Happy December 28, 2022 – Niyamas (Personal Observances)
Good Morning Yogis! We just completed our special Holiday week of Yamas practices. We typically take 5 days to practice each of the Niyamas (personal observances), but today we will have a ‘personal day’ and select one or two of our choice to practice today.
The swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development. – Robin Sharma
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice any of the 5 Niyamas or personal observances of our choice. I am practicing Saucha with some cleaning and organizing, and Svadhyaya with a journal day! Need more ideas?
Practice Saucha with cleaning your surroundings or a personal deep-cleaning
Practice Santosha with mindfulness practices or living in the moment
Practice Tapas with a workout or getting something done you have been putting off
Practice Svadhyaya with a journal day or reading a sacred text of your choice
Practice Ishvara Pranidhana with acceptance and non-attachment with your actions and any difficult situations
To Karma (action) alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction. – The Bhagavad Gita
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Aparigraha/ non-grasping with our actions. Today we will take action without making expectations of a particular outcome. Need some ideas? Sometimes we do nice things for others, hoping for a particular result and we then end up disappointed if the other person does not react how we planned. Try today to not hold expectations for another person’s behavior. Or perhaps set aside a few hours to relax, or enjoy time with loved ones, or just go for a drive without a pre-set agenda, and see where life takes you!
Today’s quote is from the Bhagavad Gita, check out the Daily Yogi App for quick access to the Gita!
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Happy December 26, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis! We are wrapping up our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
We were promised a simpler life, and technology has only complicated our lives. – Freeman Thomas
Today is the final day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today is also Boxing Day, a UK and Canadian holiday I grew up with on my calendars but never understood! Boxing Day was originally a day off for servants to celebrate the Christmas holiday with their families, and was named because their employers presented them with a “box” gift for the holiday. In modern times, Boxing Day is more like a Black Friday shopping discount holiday. Today we are closing our week of holiday moderation with one of my favorite Brahmacharya practices – a digital detox day!
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Brahmacharya / Moderation with our electronics and social media. Perhaps try an Unplugged Weekend with no electronics! Social media may be a useful tool to keep in touch with friends and family, especially in this isolating time. However, social media does not make us happy, and it can also distance us from the people we are spending time with. Many of us spend WAY too much time on our phones. It is the weekend, so many of us are off of work today. If you can, practice Brahmacharya with your phone and especially with social media, and enjoy your time with your loved ones this weekend. Perhaps encourage the entire household to spend a few hours “off the grid.” Or, go all out today with a full digital detox!
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Happy December 25, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us. – Maya Angelou
Today is the sixth day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today is also Christmas, which is a day nearly every business is closed. So, today we will practice Brahmacharya with our lives by taking a full day off from work! Many of us, especially in the US, work many more hours than the typical 9-5, and with email and remote access we often are expected to communicate for work from home as well. There is research that this excessive work focus is NOT good for our mental health, so please take the opportunity today if you can to completely disconnect from work including emails!
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation with our work / life balance by taking a full day off from work. PS I have friends who are medical professionals who often work on this holiday to allow coworkers with children to be with their families… if you also have to work today, plan to completely turn off from work on your next day off! If you are too busy with work or holiday events to relax today, schedule for yourself a complete ‘day off’ as soon as possible!
Happy December 24, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that come from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence. – Deepak Chopra
Today is the fifth day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today is also Christmas Eve. I grew up celebrating Christmas, and my favorite Christmas Carol growing up was Silent Night on Christmas Eve. So, today we will practice Brahmacharya with our speech.
Today’s Positive Practice
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation with our speech. Perhaps have a truly Silent Night and enjoy a quiet night at home with the family. You can follow our Gate Rule we use for Satya for speech, or perhaps just try to only speak if necessary for the day. For those of you that know me, this will be quite a challenge!
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Happy December 23, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my nerdy research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you don’t, life controls you. – Tony Robbins
Today is the fourth day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today we will examine another translation of Brahmacharya as celibacy. I do not completely agree with this, I generally prefer to follow the middle path as we have discussed. In fact, I believe this middle path concept (and the emphasis in Buddhism on meditation) is the primary difference between Yoga and Buddhist philosophy. I myself consider this an evolution in the philosophy, and generally adhere to the middle path rather than any form of abstinence… I am the type of person where avoidance frequently leads to over-indulgence! I personally consider celibacy a goal or path only for monks, similar to perfect adherence to Ahimsa / non-harming which can be difficult or impossible in some professions (especially medical professionals). Some Yogis consider celibacy to be an extremely important practice on the path to enlightenment and I will admit my preferred translation of “Godlike” does tie in with this. Either way, Brahmacharya practice is typically related to the channeling and appropriate use of all forms of personal energy, which I do my best to practice. So, perhaps try a day of or set yourself up for a period of celibacy if you are interested in this practice – but remember this practice is not for everyone, and consider first non-harming with your partner if you are in a relationship! Or, you can focus on the practice of controlling and proper use of our own personal energy in its various forms.
