Posts In: guru

by Olivia Cecchettini

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Summary: Sutra in Sanskrit means “thread.” Each verse of the sutras is a thread in the tapestry of Raja Yoga, a yogic path of meditation and concentration. The Sutras of Pantanjali are at least 1,700 years old and contain ancient wisdom in yoga ethics, meditation, and physical postures. This compilation by Sri Swami Satchidananda not only includes the original Sanskrit alongside the translation, but also personal stories and advice shared from his own spiritual journey.

Why I Love It: Timing is everything. I picked up this book in the past and felt overwhelmed. My intuition knew that it wasn’t the right time yet, so I put it back on the shelf until some months later I began to read it one sutra at a time. I gave each one time to marinate in my thoughts. I really believe the quote, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali uses metaphors and examples that are easy to understand and applicable to a modern lifestyle. I love that the full depth of knowledge contained in each sutra is so accessible because knowledge is power. When we become as curious about our internal landscape as we are about the external world, we are limitless. This book offered me the tools to live a life of introspection, fulfillment, happiness, and peace. It raised and continues to raise my vibration.

Recommended For: Those seeking emotional intelligence, who want to find balance between mind, body and spirit. Understanding The Sutras may come easily, but applying the book’s teaching in your everyday life might be a much harder task. The spiritual methods may be simple, but there could be a lot of work that goes into embodying each step forward.

I’ve found that it’s not by reading that I actually grasp new teachings or new ways of being in the world; it is through experimenting. Practicing, failing, having devotion and patience, and fully participating in my own life is where the learning happens. Being alive and feeling alive can be two very different experiences. My hope is for all to experience the fullness of life.

Ciao,
Olivia

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously”

by Osho

Summary: Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously examines the very human experience of fear and challenges the ways in which we would typically respond. A provocative spiritual teacher, Osho believes that change and uncertainty are opportunities for adventure instead of reasons to experience fear. He asks the reader to use these opportunities to deepen their understanding of themselves and the world. Osho writes that developing inner courage by facing your fears will lead to a more authentic and fulfilled life.

Why I Love It: One of the reasons Osho’s book is so reassuring to me is because it acknowledges that feeling fear is a natural and normal part of life. What matters more is not the experience of fear, but how we perceive fear and our reaction to it. I love the change in perspective that stayed with me after reading this book. I felt more free to accept life as one long journey to experience and enjoy rather than something to conquer or master.

I also love that Osho writes very directly without any fluff, which is such a relief after reading more dense texts. It sends the message that spiritual teaching needn’t be complicated even though the work itself might be very difficult.

Recommended For: This book is for the yogi ready and willing to look within and expand their consciousness. Osho was one of my first spiritual teachers and I’m grateful for all I’ve learned from him. For me, simply acknowledging that fear is not the be all, end all was very powerful. I hope this book inspires the reader to become curious about fear, to explore it without bias and bring to light whatever they find.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it.” – Osho

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wellness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom” 

by B. K. S. Iyengar

Summary: Known throughout the world as one of the great yoga teachers, B. K. S. Iyengar touched many lives through his teachings and writings. In Light on Life, Iyengar shares his insight into the body, mind and spirit connection acquired throughout his lifetime of practice and teaching yoga. Exploring the spiritual and mental aspects of yoga, this book is the perfect counterpoint to Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, which focused on the physical practice. Written in a conversational tone, I felt as though I were sitting in one of his classes, enjoying each anecdote as they were revealed in his mind and heart.

Why I Love It: Timing is everything! They say that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I had tried to read this book many times but it didn’t hold my attention. It sat next to my bed for months until the day I decided to give it another try. Suddenly, I couldn’t put it down. I soaked up every word like a sponge. I had been feeling a lull in my teaching at the time and this book re-sparked my passion and sense of purpose. That connection made me love this book – you never know just when you’re ready to receive the message intended for you.

Recommended For: I recommend this book for anyone who is looking to discover yoga beyond asana (the physical poses.) Oftentimes, it is the physical practice that draws people in, but the sense of connection to a wider community, the deep sense of wellbeing and peace obtained from the mental and spiritual side of yoga is what keeps me coming back. This month I invite you to go deeper with your practice and your life!

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Be Love Now: The Path of the Heart”

by Ram Dass

Summary: Part memoir and part spiritual guide to simple living, Be Love Now offers a fascinating glimpse into Ram Dass’s path following his personal Guru, Marahaji-ji. Guru, in the West, is a word laden with many connotations. In the East, the word still carries an energy of devotion and service. Be Love Now is the third book in a three part series, beginning with Be Here Now (written 30 years before this book) and Still Here, written after Dass suffered a stroke.

Ram Dass’s message remains the same: just BE. Be without judgment, be without attachment, but most of all, just be.

Dass reflects on his journey through India and the deep, profound effects it had on his life. Dass describes the power that can be cultivated from surrendering the ego and following one’s heart. Be Love Now challenges the reader to dig through his or her layers of consciousness and find deeper truth, meaning, and purpose in their life.

Why I love It: I especially enjoyed reading about Ram Dass’s spiritual journey, his words felt more relatable and human than in his previous books. He writes in detail about a six month period when he lived in an ashram and learned to completely surrender to his Guru’s guidance. I found it easy to connect with his true humanness as he shared private opinions and stories about Marahaji-ji and their time together.

Marahaji-ji is a guru in the tradition of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion and love. I attended the yoga festival Shaktifest in Joshua Tree, California, and though I’d been in years past, I noticed for the first time the images of Marahaji-ji everywhere as a way to stay connected to his energy and message. It was so powerful to make that connection through yoga lineages.

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

Yoga One teacher Jennifer Tipton wrote a beautiful reflection on the life and practice of one of her yoga mentors, B.K.S. Iyengar for YogiTimes. Read the whole article here.

Jennifer teaches Yoga for Backs on Tuesdays at 7:30pm and Rooftop Mixed Level Flow at Hotel Solamar on Sundays at 9am. See our full schedule here.

The Iyengar style of yoga is known for its extensive use of props (blocks, blankets, straps, and more) and a focus on precise physical alignment.

Jennifer writes, “Through the longer holds in our yoga postures we can learn how to experience a calmer mental state and therefore allow energy to effectively channel throughout the entire body. Yoga practice has evolved through the years and as a society we have come to enjoy faster paced and more rigorous styles to match our fast-paced and hectic lives.

“Iyengar yoga teaches us to slow down and live in the present moment. Even if we only incorporate a few poses with longer holds and perhaps the use of props we can go deeper and experience the benefits that are so present in Iyengar’s teachings.

“Every Tuesday night I teach my “Yoga for Backs” class and more often than not I will incorporate a restorative bridge posture into the practice. It really is one of my favorite yoga poses and always has been.”