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Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Conference Notes, Gita, Teaching Ashtanga, Uncategorized, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Sutras for Modern Day Life: Insidious
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:5: Avidya (Ignorance) is seeing the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant and the non Self as the self. Defining the Sutra: It is important to note that Patanjali is speaking about a certain type of ignorance. Normally, ignorance is defined as not knowing or even ignoring what you know. Avidya is a deeper more insidious type of ignorance. Avidya is when you believe something to be true and you have no clue that it is not. Avidya is when a child is terrified of the monster under the bed. Avidya is when a person believes that all Black people are bad. Avidya is when…
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Ashtanga Vinyasa VS Ashtanga Yoga
So I am beating a dead horse here but I want to keep you guys posted on what is going on. I recently wrote two posts, Whose Ashtanga Should I Practice and What Is The Ashtanga Practice For? in response to a post where a popular teacher talked about Ashtanga needing to evolve. I pointed out, in both articles, that this person was coming from a purely physical perspective and that Ashtanga Yoga was never meant to be purely physical. The teacher responded back to me, thus proving my point. Hi Shanna, I agree in principle to what you are saying, but not in practice. I do think you’re comparing apples…
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Ashtanga: The Power of Community
Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement shows how people working together can change the world. Blacks had individually yearned for these freedoms for years, it took people working together as a group, in peace, to get them. In order for an Ashtanga community to grow, a peaceful and powerful group needs to gather. Over the years, in two different cities, I have witnessed Ashtanga communities shattering over differences that really have nothing to do with the core of the practice. Maybe you are a part of one of these communities. Many people think that I am pretty radical. I am a big proponent of sticking as close to the method…
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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. …
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Pose of the Week: Virabhadasana II/B
How To Do Virabhadrasana II/B https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bwUiUJ_O0w Don’t Forget the, For the Love of Food and Yoga Giveaway going on until October 21. Learn hot to cook to support your practice.
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Adventures in Mysore India, Alignment and Injuries, Ashtanga Adaptability, Ashtanga Quotes, Conference Notes, History, Teaching Ashtanga, Videos, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Sutras
Yoga Conference Highlights from Sharath’s Stockholm Visit
There is a new video of Sharath doing a conference in Stockholm recently. Enjoy. Highlights from the Video: Ashtanga is based on Patanali’s 8 limbs of yoga Yoga is to control the mind, stop the mind and bring stability to the mind Incorporate Yamas and Niyamas into your life The verse sthira-sukham-āsanam, Yoga Sutra 2:46, a yoga postures should be steady and comfortable refers to the state of the posture after a long period of daily practice. At first the pose is not steady or comfortable. That comes with time No fear, no fun If you change the vinyasa system, it won’t serve its purpose Led class is for understanding…
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Winner of The Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana!
Martha Haynes, you have won yourself an Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana. Woot Woot! Check your e-mail!!! Stay tuned for our next giveaway, a KPJAYI rug!
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Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana Giveaway and Coupon Code!
I am so excited about this. I have been looking for another copy of this book forever! I found it and I want to share it with you. The Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana is the latest book by Sharath Jois, the lineage holder of Ashtanga Yoga and it is hard to get your hands on these days. This book is a must have reference for all ashtangis! It is much easier to understand than Pattabhi Jois’s Yoga Mala and easier to use. The Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana illustrates the full Primary Series with breath and drishti. Thanks to Yoga Life Style, I am able to do a giveaway and a discount! Yoga…
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Drop The Story: Why Did Sharath Change Mysore Policy?
So this was recently added to the KPJAYI website Students who are applying for Sharath’s class must have studied at least 2 months with any of our Certified/Authorized teachers( mentioned in our teachers list) before coming to study with Sharath in Mysore Shala. After seeing it, I did a little perusing on popular Ashtanga boards and blogs because I already knew what was going to happen. Story time for Ashtangis. I even tried to come up with one myself before the silent voice within said, drop it. Sure enough, people were already ready to riot based on stories. Story time is why we have yoga. Because we make up a…
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Yoga Practice Vs Asana Demonstration vs Asana Inspired Play
I got a wake up call recently when Peg Mulqueen of Ashtanga Dispatch cautioned us against incorporating things we see on social media into our Ashtanga practices. It was a wake up call because I realized that I had been doing just that. Over the past few days, I have been thinking long and hard about this. It is important to understand the context under which the video or picture is being presented. Even if a certified/authorized Ashtanga teacher is doing it, we have to ask, are they giving us a glimpse into their yoga practice, is this a demonstration or is it asana inspired play? It is also important for us…
