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...
Dhyana builds on the previous limb, dharana (one-pointed concentration). Dhyana is meditation. Think of dhyana as the maintenance of dharana for longer periods of time. When the mind is focused on one object, or activity, without interruption, this is dhyana. Says...
Dharana is the state of one-pointed concentration, when the mind is able to continuously focus on one object without distraction. The limbs leading up to dharana serve to build up to it: asana builds strength, making the body more comfortable; pranayama helps to build...
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, Krishnamacharya. Desikachar goes on to say that, “The...
by Gwen Burdick The dualistic theory of creation or causation is called Sankhya Philosophy and it appears in texts as ancient as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Its founder was the sage Kapila who is considered by scholars to be older than Buddha. It is also the...