In addition to moderating sexual energy, we should consider our mental and physical energy usage as well. A number of our past Brahmacharya practice days relate to moderation of food, which is an important practice in regulating desire for myself as a foodie… and the Buddha’s realization surrounding the middle path arose from considerations surrounding his aescetic’s diet. We frequently waste time and mental energy reading social media, or ruminating on negative thoughts, experiences, or fears. Most of us are prone to either lethargy or over-exertion physically. I am personally constantly trying to strike a better balance between work and personal time, and many of us are so busy with our day-to-day lives we do not have time during the day for even 5-10 minutes of self-care.. this constant business is not an ideal use of energy, and many of us experience burnout. I find mindfulness to be one of the easiest ways to practice Brahmacharya, both being present in the moment, and examining both our reasons for and our feelings with our actions or inactions.
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation and the middle path in our lives with our own energy. We are in the middle of a full week of holiday Brahmacharya focused moderation practices. Although some Yogis translate Brahmacharya as celibacy and focus on redirecting this energy, we will examine proper use of various kinds of personal energy. I recommend practicing mindfulness with your actions and desires today, and evaluating whether you are using your mental and physical energy appropriately. Or, perhaps set yourself up for a period of celibacy if you are interested in this practice and it is compatible with your life.
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Happy December 22, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my nerdy research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Today is the third day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today we will also celebrate the start of Capricorn Season which technically started yesterday! I was surprised to learn that although Capricorn is an earth sign, this sign is represented by a Sea Goat! This Sea Goat is basically half-fish and half-goat, so I selected the half-fish Mermaid Pose for today! This is an advanced pose, that I am not able to hold safely yet.. please do not try this advanced pose until you are ready! For our second focused moderation practice, we will examine practicing moderation with Asana practice.
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation and the middle path with our Asana practice. This is somewhat similar to the practice of Santosha or contentment with our Asanas. There are many advanced poses I cannot yet express fully, and the Asana I selected to represent the start of Capricorn Season is Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (EH-huk PAH-duh RAH-juh-kah-po-TA-sa-nuh) or Mermaid Pose is one of those poses! This pose requires a lot of openness in both the chest and hips, and have just started being comfortable with step two of this pose, to bend my back leg from regular One-legged Kapotasana or Pigeon Pose, and cannot yet hook my arm! When practicing Asanas and working into advanced poses, keeping Brahmacharya and Santosha in mind is important to avoid injury, and to only move as far into a pose as is comfortable, and be gentle with your body. You will notice this Yogi is a model, not me, since I am not yet able to perform this pose. Like our Scorpio advanced pose, we will only include instructions for advanced teachers and Yogis on Tummee below.
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Happy December 21, 2022 – Brahmacharya (Moderation)
Good Morning Yogis – Happy Winter! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness. – John Steinbeck
Today is the second day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today is also the Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year. Many cultures have important holidays on the Solstice such as Dongzhi and Yalda. So, for our first focused moderation practice, we will examine our energy and resource usage, and I recommend using candles on this longest night of the year.
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation and the middle path in our lives with energy and resource consumption. We are in the middle of a full week of holiday Brahmacharya focused moderation practices.
Review your adherence to reduce reuse recycle – which should be practiced in that order.
Or, on this darkest night of the year, perhaps skip the electricity and use candles or the fireplace!
Practice moderation with energy consumption in a way that is meaningful to you!
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Good Morning Yogis – Happy Yule ! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my nerdy research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Moderation in exercise, eating and amusement is the best guarantee of a beneficial vacation. – Ollie Reeves
Today is the first day of a full week of Brahmacharya (moderation) practices. Today we will have a KISS (keep it super simple) Day and revisit my interpretation of Brahmacharya as the middle path – neither excess nor avoidance. Set an intention for yourself for taking the middle path this week in an area of your choice. I will be keeping this in mind throughout Christmas week in the US. Do not deprive yourself, enjoy small amounts of your holiday treats without over-indulging! If this concept of the middle path is new to you, please see more here or go here for a deep-dive.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to examine Brahmacharya/ moderation and the middle path in our lives and set an intention for this week of moderation. This is the start of a full week of holiday Brahmacharya practices, so we will will have focused moderation practices, but I suggest setting a goal for yourself for this week in a way of your choosing! I often choose to revisit food-related moderation because I love candy, and easily eat far too much when I partake mindlessly rather than mindfully… and this is especially true with the special holiday treats around Christmas!
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. – Harvey MacKay
Holiday Yamas Practice Schedule
We are on our twelfth day counting down the 5 Yamas with 5 days of Ahimsa (non-harming), 4 days of Satya (truthfulness), and 3 days of Asteya (non-stealing) before we have a full week (starting tomorrow!) of Brahmacharya for the week of Christmas in the United States.. a time that I will enjoy the focus on moderation! We will focus on a different way to practice each of these Yamas each day.
Holiday Season – 12/19
Today is the third and final day of our Asteya (non-stealing) practices. Today we will practice the positive of non-stealing in a specific way – with time.
