Yoga Journal

rise up

WHEN WE SETTLED on the theme of this issue—Raise Your Vibration—we talked a lot about what that means. And more importantly, what it doesn’t. Because all too often, elevating your energetic state is conflated with platitudes like “good vibes only” and “love and light.” But thinking that we can use spiritual practices and ideas to heal ourselves or those around us isn’t just ineffective—it’s actually a harmful form of spiritual bypassing. Staving off negative emotions and trauma doesn’t make them go away. And telling another person or group that their suffering can be eased with positivity alone dismisses their very real needs, feelings, and problems, said psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher John Welwood, who coined the term spiritual bypassing in the 1980s. But connecting to the energy that runs through your own subtle…

dharma talk

WHEN YOU WANT to manifest big change, try to change your thought process around one tiny decision. I always get this Golden Pineapple drink for lunch. If I want to manifest something major in my life, then I start by ordering the chai latte instead. Trying something new helps create new pathways in your brain. You’re signaling that you’re not always living by the same routine. A saying that really resonates with me is “Be careful what you say, because your cells are listening. “It reminds me that on the quantum level, what we’re saying all day long programs our cells to magnetize certain information and experiences back to us. Come On Get Higher, page 68…

our contributors share short mental resets

PRACTICE BREATH OF FIRE When I’m on the go and I only have a moment to pause, my all-time favorite practice is Breath of Fire—a Kundalini technique that involves quick breathing through the nostrils paired with exaggerated belly pulses. When I do get anxiety, I usually feel it in my stomach. Breath of Fire almost always dissolves it, while stimulating my nervous system so I don’t feel stagnant. It restores and renews my mental clarity. I often do a modified version in moments when it’s difficult to find calmness in my stomach region by simply pumping my belly and leaving out the rapid breaths. 1 Get into a comfortable seat, close your eyes, stick out your tongue, and begin to pant. 2 Then, bring in your tongue, close your mouth, and practice…

deepen your practice

LEARN SANSKRIT Prana - The force of life. Prana vayu, for example, roughly means “life wind,” a name for the air we breathe. When we understand that prana lives in our breath, we realize that there is vital energy in breathing that propels and sustains life. —Rina Deshpande, E-RYT 500 yoga and mindfulness researcher, writer, and teacher MEDITATION 101 USE SOUND TO FOCUS YOUR MIND Mantra yoga uses a particular sound, phrase, or affirmation (such as Sat Nam), that, when repeated, serves as a focal point for the mind. The word mantra comes from man, which means “to think,” and tra, which suggests “instrumentality.” Chanting, an extension of mantra yoga, is a way of entering into meditation that involves both rhythm and pitch. Om namah shivaya is a popular Hindu mantra that can be chanted to…

align with your values

CRISIS HAS A way of revealing weak foundations. The events of the last year caused us to reflect on the structural integrity of the systems that govern us. For those who have built lives upon inequality, racism, fear, or privilege—either implicitly or explicitly—2020 invited a reckoning, asking people to acknowledge how they’ve benefited from oppression. These learned lessons can help us establish a new normal, so we can start to move forward with fresh goals that meet the challenges of the coming year. January We begin 2021 fresh off the heels of the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius (which took place on December 21), a rebirth cycle that occurs only once every two decades. This time the alignment marked the end of these two planets in earth signs—where they…

power up with creativity-boosting conduits

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