Mar 9, 2020

How to have a home practice - inspiration and tip checklist

Keeping and maintaining a home practice doesn't need to be complicated.  You only need to want to do it and continue to do it everyday.  Some days will be easier than others.  At times it will be very hard.  I have found that at the end of the day there is a dialogue between your body and mind.  If one goes dark, the other follows and vice versa.  A big part of being able to continue to show up is to observe this pattern and always be looking to encourage it toward the center.  Whatever that takes. Not too light and not too dark.  Not too hard and not too soft.  Not too much effort and not too little effort.  Not too tight and not too loose... etc.  Whatever that means to you on that day.

I love this practice of yoga.  It continues to feed my body and mind and I want that to continue for the rest of my life.  In order for that to happen, it needs to be sustainable.  After 20 years of practicing yoga I have found that the way to do that is to follow the only instruction that the Yoga Sutras give on asana -- that it should be "steady and sweet".



With "steady and sweet" in mind, here are some of my top tips on how to have a successful ongoing home practice.


It starts the day before
Set out your clothing - saves time in the morning.
Decide the location - time saver and also you don't want to get lost in thoughts trying to get ready.  You just want to be ready.
Try to eat for practice - a completely individual topic.  Maybe start with drinking more water and eating clean or eliminating processed foods.
Get your sleep.
Set your alarm.

Schedule it
Decide the day before what time you will start your practice.  Oh, and actually show up on your mat at that time.

Ramp up
Practice as close as you can to the time that you woke up.  Less time to get distracted.  It just makes things easier.
No screens - it will make life easier.
Bathe, brush teeth...basic hygiene.
If there's time between when you wake up and your practice time, try to fill it with something uplifting... read, meditate, burn incense, chant etc.

Set the scene
Essentially the fewer distractions, the easier it will be to get on and stay on your mat. Consider temperature, smells, sights, scents...


Practice
If you don't have one, start here - practice sheet and 5- minute yoga practice video
If you have one - keep it simple (breathing, vinyasa, dristhi, bandha, positive thoughts)
If you need help focusing - here is a list of free led classes on youtube

After practice
Take care of your temple - your body and mind
Sounds - Podcasts, youtube, chanting, music, nature, positive people, silence
Smells - fresh air, plants, essential oils, incense
Sights - Nature, read
Tastes - eat nourishing food
Be kind and patient with your self and others

Stay inspired
Join a class with a teacher when you can
Go on a yoga retreat or trip


This is just a quick list... I'll circle back. This post feels like a work in progress.




Mar 7, 2020

2020 Ashtanga Yoga Retreat Wishlist

You have a week (ish) off work.  You want to keep up your practice.  You want to study with an authorized or certified teacher.  You want to be surrounded by other Mysore people.  You want to focus on your practice.  You want to travel and explore and learn...

Where to go?

Some of these include your stay, some don't...

Here are my top picks:

APRIL


Susanna Finocchi Galavasana

Germany
April 13-May 9
Susanna Finocchi (L2) & Lakshmish Bhat



MAY



Brazil
May 9-15
Thiago Villa Verde (L2) & Xico Rodrigues (L2)






Thailand
May 15-19 (postponed until 2021)
Sharath Jois

JUNE



Turkey
June 7-13
Harmony Lichty (Certified)
Australia
June 9-14
Sharath Jois






JULY

Finland
 July 29-August 2
Petri Raisanen (Certified)







AUGUST


Bali
August 28-September 6
Eileen Hall (Certified)






SEPTEMBER



Spain, Serbia, Greece
September 2-19
Sharath Jois








OCTOBER



Tanzania
October 15-23
Tarik Thami (Certified)






NOVEMBER



Egypt
November 2-13
Philippa Asher (Certified)

Mar 2, 2020

On Retreat with David Robson & Jelena Vesnic





The thing is that once you have a steady Mysore practice, it goes with you when you travel.  Sometimes the particulars of making that happen are easy but in my experience they usually are not.  Most often I find myself sandwiched between two beds on a carpeted floor keeping my drishti so that I wouldn't have to see what was lurking under the bed with the AC blasting in my face.  Then there is the food disaster where yes, you are grateful you have food but are also mentally preparing yourself for how this highly processed meal is going to feel tomorrow in Marichasana D (foot in gut now twist).  Or Pasasana (squat and thighs smash guts now twist). Or Purna Matsyendrasana (more foot in gut and twisting action).  

