Most of us know the importance of good decision making. Decisions can lead to happy or unhappy consequences. In a game show, if you choose what’s behind curtain one instead of curtain two, you might lose or gain a small fortune. Much of our life experience feels like that, feels like a gamble. We make countless choices everyday, but we are seldom sure if what we choose will bring the results we seek.

A vegetarian diet – no meat, poultry, fish, or eggs – is the most conducive to growth and success in any branch of Yoga. This is the diet recommended for and by yogis for millennia. A vegetarian diet is best for physical health and clarity of mind.

Prayer is a big subject with many subtleties. Below are some thoughts regarding the different ways to pray. There is also a chapter on prayer in Awaken: Inside Yoga Meditation.

This glossary contains definitions for some common terms used in and around the Yoga. Terms that are prominent in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are noted by section and sutra number.

Raja Yoga means the Royal Yoga. Traditionally referred to as Patanjali Yoga Darshana (the Yoga philosophy of Patanjali), it earns its regal title since it is a complete, holistic approach that contains the essence of all the other branches of Yoga.

How should a yogi act when faced with challenges, injustice, greed, and the many other darker sides of life – those aspects of life that cause us pain and suffering? Is there a way to respond to what we experience as negative events that will help bring harmony to us and to the situation itself?

Seven Zone Hatha Yoga is a method for accessing the deepest levels of prana (vital energy, or Qi). These zones are considered among the subtlest and most powerful levels of energetic functioning. They are also areas where the flow of prana can easily become blocked or restricted. The asanas and breathing practices of Hatha Yoga, when properly done, frees blocked energy, brings balance in the body and mind, and has a profound effect on our physical, mental, and spiritual well

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the classic text of Yoga theory and practice. It is a manual for transcending all artificial notions of self and the universe we live in. This study guide can be used with any translation of the Sutras that you prefer. Although it is non-sequential, it follows a logical flow of thought and ensures that students incorporate practice into their study as soon as possible.

Most people who practice Hatha Yoga or meditation know how peaceful, refreshed, and inspired these practices make you feel. What can be very difficult is finding a way to carry these experiences into our daily life. The ancient yogis, leaving no stone unturned in their quest for lives that were easeful, peaceful, and useful, thoroughly explored this question by asking: Is there some way that we can take care of all our daily duties without disturbing our peace, and even enhan

We'll briefly look at a few reasons why yogis have recommended a vegetarian (no meat, fish, eggs, alcohol) diet for over 5000 years as the best for improving and maintaining good health and a clear, focused mind.

It could be said that among all the branches of Yoga, the crest jewel is Japa Yoga, the science of the repetition of mantras. One of the pillars of Yoga for thousands of years, it doesn’t require strenuous exercise of the body, mind, or will power.

Bhakti Yoga, one of the six branches of Yoga, seeks Self-realization through devotion to any name and form of God. It is marked by...

The Guru has been a cornerstone of the yogic tradition for at least seven thousand years. But even with the current popularity of Yoga,...

The branch of Yoga that centers on answering this question through study and self-examination is Jnana Yoga, the Yoga of Wisdom.

Every aspect of who we are: physical, social, devotional, intellectual, analytical, and introspective has a completely developed path...

The Golden Moment is the period just before turning the awareness to the object of meditation near the beginning of a meditation session...

Here you will find basic meditation instructions. It is a no-frills way to give meditation a try without getting involved with too...