Sep 30, 2012
Video: Guruji from Enlighten Up!
Sep 24, 2012
How to get up for yoga, again. by Angela Jamison
How to get up for yoga, again.
by Angela Jamison of Ashtanga Yoga Ann Arbor
Originally published 9/22/12 AY:A2 Blog
Republished with permission
I’m unconsciously competent. The longer I practice, the less I can articulate how to begin. So I must keep learning from those who are new to ashtanga. Thank you for being open about what’s hard, brave in dropping old habits, and enthusiastic in your own practice. I love this phase of the learning.
by Angela Jamison of Ashtanga Yoga Ann Arbor
Originally published 9/22/12 AY:A2 Blog
Republished with permission
I’m unconsciously competent. The longer I practice, the less I can articulate how to begin. So I must keep learning from those who are new to ashtanga. Thank you for being open about what’s hard, brave in dropping old habits, and enthusiastic in your own practice. I love this phase of the learning.
At the start, getting up for practice requires strength and guts: I
admire you, and we will all support you. Later, you’ll be able to do what you want to do with ease, and will embody that grace to yet new beginners.
Again this year, I’ve surveyed our group to remix the autumn antidote
to SAD. The Earth is changing, our student body is changing, the
zeitgeist is changing: so, a practice so fine-tuned as ashtanga also has
to adapt. (This is true, too, of subtle changes to the method emerging
from the main school in Mysore: our old practice is ever new. Because we
are ever new.) Anyway, after a month in the lab with your findings,
here’s this year’s get-up-early elixir. No kidding: stick to a regular
practice rhythm, and ashtanga’s the only prophylactic you’ll need.
1. Alchemize your word.
What’s the value of your word? If you say you’re going to do
something, is that an ironclad statement? Is it as good as a 50/50 bet?
Is your word more like hot air? If you decide strongly that you are
going to be a woman or man of your word, then you can use the golden
quality of that word to hold yourself to your own intentions.
Recently, three different practitioners who were struggling to get on
the mat consistently got out of their own way with this single,
uncompromising practice. They decided to be the kind of people who have
zero daylight between what they say they will do, and what they do.
In those painful mornings when the bed was especially seductive, they
asked themselves if sleeping through the alarm was worth the pain of
going back on their own word. It wasn’t. Because they had turned their
word in to gold, it was able to cut through tamas, doubt, and even the
softest bed.
Thanks for the inspiration. You know who you are.
2. Use the moral values that help you practice; lose the ones that don’t.
It turns out that getting your words and actions lined up is efficient.
Similar is the Bhagavad Gita’s teaching that a yogi remains detached
from the fruits of her actions and simply absorbs her attention into
doing her best in the present moment. Ashtanga is not about getting an
awesome body or a perfect mind or “nailing” some posture; it’s about
maintaining some concentration and equanimity for every breath,
regardless of what it looks like.
Grasping for results isn’t morally wrong; it’s just not smart. What we can control is our attitude, not the outcome of actions. So why waste energy fretting about what we cannot control?
By the same token, why waste energy fretting about the past? Most of
us—myself included—have absorbed a Puritan meta-morality from western
culture. This includes a lot of emphasis on moral purity, with a
countervailing internal assault team of guilt, shame, self-loathing and regret.
Total waste of energy. Enough already,
Hester Prynne. Regrets for the past kill excitement for the present. You
are worthy and you are welcome: if the (internal) puritan mobs come for
you, laugh at their feeble 17th century weapons and get your lightning speed mulabandha in gear.
3. The drugs. 1 mg of herbal melatonin 30 minutes
before bed for the first 2 weeks. Don’t try to wake up at vastly
different times on different days. People seem to suffer too much doing
that. A key insight of Ayurveda is that the body loves a stable rhythm.
Reset the whole system, so your serotonin-melatonin dynamic is stable.
4. The rock’n’roll. Big sound, bright light and a hot shower in the morning are still key. See here.
5. Practice in the body you have today. The corporeal body… and the student body.
The new people having the most fun this year are those rolling out your
mats near the veterans. People who have practiced for a while embody a
tacit (hormonal, energetic, phermonic?) knowledge that does rub off. Get
in!
The veterans’ prime time used to be 7-8 am, but like in most Mysore
rooms, it’s crept earlier because they just can’t wait to get on the
mat. Most newcomers say it helps to know that getting up early for
practice is effortless for so many. (For that matter, my alarm now goes
off at 3:30 instead of 4; and in Mysore I usually get on the mat at
4:15. And, to be brutally honest, it’s awesome.) For now, our group’s
energy is strongest from 6:30 – 7:30. You can come later if you want!
