Feb 20, 2020

Where to find a cotton Mysore rug online by Elise Espat

Me, so blissed out on textiles in Mysore, India 2018.


First posted this in 2012.  Here's the updated version. Happy practicing!


You should ALWAYS support your Shala and buy a rug locally.  
If they don't carry something you want, just ask.  They will probably be happy to order one for you.  It might take a little longer and cost a little more than going online, but you are contributing to the community.  This is a big deal. If you carry rugs at your shala and would like to be listed, email eliseashtangayoga@ gmail.com. This is simply a small list of what is out there online.  Through trial and error, you will find what you like. 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!



Some Towels

Manduka Yogitoes Mat Towel https://amzn.to/2VbhEFg

Gaiam Yoga Mat Towel https://amzn.to/38NmCMl

Prana Maha Yoga Towel https://amzn.to/2SUW5WA

Jade Yoga Towel https://amzn.to/37MQQh4

Hugger Mugger Yoga Towel https://amzn.to/2v6ltRx


Some Rugs

Hugger Mugger Cotton Rug https://amzn.to/3bUspBE

Bliss Peak Cotton Rug https://amzn.to/2V4ptfY

Nysa Yoga Rug https://www.nysayoga.com/collections/frontpage/products/organic-mysore-yoga-rug

Jade Yoga Cotton Mysore Rug https://amzn.to/37Jrj8O

Yogasana Yoga Mat https://amzn.to/32nVBgl

Bheka Rug http://www.yogalifestyle.com/GECottonYogaMatRugSolid.htm

Pink Namaste https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkNamaste


If you are just getting started, check out my beginner's guide:
https://aylibrary.blogspot.com/p/ashtanga-yoga-beginners-guide.html

Jun 8, 2019

New Blog: Yoga + Minimalist

Day 23 of 30 days of challenging myself to write again.  I started blogging back in 2007 the day before I left on my first trip to India.  I didn’t even know what a blog was but it was easier than emailing everyone so I gave it a try and ended up writing almost every day for years.  And then suddenly it drifted away.  I lost the excitement, the motivation, my confidence, my voice.  I didn’t feel like I had anything to say at all.  It was many things.  Exhaustion and stress and overwork and trauma and bullying and self consciousness and everything.  All the things that can happen when you are more and more isolated and deeper in you go...  read more

Please visit my new blog here: https://yogaminimalist.blogspot.com/

You can also follow my blog with Bloglovin

Jan 14, 2016

The Spiritual Aspect is Missing by Sharath Jois






June 20, 2015
HOW YOGA IS BEING DILUTED WORLD OVER
The spiritual aspect is missing
(Sharath Jois)

The world needs yoga now more than ever before. Look at the lifestyle of people worldwide. India too is no exception. It has become fast-paced, people are in a hurry to achieve multiple things because of the competitive world. Stress is being built up inside the body. Everyone is prone to stressful life. This is where yoga is useful in maintaining the balance of body and mind, improve focus in life, sharpen concentration and enjoy a peaceful life.
I have been teaching Ashtanga Yoga, which is one of the classical forms of yoga. The bases for practicing Ashtanga Yoga are vinyasa (breathing and movement system); tristhana (three places of action) and the elimination of "six poisons" - lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy. Combined together, they can contribute to longevity of an individual.
Yoga can be practiced by anyone, whether young, old, very old, healthy or sick. Even so, the way in which a young person is taught will differ in manner from the way in which an old or sick person will be taught. Therefore, each student must be considered as an individual and taught at a pace that is suitable for their situation in life.
Unfortunately, world over yoga is being diluted under the garb of modern yoga. There is no such thing as modern yoga. Today, I see yoga being practiced in gyms, combined with aerobics, and in the Western world, it has taken a completely different form. The spiritual aspect of yoga is missing everywhere. In fact, spirituality and yoga are interlinked. You cannot take away spirituality from yoga and practise it. That will not be considered yoga at all… There is a dire need to revive classical yoga in its spiritual form, which I think is the authentic form of yoga. That's what I am trying to do, keeping the Ashtanga Yoga tradition alive before someone can lay claim over its modern version.
I am also appalled with the emergence of scores of yoga teachers and their schools with some basic and formal training. One cannot become a yoga teacher by taking up a one-month course or some certificate programme. Yoga is a way of life… A practice, which needs to be mastered by practising it six days a week rigorously in its purest form for at least three years. Now, that's when one can claim to be a yoga teacher.
According to me, knowledge can be transferred only after the student has spent many years with an experienced guru, a teacher to whom he has completely surrendered in body, mind, speech and inner being. Only then is he fit to receive knowledge. This transfer from teacher to student is parampara (tradition) and that is what is followed at our KPJAYI.
We make sure that whoever is practising Ashtanga Yoga and intends to promote it, has to mandatorily get trained under us for three years. Only then, we authorise them to teach Ashtanga Yoga in its original form, involving the spiritual aspects. (KPJAYI authorised yoga gurus are present in over 70 countries across five continents and they owe allegiance to the Ashtanga Yoga first introduced by K Pattabhi Jois).
Yoga is integral to our lives and I cannot imagine myself not practising yoga because it is one simplest natural ways of life that helps build the overall personality of an individual. Yoga offers better health, peace of mind and tranquillity, and above all emerge as a successful individual. My biggest inspiration is my grandfather and continuing in his footsteps has been a blessing to me.
(As told to Aravind Gowda.)

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