Spiritual Practice

Although the origins of mudras are not known, they have been around for thousands of years and have appeared in many different religious and spiritual traditions. The word mudra comes from the Sanskrit word: mud, which means bliss, and dra, which means dissolving. So, the word mudra literally means dissolving into bliss. It is also translated as a gesture, or an attitude used to create a circuit of energy in the body. Mudras can be performed with the hands, the head, the perineum, and even through specific shapes created with our entire body. In modern day yoga and meditation, we are most familiar with hand mudras.

Although he may never have thought of himself as such, Ram Dass was a spiritual giant. A trained psychologist, author, teacher, and counterculture icon, Ram Dass was a driving force behind the evolution of spirituality in the West. Known for his pursuit of a wide array of spiritual practices and teachings, he led the way for countless seekers to find and explore their spiritual path.

Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be obtained only by someone who is detached. - Simone Weil

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. - Khalil Gibran

Savasana can be thought of as the most important pose in yoga, yet some people skip it or shorten its duration. If you practice asana (postures), then this last pose of the sequence is very significant and bolsters the effects of all the postures that come before it. Savasana allows you to be in a deep and profound state of awareness, as the body relaxes and integrates your practice and your life.

De todas las formas en que uno puede crecer, la mayoría están marcadas por aspectos externos (por ejemplo, hacerse más rico, más exitoso o con una familia más numerosa) y otras se conocen por su comportamiento y actitud, por ejemplo, volverse más feliz, más amoroso y más maduro. El único tipo de crecimiento que es totalmente silencioso, oculto e invisible es el crecimiento espiritual. El Bhagavad-Gita dice que incluso alguien que está iluminado no puede ser reconocido por señales externas.

Enlightened teachers of every faith have exemplified a willingness to let go of anger, resentment, and vengeance toward those who have harmed them. Major world religions extol the practice. Yet, how does one move from the anger of injustice to the peace of forgiveness? What happens to feelings of rage, sadness, disappointment, or anger stemming from an offense?

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle. - Thich Nhat Hanh

En las últimas dos décadas, el yoga ha pasado de un relativo anonimato en Occidente a una práctica bien reconocida que se ofrece en miles de estudios, centros comunitarios, hospitales, gimnasios y clubes de salud. Aunque el yoga se presenta comúnmente como una tendencia popular de acondicionamiento físico, en realidad es el núcleo de la ciencia védica que se desarrolló en el valle del Indo hace más de cinco mil años.