But if you need a boost, you’ll get it by jumping in the 6:30 updraft.
By contrast, if you arrive when the majority of people are finishing,
what you’ll experience is their most calm, grounded, quiet energy.
That’s also very nice, but one cannot really draft off it.
6. Start in with a sunshine lamp routine now.
Get one and follow the instructions. If you don’t want to invest the
money, ask your friends. Everyone who has one will tell you it changed
their life. Michigan newcomers usually suffer their first winter or two
before figuring this out. Why waste a year? I use a Phillips goLITE BLU
light therapy device.
7. Get closely in contact with your love of the practice. It’s there, even amid suffering, obstacles and madness. Why else are you doing this, anyway? Ayurveda teaches that our deep desires are wise, and that on some level the nervous system knows things.
I see different ways that each of you loves, and respects, and gives
thanks for this practice. It is personal. I see that some of you love
the way your mind and body operate on the days you practice; some of you
love the quiet of the mornings; many of you love the sheer honesty of
staying with this when it is physically, emotionally or psychically
hard.
Whatever it is, that awe and love are high quality fuel (whereas
guilt, shame, pride, superiority and achievement are not as great).
Love and a little reverence tend to give us all more energy as the
rhythms—hormones, appetites, emotions, inner vision, et cetera—find
their way into agreement with each other.
This is how it works. Most of us have to effort it strongly at first,
and then practice starts to do itself. I see for those of you in your
second year that you are not pushing yourselves to practice so much as
being practiced. Yes. Once this thing has a strong spin of its own, you
move from (1) depending on external practice resources (like high
concentration environments, others’ strong energy, and social norms that
promote precise mental discipline) to (2) producing them for yourself
and others. In this way, too, in the long run the yoga gives more energy
than it takes.
About Angela:
My name is Angela Jamison. I was introduced to ashtanga yoga in 2001 in Los Angeles, and have practiced six days a week continuously since 2003.In 2006, I completed intermediate series with Rolf Naujokat before learning from him the ashtanga pranayama sequence. I maintain a relatively modest pranayama practice.
Later in 2006, I met Dominic Corigliano, who taught me the subtler layers of ashtanga practice, and eventually, slowly, taught me to teach yoga. During 2009, I assisted Jörgen Christiansson.
After retreats in the Zen, Vajrayana and Vipassana traditions, I began working with the meditation teacher Shinzen Young in 2009. I meditate daily, confer with Shinzen about my practice every few months, and take annual silent retreats.
I have made four long trips to Mysore to practice ashtanga with R. Sharath Jois, and to study the history and philosophy of yoga with M.A. Narasimhan and M.A. Jayashree. I will return to Mysore regularly.
In 2011, Sharath authorized me at Level 2, asking me to teach the full intermediate series.
Related: How to wake up for yoga
Ashtanga Yoga Dictionary: Tristhana
त्रिस्थान tristhāna
Definition via KPJAYI.org:
This means the three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other.
Asanas [āsana] purify, strengthen and give flexibility to the body. Breathing is rechaka and puraka, that means inhale and exhale. Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale. Breathing in this manner purifies the nervous system. Dristhi [dṛṣṭi] is the place where you look while in the asana. There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind.
For cleaning the body internally two factors are necessary, air and fire. The place of fire in our bodies is four inches below the navel. This is the standing place of our life force. In order for fire to burn, air is necessary, hence the necessity of the breath. If you stoke a fire with a blower, evenness is required so that the flame is not smothered out, or blown out of control.
The same method stands for the breath. Long even breaths will strengthen our internal fire, increasing heat in the body which in turn heats the blood for physical purification, and burns away impurities in the nervous system as well. Long even breathing increases the internal fire and strengthens the nervous system in a controlled manner and at an even pace. When this fire is strengthened, our digestion, health and life span all increase.
Uneven inhalation and exhalation, or breathing too rapidly, will imbalance the beating of the heart, throwing off both the physical body and autonomic nervous system.
An important component of the breathing system is mula and uddiyana bandha. These are the anal and lower abdominal locks which seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire. Without bandhas, breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit. When mula bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic.
Sep 23, 2012
Healing Injuries with Ashtanga Yoga by Paul Mitchell Gold
Authorized Ashtanga yoga teacher Paul Mitchell Gold of the Ashtanga Yoga Shala, Toronto writes on the healing power of a daily Mysore practice and how to work with injuries. (See also "Should I Practice If...?")
Healing Injuries with Ashtanga Yoga
Originally published September 22, 2012, Ashtanga Yoga and other things
Republished with permission
Originally published September 22, 2012, Ashtanga Yoga and other things
Republished with permission
Yoga practice is not an exercise class and
it’s not a workout. Sure, it’s vigorous and physically challenging, but
that’s just the means rather than the end. However, as with any physical
endeavour, aches and pains are unavoidable and injuries can happen.
