by Michelle Hegmon I am high on the East Ridge of Mt. Logan in Canada. I have crampons on my feet, ice tools in my hands, and a pack on my back. I am having fun. We are at the narrow Knife Edge Ridge, which drops thousands of feet on both sides to the glacier below. Everything is snow and …
Ask The Yogi: Relax Like the Dead
Ask The Yogi Savasana by Michele Dante Question: “I find corpse pose to be the hardest for me to practice. My mind races, thoughts come and go, music is in my head, and so I find it very difficult to concentrate on the sensation of the breath and deep realxation. Is there something you can recommend that will help me?” …
Ask The Yogi: OK to Drink Water?
Ask The Yogi: OK to drink Water? Ask The Yogi Q: Is it wrong to drink water while practicing yoga? A: The short answer is no, of course not. If you are truly thirsty… But that is a big “if”. As your practice develops over the years, you most likely will find that you rarely need to drink water during …
Ask The Yogi – Kundalini
Ask The Yogi Kundalini and experiencing ‘the rise of spiritual energy’ Q: What does it mean to be eaten up by the flame in kundalini? I have had shocks of energy at the base of my spine that lead up to and out of my head giving me head aches. What does awaking through all this weird energy mean? Is this …
Ask the Yogi – Creative Visualization
Ask The Yogi Yoga and Creative Visualization Sankalpa and Freedom: Setting a Non-Binding Intention for your Yoga Practice Q: I have heard that setting an intention or Sankalpa in your yoga practice is not good. What is the teaching of yoga and visualization? What if my intention is to love or accept someone? Is there a difference between visualizing …
Yoga’s History
A Brief Overview of Yoga By Jeff Martens Yoga is the ancient practice of Unity with early branches extending into Jainism, Buddhism and the Hindu Tradition. It is one of the oldest traditions on the planet emphasizing Divine unity. The ancient Yogi ascetics initially practiced asana to further their ability to meditate and develop psychic powers as well as to …
“Ultimate Yoga Practice”
Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga by Jeff Martens Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the definitive classical yoga teaching written sometime around 300-250 BC, outlines eight limbs of yoga as a way of life. According to patanjali and many other Masters, we suffer because we have forgotten our Spiritual identity. Yet Yoga is not a religion; it embraces all religions or Spiritual beliefs, …
“The Student, the Master and the Rock”
Practice and Letting Go abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodaha Yoga Sutra 1.12 “Effort and surrender cease the fluctuations of consciousness.” With practice and letting go we achieve the state of yoga… Once there was a seeker who went from master to master searching for the key to enlightenment. Every master he went to appeared to give him something different. The first master …
“The Frog and the Well”
Even Frogs Can Gather Honey by Jeff Martens Once upon a time there was a frog that lived his whole life in a cool, shaded well. One day a beautiful white bird landed at the well, enormous wings folding over legs that were tall and straight. “Who are you?” asked the frog. “I am a crane. I eat pearls at …
Suryanamaskara: Saluting the Sun
by Jeff Martens The physical source of all energy on the earth comes from the sun. Light energy from the sun becomes stored energy in plants, algae and simple organisms which are then consumed by beings further along the food chain. The sun also provides the warmth and light necessary to live our daily lives. In Sanskrit, Surya signifies the Sun from …