Yoga Sutras
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The Science of Yoga, Part 3: The Five Kleshas
In his translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Swami Satchidananda gives this introduction to the five kleshas: “Sri Patanjali gives the obstacles (kleshas), which will then be explained one by one. The order is significant: because of ignorance of...
Light on the Yamas & Niyamas: Introduction
In this new column, Dale Ann Gray offers reflections on the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras, incorporating insights from classical Nondual Yoga. In this article, she offers an overview on the distinctions between the dualistic philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga and...
The Science of Yoga, Part 2: Kriya Yoga
Patanjali called the things that cause us to suffer kleshas, or obstructions. He named five of them. The first, avidya, is that we do not fully know who we are. Avidya is often translated as ignorance. The ignorance it refers to is that, while we might know a lot...
Raja Yoga Now: The Beginning
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begins with a call that reverberates through the ages: Atha Yoganusasanam: Now the exposition of Yoga is being made. It is an invitation to seekers of truth everywhere, irrespective of place, time or circumstance. It offers a universal...
Right Relationship with Our Bodies
In this episode of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast, our two yogis continue their discussion of aparigraha, the fifth and final yama, with an examination of two of its very subtle aspects: the teaching of not receiving gifts, and of one’s relationship to the physical...
Non-Hoarding
We come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing, so why do we spend so much of our time holding onto things? That’s what we’ll get into in this deep dive into the final yama from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: aparigraha. As George Strait, the famous...
Let’s Talk About Yoga & Sexuality
How do we integrate Sri Patanjali’s teachings about sex/celibacy/continence in today’s world? What does brahmacharya really mean? Swami Asokananda and Rev. Prem (the two yogis of the "Two Old Fogey Yogis" podcast) consider various aspects of this yama (ethical...
Asteya (Non-Stealing) or Getting Everything You Need Without Stealing
Asteya is one of the five yamas, or ethical precepts that are at the foundation of the Yoga system presented by Sri Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutras. Simply put, asteya means to not steal. But, was Patanjali talking about not robbing a bank or more subtle aspects of this...
Ahimsa as a Way of Life
Ahimsa is one of the most fundamental principles from the original scriptures of Yoga and serves as a foundation for the practice of Yoga, on and off the mat. This practice is especially important now since our world desperately needs a grassroots movement to end...
“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”
Continuing their discussion in Episode 12 of the “Two Old Fogey Yogis” podcast, this week, in Ep 13, our two yogis go deeper into the 5 kleshas (obstacles) focusing on raga (desire) and abhinivesha (fear of death). Hear what they conclude about these specific kleshas...