Was Swami Sivananda The Most Generous Yogi That Ever Lived? Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963) is one of the great yoga teachers of our time. Throughout his lifetime he founded the Divine Life Society, the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy, and left a rich list of publications and teachings. He is most fondly remembered as one of those […]
OFP, Optimal Foetal Positioning, is just one of the many arcane acronyms that seem to fill pregnant life: PGP (Pelvic Girdle Pain), ROA (Right Occiput Anterior), LOA (Left Occiput Anterior), AIMS (Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services) and many, many more. If given a choice to pick my favourite, I would definitely go for
For the past while we’ve been looking at each of the eight limbs of yoga. Through this, we’ve learnt how yoga practice can take us on an ever-subtler journey inwards. This starts with how we live our lives (yamas and niyamas), to our bodies (asana), to breath (pranayama), to internal absorption (pratyahara), to concentration (dharana),
Where would we be without our hands? We do so much with them. They express our innermost feelings even when we ourselves aren’t even aware of it, the opposable thumb and index finger give us the fine motor skills that differentiate us from most of the animal kingdom (bar the monkey family). Our hands are
Do you care if your voice gets heard? Silly question really, of course you care. But ask yourself, are your listeners interested in what you’re saying or is your sole aim to splatter the walls with the information you’re desperate to get out of yourself regardless? Overview of Vishuddha The turquoise chakra is called Vishuddha
I remember during my yoga teacher training being in tears. A lot. At the time I had no idea why, and I went through a range of emotions such as shame, anger, fear, embarrassment and annoyance. I woke up in the morning and often thought, “I don’t want to go to yoga.” I did go
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” ~Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Monk Mindfulness, meditation, chanting; there is a myriad of ways to bring calm and serenity to our lives. However, a very simple and useful concept when it comes to our yoga practice is ‘Shoshin’, a Zen Buddhist
Matthew Sanford is a paraplegic and a yoga teacher, and in the crucible of his journey he has learned something we all need to hear. When Matthew was just 13 years old he was involved in a devastating car crash on the road to his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. The crash killed his father and
Ever been in class and see someone looking very yogic and wise by making funny gestures with their hands? These are mudras, and they’re more powerful than they look. When used with awareness, mudras can alter our mood, change our attitude and increase our concentration. On advanced practitioners, it is thought that mudras can be
Have you ever felt stuck on your yoga journey? Or got the niggling feeling that something’s getting in your way? Read on to discover the five obstacles that might be blocking your path. Road Blocks Happen In part two of the Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali introduces the concept of the five kleśhas. This chapter is considered
