Whatever we practice, we get better at, and we are always practicing something. Either we are reinforcing habits, behaviors and reactions we already have, or we are learning and reinforcing something new. Many of our behaviors and reactions are automatic and unconscious – we might call them ‘default’ practices. Conscious,...
Yoga – Now more than ever
These are challenging times and every day we are living with the uncertainty of change. But we are made for these times. Even though the practices and philosophy of yoga have been around a long time, they are more alive and relevant than ever. They are tools available to us...
300 Hour Yoga Story
by Holly McKibben I began my yoga journey five years ago, taking classes at a local hot yoga studio. I went for the sweat, but something else brought me back, something bigger, something I did not yet understand. I came back to my mat, over and over again, and through...
Yoga: Beyond the Asana Practice
by Bre'ann Rupp “How liberating it is: to pursue wholeness instead of perfection.” -Morgan Harper Nichols. “Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.” -Thich Nhat Hanh. On the first day of a yoga teacher training, one of my mentors invited the group to introduce ourselves, share a...
Practice
Yoga is a wisdom tradition that has been around for a long time, a philosophy realized and understood only through practice. This is one of the profoundly beautiful things about yoga – it is not only teachings and movements passed down through time, it is brought to life by our...
Svadyaya – Know Thyself
Svadyaya, one of the Niyamas, is a beautiful Sanskrit word that means ‘reflecting on our self’, or self-study. Traditionally, Svadyaya has been the study of sacred texts that gave us insight into our life. Besides the texts it means even more for our practice on and off the mat. TKV...
Raja Yoga of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
Raja Yoga refers to the ‘Royal Path’ of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is over 2000 years old, and is still one of the most enlightening and insightful spiritual works of all time, as relevant and inspiring as ever. The word sutra means ‘thread’, and...
Chakras
Swirling, expanding and contracting, a column of energetic wheels aligned from the base of our spine to the crown of our head, the chakras pulse as centers of spiritual power in the human body. Chakra meditation with Devin Koppel, YTT graduate, Paia, Maui Yoga Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning...
Why take a yoga teacher training?
Some things that may cross your mind when asked about a teacher training: I never plan to teach… Don’t you have to be flexible to do yoga… Yoga is only for spiritual people… Nine months ago if I had been asked if I would take a teacher training I would...
Bramacharya – The 4th Yama
Bramacharya translated means ‘directing our energy to the Divine, to the Sacred’. For many dedicated Yogis, that is interpreted as a call to celibacy, so that all sexual energies may be directed toward awakening and spiritual evolution. A broader understanding of Bramacharya can also be a wise use of all...