Beyond Asana Blog

A student in our Bhagavad Gita course recently shared that her usual grounding practices were no longer working. It echoed an article I read a few days ago about how our typical self-care routines might feel insufficient in these chaotic times.

If you're experiencing this, know that you're not alone. Even when we faithfully maintain all our trusted methods for staying centered - the morning meditation, the evening yoga, the mindful walks - we may still find ourselves frazzled, anxious, and overwhelmed.

What can you do when your tried-and-true self-care strategies fail to calm your nervous system, quiet your mind, and lift your spirit?

The answer is simple, though not necessarily easy: lo...

 
When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But … that is not what great ships are built for.

- Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Like great ships, we too are built for more than tranquil waters.

In my three decades of teaching yoga, and ten years writing this blog, I've connected with countless practitioners who have spent not just years, but decades – 20, 30, even 40 years or more – practicing yoga.

When I reflect on the many brave, sincere, and kind-hearted people I've met over the years, it feels truly remarkable! More than that – in these troubled times, your presence fortifies my spirit.

I think of all the many “great ships” out there, in all corners of the ...

Picture a mighty bull, its four powerful legs representing the pillars of righteousness: austerity, cleanliness, compassion, and truthfulness. In Hindu scriptures like the Srimad Bhagavatam, this bull represents dharma – the cosmic order that sustains the universe.

The tradition describes four world ages, each spanning hundreds of thousands of years. In Satya yuga, the golden age of truth, all four legs of dharma stood strong, upheld by humanity’s dedication to these virtues.

As time progressed, with each subsequent age, another leg weakened and fell – marking our gradual drift from these principles.

We now find ourselves in Kali yuga, the age of darkness. In this final epoch marked by conf...

When I’m caught between a rock and a hard place ~ let me become water. 

- John Roedel

"Go bang your head against the wall,” was my parents’ inane advice when I would complain of boredom. I even tried it once. I guess my little girl brain thought my mom and dad, in all their wisdom, must have the solution to my problem.

While hitting my forehead against my bedroom door did nothing to cure my boredom, it inadvertently taught me something valuable: I could keep futilely complaining or find something to do.

That early lesson in facing reality stayed with me, though it’s deeper meaning emerged only years later, when I began exploring the concept of right effort in yoga through the lens of the w...

We’re on the cusp of the Solstice, a pivotal moment in the earth’s annual cycle. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the return of the light - a literal and symbolic turning point from darkness to illumination. 

In yoga, such turning points are sacred ground for insight and breakthrough.

Consider Arjuna’s predicament at the start of the Bhagavad Gita. He’s the greatest warrior of his time, standing on the brink of an epic battle. Looking out across the battlefield, he sees friends, teachers, and relatives positioned against him.

He is forced to choose between fighting or refusing to fight - each path laden with dire consequences. Paralyzed by fear, overwhelm, and confusion, he sinks into...

During her service in the US Marine Corps, Bailey Williams pushed her body to dangerous extremes through intense physical activity and disordered eating. Her memoir, Hollow, chronicles her journey from self-destruction toward healing.

Now a yoga teacher, Williams credits yoga and meditation as key to transforming her relationship with her body. Where she once treated her body as a machine to be dominated, she now experiences it as a source of profound wisdom and great delight.

Her story is a testament to yoga’s remarkable potential for healing, illustrating how we can fundamentally reshape our relationship with our bodies—from antagonistic to allyship.

Yet, the practices themselves don't automa...

You might be familiar with the traditional representation of the Shiva Nataraj, which depicts the Ananda Tandava, the divine dance of Lord Shiva that represents the five ongoing universal processes: creation, maintenance, dissolution, concealment and revelation.

There’s also a rarer version that portrays Shiva upside down, balancing on one arm:

One interpretation of this form is that it represents ultimate freedom. Shiva, as the principle of absolute consciousness, isn’t constrained by the relative world. He embodies the all-pervasive reality that transcends time, space, and even the laws of physics.

Consider how your practice supports you when life feels like it’s turned on its he...

Late November is when our little corner of the world transforms into a landscape of austere beauty. Stark trees stand etched against the pale sky, resilient and ready for winter’s approach. Most birds - except for the Wild Turkeys, Starlings, and intrepid Black-capped Chickadees - have gone on their way too.

There’s an odd comfort in the stillness at this time of year, when nature seems stripped down to her bare bones.

It’s not unlike the journey yoga invites us on. Through the inward practices of yoga, we discover who we are beyond the roles we play and the labels that typically define us.

When all else is stripped away, what remains is the luminous presence of pure being. This is your most es...

All people possess faith, and whatever their faith may be, that is what they become.

- Bhagavad Gita 17.3

This statement has always struck me as both powerful and provocative.

What does it mean that we become our faith? Perhaps we’re defined not just by what we believe, but by how those beliefs shape our actions. Over time, our convictions become part of our identity, shaping who we are in the world.

Shraddha, the Sanskrit word typically translated as faith, can also mean "to place in one’s heart" or "the truth of one’s heart." These nuanced definitions reveal faith as a deep-seated connection to an inner truth, rather than beliefs that conform to an external ideal.

In yoga, faith isn’t an...