A space to stay connected, with reflections on yoga and self-inquiry, and things to come at SOL House.
Share
Tending to your most precious resource
Published 13 days ago • 3 min read
SOL House Co
Tending to your most precious resource
Credit: Unsplash, Rafael Garcin
Dear Reader,
I shared about prana leakage in a recent instagram post, and I wanted to expand further on this thought with you today.
Prana—very loosely translated—is the vital force of life, understood in yogic thought to be present within our bodies and throughout the cosmos. There is a saying in Yogic and Ayurvedic thought: “As is the individual body (microcosm), so is the cosmic body (macrocosm).” One way of exploring this connection is through the concept of prana—the all-encompassing vital force understood to sustain life.
It is said that the ancient rishis mastered the modulation of pranic force through practices such as pranayama (breath regulation), to calm the mind, cultivate vitality and extend their lifespan. This modulation isn’t done out of sheer curiosity. It is a revered act of bowing down to what’s beyond the naked eye and trusting in this force that wills life into existence on earth, and is present in our bodies.
Thankfully, this is not a method only for renunciates and ascetics. Householders, too, have access to this knowledge of tending to our prana. We might think of prana leakage as what happens when we give our ‘attention currency’ freely to all thoughts, objects and emotions without discernment.
Especially in a time of constant alerts and polarising news, it can feel as though we are poor at managing our prana assets.
On a physical level, this sense of depletion might show up as exhaustion, a short attention span and poor sleep, just to name a few.
On a mental level, we may find ourselves unable to think clearly and calmly, making decisions out of fear or being easily swayed by emotional turmoil.
In Ayurvedic thought, imbalances in the doshas can take a toll on the body and mind.
Ayurveda teaches three supporting pillars of health, the third of which is brahmacharya—a principle we can explore in relation to how we use and conserve our energy.
There are three supporting pillars of life: diet (ahara), sleep (svapna/nidra), and regulated conduct/celibacy (brahmacharya).
Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 11.35
In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it is also explained:
Upon being firmly established in brahmacharya, there is the attainment of immense vitality (virya).
Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, 2.38
While brahmacharya may sound austere, householders can also explore it through moderation and restraint in daily life. In this spirit, we might practise drawing healthy boundaries, being selective with commitments and cultivating an inner state of calm.
From this, a powerful reservoir of prana may offer not just physical strength, but, more importantly, unshakeable courage, vigour and sustained capacity for one’s spiritual path.
We have been speaking about such topics for the past two months through a learning journey named Soul Shine Study Club. This Saturday will be our third and final session, and we will be exploring how to steward our energy and become more established in our higher self.
In our time together, we'll explore:
Needs, pleasures and desires
Your personal patterns of prana leakage and how to protect your boundaries
Simple somatic tools to support vitality and wellbeing
If you have a spacious evening, please do join us after the study session for a community gathering. As part of my way of cultivating a container for community care and mutual support, Yoga Sangha Singapore is a community-first initiative for all spiritual seekers.
We’ll share a meaningful time together, offering simple partner massage to a new friend and receiving one too! I’ve seen many times the power of intentional and loving touch, and I think perhaps, amid the hostility we encounter in life, a warm touch could be a soothing balm.
Reply to this email or send us a direct message on Instagram to join us. This gathering is donation-based.
Wishing you a meaningful close to October, with space to pause and tend to yourself.
Upcoming Schedule 🍂
Rituals: Self-Massage | 27 Oct, 7 PM
Self-massage is one of the most potent and accessible rituals for pouring love and attention into our own body. This 90-minute session invites us to come together and explore this sacred practice, deeply valued in traditional healing systems (particularly Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine), through bite-sized, approachable components. Season's Theme: Heart & Hearth
This is a supportive group space for us to live, breathe, and study together, diving into the pillars of well-being that Ayurveda offers generously. Our final series focuses on Energy Management (Brahmacharya).
A dynamic way of learning includes theory, collaborative inquiry, and body-based practices to anchor the learnings holistically. You will be supported by the Study Club with resources designed to help you move through daily rhythms with confidence, clarity, and harmony.
A by-donation gathering of hearts with a simple theme of connection and reciprocity. This month, we are hosting a casual partner massage session at Yoga In Common, with an introduction to marma point massage and somatic touch. You do not have to arrive with a partner—we’ll pair up on the day.
Reply to this email to RSVP or to be added to our WhatsApp group chat.
This is a 90-minute somatic immersion supporting release, restoration, and embodied awareness through deep rest. In Vedic tradition, soma is the sacred drink of the gods, closely tied to immortality, and another name for the moon, whose cool light calms our nervous system.
In this small-group healing circle, we will explore the body through therapeutic postures, spinal awareness, and somatic language for a deeply felt sense of safety and ease.
SOL House Co How to love yourself, even at your worst? Dear Reader, This prompt came to mind at the break of dawn as I was brushing my teeth. As yoga seekers, I don't think we'll ever stop thinking about the self, because the self is the field and the subject of our study. How do you love yourself, even at your worst? Especially at your worst? I think it is easier to love ourselves when we are at our best. When life is going great, and we check the boxes of what is popularly known as success....
SOL House Co Welcome, the heart of Autumn. Dear Reader, September felt like a really long month for me, and in this last week, I’ve found myself already looking forward to its end. It’s interesting how I tend to work my seasons in blocks, as if, by the first of October, life is renewed again. We are finally moving into the heart of autumn, or Sharad Ritu. The Indian autumn season marks the transition from humid monsoon rains to clearer, cooler skies. Here in Singapore, we are seeing slightly...
SOL House Co There's no such thing as sleep debt. Hey Reader, yes, I said it. There's no such thing as sleep debt according to Ayurveda. The way we think of sleep has been bound to a linear timeline where we assume we could repay our week-long stretch of late nights by sleeping 12 hours on a Saturday. It is not as simple as a late payment of the hours we had forgone in rest in exchange for churning out work. Ayurveda–the traditional healing system of India–sees time as a cyclical rhythm,...