When we first begin studying yoga beyond the physical postures, it's natural to measure the teachings against our existing lives. The ethical principles can seem straightforward at first glance, inviting us to think, "I already do that." Yet yoga asks us to look beyond appearances and deeper than outward behavior. Its teachings are not simply about doing yoga, but about becoming more aware of how we move through life. Santosa, the second Niyama of the Eight Limbs, is often translated as...

Sauca: The Practice of Creating Space Sauca is the first of the five Niyamas, the personal observances that make up the second limb of yoga. It is often translated as purity, cleanliness, and order, but our teachers remind us that sauca is not only about keeping things neat. It is the sacred practice of clearing what obscures ease, function, truth, and our remembrance of who we are. A few months ago, I realized I could no longer reach the back of my closet. Containers, boxes, and bins had...

What is Aparigraha (non-grasping) not? It is when you want to have all of the answers before action. It's when you sit silent but have something to say; because you want to maintain the image of appropriate/in control or whatever the mask is you cling to not cause waves socially. It is when you hold back because it might be expensive, it might not be the right time, it might be frivolous, so you choose to cling to the known, the comfortable, and the secure. It is when the unexpected happens...