Muladhara: The Root of it All

Let's talk the chakras. First, let's get grounded in the truth of the matter. The chakra system that has taken hold in the West is probably familiar to you: seven "wheels" of energy aligned along the column of the body (actually, six plus the crown perched atop the head) colored according to the rainbow. There's …

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Fiery Breathing

If you've been attending yoga classes for a while, you may have been exposed to several types of pranayama, or breathing exercises. With the sanskrit names and the various translations, it might be hard to keep some of them straight. Throw in the fact that even some yoga teachers use the various titles interchangeably, and the …

Abide: Yoga Sutra 1.3

Tada drastuh svarupe avasthanam Tada = "then", drastuh = "the Seer", svarupe = in one's own nature/form (sva--in one's own, rupe--form/nature) avasthanam = "abides/resides" "Then the seer [Self] abides in its own true nature" Aaaand... we get to our first verb: abides. [Who can hear the word "abide" and not think of the Big Lebowski? Anyone? Dating myself here?] With "abide", …

Yoga Sutras: 1

NOW... The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali start with a simple word: Atha. It's a Sanskrit work meaning "now", and if you read my previous post, you might have noticed the attention to the present moment. Okay, back it up. Yoga Sutras? Formerly known as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, they come from across the centuries like yogic …