“Truth should be told when agreeable, should be said agreeably, and truth should not be said that does harm; however, never lie to give pleasure.” –from the Mahabharata After my last post, you’re so excited about how awesome being honest is that you’re ready to run out and shout every last thing you’re thinking and feeling from the rooftops, because the whole world needs to know your truth, right? Not so fast, my little yogis and yoginis!...

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If the mind thinks thoughts of truth, if the tongue speaks words of truth and if the whole life is based upon truth, then one becomes fit for union with the Infinite.” –B. K. S. Iyengar The second yama is Satya, truthfulness. “Ok,” you may say to yourself, “I’m an honest person. I don’t lie. Well, maybe except for a little white lie every now and again. And that’s ok, isn’t it?” A commitment to the truth means that we vow to be honest in...

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To me, nonviolence means: gentleness, self-control, kindness, and compassion. It isn’t simply the absence of violent behaviors, it is the awareness of the potential for our actions to be harmful and to deliberately choose what will benefit instead of hurt. Violence can be acted out physically, verbally, and mentally–toward others and toward ourselves. If we are to be nonviolent at our core, we need to choose in each moment thoughts,...

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The first limb of Raja yoga is the yamas, the ethical disciplines we practice so that we can harmoniously relate to ourselves and the world. The very first yama is ahimsa, nonviolence. What qualities come to mind when you hear that word? What qualities are displayed by a person who has mastered nonviolence? Give yourself a minute to think of an answer. I’ll wait until you are done. I took a moment pondering those questions when I set about...

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Yoga is a way to harness our awareness and anchor it in this moment. The eight limbs of RajaYoga give us a framework in which we can build and practice present moment awareness in our day to day lives. We move away from the trap of thoughts like, “I would be happy if I could have (more money, a better relationship, a nicer boss, unlimited free babysitting, a bigger house, that cute pair of shoes)” and we embrace our aliveness in this moment. We...

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Note: This is a repost from my former blog site. I wanted to share it with you here as a little food for thought before I launch into an exploration of the eight limbs. Enjoy! What do you think about when you hear the word yoga? I’d venture to say that most people envision somebody twisted into exotic looking postures, looking perfectly peaceful and serene as they do amazing feats of balance, strength, and flexibility. When they think of yoga...

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