List/Grid Author Archives: mOre tOpic
Will Yoga Help You Lose Weight?
I suppose it was only a matter of time before the mass marketing about diet and fitness and weight loss caught up with Yoga. After all, Yoga is certainly going through a period of resurgance – not the first, as these things typically move in cycles as does most of the market. Typically though, when you read about Yoga, the…
Yoga is Self Improvement
After five thousand years of written documentation, Yoga may well be the oldest self-improvement system that ever existed. We don’t know what Yoga knowledge may have been lost before man started to record it. In the time period beyond 5,000 years a fair amount of knowledge would have been passed on by word of mouth, and as a result, some…
Om Yoga Meditation: Why Yoga?
The following is an excerpt from the book “Om Yoga: Its Theory and Practice.” Om is the Supreme Brahman. (Svetasvatara Upanishad 1:7) He who utters Om with the intention ‘I shall attain Brahman’ does verily attain Brahman. (Taittiriya Upanishad 1.8.1) The Self is of the nature of the Syllable Om. (Mandukya Upanishad 1.8.12) Meditate on Om as the Self. (Mundaka…
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals ? Part 2
At this point, let’s break down the major components of a typical Hatha Yoga session, and see how each one will enable you to reach your goals. There are nine main styles of Yoga in India, but most of the popular styles, outside of India, are variations of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga classes tend, among other things, to emphasize physical…
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals ? Part 1
Time is valuable and there are a number of successful methods for goal realization. Yoga will cross train your mind and body for maximum potential. Imagine being able to optimize your attitude in one hour, per day, or less. Every day, people attend Yoga classes for physical or mental health, and walk away with the tools, to be masters of…
What is Self Mastery? ? Part 3
The next large component of self-mastery is mental health, and this is much trickier than physical health, due to many pitfalls that affect the mind along the way. The list of reasons why people fall prey to mental illness is so long; it could fill a large book. Anyone can get a mental illness, as it crosses every social and…
What is Self Mastery? – Part 2
To continue with our overview of the physical component of self mastery, it goes without saying that walking is a valuable aerobic exercise – but you have options. You can use a bicycle for nice days, or use indoor aerobic exercise equipment for use on inclement weather days. My personal favorite is the elliptical trainer. Elliptical trainers allow you to…
What is Self Mastery? – Part 1
Self Mastery, alone, sounds like a selfish term; but if you cannot help yourself, you will have limited ability to help others. Self mastery is the ability to make the most out of your physical, mental, and spiritual health. In other words, to be the best you can be. As a result of your efforts, you will be able to…
Confessions of a Yoga Teacher
The following are questions that Yoga teachers still need to answer, despite overwhelming evidence that Yoga is "the mother of all health maintenance systems." Mainstream thought is finally catching up, with the progress Yoga is making, but it has taken 5,000 years for us to get this far. Seriously, How Can Yoga Make You Lose Weight? Finally, some of the…
Pain and Sorrow
Patanjali in his Yogasutra describes that people are afflicted with five kinds of pain. These are – ignorance(avidya), attachment(raga), contempt(dvesha) and fear of death(abhinivesh)(II.3). However ignorance is the ground for the germination of all other pain and so long as ignorance is not rooted out through self-knowledge pain remains in one form or the other. What is ignorance? Patanjali describes…
