“According to the Yoga Sutras, the recognition and conquest of avidya [the root cause of the obstacles that prevent us from true seeing] and its effects is the only ladder by which we can climb upward . . .” -T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga
I am almost constantly in one of the states of avidya: raga (attachment), dvesa (aversion), abhinivesa (fear), or asmita (ego). Continue reading “Recognizing avidya” »
The stereotype of the vegan, sprouts-eating yogi is there for a reason.
Lentil stew: a yogi’s winter staple.
The most well-known of the yamas, or moral codes, of yoga, is ahimsa, which can be translated as non-violence or non-harm. Someone who practices ahimsa tries to live in a way that causes the least amount of harm possible. Continue reading “A yogic diet: not something to rush into.” »
On a weekday morning, if you walk into Indianpolis’ Cityoga around 7:30 AM, you can find me on the floor in a puddle of sweat, thighs over my shoulders, ankles crossed at the crown of my head, desperately trying to clasp my hands behind my back. Continue reading “The practice is the teacher” »
Running: the sport that brought me to yoga. Look how tiny my arms were from the lack of chatarungas!
I took my first yoga class in the basement studio of Virginia School of the Arts in 1999. I was thirteen. I remember being frustrated with my limited flexibility but loving the physical exertion and concentration it took to do things like try to bend my front leg to ninety degrees while I pressed my back foot into the ground in Virabhadrasana B, my skinny teenaged arms reaching to opposite walls of the room. Continue reading “Finding Yoga” »
