Has it happened to you that some thought was stuck in your head? You would willingly get rid of it, but it would not disappear as a troublesome fly. How can we escape unnecessary thoughts? Can we put  it under control? Many of you may know the expression by Charles A. Hall “sow a thought […]

«The ability to create is a great gift of nature; the act of creativity in the creative soul is a great sacrament; a minute of creativity is a minute of great sacred rite.» V. Belinsky Yoga is a process of self-knowledge, it is when we direct all our attention to studying ourselves and the world

Have you ever felt pain, either physical or mental? Surely, each of us at least once in a lifetime had a feeling of physical or emotional discomfort of various degrees of severity. Have you ever wondered what exactly pain is? Where does it come from and is it possible to avoid it? We shall try

Life is the most important thing in the Universe. All living beings, from the simplest to the most complex, desire to bear life. They support life by giving birth and fostering a new generation of their own species.  “If not for the source, the river would dry up.” A proverb   The Universe, allowing us

At least once in our life each one of us has been in a situation, which was dissatisfying or unpleasant for us, and caused suffering and pain. Someone did not get the desired job or did not achieve the goal. Someone had a serious illness or could not build a relationship. When something negative happens

A person can live to an old age without vision, sense of smell or hearing, but even if all these sensory organs do not function, we shall still have one very important sense — a sense of touch. Many people do not pay due attention to tactual sensations. A person builds up his/her own world

1. What is Santosha?  2. Manifestation of maya in our life  3. How does ignorance give rise to karma?  4. How can the principles of Yoga help us in achieving Santosha?  5. Specific Practices for Finding Santosha  6. Planting the Seeds of Good Karma by Practicing Santosha  7. Santosha’s place in the Patanjali system Everyone

Everyone sooner or later asks whether there is something permanent in this world: something that will never go away? The body is aging, emotions replace one another, people come and go. Is there anything we can rely on? If there is something eternal, where can we find it? “A thief picks a pocket, old age

Is Savasana possible in a large family? Will yoga classes really have to be postponed until better times, when the children grow up? How do we avoid mental obscurity and handle stress? Where do we look for inspiration and what not to miss forever? You will find answers to these and many other questions related

Unfamiliar situations force us to pay attention to ourselves and to concentrate on the problems. Having negative experience in the past we skeptically demonstrate distruction to new personal and situations. Our mind is activated and includes alertness, which helps us to avoid trouble. However, the ongoing mistrust of our environment becomes a big obstacle in

We rarely think about how we should treat the body. Being carried away by everyday life and pressing problems, we often ignore the body’s reactions to our actions and lifestyle. Reaching the critical point, the body begins to suffer, signaling us about its needs. At such moments, we are not able to think about anything

In our lives, we often face a number of obstacles that prevent us from achieving our goals. In addition to the circumstances that we can not influence, there are those that are entirely dependent on us. It is in our power to manage our will, attention, effort, and time, and to make our goals and

Once upon a time there was a Higher Self. It was good, bright, and kind. It didn’t need anyone else. Once, unexpectedly, Egoism came to the Higher Self with a thick blanket of Maya and whispered in its ear: “My dear, my beloved, get under the blanket, I will protect you and warm you up!”

I want to share a completely new experience of using pseudonyms for me. Before entering the International Open Yoga University (IOYU) I didn’t even think of taking any pseudonym for myself, much less starting to use it. However, at the very beginning of the training, we were strongly recommended to choose a pseudonym, or even

What is happiness? Do we need much in order to feel it? Where is the key to happiness and what does it depend on? How to be happy despite all twists and turns in life? “Happiness is a person’s state, corresponding with the most satisfaction of the living conditions, fullness and meaningfulness of life, and

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

Is human a free being, or are we entirely governed by the laws of our universe? How is the freedom of a person realized in the modern world? How does Yoga recommend to use our freedom?  In our everyday life we face with certain laws and mechanisms, which effect on all levels of our bodies,

Freedom is the main purpose of Yoga. However, what kind of freedom is it? Where is the fine line between our own freedom and the freedom of others? What do we owe and to whom? Today we shall contemplate two sides of the same coin: freedom and responsibility.  The purpose of  Yoga is very high

