Ujjāyī vs. Free Breathing in Ashtanga Yoga (Gheranda Samhita) by Elise Espat

We started off by looking at the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā which led to the conclusion that:

If Ujjāyī is one of the eight Kumbhakas and Kumbhakas are breath retentions, then Ujjāyī is a breath retention.  If our breathing during practice does not include breath retentions, then it cannot be called Ujjāyī.

Here is a link to the post: Part 1 = Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā (हठ योग प्रदीपिका)

Now let's look at the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (धेरंड संहिता).

Notice here in chapter 5.46 that Ujjāyī is listed as a Kumbhaka (breath retention), just as it is in the HYP:

And here is GS the description of the technique (5.69-70):














Conclusion:
If Ujjāyī is one of the eight Kumbhakas and Kumbhakas are breath retentions, then Ujjāyī is a breath retention.  If our breathing during practice does not include breath retentions, then it cannot be called Ujjāyī.

Read the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā
Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā PDF

Some Yoga Mats - Reviewed by Elise Espat

Yoga Mat. But which one?

Originally published March 2010, Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn Blog.  New, improved, updated. Also, some of these are affiliate links. While opinions are always my own, deciding to purchase through an affiliate link helps support this blog.  Thanks!

One thing that I really love about Ashtanga yoga is that you really only need yourself in order to practice. While there are certain advantages to going "en plein air", most people are going to use a yoga mat and sometimes a rug too.  But which mat? And why use a rug?

The Typical
Most people (myself included) started with an inexpensive PVC yoga mat. Usually around $20, one can find these mats just about everywhere from Barnes and Noble to the local pharmacy. Slippery and stinky at first, this will dissipate over time. Usually the go-to mat for yoga studio mat rentals because of the very low price, these mats shred over time. They are often thick, but not firm (a quality that beginners often mistake for a good thing). I do not recommend purchasing a PVC yoga mat. There are many health concerns regarding PVC and it is usually not recycled. These days, with a little effort, you'll definitely be able to get your hands on an eco-friendly mat at a comparable price point. Search Gaiam for mats around $30. I haven't tried any of them, let us know!  

The Eco
The common eco mats ($40-$70) are the Jade Harmony mat or the Jute mat. When you first roll it out, it has a strong rubber smell, but that goes away. I found mine (Jade) to be incredibly sticky from day one. So sticky, that certain maneuvers on the mat had to be rethought on account of the non-slippage. That said, other people have told me that it was slippery for them. The Jade mat also attracts dust and hair at the beginning, so be prepared to wipe it off a lot if that kind of thing bothers you. After over two years of use, mine had yet to shred. Other people had shredding within a year. Thickness varies, medium to firm. While the non-stick and eco aspects are positive, for people learning jump throughs I definitely recommend considering a mat with a different textured surface or placing a rug on top for seated postures. Other natural mats can be found through Hugger Mugger, and Manduka. I've tried the Manduka eKO Lite. It is super light (great for travel). It has two sides: slick and sticky. Extra padding is in order for certain second series postures.  The Manduka eKO SuperLite Travel Mat.  It has a similar feel to the eKO Lite, but is thinner making it great for travel.  A very thin mat or thick and very firm mat are what I recommend as the best practice surfaces.

The Classics
The Manduka Pro ($90) mat is an Ashtanga classic. Slippery, thick, and firm. Ideal for Ashtanga practice, but not necessary for beginners. Does not shred. These things last forever (sustainable), but to my knowledge are not eco-friendly. They are heavy and travel with them is not fun at all. We carry Manduka Pro mats at the Shala, this has been my daily practice mat for years.


The Rug
I don't really know why other people use rugs, but here's why I like them.

1. Practice seems less daunting when I'm staring at a rug instead of The Mat.
2. Rugs come in many fun colors and patterns and can liven up any mat.
3. Instead of worrying about cleaning my mat all the time, I just have to wash my rug.
4. Soaks up moisture.
5. Doubles as a resting blanket.
6. Good surface for learning jump throughs.
7. Extra padding for certain postures.
8. Some say they help with slipping.

If you aren't going to India tomorrow, you can find a Mysore rug at many Ashtanga shalas, studios, and online. Many people also use "mat towels". I prefer rugs.

