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I am pleased to announce the next 21-day Yoga Challenge program. The past programs have been very well received by all the participants. For most of them, it has been truly a life-transforming experience. I invite you to join me on this exciting and deeply rewarding 21-day yoga journey. Here are the particulars:
The concepts of Kundalini and Chakras are derived from the ancient wisdom of the Tantras. We normally associated all yoga-related knowledge with Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In the yoga sutras, Patanjali did not mention about the kundalini or the chakras because his main focus was to control the fluctuations of the mind through meditative practices. Subsequently, the practice of Hatha Yoga was developed and presented in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) by Swatmarama. The HYP combined the ancient practices of tantra along with the concepts from Yoga Sutras which is what is currently practiced as Hatha Yoga by most practitioners of yoga.
For most people, the practice of yoga simply means the practice of asanas or physical postures and stretching. A typical "yoga" class at a gym or a health club usually lasts one hour and consists of a fairly vigorous practice of various asanas. The practitioners feel great because they develop more flexibility and strength at the physical level. But is the practice of asanas all there is in yoga? Can yoga help us reduce stress? Can it make us more aware of our own actions and take more ownership of our actions and their outcomes? Can it help us with negative emotions like anger, fear, jealousy, hatred etc? The answer to all the se and many more questions that may come to your mind is a thumping "YES". However, to get all those benefits, we need to turn to Patanjali who in the Yoga Sutras has enumerated eight limbs of yoga. By practicing these eight limbs of yoga we can indeed get all the benefits and strive to achieve our highest potential in life, in all spheres of our activity. Listen to this audio recording from one of the sessions of the recent 21-day yoga challenge program.
What is Yoga? Patanjali, in the yoga sutras, defines yoga as "yogash-chitta vritti nirodhah" which can be translated as "yoga is the ability to control the constant fluctuations that are going on in the mind". To learn how to control the mind, we need to first understand how the mind functions. What are the different functions of the mind, how do they interact and how decisions are made? What causes us to make the wrong choices? What causes these constant fluctuations? To understand these and other related concepts, listen to this audio recording from one of the recent classes in the 21-day yoga program.
I am pleased to announce the next pranayama/meditation intensive. Come and join me for this life-transforming experience where you will learn two of the most important aspects of a complete, integrated yoga practice – pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. In this program I will introduce you to many of the breathing techniques that are mentioned in our ancient yogic texts. I will also introduce the concepts and techniques of meditation. No prior pranayama or meditation experience is required.
When you attend a yoga class, it is most likely that the class starts with OM chanting. If you attend a Hindu ritual ceremony, it always starts by reciting OM. In fact, all the hymns (shlokas) of the Vedas and the Upanishads start with OM. A natural question that comes to mind is – what is the significance of OM and why it is recited at the beginning (and the end) of all yogic practices. In one of the classes during the currently ongoing 21-day yoga programs, I presented my thoughts on the topic. Please listen to this audio clip [audio:http://yogawithsubhash.com/audio/om-significance.mp3] from that class and see why I believe OM to be such a significant symbol and sound. I wrote about OM and its meaning in a previous blog post as well.
In the 21-day yoga challenge class yesterday, I discussed the meaning of meditation as given to us by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. In sutra 3.2, he defines meditation as "tatra pratyayaikataanataa dhyaanam" – "Dhyana (meditation) is the continuous flow of cognition toward that object". In this audio clip,
In the Integral Yoga tradition, the style of yoga that I practice and teach, Yoga Mudra is practiced as the last asana in the asana segment of the full yoga routine. Through this asana one tries to reflect back on the experience and impact of the entire asana session just completed. The word "mudra" can be loosely translated as a gesture, an expression or a seal. You may be aware of the various hand mudras that are practiced in yoga. For example, in the practice of Nadi Shuddhi (Anuloma Viloma or alternate nostril breathing), we use the Vishnu Mudra. A mudra not only expresses an inner feeling or an attitude but can also influence the physical and mental state of the practitioner. Through the practice of Yoga Mudra asana, we try to become aware of our physical and mental state as a result of the asana practice. There are several variations of this asana that are commonly practiced. I will start by describing the most basic and common form of this asana and then move on to describe some of the variations.
To celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary on December 12, my wife Manju and I decided to make a trip to sunny and warm Jamaica. One of my friends, who is also a yoga teacher, and has lived in Jamaica for over 20 years, was a great help in guiding us where we should go. More importantly she also arranged for us a very reliable and helpful driver, Sydney Francis, to drive us from the Kingston airport to our hotel and back. I am pleased to announce the next 21-day Yoga Challenge program. The past programs have been very well received by all the participants. For most of them, it has been truly a life-transforming experience. I invite you to join me on this exciting and deeply rewarding 21-day yoga journey. Here are the particulars:
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