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”
Tag Archives: yoga
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”
Love and light, between the heart and the crown
From the heart there radiate a hundred And one vital tracks. One of them rises To the crown of the head. This way leads To immortality, the others to death Kathe Upanishad [3.16] (1) This moonth I am working on the throat chakra. It is connected to the heart below and the ajna chakras above.Continue reading “Love and light, between the heart and the crown”
The Chakra of Truth
The fifth chakra is about truth, communication, discernment, judgement and detoxification. Its Sanskrit name Vishuddha means purification (1). The element associated with this chakra is sound, which makes sense given that its locaton, at the throat, is home to the vocal chords from which we talk, sing and speak our truth. The fourth chakra isContinue reading “The Chakra of Truth”
namaste 2024
Finding Your Voice
The third and final moon focussing on the heart chakra really emphasises the need for self care and taking your yoga practice at a pace that suits where you are at this moment. It is no use performing peacock if you end up in tears. With the winter solsitce last Thursday/Friday your energy may beContinue reading “Finding Your Voice”
Sarasvati Flow 