Our Virtue card this week in my yoga classes was Acceptance. I was very excited to actually find an image of the card online to share with you: Some things worth thinking about and reminding ourselves of, both on our mat and off!
Conscious Lifestyle
Humility
Our virtue card this week was Humility. Humility is being modest, humble and unpretentious. We consider others’ views as important as our own. We willingly serve others and accept help when we need it. When we cause hurt, we have the humility to admit it and make amends. We accept the lessons life brings, knowing …
Moderation
The virtue card that I pulled from the deck for my yoga classes this week was Moderation. Here is what it said: “Moderation is being content with enough. It is using self-discipline to create healthy balance between work, rest, reflection and play. Moderation protects us from the pull of addictive desires. We do not …
Got Tact?
For our second week of classes this summer session here at The Yoga Room the virtue card I drew from the deck was Tact. Here’s what some of it said: “Tact is telling the truth kindly. We think before we speak, aware of how deeply our words affect others. When our words are weighty, we …
Flexibility
We began a new session this past week at The Yoga Room, and our theme for this session is Wisdom from the Virtues Cards. This deck of cards was given to me a few years ago by a yoga student. The Virtues Project is a global grassroots initiative to inspire the practice of virtues in …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Samadhi
This past week in our yoga classes here at The Yoga Room we completed our 8 Limbs of Yoga session by focusing on the final limb, Samadhi. When we succeed in becoming so absorbed with something that our mind becomes completely one with it, we are in a state of samadhi. Samadhi means ‘to brings …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Dhyana
This past week in our classes here at The Yoga Room, we worked with the seventh limb of yoga, or dhyana. Dhyana is often translated as meditation or contemplation, or the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Dharana
This week in our classes here at The Yoga Room, we worked the 6th Limb of Yoga: Dharana. “Dhr” means to hold. The essential idea in the concept of dharana is holding the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. An example traditionally used to explain dharana is to imagine a large reservoir of …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga, means withdrawal of the senses or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, we direct our attention internally. The practice of …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Pranayama
Pranayama has several slightly different translations. Broken down, prana means ‘life force energy’ or ‘that which is infinitely everywhere.’ Ayama means ‘to stretch or extend.’ Generally translated as breath control, this fourth limb of yoga consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and …