yoga philosophy

What is vaman dhauti?

This post is either going to disgust or intrigue you or possibly both. I mentioned last week that at the ashram, we underwent yogic cleansing techniques. The first was jala neti and the second was the slightly more unconventional, vaman dhauti. So what is vaman? Vaman must be performed the first thing in the morning […]

Cleansing with Jala Neti

According to Hatha Yoga there are six Shatkarmas, also known as cleansing techniques. The Shatkarmas activate, cleanse and purify the body’s system allowing prana to flow freely and ultimately help one achieve a deeper yogic state. The six shatkarmas involve a range of techniques that focus on different aspects of the body such as the […]

The sattvic way of eating

One might assume that if you’re in an ashram,  you’d be be getting the same bland, vegetarian dishes day in, day out. The ashram I stayed at however, offered a variety of different meals full of aromatic spices and fresh vegetables which I’ve since tried to replicate at home. As I’ve mentioned before, the ashram […]

Life’s little learning experiences

I’ve just returned from India where I stayed in ashram for a month living the yogic lifestyle. That means 5 a.m. starts, 4 hours of daily yoga practice, maintaining a strictly sattvic diet, undergoing cleansing techniques, chanting, meditation, karma yoga and so much more. It sounds so cliched, but in this short time I feel […]

Unleashing the silent mind

Yesterday’s yoga class was a bit different. After our standard 3 “Oms” to begin the class our instructor gave us some theory on the mind. I have always enjoyed the theory side of yoga. Although I have attempted numerous times to brush up on yoga theory (my latest effort being the Hindi sacred scriptures, Bhagavad […]