In our Yoga Blog we will report on yoga news, trends and happenings throughout the world.
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Does yoga in schools violate religious freedom? This debate has landed in a San Diego, CA superior court, where plaintiffs allege a yoga program funded by a $533,720 grant from the Jois Foundation violates the separation between church and state. Plaintiff expert witness Candy Gunther Brown, a religious studies professor at Harvard, submitted a 36-page brief alleging that yoga comprises religious indoctrination, testifying that all forms of yoga share the religious goal of human salvation. With presiding Judge John Meyer, a confirmed yoga practitioner who has revealed he doesn’t see anything religious about yoga, the trial is shaping up to be an interesting one.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013 by Shari Read
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The Importance of Knowing Your Breath
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You began to breathe just moments after being born, and someday your life will end with your very last breath. In between, your breath is always with you wherever you go. It is your most valuable possession and a trusted partner. But how often do you think about your breath? How well do you know your own breathing patterns?
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Friday, June 07, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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The Art of Yoga
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Yoga and art share something fundamental: inspiration. The dictionary defines inspiration as “divine influence.” When we practice yoga with an intention of drawing in spirit as we inhale, we set it apart from mere exercise. For artists, inspiration means being open to the muse, the higher intelligence that flows through the act of creation. Over the centuries, sculptors, painters, dancers, and musicians have explored the intersection between yoga and art, inspiring others with their vision. Some of these works will be highlighted this fall at the Smithsonian in an exhibit called Yoga: The Art of Transformation.
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Tuesday, June 04, 2013 by Tosca Braun
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Fifty Shades: Body as Temple
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Can embodiment be liberated from its strong cultural and historical associations with bondage, and honored as sacred unto itself? Most yogic lineages—as well as western philosophies—view life, embodiment, and the world’s temptations as problems requiring transcendence, postulating a combative relationship that is difficult, if not impossible, to resolve. Yet Srikula Shakta tantra, a South Indian lineage of philosophy, contends that life and embodiment are inherently divine, and should be delighted in and celebrated as such.
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Do you ever feel trapped by your body, as if it were something separate from you that you just have to live with? If the answer is yes, you aren’t alone. Philosophically, many cultural and religious traditions, including Patanjali’s Classical Yoga, conceptualize the body as bound to base lusts and desires that distract from loftier abstract moral and religious principles. Rene Descartes memorialized this with Cartesian Mind-Body dualism, which posits body and mind as comprised of distinct entities. Our cultural samskara (beliefs and patterns) thus perpetuate the notion that embodiment equals imprisonment. Unsurprisingly, this worldview aligns well with modern forms of yoga.
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013 by Tosca Braun
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Fifty Shades of Yoga: Body as Prison
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Ten years ago I shivered as I climbed into a giant birdcage, wrists bound. Crouching inside as I peered out for the camera’s glare, I marveled at the sense of familiarity. Imprisonment, enslavement; these were familiar friends, in body and soul. Relief briefly surged; in acknowledging my soul’s pain, the physical bonds afforded momentary release. For years I continued to engage my body in battle. Glancing in the mirror one day at the gym, I witnessed both physical beauty and hopeless emptiness staring back. Disciplining and perfecting my body had failed to free my soul. Yet this is the premise of a controversial new coffee-table book project, Fifty Shades of Yoga, which depicts shots of an unnamed, scantily clad, statuesque blonde executing yoga poses while tied in various rope configurations.
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When I travel, I think of T.S. Eliot’s inspiring words: “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” This applies also to the inner journey of yoga, where we explore deeper dimensions of being on a quest for self-understanding. Just as a map can guide us up a mountain trail, a map of the nadis and chakras can help us explore the unseen realm of pranamaya kosha, the energy body.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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The Myth of Multitasking
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As Ferris Bueller observed, “Life moves pretty fast.” Isn’t this why we multi-task, to get more done in a day, despite an ever-mounting number of distractions? On average, each of us handles 100+ emails daily, with another 5,000 cramming our inboxes. Add phone calls, IMs, tweets, paper memos, meetings—it’s no wonder that U.S. citizens take fewer vacations than nearly every industrialized nation in the world. But evidence is growing that all this “productivity” is actually counterproductive—a sleep-stealing, concentration-scattering myth. And yogis aren’t exempt.
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Friday, May 17, 2013 by Ivey DeJesus
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Handstand: Turning My World Upside
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I toiled for the better part of a year to
conquer the handstand. Long into my yoga practice, I committed to landing Adho Mukha Vrksasana,
admittedly partly seduced by photos of yogis suspended against the force of
gravity by powerful arms and backs.
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We all have emotional trauma, and it seems the more my trauma releases and quietens, the more I can hear the pain of others. My body, breath and mind hold the memory of the patterns of trauma, not yet fully released. This residual energy primes me to the feelings and patterns of others. I can hear them more clearly. I can feel the energy of consciousness moving through the world.
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Wednesday, May 08, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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Liberate Your Soles On No Socks Day
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After a chilly spring, aren’t your feet itching to walk across the grass and bask in the sun? Here’s a good reason to liberate your soles: Today, Wednesday, May 8, is National No Socks Day. Yogis know it’s good to go bare, but on this day we have equal footing with everybody. Here are four extra incentives to toss your socks and love your tootsies:
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Friday, May 03, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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Finding OM Away From Home
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Have you ever traipsed around an airport terminal in search of a discreet corner for Sun Salutations between flights? Do you shudder at the thought of coming face-to-face with hotel carpeting during Down Dog? Then take heart, because it’s easier than ever to plan a summer getaway without getting too far away from your daily practice. Hotels and airports, recognizing that what’s good for you is also good for business, are rolling out the yoga mat to welcome enlightened travelers.
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Wednesday, May 01, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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The Fourth Sutra: Identifying With Ego
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How do you see yourself? Are you a human being having a spiritual experience … or pure spirit playing at being human? One way to regard the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali’s 2,000-year-old compilation of aphorisms about yoga, is as a travel guide for the yogic journey. In Sutras 1:2 and 1:3, Patanjali tells us that the essence and purpose of yoga is to calm the turbulence of the mind so that we can see our true nature. Sutra 1:4, Vritti svarupyam itaratra, reminds us that when the mind isn’t still, we are identifying with the mind waves or ego.
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Friday, April 26, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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Bring Nature Indoors With Vastu Shastra
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Is spring fever making you yearn to take your asana outdoors? If blustery weather is keeping you inside, consider adding nature to your indoor environment with the ancient science of vastu. Consultant Kathleen Cox, one of the first to introduce vastu to the West, calls it “yoga for your home.”
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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Letting the Child (Pose) Be the Teacher
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If someone handed out awards for “most unappreciated asana,” the winner might be Balasana (Child’s Pose). In many yoga classes, this basic pose is used only for transition or rest. Often dismissed as “babyish” by asana enthusiasts, Balasana almost never gets the spotlight. And yet, it’s one of the most powerful poses in the yogi’s tool kit. Here’s why:
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Friday, April 19, 2013 by Kathleen Bryant
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4 Ways To Connect With Nature On Earth Day
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The first Earth Day was observed in the U.S. on April 22, 1970. Today, more than four decades later, a billion people worldwide mark the day with environmental activism and community events. If you’re looking for a yogic way to observe Earth Day, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Tadasana Festival, a weekend of yoga, music, and consciousness-raising in Santa Monica, CA. No travel plans? Check around for local events like yoga in the park and earth salutations. Or set aside some time to root your home practice in the imagery and energy of Earth:
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