All Posts By

Alice G. Walton

what is pranayama
The Language of Yoga

Eight Limbs of Yoga: Pranayama

The goal of the fourth limb of yoga, pranayama, is to gain control of the breath. Learning how to change your breath actually allows you to halt (and redirect) that stress reaction, which is "turned on" all too often…

what is samtosha
The Language of Yoga

Niyamas: Svadhyaya

More recently, svadhyaya has come to mean "self-reflection." Self-reflection is the thing most of us not only resist, but resist with vigor. Sitting with all our pain and trying to understand it by looking into it can feel like…

saucha
The Language of Yoga

The Niyamas: Saucha

The yamas are known as the restraints, while the niyamas are thought of as the observances. The first niyama, saucha, which is often translated as cleanliness or purity, is an interesting one to start with because its interpretations can…