Sutra 18 From The Commentary On The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra IN A SONG, IN THE SPACE of a few minutes, we can let go, lose ourselves and then return, refreshed, with a deeper sense of self. In music, we ride our passions into the vibrating core of energy from which they arise. On the [...]
Social Activism Through Ancient Ritual You’re sitting cross-legged in a circle of unfamiliar fire-lit faces; all attention is on one woman holding a stone. You listen as she speaks your thoughts, your prayers in her own prayers for self, family, the world, then lights a candle and passes it to a woman on [...]
Lao Tzu said: “Muddy water, let stand – becomes clear.” Sthira sukha asana. Posture should be steady and comfortable, as Patanjali states in the Yoga Sutra. No matter which school of meditation you choose to practice, the physical ability to sit comfortably and steadily affects the ability of the mind to stay focused during meditation. [...]
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened onto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. —Matthew 7:7-8 Every true religion leads to God,” Paramahansa of Jesus, “but some paths take [...]
Beth of Both Worlds I used to be a total yoga snob. So when one of my yoga friends reappeared in our world-class class and confessed she’d been ‘doing yoga at the gym,’ I thought, ‘Gym Yoga?! I would never do gym yoga!’ She was back in our class now, because she’d been injured. Sure, [...]
Ayurveda has been practiced in the U.S. for only about 30 years, yet it is a 5,000 year old Indian system of medicine and yoga’s sister science. Readers are invited to submit questions for “Ayurveda Q & A” to ayurveda@layogamagazine.com Dr. Parla Jayagopal Q: I’ve seen recommendations for panchakarma. How do I know if I [...]
Fueling the Flame Tibet and its people have withstood almost 50 years of repression, religious intolerance, the criminalization of reverence to their leader, a Chinese population boom and the appropriation by the Chinese government of their most sacred rite of identifying the next reincarnation of a Tibetan Lama. This began when the Chinese invaded Tibet [...]
We may think of meditation as a seated, static practice, but it can reflect the dynamic nature of life, its organic seasons and rhythms. The five categories of Taoist yoga meditation teach us how to draw our actions into consciousness. In Taoist meditation we move energy artfully, connecting breath with movement and rest, so that [...]
Hip Helpers, Shoulder Shape-Up and Core Integration With Jill Miller, Pranamaya, 2008 Yoga Tune-Up is an appropriate title for Jill Miller’s work with asana (posture) and breath, developed as a result of 23 years of her experience with yoga, dance and a number of bodywork modalities. And in this work, it is not hyperbole to [...]
Reclaim Your Squatters’ Rights In 1852, an English colonialist working in India voiced his complaints about the local workmen. He was particularly irritated and offended that blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons squatted to work, complaining indignantly, “All work with their knees nearly on a level with their chin: the left hand – when not used as [...]