1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,520
Welcome to the Awaken Together podcast.

2
00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,840
I'm Jen and I'm Kat.

3
00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:18,240
And today we are going to extend off of our last episode and break down the paths of yoga.

4
00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:23,640
So just to give you a little insight, last episode we delved into the eight limbs of

5
00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:28,120
yoga, which falls under one path of yoga.

6
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:33,840
We went into the yamas and nyamas and today we're going to give you an even wider zoom

7
00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,820
out of the different paths and then really break down where those eight limbs fit into

8
00:00:38,820 --> 00:00:44,840
it with an emphasis on the asana practice, which is probably what you picture when you

9
00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,960
think of a yoga class, just because that is how we have created yoga in the Western culture.

10
00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,520
Kat, you want to break down our four paths and then we'll delve in.

11
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:57,520
Absolutely.

12
00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:02,600
So yoga, it literally translates to the word yoke or union.

13
00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,640
It's union of the body, mind, soul and spirit.

14
00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:11,320
It's rediscovering who we are in returning to a life of joy, bliss and freedom.

15
00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:17,120
And I like to break it down in a really simple way when it comes to the four paths of yoga.

16
00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,760
The first path that we'll talk about today is raja yoga.

17
00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,300
Raja yoga, it encompasses samadhi, which is doing nothing.

18
00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:30,880
So that's like the goal of yoga, the final step of raja yoga.

19
00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,080
Second we'll talk about bhakti yoga.

20
00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,160
Bhakti is all about feeling.

21
00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:36,760
It's all about love.

22
00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,960
And we're really excited to talk with you about this one because it holds a special

23
00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:41,680
place in our hearts.

24
00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,960
Third, we will talk with you about karma yoga.

25
00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:49,580
Karma is the action of yoga.

26
00:01:49,580 --> 00:01:54,460
So it's taking yoga off your mat and actually doing things to serve.

27
00:01:54,460 --> 00:01:57,400
And then finally, we will touch on jnana yoga.

28
00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:03,880
Jnana yoga is all about thinking, knowledge and wisdom, studying yoga.

29
00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:10,160
So to start us off with raja yoga, raja means the royal path.

30
00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,720
It's the path of meditation, mantras and other techniques.

31
00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:19,280
And really the basic theme of raja yoga is that your perception of the divine self is

32
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,440
obscured by the disturbances of the mind.

33
00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,640
The body and mind can be made still and pure.

34
00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:28,600
The self will instantaneously shine forth.

35
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:33,720
And it's the path that most of us here in the West favor because it can be practiced

36
00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:39,880
pretty much by everyone requiring no belief or particular faith heading into it.

37
00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,960
So Jen, do you want to start us off with asanas?

38
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:44,960
Absolutely.

39
00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:52,760
I like to picture like a family tree and you can see all of these different families that

40
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:54,720
will fall into one path.

41
00:02:54,720 --> 00:03:02,240
So raja yoga really is at like the base root of a lot of the practices that we hear and

42
00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,840
see in kind of the more modern or westernized yoga.

43
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:14,320
So talking about asana, I think my original background before anything would have come

44
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,160
onto my path at all.

45
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:24,760
I went to a Bikram studio that was in town in Daytona Beach and it was the craziest thing

46
00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,640
I had ever experienced.

47
00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,600
I went into this studio not knowing what to expect.

48
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:36,120
I was in like a hundred and three degree room and I went through these 26 postures and you

49
00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:41,680
leave and you just feel like you just went on the biggest journey and I was really hooked

50
00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:42,680
to that.

51
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,880
So I started going all of the time.

52
00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:52,040
I think for about two years I was Bikram heavy and the funniest part is because I just had

53
00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,960
so little knowledge on what yoga actually was.

54
00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,160
I didn't think anything else existed.

55
00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,480
Like I thought that was yoga was going into the hundred three degree room doing those

56
00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:08,320
26 postures with a teacher up front and I just didn't even know there was more to that.

57
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:14,760
I got invited to go to one other studio and I actually started seeing what is another

58
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,960
style which is called vinyasa.

59
00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:19,720
That was completely foreign to me.

60
00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:25,580
I think I did a few classes there and then really branched into ashtanga which is another

61
00:04:25,580 --> 00:04:30,920
set series where you see 75 postures done really consistently.

