Living the 8 Limbs – the first of the Yamas – Ahimsa
“ahimsa pratishthayam tatsamnidhau vairatyagah” “around one who is solidly established in non violence, hostility disappears” Yoga Sutra 2:35 Ahimsa is the first of five specific ethical precepts, in Yoga we call these precepts ‘yamas’. The [...]
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – 1.4
While it can take a lifetime (or 3!) to understand, absorb and integrate the teachings of the Sutras, the core essence can be found in just the first four Sutras. Patanjali lays out the aim [...]
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Having focused on each of the 8 Limbs in previous newsletters, we are now going to delve deeper into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In future newsletters we plan to explore the various translations of [...]
Living the 8 Limbs, the fifth of the niyamas: Isvara Pranidhana – Surrender to God’s will
Before we look at the essence of this, the last of the niyamas, let’s just deal with the ‘God’ word. Yoga does not promote any religion. There is no requirement to believe in God, or [...]
Living the 8 Limbs, the fourth of the niyamas – Svadhyaya, self study
For most of us, Svadhyaya starts on the mat. We begin to study ourselves as we practice asana: our thoughts, our emotions, our reactions, our habits and our intentions. Then we see how this is [...]
Living the 8 Limbs – the third of the niyamas: Tapas
The most common translation of Tapas is ‘self discipline’. For the yogi the heart of this is the self-discipline to practice, ideally every day. We come back to the mat day after day despite what [...]