Camel pose, Ustrasana in Sanskrit, is both a chest opening and backbend pose. Its benefits include stretching the entire front of the body, deep hip flexors, thighs, and ankles, strengthening the back muscles and stimulating the abdominal organs. So, what are the movements and muscles associated with Camel pose? Remember
The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’. It means to join or unite – ‘union’, in short. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras centers the meaning of ‘union’ around chita vritti nirodaha, which is ‘to calm the fluctuations of the mind’. Nature as our first teacher teaches us that grass
Our material possessions are a part of us. That caterpillar plushie that has been with you since you were three. That dining table on which your family has had years of reunion dinners. We want to keep them because those things are us. Your child begins to develop allergic reactions
Asteya is the fourth Yama of Patanjali’s Five Yamas of the Yoga Sutras. Asteya has been called non-stealing, non-covetousness, even non-desirousness, which essentially means non-jealousy. Just like the other Yamas & Niyamas , ‘non-stealing’ means so much more than not physically taking something from someone else. The meaning behind Asteya
Union in varying context embodies different meanings. In Yoga, the word Yoga originates from the word Yuj which means union, coming together or to join. In Patanjali’s second sutra, we learn that Yoga is… YOGA CITTA VRITTI NIRODHAH Simply put, Yoga is the non- swaying of the mind that brings
The first limb of Ashtanga Yoga is Yama. It can be understood as a moral framework, a guideline to how we conduct ourselves in life. Satya is the Sanskrit word for truth. It is one of the five yamas. It is about being truthful to yourself, living the way you
There is a well-known quote by the late poet Maya Angelou – “We need much less than we think we need”. This, I think, encapsulates what Aparigraha, one of the five Yamas, means. Google “Aparigraha” and you will find that it is often defined as the concept of non-accumulation, non-possessiveness,
The importance of Asana Most of human suffering comes from/is the creation of the mind. This is what I call needless suffering. If you just stop using your mind the way you are in this case you will no longer suffer. This is very easy for us to understand. At least
Most people around the world suffer from lack of deep sleep. Which can result in irregularities in the body, moodiness, depression and a whole host of other problems that make our lives unnecessarily complicated. To solve this problem one must attack it at it’s root. In the case of sleeping
Sadhana Practice (meditation.) Most yogis through out history have said that no effort is needed to realize the self. In fact efforting and the fluctuations of the mind are the only reasons we have not realized our true nature thus far. Therefor seekers often try to calm the mind. To
