Brahmacharya is much more than the popular notion of celibacy. While celibacy is a must for those choosing the life of monk and svāmihood, the rest who partake the sensory world, will certainly appreciate a simpler explanation of Brahmacharya. Living in a society permeated with pleasure, the principle of Brahmacharya presents a ground rule towards …
Author: mythri
"Yoga is a journey of the self through the self to the Self!"
The Bhagavad Gita
Astèya – Non-Stealing
Growing up in India, wastefulness was looked down upon. A bucket of tepid water for a bath, old newspaper to cover school books, soaking dirty dishes and soiled clothes before washing, resusing plastic bags were just a few habits automatically passed down through generations. Did I do them mindfully? Not always. Was I being reminded …
Satya – truthfulness
Practice of yoga is an opportunity to see clearly, like it or not, what patterns we habitually nurture in our lives. In the chaotic process of living, it is easy to cruise along on auto pilot, mindlessly filtering our thoughts, speech and action through well-established habits of behavior. This is where the practice of Satya, impeccable …
Ahimsā- Non-Harming
The introduction to the first two limbs of Rāja Yoga, Yama and Niyama, lists the five restraints and five observances which make up the ten ethical principles that operate on every action, word and thought. We begin our study with the first restraint, Ahimsā. Ahimsā, non-harming, appears in the second chapter, Sādhana Pāda, of the Yoga Sūtras …
Yama and Niyama
What constitutes, Raja Yoga, is listed in the second chapter, Sādhana Pāda in the YogaSutra. Sādhana Pāda means laying out the practical hints so a seeker can actually practice to make any progress on the yogic path. यमनियमासनप्राणायामप्रत्याहारधारणाध्यानसमाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि॥२.२९ Yama-niyama-āsana-prāṇāyāma-pratyāhāra-dhāraṇā-dhyāna-samādhayo'ṣṭāvaṅgāni||29||According to this sutra the eight limbs, aṣṭāṅga are: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prānayāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhārana, Dhyāna and Samādhi. This post is only an introduction …
performing āsana
Many websites and books provide detailed instructions on how each pose is done; how to begin, where to place the foot and the hands, which muscles to contract or stretch, when to rotate the hip, how long should you hold a pose, what should be the breathing pattern, and so on. For a beginner clear …
Yoga Day 2018
"My studio is doing a special 2 hour yoga class for Yoga Day. Looking forward to practicing the poses.” "Guess what? The YMCA is adding an outdoor yoga class this evening. And, the studio in my neighborhood is also hosting a lunch time yoga class along with some healthy snacks. I'm planning to go to …
drishti
The word दृष्टि, ‘driśti’ comes from the Samskritham root 'to see'. In yoga, it means to hold a steady gaze. This steady gaze can be directed in two directions: Outward gaze using physical points called Bahir Driśti, बहिर्दृष्टि Inward gaze as in चक्र, chakra or मुद्रा, mudra called Antar Driśti - अन्तर्दृष्टि दृष्टि, driśti is used in आसन - āsana, प्राणायाम - prānayāma and धारणा …
2018 Intentions
Intention - Sankalpa Another year, another resolution. Each year the most common resolution ends up being about health - a desire to initiate change through exercise and nutrition. Any type of change is born as an intention and morphs into a resolution. They say intention to monitor change at the level of thought process is where change …
warm ups
The dictionary definition of warm up is the act of preparation for a game, performance, or workout, involving gentle, loosening exercises. To perform the best on the field, stage, tennis court or a yoga mat, warm ups are absolutely essential. Many in the yoga world agree warm ups are important. But with the push of …
