Yoga beyond asana.
Essays on Hatha Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and the subtle body from the teachers at Om Som. The Sanskrit, the philosophy, and how to live it today.
Jñāna Yoga: The Path of Removing What You Are Not
Some go to the head. Jñāna yoga says that whatever you can point at is not it. You can see the body, so you are not only the body. You can watch your...
Karma Yoga: The Path Where the Work Becomes Your Worship
The job is in the way. The dishes, the emails, the ageing parent, the school run. If only there were less of it, there would be room for the real...
Kriya Śakti: The Power Of Action Moving In Your Breath
Kriya shakti is the tantric power of action, moving the universe and every breath you take. What the texts say, and how it shows up in pranayama.
Jñāna Śakti: The Power Of Knowing What You Already Are
Jnana shakti is the power of knowing: the recognition tantra calls pratyabhijna. Its Sanskrit roots, the classical texts, and what it means for practice.
Iccha Shakti: The Sacred Desire That Creates Worlds
Tantra says the universe begins with a wanting. Learn what iccha shakti means, why desire is sacred, and how to refine it rather than renounce it.
Sankalpa: The Quiet Resolve Beneath Every Action
Sankalpa (सङ्कल्प) is the heart-resolve that sits beneath every action we take. More than a goal or an affirmation, sankalpa is the quiet sentence we...
Vikalpa: The Stories the Mind Mistakes for Reality
Vikalpa is the fluctuation of mind that Patanjali describes as knowledge built from words alone, with no real object behind it. This is the imagination...
Kriya Yoga: The Three Meanings of Kriya In Yoga & Ayurveda
Kriya Yoga is often reduced to a breathing technique or a lineage secret, but the word means something far broader. Kriya is action performed with...
What Is Karma? Understanding Karma Yoga and The Freedom In Action
Karma is one of the most misunderstood ideas in yoga, often reduced to a simple ledger of reward and punishment. The tradition offers something far...
What Is Pūrṇa? A Grounded Guide To The Mantra Of Wholeness
Purna is the yogic and Vedantic teaching of wholeness, the understanding that what is truly full cannot be diminished by giving. In this post we...
Asato Mā: The Mantra For Guidance on the Yoga Path
The Asato Ma mantra, also known as the Pavamana Mantra, is one of yoga's oldest prayers for guidance. Drawn from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it asks...
The Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra: Unlocking the Mantra for Conquering the Fear of Death
The Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra is often called the great death conquering mantra, yet it does not ask for eternal life. It asks for ripeness. This post...
The Gayatri Mantra: The Prayer That Illuminates The Mind
The Gayatri Mantra is one of the oldest and most revered prayers in the yoga tradition, an invocation to the light of the sun to illuminate the mind...
Aum & the Meaning of Pranava: Why Om Is the First Mantra in Yoga
Most of us chant Om at the start and end of class without really knowing what we are saying. In the yoga tradition Om is not a warm up. It is pranava...
So'ham and Hamsa: The Mantra You Have Been Repeating Your Whole Life
So'ham Hamsa is the mantra hidden inside every breath. So'ham means "I am that," pointing to the vast awareness within. Hamsa, the celestial swan...
Shunya: The Yogic Practice Of Embracing The Void
Shunya is the Sanskrit word for void, the spacious silence that arises when the mind stops grasping. Drawn from the Upanishads and central to classical...
Kumbhaka: The Sacred Pause That Seals The Vessel Of Prana
Kumbhaka is the practice of breath retention in traditional Hatha Yoga. More than a technique, it is the moment of stillness where prana is sealed...
Āharaṇa: Drawing Breath, Blood & Awareness Through The Body
Āharaṇa is the yogic art of drawing in. In this conversation with Simon Borg-Olivier, we explore how natural breathing, soft engagement of the core and...
Hridaya: The Cave Of The Heart And The Seat Of The Self
Hridaya is the spiritual heart spoken of throughout the Upanishads, the Yoga Sutra, and the Ayurvedic texts. Far more than the beating organ or the...
Chitta Vritti Nirodhah: Yoga Is Not About Stopping Your Thoughts
Chitta vritti nirodhah is the second sutra of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and one of the most widely misunderstood teachings in yoga. It is commonly...
Vyana Vayu: The Prana That Holds Everything Together
Vyana vayu is the least discussed of the five prana vayus, yet it may be the most essential for a holistic yoga and Ayurveda practice. Derived from the...
Sukham Asanam: What Patanjali Actually Means by Mastery in Yoga
Most practitioners understand sthiram, the steadiness required in asana, but few explore its counterpart. Sukham asanam, from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra...
What Is Soma in Yoga? Nourishment, Rest & the Nectar Within
Soma (सोम) is a central concept in yogic and Ayurvedic philosophy, referring to an inner quality of nourishment, lunar stillness, and mental cohesion...
Spanda - Restoring Rhythm in the Mind
Spanda is the yogic pulse of life. Learn its meaning, a Shaiva story, and practical ways to release mental rigidity and restore rhythm in meditation.
Samana - Returning to the Centre
Samana is the yogic principle of balance and integration, gathering scattered energy back toward the centre. Learn how this principle supports...
Lahiri - Learn to Move Like Water
Explore LAHIRI (LAHARĪ), the Sanskrit word for a wave: movement that undulates, adapts, and reorganises itself without collapsing. This isn’t about...
An Ayurvedic Conversation on Grounding Vata with Myra Lewin
Discover how grounding practices from Ayurveda and yoga support nervous system regulation, balance vata, and restore stability through daily routines...
