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The Second Limb of Yoga: Niyama and the Five Personal Ethics for Inner Balance and Growth

The Second Limb of Yoga: Niyama and the Five Personal Ethics for Inner Balance and Growth

In Patanjali’s eight-limbed path of yoga, the niyamas represent the second set of ethical guidelines, focusing on personal observances and self-discipline. While the yamas guide our interactions with the external world, the niyamas turn our attention inward, offering practices that refine our inner life and foster spiritual development. These five observances—saucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and ishvarapranidhana—are integral to creating a balanced, purposeful life.

The First Limb of Yoga: Yama and the Five Ethical Practices for Living

The First Limb of Yoga: Yama and the Five Ethical Practices for Living

The Eight Limbs of Yoga, as outlined by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, offer a comprehensive path toward spiritual awakening. The first two limbs, the yamas and niyamas, serve as ethical guidelines for living in harmony with the world and ourselves. The yamas, in particular, focus on our outward behavior and how we interact with others, offering five key restraints that cultivate peaceful and compassionate relationships. These practices are not just rules to follow but are invitations to transform our actions and thoughts. The first yama, ahimsa, is a perfect place to begin, as it sets the foundation for the other restraints.

Agni: The Inner Fire of Transformation

Agni: The Inner Fire of Transformation

In both the yogic and Ayurvedic traditions, Agni, the fire element, plays a central role in maintaining balance and vitality. Agni is the transformative force that governs digestion, metabolism, and energy, operating on all levels of being—physical, energetic, and mental.

Exploring Nadi Shodhana or Alternate Nostril Breathing

Exploring Nadi Shodhana or Alternate Nostril Breathing

Yoga offers a myriad of ways to explore, deepen, lengthen, or alter the breath. These practices, traditionally known as pranayama, bring unique benefits to the body, mind, and spirit. As the fourth limb among the eight limbs of yoga described in the Yoga Sutras, pranayama serves as a bridge between the external and internal aspects of our being, preparing us for deeper states of awareness. One of the more accessible, calming, and grounding pranayama techniques is Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing.

Caregiving: Finding Balance When the Scales Feel Totally Tipped

Caregiving: Finding Balance When the Scales Feel Totally Tipped

It isn’t realistic to think that caregivers can do everything themselves. Most of us like being independent and hesitate asking for help, but we need to give ourselves permission to reach out for it. This is not a time for isolation. Offers of help are gifts of love and should be received as such. If the caregiver has the resources, others may be hired to help with outdoor or indoor chores. If not, asking a family member or friend to pitch in may benefit both parties…

A Meditation for Dropping into the Moment

A Meditation for Dropping into the Moment

Enjoy this short meditation that will help you pause and drop into the moment.

Yoga Teacher Training: Moving Beyond the Doubts

Yoga Teacher Training: Moving Beyond the Doubts

I remember the first time I seriously considered yoga teacher training. It seems like a lifetime ago. Yet I can easily conjure up the feelings I had, the curiosity, the excitement, the doubt—so much doubt…. “Should I or shouldn’t I apply for the teacher training program?” “Am I good enough, capable enough?” “It’s a long, long drive for such a big commitment.” “Can I financially afford this right now?” etc. But my future husband kept at me, “Quit doubting yourself. Just go for it!” So—eventually—I did…

The Journey into the Heart of Yin Yoga

The Journey into the Heart of Yin Yoga

There is always an origin story. There is always a describable journey into the depth of something profound, or a pathway that’s been forged or followed. Many journeys exist, but not all are worthy of the effort of bringing them to life by way of pen and paper. Or in this case, fingers to a keyboard.
I believe that this origin story is fundamental to my development as a yoga teacher, and it’s an interesting story to tell. Moreover, it’s relatable. It started an indeterminate number of years ago – a random yin yoga class lies within my history as a student more than 10 years ago.

The Four Ashrams or Stages of Life

by Gwen BurdickAccording to Vedic tradition, a human being spends a lifetime in four stages or ashrams. The word ashram in Sanskrit literally means "place of spiritual shelter." The framework of the four stages allows for a comfort and clarity as spirituality is...

