Happy Maha Shivaratri!

Thunderspank - P.J. Hefferman

Moon Days 2014

Days of rest from asana practice.  Here's why.
Moon days might vary depending on where you live.  Check with your teacher for your local dates.

1/15
1/30
2/14
2/28
3/16
3/30
4/14
4/28
5/13
5/28
6/12
6/26
7/11
7/26
8/10
8/24
9/8
9/23
10/7
10/23
11/6
11/21
12/5
12/21

Mary Flinn in Albuquerque {Photos}

View full album here

A little inspiration {Video}

Age 44, 31 weeks 5 days gestation, daily practice. Just an average morning over at the Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala.

Resolution #1 Begin a Yoga Practice

Any time is a great time to follow your heart and try something new or make a change. From learning how to crochet to stepping into that first yoga class, for me, 2011 is about putting thought into action.

Articles pop up everyday about the positive impact of yoga on both the body and mind. But how do you transition from reading about yoga to actually getting into a class? A few of us at Go Yoga have jotted down our answers to help you out of your winter boots and onto your yoga mat.

Why should people start practicing yoga? Why should it be one of their goals or resolutions for 2011?

Lilia Mead (Go Yoga, Teacher and Founder):
Yoga is for everyone, even if everyone isn’t for Yoga. If you can breathe, have a mind and body and a deep seated desire for “ultimate happiness”, then Yoga practice and philosophy is for you. If you are investigating who you really are; beyond the body, mind complex, then Yoga is for You. If during the day you suffer from various mental afflictions and are not sure where they are coming from or how to eradicate them, then Yoga is for you. If not now, then when? Besides, why postpone joy (something I read on a bumper sticker, but true none the less). 

Michael Hewett (Go Yoga, Teacher and Sarva Yoga Academy, Founder):
We’ve all heard the yoga means union or, oneness. Oneness manifests through trinities…subjects, objects, and the relationship between the two. This is the way we participate in every experience. For each of Us to own this creative experience and stabilize into a realm of abundance, safety, profundity, and love for All beings, we must glimpse this interdependent relationship through the practice and study of yoga. 

Elise Espat (Go Yoga, Teacher and Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn, Founder)
Guruji (the late Shri K. Pattabhi Jois) would say that one is drawn to yoga because they practiced in a previous life. This is from the Gita:



“By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles — even without seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist stands always above the ritualistic principles of the scriptures.”

If you feel a pull toward yoga, then let it begin now. Otherwise, it is always “oh tomorrow, tomorrow”. Also, in Guruji’s book, Yoga Mala, he says that winter is the best time to start yoga…

Ralph De La Rosa (Go Yoga, Manager and Meditation Teacher)
Plain and simple: Yoga is an excellent idea for anyone who enjoys feeling amazing, and is interested in struggling less in life.

If someone wants to begin practicing yoga, where should they start?

 Lilia:
A good place to start is a basics class or a beginner series at a studio that grabs your heart. I would recommend researching studios and teachers at those center’s with a lot of teaching experience and practice under their belt. Also, I think it is important that the teachings come from a long, pure lineage that traces back in time. Another words; authentic and not new age or arbitrary.

Michael:
Start where your passion lies. What turns you on? Where do you get frisky when you think of your favorite things to do? Skiing, music, love making, cooking, travel, worship… it simply doesn’t matter which path you take as long as it is taken.

Elise:
If you have a friend that invited you to class, go! If you see a sign for a yoga shala, walk in, get a schedule, and sign up for a class. There are so many options out there, you are bound to try things that you decide are not for you. When this happens, grab your mat and try something new. Be persistent in establishing your practice and be ready to make a commitment and do the work when you find the right fit.

Ralph:
By taking a Basic class! It may sound obvious, but too many people start with DVDs or podcasts. The best way to learn anything is always from another person who is in the room with you. Books and whatnot are great, but only once you’ve built your foundation.

Philosophically: By contemplating how good your life already is. I’ve got friends, love, warmth, food, clothing, shelter, intelligence, and the most amazing city one could live in – that’s only the tip of the iceberg, and so many people live with so much less. I’ve got all of this, and yet time is slipping past me at an alarming speed. What do I do with my incredible privilege and good fortune? How do I make this all count? No matter what my answer is, a yoga practice is a great asset for getting me there.

