The Science Behind Yoga
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If you are at all curious about the science behind yoga, I highly recommend reading Azriel ReShel article summarizing the scientific research informing the film, The Science Behind Yoga...
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Sublime Partner Yoga
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A sublime combination of yoga and dance with Philliip Askew and Lydia Walker entitled: Variations on Surya Namaskara. Music by Jonah Rank.
Read MoreThe Altar of This Moment
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The Altar of This Moment
Place everything you can perceive--
Everything you can
See,
Hear,
Smell,
Taste,
Or touch,
Upon the altar of this moment
And give thanks...
Chronic Ecstasy: Are You Addicted to Meditation?
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Recently, a friend published this quote on FB: "Chronic ecstasy is a learnable skill."
Chronic. Ecstasy. A strange juxtaposition. Chronic, often associated with a less healthy form of constancy—as in chronic pain. Andecstasy, often associated with a less healthy form of drug-induced high—as in rave culture drug of choice.
My initial response was one of both affirmation and caution. Yes, chronic ecstasy is indeed a learnable, even valuable, skill, and yet, chronic ecstasy without discerning engagement is simply self-indulgent escapism...
Read MoreGâyatrî Mantra: the Mantra of Spiritual Light
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Considered to be one of the most profound mantras in the world, the Gayatri Mantra, or loosely translated, the Mantra of Spiritual Light, is one of humanity's oldest prayers originating in the Rig Veda and dating back to at least 1500 BCE. It has been and continues to be chanted by generations of people who aspire to awaken the divine wisdom in and for all beings. In the words of Sri Aurobindo...
Read MoreYoga as Meditation
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The simple truth is that we are all embodied, enlightened beings. Realizing this simple truth liberates us from a world of suffering. However, realizing this amidst perpetual distractions and coming attractions of daily life is often a bit more complicated.
Fortunately, some of the embodied, enlightened beings who realized this before us, in their infinite wisdom and compassion, composed the ultimate guide to liberating Self-realization: yoga.
Believe it or not, for thousands of years, long before modern-day mat-work was even a twinkle in a guru's third eye, yoga was (and practiced as intended, still is) the ultimate meditation practice. In fact, one of the most challenging aspects of teaching yoga today for educated teachers is the widely-held misconception that yoga is merely asana. While the ubiquitous, body-bending asana practice is indeed yoga, it is only a fraction of the much richer, mind-bending practice of yoga that includes ethics (yamas and niyamas), postures (asanas), breathwork (pranayama), sensory regulation (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), and meditation (dhyana and samadhi).
The widespread misappropriation...
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