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Savasana on a yoga mat on the floor

Weekly Class Theme: Ishvara Pranidhana

By Yoga Teachers

This week’s class theme is centered around the final niyama: Ishvara Pranidhana, which translates to surrender.

It makes sense that this would be the final niyama. Each niyama has shed some light on the specific duties and observances one should use as a guideline towards self-realization. After all is said and done, after we have purified ourselves, cultivated contentment, put ourselves through the fire of transformation, opened ourselves up to deep self-study, the only thing left to do is surrender.

Now, surrender does not mean throw your hands up, come to your knees, and stop acting. It is not a way to say “FORGET IT…I GIVE UP!” This is often how I perceive people in the west to approach this concept. Rather, surrender asks us to continuously show up with integrity to do the work while simultaneously giving in to the flow of life.

Like I mentioned, often when we hear the word “surrender” it can be taken as a negative. It can be seen as a failure…like we are giving up on an opportunity or like we are not living up to some set expectation. When we are asked to surrender we are asked to let go of our “control” of life. And this can be quite uncomfortable for many people, but it is absolutely necessary if we ever wish to liberate ourselves from the worries, anxieties, and fears that occur as part of living as a human on this Earth.

Ishvara Pranidhana calls forth the feminine nature in all beings and calls for us to soften and allow the winds of life to take us as they may. And if we are open to it, we may realize that the winds are actually taking us to a better place than we ever could have imagined.

Peak Pose: Corpse Pose (Savasana)

When I think of surrender, there is no other pose that comes to mind besides Corpse Pose, or savasana. Savasana is literally preparing the body for death and is the ultimate pose to release oneself to the currents of life. It is taken following work, whether that be pranayama, meditation, or asana and brings balance to the fire we bring to said work. While savasana may look easy, practitioners know that this can be one of the hardest poses to achieve. As soon as we start to steady the body, the mind goes wild and all we want to do is fidget and move. This pose requires a calm nervous system to support a calm body and calm mind. The ideas for this sequenced class is inspired by creating a well balanced class with poses intentionally geared towards grounding.

Supporting Pose 1: Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child's Pose

If there’s any pose that I’d choose to begin a class with to immediately begin to calm the nervous system to ready oneself for full surrender, it would be child’s pose. The head is lowered, the body is close to the floor and in a contracted position, and the body is symmetrical.

How to:

  1. From a tabletop position, take the big toes together and widen the knees enough so the pelvis can sit back comfortably over the heels of the feet.
  2. Rest your forehead on the floor. If your head does not reach the ground, take a blanket or block beneath the forehead.
  3. Stretch the arms forward with the palms and forearms relaxed on the ground, or wrap the arms around the legs to reach the hands towards the feet.

Supporting Pose 2: Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

Warrior Two Pose

Warrior II being one of the main standing postures can be pretty familiar and grounding. It is one of the more accessible open hip postures and has the ability to open up the body in preparation for deeper work.

How to:

  1. Facing a long edge of your mat, stand with the feet about 3 feet apart from one another with the toes parallel to each other.
  2. Reach the arms out into a “T” away from the heart with the palms facing the floor.
  3. Open up the right hip and the right toes and bend the knee to 90 degrees so that the knee is above the ankle. 90 degrees is ideal, but if the body won’t allow this right away, shorten the stance and bend the knee until the knee is over the ankle. Ensure the weight is equal in both feet.
  4. Take your gaze over the right middle finger.

Supporting Pose 3: Supported Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana)

Supported Shoulder Stand

Ending the class with inversions is a great way to reverse blood flow and calm the nervous system to ready the body for final rest. Supported shoulder stand is an accessible inversion for many students compared to regular shoulder stand and headstand. Legs up the wall is another option.

How to:

  1. Lie on the ground with the knees bent and soles of the feet flat on the floor.
  2. Lift the hips away from the ground and place a block on the lowest setting beneath your sacrum. Your sacrum is that bony plate on the back of your pelvis that combines right and left sides.
  3. Bring your knees in towards your chest to lift the feet off the ground and then reach the feet up towards the sky. This should feel *fairly* comfortable. If it feels like your legs and core are exerting a lot of energy to keep the legs up, the block may need to be adjusted or taking legs up the wall may be a better option.
  4. Allow your arms to rest by your sides and try to relax the head and shoulders.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Savasana Pose

How to:

  1. Lie on your back with your legs and arms out at about 45 degrees.
  2. Allow your toes to fall out naturally and allow your fingers to curl naturally.
  3. Gently close the eyes as you let your breath come to its normal cadence. Allow yourself to simply rest. If it helps to concentrate on a body part or concentrate on your breathing, you can do that. But eventually the goal is to even soften concentration to let presence be present.
  4. Rest for 5-10 minutes. Comfort is key. You can place a blanket underneath your head, beneath your knees, or over your body.

Sources: The Yamas + Niyamas by Deborah Adele

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11/03/2022
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Woman in Boat Pose

Weekly Class Theme: Tapas

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Over the past few weeks we’ve been taking a journey through the Niyamas, which can be thought of as duties or observances along one’s spiritual journey towards enlightenment. This week we are exploring tapas, otherwise known as self-discipline. Tapas is directly translated to heat and refers to the act of putting ourselves through the fire to transform ourselves into our highest form of self. You know the quote “nothing good comes easy?” That’s tapas.

Take a moment to reflect on a challenging moment in your life…a breakup, death of a loved one, job loss, a pandemic? Whether you have gone through something in the past, or if you are currently working through something as you read this, you may be able to relate to the feeling of literally burning on the inside as you carry yourself through the fire.

The practice of tapas is not easy. It requires a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fortitude to continuously show up regardless of the outer circumstances. In terms of our yoga practice, we certainly will not want to show up every day. It’s not always easy to arrive to the mat, meditation cushion, sacred texts, or journal when things get tough, but it’s always worth it…no matter how long the practice or “how good” you think the practice was. Because with effort, discipline, and faith…on the other side of our challenge lies a much stronger and illumined version of you.

Peak Pose: Boat Pose (Navasana)

Boat pose is a physically vigorous pose. For many, it requires consistent effort and practice to balance on the sit bones while straightening the legs and keeping the chest lifted. Not to mention it builds heat and requires core strength which are both appropriate in our discussion of tapas. Also, there’s an analogous meaning here with staying afloat despite any of the turbulent waves…

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

If you turn your screen upside down, downward facing dog is essentially boat pose in a different orientation. DFD gives the practitioner the firm ground to press into to learn the actions of straightening the legs, anteriorly rotating the pelvis, + firming the front ribs and upper back in which are all key alignment points in boat.

