While we may all celebrate different December holidays, what we share in 2020 is that this is the first time we will be celebrating during a pandemic. It is true that during any given year you probably have experienced joy as well as loss in some way or another. What is different this year is that...

We complete our journey of the koshas this week by exploring Anandamaya kosha, the bliss body. In Sanskrit, ananda means bliss. This is the most subtle of the layers. The Anandamaya kosha is the natural inner-happiness, which resides in...

The fourth of the five koshas is Vijnanamaya Kosha, the wisdom body. Vi means “inner” and jnana means “knowledge.” In Sanskrit, vijna means “to discern, to know rightly, to understand.” The Vijnanamaya kosha encompasses inner knowledge,...

This week we explore the third layer or sheath, the Manomaya Kosha. Mano means “mind.”  This kosha is the psycho-emotional body, which encompasses our thoughts and feelings. Many would agree that thoughts and feelings can often be challenging to deal with. As the pandemic rages on, national surveys...

Today we turn our attention to Pranamaya kosha, the energy body. This is the second innermost layer, more subtle than the physical body. Prana is translated as “life force energy.” This energy sustains all of creation, and links the body and mind. In the human body, the breath is our source of...

This week, as we begin to explore the five koshas, we focus our attention on Annamaya kosha – the physical body. Anna means “food.” Each of the names of the koshas is followed by the word maya, which means, “consisting of.” As mentioned last week, the word kosha is translated as “sheath” or “layer...

One of the many things I enjoy about my work as a health educator is expanding knowledge about self-care. When teaching, I often joke that my students will get angry with me when they learn that I’m not just going to tell them to go to the spa. While many definitions exist, the self-care I advocate...

This week we unearth the last of the niyamas, Ishvara Pranidhana, otherwise known as surrender. The practice of surrender reminds us to let go of what we can’t change, which in turn opens one up to greater possibility. Many of you are...

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...

As we conclude our journey of the five elements, we take a moment to explore the element of space. Space is the essence of emptiness. Everything that isn’t earth, water, fire, or air is space. It is the void that the other four elements fill. Translated as Akasha in Sanskrit, space possesses the...

Our focus this week is on the element of air, known as “vayu” in Sanskrit. The qualities of air include lightness, mobility, gracefulness and sensitivity. In the physical body, the air element governs the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs as well as the movement of nerve impulses,...