Blog

What is Yoga Therapy?

At first glance, yoga therapy might look like a gentle yoga class, a quiet moment with your breath, or a grounding posture held just a little longer than usual. But there’s something more happening beneath the surface.

Heart-Centered Truth

Heart-Centered Living Hridayam Satyam – The Heart is the Truth Hridayam Satyam translates as "the heart is the truth." The heart knows the truth and speaks the truth. Yet, in today’s fast-paced world, distractions and external influences often pull us away from our deepest knowing...(read more.)

The Top 5 Reasons Yoga Teachers Need Yoga Therapy

As yoga teachers, we dedicate our lives to guiding others on their journey to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. However, in the process, we often overlook our own needs. One valuable tool that can help us maintain our health and effectiveness as teachers is yoga therapy. Here are the top five reasons why yoga teachers need yoga therapy...

Harnessing the Power of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda for ADHD

Modern medicine has paved the way for a plethora of treatments, but sometimes the most surprising solutions are found in unexpected places. The time-honored traditions of Ayurveda, and Yoga therapy offer a promising lead in the herb often referred to as the "herb of enlightenment." to reduce the symptoms of conditions such as ADHD.

The Golden Elixir

If you have ever participated in Pranayoga's Ayurvedic Cleanse, you are aware that the first day of introducing ghee into the cleansing process and its health benefits is a memorable one! This Ayurvedic elixir has a sacred status for its multifaceted healing properties.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Inner Connection and Transformation

Yoga, a practice often synonymous with trendy workout classes or Instagram-worthy poses, extends far beyond physical activity. Its roots are deeply entwined in the philosophy of self-awareness, inner peace, and spiritual growth.

Maha Gunas: The Light of Awareness

Our theme for March is The Maha Gunas. We often practice mindfulness in March, and these three gunas can tell a lot about our mental state. Sattva is the power of harmony, balance, light, intelligence higher or spiritual potential.

The Art of Healing Through Breathing Practices

Breathing is often the unsung hero of the wellness narrative. An automatic process we perform roughly 20,000 times a day, it's the means by which we draw life into our bodies, yet we seldom give it a second thought.

Exploring the Healing Pathways: Somatic Experiencing and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Therapy

In our search for healing and wholeness, the fields of somatic experiencing and trauma-sensitive yoga therapy have emerged as powerful modalities that address the physical imprints of emotional and psychological trauma. Despite their differences, they share a common ground in acknowledging the body’s role in healing.

What is Self-Love?

True self-love comes from a place of connection and love to all sentient beings. This means that self-love begins with kindness, gentleness, and non-violence. The word for non-violence is Áhimsa, in Sanskrit. Some questions we may want to reflect on are: What is it like to really love and be loved? What is it like to live our lives with true gentleness and respect for all living things?

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a 5000 year old science of self-awareness that teaches people the art of balancing our multi-dimensional beings living in industrialized world. Yoga means “to yoke”, union, bring together. It also means relationship.

What is Sadhana?

The word Sadhana is often defined as our yoga practice(s). In the west, we spend a lot of time defining yoga terms, which is different than embodying them. This indigenous practice is still very new to our modern society and very much sought after because of its benefits.

October Theme: Connecting to bliss.

We all may have a different definition of yoga and meditation when asked, and a unique experience to the practice of meditation. October's theme focuses on the 7th limb of ashtanga yoga, which is dhyana. Dhyana is the sanskrit word that is often translated as meditation.

10 Benefits of Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy is an age-old practice that has been gaining popularity over the past decade. I first heard about yoga therapy when I was a newer yoga teacher working for a neurosurgeon. They had the innovation to bring yoga therapy to their patients. It was 2006, and research was emerging from the International Association of Yoga Therapists on the benefits of yoga therapy.

The Power of Attention

Recently in a yoga therapy session, I was inquiring about the sensations the care-seeker experienced in her body. She claimed, "I was feeling tension in my hip, but when I brought my attention there, it went away. This is the power of attention. The healing begins before we even get started on any practice or protocol. This is because we are all self-healing organisms....

Now Yoga Begins...

This month’s theme is the first yoga sutra. The book of yoga sutras are a guide to happiness. Not fleeting happiness but joy that is part of our true nature. The happiness that is content and at peace. This sutra is about beginning again or from a new vantage point once we have tried everything else. This is how many of us start our yoga journey...

