“The Veda of hymns” Hymn of Munificence (book 10) People have always been attracted by road and journey. Going on a road opens so many things up. “Following the paths” – is the ancient practice of self-exploration, which was a part of tradition all over the world over many generations. Travelling pilgrims, wanderers, wayfarers, travellers […]

Success in yoga is defined by the habit to practice regularly. Let’s see why a habit to practice is of key importance. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle Forming the associative links The theory of yoga includes the concept of associative links. Each of us

When we spend our time in nature, we feel much better than in the big cities. That is why, even intuitively, we strive to spend our free time more often in parks, summer cottages, villages, hiking, etc. This is especially important during the warm season. If we spend most of the time in cities where

Most of us, tired of a drab existence, strive to change our place and surroundings to experience novelty and diversity. But at some point, we realize that we have already explored a lot of things in the outside world and we surrender to a feeling of monotony. Wherever we go, sameness follows us everywhere. Even

Meditation nowadays is often mentioned as a practice which helps people to solve problems in the modern world. Meditation is a way to harmonise our personal life and our interaction with the Universe. The ancient history of this practice is a proof of its effectiveness and makes it trustworthy. There are many questions regarding the

Did you ever wonder why we dream? Why is it important not to reduce our sleep time? How can we  benefit from sleeping? How can Dream Yoga help us? “Life and dreams are leaves of one and the same book.” Arthur Schopenhauer Everybody has dreams. Sometimes they are vivid and sometimes we can’t even remember

What is the meaning of my life? What goals should I pursue? What are the values that lead to human fulfillment? These questions are so old, and every generation tries to find the answers in the context of its own reality. Religions, philosophical schools, scientific communities have different perspectives, but there is no ultimate answer.

When I decided to study at IOYU, I didn’t have any clue what was waiting for me. We are familiar with the main approaches in the educational process from the early days of school and barely anything changes at a later stage. “Learning is just learning” – but this is so only at the first

Many have probably heard about the amazing abilities of some yogis, who sometimes do things that seem strange and even absurd from the outside. Some sleep on nails; others starve themselves for several days or even weeks; the third ones retreat from society for a long time in search of solitude in caves. The truth

Where does self-exploration begin? Many people start this journey by inquiring what their mission or destiny is. Some people discover their path immediately, for others it remains a secret for a long time. Guidance by other people impedes us from hearing our inner voice. There are many training courses on similar topics that help us

Nowadays Yoga is becoming more and more popular. There is a huge amount of information on the internet and in books about this ancient teaching. Modern spiritual seekers passionately share their experience or information that is yet to be discovered by practice. It helps to spread spiritual knowledge and increase the welfare of everyone. The

There are many different people among our acquaintances. We communicate with some of them easily and with pleasure, others are hard to deal with. When we start practicing yoga we may notice that our social circle qualitatively changes and like-minded people, in whom we are interested, come to our life. There are more of them

In the previous article, we examined the main axiomatic statements in Yoga regarding creativity, its nature and the necessary components for the emergence of our creative inspiration. In this article we will analyze in more detail the questions: what inspiration is, why it is so ephemeral and why it disappears as suddenly as it appears.

Realizing a creative idea, quite often we are confronted with a situation where at first, everything goes “like clockwork”, and then at some point, we get stuck and can’t move forward. This state is sometimes called “the agony of creation”. Why does it happen? Why, in some cases, we can easily bring our ideas to

When we start working on self-improvement, we may experience the resistance of our mind to the changes that we want to bring into our lives. With great willpower, we can overcome any difficulties. And if we know the right method to work with the mind, we can achieve the desired results with minimum loss of

Nowadays there are many indicators showing that humanity, interacting with the outside world, by its actions sometimes harms nature, which subsequently affects each of us. The modern way of thinking and human behavior is not always appropriate. In order not to harm the world around us with our actions, emotions, thoughts, humanity must change its

We commit ourselves to self-development and make ambitious plans, but sometimes there are unforeseen situations in our life when something happens and changes our normal routine. We come across different barriers to the practice of yoga, from the physical disorder to the banal boredom. However the important thing is not what happens to us, it

We all want to be healthy, but all of us have their own motivation. If we choose to follow the way of yoga and we strive to achieve self-knowledge, our healthy body will promote greater awareness and sustained concentration. Our body needs regular cleansing  due to  bad ecology, air pollution and food contamination. This is

Studying at International Open Yoga University (IOYU) gives us the opportunity to receive an additional profession as a teacher of yoga in English and Russian, as well as to acquire additional competencies. This opens broad prospects and significantly expands the degree of our freedom. Let’s see what innovations are being introduced at IOYU and what

A study plan for yoga offers many advantages, maximizing our ability to effectively utilize our own resources for self-exploration. In this article we will try to answer such questions as: What are the key factors for successful learning? How to choose the right school of yoga? Why is the personal presence important during the studying

At least once in a lifetime everyone has the experience when our eyes light up and we work with enthusiasm. We feel so happy that we can move mountains and we just wish this condition could last as long as possible!  What is bhava? We use  a simple word “inspiration” to describe a state of

