New to Yoga
Practices
Yoga in Your Daily Life
Yoga Beyond Asana
Sister Sciences »
Our Sangha »
The doshas are the three mind-body constitutions. According to Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old sister science to yoga, there are five elements that make up everything in the universe: earth, water, air, fire, and space (or ether). These elements, in different combinations, make up each of the three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
Hatha Yoga is the branch of physical yoga. The practice of Hatha Yoga brings about steady posture, health, and lightness of the body, dealing with the physical aspects of the body. Hatha Yoga is the most familiar yoga practice in the West. It is described in the...
Tantra yoga involves the philosophy that explains the creation and existence of the universe and everything in it. While many mistakenly believe that Tantra yoga is the practice of sexual acts in a spiritual manner, Tantra yoga actually involves “a deeper...
Raja Yoga is the royal branch of yoga. It is rooted in meditation, but encompasses all forms of yoga. Also known as Ashtanga Yoga, or the eight limbs of yoga, Raja yoga is a comprehensive practice with an aim of transcending the thoughts of the mind. Raja Yoga is the...
Bhakti Yoga is the branch of devotion. It integrates a spiritual aspect to yoga. That spirituality can take the form of religion or a connection to God, nature, love, or a higher power. At its essence, Bhakti Yoga helps us to realize our connection to all that...
Karma Yoga is the branch of action and selfless service. Karma yoga involves doing, working, and giving of our time without the expectation of anything in return. The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes this form of yoga by saying, “Work alone is your privilege, never the fruits...
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...
Jnana Yoga is the branch of knowledge, wisdom, introspection, and contemplation. The study of classical texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabrata, Ramayana, the Vedas, and the Upanishads form the basis of Jnana Yoga. It is important to understand, however, that...
For the majority of Westerners, yoga begins with the physical asana (posture) and pranayama (breathing) practice. For this reason, in the West yoga has come to be loosely defined as primarily a physical practice. But the reality is,...
The yoga practice is designed to promote a feeling of calm, peace, and equanimity. The movements are fluid and synched to the breath. The mind finds relative ease and less distraction. The atmosphere is usually relaxing. While the environment in which we practice yoga...
This New Year, instead of resolutions (which are bound to fail, at least most of them), try to set intentions. Setting an intention is less guilt-ridden, paving the way to long-term success. The Yamas and Niyamas offer a nice guideline to help inspire your intentions...
As we continue to explore the yogic precepts for living, we turn our focus this month to the fifth and final Niyama: Isvarapranidhana. “…if we concentrate more on the quality of our steps along the way than on the goal itself, then we also avoid being disappointed if...
“Study, when it is developed to the highest degree, brings one close to higher forces that promote understanding of the most complex.” – The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, Sutra II.44
“By austerity, impurities of body and senses are destroyed and occult powers gained.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.43
“By contentment, the highest happiness is attained.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.42
“When cleanliness is developed it reveals what needs to be constantly maintained and what is eternally clean. What decays is the external. What does not is deep within us.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.40
“When non-greed is confirmed, a thorough illumination of the how and why of one’s birth comes.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.39
“By one established in continence, vigor is gained.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.38
“To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.37
“To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient.” – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.36