These are things you don't want to have to think about.



Enter yoga vacation aka yoga retreat.  You get to have your practice and eat well too. Sometimes you want to mostly vacation, sometimes you want to mostly retreat, other times you want a healthy mix of both. My recent retreat with David Robson and Jelena Vesnic was just that.





Sayulita is a small surfer town north of Puerto Vallarta. You can take the bus or taxi or have a car arranged by your hotel.  You don't really need a map because vegan and vegetarian and organic and farm fresh local food and taco stands are waiting to be discovered around every corner. Design-forward local makers abound.  Eco-conscious mostly everything and recycling bins aplenty.  The beach...





We stayed at Hotelito de los Suenos where we also had our morning Mysore practice. Rooms were simple, clean, and with air conditioning.  Post-practice breakfast was offered daily with everything from chilaquiles (kind of like breakfast nachos) to avocado toast.  Lately, I have preferred to have my first meal around noon so after practice I would wander off through town just as it woke up.  I love this moment anywhere.  The air is different.  The birds in the trees.  The "just before".  I would wander through the sleepy streets to Organi-k for the "No Bad Days" smoothie (alt milk, cacao, banana, chia, hemp, peanut butter...) that I would have for lunch.  It is really something that bringing your own reusable cup is starting to be the standard everywhere.






We had three workshops - just the right amount.  I'm not so into geeking out on these things so much these days but sometimes we all need a little encouragement and reassurance that we are on the right path.  When you practice on your own most of the time, you need this.  (Well, I suppose you don't need it, but it is nice.) And when your teacher is in India and you aren't, reassurance takes longer to receive. You'd think that being authorized means that everyone is offering the same information.  This isn't always the case.  Life can get lonely.  But with David and Jelena, I felt right at home.










Feb 27, 2020

All the musings

It has been a long road.  I recently published all of my blogs onto one platform.  Since 2007 I have had 29 blogs.  That’s close to 800 posts.

That sounds like a lot.

They are on a variety of topics but the main story line — my diary or travel journal — is what I’d like to have in once place.  I am slowly reading it through, editing, deleting irrelevant posts.  It is so interesting to observe all of the realizations and changes with the perspective of time.  Yet, I have already also learned from some of the lessons I have forgot. I am currently on a yoga retreat (rather than leading one) and haven’t decided yet what I’d like to publish about the trip.  Mat reflections?  Observational wormhole comedy travel essays? Gonzo journalism?  They are eating ayahuasca outside my window...  For now, I’m just going to finish my pumped up coffee and offer this: https://eliseespat.blogspot.com/
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Feb 23, 2020

Sharath Jois 2020 World Tour




If you're up for some travels or happen to live in the area, Sharath's going to be in town:

Thailand May 15-19 info
Australia June 9-14 info
Mysore July and August info
Spain Sep 2-6 info
Greece Sep 8-12 info
Serbia Sep 14-19 info

Check the shala website here for updates.


From the archives...

Toronto tour 2009:







Me, 2012 Encinitas Tour




Feb 21, 2020

2020 Ashtanga Moon Days

Rest days with doggo

A day of rest from yoga asana practice.  (Because being a good human through the 8 limbs of yoga is a daily thing.)  Here's why we don't practice on moon days.

Friday, January 10
Friday, January 24
Saturday, February 8
Sunday, February 23
Monday, March 9
Tuesday, March 24
Tuesday, April 7
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, May 7
Friday, May 22
Friday, June 5
Saturday, June 20
Saturday, July 4
Monday, July 20
Monday, August 3
Tuesday, August 18
Tuesday, September 1
Thursday, September 17
Thursday, October 1
Friday, October 16
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, November 14
Monday, November 30
Monday, December 14
Tuesday, December 29

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.)

Nov 16, 2014

The Story of Krishnamacharya and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

In this video Sonima founder Sonia Jones sits down with yoga master Sharath Jois to talk about his grandfather, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and his teacher, Krishnamacharya, who is often called the father of modern yoga. Through these stories and recollections, we gain insight into the importance of tradition and lineage.

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