Mysore week with Luke Jordan #3

Yesterday was the last day of the Ashtanga Yoga Mysore Week with Luke Jordan. After practice we had breakfast with the group of students. I spoke with Luke about the content of my blog yesterday; which talks about YS 2.46 Sthira-Sukham Âsanam: Asana is a steady and comfortable posture. In addition, Luke recited YS 2.47 and … Read more

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 Yoga Sutra 2.46; which is Sthira-Sukham-Asanam. He told me he sees a lot of “Sukham” … Read more

Mysore week with Luke Jordan #1

Mysore week with Luke Jordan This week I am attending a 6 day Ashtanga Mysore workshop under guidance of Luke Jordan. I wake up at 4.30 am in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where I am currently living. After a bike drive in half sleepy state, I reunite at 5.15 am with colleague yoga teachers. We drive … Read more

Ishvara Pranidhana

Ishvara Pranidhana – written by Sophie Nusselder – Success in the trance comes by complete surrender to God* – Iswara Paranidhana means ‘surrender’. Practicing yoga helpes us realize we are not the masters of this universe. There is a wisdom and strength where everything comes from. In all major yoga philosophies surrender (bhakti) is regarded as the essence … Read more

Svadhyaya

Svadhyaya – written by Sophie Nusselder- By self-observation, union with the desired deity is brought about*. Svadhyaya literally means’ self-study of scriptures. But it also has a broader meaning as ‘self-reflection’. In the former post I wrote Tapas is the key element of a yoga practice: it is the transforming heat that burns away impurities. The purification … Read more

Tapas

Tapas – Written by Sophie Nusselder- By practising austerities, impurities are destroyed and there comes perfection in the body and sense organs*. If you are a frequent yoga practitioner, you know practice demands discipline. When you practise every day you learn more about your body, heart, mind, and spirit. The discipline, focus and passion with which … Read more

Santosha

Santosha – Written by Sophie Nusselder- Unexelled happiness comes from the practise of contentment* Santosha means ‘contentment’. It is a profound state of being that is worth pursuing. Cultivating contentment is a yoga practice. If you feel down or experience life as meaningless and sad, you can change that experience. I think the most powerful way … Read more

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 clean and pure love our inner and outer life. On the first level means that … Read more

The 5 do’s of the eightfolded path: niyamas

The 5 do’s of the eightfolded path: niyamas Written by Sophie Nusselder If you have been practicing yoga for a while, you are probably familiar with asana, pranayama and/or meditation. All three of them are very important tools to aid your transformation and can help you to live a happier and more content life. However, yoga … Read more

How can meditation help to change structures in the brain? #6

This article consists of 6 parts. This is part 6. Written by Sophie Nusselder Should everybody do yoga and/or meditate? I don’t think so. Every human being is unique in his or her own existence. Meditation means different things to different people. There are dozens of types, styles and schools of thought offering it; including … Read more