How/where to get a mat
- Online (new-stores, new/used-craigslist)
- At a yoga studio (new/used)
- Health food stores (new)

What to do with an old mat
Tips here Yoga Mat:  Clean or Replace?

Ujjāyī vs. Free Breathing in Ashtanga Yoga (Hatha Yoga Pradipika) by Elise Espat

Q:  Is Ujjāyī the same as "free breathing with sound"?

A: No.  They are different. 

Ujjāyī is a Kumbhaka (breath retention). 

When we apply the Tristhana (asana, breathing, looking place) during our Ashtanga yoga practice, we use "free breathing with sound".  Each breath leads to the next with no retention.

So, what's the difference?  Explanation below from the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā (हठ योग प्रदीपिका).

Notice that one may define Kumbhaka as the retention of breath.   

 

बद्ध-पद्मासनो योगी पराणं छन्द्रेण पूरयेत |
धारयित्वा यथा-शक्ति भूयः सूर्येण रेछयेत || ७ ||
पराणं सूर्येण छाकॄष्ह्य पूरयेदुदरं शनैः |
विधिवत्कुम्भकं कॄत्वा पुनश्छन्द्रेण रेछयेत || ८ ||

baddha-padmāsano yoghī prāṇaṃ chandreṇa pūrayet |
dhārayitvā yathā-śakti bhūyaḥ sūryeṇa rechayet || 7 ||
prāṇaṃ sūryeṇa chākṝṣhya pūrayedudaraṃ śanaiḥ |
vidhivatkumbhakaṃ kṝtvā punaśchandreṇa rechayet || 8 ||

Sitting in the Padmâsana posture the Yogî should fill in the air through the left nostril (closing the right one); and, keeping it confined according to one's ability, it should be expelled slowly through the sûrya (right nostril). Then, drawing in the air through the sûrya (right nostril) slowly, the belly should be filled, and after performing Kumbhaka as before, it should be expelled slowly through the chandra (left nostril). 
-HYP chapter 2.8

Notice that Ujjāyī is one of the eight Kumbhakas.

अथ कुम्भक-भेदाः
सूर्य-भेदनमुज्जायी सीत्कारी शीतली तथा |
भस्त्रिका भरामरी मूर्छ्छा पलाविनीत्यष्ह्ट-कुम्भकाः || ४४ ||

atha kumbhaka-bhedāḥ
sūrya-bhedanamujjāyī sītkārī śītalī tathā |
bhastrikā bhrāmarī mūrchchā plāvinītyaṣhṭa-kumbhakāḥ || 44 ||

Kumbhakas are of eight kinds, viz., Sûrya Bhedan, Ujjâyî, Sîtkarî, Sîtalî, Bhastrikâ, Bhrâmarî, Mûrchhâ, and Plâvinî. 

-HYP chapter 2.44

Conclusion:
If Ujjāyī is one of the eight Kumbhakas and Kumbhakas are breath retentions, then Ujjāyī is a breath retention.  If our breathing during practice does not include breath retentions, then it cannot be called Ujjāyī.

Further, in 2.51 and 2.52 the method for Ujjāyī is described and includes the instruction to restrain the breath:

pūrvavatkumbhayetprāṇaṃ rechayediḍayā tathā |
śleṣhma-doṣha-haraṃ kaṇṭhe dehānala-vivardhanam || 52 ||

Since Ujjāyī is a Kumbhaka, it makes sense that it would include instruction for breath retention.

So, in our practice, we are only "breathing freely with sound".

 

Part 2:  A look at the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (धेरंड संहिता)

Beginner's Guide to Yoga (Styles, Schools, Traditions) by Elise Espat

 I'll be honest.  My first official yoga classes were with Jane Fonda on a VHS tape in my living room.  When I eventually mustered up the courage to find a teacher, I had no idea what to look for, or even that there were different styles.  Overwhelmed, I made my decision based on 2 factors: location and price.  I ended up at a great place with some wonderful teachers.  I was really lucky.  This was years ago when there were maybe three places from which I could choose from in my area...and I was living in New York City!  Now, it is impossible to walk down the block in NYC without running into at least one yoga establishment.  While the vast number of options might feel overwhelming at first, consider yourself lucky.  More options mean more possibilities of finding something that really works for you.

