The sixth step on our yogic path is called dharana. This is translated as concentration. In our fifth step, we withdrew the senses, and now we are able to focus inward fully. This concentration sets up for our seventh step Dhyana, which is meditation. Although all the steps overlap and integrate, these three are so… Continue reading Step Six | Concentration
Category: Yoga
Step Five: Define Control
The fifth step on our yoga path is pratyahara, meaning control of our senses. In order to have control over anything we must be aware of what it is. So with pratyahara, we begin to study the five senses and see how they control us. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling are all apart of… Continue reading Step Five: Define Control
The Fourth Step | Just Breathe
Pranayama. Bliss. In my humble opinion this is where the magic happens in yoga. So what is pranayama? Simply put, it is breathing. Pranayama is our Life Force. We cannot live without breathing. When our breathing stops, our life ends. Yet we take for granted this powerful force in our lives. There are many emotional… Continue reading The Fourth Step | Just Breathe
Step Three: The Yoga Fad
The third step on our eight-fold path of yoga is asana. I consider this the 'yoga fad' of the west. Even though there are eight steps on this yogic path, as a culture we have got lost in this one step: the stretches. Now don't get me wrong- I am VERY glad we have this… Continue reading Step Three: The Yoga Fad
The Second Step
This is confusing 'step' number two, or the second limb of yoga, which is really another five steps. Our last post on the yamas had the first five moral principles and now the niyamas will be shared, and these are five living principles. Saucha is purity. This is all about taking care of yourself on the… Continue reading The Second Step
The First Step
The first step on this journey through the eight fold path of yoga, is actually five steps. In fact the first two steps on the eight-fold path can sometimes make this whole learning of the yoga philosophy and sutras very confusing. So don't give up after reading this first post, the steps actually get easier… Continue reading The First Step
Life | Yoga | Philosophy
It is more clear then ever that I have a passion for writing, yoga, and helping others. I am a creative introvert who craves learning and growth, and sharing life with my community (which now includes this online community!). I am going to use this blog as an opportunity to share more about how yoga… Continue reading Life | Yoga | Philosophy
The Edge
In my last post The Container I referred to 'the edge' that we come to in yoga. The place where we are challenged, and often avoid in our yoga practice. The illusion of an 'edge' is that to be challenged in yoga we are doing postures advanced beyond our flexibility. However, often we come to an… Continue reading The Edge
The Container
When I did my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, our teachers shared a story with us that helped me break through a very emotional upheaval that hit me while laying in sivasana at the end of our class (I spent three days crying). Imagine that your body is a container, and settled on the bottom of… Continue reading The Container
The Gentle Way Of Hatha
Today I registered my business; the official name is now The Gentle Way Of Hatha. I have struggled with naming this business for quite awhile now. In the summer I put out a post asking for ideas and suggestions, and the winner would receive a free yoga session. I had many amazing suggestions, and yet… Continue reading The Gentle Way Of Hatha
The Gentle Way of Hatha 