Michael talks about having a YOGA CRISIS. {Video}

Please "like" our facebook pages: Main Page
Yoga / Love / Food / Wellness / Spirituality / Family / Culture / Green / Society / Work
Enjoy the top 10 blogs of the week free in our e-newsletter.

Via Michael Stone (Centre of Gravity)

on Apr 23, 2012

Michael Talks About Having a Yoga Crisis.

The Inner Tradition of Yoga

Michael talks about yogic-materialism, having a yoga crisis and the true heart of yoga.

For many initiates, yoga may appear to be purely a corporeal activity—a practice related solely to the pursuit of fitness—or perhaps as a recreational and social pastime to be enjoyed with friends. While yoga may indeed serve as a means to physical well-being or provide opportunities to forge new relationships, it also extends to us an opportunity to turn inward and “let go.” As Michael Stone—yoga teacher and psychotherapist—suggests, moving beyond the presumed externality of the body in the practice of asana (pose) is something that requires us to move more deeply inward into the heart of yoga itself. But for a beginner who’s just attended a series of classes that have focused on the very physical sensations and positioning of a downward dog or a spinal twist, what does it mean to turn inward, and just what exactly is the role of asana then anyway?

~

Editor: Lynn Hasselberger

Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Or do you want to write for Elephant?

Centre of Gravity is a thriving community of Yoga and Buddhist practitioners integrating committed formal practice and modern urban life. We offer weekly sits, text studies, yoga practice and dharma talks. Retreats, guest speakers, online courses and audio talks deepen the feel. Each week Michael Stone dishes a talk, often on primary texts by Dogen, Patanjali, and the Buddha, that are collaged with today's headlines and psychological insights to produce an engaged shape shifting dharma, at once historical, personal and political. Notes on these talks by Mike Hoolboom form the heart of this blog. Michael Stone is a yoga teacher and Buddhist teacher. He travels internationally teaching about the intersection of Yoga, Buddhism and mental health. He has written four books with Shambhala Publications on ethics, yoga's subtle body, inner/outer pilgrimmages, and the sometimes uneasy blend of social engagement and Buddhism. Please check out the website at www.centreofgravity.org .

Tanya Lee Markul says:

April 25, 2012 at 04:24

Posted to Elephant Yoga on Facebook and Twitter.

Tanya Lee Markul, Yoga Editor
Like Elephant Yoga on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

DeAnna says:

April 25, 2012 at 06:22

Now I want to walk around asking everyone what the heart of their yoga practice is. Thank you for sharing.

V. Bielkus says:

April 25, 2012 at 06:28

Thank you for sharing this thoughtful video and message!!

ValCarruthers says:

April 25, 2012 at 10:00

Wonderful video, Michael, filled with so much wisdom. What is Yoga practice if not a golden opportunity to discover the joys of true inner alignment. Thank you for shining your light on this timeless teaching.

Just posted to "Featured Today" on the Elephant Spirituality Homepage.

Valerie Carruthers
Please go and "Like" Elephant Spirituality on Facebook

6 Things Yoga Has Taught Me That I Wish I Knew In Middle School. ~ Kat Murphy | elephant journal says:

April 28, 2012 at 22:09

[...] I happened upon yoga just at the brink of a quarter-life crisis. [...]

Top 10 Yoga Blogs of the Week. | elephant journal says:

April 30, 2012 at 02:57

[...] Michael Talks About Having a Yoga Crisis. [...]

The Big Question. . . Is Kundalini Yoga Dangerous? ~ Sati Rose | elephant journal says:

July 26, 2012 at 17:09

[...] To get to the meat of the argument, there is something called a kundalini crisis. [...]