“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” - Lao Tzu It is time to dig a little deeper into the process of getting to know our inner landscape - mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of ourselves. This process, an inward journey, is central to …
Concentration Sūtra
What do we know so far about meditation from the two previous blogs: Meditation is not and Meditation is? That this practice which can calm the mind, and provide heaps of other benefits is not really meditation? We also discovered how ineffective we can be in explaining the word meditation and that it is futile …
Viśāma Vritti Prāṇāyāma,
It is not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it. Hans Selye Stress. The dreaded word. Stress can be external or internal. Most of you are familiar with external stressors (work, family, trauma) or stress triggers. What would an internal stress threat feel like? Here is one example. Artist: Asha Parayanthal A Stress …
Tapas – The Great Effort
Does the word Tapas (pronounced as ‘tha-pus’) instantly conjure up an image of an emaciated person standing on one leg on top of a mountain with eyes closed, and focused on realizing the Self, demonstrating the colossal nature of austerity? Impossible? The challenge in this post is to bring us down from that mountain of …
Santóṣa Sūtra – Contentment
Santóṣa (pronounced as sun-tho-sha) is the second Niyama listed in the Sādhana Pāda of Patańjali’s Yoga Sūtra. Have you seen an infant after her feeding and diaper change? Her facial expression, in fact the whole body appears to be at peace. She is full, clean and loved. A precious moment of satisfaction where nothing more …
Śaucha Sūtra 2:41
Śaucha, the first Niyama is dealt with in the second chapter, Sādhana Pāda, of the Yoga Sūtras. While sūtra 2.40 stresses physical (external) cleanliness, the sūtra 2:41 focuses on the benefits of mental (internal) purity. Remaining aware of our inner conversation is critical to both inner and outer purification. Anger, hate, jealously, prejudice, greed, pride, …
Evolution of Sankalpa
Sankalpa सङ्कल्प Sankalpa (सङ्कल्प), is a Samskrtham term used in yoga and védānta philosophy to indicate intention. Let’s break the word into two; sum and kalpa. The root ‘krp’ in one of its word forms as kalpa offers the meaning to be able or capable to make a resolve (courtesy my Sanskrit teacher). The second part …
Śaucha
Have you wondered there are some things we do daily which support the cultivation of yoga practices – like those that relax the mind into peaceful silence – while others do not? In the practice of Rāja Yoga, Yama and Niyama, are considered as the philosophies of right behavior and lifestyle, the dos and don’ts …
Anjali Mudra – Namasté
What will it be – a Handshake or Namasté in the 2020-21? Pick the non-contact gesture, Namasté to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. Click on the link below to read more about the varieties of greeting that exist around the world. Typically, a greeting is an act of communication where humans show respect …
Meditation is
If I attempt to define meditation, it will end up describing how it calms, brings clarity, uplifts mood and energy, produces feelings of joy and contentment among others, with miniscule moments of stillness. While these point towards the outcomes, they still do not express what the word meditation categorically means. Struggling to find the precise …
Meditation is Not
What happens when you type the word meditation in a search bar? A million hits pop up, each with a promise that theirs is the best description of this popular practice. So, where should you begin? Is meditation a technique or a practice? Is it something you do to the mind? Or is it something …
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