By Ben Needles
 Many Yoga practitioners go to retreats, ashrams, or intensives, while they are on vacation. Travel expenses, and a dull economy, are keeping many Yogis closer to home this year. No matter what you decide to do, your vacation days should be memorable and filled with fun.
A sudden jump in fuel costs may alter your vacation plans, but it is important to get away from your regular working routine. Lets look at options you can do during vacation, without costing you an arm and a leg.
Challenge yourself by doing something different. Most of us have a comfort zone, and we do not get out of it much. This does not mean you have to take up sky diving tomorrow, but look at your routine to see what you could do that you have never done before.
The challenges we overcome, put our fears in their place; and it is important to realize that fear often holds us back from making progress in life. For example: A person, who has never learned to swim, might consider swimming lessons with a qualified instructor, |
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By Paul M. Jerard Jr.
 To a beginner, meditation might be the most difficult concept to comprehend. Most students, of Yoga, become proficient at asana and pranayama with practice, but struggle with the ability to meditate. Yoga teachers often mention the importance of practicing meditation at home, but students often "put it off."
The deeper issues of meditation are - training the mind, relaxing the mind, focusing the mind, and learning to be at peace with oneself. The first struggle with meditation is usually based on judgment of oneself.
The last four limbs (Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi) of the Eight Limbed Path all have something to do with meditation. Pratyahara is the the ability to withdraw senses and focus. Dharana is one pointed focus on an object. Dhyana is meditation without an object. Samadhi is complete emersion in a blissful state of meditation.
Although each of the above-mentioned limbs of Yoga deserves more than a simplistic explanation - suffice to say, each of them relates to meditation. Without meditation, Yoga is just an exercise class. This is why Maharishi Patanjali points us toward the |
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By Paul M. Jerard Jr.
 Many Yoga practitioners are familiar with the value of a silent retreat to an Ashram or another sacred place. An extended silence turns the mind inward, which makes us more mindful during Yoga and meditation practice. Silent Yoga retreats give us "breathing room" and allow our minds a chance to wind down.
This is all well and good, but what if you do not have weeks to awaken your inner light in the company of your favorite Guru? You completely realize the benefits of relaxing and rejuvenating in silence, but you have time commitments or financial restraints that prevent it.
What action can you take that will result in a journey of self-discovery and development of inner strength? If you cannot go to a silent Yoga retreat, there is a way to bring it to you, but it requires a commitment, and you may just discover inner strengths you were not aware of.
How many days would you like to go away? Sit down and write a realistic agreement of how many days you can wake up early and practice |
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