Tag: shiva
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Dharma & Adharma: Aiming True
Throughout the month of January so far, we’ve explored some of the practices and deities traditionally invoked in times of ‘beginning’, such as at the outset of a journey, the beginning of a celebration, project, or indeed – a new year. While the deity Shiva teaches us that in order for transformation to occur…
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Impermanence: It’s Time To Get Uncomfortable
‘The only thing that is constant is change’ Heraclitus Life is movement. The exchange of an inhale and exhale, the beat of the heart as it pumps blood around the body, the movement from day to night and back to day, the cycle of the moon, the movements of the mind from ‘happy’ to ‘sad’…
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Facing Fear to Find Freedom & The Deity Kali
Since Halloween is fast approaching, it seems fitting to write about the fascinating subject of FEAR. Yoga classes all over the Western world will more than likely be concentrating on this particular focus this week, with handstands, arm balances, headstands, and those classic ‘fear-based’ postures, but before all of that – let’s first consider what…
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Practice: Flying Eagle Transition (Garudasana & Virabhadrasana 3)
Garudasana is often known as ‘eagle pose’, however the word ‘Garuda’ doesn’t literally translate as ‘eagle’. As I mentioned in last week’s post the Sanskrit language doesn’t just describe or name an object, it actually holds the essence of the very thing it’s describing. ‘Garuda’ more closely means ‘devourer’, ‘devourer of serpents’, or ‘all-consuming fire…
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Practice: Chapasana (Sugarcane Pose)
This asana is simultaneously an asymmetrical backbend and a balancing posture, which means that to practice it while maintaining space in the spine, safety in the knees, and stability in the standing leg is a big challenge… let alone while remembering to breathe at the same time! The name ‘chapasana’ refers to ‘sugarcane’ but a…
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Practice: Virabhadrasana 2
Accessible to most of us; Virabhadrasana 2 is one of the most widely used standing postures in many yoga sequences. The name of this asana is derived from ‘Virabhadra’, a mythical warrior created from a lock of the God, Shiva’s hair. (In Indian philosophy, Shiva represents the ‘higher self’ / ‘the true universal energy’.) Shiva…
