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365 Sadhana Sangha

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100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma

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200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026

https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka

50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training

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ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

We talk about slowing down, calming the nervous system, resting more. And it's necessary. Until it's not.

Sometimes people aren't anxious. They're stagnant. Flat, foggy, heavy. Apply calming practices there and things sink further. This week, Aaron and Selenna explore Brahmana, the final piece in their series on energetic technique. Not stimulation for its own sake, but nourishment through expansion. The right fuel, in the right amount, at the right time.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:

Brahmana (Sanskrit: ब्राह्मण)

Root: bruh, to grow, enlarge, or strengthen

In yoga: any practice that builds heat, increases prana, and creates upward or expanding energetic movement

The counterpart to Langhana (descending, calming) and complement to Samana (balancing)

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

• Brahmana is the coffee. Langhana is the whiskey. Samana is the water, good anytime. This three-part energetic framework makes practice intentional rather than random.

• The Katha Upanishad story of Nachiketa and Yama: the sacred fire must be built, fed, and tended with care. Too little fuel and it dies. The wrong fuel and it explodes. The right fuel, offered with awareness, sustains the light.

• Dosage is everything. Anything is a medicine. What makes it medicinal is the amount. Brahmana in excess becomes depleting.

• Ayurvedic lens: Kapha types (earth and water) tend toward stagnation and benefit most from Brahmana. Vata types need Langhana. Pitta types need Samana. No extremes for Pitta.

• The breath is the barometer. Stagnant mind: move the breath. Anxious mind: slow it. Hathayoga Pradipika, Chapter 2: when the breath moves, the mind moves.

TEXTUAL & TRADITIONAL SOURCES:

• Hathayoga Pradipika, Chapter 2: practice Bhastrika 10 times daily. Not 50. The text is precise. 10 inhales, hold, release. One round.

• Hathayoga Pradipika, Chapter 2: when the breath moves, the mind moves. When the breath is still, the mind becomes still.

• Gheranda Samhita: Kapalbhati destroys impurities and eliminates excess Kapha dosha. Brahmana practice and Ayurvedic dosha theory are inseparable.

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

• Bhastrika and Kapalbhati are the key Brahmana pranayamas. Fast, rhythmic, heating. Best in the morning or when energy is low. Not before sleep or when agitated.

• In asana: move through Surya Namaskar with more pace and add strength elements. Monitor for over-stimulation and ease back if needed.

• In daily life: Brahmana is reengagement. Rekindling enthusiasm after withdrawal. Finding what excites you and pursuing it.

Reflection: Where in your life are you sinking when what you actually need is more fuel?

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: @OmSom.yoga

Website: OmSom.yoga

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We'd love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join

100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto

200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026 https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka

50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training https://practice.omsom.yoga/yin-yoga-and-prana-vayus-oto

ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

Bandha gets taught like it's just about gripping the core. Tighten, hold, brace. And then people wonder why their breath disappears.

This week, Aaron and Milli unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in Hatha yoga. Bandha is not muscular force. It is intelligent containment. This episode covers both the physical and energetic dimensions of bandha, why the distinction matters, and how learning to hold without hardening changes your practice and your daily life.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:

Bandha (Sanskrit: बन्ध)

• Literal meaning: to tie, bind, restrain, or hold together

• The English word "bandage" shares the same root

• Too loose and it does nothing. Too tight and it cuts off circulation. The same principle applies in yoga.

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

• Physical bandha: co-activation of opposing muscle groups around a joint complex (attributed to Krishnamacharya). Creates joint stability, prevents injury, and keeps energy moving efficiently without leaking.

• Energetic bandha: the three subtle bandhas are Mula Bandha (pelvic floor), Udiana Bandha (navel center), and Jalandhara Bandha (throat center). Classified in the texts as mudras, not muscular contractions. Their purpose is to contain and direct prana.

• Together they are called Treta Bandha or Maha Bandha. According to the Hathayoga Pradipika (Chapter 3), when all three are combined, prana enters the Sushumna, the central channel.

• Mula Bandha works with apana vayu (downward force). Jalandhara Bandha with udana vayu (upward force). Udiana Bandha draws both to meet at the navel. This is the ha-ta union at the heart of Hatha yoga.

• The mythic archetype is Shiva containing the halahala poison at the throat using Jalandhara Bandha. Hence Nilakanta, the blue-throated one.

