Experimenting with a yama or niyama allows Axis Yoga Teacher Training students to have real-life experience with how Yoga can affect their lives. This student worked with the niyama Santosha (contentment) to keep a healthy perspective and focus on the positive things in life.
The niyama I chose for my first experiment is santosha, or contentment. I selected this particular niyama because I have noticed how easy it can be to become wrapped up in daily life and in dealing with major life stresses, leading to negative thought patterns, a sense of unhappiness, or at the very least a […]
I can lose sight of all the blessings in my life when things become difficult or hectic and feel a subsequent sense of general discontent. A shift in perspective, or a gentle reminder of all the good things in life, and all the things I have to be thankful for, is sometimes exactly what I […]
If I take time to mindfully acknowledge the things in my life for which I am thankful, instead of focusing my energy on the negative things, I will experience a shift in perspective and increase my sense of wellbeing. To do this, I engaged in a gratitude practice. I kept a journal in my nightstand, […]
Every night before going to sleep, write down three people, places, or things for which I am grateful. When I first began this experiment with santosha, I sometimes needed a few moments of thought to come up with three things to add to the list. But as I moved further into the experiment and began […]
Taking the time to mindfully acknowledge and record three things I am grateful for each day was a powerful personal reminder to maintain focus on the blessings in life. There are far too many negative things in the world to distract us from what is important and placing my attention on the things in life […]
Everyone hears their own chatter in their head at times. The message is sometimes full of praise but often times full of self-criticism. Learning to script the message of this chatter is something everyone can benefit from. This Axis Yoga Teacher Training student took time to reflect on this challenge while focusing on a return […]
In a big nutshell: I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. Instead of connecting with people and relating, it was just me, a pen, and paper. Sitting for hours and drawing my life as I saw it or wanted it to be was my life force. School was art-centered. College […]
The process of being creative and staying creative has gone through different stages in my life. As a small child, it streamed like water from a steady flowing faucet. The thoughts, emotions, urges, expressions all came out effortlessly and consistently. School and college still supported the imagination but then the work started turning into assignments […]
Having a busy schedule or other things taking priority is always the excuse. This experience has actually slowly been revealing itself within the past year. The journey has been full of me being with myself. I have been learning to guide, nurture, and encourage myself to start making art again. It truly is a daily […]