Yoga takes us towards expansive contentment within us

We all experience both happiness and unhappiness in our lives. A major source of pleasure is the connection between our senses and their objects. We taste food and drink that we like, we enjoy that taste, that gives us happiness. We experience body sensations, like sleep, sex, or a… ...

There is so much emphasis on asana in modern yoga. Much of the time, it is being done as exercise. This is not wrong—after all, asana can also be exercise. But asana is only a relatively small part of the path of classical yoga. What makes asana special is… ...

In the Svastha Yoga Therapy Program we work with multiple domains of wellbeing, such as Breathing, Movement, Feeling, Thoughts, Nutrition & Lifestyle, and more. Under each of these domains, we map out the skills that anyone needs in order to be well. In many of these domains, awareness is one… ...

What is the most obvious difference between a dog or a cat and a human like us? They are quadrupeds: they walk on four legs. We are bipedal: we stand upright and move on two legs. There are many advantages to being on two legs. For instance, it frees up… ...

In my lectures on wellbeing and yoga, I often speak of the influence of evolution. Evolution is the ground upon which our biology is designed. Billions of years of evolution have created the conditions in which our cells function. That ground also influences our behavior. Among the various impacts… ...

Wellbeing is not a short-term achievement. It is earned and supported by our longstanding habits. For example, consider the risk of developing cancer. There are broadly three categories of risk factors. One: inherited genetics. This accounts for around 5-10% of the risk. Two: modifiable risk factors. This is estimated to account for… ...

Posts The Rg Veda is ancient, dated to over 3000 years ago. It contains a beautiful passage, called the Nāsadīya Sūkta. That section ponders the fundamental question, “How did this universe arise?” It does not reference any particular god or deity. It does not even come to any definitive conclusion,… ...

Decades ago, to understand any topic on health and wellbeing you had to seek out a professional or a library, to discover the materials you needed. Sometimes, you would not be able to locate the specific information you were looking for, at all. Contrast that with the situation now. On… ...

When starting to learn ayurveda, the student is introduced to a key verse early on from the ancient text, the Sushruta Samhita. It defines the state of “svastha,” a state of health that is the goal of the treatment. The endpoint of ayurvedic treatment is not merely diminishing the symptoms… ...

Early on in my father’s studies with Sri Krishnamacharya, during a class on the topic of meditation, the master once told him: “Consider a photo of an image that you are familiar with. It could be even your own face. If that photo is pasted on a wall, it… ...