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  • Teaching Ashtanga,  Uncategorized

    The Choice To Thrive

    June 2, 2021 / 5 Comments

    The Choice to Thrive “Do you teach at a yoga studio?” “I really loved it when you taught at XYZ Yoga Studio.” “Are you planning on teaching again at XYZ yoga studio?” Dear Yoga Student,  I know these questions  come from a well intentioned place. I know that the studio was convenient for you. I know that you don’t understand that sometimes, I taught 2 hours of Mysore style Ashtanga for under $10. I know that you don’t understand that most of your monthly membership went to pay for the overhead of the yoga studio and not to me. I know you don’t understand that the average yoga teacher in…

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    Shanna Small

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    Do You Agree That “Ashtanga Doesn’t Work Unless You Do It Everyday?”

    May 3, 2014

    Yoga Sutras For Modern Life: Ready to tell Yoga Goodbye?

    March 27, 2017

    Samsara Hala Hala: The Pain of a Conditioned Ashtanga Practice

    May 30, 2015
  • ableism,  Coronavirus,  Diversity,  Privilege,  Social Media,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Uncategorized

    Why I Am Not Interested in Your Virtual Ashtanga Course

    May 12, 2020 / 4 Comments

    During this Shelter in Place, I signed up for 4 virtual courses…none of them Ashtanga. I am so tired of the same interviews with the same hand full of people who have the same perspective. I am tired of the same workshops by the same few super flexy people on the same subjects. I am tired of the same tutorials by the same genetically gifted people on the same techniques that no one but genetically gifted people can even do. I am tired of this homogenous picture that the Ashtanga world insists on painting. When Ashtanga comes under fire for being a shallow elitist practice for skinny genetically gifted circus…

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    Shanna Small
  • ableism,  Adventures in Mysore India,  Alignment and Injuries,  Ashtanga Adaptability,  Guru,  History,  Privilege,  Social Media,  Teaching Ashtanga

    “Calling In” the Ashtanga Community

    July 12, 2019 / No Comments

    “Calling in” is a term coined by Ngoc Loan Tran, a Viet/mixed race disabled queer writer who champions for justice in oppressed communities. “Calling in” is holding members of the community responsible for their actions, not as an act of punishment, but as an act of accountability. “I start ‘call in’ conversations by identifying the behavior and defining why I am choosing to engage with them. I prioritize my values and invite them to think about theirs and where we share them. And then we talk about it. We talk about it together, like people who genuinely care about each other. We offer patience and compassion to each other and…

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    Shanna Small
  • Diversity,  Guru,  Privilege,  Social Media,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Yoga Philosophy,  Yoga Sutras

    With Me or Against Me

    July 3, 2019 / 2 Comments

    People are asking, “Why is there a culture of silence in Yoga?” Something that often makes people go silent is “all or nothing” and “with me or against me” thinking. It is the idea that everything is black or white and you have to choose a side. If folks don’t want to choose a side, they will often just go silent. When the person speaks up, they get crucified by both sides for not choosing. This results in shutting down the conversation and shutting down the person. You can hate someone’s choices around a particular event but totally still love and respect everything else about them. You can love your…

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    Shanna Small

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    Taking Away Attention, Taking Away Power

    November 30, 2019
  • 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?

    May 21, 2019 / 8 Comments

    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…

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    Shanna Small
  • Adventures in Mysore India,  Diversity,  Social Media,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Yoga Philosophy,  Yoga Sutras

    It Is So Much Easier To Tell You To Change

    April 20, 2019 / 3 Comments

    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.…

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    Shanna Small

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    The Dance of Yoga: Two Steps Back, Three Steps Foward

    August 25, 2016

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    January 28, 2014

    Yoga Sutras For Modern Day Life: Why Are We Here?

    January 2, 2017
  • Adventures in Mysore India,  Alignment and Injuries,  Diversity,  History,  Ladies Holday,  Social Media,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Yoga Philosophy,  Yoga Sutras

    What You Don’t Know, Makes You Dangerous

    March 9, 2019 / No Comments

    Before you make that statement on social media, before you write that blog post, stop. Ask yourself, do you have all the information? Do you understand the subject outside of your own cultural biases? Are you listening to only one side? Every day, I gain more of an understanding of why some teachers and Patanjali tell us to pick a method and stick with it. Reason 1-so we don’t dig shallow wells. Reason 2-so we don’t get confused. Yoga is not one long unfractured story where the facts perfectly follow one after the other. That is like saying that American history is White history and just following the line of…

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    Shanna Small

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    APP Goes To Mysore: 3 1/2 Hours Without Pain & The Medium Girl

    October 18, 2016

    Paining

    May 12, 2014

    APP Responds to “Why I Stopped Practicing Ashtanga Yoga”

    November 17, 2014
  • Adventures in Mysore India,  Teaching Ashtanga

    How Can You Have a Unity and Diversity Conference W/ No Diversity!!!!

    February 4, 2019 / 6 Comments

    I am not a confrontational person. That is not what Ashtanga Yoga Project is about but dude….I almost fell off my chair this morning when I clicked on a link for an Ashtanga Yoga and Diversity Conference in Bali that had all white faces. Are you kidding me? We all know Ashtanga Yoga originated in India. Not even any Indian faces!!!! Like seriously, are you kidding me? It is 2019. Why are we still doing this!!!!! Yes, I cannot tell someone’s ethnicity just by their picture but if everyone on the presenter list can pass for White, you didn’t reach far enough!!!! These people are not my global leaders. Stop…

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    Shanna Small

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    Conference Notes From Mysore: Practice Yoga 24 Hours a Day

    February 9, 2015

    Tough Yoga Practices: When Doubt Touches the Heart

    October 27, 2016

    Yoga Sutras For Modern Life: Yoga For Dummies

    April 21, 2017
  • Adventures in Mysore India,  Alignment and Injuries,  Ask the AYP,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Yoga Philosophy,  Yoga Sutras

    Yoga Will Not Keep Bad Things From Happening

    January 21, 2019 / 2 Comments

    Yoga is not an inoculation against bad things. It is the science of learning how to deal with bad things when they happen. If you are lucky, you start to view “bad” things as just events and you don’t label them at all. On my last post, someone commented and asked, “how can you hurt yourself when you are practicing Ahimsa?” Easy. Most people don’t wake up in the morning and say. “I feel like hurting myself today. I really want to get in a car accident, maybe get a cold, catch my husband in bed with his co-worker, rip my hamstring, and have to bail my son out of…

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    Shanna Small

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    Why Practicing with Saraswathi Jois Is So Awesome

    May 7, 2018

    Learning Ashtanga From the Internet: A Cautionary Tale

    September 24, 2015

    Did Social Media Ruin Yoga?

    October 22, 2016
  • Adventures in Mysore India,  Alignment and Injuries,  Ashtanga Adaptability,  Guru,  Interviews,  Saraswathi,  Teaching Ashtanga,  Uncategorized,  Yoga Philosophy,  Yoga Sutras

    Random Ashtanga Stuff That Has Been Driving Me Up The Wall

    December 7, 2018 / 7 Comments

    Ashtanga stuff that has been pushing my buttons.

    Read More
    Shanna Small

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    Tips For Ashtangis Without Regular Teachers

    February 20, 2014

    Unfollow the Leader

    March 1, 2018

    Is Sharath getting up at 12:45AM?

    February 17, 2014
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Recent Post

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  • Treat Me Like Your Headliner November 30, 2020
  • Deconstructing Ashtanga, Reconstructing Me September 7, 2020
  • Performative Love July 6, 2020
  • Why I Am Not Interested in Your Virtual Ashtanga Course May 12, 2020

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