In a series of short articles, Swami Asokananda will share his insights from years of study of, and contemplation on, the great Indian scripture the Bhagavad Gita.
   The Gita is 700 verses from the longest poem ever written: the Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata is attributed to a sage named Vyāsa, although it’s pretty clear that it was written by a number of people over the centuries. And the myth is that Vyāsa went to Lord Ganesha and asked him if he could write whatever came through Vyāsa... MORE

The Joy of Self-Caring
By Cyndi Lee

Before everybody started talking about self-care, they talked about detoxing. The programming director for a huge Yoga conference told me that if I wanted my classes to sell out, I just had to put the word “detox” in the title.This consumeristic approach to ancient yogic practices was accurate in some ways: a need had been identified and a solution proposed. We feel incomplete, unloved, inadequate, and definitely not fit enough.... What our suffering really deserves is compassion.  MORE

Oddbods: Busy Bodies, a new series about to launch, is aimed at helping kids relieve stress, move their bodies, and engage in imaginative play. Consisting of eight, 5-7 minute episodes, the series is hosted by veteran Integral Yoga therapist and teacher trainer, Hersha Chellaram, who specializes in children’s and Accessible Yoga. The Emmy-nominated Oddbods series itself has 28 billion views and 26 million subscribers on YouTube. Kudos to Hersha for helping serve the world's youth through Yoga!

Alabama's Rep. Jeremy Gray offered a proposal to overturn its 27-year ban on Yoga in schools and Gov. Ivey just signed it into law! It allows public school boards the option of teaching Yoga—albeit in a form far removed from the classic class settings that keen yogis will recognize. It’s still outlawing chanting, mantras like “Om” and the traditional greeting “Namaste.” The state banned Yoga in December 1993 because lawmakers deemed it a “Hindu philosophy and method of religious training.”  MORE