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
Tag: 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
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
Seven Chakras Meditation
10/10 This is our concluding post on the chakras: a guided meditation. For the following meditation, repeat it seven times, once for each chakra. The order is root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third-eye, and crown. When you guide yourself through each energy center try to sense or visualize the colour associated with it: Root… Continue reading Seven Chakras Meditation
Finding Balance
9/10 We have spent the last eight days looking at the individual chakras. We had a brief introduction and then moved through the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. This post is going to be a summary of the chakras, and tomorrows post is going to be a guided meditation that… Continue reading Finding Balance
Claim Your Crown
8/10 This is the seventh, and final, chakra we will discuss: the crown chakra. Feel free to review the Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, and Third-Eye chakras before proceeding. When working with the crown chakra, imagine you are a king or queen claiming your crown. With this piece of power you have influence and… Continue reading Claim Your Crown
The Gentle Way of Hatha 