Video: ThinkingAllowed interview with Prof. Dean Brown

"Prof. Dean Brown points out that most European languages can be traced back to a root language that is also related to Sanskrit - the sacred language of the ancient Vedic Hindu religions of India. Many English words actually have Sanskrit origins. Similarly, many Vedic religious concepts can also be found in Western culture. He discusses the fundamental idea of the Upanishads - that the essence of each individual, the atman, is identical to the whole universe, the principle of brahman. In this sense, the polytheistic traditions of India can be said to be monistic at their very core."

Yoga Sutras: Samadhi Pada with Dr. M. A. Jayashree

"Chanting the Yoga Sutras has a two-fold benefit. Once you have begun studying the Yoga Sutras, memorization helps in recalling the appropriate sutra in times of doubt—whether you have a doubt about your own experience or you are down because your Ashtanga practice is not progressing well. The repeated browsing mentally of the sutras’ ambiance (manana), in a certain state of mental quietude, will help in getting a flash of the real meaning and also produce the “Aha” experience—perhaps we can call it a three-dimensional understanding. Chanting and memorizing is vital for our knowledge to become wisdom. Whatever texts you study, chanting reveals itself to you in time. It is a kind of tapas, where we bring the physical mind, the rational mind and the emotional mind to a single point. There, not just understanding, but revelation, happens!" 

-Dr. M. A. Jayashree
From "An interview with M.A. Jayashree", PhD. Integral Yoga Magazine. Spring 2010, pp. 33-4. (Transcribed by A. Jamison, 17 April 2011.)

To learn more and to practice: purchase and support!

• Yoga Sutrani of Maharshi Patanjali with Dr. M. A. Jayashree at iTunes
• Yoga Sutrani of Maharshi Patanjali with Dr. M. A. Jayashree at Amazon
• Yoga Sutrani of Maharshi Patanjali with Dr. M. A. Jayashree at cdbaby 

Study with Dr. M. A. Jayashree

• India
• US Tour:
  3 / Tuscon, AZ
  July 12-15 / Telluride, CO Yoga Festival
  August 24-26 / Lubbock, Texas
  August 31- September
  September 4-6 / Encinitas, CA
  September 7-8 / Los Angeles, CA
  September 9 / San Francisco, CA
  September 11-12 / Eugene, OR
  September 13-14 / Portland, OR
  September 28-30 / Charleston, South Carolina
  October 5-7 / New York, NY (Jivamukti)
  October 24-25 / New Orleans, LA
  October 26-29 / Miami, Florida
  October 29-Nov 1 / Orlando, Florida
  November 2-4 / Clearwater Beach, Florida (near Tampa)
  November 9-11 / Chicago, Illinois
  
  

Local

• Yoga Sutra Chanting in Albuquerque 

Chant the Yoga Sutras

• Samadhi Pada (Written)

Yoga Sutras - Samadhi Pada

1.1   atha yogānuśāsanam

1.2   yogaścittavṛtti nirodhaḥ

1.3   tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe'vasthānam

1.4   vṛttisārūpyamitaratra

1.5   vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ

1.6   pramāṇaviparyayavikalpanidrāsmṛtayaḥ

1.7   pratyakśānumānāgamāḥ pramāṇāni

1.8   viparyayo mithyājñānamatadrūpapratiṣṭham

1.9   śabdajñānānupātī vastuśūnyo vikalpaḥ

1.10 abhāvapratyayālambanā vṛttirnidrā

1.11 anubhūtaviṣayāsaṁpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ

1.12 abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṁ tannirodhaḥ

1.13 tatra sthitau yatno'bhyāsaḥ

1.14 sa tu dīrghakālanairantaryasatkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ

1.15 dṛṣṭānuśravikaviṣayavitṛṣṇasya vaśīkārasaṁjṇā vairāgyam

1.16 tatparaṁ puruṣakhyāterguṇavaitṛṣṇyam

1.17 vitarkavicārānandāsmitārūpānugamāt saṁprajñātaḥ

1.18 virāmapratyayābhyāsapūrvaḥ saṁskāraśeṣo 'nyaḥ

1.19 bhavapratyayo videhaprakṛtilayānām

1.20 śraddhāvīryasmṛtisamādhiprajñāpūrvaka itareṣām

1.21 tīvrasaṁvegānāmāsannaḥ

1.22 mṛdumadhyādhimātratvāt tato'pi viśeṣaḥ

1.23 īśvarapraṇidhānādvā

1.24 kleśakarmavipākāśayairaparāmṛṣṭaḥ puruṣaviśeṣa īśvaraḥ

1.25 tatra niratiśayaṁ sarvajñabījam

1.26 sa eṣa pūrveṣāmapi guruḥ kālenānavacchedāt

1.27 tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ

1.28 tajjapastadarthabhāvanam

1.29 tataḥ pratyakcetanādhigamo'pyantarāyābhāvaśca

1.30 vyādhistyānasaṁśaya pramādālasyāvirati bhrāntidarśanālabdha bhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni cittavikṣepāste 'ntarāyāḥ

