Topics from the Yoga Circles book
Since I started practicing yoga decades ago, I’ve had lots of discussions with folks brought up in the Christian faith who are curious but skeptical about the practice. For me there’s no reason to separate Christianity and yoga, but I understand some of the hesitation I’ve encountered. For whatever reason, some people believe yoga is … [Read more…]
Today before yoga class, the lovely yoga instructor who was subbing in the class I attend every Monday asked how my mom is doing. Since she also comes to the class as a student, we’ve chatted often, so she knew about my mom’s medical issues. We chatted briefly about caring for loved ones who are … [Read more…]
I’m curious. What’s your favorite yoga style? And has it changed since you started practicing? With so many yoga styles and even variations within styles, finding your groove may take some time. It’s not even clear what counts as a yoga style and what is more of a whim. At a studio where I practice, … [Read more…]
Paramahansa Yogananda, whose life is chronicled in the yoga classic Autobiography of a Yogi, said, “To be fit for self-realization, man must be fearless.” Yoga can make you fearless. It can also give you personal power. Fearlessness often comes up in yoga, particularly when students are learning challenging poses. But what does it mean to be … [Read more…]
A central purpose of yoga is to yoke the mind, to control it rather than let it control us. Before we can do this, we need to understand how the mind works. Once we understand what the yoga sutras call the five modifications of the mind, we’ll know how to approach working with our minds. … [Read more…]