This week we turn our attention toward the fourth of the five niyamas (personal practices), Svadhyaya, also known as self-study. Svadhyaya is an invitation to look at ourselves honestly and objectively, and then set an intention to release...

This week we turn our attention toward Tapas, the third of the five niyamas (personal practices). While Tapas literally means “heat”, it is most often translated as self-discipline. Tapas reminds us of the importance our everyday choices and actions play in accomplishing our goals. Tapas is...

The second of the niyamas is Santosha, contentment. Santosha invites us into contentment by taking retreat in the calm center within. As a society, we are conditioned to look for contentment outside ourselves. We often find ourselves thinking “I’ll be happy when I get the job, lose the weight, buy...

As we continue to navigate yoga philosophy, this week we begin to explore the niyamas. The second of the eight limbs of yoga, niyamas are referred to as observances and are described as “attitudes that reflect how we relate to our self.” The five niyamas include purity, contentment, self-discipline...

“A bird cannot hold its perch and fly. Neither can we grasp anything and be free.” – Deborah Adele This week we explore the fifth and final of the yamas, Aparigraha, or nonpossessiveness. It can also be translated as nonhoarding, nonattachment, nongreed, nonclinging or nongrasping. Aparigraha can...

Are you familiar with the uncomfortable feelings of overindulgence? Whether it be excess eating, working or sleeping, many have felt the pains of overdoing it. In yogic thought, there is a moment in time when we reach the perfect limit of what we are engaged in. Practicing Brahmacharya, the fourth...

This week, we turn our attention towards the third of the five yamas, Asteya, nonstealing. In the yoga tradition, Asteya is about more than just not stealing physical objects. One may steal from others through time and attention. It is also possible for one to steal from oneself. Stealing someone’...

As we continue exploring the yoga philosophies known as yamas, this week we turn our attention toward the principle of truthfulness, known as Satya in Sanskrit. In essence, Satya means communicating what one understands to be true. At a deeper level, truthfulness asks one to live with integrity to...

As we begin exploration of the yoga principles known as the yamas, this week, we turn our attention toward Ahimsa. This ethical practice of nonharm/nonviolence toward others and ourselves is the first of the five yamas. Ahimsa is considered the core of yoga philosophy, and is intended to be...

When one hears the word yoga, it is common to simply think about the physical practice of holding yoga postures. As viewed by the ancients, yoga is a way of life that also includes breathing techniques, sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation and transcendence. For the next several weeks, we...