Most yoga schools, shalas, studios, gyms, church basements, etc. offer Hatha yoga.  While the teachings might overlap some of the other systems such as Raja, Bhakti, or Karma, the foundation will be a physical practice with a combination of asanas (body positions) and breathing.  

Some popular practice styles and terms:

Anusara
John Friend
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anusara_Yoga
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZyuvVPDLfk

Ashtanga / Mysore
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, R. Sharath Jois, Saraswathi Jois
Website: http://kpjayi.org/
Sample:  http://youtu.be/VGrGRBi0u28

Bikram
Bikram Choudhury
Website: http://bikramyoga.com/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDWJos7PA-4

Dharma Mittra
Sri Dharma Mittra
Website:  http://www.dharmayogacenter.com
Sample:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kud7naxGiT4

Hot
Various
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_yoga
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWhO2Am35fE

Integral
Sri Swami Satchidananda
Website:  http://www.yogaville.org/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gyvofuc0NE&feature=related


Iyengar
Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar
Website: http://www.bksiyengar.com/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVWvNtcu8-k&feature=related

Kripalu
Various
Website: http://www.kripalu.org/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOt35-GQ_8w

Kundalini
Yogi Bhajan
Website: http://www.3ho.org/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2RCNS1qvb8&feature=related

Jivamukti
Sharon Gannon and David Life
Website: http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlbwCQ7pejQ&feature=related

Sivananda
Swami Sivananda, Swami Vishnudevananda
Website: http://www.sivananda.org/
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rzY4zkYNVw&feature=related

Vinyasa
Various
Website: various
Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LPLwC4pRzk

Part 2 coming soon.

How to wake up for yoga by Elise Espat

A dose of encouragement and honesty for the doubtful.

The first thing to realize is that many other people (myself included) find the act of waking to an alarm incredibly painful.  It is okay to feel this way.  It is also okay to feel this way and wake up anyway.  Here is how...

In general:

-Keep a routine.  Whether you intentionally set one in place or not, you already have a series of morning rituals.  It is easy to do what is familiar, even if it isn't helpful.  At the beginning of a new routine, it will be difficult because it is new.  But as time goes on, it will become  more natural and perhaps even effortless.  The truth is it might always be painful, but never impossible.

-Join a community.  Being around other people who keep the same schedule will both inspire and challenge you to stay with the program.

-Never underestimate the power of eating well and keeping good company.

The night before:

 -Plan ahead.  Set out clothing and other things you need so you can get out the door (or onto your mat) quickly.

-Sleep well.  Having a solid night's rest makes waking up the next day much easier.  If possible, use your bed only for sleeping, avoid the pm caffeine fix, and unplug at least an hour before you hit the hay.

The morning:

-Never hit snooze. 

-Take a shower.

-Think happy thoughts.

-Brush your teeth & clean your tongue.

-Listen to positive, upbeat music that makes you smile.

-Smile.

-Avoid the internet, your phone, or anything else that will get you worked up.

So when do you start this new habit?  The clouds probably will not open up with a shining banner held by birds telling you tomorrow is the day.  You just make the decision to commit to it and that is all.  You don't have to be special, you just can't be lazy.  Waking up early is a practice.  It takes time and discipline.  There will be easy mornings and there will be hard mornings.  They come and they go and tomorrow is one more opportunity to wake up for yoga.

Mexico Retreat FAQ: How to Get There by Elise Espat

We picked Xinalani as the location for our upcoming yoga retreat for many reasons including the fact that it is relatively quick and easy to get to.  Any questions, feel free to get in touch.

Book Your Flight

You'll need to book your own flight to Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR).

Look for flights that arrive at PVR before 4:30 pm on Saturday.

For your departure flight, find one that is leaving after 11 am on the following Saturday.

Once your reservation is complete, send us your itinerary so that Xinalani can make arrangements for your airport pickup service.

If you'd like to find a travel buddy, post on our retreat page on Facebook.

Note:  Please make sure we have confirmed your registration before you book your flights.

Airport Pickup Service

As the retreat dates approach, we'll email you detailed instructions about your pickup service.