The Partnership of Caregiving and Empowering Our Loved Ones

The Partnership of Caregiving and Empowering Our Loved Ones

When someone we love is hurting, ill, or otherwise struggling, our first instinct may be to jump in to try to fix the problem or to take over a task the person has difficulty executing. We want to make their lives easier, and these seem like logical ways. I learned many things after my spouse’s death that I wish I had known before. One is that these loving attempts may not honor where our dear ones are on their journey…

Two Things We Often Say to Caregivers (and Probably Shouldn’t)

Two Things We Often Say to Caregivers (and Probably Shouldn’t)

We are all likely to become caregivers at various points in our lives, whether it’s for a child who is ill, an aging parent, or a beloved spouse. There are many commonalities between caregivers and individuals who are grieving. In fact, caregivers are experiencing at least a temporary loss of a life that was in the past or was dreamed about for the future…. Caregivers may look like the people we always knew, but they are not the same. They are living through a stressful, draining, major shift in their lives. Given this background, let us examine some potential problems with two statements caregivers often hear.

Retreat, Reset, & Rejuvenate

Retreat, Reset, & Rejuvenate

by Jennifer FrenchHmmm, it feels like something's wrong. It’s hard to put a finger on what. Some vague feeling of losing track of ourselves. Worn down by our daily routines and obligations, an undetected general fatigue builds up gradually over time…Or, maybe life...

The Yoga Sanctuary Story: Our First 15 Years

The Yoga Sanctuary Story: Our First 15 Years

In May 2007, Bonnie Yonker, yoga teacher and founder of The Yoga Sanctuary, opened the studio doors in the Swiss Connection Building at 403 Sullivan Street with just eleven classes on the schedule. Read more to learn the story of The Yoga Sanctuary…

Cultivating Gratitude at Thanksgiving & All Year Through

Cultivating Gratitude at Thanksgiving & All Year Through

The practice of cultivating gratitude is part of the science of positive psychology. Studies have found that gratitude can increase levels of well-being and happiness in those who cultivate it.

Tadasana: The Mountain Pose—The First Pose You’ll Ever Learn

Tadasana: The Mountain Pose—The First Pose You’ll Ever Learn

Rich in symbolism, tadasana comes from the Sanskrit words tada (mountain) and asana (posture, or seat). Mountain Pose is the essence of stability and foundation, and as such, contains the building blocks for every other posture in yoga. Yoga videos exploring Mountain Pose can be found here!

The Path of Yoga: Exploring the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Eight Limbs

The Path of Yoga: Exploring the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Eight Limbs

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, compiled by the sage Patanjali over 1,700 years ago, are considered one of the most authoritative texts on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Comprising 196 aphorisms—short, concise statements—the Yoga Sutras outline the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga), a systematic guide for living a yogic life and achieving spiritual liberation. This text is foundational in the Raja Yoga tradition, which emphasizes self-discipline, meditation, and mental mastery as essential tools for attaining inner peace and enlightenment.

Virasana: The Hero’s Pose—Great for Your Knees (unless it’s not)

Virasana: The Hero’s Pose—Great for Your Knees (unless it’s not)

Virasana, or the Hero’s Pose, is a commonly used sitting or meditation posture. Those that have difficulty taking a cross-legged position often find the pose to be more accessible and comfortable. Vira, the root word for virasana, translates to hero. You may wonder how a simple and humble kneeling position came to be known as such… Practice videos included here!!

The Third Limb of Yoga: Asana

The Third Limb of Yoga: Asana

Asana, often associated with the physical postures of yoga, is a fundamental practice that contributes to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It serves as the groundwork for the deeper practices of yoga, creating a solid foundation for personal growth and transformation. While most people are familiar with asana as the body postures performed in a yoga class, its significance stretches far beyond the physical.

Follow Your Breath: A Guided Meditation

Follow Your Breath: A Guided Meditation

Enjoy this simple, 15-minute guided meditation that focuses on the natural rhythm of the breath, and your unique breath print.

Using the Sensory Practice to Move Inward

A Guided Meditation Led by Melissa Goodwin Melissa fell in love with yoga at the age of 10, when she and her mother attended a community yoga class. She is grateful to have found her long-time teachers, Tias and Surya Little, when she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in...

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