Ashtanga Yoga Orange County

IVA RTR SCHEDULE: Wed - Sat, 3/10 - 3/13 Wednesday, 3/10, 6:30 - 9:00pm: Mah Pradoa Pj Thursday, 3/11, Mah iva Rtr: 4:00pm: Mah Nysa Pj... 6:00pm: Main Pj 9:00pm: Pj every 3hrs until Morning Friday, 3/12, 6:00 - 8:30pm: iva Homa Pj Saturday, 3/13, 5:00 - 8:30pm: iva & Prvat Wedding LOCATION: Email me for Carpooling. Shri Bhaktha Anjaneya Temple, San Diego 9265, Activity Rd, Suite #110, San Diego, CA 92126

Thu (2/11) New Moon Day - No Morning Class: Wise men behold all beings in the self and the self in all beings; thus, they do not hate anyone Ia Upaniat.

Lunar New Year Special on Sanskrit & Chanting Books - Newly revised as of Jan 20, 2021: Purchase by Sunday, Feb 14, the Complete Printed 4 Volume Set and receive the complete PDF digital set along with it at no extra cost. Practice Study Pray https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com//sanskrit-chantin

Yoga Stras Class 5:30 pm Today - Those who study the theory as an adjunct to a healthy practice excel in yoga. You can check out the discussion either live tonight on Zoom, or on Youtube or Podcast later. Message me for details.

Q&A Today: This morning during headstand, while cueing folks for Mla Bandha, I inadvertently referenced this verse that I learned from Guruji back in the day: Mla Bandha : That which is the root of all existence, and the basis of mental concentration is mla-bandha; the Rja Yogs are forever devotedly committed to cultivating it. yan mla sarva-bhtn yan mla citta-bandhanam,... mla-bandha sad sevyo yogyo ‘sau rja-yoginm. (v. 114) If we can train our minds to always remember Mla Bandha, it will keep us deeply anchored in ourselves so we don't get tossed about by the uncontrollable winds of life's happenings. This stability is the root from which unlimited wisdom arises. This is the time-tested method of the sages. https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com/post/about-yoga

This evening we will begin an overview of the entire Yoga Stras as we outline the steps of yoga. When we plan construction for a building, the foundation determines how large & how many floors we will be able to build. In yoga, our progress is founded upon our foundation as well. If we understand what the most fundamental thing to focus on is, then all other subsequent steps will undoubtedly unfold successfully. Please join us this evening & next Thursday too - 5:30 pm (PST) - message or comment to participate in the live class.

Yoga Sutras online (and Youtube) class resumes tomorrow: Thu 5:30 - 6:40pm (PST). The next few weeks we are studying stras 4.22 - 4.28, the section on connecting with Spirit & overcoming shortcomings. We will traverse the full range of Patañjali’s practice outline spanning both the 2nd & 3rd chapters. This will be quite a comprehensive overview of the Yoga Stras - a perfect place for new people to jump in and join us. Comment or message me if you would like to join this class live online.

On this final full moon day of 2020 a year that exceeded the imaginable let us be grateful for the life we do have, and let us all receive blessings from the Universal Divine Spirit to grow in our capacity to love ourselves & the whole of this miraculous universe. May our minds be straight and our resolve to uplift life on this planet be blessed with boundless vigor & inspiration. Wishing you a Very Very Happy Full Moon, Closing of 2020 & Beginning of 2021

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas. I hope you & all your loved ones are enjoying yourselves wherever you are and that you take care to contemplate & nurture that which is most meaningful to you in your life.