How to:

  1. Come into a high plank position with the arms and legs straight. Legs should be toned.
  2. Pike the hips up and back so there is a deep fold where the fronts of the thighs meet the pelvis. Lift the sitting bones up towards the ceiling.
  3. Firm your front ribs in, like you are filling out the lower back and firm the upper back in to broaden your chest.
  4. Press evenly through the hands and feet and allow your head to relax between your arms.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

Similar to DFD, triangle teaches the practitioner appropriate actions of the legs, pelvis, and torso to serve alignment in boat pose.

How to:

  1. From warrior II, straighten out both legs and lift the inner arches of the feet to create integrity through the inner lines of the legs.
  2. Fold at the front hip (where the thigh meets the pelvis), take your torso into lateral flexion (or a side bend), and take your hand down to the ground, shin, or block. *We’re looking for the torso to be more or less parallel to the floor. The goal is not to touch the floor, especially if that puts you into poor alignment.
  3. Firm your front ribs in and firm the upper back in as you take your top arm to the sky.
  4. Your gaze can go up to your top hand or look straight ahead at the side wall you are facing.

Pyramid Pose (Parsvottonasana)

For this pyramid pose, we’re going to focus on the “wide” variation with the back heel lifted up to keep the hips squared and to give access to the straightness of the legs.

How to:

  1. From low lunge with your hands to the ground or blocks on either side of the front foot, straighten your legs and lift your sitting bones up (like in DFD).
  2. Press the roots of your thighs back to create a deep fold at the front of your pelvis as you draw your front hip back and back hip forward.
  3. Lift the inner arches of the feet (lifting the toes helps to lift the inner arches) to create integrity through the inner lines of the legs.
  4. Walk your hands back as you bring your nose towards your knee.

Boat Pose (Navasana)

How to:

  1. Sit on the ground with your legs bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Take your hands to your hamstrings (back of your thighs) and gently pull to firm the upper back in (or draw the shoulder blades towards one another) and lift your chest. Be sure to pair this action with bringing the front ribs in so that you are not borrowing range from the rib cage to open the chest.
  3. Lift your shins so they are parallel to the floor. Spread your toes and lift the inner arches of the feet to create integrity through the legs.
  4. Reach your hands forward while keeping the upper back firmed in. You can choose to stay here.
  5. Straighten your legs as you reach the balls of your feet forward and up. Keep the thighs toned and breathe.

Sources: The Yamas + Niyamas by Deborah Adele

10/27/2022
Love3
girl in crow pose on a yoga mat, knees resting on the back of the elbows

Weekly Class Theme: Svadhyaya

By Yoga Teachers

As we journey deeper and deeper into the Niyamas, it is like we are gradually unlocking pieces of wisdom guiding us closer to our true selves. To review, the niyamas are duties or observances that one engages in throughout their spiritual journey.

Svadhyaya is translated to self-study and is all about unpacking our unconscious beliefs, thoughts, values, and norms in order to connect with our divine selves. From our time in the womb to who we are now, we have been receiving and gathering input from all entities and people which surround us. This includes our parents, caregivers, family, friends, and wider social circles. This also includes our cultures, geographic locations, and environments from which we originate and/or live in.

Since we’ve been welcomed into this world it’s like we’ve been trying on and putting on different “outfits” in the form of different belief systems, opinions, and “rights vs. wrongs.” This has ultimately resulted in our current personality and who we perceive to be ourselves today.

The aim of Svadhyaya is to take off the outfits (most of which we didn’t even choose for ourselves) and to uncover the self which lies within. This self is unattached to certain beliefs, opinions, and rights vs. wrongs which allows there to be an ease when confronted with opposing views. This self is pure and does not combat others when there is a disagreement or when something doesn’t align. This self is aware that “we only know what we know” and encourages us to cultivate a beginner’s mindset in all that we do.

Once you let go of who you think you are, Svadhyaya guides you into a well of learning that never ends. Yoga equips us with the tools to handle such a never-ending well. Tools such as personal inquiry, asana practice, meditation, and study of sacred texts are all vehicles of self-study.

Svadhyaya is like the sword which everyone possesses but only few will choose to use it to cut through layers and layers of preconceived notions and established habits. It isn’t easy to partake in the task as this can release unpleasant feelings, it could cause us to question our current “identity,” and could lead us towards severing things and relationships which no longer serve us. But of course, the yogi knows what lies at the end of it all.

So now that you know you have the sword, will you choose to wield it? (I’m not sure if this is an actual quote or not, but it came to mind and felt appropriate.)

Peak Pose: Crow (Bakasana)

The immediate subset of poses which comes to mind in regards to “self-study” is the forward folding family. YES crow is also an arm balance, but it is a forward fold as many of the arm balances are. This pose puts you into a position in which to fold into yourself and balance on the hands all while trying to overcome your fear or face-planting. If you ask me, there are PLENTY of opportunities for self-study here. Not to mention, it is quite a popular pose to teach!

Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana)

girl sitting in thunderbolt pose

This is a great option for you students to begin class in. The legs are folded in half, which is a necessary action for crow pose.

How to:

  1. Sit on the floor with the legs folded, shins and tops of the feet pressing into the ground, and heels of the feet beneath the sitting bones. You can sit up on a block with your feet pressing into the edges of the block or you can put a slightly rolled blanket under the tops of the feet if there is a large space there.
  2. Place your hands gently onto your lap and sit so that your spine is long with the heart over the pelvis.
  3. Ensure the head is in a neutral position.
  4. Breathe smoothly.

Side Angle Pose (Parsvottanasana)

girl in extended side angle position with the opposite hand inside the left foot

Side angle with the hand on the inside of the leg is perfect for cultivating the leg + arm connection similar to what we will experience in crow! The arms going straight apart from one another (as opposed to the top arm over the ear) gives access to straightening the arms fully.

How to:

  1. From Warrior 2, take your leading hand down to the floor on the inside of your leg with your other hand straight to the sky.
  2. Bend deeply into the front leg and think about pressing the shin towards the front of the space.
  3. Straighten your arms towards the floor and sky as you reach them away from your heart.
  4. Your gaze could be straight ahead or up to the sky.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

girl in tree pose with arms extended up high

Tree pose has a folded leg that is the same vibe which we are going for in crow pose. Part of crow pose is alignment and strength to stand on the hands, but the other part is folding the legs to lift the feet off the floor.