You'll have a prearranged car that will take you and possibly some other fellow retreaters from the airport to the marina.  The ride is about ten minutes.  

Note:  VIP pickup service is included in the total price of your retreat. 

Banderas Bay Boat Ride

Depending on when you arrive, the boat might take you straight to Xinalani.  Or, you'll need to wait a little while for a few more fellow retreaters to arrive.  There is a little restaurant located in the marina where you can grab some tasty food and juices while you wait.  They'll take US dollars, however, you'll get a better exchange rate it you bring pesos.  

Once everyone booked for your boat ride arrives, off you'll go to Xinalani!  The ride is about 45 minutes.  We recommend wearing sun block for the ride and placing important items in plastic bags so that they don't get wet or ruined. 

Note:  This boat ride is included in the total price of your retreat.  
 

Arrive at Xinalani

Depending on weather, you'll either land on the beach or at the dock a little ways down the coast.  If weather allows for a beach arrival, be ready to get wet!  We recommend wearing shorts and easy to remove shoes.

If you arrive at the dock, you'll walk about 10 minutes through a small village to Xinalani.

Check In

You've arrived!  Retreat!

Interview with Krista Shirley by Xinalani Yoga Retreat

 Interview originally published here:
http://www.yogaretreatsinmexico.com/2012/07/asthanga-and-mysore-tell-us-more.html

Asthanga and Mysore, tell us more!

Our first retreat of the 2012-2013 season will be hosted by Krista Shirley and Elise Espat, an Ashtanga Adventure!  We wanted to find out more about Krista, Ashtanga, and the Mysore teaching method. Get excited, their retreat will surely prove to be an amazing experience!

Xinalani: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us and allowing our readers to learn more about you and your upcoming yoga retreat.  Tell us a little about how you found your practice.  How did it all start for you?  

Krista: It all started at a World Gym in Altamonte Springs, Florida my junior year in College. I decided to try a new yoga class that appealed to me because it appeared to be quite a challenge. It was a modified led Ashtanga Yoga class and I loved it. After a couple of weeks of classes at the gym, my teacher introduced me to Winter Park Yoga where she practiced each day and where they taught traditional Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore method. I committed to come six days a week for one month and then I was totally hooked. The transformations I went through mentally, spiritually and physically were truly life changing. The rest is history…I eventually started teaching this method because I live it each day and it seemed a natural progression for me to share this passion with the world.  I love waking up each day and doing my practice, then teaching this practice to others. I feel truly blessed in this life to have this yoga to help me be the best me I can be, and to be able to do what I love for a living.

Xinalani: You teach Ashtanga Yoga. Can you tell us about this particular style of yoga?  

Krista: Ashtanga Yoga is a 5,000 year old discipline that explores, develops, and integrates the body, mind and spirit. Ashtanga Yoga purifies the body, the nervous system, the internal organs, and the mind through the use of vinyasa (breath with movement), asana (physical postures), deep breathing, and drishti (looking place or gaze). Practicing Yoga Asanas purifies the body and strengthens and gives flexibility to the body. Performing deep breathing purifies the nervous system. Drishti is the place where you look while performing asanas, or postures in order for you to concentrate on one specific place; also helps to stretch the eyes. The goal of incorporating drishti to your practice is for purification and stabilization of the mind. Daily practice of Ashtanga Yoga promotes weight loss, vitality, mental clarity, stress reduction, deep relaxation, and overall health and wellness to the practitioner. Our beloved Guru, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois was the modern father of this yoga method and taught students from around the world in his home in Mysore, India until his passing in 2009. Now Guruji’s grandson Sharath is the primary lineage keeper of this yoga method and is my and Elise’s teacher. 

Xinalani: How do Ashtanga and Mysore yoga relate to one another?  

