One of my favorite lessons I took away from my trip to Chennai was the discussion around the topic of Satya with Mr. Sridhar. For those of you unfamiliar with the term and it´s context within yoga philosophy, I will first take a moment to explain that.  In Yoga philosophy (as described by Patanjali) there are 8 ´´branches´´ or aspects of yoga. In my last post I talked about the branch we are most familiar with in classes, Asana (Postures). Another branch speaks to the way in which we relate to the world. It describes not moral codes but rather suggests ways which will allow us to have the most harmonious relationships and therefore peace of mind. There are five ´´suggestions´´ or principal. Ahimsa, non-harm, is actually the first, and it is then followed with Satya ,speaking the truth.  Satya is often thought to come in conflict with the first principal Ahimsa. Many believe you cannot both speak the truth all the time and not cause harm. I too have struggled to undersan...

Yoga is meant to be about the mind, meant to be a spiritual practice, a way to know the true self & therefore the universe, truth and ultimately allow us to feel truly happy by doing so. So the question is: What does a physical body practice have to do with any of that?  Sometimes, I still question it myself. As I go through my Ashtanga practice sequence of postures. I sometimes wonder, am I really bringing myself closer to knowing myself, or knowing what I consider as god, or doing anything more than just getting a bit more flexible and a bit stronger? I do feel at least I am ´´cleansing the system´´ as I compress and twist the internal organs, as I breath conscious ujjayi with lengthy exhale breaths-I feel yes I could agree this breath internally heats and then expels toxins-both physical and mental malas/toxins- yes it makes sense to me. I can agree that I am physically becoming healthier and I know this too impacts the quality of my thoughts. I can understand that my microb...