Can the Yoga Sutras Bestow Power?
Observing how Yoga has changed the world, I cannot help but wonder how the world has changed Yoga. As the plethora of Yoga studios and communities formed, they focused mainly on serving the physical body. The calling was great; strengthen and balance the body—that is...A Nondual Approach to the Niyamas
Retaining what we’ve learned about the yamas, we now train our attention on the niyamas which occur in sutra 2.32. When prefixed to a noun “ni” can be a negation. It also means “down, back, in, into, within.” Thus, niyama is traditionally rendered “observances”...Light on the Yamas & Niyamas: Aparigraha, More than Non-Stealing
We’ve come to the final yama (in the five yamas of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali) and the last occurrence of Patanjali’s “via negativa” approach. Aparigraha, commonly referred to as “non-grasping,” is composed of graha (seizing) with two prefixes attached: a (not) and...Light on the Yamas and Niyamas—Brahmacharya, More than Celibacy
There’s no doubt that Patanjali intended brahmacarya (brahmacharya) to mean “celibacy.” He wrote for and to young men who were monks in training. Let’s break the word down just a bit. Brahma means God, specifically the God of creation. And it also is a shortened form...Light on the Yamas and Niyamas—Asteya: More Than “Not Doing”
In this column, Dale Ann Gray offers reflections on the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras, incorporating insights from classical Nondual Yoga. With the yama of asteya, we arrive at Patanjali’s second use of a negative prefix in the yamas. The definition indicates...Support the Magazine
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The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita: a Commentary for Modern Readers by Sri Swami Satchidananda Get this and other ebooks by H. H. Sri Swami Satchidananda.