- Adventures in Mysore India, Diversity, Social Media, Teaching Ashtanga, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
It Is So Much Easier To Tell You To Change
It is so much easier to tell someone else or an organization to change than to actually change ourselves. How many times have you made a statement that Ashtanga, the government, your job, your yoga studio should change but you cannot even clean out your closets without having a meltdown? For most people, switching careers, cities, boyfriends or hairstyles is a harrowing ordeal, but your democracy, that should change overnight. Not only should everyone change but they should do it smoothly and quickly without disrupting YOUR life. Hmm…how realistic is that? I have been yearning for change in my own life and I have made no steps in any direction.…
Validation Addiction
I was raised in a Pentecostal fire and brimstone type church. Like Hanuman was a perfect devotee of Rama, my mother was the perfect servant of the church. I was raised thinking that devotion was rewarded. And indeed, in that little church in Alabama, it was. When I was a little girl, we used to sing a song that was derived from Matthews 25:23, “well done good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:enter thou into the joy of the lord.” This message, that I would be rewarded for my good deeds, set me on a path of…
- Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: Is Your Pose an Asana?
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:46- Asana is a steady, comfortable seat Defining the Sutra An asana is steady and comfortable. If our poses are not steady and comfortable, they are not true Yoga asanas. A Yoga asana is a pose used for attaining the state of Yoga. The state of Yoga is supreme internal steadiness. The mind does not fluctuate and we completely understand who we are. The most effective why to use our seat, to focus on Yoga, is for it to be steady and comfortable. Essentially, Yoga poses are an attempt to make our bodies healthy enough to take a steady seat. Modern Day Application Since a Yogi…
Ashtanga Yoga Project Went To Mysore: How was it?
I got home from Mysore last Thursday and I feel great. My body clock is slightly off but I feel good. I am ecstatic to be back at home doing things that I love with people I love. Since I have gotten home, and frankly throughout the whole trip, people have been asking me about the experience so I am going to write this article in an FAQ format based on the questions I have received. If you have any questions, I did not answer here, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. How was it? The overall experience of Mysore was good. Was it worth it…
- Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Conference Notes, Pose How To, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized
A.P.P Goes To Mysore: Mysore Backbending aka Catching
Urdhva Dhanurasana is important at Sharath’s shala. Sharath says that catching keeps the spine from getting hunched in old age, opens Granthis, which are energetic knots in the body, and it raises the Kundalini. The Granthis keep Kundalini from rising. As Kundalini rises, awareness rises. For many, it is the only pose that you ever get assisted on. “Catching” or grabbing the backs of the legs during backbending is something that almost everyone works on. Even if you don’t “catch” someone will help you walk in as far as you can as if you were going to catch. It is rare for someone to not have to attempt to catch. For most in the Shala,…
Questioning God
In the world of traditional Yoga, The Bhagavad Gita is seen as one of the seminal texts on Yoga. Arjuna, the main character of the Gita, is conflicted because he has to go to war against his teachers, friends and family. He spends most of the book questioning and conversing with the god Krishna, his charioteer, about his tumultuous feelings. Arjuna is a righteous Prince who has always had God on his side but he still questions. Krishna, answers his questions and these answers become a talk on Yoga and duty. Asking questions from a pure heart, is not bad. Wanting to know the answers is not bad. Not knowing and not understanding is…
A.P. P Goes to Mysore: Everything is Energy. Energy is God
Everything is energy. Energy is God-Sharath Jois This is probably no surprise to those of you that have been following my blog over the last month but I went through a very brief (thank goodness) period of confusion. I had stopped listening to the still voice within. The ego is an amazing story teller and I had begun to listen to its harrowing tales. Many teachers say, if you really want to see if you have overcome your ego, go spend time with your relatives! Well, I am used to my family so that wasn’t much of a trigger. Coming to Mysore was a huge trigger. I often share these…
A.P.P Goes To Mysore: New Beginnings, New Start Times, New Jokes
Diwali brings new auspicious beginnings and that is definitely the case for me. I don’t know if I found my stride, got over myself, or what, but the energy has shifted and I feel like myself again. We went to Sharath’s farm for Diwali and he and has family sang for us. He also gave us a tour of the farm. He touched my heart when he said that he wanted to use the farm as a way to have a deeper connection with his students. At the end of last month, I got Pasasana from Sharath. Who knows how long I will be there or if I will get…
A.P.P Goes To Mysore: Dazed and Confused
The 411 Mysore pushes my buttons. I love structure. I am a straight forward person who lives a straight forward life. I like things to be scheduled and regimented. I love having a clear straight forward path to follow. That is why I love Ashtanga. It is clear, straight forward and regimented….or so I thought. This is the first time in my 14 years of practice where I feel like I don’t know what to do or what to expect (not counting when I first started of course). For a person who loves adventure, it is exciting. For a person like me, who has every moment of their day planned…
A. P. P Goes To Mysore: Unnecessary Shoulder Movements In Ashtanga
The 411 This morning was great. Lots of joking and laughing from Sharath. He dropped me back. Everything was good. Mysore Musings Information filtered through my citta Last week, Sharath talked about unnecessary movements. He spoke about how “doing jump backs like handstand” can cause stiff backbends and tight shoulders . He said that some people are working on handstand before they need to and that it is not needed until advanced series. He also said that straightening the arms in Marchi is unnecessary. He said that when we bind, we bond with the body and we should be moving towards it and not away from it. It also puts…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
