical restraints or ethical guidelines for embarking upon the yogic path. I want to make something clear. The yamas (really, all 8 limbs for that matter) are to be taken as guiding principles. The truth is, it is very difficult […]