 by Teacher Benedict Bernabe
Introduction Brahmacharya is generally translated as celibacy but it actually means "one who is established in higher consciousness." The word Brahma means "higher reality" and achara means the follower of or "one who is established in". This higher reality is definitely not the sensual, sensorial or carnal reality. Later, brahmacharya became known as celibacy, but the original meaning of brahmacharya was to establish oneself in the awareness of higher consciousness. It is the practice of right conduct: living a life of moderation, self-control, and adherence to higher spiritual principles. Prompt Questions Here are some reflective prompt questions to guide the practice of brahmacharya: Self-Awareness and Intention
0 Comments
 by Teacher Benedict Bernabe
IntroductionIn Sanskrit, aparigraha (अपरिग्रह) means "non-possessiveness," "non-attachment," or "non-grasping." The term can be broken down as follows:
Aparigraha vs. AsteyaAsteya is about not taking from others. Aparigraha is about not holding on to what you already have or unnecessarily seeking more. In essence, asteya focuses on respecting others’ boundaries, while aparigraha emphasizes freeing yourself from material and emotional attachments. Together, they encourage a balanced, mindful, and non-materialistic way of living. Prompt QuestionsHere are some reflective prompt questions to explore the concept of Aparigraha (non-possessiveness): Self-Reflection on Attachment and Possession
 Reflections on asteya, the yogic yama of honesty and non-stealingby Benedict Bernabe
IntroductionThe third yogic yama is asteya. In yoga philosophy, asteya is a Sanskrit term that means "non-stealing." Asteya goes beyond the literal idea of not taking something that does not belong to you. It also encompasses a mindset of avoiding greed, envy, and exploitation. Aside from the obvious sense of asteya meaning material non-stealing, or not taking physical possessions that belong to others, the broader meaning of asteya includes non-covetousness, which is the removal of the desire to possess what others have, such as wealth, opportunities, or relationships. It also asks us to respecting others' time and energy, avoiding wastefulness, and not overburdening others unnecessarily. Practicing asteya requires mental and emotional integrity, including not taking undue credit for ideas, achievements, or efforts, cultivating a sense of contentment, gratitude, and having faith that we have enough, and fostering generosity and abundance in our everyday life. It supports our yogic path by nurturing inner peace and harmony with others. Prompt QuestionsHere are some reflective prompt questions to explore the practice of asteya in daily life: Understanding Personal Desires
Reflecting on these questions can help you develop a personal practice of asteya and guide you toward a more mindful, balanced, and ethical way of living.  by Teacher Benedict Bernabe
IntroductionThe Sanskrit word ahimsa (अहिंसा) means "not to injure", "non-harming" or "non-violence". It comes from the Sanskrit root hiṃs, which means "to strike". Hiṃsā means "injury or harm", and a-hiṃsā is the opposite, meaning "cause no injury, do no harm". Ahimsa or "non-violence" is not an external act of eliminating violence from our actions in the external world, but the total absence of the violent nature in our personality. This violence is expressed not only in one's interactions with other people or living beings, but also with oneself in the form of an emotion, thought, desire, feeling, motivation, or ambition. Anything that disrupts the natural flow of human perception and consciousness is himsa. To practice ahimsa, we must remove violence from our own nature. Therefore, we have to practice gentle loving-kindess not just to others but also to ourselves. It doesn't mean accepting or tolerating abuse or pain. It means avoiding reacting negatively or violently. Ultimately, we cultivate a totally non-reactionary within us, which leads to non-attachment. Prompt questions Here are some reflective prompts to explore the yogic yama of ahimsa or "non-violence": Ahimsa towards the Self
At the end of your reflection, relax the mind. The goal is not to completely eliminate violence right after reading this email but to increase our awareness of himsa in our lives that we can eliminate through mindfulness and create a mindset that is more conducive to loving-kindness moving forward.  Introduction
Christmas provides us the perfect opportunity to pause and be present. Whether you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ or the tradition of being with family and loved ones this season, there's always a reason for us to be in a reflective mood during these yearend holidays. Jesus Christ is well respected by many yogis, who see him as a guru, a siddhi, an Ascended Master, and an Enlightened One. There are stories about Jesus and yoga that would make you pause and think—like the one about one of the Three Wise Men from the East coming from India, or another one about his lost years being spent in the East... but maybe that's for another newsletter edition! But surely, the time and the story of his birth is both a cause for celebration and a point for reflection. For the next ten days, allow us to guide you through a few days of guided reflection and meditation to allow you to identify the things that no longer serve you so that you can leave them behind in 2024 and those that you want to manifest and embody in 2025. Yama and niyama: the