62
00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:37,080
So those were like the three types that were really at my origin and yeah that was really

63
00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,880
where I first started connecting with the asana practice.

64
00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:47,600
I do think when I went into ashtanga is when I also started learning a lot more about meditation

65
00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:48,640
and chanting.

66
00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:54,280
I think that lineage stuck a little bit more with what would have been one of the original

67
00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:55,280
pasts.

68
00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:01,120
It brought a lot of reference back to the origins of yoga which Bikram did not and if

69
00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:07,200
you've seen there's definitely a Netflix documentary Bikram has a dark path.

70
00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:11,680
I did not know until I entered the yoga world that Bikram actually the man who started it

71
00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,880
is had really done some terrible things to his students.

72
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:21,840
It is definitely not a respected branch of yoga anymore but I think for me it got me

73
00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:26,760
at least within the practice and I remember I really enjoyed it because you never put

74
00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:31,400
weight through your hand so I felt like it was really accessible to other bodies but

75
00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:37,200
I've also now learned that that was kind of the one of the worst probably starting points

76
00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:42,760
for yoga and have since then definitely delved into some other styles.

77
00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:43,760
What about you Kat?

78
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:49,880
Yeah yeah yeah we could talk about these different types of asana practice all freaking day.

79
00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:56,240
To carry on with Bikram a little bit more I mean to give a little note I find that whatever

80
00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:01,880
brings you to your mat is kind of how you're meant to arrive and yes Bikram's shitty like

81
00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:06,680
he's a shitty man like not a not a good person.

82
00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,120
Definitely watch the documentaries on Netflix.

83
00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:14,100
I read this book called Hellbent which was all about from a student's perspective someone

84
00:06:14,100 --> 00:06:20,520
who went to Bikram's yoga teacher training which costs thousands and thousands of dollars.

85
00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:26,880
Just in person you have to take all your work off for like a full month at a time and he

86
00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:32,000
he's you know he's just like a man and he he wants to be worshipped.

87
00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,000
His ego.

88
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,000
The ego.

89
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,040
Yes it's wild it's really really wild.

90
00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:41,440
A lot of toxicity a lot of sexual abuse so that's what we mean by he did a lot of bad

91
00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:42,440
things to his students.

92
00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:46,720
And the teachers were pretty intense on their students and I actually think it was funny

93
00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,960
because I think for me I really liked that harsh discipline at the beginning.

94
00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,640
This was before I had done a lot of self reflection and I wanted to like prove to the teachers

95
00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,200
I was worthy so there was a lot coming up on the mat.

96
00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:05,080
I know yeah wanting to impress those teachers I think in retrospect looking back yeah there

97
00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,520
was definitely a lot of issues I saw back.

98
00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:14,000
Yeah it's a super interesting lineage because like not only is it named after its creator

99
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:19,560
Bikram it's there are a few other types of yoga as well that follow suit but this one's

100
00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,120
very particular.

101
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:26,240
It follows a script so everyone who participates in yoga teacher training they have to memorize

102
00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:33,240
it and teach the same you know 26 postures in the same order on a carpet carpeted floor

103
00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:34,240
in front of a mirror.

104
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:39,680
So there's like definitely particular parameters that you need in order to be able to call

105
00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:40,960
it a Bikram studio.

106
00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:45,040
Absolutely that's our two cents on Bikram.

107
00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:46,680
Moving into Vinyasa.

108
00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:53,080
Vinyasa is my preferred like lineage of yoga of asana practice.

109
00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,920
It literally translates in Sanskrit to to place in a special way.

110
00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:03,720
Vinyasa and I just love how many different variations of Vinyasa practice there are.

111
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:10,480
There's power Vinyasa there's you know hot yoga but really Vinyasa yoga for me it's what

112
00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:15,160
I love about it is it's syncing up your breath and movement and having some sort of flow

113
00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,440
in between.

114
00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:23,120
It really feels like a moving meditation for me and my dance background I find really gets

115
00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:28,560
happy when I'm when I'm flowing in a Vinyasa class and there's all the flexibility for

116
00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:29,560
freedom.

117
00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:34,720
There's no prescribed movements really just like flexible to choose what you want with

118
00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:40,400
what music you want and yeah it's very expressive and I think that's why it's become.