What should someone look for when choosing their first teacher and how do they find them?

Lilia:
Personally, I think there are a lot of young “Yoga” instructor’s running around the city, but not a lot of people truly teaching Yoga. I want to know that my teacher’s know their Yamas and Niyamas, are meditating and practicing Guru Yoga (or at least know what it means) and are not mistaking the path or practices for the goal itself; Enlightenment, Samadhi, Nirvana, Freedom from Suffering etc. There needs to be a scriptural source for the teaching. In other words, not simply the individual’s take or spin on the practice; random spiritual thoughts of the day.

Michael:
They will turn you on and inspire like the way great musicians inspire young musicians. Being in the presence of a Being like this feels like riding a magic carpet…like the way high art raises you to a higher level. People find a Teacher by desiring to have a relationship with a Teacher, and everyone…everyone wants this kind of relationship in their life. It is as unmistakable as romantic chemistry.

Traditionally {in the Tibetan tradition} the first three qualities of a qualified Teacher is their perfect ethical behavior, their concentration to maintain this fidelity in all situations, and their stainless and unshakable wisdom which is the view that all beings are their own sweet self.

Elise:
Parampara. They should have direct and practical experience with yoga practice and teaching. They should come from a lineage of knowledge. They should inspire you. They should be a living example of the benefits of yoga.

Ralph:
Detailed instruction, and someone you simply like. Ask them questions about your practice. Ask them who else to go to. And stick with them when they start to push your buttons. You find your teachers by just practicing and trying lots of different things. This is why we try to offer so many workshops at Go. Having exposure and access to different approaches is really key.

What should someone look for when choosing a yoga studio? 

Lilia:
Choosing a Yoga studio is like entering into a very intimate relationship. All the right conditions must be there. Connection to the teachings and teacher, the vibe, aesthetic, authenticity of the practice and lineage. The whole experience; from the moment you walk in until you step foot back outside. How does it all make you feel? Can you let your guard down, feel safe and vulnerable enough to sweat your prayers and be as real as you can be?

Michael:
Master Patanjali’s Astanga yoga should be taught: all eight limbs are being addressed: Harmonious conduct in life [yama/niyama], physical practices, subtle body/breath/emotional control, sensory withdrawal, and how to refine concentration into bliss.

By the way, Costa Rica is not a limb of yoga.

Elise:
If we use the shastras as a standard, then it is very specific in terms of environment — a clean indoor space on the ground floor in a place with many trees — it goes on… For most city dwellers, find a place that makes you feel excited about going to class. It might be a church basement, a gym, or a yoga studio with Ganesh on the wall. It is also important to think about it as an investment. You might start at one place and decide another better fits your practice and ethical principles.

Ralph:
Friendliness. What are the people who teach, practice and work there like? If they are happy and attentive, then they’re doing something right; and that’s where you want to be.

How should a beginner choose what classes to attend?

Michael:
Study with teachers you have chemistry with and stick close to Them. This is a changing thing in that they will shift over the years. It will be the most magnetic way of staying in the practice over a long period of time. After all, if you can’t do what you’re teacher says, how will you ever listen to your inner voice, and how would you ever be capable of doing what you set out to do?

Elise:

Start with classes listed as appropriate for beginners or “basic”. When you are ready for more, the next step will present itself.

Ralph:
Trial and error. Don’t settle into a “comfort zone” too quickly. Every teacher has something to show you.

How should one prepare for that first class?
Michael:
Be kind in your motivation towards others as steadily as possible until it spills over into your dreamlife.

Elise:
Read the beginner section of the class website. They’ll let you know what you should bring and how to get ready. Arrive early (10-15 minutes) so you can leisurely get acquainted with the space and registration procedures. Don’t eat at least 2 hours before class.

Ralph:
Show up a little early. Quiet yourself, take a break, and set an intention or reminder. This can make or break any practice. I like to remind myself to be present and diligent; to really show up for the challenge – but also to back off and take rest when I need to. Also, it’s a great idea to break the cycle of being so self-concerned all the time. Yoga makes me a better friend, lover, family member, co-worker, teacher, student… I have so much more brilliance to offer the world when I’ve been practicing. Dedicating a practice to the betterment of the world is a clever way to taste freedom.

Any other advice for someone interested in starting a practice/those first classes?