If one gets injured practicing yoga, the
yoga practice is the best way to heal and rehabilitate. Also, if one
gets injured doing some other activity, yoga practice is the best way to
heal and rehabilitate. Finally, if one begins yoga practice with a
preexisting injury, the yoga practice is the best way to heal and
rehabilitate. From my experience, yoga practice is an amazing healer.
Healing an injury with Ashtanga Yoga is
possible and requires daily practice. Taking days off regardless of how
one’s feeling is ultimately detrimental to the healing process. Unlike
working out, the effects of yoga practice are cumulative. The body’s
natural reaction to injury is to contract and armour. Yoga encourages
the afflicted area to move when it wants to petrify. Taking days off
between practices just makes the body stiffer under normal
circumstances, but even more so with an injury or chronic condition.
Students often wait until their aches and
pains are gone before returning to class. They’ll disappear and return
saying they needed to rest their injury. The truth, however, is that the
pain is not gone and the injury hasn’t healed. The problem simply went
underground while they were resting and was patiently waiting to return.
Whatever imbalance or bad habit caused the pain or injury hasn’t been
addressed or corrected. The pains and injury return as soon as the
student is back on the mat.
It is a shame that some students who aren’t
willing to follow the prescription for daily practice end up quitting
and saying that “ashtanga yoga doesn’t work” or “yoga made my pain
worse.” This just isn’t true.
The first thing a student must do when using
the practice to heal and rehabilitate is adapt. It is necessary when
injured to scale back practice so that it’s appropriate as therapy. That
very often means having a very basic and short practice for awhile
where the level of sensation to the injured area is deliberately kept at
zero.
Both Rachelle and I have had pain and
injuries over the years and we both used ashtanga yoga as a means of
healing ourselves. Some days, I would do only a few slow and difficult
sun salutations before needing to stop. It had it’s moments of
frustration and I often felt impatient and frankly pissed off. It wasn’t
much fun, but I slowly healed and was back to 100% over time.
So, first off, a student needs to adjust
practice to reflect the injury or pains being experienced. There’s no
reason to power through or ignore the problem. In the case of an injury
caused by bad habits or poor breathing, taking things slowly and scaling
back helps to pinpoint where there’s a problem and re-learn how to
practice correctly without causing chronic pain. One of the added
bonuses of using practice to heal an injury is that we find practice is
stronger once we’ve healed.
In the case of a student who starts ashtanga
yoga to heal a pre-existing injury, the best advice I can give is to
look at practice as medicine and follow the prescription.
If I were to develop a chest infection and
went to a doctor, I would likely be prescribed antibiotics to treat the
infection with instructions to take three pills every day for a week. If
I follow the prescription, I will no longer have my chest infection
However, if I do NOT follow the prescription and I take the medicine
every few days or only once per day, I really shouldn’t be surprised if
my problem hasn’t been cured.
Practice daily. Do what you can. Don’t push.
Maintain zero sensation in the injured area. Be patient and have faith.
Talk to your teacher when you’re frustrated. This is the prescription
to heal injuries using ashtanga yoga. Students who follow this
prescription heal their injuries and rehabilitate chronic problems. They
transform their bodies and blow their minds in the process.
About Paul
I took my first yoga classes in 1995 and became a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga after a short period of experimenting.
I took my first yoga classes in 1995 and became a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga after a short period of experimenting.
From 1998 to 2001, I studied with Noah
Williams and Kimberly Flynn and taught at their yoga school in Los
Angeles. I also want to thank Jorgen Christiansson, an early teacher and
good friend, who first taught me to trust this practice.
In 2001, Rachelle and I made our first trip to
Mysore, India. Since, we have returned annually to continue our studies
with Guruji and Sharath.
I received authorization
to teach the Ashtanga method in 2004 and was a member of the first
group to receive Level 2 Authorization in July 2009. I have the blessing
of KPJAYI to teach students the full Primary and Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga.
Dedication to daily practice is the
cornerstone of my teaching philosophy. I encourage my students to
develop the virtues of patience, faith, diligence, compassion and
non-attachment using the integrity and genius of the traditional
Ashtanga system. As these virtues are cultivated over time, students are
well on the way to living fuller, happier and more balanced lives. More
Sep 20, 2012
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."
Sep 19, 2012
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.)
- 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- SeptemberSeptember 4-6 / Encinitas, CA
September 7-8 / Los Angeles, CA
September 9 / San Francisco, CA
September 11-12 / Eugene, OR
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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
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