The value of my life

There is this cliché of sayings that was once very popular (you might even have received one as an email attachment):   To realise the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade. To realise the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby. To [...]

The truth about gut feelings

Right now, I am officially jobless. I left my job after three months.   It wasn’t a hard decision. The fact is, I clearly remember feeling very unsettled the moment I decided to accept the job. And that wasn’t even an official decision yet. It was during my consideration phase. Then, I had dismissed it, [...]

The fierce chair pose

Utkatasana, which is one of the toughest standing asanas, lives up to its name. Also known as the ‘chair pose’ by virtue of its resemblance to a chair, ‘Utkata’ means powerful and fierce. This pose increases strength, balance and stability.   To get into the pose, one stands in Tadasana. Following inhalation, the arms are [...]

Retrieving the talent and spotting the gold

I left the studio very emotional and moved. Something steered inside me, invoking a powerful emotion that is just beyond description.   This was the last day of class. The last of sixteen days.   Has it really been sixteen days already?   I can still clearly remember the excitement of waking up at 5am [...]

Delicious vegetable muffins

Starting on a vegetarian diet can be a daunting task for some of us. For me, I decided I could revamp my diet by starting vegetarian on my favourite—desserts! I am a great fan of desserts (maybe all ladies will make the same confession) and I love muffins! Soft, crumply, yummy. Mmmmm… And having worked [...]

The effort in effortless

Can there be effort in being effortless?   No, we are keen to say, since literally and logically, the two are contradictory. If anything is effortless, then it is clearly, without any effort, as we would understand from the suffix ‘-less’.   But is that really the case?   I started thinking about this concept [...]

Deepening Dhanurasana

Dhaurasana is also known as the Bow Pose for its resemblance to the drawn bow. The torso and thighs are the bow while the upper extremities and the legs are the string. This asana provides a good massage to the abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, pancreas, reproductive organs). As such, it can increase the digestive power [...]

Dissecting Purvottanasana

Purvottanasana is also known as the Upward Plank. This asana stretches the front of the body and strengthens the back of the body. To get into the pose, sit in Dandasana. Hands are hyper-extended as they are placed 1 foot length behind the hips, fingers pointing forward. The elbows are slightly pronated. There is a [...]

Parallels between Yoga Philosophy and the Christian Bible

The decision to pursue Yoga Teachers’ Training was not an easy one. After all, I have been told about how Yoga contradicts my religious beliefs and that my faith didn’t support it. To be sure I consulted the right people on the issue, I had even written to priests regarding the acceptability of Yoga in [...]

The best time is now

Patanjali wrote in Yoga Sutra 1.1 atha yoga anushasanam, which can be translated into “Now, begins the study and practice of Yoga”.   Atha, referring to ‘now’, also implies a transition to this practice and pursuit. The fact is, the English language does not have sufficient eloquence to capture the essence of this beautiful sentence. [...]