119
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,000
Quickly the most popular type of asana practice here in the West.

120
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:50,160
Yeah and then one other type to go into so I would say I teach rather than a Vinyasa

121
00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:56,520
style I think I have a little bit of that but I really was inspired by Iyengar who really

122
00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,920
helped hit he had a lot of issues growing up he had a lot of physical pain in his body

123
00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:07,440
he went through a lot of disability and for him when he tried to do these traditional

124
00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:14,480
postures he was very limited and being able to grow from the asana practice so he started

125
00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:20,280
really being the first teacher that was factoring in like walls and stools and straps and blocks

126
00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:27,360
and blankets and bolsters and really using those equipments to find what works for each

127
00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:32,460
particular body and what you need to get into an alignment that feels good in your body

128
00:09:32,460 --> 00:09:37,720
but also doesn't stir up so much physical pain that you aren't really able to get into

129
00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:43,220
that flow state because you're worried and I think because of my physical therapy background

130
00:09:43,220 --> 00:09:49,160
I am very prop heavy when I teach and I am very and very much watching my students to

131
00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:55,320
make sure the form is somewhat there just because I know so much about injury and so

132
00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:00,160
much about how people even have experience going to yoga class and having it hurt them

133
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:05,420
and thinking that they shouldn't do it anymore when in reality it has been made very accessible

134
00:10:05,420 --> 00:10:10,320
and there are so many options and variations and a lot of those we can thank Iingar for

135
00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:17,800
being the door to making it accessible for all body types as well yeah incredibly alignment

136
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:22,600
focused and I think that just makes complete sense why that's your jam Jen I can't let

137
00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:28,800
it go I'm a watchful eye whether I want to be or not yeah I think that's so great and

138
00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,200
it's really we share all of these practices with you so that you can explore them and

139
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:38,240
really recommend that you try them all on we'll share a couple more with you but really

140
00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,120
tap into that headspace of like which have I tried what did I really like about each

141
00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:50,520
one's what's what's my best fit so you can further explore that and find your joy so

142
00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:57,360
my style is more so like I do cue a lot of different alignment you know focused things

143
00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:02,560
but I am really focused on like do what feels best in your body and give my students total

144
00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:07,920
freedom to do different things you know if it's different than what I'm sharing which

145
00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:12,040
is very different from other lineages of yoga you know like you wouldn't go to a big crumb

146
00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:19,860
class and do your own thing like that's just not you would get right right and so if you're

147
00:11:19,860 --> 00:11:23,880
someone who needs that like discipline and wants to be shown exactly what to do and how

148
00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:29,620
to do it and be corrected you know maybe that would be right for you and if you're more

149
00:11:29,620 --> 00:11:34,080
so wanting to just show up how you are and take what you need and leave what you don't

150
00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:41,200
and have total creative freedom maybe vinyasa is a better fit all of these really stem from

151
00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:48,200
Hatha Hatha yoga that's like the parents limb of asana and Hatha translates to effort or

152
00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:53,620
force and it's about moving your body slowly and deliberately into different poses that

153
00:11:53,620 --> 00:12:00,760
really challenge your strength and flexibility so another type of yoga is Kundalini and Kundalini

154
00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:08,880
translates to it's a Sanskrit adjective meaning circular or coiled and it totally makes sense

155
00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:16,180
because the idea with Kundalini yoga is that there's a dormant snake residing at the base

156
00:12:16,180 --> 00:12:23,600
of your spine and through circular movements through breath work through poses you awaken

157
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:30,220
this vital life force of the serpent and as it awakens it spirals around your chakras

158
00:12:30,220 --> 00:12:35,280
your energy bodies that reside along your spine all the way up to the crown of your

159
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:43,760
head and when this happens you feel a surge of energy and ecstasy and very pleasurable

160
00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:51,320
sensations and your whole spirit so really special yeah and I just to share I you know

161
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:56,440
I learned about all these lineages in teacher training but I really didn't get to explore

162
00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:03,400
all these asana styles until I started going to yoga festivals I think now with YouTube

163
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:08,360
growing so much you can find a lot of access to being able to try these classes out but

164
00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:12,640
I would go to festivals and get to work with teachers that specialize in each of these

