For a good life, we need mental strength, and that must be developed holistically

We all need a steady mind. Whether we are looking for successful engagement with the world or inner calm away from the distractions around us, we need a stable mind to make that happen. The heart of yoga is exactly that: mental strength, a steady mind. Our mind is repeatedly… ...

As humans, self-awareness is our most important strength. We have the capacity to watch over ourselves. If we do this with a neutral mind, looking at our body, breath, mind, and senses, we can term that as “mindfulness.” This is an important practice in ancient meditation pathways. It is… ...

All humans have two fundamental capacities. One is cognition and will. The second is energy and function. In yoga, we call the first manas, or roughly, “the mind.” The second, we call prana, or roughly, “life energy.” We have, in our bodies, various functions of life. Those functions need energy,… ...

samadoṣa-samāgniśca-samadhātu-mala-kriyaḥ | prasanna-ātma-indriya-manāḥ svastha iti abhidhīyate || A person who has balance in the doṣa-s, tissues, metabolism, elimination, and other functions, with clear and pleasant self, mind, and senses, is said to be svastha. (Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana 15.41) The above is a famous quotation that we learn early in ayurvedic studies. This… ...

The concept of heat in our body is central to understanding the ayurvedic view of health and disease. That heat is the function of pitta, and its role in metabolism, is generally termed as agni. Primarily, heat and metabolism begin from the digestion of the food we eat. This takes… ...

You all know the “tree pose.” You stand on one foot and raise your other foot, placing it on the inner thigh of the standing leg. You also raise your arms above your head, maybe bringing your palms together. When we call this a tree pose, we are connecting with… ...

Life is a Blessing – Make it an Offering The concept of yajña (offering) is central to the deeper philosophy of life as described in the ancient India traditions. Life is a blessing in its essence. It is an opportunity for connection—through offering and meaning. The term yajña can be roughly translated as “offering,”… ...

The science of yoga is to understand the principles and practices with clarity and reasoning. The art of yoga is to see the whole person, assess their needs, and apply yoga in the way that serves them best. We need both the science and the art of yoga! One of… ...

When I teach yoga psychology, I sometimes introduce this little experiment. You can try it for yourself as below: “Stand on your feet and slouch. Collapse your chest, round your upper back, hunch your shoulders forward. Drop your head and look at the ground. Slacken your legs and feel gravity… ...

Most of us tend to have thoughts like these in our minds: “I must do this perfectly.” “I am a failure.” “What will they think of me if I do this?” “What if something happens and I am not able to handle it?” Such thoughts, to an extent, are normal… ...