Our community-centered yoga studio

Thoughts from the Kula Yogi

& collected quotes

“The major block to compassion is the judgment in our minds…”

Diane Berke

Benefits of Yoga
Through yoga techniques using the body and involving the breath and mind, we can rejuvenate and re-balance all the bodily systems: endocrine, nervous, muscular, skeletal, immune, circulatory and digestive. Glands, muscles, connective tissues, blood, brain tissue, and organs benefit from yoga. Yoga postures encourage concentration, inner stillness, perseverance, patience and self-acceptance.  Simply put, yoga serves to create awareness and wholeness of body, mind and spirit.

A Word About the Nature of Compassion

 

    Our compassion is the source of peace and happiness not only in our lives but in the lives of others. You can understand this if you think about how your mood is often affected by those around you. Suppose you pass someone on the street and they smile at you; you feel good and smile back. What if a stranger frowns at you or ignores you; that may make you sad or even depressed. If this happens with a friend or family member, your emotions are even stronger.

    Similarly, the way you behave to others affects them. Your smiles bring pleasure. A sincere smile, true kindness, conveys your respect and good will.

    Your compassion, affection and openheartedness can also heal others! By showing you cherish the people in your life, you can relax stress, soften tension, and help return the people around you to good health. Spread love, joy and comfort.

    And in showing empathy and compassion to the world, you receive the same. You feel wonderful about yourself. The world around you becomes more peaceful and cheerful. And isn’t that what we all want?

Medicine for the Mind

 

     Happiness and suffering come from our own mind. Certain ways of thinking can encourage peacefulness, joy and serenity. The best positive thoughts for healing and loving kindness can affect not only your mind but your body too. Be kind to yourself, always in all ways. Think of yourself as your best friend. When you find yourself thinking, “I should have …” or “If only I had…” put those thoughts out of your mind. There are no shoulds. There is no guilt. If you’ve done something for which you are sorry, apologize and then let it go. Be done with it and move on. If your mind grieves, your body stresses; stress is the beginning of dis-ease.

     The way to stop suffering is to put all thoughts of guilt and negativity out of your mind and replace them with healing, loving and peaceful thoughts. The nature of the mind is to be happy. You might have to re-train your mind to think positive thoughts. When an unhappy or hurtful thought comes into your mind, mentally say, “Stop.” Then immediately replace the thought with a mental picture of beauty, nature, love, or other healing idea. Give yourself permission to be happy. Give yourself unconditional love, as you would your best friend. Be forgiving, be supportive, be encouraging to yourself. The essential nature of your mind is to be peaceful. Let it be.