Greetings people - see you tomorrow for 7am Led Class (Zoom). + Please listen to the Yoga Stra video cuz Without philosophy, yoga is not good - Pattabhi Jois https://youtu.be/hj17jx458bA

This week's Yoga Sutras class, The Observer & The Observed, sutras 4.14 - 4.16, is ready for you on Youtube & Podcast. I hope you take time to learn about the depths of yoga beyond your practice on the mat. Study is an expedient to happiness. https://youtu.be/Lztsft7f6zk

Tomorrow (1/4/2021) we resume our regular online yoga practice schedule. This means, in addition to morning classes, we'll return also to Thursday evening Yoga Stras studies (hence the video link). The fourth chapter (Kaivalya Pda) discusses this principle that the observer's perception influences that which is being observed. Check out the video and you can see that matter is really energy behaving as matter. It's just that she (energy, shakti) is shy! When she realizes sh...e being watched she hides. Looking forward to see you this week. If you're interested in classes, comment or message me. https://youtu.be/btImof4nyzo

Saturday Led Class NOW 7AM - https://mailchi.mp/samjiva/saturday-led-class-now-7am

Firstly, Thank you! Thank you to everyone for being here together. 2020 was a year that exceeded our comprehension of humanity's role on planet Earth. My heart feels for all of the challenging losses many of us have experienced. This highlights the need for greater flexibility and adaptability. To say that we grow in yoga means that we become more confident in our innate inner nature. When confidence springs up from deep within us, we can keep our heads above water, and easil...y drop old ideas and adapt to uncertainty. Yoga practice should be all-inclusive. It should embrace every moment of every day. It should not be thought of as merely bending & stretching, or even just breathing & meditating. It should be thought of as looking freshly at every moment and applying ourselves wholeheartedly. Discarding limited ideas of what we like & don't like, discarding our faults, our greed & such, we can then do what is most beneficial to lift one another up. This is yoga, and my wish to all of us in the new year is that we all soar to new heights in life. See more

Because of being influenced by what it anticipates, the mind notices what it already knows, and fails to notice that which it doesn’t know. tat uparga-apekitvt cittasya vastu-jñta-ajñtam | Yoga Stras 4.17 Kaivalya Pda This week's class is now available on Youtube & Podcast

, , This Evening Yoga Stras class (stras 4.12 - 4.??) - message for online details: Being present isn't just about feeling better. It's about being alert to what's happening, seeing windows of opportunity that may not remain open very long so we can actualize our potentials in an expedient way & prosper spiritually & materially. Below is a 20 minute chanting video featuring guest recordings from Guruji Pattabhi Jois (March 2000) & astrojyoti.com Peace

YOGA SUTRAS CLASS TODAY (10/29) Every Thursday, 6:00 pm (PDT) Message for link infoYOGA SUTRAS CLASS TODAY (10/29) Every Thursday, 6:00 pm (PDT) Message for link info

Atha Kaivalya - In this class, we enter the 4th Chapter of the Yoga Stras, Kaivalya Pda. The conversation dives into distinguishing mysticism from spirituality. https://youtu.be/ReFMMVS5QDY

This Weeks Yoga Sutra Video now available: Caught Between Past & Future - sutras 4.10 - 4.12: https://youtu.be/qyRTyK3SLKw If, from wisdom, the cause of bondage to our karmas is not there, then so too the reactions & the suffering are also not there this is the Experience of Liberation (Kaivalya) Yoga Stra 4.11 This discussion is also available on podcast here: https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com//ep-306-yoga-sutr

Above & Beyond Karma - this week's Yoga Sutras class is available on youtube & podcast ... How do avoid the pangs of karma? Why do we get sucked into it? https://youtu.be/rAOOJ9lC83U https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com/satsanga... Ep. 3.05 Above & Beyond Karma See more

Today New Yoga Stras Chapter Begins: Thur 6pm (PDT) via Zoom message for login details by donation... We begin the Fourth Chapter, Kaivalya Pda of the Yoga Stras. A chapter filled with poignant insights into the nature of both yoga & bhoga. This chapter reveals the origin of our ignorance and also the wonders of overcoming our ignorance. I truly hope you can participate live in the discussions or take advantage of the replays on Youtube & Podcast. Om Tat Sat. https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com/satsanga https://www.youtube.com/user/ashtangayoga

There are two short podcasts available - Ep. 3.01 & 3.02 - they both feature the chanting of my dear teacher, Dr MA Jayashree: 3.01 is a recording of Yoga Sutras Kaivalya Pada which we will begin studying this coming Thursday (10/22) 3.02 has recordings of Guru Ashtaka, Aditya Hridaya & Maha Ganesha Pancha Ranta Stotram. We have been learning these in our chanting classes recently.... We have online chanting classes 6 days weekly. Message me or check our schedule on our website. https://www.ashtangayogaorangecounty.com/satsanga

Here's a good excuse to head down to Encinitas for the afternoon. Encinitas is probably the most well preserved (least developed) beach town south of Santa Barbara and considered to be the yoga capital of the US. While you are there, you can also visit the beach, the SRF Meditation Garden, and eat at one of these good vegetarian restaurants: Modern Times or Plumeria.

