As we enter the darkest quarter of the year, here is the link to a guided relaxation practice called 'Gathering Our Resources'. It is an invitation to reflect on what it is we need to be nourished at all levels and to set an intention to gather those things in.
The Niyama are five habits we should cultivate in order to take care of ourselves. Since 'self-care' has become a rather glib term harnessed by wellness brands to sell their 'stuff', let me just be clear that practicing niyama certainly doesn't involve buying anything and needn't cost you a penny! Integrating Niyama into your practice simply means cultivating good habits, balancing effort with ease and doing your inner work - while remembering the world does not revolve entirely around you!
Wrapping up my month of posts on the Niyama - five personal habits to 'practice' on your journey with yoga. I have done my fair share of journeying in order to ‘find myself’. Each adventure has been a journey that took me out of my comfort zone and then back to a place of greater… Continue reading Finding Our Way Home (svadyaya, isvara pranidhana)
Yoga is informed by a model of vitality in which our energy flows through two main channels (connected to the nostrils) right for sun and left for moon. A sun salutation is a simple sequence that can be performed on a daily basis to bring balance to that energy as well as warm up the… Continue reading Self Care Salutations to the Sun
The third of the niyama is tapas. When translated from Sanskrit, tapas literally means ‘heat’. It is the heat that we create when we confront our habits, or the things we have become habituated to. It is often described as ‘discipline’ but I prefer to think of it as moving away from our comfort zone, or “sitting uncomfortably”.
A rose does not compare itself with the other roses, it just blooms! This month I am writing and teaching about the Niyama - five ideas from the Yoga Sutras that are about our personal habits. I think of them as a simple yogic model of self care and am almost a little amused to… Continue reading Blooming in Your Own Way (sauca samtosa)
