APP Goes to Mysore: Ashtanga is More Than Asana
I was completely blown away on Monday. I was not given another pose. There were no break throughs in my asana. I was blow away by the Hatha Yoga Pradapika class I took with Lakshmish at KPJAYI and I cannot wait for the next one!!! Something else also blew me away. How come no one talks about this? When people talk about KPJAYI, they talk about Sharath, asana, authorization, start times, Saraswati, conferences and yoga celebrities. No one comes back talking about Sutra and Hatha Yoga Pradapika classes. I totally thought that this trip was going to be 90% asana with the occasional conference. However this week, I will be…
What is the Ashtanga Practice For?
There is an amazing article making its rounds, written by a teacher that I really respect, about making Ashtanga holistic. It talks about how there is not any yoga, including Ashtanga that is physically balanced and that after a year of practice, students should start adding practices to make it more balanced. If your practice is just about your body, I get why you would want it to be balanced. If you have injuries, disease or ailments, I also understand why balancing out the dysfunction is critical. But for me, everything that I need to do in my life, I can do with this body and a traditional Ashtanga practice.…
- Adventures in Mysore India, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Conference Notes, Reblogs, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: The Choice is Yours
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1:39: Any inquiry of interest can calm the mind. Defining the Sutra: Patanjali continues to list ways to keep the mind calm. In this verse, he states that anything that brings up positive feelings within you can be used to calm the mind. It is implied that this object or idea had to be pure or satvic. It can’t violate the other tenets of Yoga discussed in the Yoga Sutras or be harmful to others. Modern Day Application: Meditation is the act of being fully present or absorbed with someone or something. There are two schools of thought on this. Some believe that, if you are…
- Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga For When the Pain Speaks
Yoga teaches us the difference between speaking from pain or from our soul. Everything “bad” going on in the world is a result of decisions made through pain. Pain is deceptive. Way after the experience that caused the pain is over and a smile is on our face and a bounce is in our step,if we are not careful, we will continue to make decisions from that place of pain. Decisions made from a place of pain cause more pain or they cause fear. Decisions that are made from your soul, make you free. Notice I said free and not happy. Freedom is the ability to live, speak, see and act from a…
KPJAYI Mat Rug Giveaway!
Thank you to everyone who participated in last week’s giveaway of the Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana by Sharath Jois. I loved hearing why you loved Ashtanga and I plan on sharing a blog post with your amazing answers. The 15% off coupon code is still good until the end of October! The code for the Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana discount is APP15AYA. Yoga Life Style has generously offered another coupon code and another giveaway! Yoga Life Style is a one stop shop for all your yoga needs. You can find mats, clothes, books, stickers, videos and much much more. Yoga Life Style and Ashtanga Picture Project are giving away 1 authentic KPJAYI…
Is The Fullness of KPJAYI Due To Spiritual Tourism?
KPJAYI, the school for Ashtanga Yoga in India, is at capacity. So many people are applying to study with Sharath, that people who normally go every year, can’t even get in. The first thing that popped in my mind was, are more people practicing Ashtanga or are more people going to Mysore? They are not the same thing. This conversation is not scientific, by any means, but it seems that if more people are going to Mysore to practice with Sharath, the swell in numbers should also apply to Ashtanga classes all over the world as well. But is it? I notice this phenomenon in my area. Recently, a famous big…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
