Integral Yoga Hatha and Mental Health
Introduction Most ancient theories of health and well-being include balance as a core concept. You can think of Yin/Yang in the Chinese system; even in the West, the Greek philosopher Aristotle writes: “Both excessive and deficient exercise ruin bodily strength, and, similarly, too much or too little eating or drinking ruins health, whereas the proportionate amount produces, increases, and preserves it.” In the Yogic tradition we have the concepts of Ha/Ṭha, which literally translates as Sun/Moon, and corresponds directly with the Yin/Yang of the Chinese system. Ha or Yang is portrayed as masculine, active, warm, energetic, and expansive. It represents the energy of the sun. Ṭha or Yin is characterized as feminine, receptive, dark, cool, soft, still, and contemplative. It represents the energy of the earth and moon. In all the systems which see balance as a fundamental to well-being, the opposites are not in opposition but work complementarily to create a coherent order. Take a tree,...
Yoga for Personal and Social Resilience
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." Yoga helps us develop personal resilience. Yes, the world's a mess, but I can't save the whole world. I tried and succeeded mainly at making myself miserable. I was a radio news reporter at the end of the...
Why Study About Death and Dying?
One of the most important things we can do to prepare for death is to think about it. Bring it into your life, and as Don Juan said, “Use death as an advisor.” What would you do if you had six months to live? What would you cut out of your life? What would you do if...
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