Pranayama

A Beltane Celebration of Fertility and Union

When I was a little girl my grandmother would take me and my sister to the Peaceful Valley Community Center on May Day to make flower crowns and dance around the maypole. It's one of my favorite childhood memories! I've come to learn that another name for May Day is Beltane, which is the Celtic festival of fertility and union celebrated in mid-spring. I've been celebrating the changing seasons for a long time now, but I'm just beginning to deepen my study of the Celtic Wheel of the Year and its mid-season festivals. This week—which marks the moment ... (Continue Reading)

By |2022-04-29T15:36:12-07:00May 5th, 2019|Art, Beltane, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Cultivate, Bring About, Dwell Upon

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. April 7, 2019 Can I offer you a bit of love this morning? I know that all the love we need already exists. It's real. It's in each of us. But sometimes it feels far away. Or hard to gather up, tap into, and send in the right direction. A long-time beloved student, in a one-on-one support session this week, shared the idea that we're all just stumbling through the dark looking for light... I don't have the quote quite right and I don't remember the original source. But I deeply understand ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T13:19:05-07:00April 7th, 2019|About this Blog, Art, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|0 Comments

Balancing our Multi Layered Lives (Spring Equinox 2019)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. March 24th, 2019 The spring equinox always feels like an ignition key to me... This is an amazing time of year to ponder big dreams and articulate fresh intentions. This is always true in the springtime, but if felt especially auspicious this year with the equinox full moon. On Wednesday evening I did some moon bathing on our deck and caught this picture. The moonlight lit up our entire field. It was a wonder to see! Balancing our Multi-Layered Lives | Spring Equinox Watch: or Listen: or Read: It’s ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T13:09:55-07:00March 24th, 2019|Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Scripture, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|2 Comments

Intentional Experiments with Change (Lent & Kriya Yoga)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. March 10th, 2019 Change is constant. Everything about life is changing every moment of every day. And yet, making an intentional change is hard. How are both of these things true?? I don't know. But they are. Right? So I've got some resources to help you work within this reality... (Please note, this is an especially jam packed post! After you've watched the sermon, make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom!) Intentional Experiments with Change (Lent & Kriya Yoga) Watch: or Listen: ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:43:39-07:00March 10th, 2019|Art, Creativity, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

Intention, Goals, & Identity | Free Journal Pages! (New Year 2019)

Welcome to the Yoga Church Sunday Sermons. January 6, 2019 Intention, Goals, & Identity - A Journal! We're officially living in 2019. How's it feeling so far? It's already been somewhat of a roller coaster for me... I had to make a difficult choice this week, which came with all the feelings. But I've been reflecting on what I said in last week's sermon about the importance of language (remember my example of saying "anxiety is strong right now" instead of "I AM anxious") and I've been putting it into practice. I have to tell you, it works! Naming ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T14:46:23-07:00January 6th, 2019|Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Practice, Pranayama, Scripture, Spirituality, Training, Yoga, Yoga Church Sunday Sermons|1 Comment

May there be peace on earth | Free practice (2015)

During the holidays we often hear the phrase "Let there be peace on earth." This a beautiful sentiment, one that I pray for everyday. Unfortunately, it's not a reality for many people. When I think about this, I often become overwhelmed. I'm unsure how to respond to all the needs within my family, my town, my country, my world. We are exposed to so much poverty, suffering, and terror on a daily basis. My prayers for peace feel inadequate. But prayers are powerful. I've been actively praying for the past 10-years. My personal understanding---and my theology---of prayer has changed radically ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-10-08T15:20:26-07:00December 8th, 2015|Asana, Embodiment, Holidays, Meditation, Practice, Pranayama, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Yoga|0 Comments

The Five Great Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas)

I've been called a tree hugger many times, which is a name I happily accept (and an action I admit to doing more than once!). I love trees. I love water. I love stars. I love nature. Recently I've been reflecting on the fact that I am nature. I've been studying Ayurvedic medicine (as part of my training in yoga therapy) and have been reading a lot about the Five Great Elements, which could also be called the five great states of material existence. As part of my study I've been reading about the creation story of Samkhya philosophy. Samkhya ... (Continue Reading)

By |2015-08-20T14:49:02-07:00August 19th, 2015|Art, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Religion, Spirituality, Yoga|0 Comments

Pancha Maya Koshas

July, 2015 The study of yoga takes a lifetime (or lifetimes). I have spent several years in full-time study of this ancient art and science and yet I'm constantly struck by how much more there is to study and understand. I have far to go (we always do it seems), but I'm encouraged and motivated by the very real ways that this practice has been integrated into my life. Yoga is the lens through which I look. My study and practice have slowly shifted my understanding, attitude, and actions. Life is change. And through yoga I have been able to ... (Continue Reading)

By |2019-02-01T20:58:46-08:00July 14th, 2015|Art, Asana, Books, Creativity, Embodiment, Meditation, Nature, Practice, Pranayama, Relationships, Religion, Scripture, Spirituality, Training, Yoga|7 Comments

Internal Spring Cleaning – Prana, Apana, and Agni

A Practice for Internal Spring Cleaning: You've probably heard the term prana before. But have you heard of apana? Or udana? There are actually 5 pranas. They're called the vayus or the "forces of the air." They are: Prana vayu, which governs reception (eating, drinking, inhaling). Apana vayu, which governs elimination (going to the bathroom, giving birth, exhaling). Udana Vayu, which governs growth and transformation. Samana Vayu, which governs digestion (of anything... food, thoughts, etc.). Vyana Vayu, which governs circulation. Much could be said about the vayus, but for today, I want to focus on the forces of prana and ... (Continue Reading)

By |2020-05-18T14:31:09-07:00May 7th, 2015|Asana, Embodiment, Meditation, Practice, Pranayama, Spirituality, Spring, Yoga|1 Comment
Copyright © 2018 Summer Cushman | yoga-in-depth
Go to Top