Beyond Asana Blog

We’re on the cusp of the Solstice, a pivotal moment in the earth’s annual cycle. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the return of the light - a literal and symbolic turning point from darkness to illumination. 

In yoga, such turning points are sacred ground for insight and breakthrough.

Consider Arjuna’s predicament at the start of the Bhagavad Gita. He’s the greatest warrior of his time, standing on the brink of an epic battle. Looking out across the battlefield, he sees friends, teachers, and relatives positioned against him.

He is forced to choose between fighting or refusing to fight - each path laden with dire consequences. Paralyzed by fear,...

During her service in the US Marine Corps, Bailey Williams pushed her body to dangerous extremes through intense physical activity and disordered eating. Her memoir, Hollow, chronicles her journey from self-destruction toward healing.

Now a yoga teacher, Williams credits yoga and meditation as key to transforming her relationship with her body. Where she once treated her body as a machine to be dominated, she now experiences it as a source of profound wisdom and great delight.

Her story is a testament to yoga’s remarkable potential for healing, illustrating how we can fundamentally reshape our relationship with our bodies—from antagonistic to allyship.

Yet, the practices...

You might be familiar with the traditional representation of the Shiva Nataraj, which depicts the Ananda Tandava, the divine dance of Lord Shiva that represents the five ongoing universal processes: creation, maintenance, dissolution, concealment and revelation.

There’s also a rarer version that portrays Shiva upside down, balancing on one arm:

One interpretation of this form is that it represents ultimate freedom. Shiva, as the principle of absolute consciousness, isn’t constrained by the relative world. He embodies the all-pervasive reality that transcends time, space, and even the laws of physics.

Consider how your practice supports you when...

Late November is when our little corner of the world transforms into a landscape of austere beauty. Stark trees stand etched against the pale sky, resilient and ready for winter’s approach. Most birds - except for the Wild Turkeys, Starlings, and intrepid Black-capped Chickadees - have gone on their way too.

There’s an odd comfort in the stillness at this time of year, when nature seems stripped down to her bare bones.

It’s not unlike the journey yoga invites us on. Through the inward practices of yoga, we discover who we are beyond the roles we play and the labels that typically define us.

When all else is stripped away, what remains is the luminous presence of pure being....

All people possess faith, and whatever their faith may be, that is what they become.

- Bhagavad Gita 17.3

This statement has always struck me as both powerful and provocative.

What does it mean that we become our faith? Perhaps we’re defined not just by what we believe, but by how those beliefs shape our actions. Over time, our convictions become part of our identity, shaping who we are in the world.

Shraddha, the Sanskrit word typically translated as faith, can also mean "to place in one’s heart" or "the truth of one’s heart." These nuanced definitions reveal faith as a deep-seated connection to an inner truth, rather than beliefs that conform to an...

Those who sense eternity are beyond all fear. They see in every night the place where day begins, and are consoled.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

If you’ve felt like you’re driving through dense fog, only able to see a few feet ahead, you’re not alone. This is certainly what life has felt like for me and many people I’ve spoken with over the past week.

I’ve found refuge in two different approaches to practice. On one hand, grounding practices and strength-building work bring me into the present moment and get me out of my head.  

On the other, expanding my perspective has also been a lifesaver.

Sitting with the sheer immensity of geological and cosmic time has been...

The hardest yoga class I ever taught was on the morning after the 2016 US presidential election. For the first time in over 15 years of teaching, I was at a complete loss for anything meaningful, let alone uplifting, to say to the students streaming into the studio.

As I took my seat at the front of the room, the only reasonable choice was to say what was genuinely true for me. As I did, there was a palpable relief in the room. By showing up authentically and allowing myself to be where I was, I had inadvertently given everyone permission to do the same.

What happened next surprised me. I began to speak about a way forward.

While I’m not at the front of the class this morning, similar...

One of the most helpful – and perfectly timed – insights from last week’s Wisdom of Trauma conference was a newfound understanding of, and appreciation for, somatic resources for trauma.

Dr. Scott Lyons led a fascinating session exploring our own unique sources of safety, strength, and support. These are the objects, people, and actions that allow us to stay present with ourselves and our circumstances - whether traumatic or simply challenging - and hold our experience in the fullest way possible.

Resources can be found in many places, and we can recognize them by their steadying effect on us. They might be sensory experiences: giving ourselves a hug, smelling an evocative...

It’s been a magnificent autumn week at the Kripalu Center in Western Massachusetts. I’m attending the Wisdom of Trauma Conference, focused on somatic approaches to healing trauma.

I'm inspired by how mental health professionals are increasingly recognizing the power of integrating the body and breath into traditional therapy. This awakening reminds me of a profound Tantric metaphor: unmesha and nimesha – the opening and closing of Shiva's eyelids.

According to tradition, the world manifests when Shiva – the principle of pure, unbounded consciousness – opens his eyes (unmesha means "the opening of eyelids"). When Shiva closes his eyes...

 My right hip had been bothering me for days. Familiar with my body’s quirks by now, I knew the source: my temperamental sacroiliac joint. During yesterday’s restorative practice, I chose a pose I knew would target the area - Cross-legged forward bend, Sukhasana.

As I folded into the stretch, it pinpointed the tightness and restriction with the precision I had hoped. I directed my breath like a laser, penetrating deep into the discomfort. I recognized the intensity as beneficial and lingered there. Breathing and feeling, I investigated the sensations with curiosity and infused each breath with self-compassion.

Emerging from the pose, the issue hadn’t...