Krista: Mysore is a specific way to teach the Ashtanga Yoga method. Ashtanga Yoga is a specific ‘yoga style’ that consists of breathing, bandhas, drishti and a specific sequence of postures that make up the primary, intermediate, 3, 4, 5, and 6 series.  This ‘yoga style’ can be taught in a led setting or a mysore setting. In a led setting a teacher will verbally guide an entire class from start to finish (Surya Namaskara A to final rest). Students must start at the same time, move at the same pace, and end together.  Unlike led classes, mysore classes are very unique, very individualized, and truly the absolute best way to learn and practice yoga.  This unique method of instruction is suitable for beginners as well as longtime practitioners because every student is taught individually. In other words, each student is given a one-on-one lesson in a group setting in order that he or she can progress through the Ashtanga Yoga series’ at their own pace and according to his or her individual needs.  Timings are also flexible so people can come to their mat when it works for them and are not mandated to get to their local studio by a specific time.  For example most mysore rooms will have a morning program from 6am to 10am, for example, and students can literally show up and start their practice anytime between 6am and 9:00am as long as they finish practice by 10am.  This allows students flexibility in their schedule, and helps in the natural functionality of the mysore room because different students need help with different asanas and the spread out timing allows teachers the ability to help all students when they need help – if it were a led class one teacher could not help 20 students in drop backs in a timely manner but in a mysore room he/she can.

This is the way that yoga is taught by our teachers, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath Jois in Mysore, India and why it has come to be known as “Mysore Style” teaching. For more information on Ashtanga Yoga please visit www.kpjayi.org

Xinalani: In the fitness world, experts often say you need to change up your workout in order to constantly challenge your muscles in new ways so they don’t become accustomed to the same movements.  Why is Ashtanga different, even though you follow the same series repeatedly?  

Krista: I’ll try to answer your question from a purely physical perspective:  In Ashtanga Yoga asana practice you do repeat the exact same series of postures in the primary series until you master those asanas (postures) – until you are indeed accustomed to the movements and your body has not only physically mastered the ability to do the movements with grace but also mastered breathing fluidly without strain while doing the postures with grace.  This is not cross training, this is yoga and one of our goals is to steady the body by training the body and breath so that we can then work to steady the mind.  But it takes a long time for a person doing the Ashtanga Primary Series 6 days per week to truly master that series and be ready to move onto the next.  During that period of working towards mastery the student is doing the same sequence each day struggling to find balance and agility, stamina, control, coordination, build strength and flexibility and much more.  And over time, doing the practice consistently, for a long period of time, without break, a student will eventually become master over those movements that make up the primary series – as that is part of the process.  If we took the approach of the general fitness world, we would never master any yoga postures– to me there is little benefit in that.  While physical fitness is certainly a benefit of yoga practice, it is only one of many – the process should take us deeper and deeper, not keep us on the surface level.  But please don’t mistake me, this asana practice is an intense physical challenge.  Once a student does master primary series he or she will slowly build up second series postures and later 3^rd and so on, and each series is progressively more challenging and demanding on the body.  One thing that really makes this yoga method unique, even for fitness buffs, is that the student can gauge their own progress in their practice each day – as they get deeper into postures, attain more balance and flexibility they can see that on the mat because they are repeating the same sequence over and over until it is ‘mastered’ so that their body and mind is ready to embark on the next series of asanas to continue to challenge their body, mind and spirit.

Xinalani: Is there space for creativity in an Asthanga practice?  

Krista: Absolutely!  I can guarantee that not one day is ever the same on your mat.  Let’s say you are working to master primary and have three poses left in the sequence.  Sunday-Friday you do your practice exactly the same each day, but on Sunday you focus on keeping with the Vinyasa count, Monday you are extremely tired and move much slower than the count and holding postures a few extra breathes, Tuesday you are short on time so you have to leave out your final three seated postures before moving to finishing, Wednesday your mind is all over the map thinking about a deadline at work and you are not very focused on asana but you show up and do anyway, on Thursday you are totally connected with your breath and bandhas and nothing in the world can distract you in practice and you attain a true moving meditation session on your mat, and Friday your teacher leads your class through primary series with proper Vinyasa count and you end in final rest with your eyes closed, clothes drenched in sweat, smiling knowing tomorrow is a rest day.  Every single day is different and YOU make it what it is.  You put in the effort or you don’t, show up and do or you don’t, allow the distractions in the room or in your head to affect your practice or not, go to classes outside your local studio when traveling or chose to roll out your mat in your hotel room…While Ashtanga yoga does not allow for creativity in sequencing of postures in the series, that doesn’t mean the practitioner cannot be creative within the structure of the sequence in each series.  If Ashtanga did allow creativity of sequencing, then it would no longer be Ashtanga Yoga – it would be power yoga or flow yoga or power flow yoga or Vinyasa or any of the many names people have made up in recent years to describe their own creative diversion from this traditional Ashtanga yoga method.  In Ashtanga yoga the creativity comes from within you.  Each day is a blank canvas and you get to color it how you wish. I see my practice exactly the same way – my Ashtanga yoga practice is my canvas – I get on my mat and take my prescribed practice and the outcome of that practice is totally up to me – the lessons I learn, the stuff I release the thoughts I have or don’t have…New styles of yoga that ‘mix things up’ remind me of today’s toys for children.  Toys today are so detailed and so intricate there is little room for creative freedom on the part of the child.  Today’s yoga classes are so mixed up and flavored with this and that, there is little room for yoga practitioners to go deep within themselves to have their own creative experience.  Simple is best – allows more room for growth, change, transformation and joy.

