Trigger….Unhappy
The video above talks about how Facebook makes money by triggering your negative emotions. By placing posts on your page, that you are likely to engage with for a long time, they can make more money from ad placement. Because of the uncontrolled mind, the best way to do that is through negative posts. They are not the only ones of course. All news channels do it. Bloggers do it. Our egos do it. Yes. Keeping you in a triggered state solidifies the ego. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is defined as, “the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” Facebook does not want you to do…
To Be of Service
“Do what you can to uplift and enlighten people, but never forget your path.”-Babaji, At the Eleventh Hour by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D. “Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and with all earnestness.” Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:14 When many practitioners become teachers, studio owners, and activists, they slowly, over time, stop practicing or practice very little. This is the worst thing we can do. As leaders in the community, we need the practice more than ever. When dealing with customers and students, we absorb their energy. We are effected by their stories. The stories and experiences of our students and community,…
Yoga and the Path of Forgiveness
Why do people love Ashtanga? It works. It heals. It has changed their lives. In the science of Yoga, firsthand experience is seen as the highest proof. 99% practice, 1% theory. Every day people are having the firsthand experience of how this practice is a catalyst for positive change in the world. This practice can work without our commentary. It can work without being announced on social media. It works in the wee hours of the morning when people silently come together in Shalas. It works in home practice rooms where lone practitioners practice to the sound of their loved ones moving around them. Yoga gives its gifts to anyone,…
Why Practicing with Saraswathi Jois Is So Awesome
You may have noticed that you didn’t receive a post in your inbox last week. That was because I was in Charlottesville practicing with Saraswathi! When I saw she was going to be 4 1/2 hours away, I signed up immediately. I totally hate that I missed all my opportunities to practice with Guruji and I was not going to make that mistake again. When I told my 70 something year old mother in law that I was going to to see a 76 year old woman who was on a world tour teaching yoga, she was a bit surprised. Many people that age have trouble getting around even much…
- Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized
The Gift of the Local Ashtanga Teacher
From Christina Sell’s Blog Post, the Process Works “Q:What is the definition of an expert? A: Someone who lives out of town. Given that the majority of the teaching work I do these days involves me getting on a plane to go teach, I enjoy the “expert” status that comes along with being a teacher from “out-of-town.” I figure that means that the students are typically a little more patient with my long-winded explanations, detailed demonstrations, and slow-paced teaching style than they might be if it was Wednesday night class and we shared the same zip code. “ TRUTH This phenomenon is so interesting to me. People who argue…
Inspiration and Coveting
The line between being inspired and coveting is a thin one. You can tell the difference by how you feel. Inspiration, well, makes you feel inspired and lit up. Coveting what someone else has makes you feel dejected, anxious, envious, jealous, angry and frustrated. On my mat, I tend to be inspired when I am working with a new pose or I am watching people do poses I have not been given. I tend to feel like I am coveting after I have been working with a pose for a long time and I still can’t do it. The difference is expectations. When I have expectations that I can do…
Coming up with an Injury Strategy
It happened. That thing that you have been so careful to avoid. The thing that you have taken hours of yoga anatomy and alignment courses to avoid. You have an ouchie. An injury. What to do? If you are mindful, patient and compassionate with yourself, you can continue your yoga practice. However, you have to be really honest with yourself. If you: Are an all or nothing type of person Hate modifications Refuse to modify in front of others Feel like you are not doing a full practice unless you are doing “everything” Have an inhumanly high pain tolerance to the point where you only feel things when it is…
Yoga: The Cure for Phantom Life Syndrome
When students get stuck on a pose, I often use a camera to record them and play it back. Sometimes we think we are doing something and we are not. We practice yoga through the veil of our own samskaras. Samskaras are pathways that, we take so often, that they become second nature to us. If we have always felt or been told that we were lacking, flexible, weak or strong, our perception of what is actually going on can be skewed. Injuries can also skew our perception. Sometimes, what we perceive in our bodies, is not really what is happening. An extreme example of this is Phantom Limb Syndrome.…
Words on the Teacher/Student Relationship
I just listened to magnificent podcast by spiritual teacher, Shambhavi, on how to relate to a spiritual teacher and I wanted to share her words with you. In my opinion, one of the biggest obstacles to the teacher/student relationship, arises from concepts we have inadvertently picked up from religion. This idea that, a teacher is a perfect being, is not a part of the culture that yoga was birthed from. Even a cursory reading of any of the great epic stories, from that culture, reveals that the yogis,teachers, gods and goddesses were not perfect. Yet, they were still considered to be masters. They are still being revered. Why? They possess qualities…
Meeting Hate with Love: Cultivating Compassion Through Asana
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali tells us to practice equanimity/upeksha in the face of wickedness. Equanimity is the ability to remain compassionate and calm in the face of wickedness and the ability to see both sides. Thich Naht Hanh says that “upeksha” means “upa” over and “eksha” look. According to Hanh, upeksha is the ability to “climb the mountain and look over the whole situation. ” For most, this is very difficult. We struggle with the idea that, if we allow ourselves to understand someone who has done an evil act, that we are somehow condoning their behavior. We struggle with that fact that, if we allow ourselves to understand…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
