I repeated myself 108 times before falling silent.  In that silence I could actually feel the vibration of my words as a palpable structure around me.  This was a breathtaking moment for me.  I was sitting in class at the time, on the cold, hard floor in the ashram in Northern India.  Earlier we had been learning Yogic Philosophy and Mantra, and I had been leaning in to every grace filled word

I tuned into a program the other day…the characters in the show had decided to experience the outdoors for the weekend at a lodge retreat.  While fishing, they caught bundles of fish, only to find out from the owner of the lodge later on...

When I came across Lauren’s poem I was taken into another world.  But it’s a world that is more true. The poem is so deeply honouring of a woman’s heart, and the innate desire women carry to be emotionally generous.  And it is so honouring of the sensitivity of men:

If you want to change the world, love a man; really love him
Choose the one whose soul calls to yours clearly; who sees you; who is brave enough to be afraid...

If we assume that our Asana practice is reflective of our walk through life, then our Asana practice can be seen as an opportunity to really grasp the understanding that ultimately, we are finding our way through life on our own.

"May life go to immortal life, and the body go to ashes. OM. O my soul, remember past strivings, remember! O my soul, remember past strivings, remember!”

In her book, Letters from the Yoga Masters, Marion includes this prayer from the Isha Upanishad, which reminds us that “the yoga Masters claim that if you are drawn to yoga in this life, it is likely that the seeds of knowledge were planted in a past life”. These excerpts are from the first three chapters of Marion’s book...

To seriously embark on a practice of Yoga Nidra, be sure to gather those skills of stillness and of focus, and of observation.  Polish them up the way you would a tarnished, old genie lantern…and dive in to your Nidra practice…all-in…nothing ventured, nothing gained…and when you feel ready to reach, reach far and reach true, because really, there is everything there for you.

There is so much real freedom, personal power, and confidence that is developed in the practice of Tapas.Generally speaking, most of us have an aversion to self-discipline…in the West in particular. We see this continually demonstrated in coffee shops everywhere as two year olds run directionless, screaming madly, in a flushed-cheek sweat, parents bending down to face level, asking “hey buddy, where do you want to sit?”….