And so we reach the last of the Yamas and Niyamas, Isvara Pranidhana.  I’ll be honest, I find this one tricky to articulate.  It is one of the Yamas and Niyamas that I grapple with and yet it is one that speaks to me most often.  Something tells me it holds the key to resting in a quiet peacefulness that I associate with the state of yoga.

Svadhyaya, the fourth Niyama of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, means ‘self-study.’  This process of getting to know your emotional and soul interior is central to the yogi’s path for many reasons.

Tapas literally means to burn.  Within the yoga practice, it often refers to pranayama with an emphasis on heat.  Both on and off the mat, Tapas is that fire within us that makes us come alive.  For many of us, the practice of yoga has cultivated a fire that can’t be tamed.

Don't block the bliss!  Practice Santosha, the nectar of Yoga that draws many practitioners back to the mat over and over again.  Santosha can exist as a physical sensation that is produced within the body and the psyche post practice.  Among other benefits, Santosha resets the nervous system and produces a feeling of calm and contentment with what is.

Saucha means purity or cleanliness. The first of the Niyamas - the internal code of conduct and second limb of Patanjali's Sutras. Are the most important corners of the space that you reside in every day being cleaned and tidied? 

We hold on because we are afraid of change, we prefer our comfort zone. We like to have control, or think we have control, of how things will be.  Our ego feeds on grasping.  Read on for examples of how to practice non-grasping.

Brahmacharya is the art and practice of “seeing the sacred in the ordinary and the ordinary in the sacred.”  - Deborah Adele

This month’s Yama is all about not stealing from ourselves and others. Asteya is about how we treat ourselves and the people closest to us. It is one of the foundational ethics for how to live a happier life, now!

Truth is often in the eye of the beholder, a gray area that is interpreted by each individual. Discerning what is "true" or "right" is often based upon our history, the story we tell ourselves in our mind and our influencers. Truth exists in a myriad of shades and colors, but only we choose what truth really means. 

We have created this blog for those of you looking to take your yoga beyond the asana practice.  Learn with us as we explore yoga philosophy, starting with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The first limb of the Sutras is called the "Yamas," and the second is called the "Niyamas." We start with the first Yama -- Ahimsa. Join us on this journey!