Wisdom
Swadharma and Dharma
What is it your were born to be? Who is it you were born to become?
What is mastery
The value of time
Niyama (3): Tapas
What are you working towards right now? Do you have any plans or projects?
Creating a new garden? Finding a new job? Moving house? A dream holiday? Running a marathon? Improving your health? Helping others in practical ways? Helping others to live better lives? Finding more peace and contentment in your own life? Seeking union with the Divine?
Niyama (2): Santosha
One of my favourite Niyamas...Contentment!
Life happens, storms rage, good times are followed by bad times, pandemics occur, we get ill, we have an accident, we see and hear things that anger us, we lose something or someone valuable, the washing machine breaks down...how wonderful would it be to remain calm and content throughout all of these things. Impossible? Well practice makes perfect...
Niyama (1): Saucha
If the Yamas were all about putting our foot on the brake pedal then the Niyamas are about putting our foot on the accelerator!
The first of the Niyamas is Saucha, meaning purity or cleanliness. This refers to both the body and the mind.
Keeping the body clean is not simply about washing thoroughly every day, it also involves taking exercise and ‘eating clean’. Obviously our yoga movements and sequences help to remove blockages and to keep the body in good condition. Getting out in the fresh air helps to purify our lungs, our blood and all our internal systems.
The surprising benefits of meditation
Yoga Sutras and exploration of Yama 1: Ahimsa
Let’s start at the very beginning...Patanjali was a wise dude who lived in India a long time ago and who knew a lot about yoga! He passed on his wisdom through his Yoga Sutras. A sutra is a useful device, a short burst of words which is able to convey an awful lot to the listener or reader. He also usefully put together a simple structure for those of us on our yogic path which we call the Eight Limbs of Yoga: