21
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 21- Unity
The origin of the word yoga in Sanskrit comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to yoke, join, unite, or add. However, it is entirely too simplistic to say that yoga simply means to unify. The quality of the mind to unify with its object of attention can be either beneficial or harmful to…
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20
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 20- Equanimity
At first I was terrified of meditation. Well, it wasn’t really meditation that was scary, it was the idea of facing my my own mind. Before I started yoga I had a few total breakdowns, which could be called psychotic episodes that broke reality off from normalcy and left me at the bottom of a…
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19
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 19–Viveka
There seems to be a war on truth these days. Whether it’s alternative facts or simply radically different interpretations of the same events and experiences, what counts as truth seems fungible. Manipulation of reality and sowing seeds of doubt in a person or targeted group is called gaslighting. Outright denial (lying), trivializing facts, withholding or…
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18
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 18- Awakening
I woke up this morning, opened the blinds and saw a huge full rainbow. Filled with wonder I stepped out onto the balcony and let the feeling of blessing in. Rainbows speak of fairytales and grace to me and I always stop and appreciate them whenever I see even the smallest rainbow. People say that…
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17
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 17—Practice, Abhyasa, Sadhana
What you practice improves. What you don’t practice doesn’t usually improve. The concept of a practice implies that whatever you’re working on is a work in progress. We call yoga a personal practice because the effort of expanding consciousness and awakening is eternal, limitless, and endless. There is actually no mountain top that marks the…
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16
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 16- Tapas
I was once giving a lecture on Tapas. As I spoke about the principles of yogic practice and purification, one woman looked exceedingly confused. She raised her hand shyly and said she had a question. She asked, “Are you talking about appetizers and small plates of food?” I smiled and instantly knew why she was…
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15
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 15- Yoga is Mindfulness
Mindfulness seems to be the latest trend in wellness. Some have even branded the current obsession with the benefits of mindfulness practice as McMindfulness. As apps proliferate that sell courses in this meditation practice originally taught by the Buddha, it can be daunting to find the core message and meaning of the technique. Translated into…
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14
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 14- Yoga is Joy
Think of a time in your life when you felt pure joy. It may take you a moment to remember, but I guarantee that you’ll find at least one. Perhaps it’s a memory of a sunrise, the birth of your child, or maybe a moment shared with the innocence of a cherished pet. Now, what…
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13
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 13- Yoga is Patience
I am not a naturally patient person. In fact, I would say that my resting state of mind is rather impatient. In Sanskrit, patience, called Kshanti, also includes the attitude of forbearance and forgiveness. In Buddhism, patience is one of the paramitas, the six perfections that are evident in enlightened beings. Yoga has taught me…
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12
Jan
2020
Yoga Challenge
Challenge Day 12- Yoga is Gratitude
Yoga is a process of training the mind, as much or more so, than it is training the body. Thoughts, emotions, and other states of being are practiced and cultivated just as strongly as the poses. Without this inner work, yoga is a two-dimensional fitness-based stretching routine far from its original intention. Sorry if that…
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