1.31 duḥkhadaurmanasyaṅgamejayatvaśvāsapraśvāsā vikṣepasahabhuvaḥ  

1.32 tatpratiṣedhārthamekatattvābhyāsaḥ  

1.33 maitrīkaruṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṁ sukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇya viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaścittaprasādanam
1.34 pracchardanavidhāraṇābhyāṁ vā prāṇasya  

1.35 viṣayavatī vā pravṛttirutpannā manasaḥ sthitinibandhinī  

1.36 viśokā vā jyotiṣmatī  

1.37 vītarāgaviṣayam vā cittam

1.38 svapnanidrājñānālambanam vā

1.39 yathābhimatadhyānādvā

1.40 paramāṇuparamamahattvānto asya vaśīkāraḥ

1.41 kṣīṇavṛtterabhijātasyeva maṇergrahītṛgrahaṇagrāhyeṣu tatsthatadañjanatā samāpattiḥ

1.42 tatra śabdārthajñānavikalpaiḥ saṅkīrṇā savitarkā samāpattiḥ  

1.43 smṛtipariśuddhau svarūpaśūnyevārthamātranirbhāsā nirvitarkā  

1.44 etayaiva savicārā nirvicārā ca sūkṣma viṣaya vyākhyātā  

1.45 sūkṣmaviṣayatvaṁ cāliṅgaparyavasānam

1.46 tā eva sabījaḥ samādhiḥ  

1.47 nirvicāravaiśāradye 'adhyātmaprasādaḥ

1.48 ṛtaṁbharā tatra prajñā  

1.49 śrutānumānaprajñābhyāmanyaviṣayā viśeṣārthatvāt  

1.50 tajjaḥ saṁskāro 'nyasaṁskārapratibandhī

1.51 tasyāpi nirodhe sarvanirodhānnirbījaḥ samādhiḥ

"Raja Yoga" Yoga Sutra commentary by Swami Vivekananda

Various commentaries

Interview with Guy Donahaye by Elise Espat Part 4

 

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait"
Interview of Guy Donahaye
by Elise Espat - Part IV
Originally published September 17, 2012 Mind Medicine Blog

Is there a point in the book that you feel is really crucial to understand Guruji, the system, or the practice?

I feel the book makes a few important points. Perhaps nothing new is said, although for many people there will be a lot of new material. The fact that we have 30 statements or interpretations, and that these statements are broadly in agreement, or together put pieces of the jigsaw in place, what we have as a result is a kind of "authoritative" text.

Interviewees were not always in agreement and at times completely contradict each other, however, I think you can trace at least 80% agreement on most of themes throughout the book.

In some respects you could say the interviews were research on my part. For instance, on the origin of the sequences: David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff believed that the sequences we practice (with some modifications) had been passed down directly from the Yoga Korunta, a text, 100s or 1000s of years old. This was the story I received when I first started practicing since my first teacher had learned from a student of David's. I asked Guruji about this several times and was never quite sure what he meant by his answers.

Apart from Nancy and David, everyone else who was interviewed believed that Guruji was involved in creating the system of asanas. Manju goes as far as to say that Krishnamacharya and Guruji sat down and went through various texts (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, Yoga Korunta, Yoga Rahasya) and made up the sequences based on Chikitsa and Shodhona. Norman Allen alludes to Norman Sjoman's book and its suggestion that this type of practice is a new creation modeled on gym training.

I think, through the interviews and my own conversations with Guruji,  a picture emerges that the Yoga Korunta contained  asanas and vinyasas grouped according to their therapeutic benefits but that the actual sequences we practice were created by Guruji under Krishnamacharya's supervision based on Chikitsa, Shodhona and so on.

It seems that Guruji did much of the work in organizing the sequences as well as in modifying the vinyasas. If you look at Yoga Makaranda - Krishnamacharya's book of 1934 - you can see how he sequences the asanas and structures the vinyasas quite differently. Shammie said he invented, or discovered the surya namaskar - I believe this is true - at least in the form that he taught.

One of the reasons I made the interviews was to establish a coherent picture and to correct some misconceptions about the nature of yoga, as taught by Guruji.

Guruji felt very strongly that yoga is a spiritual practice. It is perhaps ironic that someone who believed this so deeply, is sometimes seen as propagating a purely physical practice. Too many of my fellow practitioners in the early '90s tended to think this way, and maybe this is something which motivated me to initiate this project. For Guruji, the purpose of yoga was to make one fit for realization - that was his main interest - I think this is emphasized in the book.

For many people who never met Guruji, or whose contact with him was minimal, the anecdotes and stories about studying with him and about his character have brought him to life in vivid color. For those who did know him, the interviews reveal other facets of his teaching and has brought back many memories. I have received many emails from readers expressing gratitude for having been able to experience an intimate meeting with Guruji through these interviews.

Here is an email from John Scott:

Dear Guy,

Brilliant! Fanatastic! Congratulations!

Thank you Guy, I do think you and Eddie have put together a lovely and very valuable book.

It reminds me how much we learned from each other back in those days (the early 90s).

