The Yoga Hour

Wisdom of the Yoga Sutra: Radiant Living Is Your Birthright!

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is the primary text of classical yoga. Written more than 2,000 years ago, it offers timeless teachings of Truth—the truth of our inner divinity and innate luminosity. Yogacharya O’Brian is joined by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait for an enlightening conversation about the wisdom of the Yoga Sutra: how to be free here and now, and experience our everlasting self-luminous joy. This episode will focus on “Samadhi Pada,” the first chapter of the Sutra, which explains the goal of yoga and the essentials of spiritual practice.
*What is the nature of the mind, and how can we use it wisely?
*How can we eliminate acquired and self-defeating tendencies?
*How can we live life to our fullest potential?
Listen and learn how you can benefit from the time-honored answers contained in the Yoga Sutra. 
 

Health, Harmony, and Awakening Through Ayurveda

Ayurveda and yoga are sister sciences with Vedic roots in ancient India. Yoga recognizes that our body/mind is our vehicle for awakening, and Ayurveda instructs us in the proper maintenance of that vehicle. When we live in harmony with nature, we thrive on all levels. Ayurvedic practitioner Vishnu Dass joins guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo for an exploration of how Ayurveda can support our complete well-being, paving the way for natural, radiant health and removing unnecessary obstacles from our own awakening process.
       
                *What is the spiritual and holistic foundation of Ayurveda?
                *What is the Ayurvedic approach to health?        
                *How does an Ayurvedic lifestyle help to heal the world? 
Join us as we explore these questions and dive deeply into Ayurveda as an art of daily living and a science of self-understanding.

Refresh Your Mind With Pratyahara

Are you suffering from sensory overload? Do you yearn for more inner peace? Tune in and learn how pratyahara can help. Pratyahara, often translated as "withdrawal of the senses," is that and much more. Pandit Vamadeva Shastri and Yogini Shambhavi of the American Institute of Vedic Studies join Yogacharya O’Brian to share insights and practices from pratyahara, the fifth limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga.
·      Discover how you can use pratyahara to take better control of your life and open up to your own inner being.
·      Find out why some great yogis consider this neglected limb of yoga to be the most important limb of all. 
·      Learn techniques for nourishing and protecting the mind, including mantra. 

Less stress and more joy are ours as we make conscious choices to direct our mind and our senses in ways that support our peace, clarity, and complete well-being. 
 

Bringing Home the Practice: Yoga for Total Well-Being

“Yoga is a wonderful tool for everybody: young or old; healthy or sick; man, woman, or child. Whether you begin with the aim of becoming spiritually enlightened or just stretching your legs is not important. The point is to begin and see where the journey takes you.” Tara Fraser, author of Total Yoga: A Step-by-Step Guide to Yoga at Home for Everybody, joins guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo for an exploration of how you can establish, expand, and deepen a consistent home-based yoga practice. If you are new to yoga, learn how to get started. If you are an experienced practitioner, discover how a home practice can deepen and extend your yoga sadhana. Encourage, inspire, and challenge yourself to enjoy your yoga practice. Your complete well-being awaits you!

Redefine Yourself!

There is an abiding sense of peace that only comes to us when are being who we know we came here to be. When we live in the moment from that deep inner knowing, we experience healing and wholeness in all aspects of our life. Join Yogacharya O’Brian and Dennis Merritt Jones for a discussion about the joy and freedom that come from using each moment as a portal to remember the truth of our own being. Discover ...
•    challenges you face in becoming who you were born to be
•    practices that will support you in expressing who you truly are
•    benefits that come with a lifelong practice of Self-awareness
Learn to recognize your redefining moments—and use them as a springboard to live your authentic and satisfying life.

Cultivate Contentment and Change Your Brain

Join Yogacharya O’Brian and special guest neuropsychologist Rick Hanson for a conversation about practical ways to cultivate contentment that result in hardwiring happiness in our brains.
•    Learn about developments in neuroscience that show how repetitive thoughts and emotions create new brain structure.
•    Build a new practice to cultivate contentment in a way that can change your brain.
•    Discover a practical technique that will help you “take in the good.”
When we develop a practice of “taking in the good,” the negativity bias of our brains can be overcome as we increase our contentment, calm, and self-confidence.
 

How Attitude Makes All the Difference

One of the greatest tools of spiritual yoga is attitude—choosing the thoughts and beliefs that will support one’s highest consciousness and unshakable happiness. Yogacharya O’Brian and Nayaswami Gyandev McCord explore universal teachings from the ancient Yoga tradition about attitude. Learn tips and techniques for cultivating an attitude that can help you to:
·      Reap greater benefits from all aspects of your yoga practice.
·      Prepare for success in every endeavor.
·      Enjoy a greater sense of relaxation, expansion, and freedom.
Choose an attitude in each moment that will open the door to experiencing the joy of your own divine essence of being.

Neuro-Spirituality: Train Your Brain for Awakening

When the brain is healed, the mind heals; when the mind heals, emotions heal, and when emotions heal, the body heals. Then the soul can express to it's full potential. Marty Wuttke, pioneer and expert in neurofeedback therapy, joins Yogacharya for an enlightening exploration of:
·      What modern science tells us about optimal brain functioning.
·      How spiritual practices work to heal the mind/body/emotions.
·      What becomes possible when we become fully present.
Heal, enlighten, and change your brain for awakening to the Infinite Oneness expressing as all that is.

Live Fully and Live Well

Max Strom joins Yogacharya O’Brian for a conversation about how we can live more fully, with greater appreciation and happiness. Discover practical guidelines to:
•           Increase your self-awareness.
•           Embrace a daily regime that heals and empowers you.
•           Eliminate distractions from meaningful living.
•           Experience a deeper level of well-being.
When you take charge of your own healing and revitalization, you also contribute to the empowerment of others and the healing of our world. You already have all the apps you need—and they are inside of you!

Kick the Clutter Habit and Organize Your Life for Good!

Is the stuff piling up around you keeping you from what is important? Andrew Mellen, organizational expert and author of Unstuff Your Life, joins Yogacharya for a look at how we can learn to:
·      Think rationally about our material possessions
·      Live effectively with our stuff in ways that enhance our well-being
·      Break old habits that drain our energy
·      Do less and accomplish more
Practicing discernment regarding material possessions and how we relate to them is part of spiritual growth. When we arrange conditions in our environment to invite our inner light to shine forth, we foster healing in our own life and in the lives of others.