  1. Stand in mountain pose.
  2. Stand on the right leg to lift your left leg up and fold it in half using your hands to help.
  3. Externally rotate (or open up) the left hip to bring the knee out to the side.
  4. Connect your left foot to the inner groin of your right leg.
  5. Reach your arms straight to the sky.
  6. Return to mountain pose or flow into another pose and then repeat on the other side.

Peak Pose: Crow (Bakasana)

girl in crow pose on a yoga mat, knees resting on the back of the elbows

  1. Start in a yogi squat, or low squat, position with your feet flat, knees wide, and legs folded.
  2. Place your palms flat onto the floor a few inches ahead of your feet.
  3. Lift your heels and pelvis up and begin to pull your navel in, coming in the direction of a cat spine.
  4. Once you feel your weight move forward and support beneath your hands, fold your legs to bring the heels of your feet towards your sitting bones.
  5. Draw your big toes together and attempt to straighten your arms (even if they don’t actually fully straighten) to lift your chest away from the ground.

Sources: The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele

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10/20/2022
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Yoga Philosophy & How it Differs from Other Practices

By Yoga Philosophy

When I began studying yoga philosophy, I really started to see a lot of differences between philosophy that’s specific to yoga versus the general philosophies of life. There are a lot of different terms, teachers, and practices, which was so intriguing to me.

Some concepts were brand new, some seemed like common sense, and then others asked me to “zoom out” of what I already knew and asked me to look at things in a new way, (which was certainly challenging at first). But, when I started to have an open mind, I learned it was also a lot of fun and incredibly helpful to me as as yoga practitioner, teacher, and seeker.

These studies helped me understand why I’m here on this earth and they also helped me understand the people I interact with on a daily basis. When I started to study yoga philosophy, I realized I had the ability to widen my lens of understanding the world and also attempt to make sense of things that happen in this lifetime.

I was able to gain more compassion, have a better understanding of myself, and also hold space for other people in my life. These teachings gave me a greater grasp on the human mind, the soul, and also the concept of the divine.

As you study yoga philosophy, you’ll probably realize that it’s a bit different from other practices. This is a great thing because it’ll ask you to expand your mind and your heart and also provide you with more tools to connect with your students, friends, family, and co-workers in a much more meaningful way. The differences are really intriguing. Let’s dive into some of the main differences together!

The concept of time is a little different than what we’re used to

Yoga philosophy teaches about something called the yugas. The yugas are time periods that are hundreds of thousands of years old. Sometimes these are referred to as “ages” and you have to go through one age to get to the next age.

The first yuga is known as the golden age and is believed to be the age of absolute purity and goodness. In this age, people lived an incredibly long time, there was no war, and the divine was present in everything.

After the golden age came the silver age, where people continued to live for hundreds of years at a time without war or quarrel. However, it began to be a bit less pure than the golden age.

Next came the bronze age, where certain friction and quarrel began to manifest.

The age you are in now is called the iron age, where there is a lot of conflict and quarrel. You exist in a time where you are often confused about what the truth is and there are wars and conflict over who is right and who is wrong. This is one of the reasons why we need yoga.

Yoga philosophy teaches that there are actually four paths of yoga

The four traditional paths of yoga are jnana, ashtanga, karma, and bhakti.

Jnana yoga

Jnana yoga is a bit extreme because it requires its practitioners to leave all material possessions behind and commit to a life of serious study and meditation.

Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga yoga is also a bit extreme, but not as extreme as jnana yoga. When I discuss ashtanga yoga here, it’s not the same as the physical practice you may already be familiar with. Ashtanga refers to an eight limbed path that helps you focus on how you are not our body or your mind and you are a soul.

Karma yoga

Karma yoga is the path that helps you realize that this world operates in a certain way and if you connect to doing good things without expecting something in return, you are much more content.

Bhakti yoga

Bhakti yoga is the path of living in the most loving way possible and it’s believed that this is the most accessible path because your true nature is all-loving. It’s also the path where you may connect to God, who is all-loving.

We’re gonna talk about God

It’s nearly impossible to study yoga philosophy without talking about or studying God. You can take a yoga asana class at a yoga studio or gym and never hear about God, but when you dive into the philosophy of yoga, God is brought up various times.

It’s important to point out that I honor and respect everyone’s religion, faith, and spiritual path and not everyone has to have a relationship with God to study yoga. However, you may actually see God being described as a greater, higher truth or as all-loving and all-blissful. If you can connect to those qualities, you can begin to understand God in yoga philosophy.

Krishna appears in various texts and teachings

There are many stories of Krishna that will show up throughout yoga philosophy and it’s common for a lot of us to immediately think of people dressed in orange robes, singing and dancing around city streets whenever we hear the word Krishna.

God actually wanted to have a full human experience and connect with people in a way where he wouldn’t be worshiped. There is a way a mother loves her child, a way friends love one another, and the way partners love each other together. This is a special experience that you can’t have with someone if you know they’re God, so Krishna has the ability to appear as a son, a friend, and a lover so the connection between him and others can be that much more loving.

You are meant to love

The concept of love isn’t exclusive to yoga philosophy and definitely appears in teachings all around the world and in many other paths and practices. As you study more and more yogic teachings, you’ll definitely see that the common thread is love.

If you are operating from a place of real love, you are the most content. All of the texts and all of the studies will ask you to dive deep into your mind and heart and take a look at what’s holding you back from experiencing and sharing a loving and blissful experience during your time here together on earth. When you surrender to love, you connect to your purpose.

Surrendering is a beautiful thing

Sarrangarti is the sanskrit word for surrender, which isn’t always in our everyday vocabulary. Sometimes, when you think about surrendering, it can make you think of admitting that you’re defeated or that we’ve given up. This is not the case in the context of yoga philosophy because surrender actually can be understood as taking shelter and seeking support.

The teachings dive deep into helping you realize that you aren’t on this path alone and when you feel like you want to give up or walk away, it’s an opportunity to recognize that you aren’t in full control and how that’s ultimately a beautiful thing.

Keep an open mind and an open heart

As you study yoga philosophy, the teachings will hopefully open your heart more and more in a way that allows goodness to flow in and out. These teachings are meant to help you remember who you are and why you are here. They’re meant to give you more tools to investigate your emotions, tendencies, and this beautiful human experience that we’re all having here together. Yoga philosophy helps you find ways to live peacefully with others and to find peace within your head and heart.

Studying yoga philosophy has been absolutely transformative for me and it’s something that I continue to study and share because it’s something I love! It’s been such a gift to see how deep the yoga practice can go and also how much there is to it. The learning almost never ends, which is definitely a comforting feeling since to learn meant to grow and I want to keep growing.

