My Daily Thread

Svādhyāya is usually translated as "self-study." In this episode, looks at it as a mirror, and asks whether we're willing to look into it honestly. Snow White's Evil Queen asks the mirror who's the fairest of them all. It's a fair question. She just doesn't want the real answer. She wants flattery. But the mirror can only tell the truth, and that tension is where the teaching lives. A little Sansk...

302. Svādhyāya: Who Do You Think You Are!? How well do you really know yourself? What if getting to know yourself is getting to know the Divine? We've been exploring the niyamas in Patañjali's Yoga Sutras—five practices that encourage us to examine and cultivate our inner lives. After our recent series on tapas , the discipline and inner fire of transformation, we arrive at the fourth niyama: Svād...

301. Tapas: Burning Down the House! If a little heat transforms us, isn't more heat better? In this final episode on tapas , we return to Yoga Sutra 2.43: kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ Through tapas, impurities are diminished or worn away, bringing accomplishment or mastery of the body and senses. But how much heat is too much? Fire can cook your dinner. Fire can also burn your house r...

300. Tapas: Who's Running the Show? Your phone buzzes. Someone cuts you off in traffic. Something triggers you!? ... Who's running the show? In this second episode on tapas , we return to Yoga Sutra 2.43 and focus on one important word: indriya — the senses. kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ Through tapas, impurities are diminished, bringing greater mastery of the body and the senses. The...

299. Tapas: Burn Away What? Heat. Fire. Purification. But what exactly are we trying to burn away? In Yoga Sutra 2.43, Patañjali returns to tapas — one of the three practices we first encountered in Kriyā Yoga and now the third of the niyamas. But this time, he takes us deeper. kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ Through tapas, impurities are diminished or worn away, bringing accomplishment...

298. STOP IT! Never Enough Sucks What does it actually mean to practice contentment ? In this final episode of our three-part exploration of santoṣa , we move from philosophy to practice. Three simple places to start: Acceptance. Stop arguing with reality as it is. Notice when the mind gets pulled into regret about the past or an imaginary future — and learn the difference between what you need an...

Episode 297:  Yeah, yeah!  Contentment. I Want More!  ... Contentment? or Complacency? If I'm content with my life, why the hell would I try to make it better? That's the tension at the heart of santoṣa , the yogic practice of contentment. In Yoga Sutra 2.42, Patanjali writes: सन्तोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः santoṣād anuttama-sukha-lābhaḥ From contentment comes the attainment of unsurpassed happiness. But c...

296. Santosha: I'll Be Happy When… "I'll be happy when…" More money. A better relationship. The job. The body. The house. Recognition. The next experience. The travel. Sound familiar? In this episode of My Daily Thread , we begin a mini-series on santoṣa (santosha) , the second niyama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Santosha Santoṣa (santosha) — contentment, satisfaction. It's a simple concept. Maybe...

295. Saucha, Madonna and a Jewish New Year What are you carrying forward that you don't need to carry anymore? Old stories. Attachments. Expectations. Fear of not being enough. Things we still think we need to prove. In this episode of My Daily Thread , we continue exploring śauca (saucha) , the first niyama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Saucha is often translated as purity or purification . But thi...

Śauca — Sutra 2.40 Sanskrit (Transliteration) śaucāt svāṅga-jugupsā parair asaṁsargaḥ English Translation From purity arises a natural distaste for excess attachment to one's own body and for contact with what clouds clarity. Plain-language meaning When purity develops: Obsession with the body loosens Craving, clutter, and unnecessary contact fall away You stop feeding what agitates you Key insigh...

शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः Niyamas 1:32. śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāya-īśvara-praṇidhānāni niyamāḥ In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Niyamas are the inner disciplines of yoga. If the Yamas describe how we relate to the world around us, the Niyamas describe how we relate to ourselves . They are practical, grounded practices—not moral rules or spiritual ideals to perfect. They'r...

  Man in the Arena In this episode, Jeff reads and reflects on one of the most enduring passages on courage and participation: Theodore Roosevelt's "Theodore Roosevelt'" from his 1910 speech Citizenship in a Republic . This reflection isn't about winning, achievement, or public success. It's about something far more intimate and challenging — the willingness to step into the arena of our own lives...

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As we usher out 2025, we play the yearly word game. A huge thank you to all the My Daily Thread Tribe! We an extra shout out to Peter and Laura, both who admitted that My Daily Thread was their number 1 Podcast in 2025!   Now let's finish this season  ... Choose the word that represents 2025, put it on paper, then send it back to the Universe with a big thank...

