Have you ever carried a teacher's words for years and felt them land only mid-run?
A quote from Rishikesh, years in my journal. Kilometer fourteen made it real.
Have you ever understood a teaching only by living it?
Read the full essay
https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/running-a-half-marathon-changed-my-savasana-f8286317d16c
#halfmarathon #effortandease #yoga
#runningandyoga #yogawisdom #embodiedpractice
#contemplativepractice #runningmeditation #savasana
I wrote 'steadiness and ease' in my journal in Rishikesh. Running showed me I'd misunderstood the order.
Ease comes after steadiness, not alongside it. The race showed me.
What has living taught you that studying couldn't?
#sthirasukha #yogaphilosophy #yoga
#halfmarathon #runningandyoga #embodiedpractice
#savasana #effortandease #contemplativepractice
The first silence I experienced wasn't quiet.
When I stopped speaking, what rose up was everything I'd been drowning out.
Have you ever sat with real silence, not just quiet but the kind that reveals what you've been avoiding?
Read more
https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/what-the-himalayas-whispered-4e0b51998b2c
#silenceretreat #meditation #himalayas
#mindfulness #contemplativepractice #innerwork
#spiritualpractice #yogaphilosophy #solitude
The practice of intentional asceticism, such as spiritual fasting, serves as a catalyst for cognitive and spiritual realignment. 🏛️📜
"Fasting as a Spiritual Discipline: A Complete Guide to Deepening Your Faith."
For those interested in contemplative practices, religious history, and the psychology of spiritual endurance, this is an excellent resource.
Full article here:
https://www.jacquidelorenzo.com/post/fasting-as-a-spiritual-discipline
#ContemplativePractice #SpiritualHealth #Theology #PublicInterest #Mindfulness #Asceticism
For many, fasting feels unfamiliar or even challenging. Questions often arise about how to begin and whether it truly makes a difference. Understanding fasting as a spiritual discipline brings clarity to these concerns. It is not simply about giving something up, it is about creating space for reflection, growth, and connection. This kind of spiritual growth is often rooted in consistent, intentional practices. As reflected in faith-centered writing, “never give up and always hold on.
Prana isn't breath. I thought it was for years. So did every studio I practiced in.
Ananya said: 'Prana is not something you breathe in. It is something you are made of.'
What changed once you knew the philosophy beneath?
#prana #pranayama #yogaphilosophy
#yogawisdom #breathwork #contemplativepractice
#sanskritwords #yogadepth #yogalearning
The cultivation of spiritual resilience requires intentional periods of withdrawal from the modern cycle of perpetual productivity.
"Spiritual Encouragement for Weary Souls Seeking Rest." For those interested in the phenomenology of rest, contemplative practice, and the maintenance of faith during burnout, this is an excellent resource.
Full article here:
https://www.jacquidelorenzo.com/post/spiritual-encouragement-weary-souls
#ContemplativePractice #JacquiDeLorenzo #SpiritualHealth #Resilience #PublicInterest #Mindfulness #TheologyOfRest
Spiritual encouragement for weary souls doesn’t usually show up when everything is quiet and peaceful. It shows up when your day is already messy, when your mind won’t slow down, and when you’re honestly not sure how much more you can carry.You ever have days like that?You’re not falling apart, exactly. You’re still getting things done. But everything feels heavier than it should. Small things drain you. Conversations feel like effort. Even praying feels… tiring.And then you remember that verse—
I practiced yoga for five years before I learned what yoga actually was.
The first sutra changed everything: yoga is stilling the mind, not mastering poses.
What surprised you most when you first encountered yoga philosophy?
Read the full essay
https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/books-that-challenged-my-yoga-practice-77c4aeddf69a
#yogaphilosophy #yogasutras #yogapractice
#mindfulness #meditation #contemplativepractice
#yogabooks #spiritualreading #embodiedwisdom
My grandmother practiced yoga for fifty years. She called it sitting down.
Asana means seat. Not pose. She had it right all along, the vocabulary just hadn't caught up.
What does your practice look like without the words?
#yoga #asana #ancestralwisdom
#yogaphilosophy #presencepractice #familywisdom
#embodiedwisdom #contemplativepractice #culturalheritage
My teacher smiled when I said namaste in Rishikesh. Not the smile of a thing going well.
He waited. Then asked: 'Do you know what you just offered me?' I didn't.
What word do you say without knowing?
Read the full essay
https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/the-sanskrit-words-we-misuse-c06ca9e8b162
#namaste #yogaphilosophy #sanskrit
#rishikesh #yogaculture #authenticyoga
#yogawisdom #eastmeetswest #contemplativepractice
Prana isn't breath. I thought it was for years. So did every studio I practiced in.
Ananya said: 'Prana is not something you breathe in. It is something you are made of.'
What changed once you knew the philosophy beneath?
#prana #pranayama #yogaphilosophy
#yogawisdom #breathwork #contemplativepractice
#sanskritwords #yogadepth #yogalearning
ClaraTheWriter
Susan Hodges