Michael:
Basic classes three times a week for three months, at least.

Elise:
Yoga is a whole life practice that develops over an entire lifetime. Take it easy, be patient, and as my Sanskrit teacher in India says, “practice with happy”.

Ralph:
Seriously, just do it and keep doing it. The hardest part is getting started. Once you’re in the full swing of things, you will be so glad you worked past any initial reluctance. You will surprise and inspire yourself. Also, be kind. Stop giving your inner self-critic the time of day. You’re awesome and your life is nothing short of a full-blown miracle. This is about making the very most of that.

-Elise Espat

ABOUT:
In January 2000, Lilia Mead opened Go Yoga with the help and support of countless others. Her practice and classes include Vinyasa, Pranayama, Meditation, and Chanting. In 1997, she completed her Jivamukti training with her first and most profound teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to study with many great masters, including T.K.V Desikachar, Mary Dunn, Genny Kapular, Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally. She traveled to India in 1999 to study with the esteemed Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and in 2002 returned to study with meditation master Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In 2006, Lilia’s spiritual practice expanded to include the birth of her daughter and three years later, a son. Becoming a mother has proved to be the most challenging, yet fulfilling spiritual practice to date.

Michael Hewett has been teaching yoga and dharma full time since 1997. Reflecting his extensive training and creativity, Michael’s heat-building vinyasa classes emphasize breath, meditation and yogic philosophy. Over the past fourteen years, he has studied with Alan Finger, Cyndi Lee, David Nichtern, Sharon Gannon and David Life. In 2004, he met his root teachers, Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally, and began studying Tibetan Buddhism in the lineage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In 2010, Michael founded Sarva Yoga Academy out of a deep sense of gratitude and respect for the power of the ancient practices and teachers who’ve dedicated their lives to passing wisdom to us. Sarva Yoga Academy’s mission is to transmit the knowledge and practices of the great Indian and Tibetan yogic lineages, which teach students the difference between power and force, participation and manipulation, and how to transmute every moment of their life into spiritual practice.

Michael is also an accomplished composer, guitarist of over twenty five years, and recording artist who has released four full-length albums and numerous singles. He plays lead guitar in the hit Broadway Musical, “Wicked” and tours internationally with his own project.

Elise Espat is dedicated to the ongoing practice and study of the traditional Ashtanga yoga method. She is one of the few teachers worldwide to have received Level 2 Authorization enabling her to teach both the primary and intermediate series of Ashtanga yoga. She is honored to have practiced with the late Shri K. Pattabhi Jois and maintains an ongoing practice with R. Sharath Jois and R. Saraswathi Jois at the KPJ Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India .


Ralph De La Rosa is a lifelong spiritual seeker and, more recently, a spiritual finder. Yoga and meditation have offered him the hands-down, best solutions to the depression, addiction, anxiety and trauma that weighed him down for a very, very long time. Ralph is the manager of Go Yoga, teaches meditation with The Interdependence Project (www.theidproject.org), and is studying to become a psychotherapist at Fordham University.

Originally published January 2011: http://goyogabrooklyn.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/resolution-1-get-started-with-yoga/

Visiting practice

I can't remember if I posted this when it was published.  In either case, 'tis the season.



Taking my practice on the road by Esther Liberman (Elephant Journal)

My husband and I traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico this past weekend for one of the most beautiful weddings we have ever attended. The bride, my college roommate and dear friend, chose to put aside every convention of self-importance to set her non-denominational special day on a sustainable farm that also housed and entertained the lot of us for the entire weekend. It was gorgeous, relaxing and a lot of fun.

Over dinner the first night, her husband, a new dear friend, and I chatted about our Jewish backgrounds and how similarly we’d grown up—he in Canada and I in Colombia. Despite the radical differences between the two countries, their Jewish populations shared countless similarities in their approach to worship and community.

Some conventions we both remember fondly and as far less-practicing adults we still appreciate (cantor-driven prayer in Hebrew, to which we sang along phonetically, much like mantra). Some we’ve always questioned (separating men’s seating from women’s). The truly fascinating aspect of our comparison of childhood notes, though, were not these details, but rather that despite the fact that we grew up on different continents and in different languages, the form and fashion of our religious identity was virtually identical.

