"When you are over stretching somewhere to get the optimum movement, have you ever noticed that you are also giving too little attention to other parts of the body? That disturbs the body and makes it shake. If the root of a tree is weak, the tree itself cannot be strong." _ _ B.K.S. Iyengar The ... Read More »

Conation: Effort, volition, impulse Last week we looked briefly at a definition of yoga and of Mr Iyengar's translation of Sutra I.2. In that he says that consciousness has three functions, one of which is 'conation'. It is not a well used word. So this week I thought to clarify it a little, and ... Read More »

What is yoga? Why do we bother to practice, to tangle ourselves up, to overcome the tightness, to grip the looseness? We are beginning our fall session and with that we will look at the question of "what is yoga?" The best way to begin is to look to the source, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and ... Read More »

This is the last of the Klesa's and the last of the entries for the Summer 2011 session. Abhinivesa: Clinging to life, fear of death Self-preservation or attachment to life is the subtlest of all afflictions. It is found even in wise men. -- B.K.S. Iyengar. Light On The Yoga Sutras, p116 ... Read More »

Dvesa: aversion "Do not allow past experiences to be imprinted on your mind. Perform asanas each time with a fresh mind and a fresh approach." B.K.S. Iyengar, "Iyengar, His Life and Work," p. 499 "Aversion, dvesa, after all, is the flip side of the same coin as attachment. When we resist or ... Read More »

This entry and the next are the last thoughts from the end of our Spring 2011 session. When classes ended in June we whisked ourselves up to our little island in Canada and I wrote them out while sitting on the little front porch of our cabin, watching the water, wind and sun. There is no ... Read More »

"Ego, which manifests itself grossly, penetrates the personality in a subtle form and permeates it totally. It is the greatest enemy in the practice of yoga. Hence the sadhaka [practitioner] should take care not to be caught in such a web and should cultivate humility. Whatever attainments have been ... Read More »

"Look at the Self, not the Ego. If your throat is tense while doing an asana or pranayama, you are doing it with your brain instead of your body." BKS Iyengar, Iyengar, His Life and Work, p.502 Yoga is a strict master. Practicing honestly makes us hold a mirror in front, to the side and from ... Read More »