What is realized in the yogic state of enlightenment is the oneness of being. In this state, all separation between self and other dissolves. The yogi realizes him- or herself as one with all that is. Then the world no longer appears as out there. I on …
Forward bending is the most ingrained of all movements. We will always bend forward to pick something up, even if we could bend backwards, and we sit on chairs at work, at home, at the movies and elsewhere. We rarely think much about bending forward in …
Standing asanas-also referred to as standing poses or standing seats-are the building blocks of a yoga asana practice. They represent our ability to be grounded, to stand on our own feet. This is essential to the attainment of Yoga-enlightenment, etern …
Fear is a ubiquitous emotion experienced by all beings in varying degrees. All fears originate from our perceptions and past experiences (karmas). Some fears keep us alive and are necessary for our survival. We refer to these fears as instinctual. Othe …
Let’s look more closely at the meaning of each word of this invocational mantra: lokah:Â location, realm, all universes existing now samastah:Â all beings sharing that same location sukhino:Â centered in happiness and joy, free from suffering bhav:Â the di …
When the current of your mind moves through the senses toward the outer universe, that is to say, toward the sensory universe, then this current is called dha-ra. And when the current of the mind moves above the third eye toward your inner world and th …
Yogis are radical. In our quest for enlightenment-eternal happiness-we seek to break out of the bonds of cultural conditioning in order to explore and ultimately come to see the true nature of reality. The practice of vinyasa krama can help us in this …
The sacred syllable OM is spoken about in virtually all the yogic texts. It is said to be the most essential way to express God, or the Divine-all that is together; all that is; the eternal ever-present condition, the nature of which is boundless ecsta …
After a full meal a large raptor soared skyward with the unconsumed portion of his prey. As he rose above the trees crows appeared from many directions. The crows flew at the raptor, diving and striking. They called him names and swore at him. He flew …
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives us five recommendations, called yamas, for how we should treat others if we want to attain liberation. The first yama is ahimsa, which means “non-harming.” Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati explains that “non-harming” means …
The key to effective spiritual activism is non-violent communication. An activist is someone who actively works for change, and to be spiritual is to feel your connection to all living beings. Spiritual activism is working actively to further the consc …
Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Not too long ago, on September 27th 1953, in a poor village near the remote backwaters of Kerala in Southern India, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately known as “Amma” or the “Hugging Saint,” was born. From her early …