I recently looked over some homework assignments from a class. The work that came in was lovely. In nearly all of the homework submissions, students talked about how they worked…

Prana means breath, life force, energy, and soul. But to truly understand prana requires that we make some clear distinctions. Prana: Sanskrit & Its Yogic Origins  The word prana derives…

In the Luminous Soul Method, we begin by asking the student to get curious about What is prana? Simply put prana means breath, life force and energy. But understanding prana…

You are beautiful. You are powerful. You are free. You are a Luminous Soul. ~ Manorama Once when I was working with a private student in NYC I noticed that she…

When I first heard about meditation, I liked the idea of it. “Feel at peace through all of your experiences” was the promise echoed on almost every flier in every…

We live in this fast world with demands on us all the time. The Yoga Sutra by Lord Patanjali teaches us how to awaken our connection to our own reverent core….

Part 2 In last month’a blog, I spoke about the vital need for the yogi-in-training to understand his/her prana, which means breath, energy, life force and soul. In the Luminous…

Part I Nowadays with the rise in technology, urban living and global travel, we are more aware than ever of the outer energy that powers our devices. This shows us…

Honesty First: The best-kept secret in Yoga is that no one likes meditation. I know it sounds shocking, but it’s the truth. If as you read this you are saying…

I recently taught a very special 1-day teleclass on the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri mantra is a powerful tool for helping us come into greater contact with our Soul, with…

Hi Everyone, This month in the Luminous Soul teleclasses we’ve been speaking a lot about fear in meditation, what this means, how to practice with this and much more. Last…

How does regular mantrik practice quiet your mind and how does working with mantras connect you with the principle of vidya? I was recently considering how regular practice with mantras…

Interview with Manorama by Lisa Dawn Angerame, For Yoga City NYC, November 2012 Manorama D’Alvia met her guru at a young age and spent many years learning from and serving Shri Brahmananda…

Old School Teachings Early in my training, Guru ji, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, taught me that life is either a play or a drama.  He said it would all depend on how I saw it. What he meant was, see life as a play and you will see clearly, see it as a drama and…

Beginning of Service As a child, I took in many stray animals. Leaving food in dishes and playing with them whenever they came near. I recall having the same feeling for impoverished children. This feeling of empathy was brought forward in me…

We live in the universe of continuous vibration, yet how many of us are aware of our own underlying energy or even the value in understanding it. With the rise…

One day after a very full week, I found myself feeling tired and so as a relaxing treat, I decided to go to the local nail salon and get a…