This is always a challenge for me, so I am excited to start integrating this Asteya practice! It seems like I try to be 10 minutes early for everything, but always end up 5 minutes late. This is something I always want to improve on.. I dislike having to sit for a long time in a waiting room, and always feel guilty doing this to people waiting for me! I did a bit of research, and learned this is a problem for optimists, who generally hope for things to go well and do not plan a buffer for things that inevitably go wrong. This commute optimism is my main problem, both in the city when traffic can build up quickly and in the mountains where you can easily get stuck behind a slow truck on a single-lane road. Additionally, if I am running late and see a beautiful cloud formation, or sunset, or another picture-perfect scene, I do not have the flexibility to stop and enjoy or photograph the moment!
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Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. – Seneca
Festival of Lights – Love and Light – Happy Hanukkah
Today is Hanukkah – Happy Hanukkah to all Yogis who celebrate! This holiday is a winter festival of lights.. we will notice many cultures celebrate festivals of lights near the winter solstice – Diwali was just a couple of weeks ago! I grew up outside of Boston and loved celebrating friends’ Hannukkah traditions – especially the Latkes! Hanukkah is celebrated over 8 days beginning at sunset today, commemorating the 8 days of light from the traditional story. Today’s quote on kindness is one of my favorites, and is from the Talmud – a sacred text that includes the story of Hanukkah. PS – since I am a linguistics nerd… both Hanukkah and Chanukah are correct spellings – the latter is a more traditional transliteration from Hebrew to English!
Hanukkah is a community holiday, and so our practice today is to benefit the community.
Today is the second day of our Asteya (non-stealing) practices. Today we will practice the positive of non-stealing with a random act of generosity.
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
People who care about each other enjoy doing things for one another. They don’t consider it servitude. – Ann Landers
Today is the first day of our Asteya (non-stealing) practices. Today is also the start of Saturnalia, a week-long ancient Roman agricultural festival honoring Saturn or Cronus from Greek mythology. I minored in Classics and loved Greek and Roman language and mythology, so am excited to share this random Roman holiday! PS I also am particularly interested in Celtic mythology from my own heritage, and we will cover Yule in the North in a couple of days! Saturnalia was primarily a carnival-like atmosphere about feasting, gambling, and gift-giving. The most interesting part about Saturnalia is that slaves were served a banquet by their masters for this holiday! So, inspired by Saturnalia‘s role reversal, we will do one of my favorite Asteya practices of balance and non-stealing in our relationships.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Asteya/ Non-Stealing in our relationships! I am sure no Yogis nowadays treat loved ones like slaves! However, we should consider who in our life gives and cares most for us, and make sure to both show appreciation and give back. Check out this past practice if you need more ideas.
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Please comment and share how your Asteya practice went today. How did it make you feel? Always remember, be kind!
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Thoughts lead on to purpose, purpose leads on to actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny. – Tryon Edwards
Today is the fourth day and final of our Satya (truthfulness) practices. We are ending three days of Satya practice to cover each Satya practice recommended by the 8-Fold Path – correct thoughts, speech, and actions. So today we will practice Satya (truthfulness) with our actions. Correct action from the 8-Fold Path covers a range of behaviors – non-harming, non-stealing, moderation, and avoiding fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty.. it is almost all of the Yamas! I consider correct action to be acting with moral integrity. Also, like the other Satya practices of correct thoughts and correct speech, kindness is integral to this practice of Satya with our actions.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Satya/ Truthfulness with correct action from the 8-Fold Path! I consider this to be an extension of yesterday’s Three Gates Rule / correct speech practice from yesterday to all actions.
Or, you can follow my own quote modified from an adage from a friend to make the right decisions and help choose the correct action – “be a good person, and do the right thing.”
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Please comment and share how your Satya practice went today. How did it make you feel? Always remember, be kind!
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say. – Abraham Lincoln
Today is the third day of our Satya (truthfulness) practices. Today is also Zamenhof Day, honoring the creator of Esperanto. L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto in 1887 as an easy-to-learn universal second language. Although Esperanto did not grow into the universal second language as it was intended, it has lived on and in fact grown a bit due to online language programs like Duolingo. Although linguistic Esperanto never really caught on, financial reporting Esperanto has been implemented fairly successfully through International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). As both an accountant and linguistics nerd who attempted to learn some Esperanto years ago, I was particularly excited to learn about Zamenhof Day and pleased it ties in with today’s Satya focus of correct speech.
We are in the middle of three days of Satya practice to cover each Satya practice recommended by the 8-Fold Path – correct thoughts, speech, and actions. So today we will practice Satya (truthfulness) with our speech. Correct speech from the 8-Fold Path means avoiding lying, idle chatter, and divisive or abusive speech. As we discussed this week, Satya means KIND truth, and is more about restraint than speaking your truth.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Satya/ Truthfulness with correct speech from the 8-Fold Path! Try to apply the “Three Gates Rule” for your speech for today’s Satya / truthfulness day.
The Three Gates Rule is one of my favorite sayings about truth, and one of the easiest ways for me to remember the correct practice of Satya and correct speech with restraint and kindness.
Before you speak let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate ask yourself – is it true? At the second gate ask – is it necessary? At the third gate ask – is it kind? – Sufi Saying
