In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives us five recommendations, called yamas, for how we should treat others if we want to attain liberation. The third yama is asteya, which means “non-stealing.” Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati defined theft as “the unauthoriz …
Valmiki is the author of the epic story, The Ramayana. But before he was a best selling author, he was a thief and, as legend has it, a very good one. Once, as he was about to steal a gold pot from the home of a yogi, the yogi appeared. The yogi did no …
Progress in all forms of yoga is directly related to how persistent and regular one practices. Asana is no exception. To obtain the most benefit, one should practice every day. Beginners should develop a daily practice from the start. Like brushing tee …
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: location, realm, all universes existing now samastah: all beings sharing that same location sukhino: centered in happiness and joy, free from suffering bhav: 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 …