The niyama Tapas, can be translated as heat or perseverance. I’d like to look at this two ways. Heat first. We all know that heat is energy. We generate heat in our body thru our practice. We can think of this energy as healing and nurturing energy for our body/spirit. As we feel this energy, [...]
Samtosha is the niyama that teaches contentment. Contentment may have a bad rap as some see it as “settling for things as they are and not making progress”. There is a lot to be said for progress which comes, at times, at a great expense. Being content is our practice doesn’t negate progress, it merely [...]
So we are moving now into the right actions of our lives, the niyamas. Saucha, the first niyama is cleanliness. Energy is what we focus on in our practice , and saucha teaches us to keep our energies distinct. Keeping the energy around us protected through our personal cleanliness, keeping our mat and equipment clean [...]
During one of our classes a couple of years ago, I asked each student to share their intention for their practice. Most everyone had one asana or another that they desired to do to their satisfaction. One of my senior students (80+ years old) said his intention is to levitate. Knowing him, I believe he [...]