Yogarosa Blog

“Abhijata, I’m recovering from having a very bad cold for 5 days. Shall I take the class today or observe?” She answered me, It’s up to you. You decide. I’ll do what I can and see how it goes. I was excited she didn’t say no, but already exhausted from walking to the venue, I knew I had to pace myself. When Raya started teaching the class, I realized I had set myself up right under the fan. Ugh. Blanket around my shoulders. Problem solved temporarily. Raya started to say we were doing standing poses, so ladies on their period and those not well could use the wall. My chance to find a fan less wall. Lucky for me there was space on a column. Never mind my back would be to the stage. I’ll make it work. Prasarita Padottanasana. Ok. Don’t need the wall for that. Already out of breath and we haven’t even started. Why are people so slow in getting a wall? Ok standing poses against the wall. Vriksasana, Trikonasana, Parsva Konasana, Ardha Chandrasana. Body happy to be moving, grateful for th...

FOMO Fear of missing out is a real thing. Have you ever thought that you wish you had done something that you didn’t, or you went somewhere that you really didn’t want to go to, but didn’t want to miss out? I have been home sick with a very bad cold since Thursday. (5 days). 5 days at home would be inconvenient, but 5 days in India is a different story. Coming from Miami to Pune to study for a month with the best teachers in the world is a big huge treat for many of us. Missing 5 full days is a travesty. Each day, each moment, each class, is filled with learning that is spilled on us so fast, that the learning really comes later on during practice and contemplation. We are really exposed to the teachings here, not everything is absorbed or understood right away.  Part of the adventure of traveling, is that we are exposed to bugs that our bodies may not know. Having been couched and sneezed on pretty much all of last week with nowhere to hide, I caught a very bad cold that...

In the ancient treatise, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Sage Patanjali states an eight fold path of yoga, known as astanga yoga. This path begins with social and personal responsibilities. The first limb along the path of yoga is called Yama. Yama in Sanskrit means “taking a vow”. These 5 ethical principles are the basis for living a yogic lifestyle.   They are: Ahimsa, Non violence Satya, Truthfulness Asteya, Non-stealing Bramacharya, self restraint, or celibacy Aparigrahah, Non-hoarding, non attachment Ahimsa is the basis for all other yamas. If we think, act, and behave in such a way that doesn’t harm others, we will tell the truth, we won’t steal, we will not be promiscuous, and we will let go of attachments. Ghandi chose to only practice Ahimsa and Satya, and everything else fell into place.  Practicing Ahimsa can be challenging, because the world around us is a breeding ground for violence. For example, driving during rush hour, everyone is i...