Kaya Sthiram - The Yogic Foundation Of Mental Steadiness
Kaya Sthiram is the yogic principle of establishing stillness in the body as the foundation for calming the nervous system and settling the mind...
Langhana & Pranayama: Why Yoga Begins With The Exhale
Langhana is the yogic principle of slowing down, where calming the breath becomes the foundation for grounding the nervous system, reducing excess...
What Is Sthiram Asanam? Meaning, Benefits & Practice Explained
Sthiram Asanam is the yogic principle of steadiness in posture, where stability comes before movement and support precedes effort. In this article, we...
Manas: The Sensory Mind & the Gateway to Awareness
In yogic philosophy, Manas is the first doorway of the mind - the place where the senses meet awareness. It is the instrument that receives, processes...
Tamas: The Power of Stillness, Stability & Shadow
Tamas is the Guṇa of stillness and shadow - the grounding force that supports rest and regeneration. Explore how to balance heaviness and dullness...
Rajas: The Energy of Movement, Motivation & Momentum
Rajas is the Guṇa of movement - the restless energy that drives both creation and chaos. Learn how to recognise, balance, and channel this force...
Sattva: The Quality of Clarity, Kindness & Presence
Sattva is the luminous quality of the mind - clarity, kindness, and presence. Explore how yoga, pranayama, meditation, and Ayurvedic living cultivate...
Ojas - The Essence of Vitality and Resilience
Pictured: Soilau practicing Nadi Shodhana by the Ganges River, Rishikesh Ojas is the deep reserve of life force within us, the subtle essence that...
Tejas - The Radiant Flame of Transformation
Pictured: Paige practicing by the Ganges, Rishikesh Tejas is the inner light of transformation, the subtle fire that illuminates the mind, sharpens...
The Dhātus - The Seven Tissues That Sustain the Body
Pictured: Abhyanga, a traditional Ayurvedic self-massage using warm herbal oils to nourish the body, calm the mind and support healthy circulation and...
Vikṛti - Understanding Imbalance in Ayurveda
Pictured: Aaron teaching Shitali Pranayam Vikṛti is the crooked mirror, a temporary distortion that shows where we’re out of alignment, not who we...
Prakṛti - Discovering Your Original Nature in Ayurveda
Pictured: Soilau practicing by the Ganges River, Rishikesh Prakṛti is your original blueprint, the unique balance of doṣas you were born with. What is...
Vata Dosha - The Energy of Movement and Change
Pictured: Foothills of the Himalayas, Rishikesh The winds of Vata move like the shifting breeze - light, subtle, and ever-changing, carrying both...
Pitta Dosha - The Sacred Flame of Transformation
Pictured: agni hotra, fire ceremony Pitta Dosha is the fire of digestion, intellect and transformation, the sacred flame that turns experience into...
Kapha Dosha - The Energy of Stability, Nourishment and Love
Pictured: Lina meditating by the Ganges River, Rishikesh Kapha Doṣa is the principle of structure and cohesion in Abyurveda, the grounding force of...
Dosha 101 - Understanding Vata, Pitta & Kapha in Yoga & Ayurveda
Pictured: The Ganges in Rishikesh reflects the harmony of the doshas: Vata in its flowing current, Pitta in the sunlit spark, and Kapha in its steady...
Vayu - The Air Element in Yoga & Ayurveda
Caption: Paige atop the Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh In the ongoing journey through the Pañcha Mahābhūtas — the five great elements — we arrive at Vayu ...
Akasha—The Space Element in Yoga & Ayurveda
Pictured: Aaron meditating by the Ganges River, Rishikesh Akasha, often translated as space or ether , is the most subtle of the five great elements (...
Agni—The Fire Element in Yoga & Ayurveda
Description: our 300 Hr YTT graduates practicing Agnihotra (fire ceremony) Agni — the fire element — fuels transformation in body, mind, and spirit...
Jala—The Water Element in Yoga & Ayurveda
(Pictured: Ganges River, Rishikesh) Water — Jala in Sanskrit — is the lifeblood that flows through all beings. It is fluid, nourishing, cohesive, and...
Prithvi—the Earth Element in Yoga and Ayurveda
(Pictured: 300 Hr YTT graduates practicing Vrksasana (tree pose) by the Ganges River, Rishikesh) What is Prithvi Tattva? Prithvi means Earth, and...
What is Yoga?
Yoga is much more than a physical practice—it’s an ancient path woven from experience, philosophy, history, and culture. Explore the many layers of...
The secret to health, vitality & vibrany...
Svastha Do you know the feeling when you just hear a word or a quote and resonate so deeply with it? That kind of feeling where you strongly consider...
Sustainable Fashion
“Sustainable fashion in the simplest terms is the production of clothing, shoes & accessories that do not cause harm or impose danger to the workers...
Asana—The Gateway to Yoga
Listen to this episode on Spotify → What better way to begin this season than with asana? For many, asana is the first encounter with yoga, often...
Sadhana—The Core of Yoga Practice
Listen to this episode on Spotify → Sadhana is the very essence of yoga. It refers to the practice itself, the deliberate and consistent effort we make...
Dharma—The Universal Principle
Dharma is often called our true path or life purpose, but its meaning runs deep within yogic philosophy. Dive into the essence of dharma and learn how...
Svasta—The Foundation of True Health & Well-Being
Listen to this episode on Spotify → Discover the true meaning of Svasta—not just health as absence of illness, but being deeply rooted in your...
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