Yoga Inspiration

In life, there's always something to react to or suffer from. Whether it's happy or irritating, there's always something. From the practices of the Buddha, I have found that in our suffering, we ignore the practice of equanimity. Equanimity comes from a Sanskrit word that means being undisturbed.

According to the teachings of the Buddha, when you're reacting to something, it's not the external thing but the body's sensations. Those sensations and your perception of them determine your reaction. And the key to beating this is by becoming aware.

Until we remove the source of our suffering, it continues to cycle. This can be done through mindfulness, meditation, and of course, yoga. But, the secret is to not become bored and tune out from the vast neutrality of our lives.

Through developing a good meditation or yoga practice, you can begin to create space for yourself to become comfortable with neutrality, awareness of body senses, and the workings of the subconscious mind.

Just starting with 5 minutes can help you master convergent and divergent focus, which helps guide you to true wisdom and equanimity. And through all of this, you can find your way out of suffering.

Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.

Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

As a yoga teacher, I've come across a few practitioners who don't always realize yoga is from India. Many of these students are from the United States, and they inspired me to investigate and uncover why there is a disconnect between western yogis and the culture of their practice.

Sri, a yoga student who has been practicing with us on OmStars, joins me to discuss the Hinduphobia he's witnessed in the United States and how it impacts our yoga practice.

Sri graduated with a Master's degree in information systems but still experienced prejudice on campus. Mistranslations, colonialism, and cultural differences between how eastern and western students interpret yoga feed into the Hinduphobia. We take a deep dive into how Westerners look at the caste system.

The individualism we have here in America makes us believe that we do not have castes, but we still operate under a social system that organizes us by job, skill set, experience, and even wealth. And this idea influences how we look at the culture and history of our yoga practice.

It's very important for yoga teachers and students in the west to learn more about the culture and history of our practice. It is a complex system that goes beyond the poses we practice on the mat. The yoga journey is one of spiritual and personal growth -- one of the best ways to grow is by empowering yourself to learn.

Sri recommends finding a guru or yoga teacher who is culturally rooted in the yoga practice. You want to go beyond just reading and studying. You want to feel the practice, and a yoga teacher who is a master of the philosophy will help you on this journey.

Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.

Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Do you sit and meditate after every yoga practice? It's important to take a few moments after asana practice to meditate. The yoga journey is not linear, and sometimes we can lose track of ourselves and our practice while on this path. But when we sit and take the time to breathe and practice metta, we can remind ourselves why we started practicing yoga in the first place.

Yoga practice is not just for us. Yoga leads us on the path to becoming our best possible selves, but the practice of yoga is for all beings. And when we practice metta after our asana practice, we remind ourselves that we are cultivating this peace both inside and outside of ourselves.

Sometimes this path can lead us to becoming yoga teachers. Many of you may be actively pursuing this path, and I have important advice for any of you thinking of becoming yoga teachers. The most important thing to remember about being a yoga teacher is that you are still a student. The yoga journey is the student's journey. The moment you stop learning alongside the yogis you teach is the moment you stop practicing yoga.

Teaching yoga is not a career path, and I share more advice for first-time yoga teachers who are worried about maintaining the integrity of their practice while on this journey. The idea of teaching is sacred, something to be considered with humility, and not something to be treated like a business.

If you feel burnout from running a business and practicing yoga, there are steps you can take to hold that heart space for yourself. Putting yourself first is the only way to pursue this path, and take all the time you need to discover all there is to learn as both a yoga student and teacher.

If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Time is precious. And it's fleeting. Sometimes it goes by so fast it feels like things are over the instant they start. So what are you going to do with this limited resource? How will you spend the time you have left?

There are no wrong or right answers, but I invite you to reflect on the time we have. The spiritual journey we are on together is still a solo experience because it's up to you how you will use this time.

Will you come to the mat every day with patience and persistence? Will you sleep in some mornings? Yes, and yes, of course. But each time you choose to get on the mat, it will remind you that you are taking the big step away from fear, away from anger, and moving one step closer to the peace and equanimity we are all seeking.