Xinalani: Each year you go back to Mysore, India to practice and learn.  What are some of the more valuable bits you have taken away from your recent trips?  

Krista: Ha, funny question for me personally because my most recent trip with my son (then 1 and a half), and the trip before I was six months pregnant with Kaiden.  Regardless of my condition, I can say with certainty that India is a magical motherland that feeds your soul and each trip I make fills me to the brim with adventure, mystery, struggle, joy and faith. 

I return to India each year to study with my teachers at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga institute to ensure my practice is progressing under the correct path.  Doing my practice alone at home all year, it is a true gift to get to return to Mysore and ‘check in’ with Sharath for a few months, to be a student only, to surrender to India, allow myself to be vulnerable, and to soak in all that India has to teach me.

The valuable bits truly are the ones words cannot describe.  Taking yourself out of your comfort zone, putting your faith and trust into a practice such as this, allowing yourself to be open to learn from every single interaction and experience – these are the things that make each trip so special.   Be it India, Mexico, Morocco or anywhere on this globe that you consider an adventure or something on your bucket list, something that excites you or moves you – remember life is short and you deserve to live it to the fullest.  So whatever it is you wish to experience, wherever it is you wish to travel – do it now!  You might just learn something along the way!

Xinalani: You and Elise Espat will be holding a yoga retreat at Xinalani this fall.  How did you two meet?  What makes you two a good match to lead a retreat together?  

Krista: Elise and I met in the fall of 2007 in Mysore, India.  We were both studying at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore with Guruji, Sharath and Saraswathi.  When I met Elise I loved her spirit.  We hung out that year in Mysore, have stayed in touch through the years, and have met up when we can in India, New York and California.  We cherish our friendship with one another, enjoy the chances we have to see one another, practice and learn together, and we both love travel and adventure.  So when Elise came up with the idea of doing a retreat together I was totally on board.  This will be our first of many retreats together because we know it will be a week full of fun, adventure, hard work, dedicated practice, relaxation, and exploration.  We both love this practice, are both deeply dedicated to our teachers and this lineage, both own our own yoga schools, both work hard, play hard, and practice with devotion.  We enjoy adventure, challenges, problem solving, and fun; we work well together and care deeply for each other and I know our retreat participants will benefit tremendously from our co-contributions as well as our individual ones.  I am very excited about this week at Xinalani with Elise and am eager to share our friendship and passion for this yoga with our group.

Xinalani: What will your group experience during your Yoga Retreat in Mexico?  

Krista: ADVENTURE!  We will start each day with our Ashtanga Yoga practice followed by chanting.  We will then enjoy a wholesome group breakfast.  Participants will enjoy some free time to relax, explore, read or rest until lunch at 1:30pm.  After lunch each day Elise and I will facilitate excursions for the group from body boarding, kayaking, shopping, mule rides, swimming with the dolphins, trekking and snorkeling.  These excursions are optional so participants can join in or do their own thing.  The group will reconvene back on resort property at 5pm for meditation, chanting, lectures and much more and we will end each day with a group dinner at 7:30pm.

After a week of yoga and adventure with me and Elise at Xinalani, our group will leave with some stellar memories, new friendships, and a new found or re-discovered love for travel and adventure!

