(First posted 17/1/09) One of the most important principles of a yoga practice, and specifically, asana yoga practice, is the teaching of “sthira” and “sukha”. In the foremost yoga text, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he describes an asana (yoga posture) as having two important qualities: sthira and sukha. Sthira is steadiness and alertness. Sukha refers to the ability to remain comfortable […]
more >(First published 10/11/2008) The body is mentioned frequently in yoga, in relation to the breath, and in relation to the mind. There is a vast selection of postures available in yoga, from gentle resting positions to complicated athletic positions that seem impossible to get into. But is it all about the body? It is possibly not surprising to discover that […]
more >(First published 4/10/2008) At times our lives can be busy and even chaotic, while at other times, a sense of quiet and peace can envelop us – albeit it briefly. Yoga teaches us how to tap into that sense of stillness and peace on command and to switch off the chaos. This might not be easily done, but this is […]
more >(First published 30/08/2008) In yoga one of the most important keys that will unlock your understanding of this practice is the breath. In “Hathayoga Pradipika”, a practical treatise on yoga, the author stresses importance of breath by saying that “if the mind is the king of the senses, the master of the mind is the breath”. When we practice yoga […]
more >(First published 28/7/2008) Over the last few months I have introduced hatha yoga and its eight limbs or parts, with the aim of presenting an overview of yoga and hatha yoga. In the next chapters I intend to focus on various parts of yoga: returning in this chapter to hatha yoga’s third limb – asana (yoga postures). Classic yoga asanas […]
more >(First published 8/3/2008) Following on from the last chapter, which introduced the third limb of hatha yoga, asanas. Learning how to perform asanas does take time. I started learning yoga in India, at the start of 1995, and I saw the teacher every day, and would practice in my room every day as well. In the first six months I […]
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