Considered to be one of the most profound mantras in the world, the Gayatri Mantra, or loosely translated, the Mantra of Spiritual Light, is one of humanity's oldest prayers originating in the Rig Veda and dating back to at least 1500 BCE. It has been and continues to be chanted by generations of people who aspire to awaken the divine wisdom in and for all beings. In the words of Sri Aurobindo...
Read MoreHere's one hilarious story of a man, a hot yoga class that was not so hot, and a mat, as shared in his original Seattle Craigslist ad:
Yoga mat for sale. Used once. - $1 (Bellevue)
Yoga mat for sale. Used once at lunch hour class in December 2009. Usage timeline as follows:
11:45a
Register for hot yoga class. Infinite wisdom tells me to commit to 5 class package and purchase a yoga mat. I pay $89.74. Money well spent, I smugly confirm to myself...
So you've decided to treat yourself to some radical relaxation and rejuvenation. Yay, You!
Whether you're new to yoga, or just new to me, thank you for gracing my teaching with your presence. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of our sessions together:
Read MoreEach molecule of air
Floods your lungs
In rejoice of you.
Moisture renders itself
From your skin
Simply for the chance
To carry
The wonder of you
Into to the eager arms
Of the sky.
The simple truth is that we are all embodied, enlightened beings. Realizing this simple truth liberates us from a world of suffering. However, realizing this amidst perpetual distractions and coming attractions of daily life is often a bit more complicated.
Fortunately, some of the embodied, enlightened beings who realized this before us, in their infinite wisdom and compassion, composed the ultimate guide to liberating Self-realization: yoga.
Believe it or not, for thousands of years, long before modern-day mat-work was even a twinkle in a guru's third eye, yoga was (and practiced as intended, still is) the ultimate meditation practice. In fact, one of the most challenging aspects of teaching yoga today for educated teachers is the widely-held misconception that yoga is merely asana. While the ubiquitous, body-bending asana practice is indeed yoga, it is only a fraction of the much richer, mind-bending practice of yoga that includes ethics (yamas and niyamas), postures (asanas), breathwork (pranayama), sensory regulation (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), and meditation (dhyana and samadhi).
The widespread misappropriation...
Read MoreI don't know about you, but I love the ocean—sparkling water, salty sand, smooth stones, sand-dollars—and the sound of waves as reassuring and life-affirming as heartbeats.
Although it is not as wonder-full as being at the ocean, or practicing Ujjayi on a beach, practicing Ujjayi brings the ocean to one's moment wherever one is. Wherever whenever I practice Ujjayi, the infinite ocean laps at the shore of my being in a way that those seashells I listened to as a child only hinted.
If you haven't yet had the pleasure, you may be wondering, what is Ujjayi (pronounced oo-jai)?
Read MoreThese days, people begin a yoga practice for all sorts of reasons—stress reduction, weight loss, sleep restoration, pain management, injury rehabilitation, cross-training, personal growth, and more. Yoga classes have even become the habitat du jour for singles seeking flexy, sexy dates and mates. However, despite its growing popularity as a form of fitness, yoga is not merely an exercise program reserved for skinny-minny contortionists and modern-day members of the cult of the "body beautiful." Nor is it an enlightenment fast-track for bendy, trendy spiritual seekers. Yoga is not about being able to touch one’s nose to one’s knees, sculpting a beautiful body, or accumulating experiences of bliss, although all are common effects of practice.
Rather, yoga is about coming into harmony with ourselves, each other, and our world. Yoga is...
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