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The yoga practice is often said to be a mind-body or mind-body-spirit practice. One explanation for this is found in the presence of the five koshas—the “layers” or “sheaths” that exist to help integrate the different aspects of our being. The koshas help up perceive...
There is something about practicing yoga in a group that really helps you develop your practice. The benefits of practicing yoga with others are many. When we practice together, we are challenged to keep a certain pace, try new poses, and honor our boundaries all...
Udana vayu, also known as “ascending air,” is the prana vayu that directs prana from the lower chakras to the upper chakras. This upward-moving energy carries the awakened kundalini—our dormant spiritual energy—through the chakras as it ascends, facilitating a deeper connection to higher consciousness. Udana vayu is primarily located between the heart and the head, where it governs our ability to express ourselves and communicate clearly.
Sometimes yoga practice doesn’t give us that awesome feeling we are accustomed to. Sometimes it’s a real struggle. Some days, just getting to the mat can seem like a marathon itself. Other days, we expect our practice to deliver the bliss, yet we muster through the...
Vyana vayu, often called “omnipresent air,” is the prana vayu that integrates and coordinates the other four vayus—prana, apana, samana, and udana. Unlike the other vayus, which are associated with specific areas of the body, vyana vayu is present throughout the entire body and even extends outward, influencing the energy field or aura surrounding us. Vyana vayu is the glue that holds the other energies together.
If you have been practicing yoga for a while, you are familiar with the relationship between breath and movement. You understand that certain movements correspond to either an in breath or an out breath, each complimenting and facilitating the other. Over time the...
Samana vayu, often called “balancing air,” is the prana vayu that sits at the intersection of prana (the inward/upward-moving energy) and apana (the outward/downward-moving energy). This central force unites the two energies, creating balance in both body and mind. Located at the navel, samana vayu governs agni, the digestive fire, which is the fire of purification. When prana and apana unite within samana, agni burns optimally, supporting the body’s ability to assimilate and process what it receives.
April 2013 Over the past few months we “TT’s” have been deeply entrenched in the work at hand, perhaps at times feeling unequal to the task, and understandably rather self involved! Now, as we prepare to turn the last page of this life chapter, we can glance up beyond...
Crazy as it seems, we are nearing the end of The Yoga Sanctuary Teacher Training Program of 2012 – 2013. I’m not yet at the point to sit back and try to summarize the experience. Next month, perhaps. Or maybe never, as summary would most certainly fall short of any...
Do you ever find yourself in yoga class struggling to maintain a pose, or to get into a pose, or to keep up the pace during flowing sequences? Do you notice your mind gets agitated with thoughts like, “Why can’t I just keep up,” “Will I ever be able to do this pose,”...
Apana is the prana vayu that governs the downward and outward flow of energy from the body. It is the energy of release, responsible for physical elimination, as well as the release of mental and emotional waste. Apana vayu plays a crucial role in keeping us clear, balanced, and grounded.
By Sherry Bechtold In considering the topic of Finding Your Voice, I felt it more than appropriate to ask some of my fellow students to express their feelings, thoughts, observations about their own experience in the YTT program. Their remarks appear in quotes...
The yoga practice is designed to promote a feeling of calm, peace, and equanimity. The movements are fluid and synched to the breath. The mind finds relative ease and less distraction. The atmosphere is usually relaxing. While the environment in which we practice yoga...
The individual prana vayu, not to be confused with the entire category of prana vayus, represents the specific movement of prana, or life force, inward into the body. Prana vayu governs the intake of energy through breath, food, drink, and even through mental and sensory perceptions.
A month into our Teacher Training Program and two remarkable things have happened: 1) we have learned a LOT and 2) the reality of how much is involved in this teaching yoga thing is setting in! The LOT part includes the many hours we have spent on Asana with Jennifer....
The prana vayus are the five movements or functions of prana, or life force. The word “vayu” literally means “wind.” These five prana vayus—prana vayu, apana vayu, samana vayu, udana vayu, and vyana vayu—govern different areas of the body. When balanced and flowing freely, they promote health and vitality, helping us unlock our fullest potential.
My name is Sherry. I am 66 years old and I’ve been practicing Yoga for almost 30 years….with some seriousness for the past 15 years. This is my third year practicing at The Yoga Sanctuary, and I suspect it was my experience here that put the idea of teaching into my...
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season brings with it a seemingly contradictory mix of joy and distress, love and fear, compassion and selfishness, and love and disdain. Life gets busier and expectations run high as time runs out. Emotions go up and down, to do...
The holiday season is upon us with busier-than-ever schedules, endless to-do lists, and one get together after another with delicious, rich, waist-expanding foods at our fingertips. It’s easy to see how the average person gains 5 to 10 pounds during the holidays. Food...