Our spiritual journey reminds us that every moment is precious. This time you have right now, in this moment, and in this body — this is the only time you have. You can never get this moment back, so sit and appreciate it while it's here. Even if you leave the mat and miss the moment, don't be intimidated by the time you lost. Keep moving forward and watch your practice grow again.

If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Susanna Barkataki is a fantastic storyteller, and she uses her gift to share the origin culture of yoga with our community. She and I have discussed intersectionality and cultural appropriation in the yoga classroom before, and we share more ways yogis can connect with the culture of our practice with one of the most vibrant spring holidays — Holi.

The ancient celebration of Holi honors the blossoming of a new spring and renewed love. It gives people a chance to reconnect with the ones they love and repair bridges with those they've lost. It's a holiday of rebirth and renewal, where we burn away old habits and impurities to make way for the better version of ourselves we've been working toward.

You may recognize Holi by the vibrant colors. If you've played Holi before, you've come out covered in the bright pinks, yellows, and blues that feel like spring. But the story of Holi is much more than a playful game. Of course, play is integral to the story, but Susanna shares what the colors truly represent and how the ashes of the purging fire are what inspire the new growth from the old.

We both share our experiences living in India during Holi and what it means to show up today and stay true to the origin culture. Each of us has our own rituals of renewal, and we share the unique Holi celebrations we have with friends and family.

For more discussions with Susanna Barkataki, listen to The Yoga Inspiration Podcast Episode 94. If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

The ability to discern between what is true and not true is the ultimate goal of the Ashtanga yoga practice. Continual practice of the full eight limbs of Ashtanga will create a permanent state of "discernable discernment" — but that is so much easier said than done.

As we well know, walking the path of yoga can take many, many lifetimes. We may not burn through all of our negative patterns in this life. But, as we continue to get on our mats every day, it's important to not burn out our own passionate flames of inspiration in the process.

The more we learn on the yoga mat, the brighter our inspirational flame burns. However, many yogis vacillate between the extremes of practice-practice-practice and quitting because they burn themselves out. Especially as yoga teachers, it's important to watch out for our own inspiration and experiences on the mat. If we're having a hard time, that burnout can extend to our students and others in the community.

When you find yourself in that state of burnout — or tamas — seek out your yoga community. Become a student again and learn why you were inspired to get on the mat in the first place. The practice of yoga is never easy, but there are so many opportunities to be inspired. Ask yourself — What type of flame am I trying to cultivate? Let the answer lead you to your next step on this journey.

Seeking out some yoga inspiration? Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga or visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. You can also sign up for free classes with me on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST to start your free 30-day membership. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Anusha Moore, a fellow Ashtanga yoga teacher, reached out to me after attending one of my Mysore classes. She has been practicing yoga for nearly 15 years and loves the accountability that the Ashtanga practice brings to her life. But she's also holding me accountable.

When Anusha reached out to me, it wasn't to discuss postures and poses or philosophy. She's studied with me many times, and she brought to my attention something she's experienced in many yoga classes taught by Western teachers — white yoga instructors speaking with Indian accents.

We often see this in yoga teachers who have traveled to India and spent time developing their practice and learning about the philosophy and the culture. Yes, it's natural to absorb the mannerisms of those in your community. However, when we return to our home countries and our yoga classrooms, we need to reflect on our actions and understand their impact on our community.

For me, the cultural appropriation was subconscious. When we spend time with our lineage-based teachers, it's hard not to hear their voices, their accents, their syntax in our heads. But, as Anusha explains, there is a big difference between honoring your yoga teachers and adopting an accent that is convenient. We discuss how the collective awakening across the United States and Western Europe has made many of us more aware of the missteps and prejudices we are working to overcome, but we are still working on it.

I have studied in India for over twenty years and never considered how my patterns of speech had changed. It's important to recognize the way you speak and understand its impact on your community.