first two limbs of yoga practice You're probably familiar with the idea that there are eight limbs of yoga practice, or Ashtanga yoga in Sanskrit (ashta, meaning "eight" and anga meaning "limbs"). Many of you are already practicing the third and fourth limbs, asana or body work and pranayama or breath work. But not all of you are familiar with the first two limbs of yoga, yama and niyama. Yama means "personal restraint". It's the practices of "yogic self-control". They are meant to create harmony in our social and outer interactions. There are five yamas. Niyama means "personal observances". They are meant to create a sense of discipline and cultivate a sense of harmony in our inner life. There are also five niyamas. For the next ten days, we'll go through each of the five yamas and five niyamas together. This is a simple reflection meditation practice that you can do on your own using the prompt questions provided. All you'll need is at least five minutes of quiet time for yourself. You may answer as many questions as you want. You may also write your answers down on a note or journal for future reference. Reflection on the first yama: Satya or truthfulness Time: Five (5) minutes What you'll need: Quiet time, personal space, pen and paper (optional) About Satya The first yama is satya or truthfulness. The word satya comes from the root word as, which means "to be". Truthfulness therefore comes from being. The root word is flipped and a "t" is added to for the word sat, which means "the highest". Truth, then, is our highest form of being. Our true essence. People think it is easy to speak the truth but satya does not only refer to what we speak. It refers to the awareness of what is correct, right, and true, as it is manifesting from within, and the ability to express it. Satya is our ability to observe the true manifestation of thoughts, words, feelings, actions, and desires on our lives without it being filtered by bias, ego, self-image, or intellect. For example: Some of us do not celebrate Christmas. If we do, how do we react to those who don't? Do we take offense? Is our reaction based on our inner truth or is it reflective of a bias that we have learned? Prompt Questions: Inner Truth 1. What does truthfulness mean to me, personally? 2. Am I truthful with myself about my needs, emotions, and boundaries? 3. Are there areas of my life where I feel I am not fully living in alignment with my truth? Interpersonal Truth 4. How can I practice self-compassion when facing truths about myself that may be uncomfortable? 5. Have I been truthful in my communication with loved ones and people who matter? 6. Are there any relationships where I feel I am holding back my truth? Satya in Practice 7. How can I practice satya in a way that strengthens my connections with family and friends? 8. What small, truthful action can I take today to align more deeply with satya and my inner truth? 9. How can I carry the essence of satya or truthfulness into the New Year and beyond? Take as long as you need to with these questions. Take the whole day! Hopefully, these questions will encourage introspection in you and guide you toward aligning your thoughts, words, and actions with satya or truthfulness during this meaningful season. See you again tomorrow! Love and light, Ben & Rianna  Every year, Inner Power Vinyasa runs one or two Vinyasa yoga teacher training programs. If you dream of becoming a yoga teacher, one of the things that may stop you from pursuing it is the thought that there are already too many yoga teachers. At IPV, we believe that there is no such thing as too many yoga teachers. In fact, we need more. Here are some reasons why we need more yoga teachers in the world:
We are running a new 200-hour Hybrid Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course this March 2023. If you're interested, check out our "Training" page. We hope you can join us. The world needs you. I really don’t have to talk to any of you about embracing change because I believe that we have all been doing a pretty good job at it in the last year. But what I can probably talk to you about is embracing bigger changes.
The last few months have trained us on accepting and embracing change in our daily lives. But there are some changes that are harder to accept and embrace, especially those that impact the grander scheme of our lives: education, jobs, relationships, and long term health. Without going into specifics, I believe that changes are not random. Change happens for a reason, even if it is not our personal reason at the time. We are naturally and inevitably moved towards our dharma or purpose with or without our knowledge. Energy spent on resisting change is energy wasted. Conscious change through personal work (“tapas”) is one of the three important components of our yoga practice that can bring us closer to fuller self-realization. This is accompanied by self-study, which means learning from our experience and putting it into action, creating wisdom. But aside from wisdom and work, the last important component of our yoga practice is faith and surrender. For change that we cannot accept or embrace just yet, we just have to surrender. - Teacher Ben I started my yoga practice when I was in college at around 19 years old. As a physically active person, I was always so used to being pretty good at whatever new activity I got into. Yoga was something I found difficult because of the mindset it took to “perform” it but also because it didn’t come naturally to me.
