“Build up the body, build up the nerves, and build up the mind until your faith is so strong there is no fear at all and you are the master.”–Swami Satchidananda
(photo: Swami Satchidananda receives a gift of a "Superman" t-shirt; then someone
suggests he try to fly! Yogaville East, late 1970s.)
How to love everyone equally? It’s a beautiful question. There are so many differences among us in terms of age, physical characteristics, professions, and so on. The only way to love everybody equally is to see the common element running through all these differences. All of us are equal in our essence-nature, yet different on the material level. It is in our essential nature—the Spirit, the True Self, Atman, Image of God, Pure Consciousness—that we are all One.MORE
If you ask any parent what they want for their children, they invariably reply: “I want them to be happy.” The basic want behind all the other wants seems to be happiness. Our lives are spent seeking that happiness, usually through possessions, positions, relationships, and attainments. Even our addictions are a misguided search for happiness. What do we find? We get some temporary happiness mixed with problems and pain. Often, there is anxiety that we won’t get what we want. MORE
In this conversation, Avi Gordon talks with Francesca Cervero—a full-time Yoga teacher since 2005—about her approach to practicing and teaching Yoga. Francesca's teaching is inspired by her foundational training with Cyndi Lee, years as a dancer, and the subsequent years she spent in physical therapy. She is also the host of the podcast, "The Mentor Sessions: Support & Strategy for Yoga Teachers."
Avidya is an incomplete knowing of who we are. Vidya is knowledge, and the syllable a indicates, in this case, the opposite. If vidya is knowing, then avidya is a not-knowing, misperception or mis-cognition. It is not total ignorance, for indeed we know many other things, but we do not know our true nature. Avidya is the ground for all of the other kleshas. In fact, it could be said that there is really only one klesha, avidya, because contained within avidya are the other four... MORE
Traditionally called the restraints and observances, the yamas and niyamas form the base of a classical Yoga practice, both ethically and philosophically. The yamas and niyamas point to wholeness, to our truest, deepest Essence. Our True Nature is already free and sings with abandon. What may not be free is our experience of it, our recognizing it, and singing it into hearing with our whole being. Although Patanjali rooted them in a dualistic key, the yamas and niyamas... MORE
This delightful kids series is taught by Hersha Chellaram (Integral Yoga teacher and Integral Yoga Centre of Hong Kong director) and is also for the young at heart! Hersha takes you through a whimsical and fun stretching and breathing program as part of the Oddbods BusyBodies series, hosted by One Animation (Singapore) in collaboration with Disney Asia.