Check out Code Switch on NPR, which Anusha discusses in this episode. If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

One moral and ethical principle unites all yogis on their path — ahimsa. Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence, a hopeful note of inspiration amid the conflict on the European continent.

We are all experiencing the Russian invasion of Ukraine in real-time. Many of us live in Europe and have friends and family who live in the cities we see on the news. I am not an expert in international policy or relations, and I am not here to discuss any political motivations. Instead, I want to invite everyone to join me in a prayer for peace.

I am here to support the yoga community and all of those who feel overwhelmed. It is in our practice to live a life of non-violence, but we can feel helpless to control the countries and national leaders around us. To bring this into perspective, I am sharing background information on the history of Russia and Ukraine.

There are resources here you can take advantage of to research, understand, and support the communities most affected by the war:

• Donate to Disaster Relief
• Send Food to the Ukraine
• Donate to the Ukraine Crisis
• The Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund
• Donate to Help the Children
• Donate with Razom
• The International Committee of the Red Cross
• Operation USA
• International Medical Corps
• Project Hope
• UNICEF

It's important to remember that every death comes with grief. Every soldier comes with a family, a story, a life. Peace and justice are intimately connected, so don't forget to consider those with a different opinion. Approaching something objectively — without expectation or judgment — is what we practice on the yoga mat, and it will be very helpful in the days to come. So join me now as we pray for peace for all of us who will be impacted by this war.

Keep up with me on Instagram at @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, get in touch with me at [email protected]. You could be invited to a guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Being a yoga teacher, I get to see so many different bodies doing the practice. Yoga is for everyone, regardless of what you may see on Instagram or YouTube. The balance and harmony of your yoga practice are not meant to be uniform -- your asanas will not look like everyone else's, and that's okay.

It's very important to recognize the idea that balance and harmony do not mean uniformity on this journey. Your yoga practice is intended to inspire a better relationship with your body and teach you how to harmonize yourself with the practice, not the other way around.

For example, many yoga students mistake asanas for a competition. But this isn't about who can get into a headstand first. Instead, it's about finding the balance between yourself and the pose that inspires harmony. But modifying the asanas for your body doesn't mean you failed at yoga.

Too often, we measure our successes by how much we've won. But remember -- yoga isn't a competition. It's not about winning. The practice teaches us patience and kindness as we face challenges both on and off the mat, and the true definition of balance and harmony comes from the inner peace you cultivate within yourself and how you cultivate that harmony in the world around you.

I invite you to challenge your way of thinking about your body and individual practice. It's time we find a new balance between the community and our own spiritual commitments.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more about my practice. If you're interested in any of the resources discussed in this episode, I invite you to read Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss.

If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Yoga practice is wonderful. It's wonderful for the body, it's wonderful for the soul, but yoga is a challenge. No one ever said it would be easy to retrain the mind and the body. But that is exactly what this practice does -- yoga retrains our minds to create more authentic experiences of reality.

Before yoga, your reality existed within a tiny box of possibility. You may have assumed your box of possibility was limited. Perhaps you thought you could never do a handstand, or maybe you thought you would never do a backbend. But yoga challenged that reality and inspired you to challenge the way you think about yourself.

Challenging how you perceive yourself and your reality is what Patanjali called viveka-khyati, or discriminative discernment. When we can discern our reality, we can see what truly is without the story we tell ourselves. I invite you to think of the moments on your yoga journey when the practice challenged your box of possibility, and I share examples from my own practice. To succeed, we must be willing to learn to recognize our limitations and question them.

When you start this journey, your experience will challenge the internal roadmap you use to navigate reality. Lucky for us, as yogis, we have many teachers and mentors who have journeyed this path before us. They've burned through the flames of this challenge and are lighting the path ahead of us now.

The key thing to remember about yoga is that the practice itself is proof that you can do it. It's been done for thousands of generations before you. And, as you continue on your journey, you will continue to inspire others to step on the mat and take up the practice after you.

If you would like to sign up for yoga courses with me, get your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com & use code: PODCAST. Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial.

Follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga and visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. If you want to share what you've learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.