How do you define yoga?
My definition of yoga stems from Patanjali’s eight-limb path: yama, niyama, asana, pranyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. It is a deeply spiritual path that allows the practitioner to connect with the true Self. Asana, or the yoga postures we are so familiar with, are only one limb of yoga that helps us on our journey to connect with Self.

How did you begin yoga?
My yoga practice began with a search for a new form of aerobic exercise. My practice, like... Read more...

How do you define yoga?
Yoga is a way of living my life and has less to do with a conceptual understanding. We can say that yoga comes from the word yoke or to unite the individual with the whole of existence, but it means nothing if we are not living it.

We must come to understand that words and their definitions are only pointers to the true essence of meaning. Take for example the word Love. It is often overused and watered down. The word is only a representation of something much greater... Read more...

The practice of hatha yoga, or the physical practice of postures, is the kind of yoga most people in the Western hemisphere practice. Despite its multiple designations, like Anusara, Kripalu, Iyengar, Core Power, Bikram and vinyasa (to name just a few), almost all kinds of yoga eventually end up in downward dog or some other posture we call “yoga.” So the question is this: How does practicing a downward dog become a “spiritual” practice?

 

The truth is that for many people, it... Read more...

 

In the autumn of 2009, on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, I climbed the stairs to Yoga Journeys, Teryl Lundquist’s tranquil studio space downtown. Greeted by warm eyes and smiles, I joined the twelve or so other Yoga Teachers of Colorado Springs (YTOCS) attendees for an afternoon to participate in their mission to be “Keepers of the Soul of Yoga.”

The concept for that quarterly meeting was, on the surface, simple – to each share some favorite asanas... Read more...

 

Nearly 18 months ago, Colorado Springs yoga teacher Juan Manuel Flores created a safe space for those with HIV/AIDS to learn and practice yoga.

 

He's the founder of Yoga for the People, and has taught the free Saturday morning classes at  Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church since June 2011. Susanna Kelland helps co-teach the hour-long vinyasa class that includes postures, meditation and yogic philosophy.

 

The Saturday morning class isn’t just for those with the virus. Friends and... Read more...

How do you define yoga?
Yoga is a loving way of understanding your relationship to the world

How did you begin yoga? What made the practice stick to you?
I began yoga from a fitness standpoint. When I started practicing, I’d been teaching group fitness (step, toning, stretch, cycle) and personal training for about 10 years. I was intrigued by yoga, but only from what it could provide physically. The practice stuck because it made me feel accepting of my body, rather than competitive with it.
... Read more...