🌟Breath Meditation🌟
Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at the various types of thoughts that occupy our mind – correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, imagination, dreams and memory. We defined the purpose of yoga as moving beyond these thoughts to reveal our true self. To help us move beyond our thoughts we can meditate and […]
🌟Smriti🌟
This week we look at the mind modification Smriti, which is memory, our experiences that have not slipped away. Sometimes we consciously choose to remember things, such as revising for an exam, and sometimes they arise without our request. It’s funny how the brain works. When we try to remember where something is (like those keys!) […]
🌟Nidra🌟
Nidra is sleep and during this time our mind has thoughts or vrittis. These sleep thoughts are unconscious and we have no control over them. However, what we can do is have a good night’s sleep. Sleep is vital to our health and wellbeing and what we do in our waking hours helps to lay […]
🌟Vikalpa🌟
This week we looked at vikalpa our imagination, which is a type of vritti (thought). In yoga we look to quieten the thoughts so that we can connect with our true self. To help quieten these thoughts we first need to observe and recognise them. Our imagination is great in helping us solve problems, have […]
🌟Viparyaya🌟
This week we have been considering viparyaya, one of the five types of vrittis (thoughts). Viparyaya is when we mistakenly identify something that is not based on actual facts. In the above photo, it looks as though there is a two headed camel – this is viparyaya (incorrect knowledge). However, if we look closely, we […]
🌟Pramana🌟
Last week we looked at the purpose of yoga being the stilling of mind thoughts to reveal our true self. In yoga, to help with this stilling, we can consider the five different types of mind thoughts or vrittis we can experience. These are pramana – right knowledge viparyaya – incorrect knowledge vikalpa – imagination […]
🌟What is Yoga?🌟
There are many interpretations of what yoga is and I’d like to share with you the meaning of yoga that resonates with me. It is the second sutra from Patanjali’s Sutras. Patanjali’s Sutras are a collection of around 200 Sanskrit aphorisms on the theory and practice of yoga. The sutras date back to around 500 BC […]
🌟Dharana, Dhyana & Samadhi🌟
This week we come to Dharana, Dhyana & Samadhi, the last three of the limbs of yoga. It is where our foundations of yoga come together and lead us to the ultimate connection with ourselves and the universe. Yoga is uniting with this divine energy and our yoga practise is the journey. Dharana is concentration, […]
🌟Pranayama🌟
Pranayama – the 4th limb of Yoga The way we breathe can influence the flow of energy in our body. Certain breath techniques can calm us whilst others can energise us. When we observe the breath, we can learn a lot about ourselves and how we are feeling. For example, if we are nervous or excited […]
🌟Asana🌟
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the various Yama and Niyama which form part of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs. This week we look at the third limb, Asana. What is Asana? Asana means the seat that we take to enable stillness for meditation. How we interpret this “seat” is up to us […]
