In the Arms of the Beloved

Sharing a beautiful poem by Rumi, as found in Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved. Translated by Jonathan Star, published by the Penguin Group, New York, 2008, pages 3-5. 
 

"For ages you have come and gone
courting this delusion.
For ages you have run from the pain
and forfeited the ecstasy.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul.

Although you appear in earthly form
Your essence is pure Consciousness.
You are the fearless guardian
of Divine Light.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul.

The Yoga of Relationships

An article by Phillip Moffitt. He is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers' Council in Woodacre, California, and teaches vipassana meditation at Turtle Island Yoga center in San Rafael, California.


I sat silently as the woman self-consciously settled herself onto the couch in my office. She was in her 30s, married, well established in her profession, and a sincere student of the dharma. She looked up after a few moments of reflection, smiled nervously, and said, "I guess you wonder why I'm here. I know you don't normally do these kinds of meetings with students, but I don't need an interview about my practice; I need a perspective on my personal life." I had recently worked intensely with this woman at a retreat, where she had told me she was in therapy and that it had been helpful in her life and practice. She was confident and very self-reliant, so I knew she would not casually ask for an appointment. "So let's hear it," I replied.

On Bikram Yoga

An excerpt from Mark Stephen's book "Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques." An esteemed yoga instructor who has trained over seven hundred yoga teachers, he conducts classes, workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats worldwide.

Bikram Choudhury

Very few approaches to yoga in the West are named for their leading teacher. B.K.S. Iyengar, Ana Forest, and Bikram Choudhury are the only ones to name a system after themselves. Perhaps more than any other yoga teacher, Choudhury is unabashedly boastful in describing his personal accomplishments both on the mat ("I am beyond superman") and off the mat, frequently reminding others of his financial success. Whether from authentic megalomania or a brilliant public relations ploy (or both), Choudhury and his approach received extensive coverage in the media. With hundreds of Bikram's Yoga College of India and Hot Yoga studios dotting the planet, many thousands of students religiously follow the Bikram method of Hatha yoga.

5 Ways Yoga Can Enhance New Year's Resolutions

An article by Erica Rodefer. She is a writer and yoga enthusiast in Charleston, SC. Visit her blog, Spoiledyogi.com, follow her on Twitter, or like her on Facebook.

I'm not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions. It just seems so unrealistic to expect yourself to change over night. As a yoga student, I know that it takes practice and patience over a long period of time to change a long-held pattern. For example, I've been practicing relaxing my jaw for years now, and I still have to remind myself almost constantly. But this time of year we're all bombarded with messages that remind us that we should lose weight, get healthier, be happier, etc. There's nothing wrong with setting goals for the future, but I'm a firm believer that taking a yogic approach to those goals will help you reach them faster (and forgive yourself if you fall a little short, too!). 

Here are 5 ways yoga can help with common New Year's Resolutions.