Benefits of Pranayama (Breath-work)
The next time you lie down, take a moment to place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Take a long, conscious inhale and notice what you feel. Did your chest and shoulders rise on the…
5 Ways Yoga Can Reduce Stress
Our modern lifestyle makes us increasingly exposed to stress and stress-related health problems, such as chronic fatigue, muscular pain and burnout. Turning to the practice of yoga can be an effective way to reduce stress and its consequences. Yoga is…
Ashtanga Opening and Closing Mantra (With Translation)
Opening Mantra Vande Gurunam Charanaravinde I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru, the lineage and all the masters that have kept the traditions alive. Sandarashita Svatma Sukhavabodhe The awakening bliss of one’s own Self revealed. Nishreyase Jangalikaya Mane…
Sanatan Dharma and Hinduism
Sanatan Dharma can be seen as the foundational principle underpinning Hinduism. “Sanathan” means universal, and “Dharma” means religion or duty or purpose. Sanathan Dharma is the universal purpose of all beings everywhere, in all dimensions, on all planets, etc, to…
Who was Patanjali? Did he create Yoga?
Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘yuj’, which means ‘to join’, or ‘to unite’. This union is between the individual consciousness and universal consciousness. One could also interpret this as the union between Ahamkara (Ego) and Atman (Soul).…
Why do we chant OM before a Yoga Class?
Why is Om Sacred? In Yogic philosophy it is believed that the universe emerged from sound. All matter is ultimately vibration. Similar to the Big Bang Theory that states that all matter emerged from a massive explosion, in the eastern…
Yoga’s response to Colonial Attempts (Now and in the Past).
Today, Yoga is interpreted as primarily Asana (physical postures), even though they were originally a very small aspect of the complete practice. To put it simply, Asana is simply a preparation for Yoga. Yoga literally means Union. To find the…
How to begin creating your Life Purpose
Purpose is not found, it is created. We don’t find our purpose on a mysterious mountaintop, doing occult practices. We work day in and day out, doing what we are passionate about, and through that process live a life of…
Body, Mind and Spirit: The Trinity Made Holy by Meditation.
To be aligned is to be in flow. To be in flow is to work with the currents of our life in such a way that we become inspired, motivated and joyful. We accept failure gracefully and don’t struggle with…
Active vs. Passive Flexibility
Active flexibility (AF) is a mixture of strength and flexibility, while passive flexibility (PF) is pure flexibility. AF is the ability to engage our muscles while in the end range of motion, or under maximal stretch. While in PF we…