Topics from the Yoga Circles book
There’s sometimes a misconception in the yoga community that yogis transcend all the messiness of life. Early in our practice, we’re often taught to let it go, as one of my teachers pointed out recently. But she wasn’t pointing that out to encourage it necessarily. She was pointing it out to dispel the myth that … [Read more…]
A while back, I had an interesting though unsettling experience. I’d posted a question online asking yoga teachers and practitioners to help me tease out the difference between the sixth and seventh limbs of yoga. One of the teachers who responded led me to think in more depth about yoga in the West. If you’re … [Read more…]
As we tap into the fire of tapas and learn more about ourselves through the practice of self-study, we begin to strip away layers of ego. Eventually, we reach a point beyond our intellect. At that point, we need faith in a higher power to go further. Faith in a higher power is the fifth … [Read more…]
Since it is winter in the northern hemisphere, I’m thinking about heat. And that reminds me of the third niyama — tapas — and the idea of (figuratively speaking) lighting a fire that can transform us. As we begin a new year, it’s an especially appropriate time to focus on the third niyama. Tapas seems … [Read more…]
In yoga philosophy, non-attachment is a powerful and important concept that runs counter to human nature in a lot of ways. The idea is we need to put forth effort without attachment to the results of that effort. The practice of non-attachment gives us more freedom and opportunity to use our gifts, because it allows … [Read more…]
As we move into the month of March and transition from winter to spring, we may begin to think of spring cleaning. In yoga, the first of the five niyamas — guidelines for how we interact with the world and those around us — is purity, or saucha. Think about the first niyama for a … [Read more…]
Adhering to the yogic principle of non-possessiveness—the fifth yama—is a challenge. But its power cannot be denied. When I’m able to replace possessiveness with gratitude, my life improves dramatically! How does this work? If you’re familiar with the yamas and niyamas, you know they are guidelines for living. I sometimes think of them as the … [Read more…]
If you’ve studied yoga philosophy and heard the term brahmacharya, you may think of celibacy, self-denial, or asceticism when you see the word. But believe it or not, the aim of brahmacharya is to enjoy life! Brahmacharya means “to walk with God” (in Hindu terminology, to seek Brahman). In my belief, God doesn’t want us … [Read more…]
Asteya, the third yama of Patanjali’s Yoga, is non-stealing. It is more than not taking somebody else’s stuff. Behind the principle of asteya) is the notion of abundance, the idea that there is enough for everyone and everything is connected. In an ideal world, we would all share resources. Everyone would contribute to the community, … [Read more…]
Every moral code includes truthfulness. Truth in yoga is the second yama, satya in Sanskrit. It is not a simple matter of not telling a lie. Satya requires authenticity. Why is truth so important, and what exactly does it mean to be truthful? Healthy relationships are based on authenticity. We cannot be authentic unless we are … [Read more…]