165
00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:17,600
I remember my first Kundalini one I was like what does this even mean like what is this

166
00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:24,200
gonna be and I felt like elated at the end of class and I was like whoa that was a wild

167
00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:29,480
energy shift and it was so much more breath work than I think the average class like it

168
00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:36,560
had tons of focus on really hefty and quick breaths which really yeah inspired a very

169
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:43,840
big energy change for me I also think when I started going to festivals was when I also

170
00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:49,520
got to yeah sit with teachers that didn't even focus on an asana practice it was the

171
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:56,720
first time I was like okay this is the actual this is my my chance to actually get to experience

172
00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:01,140
these other paths of yoga and get to see what that looks like too so it was really beautiful

173
00:14:01,140 --> 00:14:07,320
to get to yeah go to a space where I was really getting to see the full encompass idea of

174
00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,840
yoga and what that looked like festivals are so great they're like a gathering of the vibes

175
00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:17,080
it's like a little poo poo platter of tastings of all different kinds yeah I love love for

176
00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:22,960
music too yeah and you know sometimes the town that you live in may not have all of

177
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:27,280
these different offerings for you to try out so a festival of course is a fantastic option

178
00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:32,520
you can also search on YouTube there's lots of great different teachers from all different

179
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:38,080
styles that you can explore right there for free to so definitely lots of ways to plug

180
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:45,200
in and one more type of asana that we'll share is yin yin yoga and this is a very slow moving

181
00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:52,760
practice yin is can be translated to the moon so there's yin and there's yang the sun the

182
00:14:52,760 --> 00:15:00,680
fire the moon the cooling side it's more restorative and it encourages your body to really melt

183
00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:05,880
and relax so that you can have your nervous system completely release and let go and reap

184
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:12,640
all of the benefits that come with that like lowered stress levels better sleep increased

185
00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:19,720
mood you know all the beautiful stuff that we all want so that really concludes what

186
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:25,960
we want to talk about with asana and just to summarize where this all fits from our

187
00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:31,280
last episode where we talked about the yamas and the nyamas and the eightfold path asana

188
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:39,760
is the third and the remaining limbs are pranayama pratyahara dharana dhyana and samadhi we promise

189
00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:45,680
that next season later in the fall we're going to do a whole episode on pranayama and dive

190
00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:51,500
into the rest of the limbs a little bit more to to to make it feel like you have a deeper

191
00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:59,280
understanding of what this all means and tie a bow on it the next path of yoga that we

192
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:06,760
want to dive into and share with you is bhakti yoga so bhakti was once again first introduced

193
00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:13,160
to me actually at a festival i knew it was the path of like love and it was very centered

194
00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:19,320
around music but i had never experienced anything like it and it was so beautiful to get to

195
00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:24,640
see teachers that have focused purely on this path it's we would just sit in a circle and

196
00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:31,080
we just like sing and chant together a lot of harmoniums which is like this um kind of

197
00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:37,960
like a little mini organ it creates this beautiful vibrational sound and we would just sing chants

198
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:43,580
together and it was it was really powerful it felt like it was creating a very big energy

199
00:16:43,580 --> 00:16:48,680
shift as well but without having to do any movement really just using that voice and

200
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:55,000
vibration and that collective community centered around love and gathering and i love it and

201
00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:02,560
i feel like i need more of it in my life yes it's it's the yoga of love of devotion um

202
00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:08,480
and it's it's really beautiful it can initially be involved with like yourself maybe you share

203
00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:14,720
this path of yoga with your friends or family and the idea is that it creates strong emotional

204
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:21,880
ties this is where like community feels so important this is completely like living yoga

205
00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:29,160
off the mat um because you know in the chaos of everyday life it can feel really difficult

206
00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:37,200
to just focus on love and be with our hearts and yeah it's it's really the easiest path

207
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:42,880
of yoga when you think of it that way but it also can be hard to just like arrive at

208
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:48,480
and understand what it is and one of the the first line of a Fleetwood Mac song i think

209
00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:54,360
says it really really well to help you understand like the feeling of bhakti yoga and it says

210
00:17:54,360 --> 00:18:00,360
drowning in a sea of love where everyone would love to drown this is bhakti yoga it's drowning