Driving back from dinner to the luscious farm where we’d be staying for the weekend, I saw the sign for the Nahalat Shalom congregation whiz by the car window, one more adobe edifice in the desert. “Maybe we can pop in for Shabbat services tomorrow night,” I said to my husband. “Uh,” stalled the even less-practicing Jew who grew up the same way I did but remembers religious customs slightly less fondly, “don’t we have a rehearsal dinner to attend?”

Skeptical as he is, my husband also knows me very well and could guess why I’d made the suggestion. He remembers my old habit of visiting temples on Shabbat whenever I found myself in a foreign country, despite the fact I seldom (if ever) attend services when I’m home, just to be able to walk into a situation that is, regardless of the surrounding culture and within the confines of the temple walls, entirely familiar.

Going to Shabbat services in 1993 in the Marais in Paris, I managed a better pronunciation of my prayers in Hebrew than what I had all week in my terrible, highly critiqueable efforts at French. A Friday night spent in the only functioning temple in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2000 felt more like home than had anything else for a whole summer in that desolate, haunted city.

Not wanting to deny me the anthropological curiosity and personal comfort that I derive from this old ritual of mine, my husband was about to agree to go to temple, when I abruptly agreed with him. “You’re right, we do have a dinner tomorrow night. Besides, we’re going to Mysore practice in the morning...”  continue reading full article

Scrapbook - live from India

I'm in Mysore, India.  I'm posting photos here.  The Shala is still open of course.  You come!

Florida Workshop Scrapbook

A glimpse of my workshop at Krista Shirley's lovely The Yoga Shala - Ashtanga Yoga Studio.
Photos taken by Krista. View full album here.

Yoga Comics: Surya Namaskar & a Demonstration

The Amazing Surya Namaskara!! Doing “salutes to the sun” renders life heavenly and blissful and is the secret to everlasting youth!

In Yoga Mala, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (“Guruji”) talks in depth about the benefits of the Surya Namaskara. Guruji explained that by practicing the Surya Namaskara, all ailments, including mental illness, can be cured. He says, “To keep the body, which is the foundation of the performance of all sorts of meritorious deeds, pure and free from obstacles such as disease as much as possible, the Surya Namaskara and yogasana are very important. Indeed, in the present world, they are essential to all, men and women, young and old….”

Here is more background to the amazing and revitalizing power of the Surya Namaskara from Yoga Mala: “The practice of the Surya Namaskara, or Sun Salutations, has come down to us from the long distant past, and is capable of rendering human life heavenly and blissful. By means of it, people can become joyous, experience happiness and contentment, and avoid succumbing to old age and death…

Yet, nowadays, without ever having learned the traditions and practices of their ancestors and having not control over their sense organs, people engage in self-indulgence and destroy their mental powers for the sake of tangible gain. They deny reality simply because it cannot be seen and make their lives miserable, or subject to disease, poverty, and death. If they were to follow the traditions of their ancestors, however, they would develop their bodies and minds, and, in so doing, make possible the realization of the nature of the Self, as a scriptural authority confirms: ‘Nayam atma balahinena labhyah (This Self cannot be gained by one devoid of strength)’….

By following the precept of the great sages, ‘Shariramadyam khalu dharma Sadhanam (The first duty is to take care of the body, which is the means to the pursuit of spiritual life),’ our ancestors found the means to bodily health.”

The daily duty of performing Surya Namaskara was believed to instill the blessings of the Sun God who brings good health. Guruji says, “If we reflect on the saying, ‘Arogyam bhaskarad icchet (One should desire health from the Sun),’ it is clear that those blessed by the Sun God live healthy lives. Therefore, for health – the greatest wealth of all – to be attained, the blessings of the Sun God must alone be sought.”

The Sun planet has played a very powerful roll in all cultures. Surya, the Sun God, represents the visible form of the divine, one that you can plainly see every day. The Sun is believed to heal the sick and bring good fortune.

Guruji says, “The method for doing Surya Namaskara has been described in various ways by various people. We cannot categorically state which is correct, but when we reflect on the science of yoga, we see that the tradition of Surya Namaskara follows, in the main, the method of vinyasa, or breathing and movement system, the movements of rechaka, or exhalation, puraka, or inhalation, and meditation. According to the yoga shastra, this tradition includes: vinyasa; rechaka and puraka; dhyana (meditation); drishti (sight, or gazing place); and the bandhas (muscle contractions, or locks). And this alone is the method which should be followed when learning the Surya Namaskara, as yogis declare from experience. Indeed, the Sun Salutations done without following the rules mentioned above are little more than exercise, and not true Surya Namaskara.”

