The word 'solstice' combines the Latin words sol for 'Sun' and sistere for 'to stand still'. Today, yoga is widely known as a movement discipline, but these simple experiences of stillness have always been the goal. Without stillness there is no samādhi.
I'm learning through my practice of 'being in the cycles' that many of our outer seasonal customs mirror beautifully our inner experiences should we care to pay attention to them. So, as we prepare to light bonfires and send fireworks into the sky I figure it makes perfect sense that once in a while I might have an inner bonfire, or festival of sparks, that forms a perfectly normal and natural part of my own inner seasons and cycles.
At equinox there is a balance in the hours of daylight and darkness. In āsana practice (postures) we seek balance between the left and right side of the body. In meditation we seek balance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Today is the first day of August and it is on or around this day that the festival of Lammas is celebrated. We are now half way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. The days have been shortening since the end of June and an 'exhalation' into the darker half the year is… Continue reading Lammas / Pratyahara
When I was asked to teach a workshop on the theme of 'Yoga and the Environment' I immediately said 'yes'. From 'Being in the Cycles' to 'Mother Earth Has Got Your Back', my yoga practice and teaching has always been infused with imagery from the natural world and I have written before about My Guru.… Continue reading Yoga and the Environment
Continuing our journey through the seasons and the eight limbs of yoga here we arrive at the Summer Solstice and our fourth gateway - the traditional yogic practice of prāṇāyāma. The word prāņayāma consists of two parts: prāņa and ayāma. “Ayāma” means “stretch” or “extend” and prāņa refers to our life force or energy. So, literally what is meant by prāņayāma is to stretch or extend our energy (I like the phrase 'conserving our energy').