211
00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:07,680
in love i love it and yeah i i think the music element that is usually brought into that

212
00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:13,440
is something we're very much lacking now that we're kind of more of an individualistic society

213
00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:18,840
we're not really coming together to do group chanting group expression group singing group

214
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:24,960
dancing and i think um yeah this path really kind of brings that element back that we need

215
00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,120
to be in gathering together and yeah that can look a little bit different in the modernized

216
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:33,840
world of just expressing love and finding a sense of community but i also really like

217
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:40,080
the idea of bringing it back to gathering and singing together and i got to do a lot

218
00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,600
of the different sanskrit chants this is where i really learned a lot of what i would

219
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:49,160
end up bringing more into my own personal meditation practice too and i think it's beautiful

220
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:54,760
it really is using our voices to channel all that love that we have inside of us and just

221
00:18:54,760 --> 00:19:02,680
like bring it out into the world share it yes yeah so moving into um our third path

222
00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:10,360
of yoga this one is karma yoga and karma translates to action maybe you've heard this word before

223
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:17,080
it is one that's thrown around a lot even in our everyday western society it's performing

224
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:23,480
an action without attachment to the outcome it's the path of selfless service and in yoga

225
00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:29,800
we call it seva and um i just think back to like all the different yoga studios that i've

226
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:35,440
been a part of and how they channel this karma yoga and they do that by offering donation

227
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:42,720
based classes free classes um different benefit classes that donate the proceeds to charities

228
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:48,440
to to give back in those ways yeah and i was taught in yoga teacher training first of all

229
00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:54,320
we definitely spent a few of the days of our training like going out and planting a bunch

230
00:19:54,320 --> 00:20:00,200
of trees and plants that was our like representation of karma yoga and yeah we were always taught

231
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:06,440
that as teachers to try to offer some form of community class that's accessible to people

232
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:11,200
that maybe yeah don't have the means and resources to pay to come into a studio to make sure

233
00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:16,460
that our practice is encompassing giving back to the community and so i've definitely tried

234
00:20:16,460 --> 00:20:22,640
to make sure that i offer a free class as a teacher on occasion so that yeah i can help

235
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:28,600
help people get into this without having to have necessarily the means to do so yeah and

236
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:34,680
you may already do be doing your own form of karma yoga um think about volunteering

237
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:40,180
even just donating your time donating some money or even just giving thanks to someone

238
00:20:40,180 --> 00:20:45,540
in a really deep authentic way um or giving someone recognition for something amazing

239
00:20:45,540 --> 00:20:50,480
that they did that you valued that maybe they didn't even know about before and thinking

240
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:57,320
about love languages you know like uh karma yoga is considering your partner's love language

241
00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:03,000
and um if it's something that even doesn't come naturally to you like my partner's is

242
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,800
uh words of affirmation whereas mine's is acts of service something that we're currently

243
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:13,680
working on right now we have a lot an alarm set in each of our phones every day and mine

244
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:21,760
says say nice things to kyle literally simple as that funny cat too because that is the

245
00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:27,440
same problem i have in my relationship is danny's top one is words of affirmation i'm

246
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,840
a quality time girl so i assume if you're sitting beside me that we're all good and

247
00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:37,100
i have to intentionally let myself say nice things to danny because otherwise he doesn't

248
00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:42,000
feel loved and i've decided to learn that and that is part of karma yoga absolutely

249
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:48,680
so simple simple ways to like think about this in your everyday life absolutely and

250
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:56,200
then our final limb is giana yoga sorry final path and giana yoga you can think of this

251
00:21:56,200 --> 00:22:02,800
it's um the path of knowledge or wisdom it means um trying to achieve enlightenment through

252
00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:10,240
the process of reason deciphering what's true for you versus what's not true unboxing yourself

253
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:16,360
through self-study and self-inquiry things that we talk about a lot here on the pod absolutely

254
00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:23,080
i think yeah the the what would fall into shadow work and like wound healing looking

255
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:27,040
at the depths of yourself and kind of thinking through it i think i've spent a lot of time

256
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:32,560
on this and it is a way yeah to release the ego and it's just yeah self-reflection and

257
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,680
we teach we've taught a lot of tools on the podcast for how you can delve into why you

258
00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:43,560
do what you do and kind of think about the root behind certain actions and behaviors