Via The Yoga Comics
Editors: Jessica Walden and Elise Espat (Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala)
Cartoon guy: Boonchu Tanti, Ashtanga Illustrations by Boonchu / Ashtanga Yoga Center Of Bangkok. - AYBKK

This video was taken in 2010 during Dasara. I'm on the far left :)

Weekend Edition #17 Sharath in Moscow and Copenhagen

"Guru To Go. A portrait of R. Sharath Jois" is a sweet mini doc by Alessandro Sigismondi chronicling R. Sharath Jois' visit to Copenhagen hosted by Astanga Yoga Copenhagen.







Here are notes from Sharath's Moscow Conference (2013 July 28) hosted and posted by Ashtanga Yoga Moscow.  There is also a livestream of Sharath teaching a led class here.

Next stops:
Stockholm: August 11 – 16
Helsinki: August 18 – 23
London: August 25 – 30
Saraswathi in Helsinki: September 22 – 27
Saraswathi in Kiev: September 29 – October 4

Weekend Edition #16 The week in review

Thanks to the participants and organizers of last weekend's Anahata Yoga Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It was a wonderful event and there is already talk about the next one...



Here are a few articles, posts, and conference notes worth a read:

• Yoga: Changing The Brain's Stressful Habits by Alex Korb, Ph.D. in Psychology Today
  "As a neuroscientist, despite my initial incredulity, I came to realize that yoga works not because the poses are relaxing, but because they are stressful. It is your attempts to remain calm during this stress that create yoga's greatest neurobiological benefit."
  
• Ellen Williams Kympton, 68: Practicing with Gratitude, Living Gracefully with Cancer by Robbie Norris in the Richmond Private Blog
  "I teach a 78-year old woman who has experienced major revitalization during two years of daily practice. Her 40-minute (and growing) practice has dramatically changed her body, increased her overall wellbeing, and enlightened her sense of humor with moments of childlike bliss.
  People who know only a little about Ashtanga Yoga (including many who might say they've tried it) often characterize it as fast yoga, athletic yoga, yoga for the young and healthy, or a practice that is too strict with no room for innovation. When you hear someone speak about Ashtanga Yoga in that way, be assured they know virtually nothing about it, and let a red flag go up -- because it will be a person who assumes authority about that of which his knowledge is slight."
  
• AY:A2 ashtanga session ‘bootlegs’ via YogaRose.net
  Here’s the session as one long view.
  Eight limbs and tristhana.
  Ashtanga as a natural movement practice.
  Ujjayi pranayama versus breathing with sound.
  House Recommendations.
  Communicable diseases in the Mysore room.
  Finally, here’s a playlist of all the videos.
  
• Conference notes with Sharath Jois in Mysore, India via Jois Yoga
  -January 8, 2012 by Andrew Hillam
  -July 22, 2012 by Anna Muzzin
  -September 9, 2012 by Megan Riley

For the home practitioners, there is also a new live stream of Sharath teaching in Moscow:

I'm heading to Mysore in the fall to practice and study with my teacher R. Sharath Jois.  Here is a glimpse of a led intermediate class at the shala a couple of years ago:



Lastly, I've opened up an online shop to help raise funds for my trip and also for Uttarakhand disaster relief.  Check it out!

Thanks for reading!

Sharath Led Primary Livestream

Video streaming by Ustream

Via Ashtanga Yoga School Moscow

Anahata Yoga Festival

I'm teaching a beginner's led class at 12:30pm.  Come!
More information available on Facebook.

The Yoga Comics tribute to Shri K. Pattabhi Jois

We created this week's comic in deepest gratitude and loving memory of Shri K. Pattabhi Jois.
Happy birthday Guruji and may your story continue to inspire!

Please visit this link to the KPJAYI website to read more about Guruji's life and legacy:
http://kpjayi.org/biographies/k-pattabhi-jois

The quote is from "Yoga Mala" by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.


About The Yoga Comics
Editors: Jessica Walden and Elise Espat
Illustrator: Boonchu Tanti

Facebook: facebook.com/TheYogaComics