TEXTUAL & TRADITIONAL SOURCES:

• Hathayoga Pradipika, Chapter 3: when Mula, Udiana, and Jalandhara Bandha are combined, prana enters the Sushumna nadi.

• Gheranda Samhita: the three bandhas are great secrets within the discipline of yoga. No classical text describes bandha as muscular contraction.

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

• Instead of squeezing or clenching, try counter-activation cues. Can you bend and straighten the knee simultaneously? That meeting point of opposing forces is bandha.

• For hypermobile practitioners: co-activating muscles around joints creates stability that passive flexibility alone cannot.

• In daily life: awareness of where your energy is going makes boundaries less effortful. Containment is not force. It is awareness.

• Stay in Tadasana after each pose and feel the energetic effect.

Reflection: What changes when you allow strength to organise itself from within?

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: @OmSom.yoga

Website: OmSom.yoga

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We'd love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH INDU IN MELBOURNE:

https://indu-arora.mykajabi.com/yoga-nidra-australia

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha

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50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training

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ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

Aaron sits down with Indu Arora, yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author, for a wide-ranging conversation on what yoga actually is. They explore soma, the nectar of the mind, why we have settled for flexibility and muscular strength when yoga promises something far greater, and how samadhi is not a peak experience reserved for cave-dwelling monks but a natural state we are all already moving toward.

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt that yoga has more to offer than they have yet found.

ABOUT INDU ARORA:

Indu Arora is a yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author based in the USA. She has been sharing yoga philosophy, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda for over two decades, teaching across Kriya Yoga, Himalayan Yoga, Kashmir Shaivism, and Sivananda lineages. She studied in the traditional Guru-shishya parampara setting and considers herself a student for a lifetime. Her core teaching is that yoga is a work-in, not a work-out.

She is the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret, Yoga: Ancient Heritage Tomorrow's Vision, and Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care.

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

• Yoga as a work-in, not a work-out. When we define yoga by asana, we reduce it to a tug of war with the body. You can do yoga without moving a muscle.

• The purpose of yoga is yoga. Every health benefit, every physical improvement, is a side effect. As Indu's teacher says: buy one, get one free. Don't stop at the candy store.

• Soma (Sanskrit: सोम): the nectar of the mind. A calm, cohesive, lunar quality of awareness. It is not found outside. It drips down when the mind settles and is consumed by our inner fire when we live in depletion and constant doing.

• Samadhi is not a peak experience for the enlightened few. The word itself tells us: dhi means mind, sa means to gather. Samadhi is simply collecting the scattered pieces of the mind together. How simple is that?

TEXTUAL & TRADITIONAL SOURCES:

• The Rigveda references soma as the nectar of the sacred fire, offered to invoke immortality. In yoga, this external ritual is realised internally.

• The soma chakra, also called bindu or indu chakra, sits within the Sahasrara (crown) chakra. This is considered the seat of soma in the subtle body.

• Pratyahara, the fifth limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed path, describes this conscious introversion. It is not sleep. It is a U-turn of the senses toward the self.

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

• Three times a day, pause for 2 minutes. Breathe in for 4 counts, out for 4 counts. Make it an unbroken loop. This builds the nervous system's readiness for deeper practice and offers a daily taste of soma.

• Keep your forehead relaxed. While cooking, commuting, talking. Notice where micro-tension lives in the jaw, the shoulders, the fingers. Easing the body is the first step to easing the mind.

• Before entering an asana, feel first. Visualise. Hold the experience. Come down. Reflect. Let the body lead with its innate wisdom rather than the mind imposing a shape.

Reflection: What would your practice look like if you stopped doing yoga and started listening for it?

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: @OmSom.yoga

Website: OmSom.yoga

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha ⁠⁠⁠

https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠⁠⁠

100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma ⁠⁠⁠

https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto

⁠⁠⁠200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026 ⁠⁠⁠

https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠⁠⁠

50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training ⁠⁠⁠

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ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:
In this episode we explore Spanda, the subtle pulsation and rhythm of life that restores flow when stillness turns into stagnation. Through stories, classical Tantra, and lived practice, this conversation reframes meditation and yoga as a relationship with rhythm rather than control. We unpack how rigidity is not stillness, why forcing silence often backfires, and how tuning into Spanda allows the mind, breath, and body to move naturally again. This episode invites you to soften fixation, rediscover rhythm, and reconnect with the living pulse beneath all experience.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:
• Spanda (स्पन्द) - pulsation, vibration, rhythmic movement, throb• From the root spand - to vibrate, quiver, expand, pulse• In Tantric philosophy, Spanda refers to the subtle movement within apparent stillness• A key distinction explored in this episode:– Spanda as natural rhythm and pulsation– Rajas as erratic, out-of-time movement that lacks harmony

