Inside Yoga 16

Category : General advice 3rd March 2011

(First posted 4/1/2009) Well, we have made it to another year: the world is still here… and so are we. Some things don’t change, or do they? We are told the world has changed hugely since last year (dare I say credit crunch?), and as for ourselves, perhaps we feel different this side of Christmas, possibly bigger or a lot […]

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Inside Yoga 15

Category : General advice 3rd March 2011

(First written 8/12/2008) In yoga the word “balance” is often mentioned. It is described in yoga as being a state which we strive for, would like to attain, or perhaps, feel we have but do not want to lose. The meaning of the word yoga when translated from Sanskrit refers to “union”. Through yoga we can attain union: a balance […]

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Inside Yoga 14

Category : Asanas (Postures), General advice, Philosophy 2nd March 2011

(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 […]

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Inside Yoga 13

Category : Asanas (Postures), General advice 1st March 2011

(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 […]

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Inside Yoga 12

Category : Asanas (Postures), General advice 1st March 2011

(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 […]

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Inside Yoga 11

Category : Asanas (Postures), General advice 1st March 2011

(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 […]

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Inside Yoga 10

Category : General advice, Philosophy 28th February 2011

(First published 27/6/2008) All of us, to varying degrees, are aware of the different stages of the 24-hour daily cycle: there is dawn, the morning, afternoon, dusk or sunset, and night. But how many of us notice how the levels of energy fluctuate through this daily cycle, how there is a rhythm both outside of us, in the world around […]

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