If these concepts interest you in any way, please check out our Yoga Philosophy course which will offer a much more in-depth dive into the texts and teachings of yoga.

10/17/2022
Love4
YogaRenew students

Why Learning Philosophy is Good for Your Yoga Classes

By Yoga Philosophy

I need to be honest. When I first started going to yoga classes, all I wanted to do was move and breathe and be told what to do. I had way too much going on with work, my relationships, and different dramas in my life that I needed a break from.

Going to yoga was the only thing in my life that gave me a chance to collect myself and go back into the world with a better headspace, but eventually I started to catch myself running through to-do lists while I was in a warrior two or planning dinner while I was in savasana. My mind had gotten over the initial bliss that comes from the newness of yoga and I caught myself on autopilot more times than I’d like to admit.

I didn’t realize how much more there was to yoga until I found myself in a class with a teacher I’d never practiced with before. At the start of class, they started talking about this book called The Bhagavad Gita and how your mind can either be your worst enemy or your best friend.

They spoke about how yoga gives you the tools to be best friends with your mind and how you have the ability to control how you respond to things instead of being reactive. The teacher then told us to notice when our minds wandered off during class and to simply bring our attention back to our breath and what our bodies were doing. Anytime my mind wandered off, I remembered to watch my inhale and my exhale and be present.

After taking my first class that had a bit of yoga philosophy weaved into it, I became hooked on learning more about texts like The Bhagavad Gita and The Yoga Sutras. Lucky for me, most yoga teachers were discussing these texts before and during their classes.

A little over a year later, I completed my 200 hour teacher training and became a teacher too. As a new teacher, I found that studying yoga philosophy actually made my class planning more fun. I loved finding themes for classes and figuring out ways to keep my students engaged throughout class.

I still use my knowledge and studies in yoga philosophy to plan my yoga classes and to weave little reminders into my classes. I truly believe that learning yoga philosophy is good for your yoga class in so many ways. Here are some of my favorites:

1. You will teach your students that yoga isn’t just about the poses

Most people come to a yoga class to move and keep themselves strong and flexible. These are great reasons to practice yoga, but most people eventually get stuck or bored when something is just about being physical. Throughout the years, there have been so many fitness trends and so many new ways to stay in shape, but yoga is one of the few practices that’s stayed pretty popular. This is because it has such a rich history and so much important philosophy that goes alongside the physical practice.

The physical part of yoga is just one small practice amongst many, many others. Once you learn a little about the philosophy, you will see how helpful it is in finding ways to live a life that’s free from suffering. Teaching your students about yoga philosophy will help them realize that yoga is more than asana and there are so many beautifully moving parts that work together to create an experience as well as a way of life.

2. You’ll avoid burnout and boredom

If you’re currently teaching yoga, you may have had an experience or two where you felt like you were teaching the same thing, saying the same thing, and doing the same thing. This can happen when you don’t have inspiration to keep you inspired and fresh. There are only so many yoga asanas and so many ways to combine them safely, but there are endless ways to theme a class and create a mood for your students that’s inspiring and supportive.

Whether you like to give dharma talks or are required to give dharma talks, you’ll find that you’ll run out of ideas pretty soon if you teach somewhat regularly. When you study yoga philosophy, you’ll naturally come across tons and tons of possible themes for your classes and dharma talks. The themes that you find will also be deep, thoughtful, and substantial enough to weave through your classes and keep your students interested because they’re rooted in finding happiness and living a life that’s full of love and goodness.

In case you’re unfamiliar with this idea, a dharma talk is something yoga teachers may include at the beginning of their classes to:

  • Set a tone for the practice to come
  • Share important yoga philosophy concepts
  • Bring everyone’s focus to one specific point
  • Create a community
  • Give students a moment to settle onto their mats

Check out this 15 Minute Masterclass on giving Dharma Talks 👇

3. You’ll naturally create a supportive atmosphere

The fact that our true nature is all-loving is a teaching that’s at the heart of almost all yoga philosophy. When you begin to study this and tap into ways to practice it, you will naturally be more loving and more supportive towards yourself and towards everyone else in your life. What you study becomes what you live and what you live becomes what you teach, so you will be infusing your classes with a supportive mood that your students will want to keep coming back to.

4. The asanas are rooted in yoga philosophy

Did you know that the yoga asanas, or the yoga poses, all have their own story? When you study yoga philosophy, you’ll learn what the true nature of a warrior is, why some of the birds are inspired to fly, and how certain sages rose above suffering by conquering their minds. It’s sometimes said that the asanas embody the qualities that they’re named after, so when you are in a warrior pose, you are naturally calling in the qualities of a warrior. This can be really inspiring and helpful to teach!

There’s so much to uncover…

The more you study yoga philosophy, the more interesting it gets. It’s never been something that’s felt boring to me and it’s always been something that’s inspired me to teach more and more. Anytime I’ve ever felt stuck in a class plan or whenever I lacked inspiration, I always went back to my notes and books from my studies. Since yoga is a practice that goes beyond the physical, it’s incredibly important to understand the other elements that make up the practice.

If you are looking for an accessible and interesting dive into yoga philosophy, check out our course! It’s full of important information, intriguing stories, and endless inspiration!

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10/13/2022
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Revolved Extended Side Angle

Weekly Class Theme: Santosha

By Yoga Teachers

The Yamas + Niyamas make up the first two steps of the 8-limbed yogic path. You can think of the yamas as ethical rules to cultivate in our lives to live a more yogic life. These include non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, non-excess, and non-attachment. The niyamas are duties that should be tended to on the journey of spiritual enlightenment. These include purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender.

In this blog post we’ll briefly discuss the second niyama, santosha, meaning contentment. In the modern world we live in, it is SO EASY to feel discontent. We feel discontent when we see other people “living their best lives…” in quotations because what we see is not always what is true. Discontent arises when we run away from present moment emotions or pretend they do not exist…”Me? Sad? Absolutely not.” Discontent appears the moment we begin to complain about what we do not have and when we start to wish we lived entirely different lives…”My job sucks, my partner sucks, I SUCK. If only things were different.”

Social media, and the general connectivity of the human population, almost seems to pronounce our shortcomings. We are constantly put into a state of lack. There’s always something new and upcoming…there is always something that will make our lives better. This combined with the fact that we live in a world of accessibility, of course discontentment can take us if we let it!

I don’t know about you, but this is NOT something I would like to continue to subscribe to. So how do we pause, wipe our lens clear, and instead cultivate deep content with our lives no matter where we are and what our current situation is?