Monthly Theme: Flourish

Flourishing is the growth and development that includes positive psychological functioning and positive social functioning or influence over our environments. "Flourishing encompasses a patient harmony. Our minds may be impatient for our improvements, but the body is patient and prefers to move slowly. "

Rituals

We do a ritual routinely that marks a specific purpose, intent, or moment in time and traditionally connects us to our Highest Power. For some of us, a ritual may be sitting and drinking our morning coffee as we start the new day.

Monthly Theme: Tranquility.

It’s Saturday afternoon. The house is particularly quiet and I have space to do something I love, which is writing to you. I open my laptop, slide my feet in an electronic foot massager, take a sip of ginger lemon tea, and think to myself, “Now this is tranquility.”

Miracles

A miracle is something amazing that may or may not be able to be explained by scientific law. I had a dream..

Time.

Time. Time is both precious and mysterious. Time illudes us yet holds the framework of our lives, organizing events in the past, present, and future. I often hear myself and others projecting statements about time. “I don’t have enough time.” “Time is running out.” “I’m squeezed with time.” “My time with them is too short.” “My time is too short.”

Early Morning Yoga. Is it for you?

You don't have to be a morning person to reap the benefits of an early morning yoga practice a couple of times per week.

Monthly Theme: Creativity

Our theme this month is Creativity. What do you think of when you think of the word Creativity? For me, creativity conjures up a bouquet of words, feeling and images. Images of my daughters and I making crafts on a slow summer day or creating delicious food.

Monthly Theme: Flow

Our theme this month is Flow. As I sit down to introduce our theme, I am experiencing a bit of writer’s block. This is no surprise since I am sitting to write about flow, a contradiction in my own life lately. I have been connecting more to the discord in our society than the JOY of being.

Monthly Theme: Joy

Our monthly theme for May is Santosha. Santosha means contentment. While the translation of this word is quite simple, you may find that contentment is one of the most difficult concepts to grasp. If you feel this way, you are not alone.

Monthly Theme: Aparigraha

Take a few moments and either imagine or practice opening your hands. What does that feel like in your body? Now.. imagine or practice clenching your fists. What does that sensation feel like in your body?

How To Practice Yoga

I started practicing yoga over 25 years ago. Every day is just as important to me and magical as those first days. I discovered a sense of peace and joy hidden behind the fear, anxiety, stress, and negative thought stream.

Careers In Yoga

Joining a teacher training is one of the best investments you can make for your life. A good time may be during a life transition, as many of us have had during the current pandemic.

Yin Yoga: The Misunderstood Step-Child of Hatha Yoga by Haley Sonnigsen

Although its teachings are based on ancient Daoist practices, the practice of yin yoga is relatively new-we’re still exploring our relationship with yin in the modern yoga...

The Biggest Mistake In Weightloss By Maddie Vonderau

The biggest mistake I find most people make when trying to lose weight, get better, or just adapt a healthier lifestyle is they make it stressful. Not intentionally...

Inhale, Ignite and Meet Our New Managing Director, Firekeeper Haley Sonnigsen

As Julia Haller, moves forward into Director of Admissions at The Pranayoga Institute and working more in depth with the PranaYoga Foundation we are happy to announce Haley Sonnigsen as our Directing Manager.

Taming the “Monkey Mind” Through Journaling and Mindfulness

A few years back, I was involved in a near miss auto accident that I will never forget. I was driving my Fiat near downtown when a large stray dog ran out in front of my car.

Hot vs Heated Yoga

The Hot yoga craze is the one of the millennium, as exercising in saunas and plastic sweat suits of the 90s, was the myth to rapid weight loss and detoxification.

Student Spotlight With Ryan Replogle

I began practicing Yoga in June of last year by taking Erin Erb’s Yoga 101 class. I highly recommend it! I have a shoulder injury, and wanted to try a lower-impact activity. More importantly, though, a few people who I trust and are very close to me are serious yogis and recommended I try it.

14 Days of Healing. Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse.

Big Heart to Beyond Yoga!

If you have taken the time to look around our boutique you will see we are big fans of Beyond Yoga, and here is why!

Dan Hamblin Student Spot-Light

Dan began his yoga journey on July 3, 2012, when he took his first-class from his daughter Carrie’s yoga instructor in Knoxville.

Nurturing Hands. The Yoga of Mom and Baby

The postpartum period is a time of monumental transitions. It is an adjustment period for both baby and parents to become integrated into the new rhythms of life as a family.

Discover Your Joy. What Prana Is…by Dani McGuire

Many times people ask how we got our name “Pranayoga”. Our company name comes from the Sanskrit word for...