Jim Carrey got WOKE

After two weeks off and a day of rest, I’m back at it! Apologies for leaving you guys hanging, but I have a feeling that this blog is new enough that I didn’t leave any readers hanging. 😉 To start off, I’m going ease into the week with this video a friend of mine shared on…

Using the Bandhas

Since we went over what the three main bandhas are yesterday, today we’re going to go over how bandhas can be useful in our practice and in life. The easiest way to explain how the bandhas are helpful in yoga is with crow pose, and the easiest way to get to crow is starting out…

Intro to Bandhas

Bandhas are the energy locks or seals in your body. For our purposes, I’m just going to go over the three main ones, but it’s good to note that we have many more than three throughout the body that can each help us throughout our yoga practice. First is the mula bandha. The mula bandha…

Yoga Sutra 9

Verbal delusion is an image that arises upon hearing words without any reality or truthful basis. Yesterday we went over misconception and today we’re going over “verbal delusion.” They sound pretty similar and, in fact, the lines are even a bit blurred for me. The best way I know how to process things, though, is…

Yoga Sutra 8: Misconception

“Misconception occurs when knowledge of something is not based upon its true form.” The second modification of the mind is misconception. This is the anxiety sufferers reality, and in my opinion, one of the more common modifications in society today. Sri Swami explains this with a story. Imagine you go outside at dusk and see…

Yoga Sutra 7: Right Knowledge

“The sources of right knowledge are direct perception, inference, and scriptural testimony.” Last week we talked about the modifications of the mind, this week we’re going over them! Sutra 7 is about right knowledge. What is right knowledge, though? Right knowledge is truth. Right knowledge is factual. But how do we know what is real,…

Yoga Sutra 6: Mental Modifications of the Mind

Yesterday, we explored Sutra 4, which told us that there are five different kinds of mental modifications that are painful or painless. Yesterday, we focused on the latter part of that sentence but in the upcoming days, we’ll explore the former and the different kinds of mental modifications. As I write on each different modification,…

Yoga Sutra 5: Painful or Painless, Selfish or Selfless

“There are five kinds of mental modifications, which are either painful or painless.” Notice how Patanjali didn’t say these modifications are painful and pleasurable, simply painful and painless. Sri Swami explains that this is because some things that appear or start out as pleasurable can eventually bring us pain. For example, dating. One day you…

Yoga Sutra 4: What do Raves and Yoga have in Common?

“At other times [the Self appears to] assume the forms of the mental modifications.” This is how Sri Swami translates Sutra 4. Sri Swami explains how this Sutra is sort of about Oneness. The easiest way to explain this is scientifically, I think. Everything on this planet, everything in this solar system is made up…

Practice Makes Perfect

You get to choose who you are. You get to choose who you want to be. I suppose you don’t get to choose what you like or enjoy, but you get to choose how good you’re going to get at those things you enjoy. And sometimes it’s hard, life can be difficult and get in…