Former yoga teacher in Wellington New Zealand
I’ve decided to step back from teaching and writing about yoga. Letting go of teaching is about making time for reflection. I will miss you all and I encourage you to think about your own journey of aparigraha and svadhyaya, or letting go so that you have space to reflect.
Pranayama refers to practices or techniques to moderate, change or influence how we breath. It can involve changing the pace, quantity and method of breathing. Scientific research has shown many benefits while historic yoga texts outline pranayama as one of the practices leading to mind-body connection and connection with the greater consciousness.
The eight-fold path in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras sets out 8 aspects practicing yoga which include the asanas (the physical poses) and much more.
Śavāsana is a yoga asana, a physical pose that involves lying on the floor relaxing. But what is the purpose of the pose? Is it just about relaxing or something more?
Compassion is more than kindness. It is about recognising and wanting to alleviate the suffering of others. Yoga offers ways to practice and incorporate compassion into our lives and research shows that practicing compassion can improve our health and wellness.
A brief introduction to aparigraha – one of the five yamas (one of the 8 limbs of yoga from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, yamas are often described as ethical or moral rules or guidance). Aparigraha is often translated as non-possessiveness, non-hoarding, non-holding or non-clinging.