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:
• Rigidity is not the absence of movement, but frozen movement• A busy mind can still be a stuck mind when thoughts loop without progression• Spanda restores flow by reintroducing rhythm rather than forcing silence• Stillness in yoga does not negate movement: breath, heart, and awareness continue to pulse• Rhythm is how life expresses itself, from the heartbeat to the breath to the cycles of nature• Music moves us because it mirrors our own inner rhythm and vitality• When the mind reconnects to rhythm, fixation softens and awareness naturally progresses• Plateaus in practice often arise from clinging rather than listening

TEXTUAL & TRADITIONAL SOURCES:
• Spanda Kārikā - a foundational Tantric text devoted entirely to the principle of Spanda• “Yatra yatra mano yāti tatra tatra samādhayaḥ” - wherever the mind goes, there is absorption• Teaching explored: when awareness absorbs into rhythm, identity loosens and presence deepens• Spanda as the bridge between consciousness and manifestation in Tantric cosmology

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:
• Notice where your mind has become rigid, even if it feels busy• Return to rhythm through breath when fixation appears• In asana, allow movement within steadiness rather than gripping for control• Practise without a fixed sequence: sit, feel, move when it feels right, return, and notice the residue• In meditation, soften focus instead of forcing attention onto an object• When the mind wanders, reconnect with breath and rhythm rather than self-judgement• Reflect: where are you clinging to how things “should” be? What happens when you listen instead?

SHARE & CONNECT
Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast. Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠
We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We’d love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha ⁠⁠

https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠⁠⁠

100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma

⁠⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto⁠⁠⁠

200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026

⁠⁠⁠https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠⁠⁠

50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training ⁠⁠⁠

https://practice.omsom.yoga/yin-yoga-and-prana-vayus-oto⁠⁠

ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:
Have you ever noticed how some people aren’t actually exhausted they’re just scattered? In this episode we explore Samāna, the balancing, gathering, integrating principle that brings us back into the centre when life feels dispersed. This conversation reframes nourishment as equilibrium: when the system returns to homeostasis, every layer of life is fed. We unpack why more effort, more intensity, and more “input” doesn’t fix burnout and what’s missing is integration. You’ll learn how Samāna works through breath, body, digestion, and the mind, and how balance becomes the foundation that lets you move through life with clarity, buoyancy, and ease.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:
• Samāna / Samana - the equalising, gathering, integrating principle of prāṇa• Root sama (सम) - equal, together, whole, unified, complete• A key distinction explored in this episode:– samāna as a quality of balance and equilibrium– samāna as a vāyu (a specific action of prāṇa in the body), often linked with digestion and the navel centre

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:
• Feeling “burnt out” is often dispersed energy, not a lack of energy• Adding more intensity (hard practice, heavy breathwork, more doing) can further deplete a scattered system• Samāna is the force that brings you back to centre physically, mentally, emotionally• Balance is not an extreme: yoga continually returns us to the middle ground• Water as nourishment = equilibrium, buoyancy, and the ability to stay afloat• When you know what imbalance feels like, you gain a reference point for what balance actually is

TEXTUAL & TRADITIONAL SOURCES:
• Charaka Saṃhitā (Chapter 12) - Samāna vāyu digests the nutritive essence of food• Charaka Saṃhitā - Samāna resides in the abdominal / belly region• Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam - Samāna assists Agni (digestive fire): it steadies the fire rather than being the fire itself

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:
• Nāḍī Śodhana (alternate nostril breathing) to balance Iḍā and Piṅgalā• Sama Vṛtti (equal ratio / box breathing) e.g. 4 in / 4 hold / 4 out / 4 hold• Twisting postures to gather awareness into the belly and create an internalising, centring effect• Balancing postures (like tree pose) as a lived training of returning to centre• Reflect: where does your energy disperse (work, relationships, social media)? What brings you back?• Track the last 24 hours: what pulled you out, what restored you

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast. Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We’d love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:
365 Sadhana Sangha ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠⁠
100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto⁠⁠
200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026 ⁠⁠https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠⁠
50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/yin-yoga-and-prana-vayus-oto⁠⁠

ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:
In this episode, we are joined by yoga teacher and Pilates instructor Milli for an embodied exploration of Lahiri, the yogic principle of wave-like, adaptive movement. Together, they unpack a common pattern seen in modern practice: bodies that can hold strong poses but freeze the moment movement is required. Rather than chasing flexibility or forcing flow, this conversation reframes fluidity as something that arises naturally once the body feels supported and stable. Drawing from yoga philosophy, lived teaching experience, and practical movement education, this episode explores how true flow comes from adaptability, not looseness, and how movement becomes nourishing when it undulates rather than resists.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:
Lahiri (लहरी) means a wave or rhythmic ripple
Derived from the root lahar, meaning to oscillate or undulate
Lahiri describes continuous, predictable, wave-like movement
In yoga, Lahiri is movement that adapts and reorganises without collapsing

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:
Strength without adaptability leads to gripping and rigidity
True flow only arises when the body feels safe and supported
Stability is the foundation from which movement becomes fluid
The spine functions best as a wave, not a rigid stick
Undulating movement improves coordination, awareness, and ease
Fluid movement mirrors nature - tides, rivers, spirals, and breath
Nourishment comes from movement itself, not effort or intensity

TEXTUAL & PHILOSOPHICAL REFERENCES:

Zen story of the river and the rock - adaptability over rigidity
Saundarya Lahiri - “the waves of beauty,” attributed to Ādi Śaṅkara
Classical Tantric insight: Śiva united with Śakti enables movement
Consciousness requires aliveness and embodiment to manifest

Nature moves in curves and spirals, not straight lines

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:
Establish stability through the feet, legs, and pelvis before flowing
Practise spinal waves to articulate each segment of the spine
Initiate movement from the sacrum rather than forcing shape
Allow transitions to blend rather than move in rigid segments
Match breath to movement - inhale to rise, exhale to fold
Lengthen the breath to match the duration of the movement
Use gentle joint movements and Apāna kriyās to restore nourishment
Back off depth in poses to allow movement and adaptability
Notice how fluid movement creates ease both on and off the mat

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast. Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We’d love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha

⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠

100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma

⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto⁠

200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026

⁠https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠

50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training

⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/yin-yoga-and-prana-vayus-oto

ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:

In this special interview episode, Aaron is joined by Ayurvedic teacher and yogini Myra Lewin, founder of Hale Pule, for a grounded and nourishing conversation about the Earth element (Pṛthvī), the importance of embodiment, and how to stabilise Vata in the modern world.

Together, they explore what it truly means to be grounded, not just as a trendy concept, but as a deeply Ayurvedic principle tied to health, clarity, and spiritual connection. Myra shares insights from her 35+ years of practice, including the effects of food, overstimulation, irregularity, and disembodiment on our mental and physical well-being.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:
Pṛthvī (पृथ्वी) is the Sanskrit term for Earth, the densest and most stable of the Mahābhūtas (five great elements). It represents solidity, stability, support, and form.

To be “grounded” in Ayurveda means to be connected with the body, rooted in presence, and in right relationship with gravity, awareness, and nourishment.

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

Grounding is awareness in the body: Myra explains that being grounded means occupying your body fully with awareness in your feet, energy, and personal space.

Vata imbalance = ungroundedness: Common symptoms include dissociation, spaciness, bumping into things, fear-based decisions, irregularity, and overstimulation.

Modern contributors to Vata aggravation: Excessive travel, screen use, fasting, liquid meals, poor sleep, irregular routines, and overstimulation.

Stabilising Vata through food and routine: She shares examples of grounding (augmenting) foods like whole grains and sweet vegetables, and encourages a consistent schedule of meals and sleep.

The importance of sadhana: Myra shares her own daily routine of mantra, fire ceremony, Surya Namaskar, pranayama, meditation, and gratitude - simple practices that anchor presence and build resilience.

Awareness begins in Ajñā (the centre of seeing): Myra redefines grounding as not just dropping into the pelvis, but anchoring awareness from the Ajñā chakra, with clear seeing and conscious presence.

Ayurveda as holistic living: Rather than compartmentalising health, Myra reflects on how Ayurveda helped her life “make sense” and guided her toward true freedom, embodiment, and joy.

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

Start with one grounding practice and do it every day: regular meals, sleep, walks, or even a grounding cord visualisation.