The reference to the above principle can be found in Vedas and in the Fundamentals of Hinduism Philosophy. It means non-aggressive, nonviolent interaction with the world around. It seems that nothing could be easier than living and letting live. Although, whether we realize it or not, very often we fail to follow this principle. Sometimes,

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

Where does our time fly? What do we spend time on? Why do we have only 24 hours in a day? Why do some events last forever and others rush by us in a blink? We ask these questions from time to time, but it does not seem easy to get the answers.    Time is

Sooner or later every person starts thinking about starting a family, having kids and raising a new generation. Many new parents ask themselves: How should they bring up their children and what kind of personal example can they demonstrate? What does Yoga offer in this respect? The questions of relationship, family issues, the advent of

What is happiness? Do we need much in order to feel it? Where is the key to happiness and what does it depend on? How to be happy despite all twists and turns in life? “Happiness is a person’s state, corresponding with the most satisfaction of the living conditions, fullness and meaningfulness of life, and

Nowadays it is widely believed that before starting to practice yoga, a person must stop eating animal products and become a vegetarian. How much truth is in this statement? It is worth understanding.  It is important to understand that Yoga does not control our every movement and does not impose any binding rules. Yoga makes

Humans are social beings: they create groups and communicate with each other on a regular basis. We have different feelings in different groups: in one of them we may feel discomfort, and another group can become “a second family” for us. How should we choose a group according to our purpose of spiritual development? What

People start practicing yoga for different reasons. Some are looking for answers to spiritual questions; others are motivated by the desire to get into shape or to lose weight. When you choose yoga for losing weight, the following questions arise: “Is it possible to lose weight by practicing yoga? Is it necessary to become a

Human development nowadays is very fast. We have to perform a large variety of tasks, process a huge amount of information and try hard to succeed in different areas of our lives. It seems impossible to achieve all goals and objectives without forcing ourselves and without losing out on our health and happiness. Each of

In modern society, people are often faced with multitasking. Solving several problems at a time became normal and watching those, who succeed in being all over the place, we admire them and think, that it is effective. But is it right? What is multitasking? Where did this behavior pattern come from? Is it possible to

It is hard to define our fears, because we prefer to ignore them. We need to have considerable courage and to be honest with ourselves in order to face our fears. How can we learn not to be afraid of anything? How can we learn to be brave?  For a start, let us see what

All of us have heard the phrase: “Motion is Life”. However, every day we have to sit behind a desk at school, at the university, in the office, or in the car. Considering a sedentary lifestyle, we need to compensate lack of motion for our well-being. In a vanity of everyday life many people are

What is it — our Ego? Is there a difference between “Ego” and “egoism”? What is a fine line between reasonable individualism and fanatical satisfying of Ego’s desires? How can we get rid of pandering to selfish desires? In our life we got used to taking ourselves as a personality with certain characteristics that distinguish

Each of us is wondering what is our destiny. Some find the answer to this question in early childhood, while for others the decision comes not at once, but after years and years of searching. What does yoga say about the choices of life journey? In Indian philosophy there is a term “dharma”. The direct

Probably each person at least once in a lifetime wondered what happiness is and where it can be found. And at least once each of us was feeling happy. But you would find it difficult to describe this feeling in words. How can you explain something that is beyond any words or definitions? From the

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

Many of us remember what it’s like to be a highschool graduate, someone has yet to get this experience. The first thing that graduates face on the threshold of a new stage of life is a genuine interest in what lies ahead?! There is curiosity and at the same time doubt, fear and anxiety. Only

In terms of evolution, the form of human life is the crown of creation and according to ancient treatises, the human body is a great chance for a spiritual breakthrough. What is the driving force behind the development of living beings: is it only natural selection and environmental conditions? What is spiritual evolution and how

Throughout life, we develop certain habits, including in the diet. As a rule, in the store we habitually buy a certain set of products, which we then eat, without thinking about the quality and quantity of what we have been eating. When we practice Yoga, it is very important for us to follow a moderate

A person can live to an old age without vision, sense of smell or hearing, but even if all these sensory organs do not function, we shall still have one very important sense — a sense of touch. Many people do not pay due attention to tactual sensations. A person builds up his/her own world

Everyone sooner or later asks whether there is something permanent in this world: something that will never go away? The body is aging, emotions replace one another, people come and go. Is there anything we can rely on? If there is something eternal, where can we find it? “A thief picks a pocket, old age

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