Sutra 2.39 अपारिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथन्तासम्बोधः Aparigrahasthairye janma-kathantā-sambodhah Word-by-Word Breakdown Aparigraha (अपारिग्रह) a = not / without pari = around, excessive, surrounding graha = grasping, holding, seizing → Non-possessiveness, non-grasping, freedom from hoarding Sthairye (स्थैर्ये) From sthira = steady, firm, stable In locative form: when established in steadiness → When one...

Join Jeff and Eunice Peterson as they discuss Trauma, Gratitude and Yoga.   Jeff and Eunice will be conducting a workshop together at Yoga Passage in Calgary, Alberta on the weekend of November the 8th.    

We continue our exploration of the yamas in Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras with the fourth principle: brahmacarya . This yama is often misunderstood, yet it carries profound wisdom for how we direct our energy in modern life. The sūtra is Yoga Sūtra II.38 : brahmacarya-pratiṣṭhāyāṃ vīrya-lābhaḥ "When one is firmly established in brahmacarya, vitality is gained." Sanskrit breakdown: brahmacarya — literall...

Continuing the theme... Yoga Sūtra II.37 , which speaks to the practice of asteya , or non-stealing. The sūtra reads: asteya-pratiṣṭhāyāṃ sarva-ratnopasthānam "When one is firmly established in non-stealing, all jewels present themselves." — Edwin Bryant Let's pause on this idea of pratiṣṭhām — being firmly established. When asteya becomes the foundation of how we live, "all the jewels" ( sarva-ra...

287-Asteya – don't steal my primary series poster   In this episode of My Daily Thread , we continue our exploration of the Yoga Sūtras , searching for practical wisdom we can apply every day. We've already covered ahiṃsā (non-harming) and satya (truthfulness). Now, we turn to the third yama: asteya — non-stealing, "not taking that which is not freely given." Yoga Sūtra II.37 says: asteya-pratiṣṭh...

It's been a minute — I took some time to get out to the mountains, visit friends, and reset. Now we're back, continuing our journey through the Yoga Sūtras . If you want your own "sunset and reset," check out the NOW is the time to check out the San Pancho retreats with Ziggy and me in Feb 2026. For the past couple of weeks, we've been exploring satya-pratiṣṭhām — being firmly established in truth...

In this special episode we are happy to have Dr. Paul Bramadat back to chat about his book Yogalands. Paul Bramadat received his BA in religious studies from the University of Winnipeg (1990), his MA in religion and culture from McGill University (1993) and his PhD in religious studies from McMaster University (1998). He taught in the Religious Studies Department at the University of Winnipeg from...

Today we're taking another pass at satya, the second yama from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The sutra we're focusing on is YS 2.36:  satya-pratiṣṭhāyāṁ kriyā-phala-āśrayatvam —when one is firmly established in truth, their actions bear fruit. This is a powerful idea. It suggests that when we are rooted in truth, what we say comes to life. Something here touches on the modern idea of manifestation but...

YS 2.36 says: satya-pratiṣṭhāyām kriyā-phala-āśrayatvam — "When one is firmly established in truthfulness, then their words become so powerful that the result of action rests upon them." We're back in the section of the Yoga Sutras that deals with pratiṣṭhā , being deeply and firmly established in a state of being. This time, the quality is satya , truthfulness. Patanjali says that when truth beco...

Yoga Sūtra 2.35 – ahiṁsā pratiṣṭhāyām tat-sannidhau vaira-tyāgaḥ When one is firmly established in non-violence, all hostility ceases in their presence. Today, we return to ahiṁsā pratiṣṭhām —being established in non-violence—as taught in Yoga Sūtra 2.35 . We've already explored how the yamas and niyamas are not just rules, but deeply personal practices— moral and ethical disciplines that offer a...

Yoga Sūtra 2.35 – ahiṁsā pratiṣṭhāyām tat-sannidhau vaira-tyāgaḥ When one is firmly established in non-violence, then all hostility ceases in their presence. Today, we reflect again on ahiṁsā pratiṣṭhām —being firmly established in non-harming. Patanjali teaches that this is not a casual virtue but a transformative power: when someone has deeply integrated non-violence into their being, conflict a...

Today, we return to our study of aṣṭāṅga yoga , the eight-limbed path outlined by Patañjali. As a reminder, the eight limbs are: Yama – ethical restraints Niyama – personal observances Āsana – posture Prāṇāyāma – breath regulation Pratyāhāra – withdrawal of the senses Dhāraṇā – concentration Dhyāna – meditation Samādhi – absorption or union The first four limbs are external practices —disciplines...