In this talk hosted by the Integral Yoga Institute of New Jersey, Integral Yoga master teacher and senior monastic Swami Karunananda explains the benefits of the practice of pranayama (yogic breathing techniques). She also shares the instructions she received from her...
How Pranayama Works
The word pranayama is not a single word but rather a combination of two Sanskrit words: prana and ayama. Prana could be translated as vital energy or the cosmic energy that causes any kind of movement. Even the movement of the electrons around the nucleus within an...
What We Can Learn from a Flower
We can find lessons in everything we do. One of the lessons that I learned as a mechanic, many years ago, is very useful in being able to control the mind. The newer vehicles probably don’t require this anymore, but way back then, a car had to be periodically...
Hatha Yoga: The Sadhana of Kali Yuga and Hatha’s Texts
The sages advised that since, in Kali Yuga, humankind is preoccupied with the body, an important sadhana or spiritual practice for this age is Hatha Yoga—the science of achieving higher consciousness through the disciplines of body and breath. In this article, the...
What Really Happens in Meditation
In the real world, there are all kinds of things you hear about meditation if you listen to people who have busy, active lives as well a thriving meditation practice. When people grab a few minutes to meditate, the impulse toward action continues. There is an...
Hatha Yoga: Pathway To Transcending Our Patterns
We tend to identify with the body-mind because it is concrete, easily experienced and appears to be permanent, thus dependable, giving us a sense of security and control. Yoga teaches us that we are much more and that to center our lives around body-mind will be...
Beyond the Breath
Pranayama, often described as yogic breathing, is one of the most powerful, yet subtle practices in Yoga. Certainly, we use yogic breathing techniques to practice pranayama—but if we mistake these techniques for the intent, we cut ourselves off from the full scope of...
Hatha Teaching of the Month: Sthira Sukham Asanam
In The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II: sutra 46, Sri Patanjali describes asana as having two components: sthira—steady, sukham—comfortable. Swami Satchidananda’s commentary on this sutra tells us that “We need the strength of steel, but with steel’s flexibility.”...
Breath: The Subtle Connection
Often in life, we overlook the value of the simple and familiar: a kind word, a helping hand, a timely smile. Such everyday gestures impart meaning and a sense of connectedness as we wend our way through time and space. Similarly, the breath is our constant companion,...
The Mystic OM
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...
The Breath of Bhakti
Sample from the Summer 2008 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine By Catherine Ghosh Ancient sages inform us that breath is the mirror of our ever flowing emotions. It reflects the way we each perceive and process external stimuli, and how we position our consciousness in...
The Benefits of Hatha Yoga
If you wish to eliminate the toxins that have already found room in the body, then Hatha Yoga can help. The Yoga postures and breathing techniques purify the physical body. Even if you have developed some bad habits, by practicing Hatha Yoga you will lose all the...
The Integral Yoga Approach to Balancing the Emotions
Integral Yoga master teacher Swami Vidyananda’s workshops on Yoga and the emotions explore Integral Yoga techniques that bring greater harmony within oneself and to one’s relationships. These workshops use Hatha Yoga and meditation, as well as sacred imagery,...