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Ever wondered about the origin of an asana, the meaning of Om, or how the physical practice of yoga fits with spirituality? Find out here. Looking for the answer to a specific question? Email it through and we'll do our best to explain all things yoga.
Finding your fluidity & stability through Yoga
In the last blog we looked at Shoulderstand and finding our way to a sense of cooling in the asana. In this post we look at fulidity and stability. More info...
How is Shoulderstand a cooling pose?
How is Shoulderstand a cooling pose? Recently, I was teaching the Wednesday night Intro Level 1 class the pose Shoulderstand or in Sanskrit: Salamba Sarvangasana (Salamba meaning supported, here, the hands and arms provide the support and Sarvangasana means pose for all the limbs). More info...
Svadhyaya, self study, Part 2
Last week we learnt that Svadhyaya - the fourth Niyama means self-study, but also means study of the scriptures. The Sanskrit word Svadhyaya is made up of Sva - meaning self or human soul and Adhyaya meaning lesson or reading. Therefore, Svadhyaya indicates reading as a means to educating ourselves to delve into methods to discover who we truly are. More info...
The Fourth Niyama: Svadhyaya, self-study...
Svadhyaya is the fourth Niyama. It means self-study. Tapas (the Niyama we looked at last week) means burning effort. And the last Niyama is Ishvara pranidhana. These 3 Niyamas are distinctly linked, they form a unit. BKS Iyengar in his excellent treatise on life: Light on Life puts this in words so succinctly... More info...
The Third Niyama: Tapas, burning effort...
Tapas means burning effort. The word Tapas is derived from the root Sanskrit verb ‘tap’ which means to burn, shine, consume by heat. It requires discipline, effort, determination to achieve a goal. More info...
The Second Niyama: Santosha, contentment...
We return to our discussion on the Yamas and Niyamas. This week - the second Niyama - Santosha (also spelled Santosa). More info...
Yoga retrains neurological pathways...
Given over the past weeks I have been investigating and ruminating upon the Yamas and the Niyamas you would expect me to continue onto the next Niyama, Santosha (contentment). But those who know me understand that predictable does not sit well with me! More info...
First Niyama: Sauca, cleanliness...
After completing the Yamas we are now going to be investigating the Niyamas. These are the guidelines of conduct that apply to the individual. They require self-discipline "necessary to build up the sadhaka’s [yoga practitioner’s] own character." More info...
The Fifth Yama: Aparigraha
The final Yama is Aparigraha, meaning abstention from greed or non-coverting. BKS Iyengar gives the following definitions in Light of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Freedom from avarice [extreme greed for wealth or material gain], non-acceptance of gifts, without possessions, without belongings. More info...
The Fourth Yama: Brahmacharya
The fourth Yama (the Yogic ethical observances) is Brahmacarya. Literally meaning chastity. The word chastity according to Wikipedia means 'a virtue related to temperance, is defined as refraining from unreasonable sexual conduct or romantic relationships.' This is probably the most difficult of the Yamas to discuss. More info...
