In Indian tradition, Shiva holds a central place as one of the Trimurti — the trinity of cosmic forces: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the sustainer, and Shiva the destroyer. Yet destruction, in the Shaivite understanding, is not chaos or senseless ruin. It is sacred dissolution — the dissolution that makes liberation, purification, and the emergence […]

Sage Patañjali writes in the 3rd pada of their Yoga Sutra about the psychic powers, siddhis, that may show up as a result of our practice, emphasizing that we are not to hold on to them, yet our work is to let them go. It takes courage and stamina to stay on the path when […]

There is an epic story told across India and Nepal of a 10-headed demon named Ravana, who abducts Sita, the wife of Rama (one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu) – and takes her to Lanka. With the support of Hanuman (King of the Monkeys) alongside a few other allies, Rama slays Ravana after a […]

“I love this. I love that. I love you.” Love underlies all life circumstances. Consciously or not, we search for it in every thought, word, and action. It appears in many forms: love between partners, relatives, and friends; love for animals, nature, art, work, and causes. It can lead to joy or suffering, peace or […]

Oṃ (ॐ): The sacred primordial sound representing the supreme, absolute reality (Brahman) or universal consciousness. Namo (नमो): Derived from Namah, meaning to bow, to pay homage, salutation or surrender. Nārāyaṇāya (नारायणाय): This is the dative form of Nārāyaṇa, meaning “to/for Nārāyaṇa”. Nārāyaṇa is one of the 1000 Names of Vishnu. Nara: Refers to water, living […]

By chanting Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, we use the vibrational energy to bow to the divine within, not necessarily to a particular form of God, but to a higher Self. Vāsudeva is a symbol for the indwelling consciousness present in every form of life. It suggests that the divine is not outside of us, but […]

Being born and raised in a country where Catholicism is the main religion, it is no surprise that that was the environment in which I grew in. It was by attending the traditional Sunday ceremony with my family that a sense of “faith” was cultivated within, as well as a connection to some source of […]

This mantra does not ask Tara to remove our suffering. Rather, it asks her to teach us how to release what binds us. That distinction makes all the difference. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Tara embodies absolute compassion. She extends her hand when our pain feels overwhelming. As the Green Goddess, she represents hope; her […]

Śatākṣī, ‘the hundred-eyed’ form of Durga appeared to earth during a desolate era – she cried from every one of her eyes, her tears filled the rivers and oceans. Grass, grains, vegetation grew and with that the fish, birds, insects, and animals flourished.  She is spring emerging and abundance returning to the earth. Diversity in […]

In conversation with Jivamukti Yoga Rome Studio Founder, Jutta, Benedetta, Chiara and Giulia

Growing up in Lebanon, the abundance of the Levantine land and sea was overshadowed by the constant paradoxical threat of everything being taken away from us at any time. This environment made it easy to confuse abundance with accumulation, layering up as a form of protection. Ali, a Syrian refugee, was fifteen when he started […]

When we chant this mantra, we call upon Sarasvatī, the Goddess of wisdom, creativity, and speech. She is a deity, seated on a white lotus, blessing us with clarity of thought and purity of expression. She is also a symbol, a mythic personification of the river of inspiration that flows through us when we create, […]