Devotion can be a charged notion, particularly if one has some unpleasant religious association with it. The yoga of devotion tells the story a little differently. In my view, it is not so much a question of “if” one has faith and devotion, but rather, faith and devotion towards “what?” Institutions? Science? The phone? Family? […]
I’ve been at this yoga project for a while, the river of yoga practice has ebbed and flowed its way over 34 years of life-terrain, touching gain, loss, heartache, moments of insight, flesh & blood, and clear stillness; meandering towards a greater ocean, somewhere on the other side of present mountains. The practice evolves with […]
Back in the early 90’s, when I first went to yoga classes, the practice was closely associated with “discipline.” People talked about “discipline” the same way we talk about “inclusion” or “trauma sensitivity” now. Long before prevalent teacher training, the yoga of discipline was in the air of practice. Discipline is an essential aspect of […]
Here’s a fun question…. What is your go-to yogic teachings “off the mat”? A few come to mind: “patience”, “acceptance”–that’s a big one–or “giving of oneself”, all of which read nice on paper and can be much more difficult to put into practice. Genuine yoga practice is something we live into rather than something to “do.” […]
Perhaps you’ve heard Patañjali’s quintessential definition of yoga? I captures the essence of yoga. It’s quite simple, and simultaneously vast; two signature features of wisdom. “Yoga is the stilling of all thought.” This definition probably conjures more questions than answers and invites us to reconsider our mental space…. what are thoughts anyway? Patañjali goes on to […]
Have you ever felt stuck in your own thinking? Unable to see past assumptions? Out of touch with the yoga of insight and pretty convinced you have the answer, and yet a small voice might remind you that there are limitless perspectives? I suspect this is true for most of us. In many ways, yoga […]
In many respects, yoga teacher training is a journey into the unknown. People may anticipate a training for years and contemplate what it will be like. They consider how it will enrich their practice and what it would be like to teach yoga. Students anticipate how their body will become more open, or the benefit […]