Artha

We’ve been contemplating the “chatur purusharthas” recently. They are the four goals of life in the yogic canon: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Yoga is said to produce the accomplishment of these … [Read more...] about The Four Goals of life: Artha: wealth and beauty

Fearlessness

Greetings Students! This season we are contemplating the yoga of Fearlessness In 1941, President Roosevelt gave his famous “Four Freedoms” speech, proclaiming four basic freedoms that people … [Read More...] about Fearlessness

Intention

Greetings Beloved Yoga practitioners! This month we contemplated the theme of Intention At the start of the New Year we mobilized our yoga practice to examine the very nature of intent and to … [Read More...] about Intention

The Heart

Your Yoga Newsletter on the Heart Greetings Yogis and Yoginis! This month we have been exploring the topic of the Heart. The heart has many layers of significance in the sphere of Yoga … [Read More...] about The Heart

School of Recognition

Your Yoga Tantra Newsletter Greetings Yoga Sangham This month we were contemplating and practicing thanksgiving, delight and recognition. There is a whole philosophical school of Yoga Tantra … [Read More...] about School of Recognition

The Void

Greetings Dear Friends and Sangham Some notes on our topics and the central theme examined this month: THE VOID Void or emptiness is important to both Buddhist and Yoga philosophy. The … [Read More...] about The Void

Our Work is Cut Out For Us

I thought I was being charming at dinner recently, in the midst of telling one of my fascinating stories, when my son turned to his father and said: “Dad, youre a saint.” We all laughed at his … [Read More...] about Our Work is Cut Out For Us

Hatha Yoga is Kundalini Yoga

I am often asked what kind of yoga I teach, and after almost 35 years, I am still stymied as to how to answer. I usually mercifully restrain myself from breaking into a lecture and say that I teach … [Read More...] about Hatha Yoga is Kundalini Yoga

Monkey Mind

Happy Chinese New Year! It is the Year of the Monkey and it is said the character of the next 12 months will mirror some traits we associate with monkeys: quick moving, volatile, tricky, changeable … [Read More...] about Monkey Mind

About Anger

“Attachment breeds desire. From desire anger is born. Anger leads to delusion, from delusion, forgetfulness, from forgetfulness, the destruction of intellectual discernment." Bhagavad Gita, … [Read More...] about About Anger

Om as Guru

One who chants Om, which is the closest form of Brahman, approaches Brahman. This liberates one from the fear of the material world. - Rig Veda, circa 1500 BC Rare is the yogic text or scripture … [Read More...] about Om as Guru

Intention

Intention “You will find that intention on liberation is the means to it. When this intention is full no other means is necessary. But when intention is weak what is the use of a thousand means? … [Read More...] about Intention

Moksha: Liberation, the fourth goal of life

“Of all the instruments of emancipation, Love is supreme.” So wrote the 9th century yogic sage, Shankaracharya who spread the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta: the doctrine of unity. Moksha is the … [Read More...] about Moksha: Liberation, the fourth goal of life

The Discipline of Love

We are contemplating a topic today that probably gives a lot of us the heebie jeebies: Discipline. Discipline, restraint, practice, sacrifice, and consistency: these things form the spine of a yogic … [Read More...] about The Discipline of Love

The Four Goals of Life : Kama

We have been contemplating the four goals life, the “chatur purusharthas” for the past few weeks (they are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha). Yoga is said to bring about fruition of these goals, and … [Read More...] about The Four Goals of Life : Kama

The Four Goals of life: Artha: wealth and beauty

We’ve been contemplating the “chatur purusharthas” recently. They are the four goals of life in the yogic canon: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Yoga is said to produce the accomplishment of these … [Read More...] about The Four Goals of life: Artha: wealth and beauty

Seamless Robes

Today's Science section in the New York Times has an interesting article: “Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat Isnt Just a White Coat.” It is about experiments that were done studying a phenomenon they … [Read More...] about Seamless Robes

The Four Goals of Life: Dharma

The Depression of Arjuna

We were listening to the Bhagavad Gita being chanted, and i put it on for a reason. The Bhagavad Gita is pretty much all you would ever really need to follow the path of Yoga. Its name means the “Song … [Read More...] about The Depression of Arjuna

Pranayama: Breathing Techniques for calming the mind

Breathing Awareness The core of meditation techniques the world over is breathing awareness. Awareness of the breath refines the mind and leads it into a state of meditation. You will find that many … [Read More...] about Pranayama: Breathing Techniques for calming the mind

Samadhi

Samadhi I We are contemplating and speaking of samadhi lately. Samadhi is a theme that threads throughout the yogic canon. The word refers to a state of being which could be loosely translated as … [Read More...] about Samadhi

St Patrick and the Trinity

We have been speaking about Lent and in the middle of Lent comes St. Patrick’s day which is tomorrow. I was just reading that either St. Patrick died on march 17 or that the Irish Catholics decided … [Read More...] about St Patrick and the Trinity

Om, the Vedas and the Cat in the Hat

I I am preparing for a workshop in a couple of weeks: – “Experience OM” – so I’ve been contemplating Om quite a bit, and thought we would contemplate it together. In the course of preparation i have … [Read More...] about Om, the Vedas and the Cat in the Hat

Absolute Joy

We’ve been listening to Handel's Messiah and most of the text is from the book of Isaiah – we just heard “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd” which has the line: “take His yoke upon you...” And … [Read More...] about Absolute Joy

Guru Purnima

The sacred moon of the Guru Today is Guru Purnima which is a big holiday for people who love yoga and for people who love their Guru or spiritual master. “Purnima” means total fulness and perfection, … [Read More...] about Guru Purnima

Prakriti and Purusha

We’ve been having a little bit of fun here contemplating a branch of Hindu philosophy called “Samkhya.” The word Samkhya means “enumeration” or “list” – so it is a categorical, analytical approach to … [Read More...] about Prakriti and Purusha

Feeling it in our bones: Transcending the “Anava Mala”

I have a little story to tell. It turns out the girls track team at my local high school is the fastest in the country – they just won first place in the whole nation. No one can figure it out because … [Read More...] about Feeling it in our bones: Transcending the “Anava Mala”

The Four Goals of Life: Dharma

The Four Goals of life: Artha: wealth and beauty

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