A beautiful poem translated by Swami Abhyayananda

I offer obeisance to the God and Goddess,
The limitless primal parents of the universe.

They are not entirely the same,
Nor are they not the same.

An inversion is an asana or yoga pose where the head is ultimately situated below the heart.

There are many inversion poses. The Shoulder Stand, Headstand and Handstand are first likely to come to mind when one thinks ‘inversions.’ Fear may hold many people back from trying inversions because going upside down does not come naturally to most people and the road to a perfectly balanced inversion pose is usually with a few falls along the way.

The number 108 has long been considered a sacred number, not only in yoga but in many spiritual traditions around the world. But what is the significance of 108? Why is it recurring in so many places?

Samskara, as with most Sanskrit words, has several context driven meanings in Indian philosophy. Some of its loose translations include “mental impression,” “psychological imprint,” “recollection” and “activator.” All these definitions help us understand its reference to a deep conditioning that, in part, is caused by past actions and, in part, is responsible for future actions, much like a broken record stuck in a groove that repeats the same tune. Samskara is what we are referring to when we say we are “repeating the same pattern.”

Sankalpa refers to the yogic intention or resolution, which in yoga is considered to be a very powerful force and a very important step to successfully reaching our goals.

Yoga Nidra, although known as yogic sleep, is not actual sleep, but a trance of awareness. It is a state of mind between wakefulness and dream, a practice that allows you to access deeper levels of mind, right down to the unconscious, while remaining conscious.

During the practice of Yoga Nidra, your intellectual or conscious mind is operating, but the deep relaxations allows the doors of the subconscious to open as they do during sleep.

Yoga and meditation help children find their calm and sense of connection while being fun. Inspiring your children to practise yoga and meditation offers them tools for life to help them live healthier and better cope with stress and other challenges. When children are content, they are less likely to be troublesome, so it can offer a relief for the parents too!

This phrase can be interpreted in many ways, and together these perspectives form a kaleidoscopic view of your life and place in the world. The kaleidoscope offers a colourful, enchanting window into a vision that seems bathed in synergy and harmony. Yet the astonishing thing about it is that it’s created through symmetrical fragmentation in the apparatus of the optical instrument.

Chakra literally means “wheel” in the ancient language of Sanskrit. Chakras are energy centres located within the body, and consist of spirals that combine spiritual energy and psychophysical energy. Each one influences and is influenced by all the different aspects of our being: body, mind, emotion, energy, and breath.

Peer pressure is not limited to school playgrounds. It exists within workplaces, family units, adult friendships and marital relationships alike. As people become more intimately involved, expectations invariably arise regarding the rules of relationship and tribal order.  

But, in the same way that we should not seek to control others or situations, we should be aware not to allow others or situations to control us. Maintaining healthy boundaries is about recognising where our principles and those of the people we are interacting with are not the same. It is about cultivating healthy relationships.