Guruji passed on so much wisdom to every individual student, and this was because he was always on-to-one with each student, and therefore the questions asked of him were all uniquely different. 

What is so nice,  is that Guruji's students love to share and pass on their personal experiences with everyone else.

The photo on the back cover looks great* and it's just as Guruji was for us back in those days.

Those were the days - the Lakshmipuram days

Photo By John Scott

I have already read a few of the pieces and have learn't so much more already

So again Thank You Thank You for sharing

Love John

Lucy India and Fynn

* This is John's photo



Guy Interview

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Intermediate Series Demonstration

This is a video from an asana demonstration we did in India in 2010. It was during the Dasara festival (around this time of year). We did two. One was outdoors in front of the Mysore Palace. The other was in the JSS Hospital. Sharath picked a few students to do the demonstration and he led us through some asanas from primary and intermediate series while he spoke on the benefits of practice. 

In general, I prefer not to demonstrate asanas. I think people (myself included) often only see the form. They see the acrobatic feat and think that that person must have been born like that or that it is easy for them or that they can do it because they are old or young or have short or long arms or were dancers or whatever. A bunch of judgements that distance the viewer from the possibilities and potentially disregard the actual story being told. 

That said, something very important and unique to this lineage of Ashtanga yoga is that the people teaching it are people who actually practice and do their absolute best to be living it. To be Authorized or Certified by the KPJAYI is as some have said not an accomplishment, but an obligation. We practice every single day. We continue to make the pilgrimage to Mysore.  We hold ourselves to the highest of standards because we are so small with the great responsibility of sharing an immense tradition.  We are and will always be students first. This I think is very important. 

So I'm posting this demonstration because it tells the story of years of continued daily ongoing uninterrupted unglamorous practice.      

Mexico Retreat FAQ: Practical Matters by Elise Espat

Q: Do the rooms at Xinalani have electricity? 
A:  Yes.  From Xinalani:

All rooms have very low consumption LED bulbs that give a nice dim ambar lighting at night time, there’s also a reading area. Should you wish to read in your bed at night, please bring a book light or a head light. 

There are two 110 V outlets in each room to plug cameras, cell phones and battery chargers. Xinalani does not allow the use of hair dryers or other high intensity electric devices that could damage the electric installation.

Q: Is there Wi-Fi Access?
A:  Yes and it is free.  From Xinalani:

Wi-Fi is available from the reception/lounge area, the dining patio, the beach, the sundeck, and from most eco-chic suites (1-7). Eco-Chic Suites 14 and 15 do not have Wi-Fi coverage.

Xinalani is located in a remote jungle area with no road access, hence no land telecommunications. For that matter, we had to build a complex VoIP gateway from our office downtown to send the phone and internet signal to the resort. This technology is quite new and it's sometimes unstable, hence not 100% efficient. Don't expect to have the same Wi-Fi service reliability as if you were at your office.

Of course, every guest has different needs or responsibilities, but if there's no emergency, we try to encourage our guests to remain unplugged, it helps to detox and enjoy a deeper retreat and a greater sense of wellness through your retreat. During your stay at Xinalani, procure using the internet only with full awareness of what you're using it for.

For our retreat in March:

If you wish (no obligation) you can take a fast from social or all digital media, to de-frag the hard drive of your mind. There will be experienced, loving (and humorous!) support for anyone taking a media fast for part or all of this week, and for anyone who wishes to deepen their pranayama, pratyhara or sitting meditation practice.  

Q: How do I get pesos? 
A: You might not need any. Your retreat includes your accommodation, meals, yoga classes, taxes, and airport transfer. That only leaves any additional activities and excursions, alcoholic beverages, and gratuities - all of which can be paid in US dollars or by credit card (not AmEx) to Xinalani. If you spend time exploring the local area outside of Xinalani you will probably need some pesos. You can get them before you leave at your bank or once you arrive in Mexico at an ATM.  Xinalani will also exchange money for you.  Please note that there aren't any ATMs at Xinalani or in the area.
Here is an article that talks more about money in Mexico:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g150768-s601/Mexico:Banks.And.Money.html

Q: What are breakfasts like? 
A: Abundant. Fresh and tasty. There is usually a buffet spread at Xinalani with items such as pancakes, muffins, yogurt, granola, fruit, oatmeal, beans, hard boiled eggs and more with a made-to-order option as well.
More about the cuisine & sample menu:
http://xinalaniretreat.com/healthy-cuisine.html

Q: Will we be able to leave our mats in the studio or should we anticipate taking them back to our rooms each day? 
A: It depends. Xinalani has 2 separate studios. The Greenhouse studio will be close to most of the palapas while the Jungle Studio will be a little uphill trek. Depending on the schedule for the day, we might be in one or the other. So while it is possible to leave your mats in the studios, it might make more sense to bring them back with you to your room. They do also have basic mats in each studio for you to use if you'd rather leave your mat at home. 
More about the studios:
http://xinalaniretreat.com/yoga-retreats-puerto-vallarta.html

More FAQs:
Elise's Xinalani Retreat FAQs
Xinalani's FAQ Page