Patanjali’s Yoga system is written in sutras. A sutra is a terse verse. It is an aphoristic saying. It is pregnant with deep, hidden significance. Rishis of yore have expressed philosophical ideas and their realization in the form of sutras only. It is very difficult...
Patanjali once beautifully said, “Dukham evam sarvaam vivekinaha.” For a viveki, a person with discriminative knowledge, everything is painful. When you realize that everything is painful you cease to develop attachments toward those things. In fact, it is to relieve...
Raja Yoga is the king of Yogas. It is concerned directly with the mind. The Yogi sits at ease, watches the mind and silences the bubbling thoughts. The Yogi stills the mind, restrains the thought-waves and enters into the thoughtless state or asamprajnata samadhi....
When the word Yoga is mentioned, most people immediately think of some physical postures for relaxing and limbering up the body. This is one aspect of the Yogic science, but actually only a very small part and relatively recent in development. The physical Yoga, or...
In this article, Integral Yoga master teacher Rev. Jaganath Carrera discusses sutras 1.27 through 1.29 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In these sutras, Sri Patanjali introduces us to the OM mantra and the practice of mantra japa, which he explains is a most effective...
Our whole experience of life is based on the stories we tell ourselves about what occurs. These stories begin with our mind’s interpretation of what it perceives. Swami Vivekananda describes this like an oyster making a pearl. A parasite gets inside the shell, and...
The human body is a temple. Keep it strong and supple. Treat it gently. Never ignore the body, because it's the most important instrument. Whatever you do, you need a body. That's why the ancient Yoga teachings always emphasized taking good care of the body. Babies'...
By Ravi Ravindra, PhD Over a period of 20 years, Dr. Ravindra engaged in conversations with the famed philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. He kept notes of these conversations and later wrote several books about Krishnamurti. As he pondered Patanjali’s teachings, Dr....
Students often ask me if there is one method of meditation that is the best. There is no one particular way of meditation. Meditation is the same process for all of us, no matter what technique we use. It is only the object or idea for meditation which may vary...
The "certainty of freedom" is a striking concept. Although the concept of spiritual freedom expressed through a word such as "liberation" exists in the English language, the actual meaning as we hear it is quite abstract, somehow foreign to the reality of our day to...
From Patanjali's perspective in his Yoga Sutras, there is ultimately one problem in life; not perceiving the difference between the transparent, luminous and reflective quality (guna) of the mind with its perceptual field known as sattva, and my true nature as "I"...
When we talk about integrating Yoga and Buddhism, we must first be clear about what we mean. In the modern world, Yoga is often reduced to asana or its physical side. Buddhism is reduced to meditation, which many Buddhist groups emphasize. Yet Yoga has its meditation...
In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says: “Tapah Svadhyayesvara Pranidhanani Kriyah Yogah.” Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidananda translates this as: “Accepting pain as help for purification, study of spiritual books, and surrender to the Supreme Being constitute Yoga in...
Nischala Devi’s teachings reflect a heart-centered perspective on spirituality and scripture. Her message that we are born divine is never more evident than in her book, The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras. In this...
When the word Yoga is mentioned, most people immediately think of some physical postures for relaxing and limbering up the body. This is one aspect of the Yogic science, but actually only a very small part and relatively recent in development. The physical Yoga, or...
Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedic Studies. This article offers a preview of the Teacher Training program that Dr. Frawley developed based on how the eight limbs of Yoga can be...