In my many years of practising yoga at home on a daily basis, I’ve always endeavoured to have a “balanced practice”, but over the years my ideas about what constitutes a “balanced practice” have evolved…
Tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah Enthusiasm, inquiry and surrender are necessary to thread the path of yoga (The yoga sutras of Patanjali, II-1) In this first aphorism of the Saddhana Pada, the second chapter of his…
In Buddhism, the five hindrances are temporary mental states that impede practice. They can be regarded as obstacles to mindfulness in daily life as well, clouding our Judgement and hindering our ability to respond appropriately…
In yoga, Dana is mentioned as one of the ten niyamas in the Yoga Yajnavalkya (and in subsequent classics, such as the Hatha yoga pradipika, who borrowed from it). The practice of Dana also has…
Passing through Dublin last weekend, I was left with enough spare time to book myself for my first Bikram yoga class, something that I had meant to do for a while as I was keen…
Bandhas in Pranayama All classic Yoga texts insist that Pranayama practice cannot be done properly without using Bandhas. The Yoga Rahasya of Sri Natamuni for example repetitively warns us: If a person doesn’t fully understand…