Tapas: Working with Dedication

by NinaCloud and Sunset by Brad GibsonWhen my mother broke her hip in her mid-seventies, she surprised me with her ferocious dedication to working toward a full recovery. She did her physical therapy exercises every day, soon worked her way up toward walking around the block with a walker, and eventually over time regained full use of her new hip. From then on she was able to walk easily and with no aids almost until the end of her life. I was remembering...

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The Power of Svadhyaya (Self-Study), Part 2

by NinaAnatomical BodyIndia, Gujarat, 18th centuryWhile preparing to write this post, I discovered that I had, uh, completely forgotten about some of the things I’ve written for the blog. (Hey, I’ve been writing at least one post a week—and sometimes two or three—for almost three years.) Yes, I was quite surprised to find a post about how we could use the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita to heal from an election so divisive that even Big Bird...

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The Power of Svadhyaya (Self-Study), Part 1

by NinaTama River in the Musashi Province by HokusaiOne of the most difficult times in my life—and in my marriage—was when Brad and I were fighting over our future. When our children were small, he wanted the four of us to move to New York City because he was interested in a possible academic position at a university there, and I wanted to stay in Berkeley so I could keep my own job—which felt like a special opportunity to me—stay near my family,...

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The Second Branch of Yoga: The Niyamas (Your "To Do" List)

by RamPath at La Cavee, Pourville by Claude MonetIn my post Ashtanga Yoga: Following the Eight-Fold Path Ashtanga Yoga: Following the Eight-Fold Path, I defined Ashtanga Yoga (Ashta=eight; Anga=limbs) as the eight-fold path/eight rungs/limbs/steps of yoga, whose practice helps us to discriminate between ignorance and awareness and truth from illusion which is the means for liberation or enlightenment. I followed it up by discussing the...

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