259
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:48,920
and that intentional way of thinking it can be it can be tiring to have to go into that

260
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:54,200
kind of reflection but the result of doing that type of work ends up leaving you a lot

261
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:58,120
lighter a lot more intentional and a lot more conscious as you move through your day to

262
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:04,360
day yes and it's funny with giana yoga it's said to be the most difficult path because

263
00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:11,440
it uses your mind to go beyond yourself to realize that you're one with the divine so

264
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:16,200
it's acknowledging the ego noticing when it creeps up and gets really loud and kind of

265
00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:22,000
gets in your way saying like oh this isn't fair why me it's smashing that belief it's

266
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:27,400
identifying it first and then moving beyond it and understanding that like we are all

267
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:33,840
one we are all here together as a collective moving through the the same things and unlearning

268
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:41,040
so that we can return to what's true uh so that's kind of the over summary of the four

269
00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:46,600
paths of yoga just keeping it kind of brief i think you know i think it's important to

270
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:53,040
know these original paths i think yoga has so often shifted towards a kind of physical

271
00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:58,920
practice that it's really important to know as you start a practice which we both obviously

272
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:04,520
highly recommend to get on your yoga mat and start exploring some of these concepts because

273
00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:09,080
it can make such a profound benefit on your life but i think it's important to know that

274
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:15,320
there is ways to do yoga without actually doing a asana class and that there is these

275
00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:21,400
different lineages that deserve to be looked at reflected upon and it's important to know

276
00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:26,600
that we don't want to lose in the evolution of yoga we don't want to lose these roots

277
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:31,320
because these roots are really where the practice has been brought to us in the here and now

278
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:37,320
yeah the evolution of the origins of these four paths is really really cool to see how

279
00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:44,440
it's all transpired and all of these paths lead to quote unquote enlightenment peace joy freedom

280
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:50,600
and they're like four different strands woven together to form the same rope they're all

281
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:56,120
strengthened by the others it's not to say that one is better than the other and you get to choose

282
00:24:56,120 --> 00:25:01,960
which aspects of each path really resonate with you and begin to incorporate them into your greater

283
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:09,560
life and just look for joy in your daily practice and let it guide you yep so get on youtube start

284
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:15,960
playing with some of these types let us know how it is working for your life or which ones like

285
00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:20,840
actually resonate with you and why we'd love to hear from you and we hope that you're starting

286
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:28,840
to get a bigger picture of what this yoga thing is all about yes and um if you are looking for

287
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:39,160
ways to deepen your practice we are super excited to announce our newest retreat together

288
00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:50,280
we're so lame i love it so in october columbus day weekend october 7th to the 10th we will be

289
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:56,920
hosting a retreat the second official awaken together retreat in st augustine florida we are

290
00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:06,840
going for a witchy theme or we're going to explore chanting magic goddess energy is so many of the

291
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:14,280
beautiful shadow sides incorporating that with the light we have like the most fun schedule planned

292
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:20,600
and st augustine is such a cool area because it is believed to be kind of like haunted that there's

293
00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:26,840
like some fun energy there so we're gonna really explore a lot of different concepts and even with

294
00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:32,200
the fun witch theme we're still gonna do a lot of self-reflecting you can always leave a retreat

295
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:38,440
feeling a little bit lighter and that you connected more dogs for your life that is our goal yes it's

296
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:43,320
gonna be really really incredible like we're super excited about it the airbnb that we've rented is

297
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:50,440
beautiful so please check it out we'd love um to hear what questions you have and um you are hearing

298
00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:56,040
it first here on the podcast we have not yet opened it up to the public and we're expecting

299
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:00,840
this one to fill up pretty quickly because there's been a lot of interest so you can check it out on

300
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:09,400
our instagram pages mine is katerina o erickson um and then jen's is at sensible wellness and we

301
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:15,080
have the links in our bio you can uh check it out it goes right to my website catalyst living and

302
00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:20,680
the booking section right there so you can learn more see what it costs how to sign up and we're

303
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:26,360
here for you if you have any questions and we'll love to learn your thoughts and as always go and

304
00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:31,880
rate the podcast continue to help us get the message out we appreciate all of the love and

305
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:51,400
support and we will see you next week thank you thank you you