In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna yoga. If you’re not familiar with the epic tale, check it out. One of the great things about Krishna’s yoga lessons is there’s a practice for everyone. Better yet, there are four—jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga, and raja yoga. We may gravitate toward one, but they’re all … [Read more…]
As a younger yogi, I craved enlightenment (yes, I see the problem there). Like many people, I was drawn to yoga because I was suffering. When I first learned about attachment and aversion in yogic philosophy, I thought, great. If I want to stop suffering, I just have to stop liking and disliking things. In … [Read more…]
I remember my first yoga experience, a beginners hatha yoga class in my hometown. In every class, the teacher would remind us, “Our true nature is peace.” I felt it every time, for a while at least. After class, I’d feel like I’d come home to the peace that had eluded me. Then I’d return … [Read more…]
Last weekend, I attended an Advent yoga class. When I began my yoga practice decades ago, I wouldn’t have expected to find such a thing. I can’t say for sure how I landed at the class this year, but it may have had something to do with reminiscing about childhood traditions—something my husband and I … [Read more…]
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t met a lot of angry yogis. I’m not talking about yogis who get angry. They’re just human. I’m talking about yogis whose MO is anger. A lot of us turn to yoga to deal with anger and other troubling emotions. Anger itself is not the problem, but … [Read more…]
There’s sometimes a misconception 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 it’s always a simple … [Read more…]
I had to smile when a friend thanked me for my attention to detail recently. I’d simply mentioned he could track a package he was waiting for with the FedEx tracking number so he’d know when to expect it. Though it seemed obvious to me, my friend hadn’t thought of it. His comment got me thinking about my yoga practice … [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…]
Non-possessiveness—the fifth yama—is a challenge. But its power cannot be denied. When it’s hard to let go, it may help to shift your focus from whatever you are grasping and notice that even without attachment, there’s a lot to be grateful for. If you’re like me, you may find that life improves dramatically when you … [Read more…]