- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Teaching Ashtanga, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Practice in Good and Bad Times
“Your toothache is impermanent, but your non-toothache is also impermanent. With that insight, you look at birth, death, old-age, ups and downs, suffering, and happiness with the eyes of a sage, and you don’t suffer anymore. You smile, no longer afraid.” – Thich Nhat Hanh The Sutras does not say that, “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of life.” It says that “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. ” The world turns, burns, rises and falls. Teachers come and go, hamstrings tear and heal. In yogic terms, the gunas will keep interacting with prakriti and, while I play in this world, I can’t stop it.…
Take Back Your Power
It is their fault vs It is your fault. Which one is more empowering? In the short run, it feels good to blame life, our childhood and other people for negative events. We can take our issues off our shoulders and give them over to others. It is an easy fix. But which one is more empowering? It is extremely difficult, and in most cases, impossible to control other people’s actions. It is impossible to go back in the past and change your childhood or unmarry your ex husband. So the power felt from blame and imparting our righteous anger on others is short lived and detrimental. It is short…
Yoga Sutras For Everyday Life: Self Sabotage
Aversion (dvesha) is that which follows identification with painful experiences- Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:8 Defining the Sutra: Dvesha is when we cultivate an aversion to something based on identification with painful experiences. These aversions are not based on information from the present moment which may be drastically different from the past. Dvesha blocks the ability to make clear decisions because the events of the moment are colored by events from the past. Many instances of self sabotage go hand and hand with Dvesha. Self sabotage occurs when past experiences and deep rooted ideas keep us from being present to what is in front of us. In an attempt to…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
