Is Yoga Good for Weight Loss?
Is Yoga Good for Weight Loss? Whether its for reasons of image or health, I’m often asked whether yoga can help you loose weight. My answer is “yes and no”. I’ll start with the ‘no’…. There are plenty of high intensity,’boot camp’ style exercise options that will help you burn calories more quickly than yoga. Even the […]
This Too Shall Pass
Contemplating the nature of impermanence. I have had several occasions this year to contemplate one of the central themes of yoga and of Buddhism – the idea of impermanence. That all things and all states of being, be they positive or negative, are temporary. While the adage ‘This too shall pass’ seems to have originated […]
Yoga Nidra ‘The Sleep of the Yogi’
Yoga Nidra At the simplest level there are 3 keys to good health: 1) good diet, 2) exercise, and 3) sleep. During sleep our body goes in to a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. However, sleep is far more than a state of energy conservation and […]
Meditation
What is Meditation? The fundamental purpose of yoga is “moksha” or liberation. This can only be achieved when we have learned to manage the mind. The Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali are the foundational text of yoga, believed to have been written around 2,000 years ago. The second sutra defines yoga – it states “yoga citta vritta nirodha”. […]
Pranayama (Yogic Breathing)
Pranayama Breath is the principle vehicle for cultivating prana – universal life energy. Pranayama, the practice of conscious breathing, is one of the most important aspects of Hatha yoga. The ancient yogi’s developed this practice because they knew what modern science has confirmed – that the cells of our body need oxygen. And once the […]
What is Yoga Asana?
Yoga Asana The ultimate goal of yoga is moksha (liberation). The word yoga comes from the sanskrit word ‘yuj’ that is said to mean union. Often described in this way: “Union of body and mind; breath and movement; ease and effort; and ultimately, union of the individual self with the divine self.” Hatha yoga regards […]
Yoga for Managing Stress
Most of us understand intuitively that prolonged stress is not good, but do you know that stress actually manifests itself on a physical level? Each time we find ourselves under pressure the hypothalamus stimulates the release of stress hormones including adrenalin and cortisol. Many studies have shown the ongoing activation of our stress-response system disrupts […]
About Karma Yoga
The Four Paths of Yoga Raja Yoga The different types of yoga practiced in the west are mostly based on/derived from Hatha Yoga, which is itself based on a path of yoga known as Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga (the ‘royal’/classical yoga) is the science of physical and mental control. It prescribes the use of asana […]
Mantra Meditation
Mantra The literal translation of the Sanskrit word ‘mantra’ is ‘instrument of the mind’ or ‘instrument of thought’. Mantras are used in yoga and in mediation to anchor the wandering mind. The repetition of a mantra (known as performing ‘japa’) helps pull wayward thoughts back to the present moment. According to tradition there are 70 […]
Honouring Indra Devi – The Mother of Western Yoga
Sitting on the cool black marble staircase of the Panmana Ashram towards the end of my teaching course, I began to contemplate establishing a teaching practice back in my home town of Adelaide. My thoughts wandered from the practical, such as where I could teach, to the philosophical, such as how I could integrate the […]