We could spend all day talking about this, but I am going to give the broad brush stroke of awareness + gratitude. Developing an awareness of when we begin to slip out of contentment…when we start to envy someone, when we begin to ruminate on past actions, or when we start to wish we were elsewhere…and then dosing ourselves with gratitude is what can help us transcend into santosha.

Gratitude is the antidote to discontentment. And a deep trust in that where we are is where we are meant to be. All past actions and experiences have led to this present moment. There is nothing to be changed, altered, or forced any other way. Grounding ourselves in each present moment, regardless of the circumstance, will guide us towards experiencing contentment in ourselves right now.

Peak Pose: Revolved Extended Side Angle (Parivrtta Utthita Parsvakonasana)

This pose is physically taxing and requires awareness and steadiness of one’s center and ground. While this pose may not look so intense to some, anyone who enters into it knows that it takes practice enter into this pose and hold it. Also don’t be surprised if you get knocked off center a few times while practicing!

Child’s Pose with Side Stretch (Balasana)

A girl laying on the ground with her head down in child's pose and arms extended out to one side

Creating length in the sides of the body gives more space for twists to occur. This pose also generates a connection between the torso and thigh, which appears in the peak pose.

How to:

  1. Come into child’s pose with the big toes touching and knees wide enough for the torso to fit through.
  2. Walk your hands over towards the right side of the room until you feel a stretch in the left side of your body.
  3. When your torso touches your thigh, pick up the torso a bit, walk the hands over a little more, and then resettle into the pose.
  4. You can have your hands next to one another, or lay your left hand on top of the right hand.

Low Lunge Twist

A girl in low lunge twist on a yoga mat

Doesn’t this look just like the peak pose?! This pose creates the shape of revolved extended side angle, but in a much more accessible way.

How to:

  1. Starting from low lunge with the back knee lifted, keep your left hand on the floor and take your right arm to the sky.
  2. Turn your belly and chest from left to right.
  3. Take your right palm forward and reach the arm over your ear.
  4. The bottom hand can rest on a block if one has trouble touching the ground.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

A girl in eagle pose on a yoga mat

Eagle helps to compact the outer hips and steady oneself while the limbs cross. This is similar in our peak pose.

How to:

  1. Start in chair pose with the arms wide.
  2. Cross the right knee over the left knee, closing the space between the legs. Depending on leg length/circumference/mobility, you can single cross the legs (as pictured) or double cross the legs and wrap the right foot behind the left calf.
  3. Keep the outer hips compacted in as the hips remain low.
  4. Wrap the right arm underneath the left arm, lift the elbows to shoulder height, and take the fingertips to face the sky.
  5. Attempt to bring the palms together as your firm the outer shoulders in.
  6. Keep the crown of the head towards the sky.

Peak Pose: Revolved Extended Side Angle (Parivrtta Utthita Parsvakonasana)

How to:

  1. Start in low lunge with the back knee on the floor.
  2. Bring the hands into a prayer position in front of the sternum.
  3. Twist the torso from left to right and hook the left elbow outside the right leg. Compacting the outer hips in will assist the deep twist. Once the hook is established, lift the back knee up.
  4. Draw the shoulder blades together to widen the arms from the floor to ceiling, and then take your right palm forward and scratch the arm over the ear.
  5. In the traditional Iyengar version, the back heel is lowered to the floor at an angle making this an even deeper twist!

Sources: The Yamas + Niyamas by Deborah Adele

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10/13/2022
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Yoga Sutras 101

By Yoga Philosophy

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a text that’s included in 200 hour yoga teacher trainings almost everywhere, so you might think that the text is packed with some easy to follow concepts that are neatly packaged into a nice quick read.

At least, that’s what I thought too when I began my 200 hour teacher training years ago, so I was in for a surprise when I began to dive into the text!

I remember being overwhelmed with Sanskrit words I’d never heard, feeling more and more confused each time I turned a page, and wondering how any of it could be applied to my everyday life. It seemed like it was text for people who didn’t need to have a job or deal with conflict that came up with friends and family. I couldn’t understand why it was a part of my training.

It wasn’t until I read more commentaries, studied with more teachers, and expanded my own training that I started to realize how important The Yoga Sutras are to us as humans here on Earth today.

It’s no joke when someone tells you that these concepts need to be unpacked and discussed because they’re pretty hard to understand if you simply sit and read through the text on your own. At this point in my studies and teaching, I’m actually excited to talk about The Yoga Sutras and find ways to make the text as accessible and understandable as possible.

Here are a few points that will hopefully intrigue you and also give you some insight into the teachings:

The Yoga Sutras help eliminate human suffering

There are three different kinds of suffering: suffering caused by one’s body and mind, suffering caused by other beings, and suffering caused by natural disasters.

You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond. The purpose of The Yoga Sutras is to offer ways to understand the self and the universe so you can respond to the things you can’t control in a way that helps you learn more about yourself.

Patanjali didn’t create The Yoga Sutras

Although Patanjali’s name is on almost every copy of The Yoga Sutras, Patanjali didn’t come up with them.

It’s believed that there was a time when people could easily memorize information without reading or writing anything down and truth flowed freely from person to person without distraction. Very little is known about Patanjali, who is believed to have lived anywhere between 200 BCE to 500 CE, but it is believed that as people began to struggle to remember truthful information,

Patanjali was the one who took control of recording The Yoga Sutras. So he wasn’t the person who created them, but rather documented them.

Vyasa didn’t create The Yoga Sutras, either

Vyasa is another name you’ll probably come across as you study The Yoga Sutras and also most yoga philosophy. Vyasa existed around 500 CE and was the first to comment on The Yoga Sutras.

This Vyasa is not to be confused with the author of other texts throughout yoga philosophy, as it’s believed that they are different people. Some schools of thought also believe that Vyasa may actually be a title that was attained by a certain class of scholars. Either way, all later commentaries on The Yoga Sutras depend heavily on Vyasa’s.

There are many translations and commentaries on The Yoga Sutras

If you go to a bookstore or do an online search for The Yoga Sutras, you will probably find books of all sizes, translations that are slightly different, and commentaries that say things in various ways. This is because The Yoga Sutras are in Sanskrit and Sanskrit is incredibly difficult to translate directly.

It does a Sanskrit word a disservice to say that the word means this or that, so it’s better to think about the qualities the word embodies.

The Yoga Sutras have also been around for a very long time, so as this world changes, so do different concepts. In a more current commentary of the Yoga Sutras, the commentator may explain how the mind often sees experiences through a certain kind of covering similar to an Instagram filter. Years ago, this wouldn’t have made sense because there was no such thing as Instagram, so the commentator would have had to use a different example.

