Spirituality

You can still thrive during difficult times.

After nursing an injury, Kathryn shows her shoulders some love. And how better than with a hug? Try her creative challenge pose.

This sequence is built to open your hips enough to work toward Foot-Behind-the-Head-Pose (Eka Pada Sirsasana).

Yogis always find a way to extend the month’s gratefulness beyond the edges of our stuffed plates and back onto our mats.

Try these three simple steps every day to ease stress, stop negative thoughts, and feel better.

According to regulations of a new tax law in Washington, D.C., the yoga studio is pretty much like any other gym.

As the courts debate yoga in schools, Deepak Chopra, Cyndi Lee, and more weigh in on this ongoing dispute.

Kathryn Budig interviews teacher Jason Crandell about the importance of humor and sequencing in yoga class.

At synagogues and Jewish community centers, yoga and meditation complement the spiritual life.

Famous yogis share how they make space for gratitude and inspiration in their home altars.

Kino McGregor talks to YogaJournal.com about Ashtanga yoga and about her new book.

This week's planetary happenings shimmer with good luck. Here's how you can align your yoga practice with the fortuitous energy of the solstice.

Sherri Meyer found her inner peace and stability by using yoga for grief and loss.

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No matter how busy you are, you can always come back to the present and back to yourself.

Bhakti yoga can help you transform moments of heartbreak into a romance with life itself.

For non-yogis, it can be difficult to believe it's the "wonder" practice that devotees make it out to be. One yogini recalls her skepticism, and the moment she found faith in yoga.

A yogini struggles through her work duty at an ashram, until she finally finds peace with her chores—and a miracle happens.

Susan Cole talks about leaving behind her Christian roots and the norms of her community to discover her own brand of spirituality.

Lead with your heart and embrace the universe with bhakti yoga and kirtan chanting.

Yoga is banned in many Islamic countries, but some Western Islamic leaders say that yoga—done in a respectful way—can be enjoyed.

Rituals make even mundane activities intentional and sacred. Here, Katie Silcox explains how to create rituals in everyday life.

By now it's common knowledge that yoga has its roots in Hinduism. For this reason one Seattle pastor says there's no room for yoga in Christianity. Yoga is demonic, says Pastor Mark Driscoll, and it can't be separated from...

Connect with your inner light and share with the world.

Krishna Das says chanting the names of Hindu gods isn't religious—it's just joyful.

You can be present doing any task as long as you make an effort to be aware. Here are a few of my favorite everyday moments that I try to savor the present moment.

Yoga Journal interviews Stephen Cope, founder and director of Kripalu's Institute for Extraordinary Living.

Offering teacher training to minority populations, Maya Breuer hopes to open yoga's door to all.

Yoga is so much more than asana. Learn more by picking up these classic yoga books every yogi has read at least once.

Yoga educator Leslie Kaminoff believes that the breath and the lab of the human body are our greatest teachers.

Having studied many forms of yoga–Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Viniyoga–and popularized Yin Yoga, Sarah Powers has created a custom practice that she calls Insight Yoga.

T.K.V. Desikachar brings to the practice a full spectrum of yoga therapy, philosophy, and Ayurveda learned from his father, T. Krishnamacharya.

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So you think you can't chant...Learn how you can create a spiritual class without mantras, kirtan, or Oms.

By pointing us toward those parts of ourselves that we have rejected, Goddess Kali inspires us to transform and find inner strength.

Hip-hop yogi and Spiritual Gangster founder Ian Lopatin talks about Bikram, the beat, and making yoga more American.

If you are interested in infusing your asana practice with a sense of devotion, consider introducing a few simple rituals.

See the Divine in everything, when you practice bhakti, the yoga of devotion.

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To experience a profound opening of the heart, imagine yourself near life's end.

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You've tried everything and still aren't where you want to be. So stop struggling and let life move through you with spiritual surrender.

Learn why this ancient Indian text has had such a powerful and lasting influence on Western writers, thinkers, and yogis.

Vishnu lives in luxury, but the Hindu god abandons his opulent ways to save the world from evil.

Invoking your inner goddess isn't a girl thing—it's a chance to tap into the deepest source of empowerment, creativity, and happiness.

A personal crisis can be a gift on the path to spiritual maturity. Learn to accept this gift, and you'll feel reborn.

One woman's story of finding her happiness through owning less and living more will inspire you to kick your material habits to curb.

Though he never visited the United States, this Indian guru had a profound influence on yoga in America.

After renouncing his own religion at the age of 34, Krishnamurti espoused learning the truth experientially, rather than through an organized belief system.

The Romanian born scholar of religion and author of more than 1,000 works, wrote his doctoral dissertation about yoga.

YJ explores the argument for using a specific system or approach to spirituality to guide beginners in the process.

Growth of these qualities is a sure sign that your students are on the right path in their spiritual practice.

While the asanas are a great place to start, adding other yogic tools may help deepen spiritual growth and well-being.

Count your blessings and you'll find that even a "bad" day is filled with precious gifts.

Getting comfortable using chanting and kirtan in your hatha yoga classes can take your teaching to new heights. Pick up the tools for incorporating chants into your classes in an authentic way.

If you're bungling your Sanskrit, you may as well recite the phone book as chant a sacred mantra.

Use this primer to a key concept in Taoist philosophy to grasp how yoga affects the crucial tissues of the body, including muscles, bones, and connective tissue.

Mantra and Chanting have long been associated with yoga practice, but should you teach them? Learn the history of these practices and some popular chants to help you get started.

You can work on it every day, starting with the small stuff. Here’s how.

As taught by the late Eknath Easwaran, passage meditation offers us the chance to let spiritual texts deeply penetrate our being.

As much as we might like to, we can't force love to happen. But we can understand its many levels and connect more easily to its source.

Ever wonder what you're chanting during a yoga class? From "Aum" to "Yam", learn more about common yoga chants.

What's old is new again. Chanting and music is the new way to practice yoga across the country.

Surrendering to the unknown is less frightening if you have faith that something will catch you when you fall—whatever name you call it by.

Tim Miller turns to the wisdom of Patanjali to explain how yoga prepares us for death.

Traditionally, the goal of a spiritual practice has been to attain enlightenment, but is that what today's seekers are really after?

More travelers than ever before are seeking illumination rather than sightseeing. Here, 6 ideas for turning travel into a spiritual journey.