Tuesdays with Muerte

PARSHVA HASTA EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA The Problem: Finding Balance For many Latter-day Saints, the day after  General Conference is a lot like the day after New Years—it’s when our personal resolutions begin to fall apart. There are two main reasons why I have lost my motivation only hours after feeling so stoked: 1) I end up either trying too hard and burn out, or 2) I balk at my mammoth spiritual goals and give up in exasperation.  I call this tragic pattern— The  Zeal  Cycle . It  begins with a moment of inspiration that then leads to a spasm of fervor ( or feelings of guilt ) for not having accomplished one's goal. This results in discouragement and  complacency.   After some time has passed, we seek inspiration again. As a yogi, I have dealt with "The Zeal Cycle” as well.  I often feel intense feelings of inspiration right after an especially cleansing yoga class, or witnessing someone demonstrate an INSANE yoga pose. I'...

This is the second post in my LDS Yogis  series, meant to demystify the idea of yoga for Latter-day Saints.  In this post, I discuss what yogis and Mormons are and are NOT suppose to eat (specifically regarding meat). Ahiṃsā vs. Word of Wisdom For some schools of hatha yoga, the issue of vegetarianism  is a central tenant, while for others it hardly receives mention.  For the majority of yoga practitioners, diet is a less of a dictated set of laws to be followed and more of a deeply-personal way to draw closer to the divine.  For others, it is also a cultural issue regarding how we treat the other beings on our planet.  Similarly, in the LDS faith, we have been given a doctrinal code of health referred to as the  Word of Wisdom  for our own physical, mental, social and spiritual benefit, as well as a way to show respect the gifts God has created for us. Both in yoga and in the LDS faith, disagreements on the morality of what is permissible...

Anjali mudra or "prayer pose." This post explores,  from an LDS perspective,  the roots of  namaskara  (or  anjali mudra ),  one of yoga's most-popular mudras (hand gestures).  Additionally, I share how "prayer pose" has  helped me to observe my baptismal covenant to always remember Jesus Christ.  My purpose is to  encourage members of the LDS faith  to consider the harmony, which I believe exists, between yoga and the LDS system of beliefs. What Does "Prayer Pose" Mean for Yogis? When I first began practicing yoga, I remember feeling uneasy about bowing  with a group of strangers ,  hands clasped  in adoration ,   and chanting  " namaste."   I thought that doing so was some sort of betrayal of my faith.  For years,  I guiltily played along out of fear of offending my instructor by  not participating .  Little did I know that this fear was preventing me from benefiting...

Re: Connection During my yoga practice today, a thought occurred to me to compare the yoga concept of Prana, the vital breath, with God's connection to Adam in the Garden of Eden—He " breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ". As I practiced breathing, I visualized the air around me was a physical representation of God’s love for me. (Let that idea sink in.) For those unfamiliar with the term, what is know to yogis as  prana, the Chinese call  chi , the Japanese qi , and the Egyptians  ka . While prana is not exactly breath, air, or oxygen, this non-physical essential energy flows through and around the body and is responsible for your aliveness. In yoga, the concept of prana is very scientific. Prana means the original life force. — Prana: the Universal Life Force  by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, published in Yoga Magazine, Zinal (Switzerland), September 1981 From an LDS perspective, we learn from King Benjamin of the Book of Mormon that ever...