Saucha translates to purity or purification. The idea of saucha is to be pure in thought, word, and deed (though I include body also). What does it mean to be pure? In essence, to be pure means to be authentically ourselves without the influence of any human or environmental factors. But, you may ask, how
The more you own, the more you feel responsible for. It takes energy to store, clean, and care for whatever you possess. When we let go of that which we don’t really need, more energy is reserved for what is most important to us.
In essence brahmacharya requires us to abstain from acts that lessen our prana (life energy / zeal for life). When we find ourselves shackled to desire without exercising conscious control over what we allow into our lives, we become prisoners to life rather than creators of it.
When we think of stealing, we often think about the very clear act of taking something that does not belong to you. Things like robbing a store, taking something from someone who hasn’t given us permission, or embezzling may jump out at you. However, the yogic yama of asteya speaks much more deeply than this. Not only is it possible to steal in a material sense, but it is also possible to steal in a nonphysical one.
Truthfulness… how many of us can say that we are 100% honest all of the time? This is what the yama of satya aka truthfulness asks of us. Again, just as with ahimsa, we must first learn how to be honest with ourselves… to look at our current reality and the actions that have led
Now that I’ve covered the basic premise of yoga, we’ll lead into the 8-fold path carved out by Patanjali within the yoga sutras. They are as follows and future writings during yoga month will cover each concept in a bit more depth: Prior to ever setting foot on a mat, traditional yogis spend years familiarizing
When we chant OM, it signifies the cycle of all life on this planet and in the universe… birth, life, death. It is a celebration of all that is and invokes vibration within one’s being as it is being chanted.
Patanjali cites several methods by which to realize (make real – internalize – fully understand who you are) the big “I” (or the energy that has the power to create worlds)…
The primary sutra of yoga centers around, “Yogaś citta ṿṛitti nirodhaḥ,” which means the restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga. In essence, it’s the ability to still unwarranted thoughts or stories.
Yoga is NOT JUST A WORKOUT! I feel it is a travesty that the West often portrays it this way when marketing. It is so much more. It is a resource for introspection that allows you to discover who you truly are and treat yourself accordingly. It is about yoking all facets of your being together so that there is no division…
“I’m trying my best!” I say to myself for the 10th time today. My child never stops making noise. I’m trying to work, not make her feel ignored, straighten up the house, make lunch, etc. and I am overwhelmed. I’m overstimulated. I’m an introvert and my energy is derived from time alone. My daughter never
The thing about this particular hike is it requires commitment, once you are up there aren’t a lot of options. No matter how much pain you feel or how tired you are, you need to keep going unless you are prepared to camp overnight in the woods. My fiance and I never prepare for that so it’s just a matter of pressing on to get up and over the 3 peaks and back down. As one of my favorite yoga teachers always says, “the only way out is through.”
I just have to stoke the flames of purpose and surround myself with others who can do so when I lose sight of the fire and start allowing it to dim. We all need a team of people around us who care enough to throw some proverbial wood on our fire when they see our flames getting low.
I’ve never liked being told what to do. Perhaps that is why I have such disdain for government these days. I think I’ve always been this way, but as I live through such ineffective leadership, it’s surfacing within me more and more. After reading an article on Associated Press (Millions of kids told full return
Humility is not asking you to be less than who you were created to be to make others feel better about themselves. It is not asking you to stay in a victim mentality or play small. It is simply asking you to accept yourself for who you are and not think yourself greater than what you are.
If we look, we can see how our actions impact not only our fellow humans, but all life forms from plants to animals. Often, we are abusing the very same resources that are meant to sustain us. When we refuse to use these resources in a responsible manner, we ultimately destroy them, and we ultimately suffer the consequences. Lack of regard for life around us is actually a form of self-hate and I wish more people lived with an understanding of this.
A poem about an entanglement with poison ivy and what it taught me.
It was as though the moment I had her, my life’s training wheels came off and it became “go time.” Suddenly the pressure hit and it was about more than just me. There were bigger consequences to losing my balance in life… a whole separate life depended on my ability to balance and ride smoothly. Little eyes peering out from the basket of the handlebars just watching my every move… my facial expressions… my speech… my ability to cope with each challenge life hands me.
I can see how tyrants turn into tyrants. They were probably trapped in situations where nobody heard them… nobody listened… nobody respected and so they became loud… they demanded to be heard… and they took respect! The pendulum swung powerfully and quickly in the other direction and the meek became the tyrant.
It’s peculiar, yet it’s a sign of the times No fireworks fly Can’t celebrate the false independence When black men are being killed without recompense Slavery still exists though not in clear sight People like Epstein with their filthy deeds under cover of night Or is it a cover of money and wealth… That keeps
A poem about the darker side of parenting and the trauma it resurrects for healing.
Desire… the path to hell paved with the red hot internal fire Wanting, yearning, needing, lusting, is like walking tight wire One wrong move and you come crashing down Fantasy makes you believe you won’t drown Just have fun and enjoy, no consequences today Let yourself be free and come play Until you get caught
Trying and trying, but it just isn’t good enough Despite all of the sanding and attempting to smooth Inside I’m still quite rough Rough around the edges despite all of my effort To try and be a good mom Her personality annoys me It might just destroy me Sending me into a spiral of harm
As I was editing the site, an idea struck me that I just had to write about. Peace comes when we accept we are just a piece. How simple, yet profound is that idea? When we treat ourselves as though we should be doing everything that everyone else is doing, we suffer. When we treat
Peace comes when we remember we are just a piece of the puzzle, not the whole thing It comes when we finally take off the muzzle, and let ourselves sing When we allow ourselves to be, just as we are Only then do we see that we can really go far Humility in serving, in
Passion is a double edged sword. Passion fuels you with desire to move forward in endeavors, yet it can also cause you to be crushed when they don’t go as you would have hoped. Living a wholehearted life requires that we allow these fluctuations and accept them as part of our experience.
Mom minds are interesting in that we have this script that runs in our head that goes something like, “These other mom’s are making arts and crafts with their kids, baking, singing songs, playing games, etc. and my kid’s over here watching way too much tv and eating snacks while I plug away at my computer in the name of earning a living. I’m a failure!”
This begs the question, “Am I creating the world that I wish to see? Am I creating a better world for my daughter to grow up in?” While I like to think of myself as a “good” person, I am not doing everything I am capable of to ensure that she grows up in the world that I believe could be with just a little more effort on each of our parts. How much more effort would it really be for me to pick up some trash that others seem to have carelessly tossed?
As the world shifts and things change moment by moment, I can’t help but wonder what will change as a result of this covid-19 quarantine. I am not an economics major, but I can’t help but ponder how we’ll be feeling the effects of this shutdown when things resume. We know that many people are