“Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.” When I Om, I feel that I’m able to pray and meditate at the same time. Reverend Diane Robinson It is said in Hindu mythology Brahma (the creator) had a thought, “I am one, but may I become many?” This…
raga-dvesha-viyuktaistu vishayanindriyais-charan Atmavasyair-vidheyatma prasadam-adhigacchati “But the disciplined (lower) Self, moving among sense-objects with senses free from attraction and repulsion and mastered by the Higher Self, goeth to Peace.” (Gita, II-64) This idea of two currents of the mind, one driving me towards things and the other away from things, is a concept I have worked…
“After the demands of the ego and its greed surrendered, the struggle for fulfillment of personal desires lessens; life takes on a new zest like a breath of fresh air.” -Swami Sivananda Radha The second klesha (the afflictions of the mind) is the veil of ‘Asmita’ (ego). When you hear the word ‘ego,’ oftentimes you…
We’ve heard the expression ‘heart and soul’ about a million times in our lives. For example, ‘I’ve put my ‘heart and soul’ into this (whether it be a creative project or a meal we’ve cooked) or ‘I love you with all of my ‘heart and soul.” We all know what the heart is, what it…
Rather than constricting our breath and tightening our muscles like in other practices, we deepen our breath and lengthen our connective tissues in a Yin yoga practice. This in turn, can help to lower stress cortisol levels and calm the mind. By incorporating mindfulness and observing the emotions for what they are as a witness,…
Do you always seem stressed and tense? Do you feel as if you’re carrying the entire world on your shoulders? With the help of yoga, you can definitely put throw those unhealthy feelings on the wayside. According to the British Psychological Society, yoga involves concentration on the breath and body, which makes it a great…
Yoga helps improve your metabolism, which has many trickle down benefits, not the least of which is effortless weight loss. With all of the tempting foods around us and all of our creature comforts it’s easy to fall into a state of a sluggish metabolism. The good news is you have the power to make…
Doing yoga should lower your blood pressure, even though it may be frustrating at first and you feel like it’s raising it. But it is actually a good workout for your heart, and will improve your cardiovascular function over time. The key is sticking with it long enough to get these benefits. You don’t have…
Yoga requires you to get into and hold positions that will naturally strengthen your muscles, using only your bodyweight for resistance. This is a very unique approach because as you do more yoga, your body weight should naturally decrease, which logic would say should make the poses more easy to complete. But the beauty of…