All classic Yoga texts insist that Pranayama practice cannot be done properly without using Bandhas. The Yoga Rahasya of Sri Natamuni for example repetitively warns us: If a person doesn’t fully understand the subtle aspects of the three Bandhas, the benefits of Pranayama cannot fully
I recently came across a study (well two actually) by a team of scientists from the University of Louvain in Belgium, who had been investigating the relationship between emotional feelings and respiration. A subject which, as a keen pranayama practitioner, I find particularly interesting. In
The great Taoist philosopher Tchang Zu tells us that True man breathes with his heels, while the mass of men breathe with their throats. Never mind the heels, you’re probably doing OK if you manage to take breath awareness as far down as your perineum,
A short introduction to Swara yoga Ida nadi Pingala nadi Left nostril (and the whole left side of the body) Right nostril (and the whole right side of the body) Moon Sun Feminine Masculine Yin Yang Right brain Left brain Intuitive Logical Subjective Objective Colors
You may be doing the wrong practice, or doing the practice wrong…. …Or you may just need to be patient. As any experienced practitioner knows, progress in yoga is not linear. Often, we feel stuck in our practice simply because we have reached a plateau,
I owe to my years of training in ashtanga vinyasa the habit to count my breath in asana practice. Viniyasa in, five breaths, vinyasa out, next posture… This habit has one great benefit: it focuses the mind on the breath. In a way, you could
Tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah Enthusiasm, inquiry and surrender are necessary to thread the path of yoga (The yoga sutras of Patanjali, II-1) In this first aphorism of the Saddhana Pada, the second chapter of his classic manual on the practice of Raja yoga, Patanjali lists
Hatha yoga cannot succeed without Raja yoga, nor Raja without hatha. Therefore, practice the two to perfection (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2-76) Finding and maintaining the balance between physical and meditative practices can be challenging at time for anyone on a journey of self development. I realised
In yoga, Dana is mentioned as one of the ten niyamas in the Yoga Yajnavalkya (and in subsequent classics, such as the Hatha yoga pradipika, who borrowed from it). The practice of Dana also has a very important place in the teachings of the Buddha.
In Buddhism, the five hindrances are temporary mental states that impede practice. They can be regarded as obstacles to mindfulness in daily life as well, clouding our Judgement and hindering our ability to respond appropriately to situations. They all rooted in aversion, attachment and ignorance.