A letter to Those Disenchanted by the World of Yoga
“Many of us get involved in spirituality and find our path, and then, without our being aware of it, the ego starts to co-opt that path. We begin to place more attention on appearing to be spiritual and talking about spiritual things than we do on the real heart of spirituality, which is about our connection to the transcendent mystery of existence-our own existence and existence as such. We should never forget that this is what spirituality is essentially about; everything else is window dressing”.- Resurrecting Jesus by Adyashanti Yoga calls this, maya. Maya is the magic that conceals the truth. It is a necessary illusion. We are either…
- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Social Media, Teaching Ashtanga, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Statistics and Faulty Logic
I just watched a video where an Ashtanga teacher quoted a statistic that was probably true for her students but definitely was not true for mine. Earlier this week, someone else wrote a blog about how no one does shoulder stand anymore, but at the studio I work at, which is 90% Hot Vinyasa and 10% other, almost everyone does shoulder stand. About a month ago, someone wrote on Instagram that Ashtanga was dead when there are Ashtanga programs thriving all over the world. Sharath opened up for June and all the spaces were taken before some people even had a chance to log on. We have this way…
You Think You Know Everything About Yoga, Don’t You?
“You know nothing, John Snow.” – Ygritte, Game of Thrones I have finally reached the age where I now understand why my mother’s generation used to say, “you think you know everything, don’t you?” It is so crazy to me that folks get a little bit of “new” information and now they are an expert, and everyone who came before them, doesn’t know what they are talking about. They apply the information for a few seconds, minutes, years and feel that is enough time to totally wipe out any information that came before theirs. Listen, I am all about innovation and change. However, the inability to even consider information and…
The Bait and Switch
Bait and Switch the action (generally illegal) of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods. “a bait-and-switch scheme” –Google Sometimes the switch is done by others, and sometimes, we do it to ourselves. Instead of going higher up the ladder of yoga, we switch to something that will keep us in the comfortable realm of lateral movement. Just like lateral movement in the corporate world, we get a different job but we are actually still in the same place. We go from student to yoga teacher but we are still afraid of death. We go from wine to kombucha…
Ahimsa: Non Harming for Positive Change
No matter how angry we are, the unbreakable vow of the yogi is ahimsa. The Yoga Sutras state that the great vows, and ahimsa is one of them, are not to be broken no matter the circumstance. I know. That is a tough one. It is hard not to seek revenge when we are hurt. This is different from making sure that a criminal is off the streets and won’t hurt someone else. This is different from fighting for equality and rights like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Unlike war, the fighting was not done to take from and hurt others, it was done with the intention of stopping…
Ask the AYP: What is an Established Yoga Practice?
I was asked by Natalie to define Sutra 1:14-“Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.” What feels like a long time is different for everyone. I have seen students give up on Ashtanga because they can’t go past Marichyasana after a month and that feels like a long time for them. While other students are at Marichyasana for 2 years and they are totally content and unbothered. I am not going to focus on the time because it is an illusion. What feels long for one, feels short for others. While commentators have definitely taken a stab at what a…
And Now Yoga
Yoga is an internal process. If external drama in the yoga world keeps you off your mat or keeps you from teaching your students, now is the time to question why you ever started practicing or teaching in the first place. “Atha Yoganusasanam”, the first verse of the Yoga Sutras Sutras means, “And, now, yoga.” You have lost faith in your teacher….and now yoga. You have been floored by allegations…and now yoga. You have been removed from a list…and now yoga. You feel lost…and now yoga. You don’t know what your next move should be…and now yoga. You think there is a chasm in the community…and now yoga. All of…
The Golden Walls of an Unhappy Life
“You don’t have a problem, you have habits.” Mel Robbins “The state of restraint is when there is a disappearance of outgoing self limiting habits and the appearance of restraining habits. These emerge in the mind at the moment of restraint.” -Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 3:9 Yoga practice lays down new patterns that make us fit for liberation. That make us fit for happiness. That make us fit for peace. If you have embarked on the path of yoga and you are not finding freedom, happiness and peace in your life, look at your habits. What we do on a daily basis sets the foundation of our lives. What are…
Accept Everything
If I had a New Year’s resolution, it would be this, acceptance. I would wager that 99% of the suffering people experience is because of one thing. Not accepting what is. I know mine is. Not accepting the person in front of you. Wanting them to act a certain way. Be a certain way. Talk a certain way. Not accepting the situation in front you. Wanting traffic to be a certain way. Wanting the yoga class to be a certain way. Wanting the world to be a certain way. Not accepting your self. Wanting your body to look a certain way. Wanting your practice to be a certain way. Think…
Yoga Shred
This is the time of year when Face Book and Instagram present me with ads on “Yoga Shred” and how I can get my best body from yoga. I may have my best body from yoga. I wouldn’t know. I haven’t done anything else to try and get my “best body”. I suppose if we wanted to get really philosophical, this has to be my best body because it is the body I have right now. The Yoga Sutras tells us that, if we can steady our mind, “that our mastery extends from the smallest particle of matter to the entire universe ( 1:40).” If we can control our mind,…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
