- ableism, Ashtanga Adaptability, Diversity, Privilege, Social Media, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
My Answer To Kino: Would You Still Love Me If I Don’t Handstand Anymore?
Kino posted an article today, “Would You Still Love Me If I Don’t Handstand Anymore?” My answer is “yes” because I do not choose teachers based on the poses they can do. Even though the yoga world at large has not followed suit, I outgrew that years ago. If someone believes that achievement in physical asana constitutes dedication to practice or greater knowledge of yoga, they either don’t really practice that much or they change studios, styles of yoga or teachers too often. It only takes a few years of hanging around in the same yoga rooms with the same students and the same teachers to see that this is…
This Blog is not About Safety
This blog is not about safety I am convinced that the reason that most of the Yoga stuff out there is about poses is because it is safe. I am convinced that Yoga celebrities talk about their clothes, handstands and hair because it is safe. I am convinced that most of the yoga information being shared is externally oriented because it is safe. I am not interested in safe. I am not interested in maintaining the safety of my ego. I want to blow it wide open. I want to take all my Self defeating thoughts and vritis and blow them to pieces. I want to implode and have nothing…
- Ashtanga Quotes, Reblogs, Social Media, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Who Is Showing Up To Do The Yoga?
I follow Thug Yoga on Facebook because the posts make me chuckle. It’s funny…to me. This morning, Thug Yoga posted the above picture. The first thing that came to my mind was, “hell yeah” but then I went into inquiry mode. So as not to bore you. Inquiry is a yogic contemplation technique. The inquiry was, “who is the you that is showing up?” Para Yoga teacher, Rod Stryker, says, Yoga can make you more neurotic or less neurotic depending on how you practice it. Not only is it important to show up on the mat, but it is important to show up on the mat with the right…
- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy
Yoga: A Love Story
When you talk about love, it has to be unconditional. There is really no such thing as conditional love and unconditional love. It is just that there are conditions and there is love. The moment there is a condition, it just amounts to a transaction. Maybe a convenient transaction, maybe a good arrangement – maybe many people made excellent arrangements in life – but that will not fulfill you; that will not transport you to another dimension. It is just convenient-Sadhguru The yoga sutras say that “practice is firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness”. It requires a long term relationship.…
- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Polls
The “Next Big” Yoga Trap
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2.42: From an attitude of contentment (santosha), unexcelled happiness, mental comfort, joy, and satisfaction is obtained. (santosha anuttamah sukha labhah) Spiritual teacher, Ramana Maharishi, used to say “call off the search” because what we are seeking is inside of us. What we are looking for, we already have. The purpose of sadhana, spiritual practice, is to uncover what is blocking the inner eye from seeing the truth. Even when yoga is done for physical reasons, the practice is still one of removal. The physical practice removes, pain, weight and disease. It reveals the toned muscles underneath the skin. The practice is self generated. The results are self generated.…
How Would Your Life Change If You Were Practicing Yoga?
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe yoga as ‘the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind”. The fluctuations of the mind keep us from knowing our Selves and experiencing the world through a clear, focused, and uncluttered mind. How would your life change if you had the ability to see everything as it is and everyone for who they are? “When we see the world through our thoughts, we stop experiencing life as it really is and others as they really are. When I have a thought about you, that’s something I’ve created. I’ve turned you into an idea. In a certain sense, if I have an idea about you that I…
Tales Of An Ex Ashtanga Whiner
The joy of whining Before starting, a question: Will it help? Like holding a grudge, or like panicking, whining rarely helps. If anything, any of the three make it far less likely that you’ll make progress solving the problem that has presented itself. And, like knuckle cracking, it’s best enjoyed alone- Seth Godin I used to be a huge Ashtanga whiner. Everyone had to know about my every ache and pain, all my perceived short comings and the list of reasons for why I couldn’t do the pose. Whining also includes nervous giggles, weird sounds, bizarre body movements, and crazy breathing all aimed at demonstrating a certain level of…
- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Sutras for Modern Day Life: A Firm Foundation
Yoga Sutras of Pantajali 1:30-Obstacles on the path of yoga are disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground… Defining the Sutra: For commentary on the previous obstacles, go here. Failing to reach firm ground occurs when there is not a solid foundation for the yoga practice to build on. Modern Day Application The previous obstacles are all the reasons why people fail to maintain a firm ground Disease- It is hard to focus on yoga when you are sick Dullness-When we live a life that robs us of vitality and brightness, our mind grows dull Doubt- you doubt the practice,your teacher, or the method…
- Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Ask The APP, Interviews, Reblogs, Social Media, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
A Deeper Conversation on Pain In Yoga with Gregor Maehle and Satinder Khalsa
I received a comment on my article, Yogi’s Attitude Towards Pain, that made me realize that I deeper conversation on pain and suffering needed to take place. The comment centered around the difference between suffering and pain and the meaning of the word “duhkha” from the Yoga Sutras. Reader, Satinder Khalsa,wrote “It doesn’t say pain, it says suffering, duhkha, which has not come can be avoided.” I though this was interesting because the verse is always translated as “pain”. I decided to have a chat with Satinder, my Sanskrit teacher Kokila Kaul, and renowned Ashtanga teacher and Author of, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, Gregor Maehle about Duhkha. …
Yogi’s Attitude Towards Pain
Pain is the four letter word of the yoga world. It strikes fear in students. It has gotten many a blogger and Ashtanga teacher in hot water. Many yoga teachers have made a fortune by the promise of a painless practice. Even with all this, no one can deny that pain is an extraordinary teacher and a catalyst for achievement. When you think of any inspirational story, heart wrenching movie, or epic tale, there is always an element of pain. Gandhi, Martin Luther King and BKS Iyengar used their pain to change the world. When I think about all the teachers who have inspired me and given me the most…
Making the Philosophy and Poses of Ashtanga Accessible for All
