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YOGA SHALA
WELCOME TO SOUL PAGES
The Amandari journal
Reflections on Mindfulness & Yoga
from past classes for your inspiration.
Some articles are by other teachers or authors;
please share mindfully
Who Am I? I don't know what this is ...
A lof of Zen practice is about looking beyond the conventional idea of our experiences. Our practice, the art of meditative enquiry, can...
3 min read
Cultivating the Courage to Be Generous
Joshua Bee Alafia explores alobha, giving freely without attachment, in an excerpt from this month’s Dharma Talk. By Joshua Bee Alafia...
3 min read
Things As They Are: Some Thoughts on Solitude and Loneliness
"The Life of a Zen Master is one continuous mistake."— Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253). “There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and...
4 min read
Preparing for Yoga Nidra
Hello lovely people. I've put together some suggestions on how to set up for Sunday and a quickie explanation, in case this is your first...
3 min read
The Anatomy of Insight
In our practice, we often talk about, experience (and are possibly humbled?) by what we call insights. Today we’re taking a moment to...
2 min read
Don't Kill, Don't Steal and Watch What You Say – Skillful Minds Create Skillful Words.
There is something fundamental to our practice called the 'E ightfold Path ', which is a set of guidelines to help us navigate and ease...
3 min read
59 Zen Teachings / Lojong Instructions
POINT ONE -Resolve to Begin 1. Train in the preliminaries. POINT TWO -Train in Empathy and Compassion:Absolute Compassion 2. See...
2 min read
Laugh your way to enlightenment
We can use laughter and humour to help us along our spiritual path. – July 2022 The traditional Zen stories are full of funny responses...
3 min read
Problems are a matter of perspective.
First of all, may I say that usually, when I look at a problem I am having, it disappears quite quickly when I stop taking myself too...
4 min read
Do It Anyway - Zen version - work in progress
Often we think we don’t need to sit. Sit anyway. Visiting our sorrow, regrets or disappointment can hurt. Embrace it anyway. We cling, to...
1 min read
Do It Anyway - Mother Theresa
I found this on the site of David Brazier, a Pureland Buddhist teacher, who in turn found it on website of Japanese artist, Margareth Osju.
1 min read
Exquisite Simplicity
Based on class notes "Concentration and simplicity: 14 June 2022" If asked “what generates happiness”, it isn’t immediately obvious that...
3 min read
Winter booster shots - Ayurveda style
I was talking to a few people over the weekend about how to use Ayurveda to help support our immune system during the winter months, and...
3 min read
The Posture Called 'Life' - Try it Without Effort
No effort / don’t try too hard – thoughts on infinity In the west we have a cultural bias against the idea of no effort or not trying...
4 min read
Create Your Own Heaven by Letting Go ...
NIRVANA – “UNBINDING" Usually nirvana is interpreted as heaven. But directly translated it means “putting out fire or unbinding” (or...
2 min read
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