The first chapter is called The Samadhi Pada

The first chapter, or book, or “pada” in Sanskrit, presents you with the concept of creating clarity, distractions you may face, the outcome of distractions, and the fact that your mind is extremely powerful when you are able to remove obstacles, limitations, and anything that clouds it.

This chapter explains how the mind doesn’t always see the truth and how everyone on Earth seems to be walking around with their own versions of what is true. It outlines how anyone with a mind can either find themselves existing in sadness or bliss, depending on how well they have conquered their mind.

The second chapter is called the Sadhana Pada

In the Samadhi Pada, you are introduced to what clouds your mind, your self imposed obstacles, and the power your mind has.
In book one, you learn many of the principles of yoga. Then, the first 30ish Sutras of book two guide you to understand appropriate action. Much of the first part of book two can be seen as a guide to sitting with discomfort and using it to your advantage. It’s sometimes too easy to mask or move over what causes some kind of discomfort.
The second part of the Sadhana Pada introduces the 8 Limb Path. This path helps you improve yourself, your relationship with the world, your relationship with your mind, and with your emotions.

Vibhuti Pada and Kaivalya Pada are the third & fourth chapters

Most yoga teacher trainings only cover chapters one and two of The Yoga Sutras. This may be because the third and fourth chapters talk about things like special powers and abilities a person may attain from the practices in the previous chapters.

In the third book, you learn about the powers that come as bi-products of the yoga practice outlined in Books one and two and then in the fourth book, you will learn about the path of renunciation, detachment from material objects, and freedom from earthly desires.

The Yoga Sutras don’t always fit in to our daily life

After bringing up special powers and renunciation, you might be wondering how this fits into your day to day life where you have a job, a family, and responsibilities.

In short, it doesn’t.

The Yoga Sutras provide the information and the tools needed to understand the mind to take control of it. The text also discusses what can happen once the mind is controlled and you’re no longer responding to its every whim.

As beings here on Earth in this present day, it’s important to use the teachings of The Yoga Sutras to conquer the mind and realize the mind isn’t in control. Once this is realized, the possibilities to take control of your life are endless.

It’s all about: remember who you are

There are many themes throughout The Yoga Sutras and there are many threads that weave in and out of the text and other areas of Yoga Philosophy. Something that I’ve come to understand and love about all of it is that the teachings are meant to help me become a better person. They’re meant to help me move away from the suffering or pain that I often cause myself and move towards love and happiness. Yoga philosophy has provided insight into connecting with my purpose and why I’m here. It’s been the main force that’s helped me remember who I am.

It leaves much to be discussed

One of the coolest things about The Yoga Sutras is that they’re meant to be discussed. This text isn’t something you read, memorize concepts from, and then move on and forget all about it. It’s a text that’s supposed to move with you and you move through life and also a text that’s meant to be questioned. The sutras are small, quick, intelligent blurbs of wisdom that should be sat with, unpacked, and talked about with students, teachers, family, and friends. They’re for anyone who is willing to open up to them and attempt to use them as a way to have a life that’s a bit sweeter. There are lots of commentaries written on them because there is simply so much to say and so many questions to ponder.

As you study different areas of yoga philosophy, I invite you to move through each area with an open mind and an open heart. There are so many beautiful truths to the teachings that are present in lots of other philosophies around the world and seeing that common thread can be eye-opening when it comes to seeking answers. I have always been intrigued with The Yoga Sutras because the text is read and studied by so many beautiful yoga teachers and practitioners across the world.

The Yoga Sutras are a great place to pull information from as inspiration for your Dharma Talks.

If you want more tips on giving great Dharma talks, grab my free Dharma Talk Starter Kit.

10/10/2022
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yoga philosophy books

Yoga Philosophy Books We Love!

By Yoga Philosophy

There are so many books on the topic of yoga philosophy and there are so many different roads to go down when you begin to dive deeper into the teachings of yoga.

Two main texts that I have felt called to are The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and The Bhagavad Gita. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a text that outlines a way for us as human beings to live this life in as little pain and suffering as possible. The Bhagavad Gita is a text that teaches us how to fulfill our duties and responsibilities while simultaneously having a spiritual life. Both texts are pretty common to come across during a yoga teacher training or during your search for deeper yoga studies. Both texts also have a lot of different translations, variations, and commentaries from various authors and it can be really overwhelming to sort out which one to dive into!

When it comes to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it’s important to remember that the teachings in the text are quite difficult to follow if you have a family, a job, or any responsibility at all. Some of the practices are really only doable if you live in the middle of the woods and have totally renounced this material world and all your things in it. The studies and the teachings focus mostly on how you have the ability to see the truth and control where your mind goes, but the text also touches on some wild things like superpowers and abilities that you may gain from perfecting certain practices.

The Bhagavad Gita begins with its main character, Arjuna, trying to figure out how to do his duty while also staying connected to his faith and his beliefs. He initially wants to run from his duty and renounce everything so he doesn’t have to deal with it, but he’s told by his best friend Krishna that if he attempts to do that, his mind will get in the way. As someone who has a purpose in this world, Arjuna can’t move through the steps outlined in the Yoga Sutras. In many ways, he’s like anyone with a job and a duty who’s trying to do the right thing.

There are lots of versions of each text, but some of my favorite ones are:

Bhagavad Gita: Talks Between The Soul and God by Ranchor Prime

Bhagavad Gita - Talks Between The Soul And God

This book is not only a great introduction to The Bhagavad Gita, but also a great study guide. It’s the version that I come back to regularly whenever I want to dive back into certain themes or if I’m looking for inspiration for my teaching. Prime presents a great commentary and lens into The Gita for those of you who are seekers, spiritually curious, and wanting to dig deeper into why you’re here and what this life is all about. It gives some beautiful insight on linking faith with purpose and moving through this world in a conscious way.

A link to purchase: Bhagavad Gita: Talks Between The Soul and God

The Bhagavad Gita As It Is by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bhagavad Gita - As It Is book

This is a translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This is the longest version I’ve ever read because Prabhupada provides direct translation from Sanskrit to English and then gives incredibly in-depth descriptions on the verses. This version can be a bit deep for someone just reading The Gita for the first time, so it’s not really an easy read to take with you to the beach or the park. This is definitely a text to study and come back to on a regular basis and it also helps to have a teacher guide you through it. This version is at the very heart of Bhakti Yoga, so it’s very special to Bhakti Yogis and students of Bhakti.