Xinalani:  What advice would you give from your own personal experience to our readers? 

Krista: Don’t ever look back wishing you had done something…Do…and do without regret…even if the outcome is not what you envision, the experience is wisdom gained to carry forward to the next opportunity…So DO and by doing you will live your life to the fullest.

Xinalani: Is there anything you wish to share with our readers that we have not covered?  

Krista: Define your life by your actions, not your words :)

Handmade Sanskrit Alphabet by Elise Espat

I made this teensy chart in India a few years ago.  While I don't need to use a reference guide anymore in order to read and write, I still enjoy the process of making them.

Ashtanga Retreat Interview with Elise Espat by Xinalani

 

Interview with Elise Espat

From March 3-10, 2012 we are honored to receive Elise Espat and her group of yogis!  We wanted to know a little more about her before she came down and she was gracious enough to answer some questions for us.  There is still space on her retreat so contact us if you want to come down and join her!

Xinalani: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us and allowing our readers to learn more about you and your upcoming yoga retreat.  How did you find out about Xinalani Retreat and why was it important to you to bring your group to our retreat in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta?

Elise:  Thank you!  Well, Xinalani has a fantastic location, which is totally ideal for a week of intense yoga practice, and it is eco-friendly which I feel is pretty important.

Xinalani: Tell us a little about how you found your practice.  How did it all start for you?

Elise:  Jane Fonda, actually.  I think I thought yoga could be a workout alternative but soon realized that something else was happening.  Something bigger.  Just to be clear, I wasn’t athletic by any means.  I was just self-conscious and confused.  From the tape I eventually got the courage to go to a “real” yoga class where other people would see me!  I was pretty worried about sticking out and looking silly and the teacher pointing at me, laughing, and announcing to everyone that I didn’t belong.  Happily, that isn’t what happened.  I think I was in some very gentle, very basic yoga class and was having a very hard time, but I made it through and afterward felt this sense of peace and clarity and I felt fantastic in a really clean way and knew I found something real that I had to hold on to.

Xinalani: What was it like to practice with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois ?

Elise:  I was really nervous when I first practiced with him in New York.  He really had this presence, this glow.  There were so many people in that room and it would get really quiet and you could hear his feet coming toward you…

Xinalani: What is Mysore Yoga?  What about it draws you in?

Elise:  Mysore is a method of teaching yoga where students work one-on-one with a teacher over a long period of time.  Once your teacher shows you some things to work on, you practice them on your own with supervision and the teacher monitors you and helps you along the way giving you verbal queues, adjustments, asanas, etc.  It is a bit chaotic from the outside because there are a lot of students doing their practice at the same time and all of it seems so different.  One person is doing surya namaskar, another is resting, another something else… But it is actually quite organized. 

It is really beautiful to watch students struggle and blossom and shine – to step into possibility and all of that. Of course, I am a student as well and go through all those same things and it is an amazing experience.

Xinalani: After years in NYC, why did you choose to leave such a large yoga community to head to a much smaller environment?

Elise:  New Mexico is a magical place.  The landscape is so vast, kind of moving in a way, spiritual.  I like being close to nature.

Xinalani: Tell us about your classes.

Elise:  Fun, honest, and probably sweaty.  The heart of the retreat will be the traditional Mysore practice with complementary workshops in the afternoons.  We’ll go over technique, tips, and tricks, theory… all that good stuff.  

Xinalani: What is your mantra today?

Elise:  Love!

Xinalani: If you could change one thing about your past life, what would it be?

Elise:    I probably would have liked to be a little wiser but I suppose that “wisdom” implies “experience” so I guess I wouldn’t change a thing.

Xinalani: What is your main goal for the next year ahead?

Elise:  Read more books! 

Xinalani: What will your group experience during your Yoga Retreat in Mexico?

Elise:  A thigh-slapping good time and a whole lot of sunshine.

Xinalani: If you could spread your love of life with the world, what advice would you give from your own personal experience?

Elise:  Follow your heart.

Xinalani: Is there anything you wish to share with our readers that we have not covered?

Elise:  Xinalani rocks!

