These writings are informal reflections on practicing and teaching yoga. Click on any title to read the entire piece.
Yoga is entwined with politics in the epic Mahabharata and it's most famous chapter, the Bhagavad Gita. And it's not just in the epic and mythological literature; many early kingdoms and states in India connected their politics with yoga, just as many yogis in rural India (where its majority lives) often resisted such rule.
Reflections on Stretching, Stabilizing, and Forceful Yoga
by Mark Stephens
There are virtues and drawbacks to the use of the traditional concepts and belief systems in yoga to inform its various practices. On the one hand, for many, the belief that one is engaged in an experience rooted in ancient knowledge and validated by the passage of time provides a level of confidence and reinforcement.
After 15 years of doing this practice pretty much daily, I’m writing it out for the first time as requested by the folks in the December 2019 5-day sequencing immersion at triyoga in London.
In thinking about the nervous system, it makes sense to assume it is the part of us that makes us feel nervous. It does. But part of our nervous system makes us feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy. It is called the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), with the nickname “rest and digest.”
With a variety of age-related, health, and lifestyle factors affecting how we sl
Following the basic principles of sequencing instructions, guide the building of full Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) from the ground up and from what is at most risk of strain or injury: the wrists, shoulders, and hamstrings. We will look alternatively at the upper body (from the hands up) and lower body (from the feet up).
The conditions of men and women change considerably across the broad span of one’s lif
Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) is a strong intermediate-level standing balancing asana that asks for steady grounding of the standing foot and leg, opening of the standing leg’s hip in external rotation, elongation of the spine, and expansion of the torso and chest. It invites exploration of confidence in balancing through the opportunity to eventually maintain the gaze toward the thumb of the upper hand while transitioning in, refining, and releasing from it.
Excerpted from Teaching Yoga, Chapter 4 sidebar on “MULA BANDHA AND UDDIYANA BANDHA”