A link to purchase: The Bhagavad Gita As It Is

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Edwin Bryant

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali book

Edwin Bryan’s text is one of the biggest and deepest ones I’ve ever come across because he is incredibly knowledgeable and not only sources many commentaries from lots of other texts, but also brings in his wisdom and background in Bhakti Yoga. There are many times that The Bhagavad Gita is tied into certain sutras and the text just gets more clear the more you study it. This is definitely a more scholarly version of The Yoga Sutras, so expect to go deep and return to this text again and again.

A link to purchase: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Light on The Yoga Sutras by B.K.S. Iyengar

Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali book

I was drawn to this book because I personally came into the yoga practice through the physical asana practice and B.K.S. Iyengar was a source I felt comfortable with. This is one of the most accessible texts on The Yoga Sutras because of its overall language, word choices, and excellent breakdown of deep concepts. Iyengar outlines some of the sutras almost as clearly as he dissects certain asanas and this guide into the human mind goes hand in hand with the asana practice so well.

As a student of yoga, I have read and studied so many different translations and so many texts on The Bhagavad Gita and The Yoga Sutras. I’ve also taken lots of classes and spent time with great teachers who have unpacked the concepts within the texts in so many different ways. It’s important to keep coming back to these teachings, to seek out teachers, and to have an open mind. We live in a world where people want to fight about everything and anything and I believe that these texts aren’t here to cause arguments. They’re meant to open your mind and your heart and present ways to be a better human being during this lifetime.

Mindful discussions are important, and so is staying connected to the heart. Both of these texts teach that our true nature is to love and we are happiest and most blissful when we connect to that nature. Studying both The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and The Bhagavad Gita have made me a much more understanding person, friend, family member, teacher, and student and I hope they do the same for you!

A link to purchase: Light on The Yoga Sutras by B.K.S. Iyengar

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10/07/2022
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Weekly Class Theme: Saucha

By Yoga Teachers

The niyamas are 5 ethical principles which give us guidance in how to live a more conscious and fulfilled life as a yogi. The first of the Niyamas, Saucha, meaning purity invites us to be clean and pure in our physical acts, the words we speak, and in how we hold ourselves and others in each present moment.

Saucha is a consistent reminder to “lighten our load.” In the outermost layer, you can think of cleaning your physical body and cleaning your physical space. A clean body and a clean environment can certainly help you cultivate a clear mind; think about trying to meditate after doing a mud run, or trying to do yoga nidra amongst piles of clothing and other belongings. It may be a little harder to concentrate on connecting with the divine!

Of course, this niyama does not only call our attention to our physical bodies and spaces. Saucha also reminds us to speak purely with ourselves and others. This does not mean being falsely positive, nor does it mean to be rude as justification for “honesty.” It means to speak without trying to change how we or someone else may be feeling. It means to express words free from judgment and it means to truly be present when someone else is speaking so we can respond purley and appropriately.

Lastly (at least within the context of this blog post), saucha allows us to recall the importance of being present with ourselves and others so that we can be fully alive in each moment. Instead of living our lives in fast forward, why not slow things down to enjoy one moment at a time…even if that moment is not what we would deem as “perfect” or even “pleasurable?”

So here’s an asana idea for YOU to practice bringing saucha into your body and your life.

Peak Pose: Upward Facing Dog aka Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

UFD is an intense backbend. Even though we take it a lot in the vinyasa practice, we have to ALWAYS be pure in our approach. If done with no consciousness we run the risk of injuring ourselves, and if teaching without lighting awareness on alignment, we run the risk of setting up others for failure.

Wide Leg Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Wide Leg Forward Fold

Opening up the inner leg/groin muscles can help to create space in movement of the pelvis…which of course is necessary for our backbending practice!

How to:

  1. From low lunge, straighten your legs and pivot towards a long edge of your mat.
  2. Bring your hands to the ground or blocks if you can’t reach the ground.
  3. Lift the inner arches of your feet, the inner line of your legs, and the kneecaps to help lift the sit bones towards the sky.
  4. Walk your hands under your legs so they are in line with your feet as you pull the crown of your head towards the floor.

Crescent Lunge with Hands Clasped Behind Back (Ashta Chandrasana)Crescent Lunge with Hands Clasped Behind Back

This will help to not only open up the hip flexor muscles, but will also help to broaden the chest by taking the arms behind the back.

How to:

  1. Step the left foot forward and lower the back knee to the floor (although we stepped the left foot forward first, we are doing the work in the right leg first; you don’t have to sequence this way but just an idea).
  2. Press your left foot and right shin into the ground to upright the torso.
  3. Press your sacrum forward to lift the frontal hip points towards the navel.
  4. Swim your arms around the back to interlace your fingers and firm your shoulder blades into your upper back to support upwards movement of your chest.

Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana)

Revovled triangle pose melanie

Twisting supports backbends in lengthening the side bodies, broadening the chest, and this particular twist emphasizes the work in the legs…all necessary for upward facing dog.

How to:

  1. Face the front of your mat with your right leg forward, with toes going directly forward, and left leg back, with toes slightly out on an angle, about 2-3 feet.
  2. Bring your hands to your hips and use your legs to draw the right hip back and left hip forward so the left side of your ribcage can start to wrap forward.
  3. Take your left arm straight to the sky and your right arm out to the right side of your space.
  4. Hinge forward and turn your torso to the right as you continue to draw the right hip back.
  5. Bring your left hand to a block on the outside of your right foot and take your right arm straight to the ceiling.
  6. As you twist, bring your right shoulder blade towards your spine to help broaden the chest.

Peak Pose: Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)Upward Facing Dog

How to:

  1. From your belly, take your flat palms to the floor or blocks (blocks help create space to lift the thighs as I probably should have done during this mini photoshoot).
  2. Lengthen your legs behind you and point your toes on the floor to create smooth ankles and shins.
  3. Press your hands down and the tops of the feet down as you straighten your arms to lift your legs, hips, and chest off the floor.
  4. Straighten your arms and firm the shoulder blades into your upper back to broaden the chest and pull the heart forward.
  5. Keep the outer ankles in and legs firm as you press your sacrum forward.

Sources: The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele

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10/03/2022
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Yoga Philosophy - hands playing the harmonium

What is Yoga Philosophy?

By Yoga Philosophy

A lot of people who find themselves on a yoga mat or in a yoga teacher training have probably come to the yoga practice through the physical asanas.

The asanas, or the yoga poses, have become what we tend to associate yoga with. If you tell a friend that you’re going to a yoga class, they probably will assume that you’re taking a physical class that involves movement, breath, and maybe some mental focus.

But, as you dive deeper into yoga, you come to find that yoga is actually way more than just physical practices. In fact, there’s a whole philosophy system behind it that’s literally thousands of years old.

