One learns that one's body is the bow, the asana is the arrow, and the target is the soul. - BKS Iyengar Continuing our series on the three definitive sutras by Patanjali on asana, we turn our attention to sutra 2.47. The previous sutra (2.46) mentions that the yoga posture...
Abhyasa and Vairagya: Effort and Release
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes two aspects of personal practice that will help us progress on our path of yoga - important qualities to understand for our practice on and off the mat. The first is abhyasa, which is often described as sustained, consistent commitment...
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras on Asana – Pt. 1
Maui Yoga Shala Teacher Training Many yogis on the path have heard about Patanjali's Yoga Sutra's. Is it a book that lists yoga poses we do on the mat or out in nature? While there are many such modern yoga texts with pictures and descriptions of yoga poses, or āsanas,...
Yoga – Union
The word 'Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. We can go on to say that yoga means unifying what seems to be opposite - body and mind, inner and outer, head and heart. When we synchronize breath and movement in...