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Meditation

Using the Sensory Practice to Move Inward

A Guided Meditation Led by Melissa Goodwin Melissa fell in love with yoga at the age of 10, when she and her mother attended a community yoga class. She is grateful to have found her long-time teachers, Tias and Surya Little, when she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in...

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Mindfulness Meditation

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. ~ Viktor E. Frankl Many of us live our lives as if on autopilot, constantly being destabilized and reacting to what we...

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The Fifth Limb of Yoga: Pratyahara

Pratyahara is, simply put, the withdrawal of the senses, or “to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses,” according to T.K.V. Desikachar, the son of the man responsible for bringing yoga to the West,...

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Yoga for Dispatchers

By Kimberley Heffley: 2019 TYS Teacher Training Graduate and 15 year 9-1-1 Veteran with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Department As a group, dispatchers sit. A lot. Upwards of 12 hours for some. Some dispatch centers have consoles that allow you to stand but we are...

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The Gayatri Mantra

by Gwen Burdick Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah Tat savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat   Translation:  With loving reverence we bow to the inner Light, the supreme wisdom in all the world.  May this Divine Light guide and illuminate our...

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The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

by Gwen Burdick Om Triyambakam yajamahe Sugandhim pushti vardhanam Urvarukamiva bandhanan Mrityor mukshiya mamritat Translation:   I meditate on, and surrender myself to, the Divine Being who embodies the power of will, the power of knowledge and the power of action. ...

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Yoga and Meditation

by Jennifer French People often wonder what the difference between yoga and meditation is, believing that they are two separate practices. In truth, yoga has a long tradition that is thousands of years old and, originally, its main purpose in practice was to hone and...

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Meditation and Restorative Yoga

Complementary Practices to Promote Relaxation and Healing by Melissa Goodwin Students often ask, “What is the difference between meditation and restorative yoga?” This is a great question, because we tend to think of both in terms of the same set of desired results:...

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A Practice for Cultivating Metta—Lovingkindness

In the Buddhist tradition, the practice of metta, or loving kindness, plays an important role. The ability to view other people and beings with benevolence is a strong value of this belief system. But in a world with so much violence, so many differing opinions, so...

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The Healing Sound of Silence

Silent meditation, which you can experience in our weekly meditation class, is a way to quiet the mind and open the heart to the possibilities of the moment. Silence is a powerful tool that helps us turn inward and listen to the quieter voice that comes with insight....

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Chanting Om—Why We Do It

If you have been to a yoga class, chances are you have been invited to chant ‘om.’ Whether at the beginning of class as a way to set the space or at the end of class to close the practice, chanting om is a wonderful way to tune back into the present moment and connect...

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Meditation 101

Meditation is a practice that brings about a state of mind in which the present moment is fully experienced. It can sound esoteric and even elusive, but meditation is actually very practical. Meditation helps to calm the incessant stream of thoughts flowing through...

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In all Earnestness: Yoga Sutra 1.14

In all Earnestness: Yoga Sutra 1.14

By Jennifer French In the Yoga Sutras, one of yoga’s most sacred and oft referenced texts, Patanjali tells us that our “practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break, and in all earnestness.*” When I think on firmly grounded,  I...

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The Power of OM

If you have practiced yoga for any length of time, you are likely familiar with the sound of OM. Often chanted at the beginning and/or end of class, OM is a seed mantra, or a one-syllable chant. Possibly the quintessential Sanskrit mantra due to its vibrational nature...

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