Originally posted here:
http://www.yogaretreatsinmexico.com/2012/02/interview-with-elise-espat.html

Interview with Guy Donahaye by Elise Espat Part 3

Part 3 of my interview with Ashtanga yoga teacher Guy Donahaye, author of "Guruji: A Portrait".

Originally posted here:
http://yogamindmedicine.blogspot.com/2012/07/reflections-on-guruji-portrait.html

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait"
- Interview with Elise Espat - Part III

Did you ask any of the questions to clarify a question you had?  For instance, whether advanced asana meant advanced practice?  Or what was mulabandha?  Was there a satisfactory answer?

I believe there is a general misunderstanding of the purpose of asana practice - which is therapy. Advancement comes through perfecting yama and niyama, pranayama and the internal limbs - asana practice is the foundation of that process. So no, I was not curious - I had the desire to get the subjects to speak about this so as to dispel this general misconception. 

Mostly the questions were not asked out of personal curiosity but with the intention of  getting the interviewee to speak on a subject of interest. However, I was certainly interested to hear their different perspectives and feel that my own understanding has been enhanced through the process of making the book.

In the Guruji book, it seems that people agreed that advanced asana did not necessarily mean advanced yoga practice.  Do you think that is true?  Through asana, with the tristhana and a good teacher and time wouldn't that lead to advanced practice?  Would a student automatically start doing self-study and such?

Asana practice is therapeutic, purifying and strengthening - both for mind and body. How much purification or therapy is required depends on the individual and what end result is desired. I don't think anything will happen automatically through asana practice alone, but if you have a good teacher, he or she will teach more than asana.

Dena Kingsberg: "Some of us have to drag our bodies a long way in order to facilitate the cleansing process.  Those of us with stubborn, egotistical natures may need to drag ourselves further and twist ourselves harder and bend ourselves deeper in order to appreciate that at the end of the day we just need to focus the attention and open the heart."  

One of Guruji's most capable students (not interviewed in the book) was given a practice of 12 Suryanamaskar A and 12 B morning and evening - this he was told was for treating "insanity of the mind". So there is no apparent correlation between being able to do postures and a particular level of spiritual or mental development. However, developing a practice with Guruji into advanced series and practicing the asanas over time gives enormous benefits. 

If the student has not gained some control of the bandhas by the end of Intermediate Series, she will have no choice but to master them progressing into the advanced asanas. Perhaps this is why instead of teaching the pranayamas after intermediate, as he did in the early 70s, later Guruji wanted students to be established in the advanced asanas first. 

Westerners have such a strong attachment to their bodies and body image that practicing asanas can easily lead to greater vanity, competitiveness and other distractions from the goal of yoga. Sri Shankaracharya warns in his Vivekachudamani:

"Whoever seeks to realize the Self by devoting himself to the nourishment of the body, proceeds to cross a river by catching hold of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log… 

…desire, like a crocodile, instantly seizes the aspirant who tries to cross the ocean of samsara and reach the shore of liberation without firm detachment, and straightaway drags him down." 

One has to consider: what is the goal of practice? After overcoming health problems, our aim is to be able to sit still and quiet with a concentrated mind. For some this can be attained easily, asanas are not required, which is very rare today. Some need moderate exercise and purification, others need deeper cleansing and more rigorous training for the mind.

Guruji taught that Ashtanga Yoga was a step by step method but that yama and niyama could not be perfected until the stage of pranayama. However, in spite of the fact that it is very challenging or maybe even impossible to perfect yama and niyama, an attempt to do so is required, and our success in yoga will be much more closely related to our progress in the first two limbs than the third alone. In a certain sense the yama and niyama encapsulate the whole path - it is said that liberation can be achieved through perfection of any one.

As far as asanas go, what is important in the immediate moment is a practice which gives us a sense of well being and freedom from pain. If we are sick, then we need to purify and strengthen the body. In preparation for pranayama we also need to purify the nadis further through Nadi Shodhona and to be able to sit comfortably in padmasana or a similar asana for a long period of time. 

Where did the notion come from - that advancing through the series would lead to advancement on the path of yoga? It seems like there should be a logical correlation.  However, the purpose of the asanas is therapy. As long as we continue to fall short of following the yamas and niyamas perfectly, our system will require continuous correction from practicing asanas.

Guy Interview

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3