Obstacles to practice

ByAaron Fleming March 13, 2015

All practitioners, either seasoned or just starting out, are well aware of the many things that get in the way of a regular and consistent practice. Patanjali outlines 9 obstacles to practicing. They are:

Vyadhi: disease
styana: lack of interest / mental laziness
samsaya: doubt
pramada: carelessness
alasya: idleness
avirati: sense gratification / over indulgence
bhrantidarsana: living under mistaken notions
alabdhabhumikatva: missing the point
anavasthitatvani: backsliding

Beginners and practitioners

ByAaron Fleming May 14, 2019May 14, 2019

At the national Iyengar Yoga convention in Dallas this past April the teacher, Abhitjata Iyengar, the grand daughter of B.K.S. Iyengar, differentiated between beginners and practitioners. She instructed the beginners to concentrate on gross actions. The practitioners were asked to work more subtly. I wondered, who were the beginners? And who the practitioners? The criteria…

When to take a break from practicing

ByAaron Fleming July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

I am always so grateful when a holiday arrives. I am glad to have a break from the usual schedule and spend time with my family. To “sleep in” (there’s no sleeping in at my house), to not rush to a meeting, to take a slower pace. My body and brain need a break from…

International Yoga Day, June 21, 2015

ByAaron Fleming June 19, 2015

Sunday, June 21st, will be celebrated around the world as the first International Yoga Day sponsored by the United Nations. Geeta Iyengar is encouraging us to use this day to honor yoga and our teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar. There are many ways that you can honor this day, whether it is through your own personal practice…

Ease and Steadiness

ByAaron Fleming February 28, 2015

This week we were discussing the third limb of yoga: Asana. Sutra II.46 is sthira sukham asanam. sthira = firm, steady skham = happiness, ease asanam = postures, poses This sutra defines asana as a posture that is done with steadiness and ease or comfort. In his book The Core of the Yoga Sutras, BKS…

What does it mean to “learn yoga”?

ByAaron Fleming June 17, 2015

Lots and lots of brand new students have told me on the first day “now, I have never done yoga before, is that okay?” I respond by saying “of course, this is the class for beginners, you don’t have to know how to do anything before coming class.” There seems to be some kind of…

Are you intimidated by College Hill Yoga?

ByAaron Fleming January 20, 2018January 22, 2018

Someone told my wife Sarah that they want to take class at College Hill Yoga but they feel intimidated. Sarah said they are worried they won’t know what to do in class. Of course, I think this is so silly! I think this is silly because I know that in Iyengar Yoga we teach the…

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