Saucha: purity, living purely, "that and nothing else"
Saucha involves making choices about what you want and don't want in your life
"When we read books that elevate our consciousness, see movies that inspire, and associate with gentle people, we are feeding the mind in a way that nourishes our own peacefulness", Donna Farhi, from Yoga Mind, Body, and Spirit
Maintaining a cleanliness in mind, body, and environment that helps us experience life in a more direct way
Healthy food
Clean living space
Associate w gentle people
Inspiring books/ movies
Simplicity
Emotional lightness
Uncluttered mind
Uncluttered schedule
Simplify your days/ weeks
Do less in order to experience what you do more directly
Notice how you feel after eating a simple, healthful meal
Notice how you feel when your living space is clean and uncluttered
Notice how you look at life differently when your mind is more clear
Open some space on your calendar to allow for spontaneity and ease
Open some space in your calendar to allow for contemplation, meditation
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Aparigraha- non-grasping
This yama is related to our ability to change and accept change. Our ability to let things go.
Aparigraha is related to our ability to age gracefully.
What does it feel like give away some of your things to a neighbor who would enjoy them?
Can we let go of fixed attitudes and opinions? Can we let go of our ideas about right and wrong? Life is change, life is fluid. Nothing stays the same.
Let your yoga practice be different each time.
Think bigger. See the bigger picture. There is always more to everything than we can see on the surface.
This yama is related to our ability to change and accept change. Our ability to let things go.
Aparigraha is related to our ability to age gracefully.
What does it feel like give away some of your things to a neighbor who would enjoy them?
Can we let go of fixed attitudes and opinions? Can we let go of our ideas about right and wrong? Life is change, life is fluid. Nothing stays the same.
Let your yoga practice be different each time.
Think bigger. See the bigger picture. There is always more to everything than we can see on the surface.
Brahmacharya- balancing our vital energies
Cultivate balance in your life
Do you spend too much time in front of the computer and not enough time outside?
Do you spend so much time working that you don't have time to eat healthfully?
Do you exercise so much that you are not spending good time with your family?
Do you waste your energy on things that are ultimately not important or not healthy?
Cultivate balance in your life
Do you spend too much time in front of the computer and not enough time outside?
Do you spend so much time working that you don't have time to eat healthfully?
Do you exercise so much that you are not spending good time with your family?
Do you waste your energy on things that are ultimately not important or not healthy?
Monday, October 1, 2012
Asteya- not stealing, generosity
Giving instead of taking
Abundance rather than lacking
Asteya is related to the common feeling of lack. I am not good enough, I have not done enough, I don't have enough. Can we instead cultivate a feeling of abundance? We can ask ourselves, "How is this feeling of lack getting in the way of appreciating what I do have?"
Let your low/mid back be wide and soft. Isometrically draw your legs up into your pelvis. Don't steal from your back body to have a bigger pose in your front body; keep your back full.
"Be content with what you have.
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you."
- Tao Te Ching #44 (Stephen Mitchell translation)
Giving instead of taking
Abundance rather than lacking
Asteya is related to the common feeling of lack. I am not good enough, I have not done enough, I don't have enough. Can we instead cultivate a feeling of abundance? We can ask ourselves, "How is this feeling of lack getting in the way of appreciating what I do have?"
Let your low/mid back be wide and soft. Isometrically draw your legs up into your pelvis. Don't steal from your back body to have a bigger pose in your front body; keep your back full.
"Be content with what you have.
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you."
- Tao Te Ching #44 (Stephen Mitchell translation)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Satya- truthfullness
"Can you feel truth as a physical reaction to the energy that is present, long before the mind has captured the words? Tears may fall spontaneously as your heart unfolds, ready to receive. With energy and words that dim truth, do you experience a tightening in the body that releases a wash of fear and anxiety? The heart rests when it is in Satya." - Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga, p.184
Notice how you exaggerate, embellish, or even just change the truth slightly when you speak. The Buddha said enlightenment is freedom from residues. We can think of residue as what is left behind when our speech is not truthful. We worry about what we said, we wonder if our speech caused harm, we wonder if our lie will come back to bite us. If we say what we believe to be true and keep it at that, we are cultivating harmony in our life.
"Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?" -Sufi saying
"Most people will not remember what you said or what you did. But they will remember how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
Notice the truthfulness of your own thoughts. Do you self-denigrate or self-aggrandize? Do you follow story lines that are not true, therefore creating problems for yourself and others?
"Can you feel truth as a physical reaction to the energy that is present, long before the mind has captured the words? Tears may fall spontaneously as your heart unfolds, ready to receive. With energy and words that dim truth, do you experience a tightening in the body that releases a wash of fear and anxiety? The heart rests when it is in Satya." - Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga, p.184
Notice how you exaggerate, embellish, or even just change the truth slightly when you speak. The Buddha said enlightenment is freedom from residues. We can think of residue as what is left behind when our speech is not truthful. We worry about what we said, we wonder if our speech caused harm, we wonder if our lie will come back to bite us. If we say what we believe to be true and keep it at that, we are cultivating harmony in our life.
"Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?" -Sufi saying
"Most people will not remember what you said or what you did. But they will remember how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
Notice the truthfulness of your own thoughts. Do you self-denigrate or self-aggrandize? Do you follow story lines that are not true, therefore creating problems for yourself and others?
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Ahimsa- compassion toward all beings
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
Then you can care for all things.
- Tao te Ching #13
Treat yourself as you would treat a friend
Notice your internal dialogue. Do you say things about yourself you would never say about a friend?
Treat the world as if it is living and breathing. Treat the world with a knowledge of interconnection; harming something else harms you.
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
Then you can care for all things.
- Tao te Ching #13
Treat yourself as you would treat a friend
Notice your internal dialogue. Do you say things about yourself you would never say about a friend?
Treat the world as if it is living and breathing. Treat the world with a knowledge of interconnection; harming something else harms you.
Yamas and Niyamas
10 ethical precepts that allow us to be at peace w ourselves, our families, and our communities
Are we moving toward greater kindness, patience, or tolerance toward others?
Are we able to remain calm and centered, even when others around us become agitated or angry?
How we speak, how we treat others, and how we live are [more] subjective qualities and attributes we need to learn to recognize in ourselves as a testament to our own progress and as gauges of authenticity in our potential teachers.
Am I becoming the kind of person I would like to have as a friend?
From Yoga Mind, Body, and Spirit by Donna Farhi
10 ethical precepts that allow us to be at peace w ourselves, our families, and our communities
Are we moving toward greater kindness, patience, or tolerance toward others?
Are we able to remain calm and centered, even when others around us become agitated or angry?
How we speak, how we treat others, and how we live are [more] subjective qualities and attributes we need to learn to recognize in ourselves as a testament to our own progress and as gauges of authenticity in our potential teachers.
Am I becoming the kind of person I would like to have as a friend?
From Yoga Mind, Body, and Spirit by Donna Farhi
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