Last moonth, I was focussing purely on the first chakra. After a warm up of pawanmuktasana around the feet and legs, foot massage and basic poses, I moved into more demanding stretches and dynamic sun salutations. In the standing postures I began to notice how energy moves around the body in Spirals. I have alwaysContinue reading “The Double Helix Reveals Itself”
Category Archives: Yogi life
Know Thyself, a poem
All Are One
7 – 1 The final in a series of fourteen practices, this moonth’s routine is all about activating sushumna nadi – from the tips of the toes to the crown of the head. Reclining hero and tiptoe fish help overcome fear of opening up your aura to the world… A few days ago, I wasContinue reading “All Are One”
The Seventh Chakra and Karma Yoga
Unlike the popular use of the term Karma, which means ‘what goes around come around’, Karma yoga strictly means yoga in action. The world karma derives from the root Kr in Sanskrit meaning ‘to act’, ‘to perform’, ‘to sacrifice’. Another Sanskrit word that I use in a similar context to karma is seva, which meansContinue reading “The Seventh Chakra and Karma Yoga”
Universal Consciousness and Bliss
The Yoga Upanishads describe five sheats, or five bodies: annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, jnanamaya, and anandamaya. These equate to the food body, the energy body, the mind body, the wisdom body and the bliss body. Just like the chakras, the koshas (Sanskrit for sheath/body) are on a spectrum of subtlety. The lower the body (the earlierContinue reading “Universal Consciousness and Bliss”
Om and Om
April has raced by and I am bringing this blog to you rather late in the day. As we spend our final moonth on the sixth chakra and start to focus on the seventh, we begin to approach the sea of universal consciousness and bliss The primordial sound, Om, is a bridge between the worldContinue reading “Om and Om”
What Do You See?
Two birds of beautiful plumage, comrades Inseparable, live on the selfsame tree. One bird eats the fruit of pleasure and pain; The other looks on without eating. Shvetashvatara Upanishad IV.6 The ajna chakra is another name for the third eye. Its powers of introspection can be awakened through meditation and asana. Ajna chakra is atContinue reading “What Do You See?”
The Arrow of Devotion
Take the great bow of the sacred scriptures, Place on it the arrow of devotion; Then draw the bowstring of meditation And aim at the target, the Lord[/Lady] of Love. The mantram is the bow, the aspirant Is the arrow, and the Lord[/Lady] the target. Now draw the bowstring of meditation, And hitting the targetContinue reading “The Arrow of Devotion”
Sat-chit-ananda: Finding Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss in Gandha Bherundasana
The peak pose of this moonth’s routine is the advanced pose Gandha Bherundasana. It relies on core strength to enter and exit the pose, and is challenging even using the wall as support. The weight of the body is on the chest and chin with legs in a locust variation. The pose is a throatContinue reading “Sat-chit-ananda: Finding Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss in Gandha Bherundasana”
Two Keys of Awareness: Proprioception and Interoception
Two essential concepts in the yoga world: proprioception and interoception. Both terms relate to a process of turning inward. Proprioception means awareness of the physical body, as it moves through space. Interoception means having awareness of the spiritual, or mind, body. Both in proprioception and interoception, rather than looking at our body we sense it.Continue reading “Two Keys of Awareness: Proprioception and Interoception”
Sarasvati Flow 