The fourth yama is brahmacarya. This Sanskrit word has various connotations in Indian culture. It means celibacy, but is also to do with the phase of our life when we are young and still learning and developing - a time perhaps we should be concentrating on our studies and avoiding distractions. I choose to interpret… Continue reading Lines in the Sand (brahmacarya)
"Walk as if you were kissing the earth with your feet"Thich Nhat Hanh The third of the yama is asteya which means not-stealing. Although I'm sure we are all honest and trustworthy people in this community, a practice of asteya might also include attention to situations in which we might inadvertently 'steal' someone's words, time,… Continue reading Treading Lightly (asteya)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0p1-MGTK_8 "What hungry ducks they are - they're eating it!" The second of the Yama is Satya, which means truthfulness.I am sure most of us consider ourselves to be quite honest or truthful people. Have you ever said you would help out with something when actually you were really busy though? Have you ever said… Continue reading The Duck Index (satya)
Lockdown in England is starting to ease. There are so many things to consider both at a personal level and for my business. I feel agitation arising within me. How this manifests for me is a fluttery feeling in my chest, tension in my head, tiredness in my eyes, loss of appetite, withdrawing from my family,… Continue reading Keep On Stopping (ahimsa)
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)
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”.
