Tag: quotes

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Through the Fire

Penetration of our mind is our goal, but in the beginning to set things in motion, there is no substitute for sweat. ~BKS Iyengar

In Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Mr Iyengar designed a table* in which he illustrates the evolution of citta (consciousness) regarding its 3 component states (gunas): sattva (luminosity), rajas (vibrancy), and tamas (inertia). According to his chart, when we first begin practicing yoga, the consciousness is dull, dark, and inert, dominated by the quality tamas. As we apply effort to shifting the consciousness, the quality of rajas becomes prevalent characterized by movement and effort, a fire within. With continued practice, the consciousness becomes light and peaceful, sattva, until eventually the consciousness transcends these three qualities of nature.

So what I take away from Mr Iyengar’s presentation is that if we ever want to attain a sattvic (peaceful) or transcendent state, we have to traverse the others first: tamas (darkness) and rajas (fire). There isn’t a shortcut that will take us directly from darkness to light, we have to go through the fire… which may involve a little perspiration.

*Table 8 in his commentary on Sutra II.18 on the gunas

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Blossoming

Welcome to my new website and blog! Thank you for visiting!

My plan is to write about various yoga topics including asana (poses), pranayama (breathing), and philosophy as well as personal stories and thoughts about yoga practice and teaching in general. My hope is that this blog can become a forum for yoga discussion– a whole community of yogis, coming together to learn and share from each other.

After teaching yoga in Texas for 11 years, I moved to Bournemouth in England and am rebuilding my yoga teaching career. It feels very odd to start completely over–exciting in many ways, but challenging nonetheless! Of course I miss the support of my teachers and peers, the comfort of the familiar, and the closeness I feel towards my students. We had invested a lot of energy into the yogic journey together and i definitely have conflicting feelings in moving on. The difficulty lies in my egoism, my attachment–that my identity is in some way linked to their happiness and progress, while the sweetness lies in my full knowledge that all of my teachers, friends and students share the joy in our lives’ journeys.

Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be. ~B.K.S. Iyengar

The future is bright and I hope to build a new yoga community in my new home. I feel so very grateful to be a yogi.