Cape Men's Yoga

It is the Holy Month of Ramadan. All over the world Muslims - straight, gay, bi, lesbian, transgendered, young and old, of all skin colours and tongues are fasting and spending time in their communities to celebrate their faith, the wisdom of their scriptures, the abundance of nature and another year of life with family, loved ones and friends. Cape Town is a major Islamic centre - Ramadan is an annual event that brings much peace and celebration to our city. Within this world there is also suffering - wars, poverty, climate instability, diseases and death - and in Orlando, Florida a very sick man with dangerous weapons went to The Pulse and killed innocent people- young people, having fun on a Sunday evening, dancing, laughing, falling in love, wondering about what life would bring for them. Many were Hispanic Americans - many had stories of survival, of self-acceptance, of challenges in dealing with family, school and work. And on a Sunday evening - perhaps as is habit, perhaps fo...

Meditations and the 4 illuminating mental states  At our recent yoga and meditation retreat, we chose the theme of the Four Immeasurables, also known as the Four Divine Abidings or the Brahma Vihara. This is a Buddhist teaching which resonates with the Yogic scriptures and other faith traditions. The Buddha taught that if one could master four foundational mental states, this would be sufficient for enlightenment. From a psychological perspective, these four mental states are antidotes to mental habits that cause anguish, anger, depression, despair, worry or jealousy. Much can be said about these states of mind, here are some short descriptions of the meditations we used to bring these states into mindful awareness. Loving Kindness (metta) Sit cross legged in a comfortable meditation position. Allow the body to relax. Bring attention first to the breath allowing tension to fade. When ready, start the following sequence within the mind. 1. You walk along a garden pa...

Image of Hanuman, the Monkey God, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India My life or yours? In our Western society, and increasingly in Eastern and traditional societies, we are encouraged to think of our own needs and interests. Sometimes we are even encouraged or tempted to step on other people's opportunities, dignity or identities as a way to 'get ahead'. Selfishness is sometimes held up as a value, as something legitimate that gets results. The yogic way teaches us that such an approach is filled with illusion and eventually leads to great suffering and a sense of anxiety, disconnection and stress. The yogic way is to move to silence, to study the breath, the body, the mind, one's intuition, the flow of time and to recognise that liberation comes not from isolating ourselves but by finding ourselves in the inter-connectedness of the world. It is by opening our heart, feeling our own painful experiences, having compassion for the pain of others, that we discover fund...