Tag Ashtanga Yoga

Prana: “life force”!

Prana Let’s talk a bit more about prana. The Sanskrit word prana is a combinatation of two syllables, pra and na and denotes constancy, a force in constant motion. The chhandogya Upanishad (1.11:5) says: “ In prana all moveable and…

Kumbhaka: “the yogic trip”

Kumbhaka: the yogic trip Personally I love to perform Kumbhaka. This is the moment when you hold your breath in between the inhalation and the exhalation. I remember, one of my yoga teachers nicknamed the effect of kumbhaka “ the…

What is the key to full yogic breath?

We can differentiate three types of breathing. 1.Clavicle breathing is the most shallow and worst possible type of breathing. The shoulders and collarbone are raised while the abdomen is contracted during inhalation. Maximum effort is made, but a minimum amount…

What is pranayama?

I started studying yoga about eight years ago. At the time my breath was often shallowly, my shoulders were hunched and I had a painful tension in the upper part of the back and neck. Yoga practise helped me to…

Pranayama: the fourth limb of Ashtanga yoga

  ‘Tasmin sati åvâsa-praåvâsayor gati-vicchedaï prâñâyâmaï’ (YS 2.49) ‘The asana having been done, pranayama is the cessation of the movement of inhalation and exhalation” The fourth limb of Ashtanga yoga is pranayama. Georg Feuerstein explains this sutra as following: “When…

Mysore week with Luke Jordan #2

YS 2.46 Sthira-Sukham Âsanam Asana is a steady and comfortable posture  On the first day of this Ashtanga Mysore week I received my first verbal adjustment after doing the sunset invitations A & B and some standing positions. Luke recited…

Shaucha

Shaucha – Written by Sophie Nusselder – From cleanliness there comes indifference towards body and non-attachment to others*. Saucha is the first of the Niyama in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Saucha means ‘purity’ or and refers to the need to…

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