Eat augmenting foods: whole grains, root vegetables, and nourishing sweet tastes that build tissue and bring you into your body.

Hold your awareness at the centre of your head (Ajñā) while sending energetic roots down - ground from within without dulling your clarity.

Be consistent, not extreme: Myra reminds us that Ayurveda is not about restriction, but about rhythm and presence.

Stay rooted in your own experience: Learn from others, but discern what supports your individual path.

ABOUT MYRA LEWIN:
Myra Lewin is an Ayurvedic practitioner, yogini, and founder of Hale Pule School of Ayurveda and Yoga. With over 200,000 hours of teaching experience, she’s mentored thousands of students worldwide. Learn more at ⁠halepule.com⁠.

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We'd love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠⁠
100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto⁠⁠
200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026 ⁠⁠https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠⁠
50 Hr Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training ⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/yin-yoga-and-prana-vayus-oto⁠⁠

ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

In this episode, Aaron is joined by our Studio Manager here at Om Som and Senior Teacher Lina for a grounded exploration of Kaya Sthiram, the steadiness and stillness of the body as the foundation for meditation. Together, they unpack one of the most common frustrations people experience in practice: “I can’t meditate because my mind won’t stop.” Rather than approaching stillness through effort or mental control, this conversation reframes meditation as something that begins in the body. Drawing from classical yoga teachings, lived experience, and practical application, this episode explores why mental steadiness cannot arise until the body feels safe, settled, and unmoving, and why stillness has always been taught as a somatic experience before a mental one.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:

Kaya (काय) means body, field, or embodied formSthiram (स्थिर) means steady, stable, unmoving, able to hold
Kaya Sthiram refers to the steadiness of the body and the field of awareness inhabiting it. It is not rigidity, but a grounded stillness that allows awareness to settle.

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

A restless mind is often the result of an unsettled body
Stillness does not begin with thought, but with sensation
The nervous system must recognise safety before the mind can rest
Ancient yogic teachings observed that animals only rest once their bodies fully settle
Kaya Sthiram acts as a doorway into parasympathetic regulation
The body is the first anchor for awareness before breath or mantra
Modern overstimulation keeps the body vigilant, preventing mental stillness
Asana exists to prepare the body for meditation, not to bypass it

TEXTUAL SOURCES:

Yoga Sūtra 2.46

Sthira sukham āsanam, posture as steadiness and ease

Yoga Sūtra framework

Asana before pranayama, pranayama before meditation

Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā

Asana steadies the body and brings firmness
Classical teaching

When the body is steady, prana settles, and the mind follows

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

Do fewer asanas and hold them for longer periodsMinimise fidgeting, adjusting, and unnecessary movement in posesUse the body as the anchor for attention rather than the mind
Repeat a simple internal cue such as “I am here” or “Where are my feet?”
Pause between tasks in daily life and notice bodily sensations
Allow the body to fully settle before moving on to the next action
Meet basic needs first (thirst, hunger, rest) before asking the mind to be still
Practise small moments of stillness throughout the day as daily Kaya Sthiram

SHARE & CONNECT
Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast. Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠
We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We’d love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

PRACTICE WITH US:

365 Sadhana Sangha

⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/365-sadhana-sandha/join⁠⁠

100 Hr Asana Sadhana Dharma

⁠⁠https://practice.omsom.yoga/asana-sadhana-dharma-oto⁠⁠

200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Sri Lanka 2026

⁠⁠https://omsom.yoga/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-sri-lanka⁠⁠

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ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:In this episode, Aaron is joined by long-time Om Som teacher and student of Chinese medicine, Selenna, for a grounded exploration of Langhana, the yogic principle of calming, descending, and settling the breath and nervous system. Together, we explore why so many people struggle to slow their breath, and how what we often label as anxiety or restlessness is actually excess energy with nowhere to land. Rather than breathing more, this conversation invites us to breathe less, allowing the system to settle through longer, slower exhalations. Drawing from yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, physiology, meditation, and lived practice, this episode reframes pranayama as an energetic practice rather than breath control, and offers Langhana as the foundational approach to calming the body, mind, and prana.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:• Langhana (लङ्घन) comes from the Sanskrit root lang, meaning to lighten, reduce, alleviate, or settle• In yogic and Ayurvedic traditions, Langhana refers to practices that calm excess and reduce overstimulation• Langhana describes an energetic effect, not a single technique• The result of Langhana is down-regulation, grounding, and nervous system settling