Yoga philosophy is super important to the overall practice because it’s what helps you understand your mind, your soul, and why you’re here doing what you’re doing and what you’re meant to do.

The problem is the term “philosophy” can be a bit intimidating – at least it definitely was for me at first.

Eventually, I started to realize how it wasn’t meant to turn me away or confuse me. In fact, as I started studying more about yoga philosophy I was actually gaining a greater sense of clarity because I was stepping into the workings of my mind and my body as well as studying the nature of my soul.

A deeper path, in yoga + in life

Yoga philosophy helped me connect to my purpose in life and also helped me tap into my ability to experience bliss and regain control when life sometimes knocked me off my feet. It’s how I learned I can connect to my true self and attempt to see that in all beings around me.

What’s exciting about yoga philosophy is that these concepts that can seem complicated at first are actually super simple and can be applied to literally anything and everything in your life both on and off the mat.

Let’s take a look at some of the key concepts that make yoga philosophy so relatable.

“I am not my body or my mind”

When you dive into the core concepts of yoga philosophy, a common thread that runs through the teachings is that you are not your body or your mind.
This might sound a little scary or strange at first, but when you unpack this concept, it’s actually very comforting. From the perspective of yoga philosophy, you have a body and you have a mind, but you are actually a soul.

Your soul is having a human experience here and you are moving your body around the same way you drive a bike or a car. If you don’t take care of what you’ve got, you will have a lot of trouble moving through this lifetime in a balanced way because you aren’t connecting with your soul.

It’s a way to connect with the soul & cultivate compassion

In Sanskrit, which is the language of yoga, there are many different concepts used to understand the soul. Some of these concepts are: jiva, atman, purusha, and drastuh.

Anything that is born, grows, reproduces, and dies is a soul. This teaches that humans, plants, and animals all have souls and when you understand this concept, you can begin to cultivate a bit more compassion towards all beings.

When you recognize that you are living amongst other souls, you can connect with them, and with nature, in a more elevated way that keeps you focused on how eternal, wise, and blissful you really are.
The soul is eternal, full of wisdom, and blissful.

The deeper you dive into yoga philosophy, the more you find the teaching that the soul is “sat chit ananda” which means eternal, full of wisdom, and blissful.

When you realize that this is what you are, you may begin to realize that the temporary problems in life aren’t that bad. If you are a soul that is eternal, then maybe losing that job isn’t that big of a deal because it doesn’t define who you are in terms of our eternality. If you are a soul that is full of wisdom, then you can begin to look within yourself for the answers you’re seeking. If you are a soul that is blissful, then any time you experience some kind of suffering, you may be able to understand that it’ll be temporary because that’s not your true nature and you have the ability to reframe you experience.

The mind is malleable

Since the mind is something you have, not something you are, you have the ability to control the way you take in information and how you see the world. From the time you’re born, you begin to create stories and belief systems that are very specific to us as individuals.

For example, if someone had a frightening experience with a dog when they were a child, they may grow into an adult who believes all dogs are scary. This isn’t the truth, but for them it is.

Yoga philosophy teaches you that you can control the way your mind responds to the feelings and thoughts that come up and recognize that your experiences is specific to you as an individual. These experiences may not be the actual truth and you have the ability to move beyond false impressions to begin to see what is actually happening.

Samskaras: impressions made on the mind

Since the mind is malleable, you aren’t stuck with the impressions that you currently have. Yoga philosophy teaches that you have the ability to change the way you think and you also are empowered to mold your mind to be a tool that works with you, not against you.

We all have samskaras, which are impressions made on the mind over time. You can think of the mind like an ice skating rink and the marks the skates make on the ice are the samskaras. They’re engraved into the ice for some time, but if you own the ice rink, you have the ability to call in the zamboni to smooth the ice out.

You have this ability to do the same with your thoughts, beliefs, and past experiences. You also have the ability to choose what marks you make on your mind.

The mind is made up of the manos, the ahankara, and the buddhi

Yoga philosophy shines a light on the various areas of the mind.

Manos

The first part of the mind is the manos mind and it’s where your primal instincts are. It’s where you understand that you need food, shelter, and a way to stay alive.

Ahankara

The second part of the mind is the ahankara, which is where you often forget that you are a soul and you have a body. It’s where you think you are the color of your hair, the car you drive, and the job you have. It’s where you think you are the body and the mind as opposed to being a soul.

Buddhi

The last part of the mind is the buddhi, which is where your ability to discern is and where your intellect lies. This is the part of the mind that helps you recognize that you are a soul having a human experience and all experiences are happening for you.

Life is happening for you, not to you

At the heart of yoga philosophy, there’s a concept that everything happening in this lifetime is happening for you and not to you. Every person you meet and every experience you have is meant to help you understand and connect to your soul.

When you have a negative experience, it’s meant to help you realize that this world and your brain and body are temporary because you are a soul that is eternal. You are moving through this lifetime on this planet as a human being in an attempt to connect to what’s eternal and everything you experience is here to help you realize that.

Yoga philosophy is about cultivating the tools to live this life to its absolute fullest. It helps us understand that you are meant to have an experience in this lifetime that connects you to your truth and to who you are. It helps you understand why sometimes you’re sad or angry and it provides you with the tools to empower yourself to live a life you love and make connections with people and situations that bring you up instead of down. The more you study, the more you can stand in your own truth and not be swayed by the things that bring you down.

The yoga asana, or physical practice, is beautiful and important, but if you’ve ever tried to get through a yoga or meditation practice right after having a bad day at work or having a fight with a friend or partner, you probably didn’t have the best practice.

When you’re able to understand how your mind and how it works, you can begin to control how you experience and how you respond to the things you cannot control. You can’t control what happens to you in this lifetime, but you can control the way you react to it and you can also control the way you process these experiences. When you’re able to do this, you’re able to live a more blissful life.

Understanding yoga philosophy is integral to the practice

Yoga philosophy was what elevated me from thinking that yoga was only about the movement and going to yoga classes. It made me realize how much more there is to this human experience and how much more I can open my heart to the blissful things in this world during this lifetime.

And the best part is that as a teacher, it’s easy to share about yoga philosophy in your yoga asana classes. The Dharma Talk is the perfect way to tell your students about the philosophy concepts you feel most connected to.

Dharma Talks are kind of my thing, and I put together a guide with everything I know about giving great Dharma talks in my totally free Dharma Talk Starter Kit.

Download the guide now to see how you can incorporate the philosophy of yoga into your teaching!

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10/03/2022
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