by Kara-Leah Grant Do we dare, do we dare, do we dare surrender to God? Oh boy - the G-word in yoga. Scary stuff indeed. How on earth does God relate to yoga? Let's start by ditching the word God - although that's what Ishvara refers to, instead we can call it the Grand Ordering Design if we like. It's nothing more than the infinite intelligence throughout the Universe that keeps everything in place - the sun rising, the moon waxing and waning, the tides rising and falling, seeds … [Read more...]
What if yoga is like religion?
by guest author Melissa Billington, from MYOGA For years I’ve seen the fear people have around Yoga, some claiming it’s a cult or a religion and refusing to take part because they would be seen by the upholders of their own religion as hypocritical or blasphemous. Many yoga styles and schools are based in a religion and there is even Christian yoga. While many more styles and schools stick to their claim that yoga is an art, a philosophy, and a science, but not a religion. The word … [Read more...]
Why forgiveness of self is part of the yogic path toward samadhi (bliss)
Years of yoga practice has peeled away layers and layers of behaviours and thought patterns. The veil of avidya (self-ignorance) is lifting, but not without pain and discomfort. It’s this pain and discomfort that sent me fleeing from class so many years ago. It’s this pain and discomfort that has made my practice sporadic and disjointed at times. Bikram in particular used to dig deep inside to this bottomless well of tears that would erupt during class and pour forth without pause until … [Read more...]
What do you see when you look at the world? – The yogic perspective
A month ago I floated this question with my readers because I was curious. I know that what we see when we look at the world says more about us than it says about the world, and I wanted to know; What were my readers seeing? I knew what I was seeing, and as I witness my reactions to the news and current affairs shows, I could gauge whether I was coming from an open-hearted centredness perspective, or a right/wrong ego perspective. More often than not, it was my ego that was engaged. It was … [Read more...]
What is this yoga stuff all about?
Yoga. It's not about twisting yourself into a pretzel - although many who practice yoga can manipulate their bodies in incredible ways. It's not about going to classes and learning how to do this posture, or that breathing technique - although practicing asana and pranayama is part of yoga. It's not about chanting, or meditating every single day no matter what because that's your sadhana - although establishing a sadhana ( a daily spiritual practice) is also a part of yoga. So what is yoga? … [Read more...]