I worked hard to do asana well. And like most of you who are probably reading this, it didn’t take long for me to feel that Yoga was more than asana. There was a shift in the way I practiced over the years and while I found a new level of depth in my mindfulness and intuition, my practice grew in physical technique and skill as well. I’ve been practicing Yoga for around 16 years. Hitting my 30’s was different when it came to my physical practice. I found myself going through a phase of insecurity as I felt my body and what it could do were starting to change. And while I found a brand new level of equilibrium in my life, that old familiar feeling of having to “perform” was starting to rear it’s ugly head. I had to go back to my intentions and my why’s for being in this practice. I realised that just like Yoga itself, our relationship with it evolves as we do. This practice has been around for so long because of exactly that. It adapts to each person’s life and serves as a guide to live our lives mindfully and that is exactly what it’s become with me at this point in my life. The minute we realise that this practice will always meet us where we are, we begin to see that the asanas are just a medium for us to get to know ourselves better. As our bodies get older, it becomes another way to figure out the way we work through the way we relate to our bodies and our asana practice. I started to see how I dealt with my ego, what I placed my self-worth on, and my intentions for why I do what I do. My practice has come to a point where asana is not the scoring system that I base how good I am at Yoga. At the end of the day, it boils down to finding a sense of compassion and self-love. My Yoga practice has grown to shift along with who I am as I age. I find so much beauty in it and it’s been such a passion of mine to cultivate that change in the classes I teach. For any of you going through the same thing, don’t worry. Enjoy the process of your body changing and embrace it! There is value in age and value in figuring out how to navigate your life through your practice. All you have to do is let it in and see what happens. - Teacher Rianna Hello friends of Inner Power Vinyasa! I am happy to see on social media that some of you have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. Many are still waiting for their turn and until then, we have to stay safe by observing the minimum public health and safety standards.
We were optimistic about holding an in-person teacher training in August 2021, but after the surge in March and April, we thought it best to do another round of online teacher training. I am personally loving this setup because the advantages of being at home and online add more value to the training. We also get to reach people we otherwise wouldn’t meet if we didn’t do it online. Sadly, we can’t do in-person training until we get to herd immunity. Who isn’t excited to go outside again and explore nature with your fellow trainees after a day of lessons? Until then, let’s stay safe and keep demanding for an efficient vaccine rollout. While we wait for that day, we can do some exploration within. I know it’s been more than a year but you will not believe how vast your inner universe is until you start on deepening your journey towards self exploration. Start with the small techniques: how about a body and mind scan while you do your asana practice? Or start your pranayama or breathwork practice? Maybe start meditating for a few minutes? Yoga offers a vast array of tools for inner self-exploration. All you need is a teacher to guide you on how to get started. Find a teacher by following us at @innerpowervinyasa on Instagram and talk to the dozens of Inner Power Vinyasa graduates we follow. There will surely be one who resonates with you! Namaste. - Teacher Ben I used to have the misconception that Yoga was something strict and unchangeable. When I was a newer practitioner, I had so many misconceptions about the kind of person you had to be to be “legit” – vegan, celibate, in an endless good mood, strong in asana practice, and physically lean like most yogis were. Yoga felt like an impossible standard that I was trying to achieve. It took a good amount of time before I realized what Yoga was really about.
For anyone who has truly dived into Yoga’s history and Philosophy, part of why It has been around for so long is because it has adapted to the changing times and cultures. Yoga doesn’t need a prerequisite for anyone to take part in it because it exists for us to figure ourselves out. We do Yoga to connect to ourselves and peel away the layers what keep us from realizing we’re already complete. If you practice Yoga to “add on” to who you are, believe me when I say this might not be the route. Yoga is a practice that helps you explore and realize that you are more than enough exactly as you are. The practice teaches us to burn away what keeps us from seeing ourselves as whole. It is definitely a process. And over a decade into this practice, I still have a lot of things to figure out and let go of. One thing that keeps me going is remembering that I have to take things one moment at a time. Mindfulness in my asana practice, my ability to be non-reactive, and a steady sitting practice helps too. Yoga doesn’t need us to be perfect. It doesn’t ask us to be anyone else except who we are. And the truth is? It’s a pretty fun process. |
AuthorTeacher Ben and Teacher Rianna are experienced yoga teachers, who dedicate their lives to guiding fellow practitioners reach their full potential. Archives
December 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed
