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 …
The Yoga Room
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 Yoga Room Wins 2nd Year in a Row!
In case you haven’t heard the exciting news yet, The Yoga Room won Best Yoga Studio in Washtenaw County in Current Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards – for the 2nd year in a row! I am very honored and humbled that so many of my students took the time to vote for me. Here’s …
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 …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Asana
Asanas, the postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb of yoga. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are …
The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Niyamas
This week in our yoga classes at The Yoga Room we focused on the Niyamas, the second limb of yoga. The Niyamas have to do with the attitude we adopt toward ourself, our sense of self-discipline and spiritual observances. The five niyamas are: Saucha: cleanliness of body, mind, words, thoughts and actions. To put this …