The eight limbs of yoga first appeared in ancient yoga writings, called the Patanjali's Yoga sutras. The Yoga Sutras offer an intention for living that is still relevant today. The word sutras means to thread or weave. When practiced with attention and presence they refine and stabilize every aspect of our lives.
I hear the word “enlightenment” thrown around a lot. It has traction that has launched a very lucrative t-shirt and trinket industry. I recently found myself wondering, “That’s nice, but what does enlightenment actually MEAN?” When I looked up the definition, I saw that several explanations were listed…Some feel it is attaining an awareness of God consciousness. Some feel that it is transcending duality and living in a perpetual state of bliss.
We all have a unique soul purpose, a reason for being that exists as a seed within our consciousness, stored as a gem just waiting to be discovered. This “life mission,” it could be called, is what allows us to find access to infinite presence and timelessness. In Sanskrit this unique soul-calling is known as one’s dharma and is thought to be the reason for pursuing a life of self-awareness and enlightenment, to allow this essence to be both discovered and expressed.
Trapped in a pattern of feeling limited in my body and unsure of how to move forward with a true sense of purpose and self-worth, I reach for a bottle of Frankincense oil as my life-coach had instructed. It is supposed to help with this kind of stuff. Why is it so difficult to believe in myself and what I came here to do? Lifting the lid and inhaling deeply something powerful within me begins to shift.
The body is layered, stacked like a Russian doll. In yogic philosophy, it is explained how the body is actually made up of various sheaths and what each sheath of the body is responsible for. By coming to know the five main koshas, or body fields or sheaths, it is easier to understand what part of us responds to, holds or processes each of our experiences.
If you haven’t heard about the latest trend of “goat yoga,” you likely will soon. It’s new, but it is catching on quickly. Goat Yyoga was started pretty recently (in August 2016) by Lainey Morse in Willamette Valley, Oregon, and is quickly becoming a trend.
What is goat yoga, you might ask? It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like—it’s a yoga class with goats! And adorable, snuggly, curious baby goats, at that.
I want to be as comfortable as possible. Give me air-conditioning and memory-foam mattress toppers and fast internet. I want my surroundings to be as cushy as I can make them. After I’ve worked so hard to make my life comfortable, at the very end of the day, if I have any energy left over, then I might think about other people. This is not good.