In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali gives us five recommendations, called yamas, for how we should treat others if we want to attain liberation. The second yama is satya, which means “truthfulness.” Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati explains that truthfulness means …
Happiness is the goal of yoga – the goal of life We can become stuck in negative habits that distance us from joy, which is our true nature. Yoga practices can help us overcome these habits by making us aware of them. When you practice asana, you may f …
Through deep relaxation, a state of Yoga Nidra arises, which can lead to kaivalyam, or samadhi, in which the sense of individualization merges with absolute, transcendental joy. The practice of shavasana (corpse pose) can facilitate the arising of this …
During the equinoxes, the fabric of space and time becomes thinner and the atmosphere becomes more porous. And, of course, Halloween (also known as All Hallows’ Eve) and All Saints’ Day occur at the time of the time of the fall equinox, when the bounda …
Nadi shodhana pranayama is a hatha yoga practice that purifies the nadis (energy channels in the subtle body) through alternate-nostril breathing. Shodhana means “to purify.” The practice balances the flow of vital energy, or prana, through the ida (th …
The primordial nature is Shri Krishna. He is the supreme Being. Etymologically, krish means “being,” and na means “bliss.” Shri Krishna is the “all-attractive One,” and He tells Arjuna in the Gita, “O Arjuna, nothing is superior to Me …I am even grea …
In olden times, and up to the present, when artists wanted to learn how to paint, they started by copying the paintings of the masters who had come before them. Paintings are thought to be worth copying when all of the different elements are cohesive, …
His holiness, Swami Satchidananda, affectionately called Gurudev by many, is one of the most revered Yoga masters of our time. He exemplified the teaching of yoga by living a peaceful, ease-filled life. The term jivanmukta can most certainly describe t …
Shri Anandamayee Ma was a great female Saint, born May 1, 1896, in a remote village in Bangladesh, into a poor family and given the name Nirmala, meaning immaculate. She left her body in 1982. Ma’s last teachings to her devotees were: “Remain where you …
God is always present in the formless and He speaks to us in the soundless sound. Blessed indeed are those who are able to see Him. Love and listen to Him everywhere and in everything. Apart from our helping a limited number of people materially, there …
“Everyone deserves music, sweet music. Even our worst enemies, Lord, they deserve music. Even the quiet ones in our family, they deserve music!” ~Michael Franti People begin a yoga practice for many reasons, often times to achieve things like a healthi …
The word “yoga” can be used in two ways: as a noun, or as a verb. In the first instance, yoga refers to our natural state of being in which we no longer identify ourselves with the body and mind, but know ourselves to be the infinite, communal life for …