Inside Yoga 38 (30/5/11) “The past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” This is often quoted sentence highlights one of the most important teachings within yoga, Buddhism and most spiritual traditions. This was the theme of my classes last week. In yoga we learn about the […]
more >Inside Yoga 37 (19/5/11) Staying attentive to where we are in the present the moment is a challenge, so challenging that we might feel we spend most of our time in a distracted state. The more challenging the yoga posture, the easier it is to remain focused on the position and thereby the present moment – though not all the […]
more >Inside Yoga 36 (9/5/2011) On April 29 an estimated 2billion people watched the royal wedding… almost 30 per cent of the world population. Leaving aside Republican and Royalist views, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was a celebration of love and partnership – an important part of human ceremonial life that dates back far into our past. Is […]
more >Inside Yoga 35 (29/4/2011) In TKV Desikachar’s book Heart of Yoga he states that “yoga is as much a practice involving breath as it is involving the body. The quality of our breath is extremely important because it expresses our inner feelings… The breath is the link between the inner and outer body. It is only by bringing body, breath […]
more >And where is it? Inside Yoga 34 (14/4/11) This week it was reported that the “the world’s first membership organisation dedicated solely to spreading happiness has been launched in London.” “Action for Happiness” was launched on April 12 and it is a campaign calling for positive action to promote happiness at home, at work or in the community. This has […]
more >All change! There are many lessons in life, but there is one that underlines our existence. It is a simple truth about life that the Buddha pointed out thousands of years ago – and one that is still relevant today. The Buddha said it simply: Everything is impermanent. All things change; all things must pass. Yes, we do know that […]
more >(First published 23/6/2010) There is one word in yoga that can be described as a summary of all we seek in a yoga practice. It covers all points in one word – or to be precise in its three words that come together to make one; which in itself is a metaphor for yoga, a practice that brings together seemingly […]
more >(First published 9/5/2010) The arrival of my baby girl in February reminded me of how precious life is. This new born has come into this world so pure and vulnerable, yet already able to teach us so many things. Babies and young children are our teachers as much as we are their teachers. One of the most important teachings in […]
more >(First published 21/3/2010) As some of you might recall, during last week’s classes I mentioned one of the verses from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – one of the major source texts of yoga, and many say, the principle text for yoga. TKV Desikachar puts it simply: “Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is the heart of yoga.” Written about 2,500 years ago by Patanjali […]
more >(First published 20/1/10) During some of my recent classes I asked you to perform some exercises called bandhas. These were used to control the flow of your breath and also hold the breath in a particular posture. So below you will find an explanation of bandhas. The literal translation of Bandha means: joining together, fettering or catching hold of, to […]
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