Sometimes people think of yoga-supporters as wanderers, beggars, or people who have mastered the ability to sleep on nails. But what does yoga really give us? How can it be useful? Let’s look at some of its aspects that have a positive effect on our daily lives. Yoga as an opportunity to relax The modern

Our modern life is very diverse. There are many theories, teachings, doctrines, religious organizations with distinct worldviews. Each one of us at a certain age faces a choice: to believe in a Creator of the Universe and predefined processes or to succumb to randomness and Fortune.  People are eager to know their origin!  This is

When you start to take interest in yoga as a system of self-exploration, you learn about its three pillars – the three principles of yoga. Considering these principles comprehensively and from different angles, we receive Knowledge about them. Logically and consistently accepting and applying them in our life, we are more and more convinced: that,

What are the peculiarities of the way yoga spread in the cultural environment of the West? Why is it often impossible in the Western culture  to reproduce the spirit of yoga by blindly copying techniques and practices? Why  some followers give up yoga so quickly? What is the paradox of yoga in the West? What

There is no accounting for tastes. However, the tastes themselves are not disregarded, and even among yogis can be found various preferences regarding practice. Someone will say that Hatha yoga is boring because of its static nature. There will definitely be those who do not like the repetitive movements of Kriya yoga, but someone, on

Our world is multifaceted. For some it is full of suffering, for others it is filled with happiness, joy and love. Different people perceive the same event ambiguously. Where do sufferings come from in our world? How to eliminate suffering in the outer and inner universe and fill life with joy? In the two previous

Logic Everywhere! Everyone in their life has faced some form of illogical behaviour of others or their own. Often, we waste our time, money and life resources unwisely. As a result, it seems we are constantly in short supply. Is it possible to find an inexhaustible source of strength and energy? In the previous article,

There comes time in life when we lose our way, and everything gets mixed or confused. Our own system of principles and beliefs, which seems pretty harmonious, falls apart. We start to doubt our own abilities, not being able to complete our tasks or achieve our goals. What should we do in this case? What’s

A good leader knows that every employee needs a different approach. Some need to be praised to get the job done efficiently and on time. For others this method does not work, and only imposition of fines or salary deductions can get them moving.  Why are there such differences: some people are motivated by the

We all face manifestations of certain fears, apprehensions, anxieties in life. A part of them lends itself to a logical explanation — we ourselves can find their cause and, therefore, overcome them; some fears are justified and appropriate because they warn against dangers. Others, on the contrary, have long lost their relevance, but continue to

Children are born and entrust themselves to their parents. The influence that father and mother have on their children is essential especially in the first years of life, when children are completely dependent on their parents. It is very important to help our children find their way in life, to contribute as much as possible

Each of us strives for freedom, but not everyone succeeds in achieving this state. The concept of freedom cannot be explained logically. Everyone understands it in their own way. Let’s think about freedom from the yoga perspective. Is there Freedom in this Universe? There are two opposite opinions on this subject. According to one opinion

Every day gives us the opportunity to change something in our lives. However, sometimes we consider ourselves hostages of the circumstances and think that nothing depends on us. How are the situations in which we find ourselves born? How to get out of the cycle of events that affect us? How can the right attitude

“What brings  happiness to our  lives that makes the soul sing so that any deed turns into a bright moment and takes us straight to freedom?  Or what is that sometimes oppresses us and we can’t take a step forward, when every new day is a disaster and makes us believe that the world is

1. Energy Method and Consciousness Method in yoga practice  2. How to feel harmony?  3. Bhava as a well-deserved gift from the Universe  4. Move, feeling the rhythm of the Universe  5. Practical application of yoga knowledge in life In yoga, we often encounter the concept of harmony. This happens so often that the meaning

People who are proficient in their language have a very strong power of thought. They can influence other people and generally succeed in life. Beautiful, clear and harmonious mellow voice, literate and competent speech  is fascinating  by its expression. However, regretfully, not every person can speak perfectly. Is it possible to improve the world and

Each of us has felt anger at some point. Everyone gets angry from time to time, but the range of intensity of this feeling is different for everyone. Often people evaluate anger negatively. They are convinced that experiencing it is harmful and unworthy for a conscious person, so they try to fight it. Anger arises

Why do some people feel happy and others don’t? Some of us are strong, full of energy and luminous and others are passive, sluggish, dull and uninteresting. Why are some people successful in all matters and achieve their goals within a short time, and for others things fall apart, whatever they do? Why do some

1. Introduction. A gift or a punishment? Is it a mistake or are we losing it ourselves? 2. Stages of falling in love.  3. Loss due to karma. How to get rid of the seeds of karma? Groups of the instruments.  4. Falling in Love — the main entrance; all types at the same time. 

Most of a person’s life consists of various unconscious actions. When we embark on the path of Yoga, on the path of knowledge of ourselves and the Universe, we gradually begin to act more consciously. However, we often encounter obstacles on the path. To overcome them, we use various methods and techniques, including rituals. What

Our emotional state is closely connected with the forms around us. Home interior, city architecture, natural landscape — all of these affect us in a certain way. Why does one sort of images evoke in us a sense of calmness, peace, security, and contribute to the restoration of emotional balance, while other sort of images,