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:• Anxiety and restlessness as excess energy rather than personal failure• The overfilled bowl metaphor and the need to empty before receiving• Why classical pranayama begins with the exhale before the inhale• Langhana as the first and foundational approach to breath and energy regulation• The difference between breath work and pranayama - prana rides the breath• How fast, forceful breathing can feel good while increasing agitation• Discomfort when slowing the breath as information, not failure

TEXTUAL SOURCES:• Yoga Sūtra 2.49 - pranayama as regulation of inhalation and exhalation• Yoga Sūtra 2.50 - exhalation, inhalation, and retention as the classical order• Yoga Sūtra 2.51 - dirgha-sukshma, the deep and subtle breath• Ayurvedic principle of Langhana as the primary response to excess and overstimulation

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:• Practise slow, extended exhalations and build gradually over time• Use viṣama vṛtti, unequal ratios such as inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 6–8• Explore gentle belly breathing to support diaphragmatic movement• Use soft ujjayi on the exhale to naturally lengthen the breath• Pause between asanas rather than moving continuously• Do less, on and off the mat, to reduce excess stimulation• Notice natural sighs or spontaneous slowing of the breath as expressions of the body’s innate intelligence

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Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast. Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We'd love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM

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ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:
In the first episode of Season 3, Aaron is joined by yoga teacher and Pilates instructor Milly for a grounded, practical exploration of Sthiram Āsanam, steadiness in posture.

Together, we unpack why so many people feel busy, effortful, and inconsistent in their bodies, despite moving constantly. Rather than blaming motivation or discipline, this conversation reframes instability as a lack of support and explores how true steadiness begins with grounding, alignment, and relationship with the Earth.

Using classical yogic teachings, lived experience, and practical asana insights, this episode bridges philosophy and practice, showing how stability in the body becomes the foundation for steadiness in the mind, emotions, and life.

DEFINITION & ETYMOLOGY:
Sthiram (स्थिर) — steady, stable, firm, grounded, unmoving
Āsanam (आसनम्) — seat, posture, abiding place

Sthiram Āsanam refers to a posture that can be inhabited with stability and support, rather than endured through effort or force. In the yogic tradition, the body becomes the seat of awareness only when it feels safe, rooted, and held.

KEY CONCEPTS & INSIGHTS:

Stability before ease: The episode explores Patanjali’s teaching that steadiness comes before comfort and why ease cannot arise without support.

The body as Earth: Drawing from the Purāṇic story of Bhūmi Devī, the Earth Goddess, Aaron shares how even the Earth must be held correctly to sustain life, a powerful metaphor for asana and alignment.

Feet as foundation: True stability begins at the feet, not the spine. Spreading, yielding, and stacking the feet creates the surface area needed for steadiness.

Alignment over effort: Stability arises from stacking bones and joints, not muscular tension. When structure supports the body, effort can soften.

Slow transitions build steadiness: Moving slowly between postures trains stability through change, not just in static shapes.

Standing postures as training ground: Tādāsana, Warriors, Goddess, lunges, and balance poses are key practices for cultivating Sthiram.

Steadiness of body, steadiness of mind: Classical texts consistently link physical stability with mental clarity and emotional grounding.

TEXTUAL SOURCES:

Yoga Sūtra 2.46
sthira sukham āsanam
Posture is steady and easeful.

Yoga Sūtra 2.47
prayatna śaithilya ananta samāpattibhyām
By relaxing effort and meditating on the infinite, asana is mastered.

Haṭha Yoga PradīpikāAsana steadies the body, destroys disease, and gives lightness to the limbs.
Steadiness of the body leads to steadiness of the mind.

Gheraṇḍa SaṁhitāAsana gives firmness to the body, steadiness to the limbs, and lightness.

PRACTICAL INTEGRATION:

Begin with simplicity: Choose one to three standing postures and practice them consistently.

Start from the ground up: Establish the feet first, then stack ankles, knees, hips, and spine.

Slow down transitions: Maintain stability as you move between postures, not just when holding them.

Pause before moving: In practice and in life, steadiness comes from pausing before the next step.

SHARE & CONNECT

Thank you for listening to the Om Som Yoga & Ayurveda Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone it might support, and connect with us on social media or via our website.

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@OmSom.yoga⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OmSom.yoga⁠⁠

We operate a yoga studio in Berwick, Victoria, Australia, offering classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training programs. We’d love to connect with you wherever you are on your journey.

HARI OM