This is last week's Yoga Sutras class covering sutras 3.49 & 3.50. What is the fundamental that we must cultivate regardless of how long we have been practicing, how much we have learned or how advanced we think we have become? (If you think you are advanced then definitely you are not.) Sutras 3.50 brings up the practice of Vairgya again - it was first mentioned at the beginning of our journey in sutra 1.12 and has been explained in so many ways indirectly since. Keep going..., keep developing Vairgya because it leads us to unbounded freedom (Kaivalyam). Check out the full discussion in the video link below: https://youtu.be/qiMGz7Fkodg #vairagya #yogasutras #yogaphilosophy #kaivalya

If you are interested in Patanjali Yoga Sutras, here's the post of this week's class. I titled it, "Perfect Body Perfect Mind." Yes, it's supposed to catch your attention! But anyway, yea, this week we covered sutras 3.44 - 3.49 and it's pretty cool. Patanjali makes some pretty bold claims about the results from these final two samyama meditation (3.44 & 4.47). You should check it out. The quality of the recording was just upgraded - so much smoother! https://youtu.be/oTsPnjOp1sM

Please enjoy this 1 hour 8 minute practice. We begin with a few minutes of breathing, then do a short asana practice, followed by meditation. Opening & Closing chants are also included, but it is a different closing chant - it is in Chinese (ooops). I want to share more of how to be creative within the scope of this Ashtanga Yoga practice we all benefit from so much. How do we keep our practice healthy & inspired our whole life amidst all the ups & downs thrown at us? We simple look at principles rather than rigid structures. I hope you will find this practice video inspiring & useful - of course I hope you enjoy practicing along with me too !

Sada iva taught that 125,000 methods for supreme enlightenment exist in this world. Of these, we consider that only continuous contemplation on Nada, the 4th part of AUM, be respected above all others. Yogataravali by Sakaracarya 8:00 am (PDT) - This Morning: SUN (7/19) Online Chanting Class! In addition to chanting, we are studying the writing and other aspects of Sanskrit from Sanskrit & Chanting Vol. 2.... DM for Link & Password

Happy Full Moon Everyone: Today - the first full moon following Summer Solstice - is known as Guru Prim, the day that Shiva turned to face south becaming the first yoga guru. [Click Below to Watch Sadhguru's Video] It is on this day that we honor our lineage of yoga teachers. What a rare & marvelous opportunity we have to study & practice yoga. This shouldn't be underestimated! Even in this day & age, with yoga having gained worldwide recognition - because of economics, cu...ltural or political issues - there are still billions more people on this planet without the opportunity to reap the life-transforming benefits of yoga. I dream that one day everyone will practice & aspire to understand the true inner meaning of yoga! God bless the Gurus. May we all have the inspiration & faith to lift ourselves up each & every moment. Happy Guru Prim Everyone - Gratitude to the many teachers who have generously shined their light for us all in this world

White light is the equal mixture of the primary colors red, yellow & blue. Similarly in yoga, sana (posture), pryma (breath) & dhyna (meditation), when blended together properly, create a brilliance within us that illumines everything we do & experience in our life.

Uyna Bandha Mudr: We have been practicing this sublime technique in the mornings before beginning Srya Namaskra together. It is more commonly known as Uyna Bandha Kriy, but Krishnamacharya classifies it as a Mudr in his book Yoga Makaranda, pg. 105. This morning we looked at two other variations: Agni Sra & Nauli. To practice prior to our sana practice gives the benefit, not just of being more warmed up & looser inside, but also shows us how deep & strong o...ur bandhas can become (try to copy the picture of Krishnamacharya). This will improve our sana practice - if only we were to focus with enough spirit of adventure! Here is a shortlist of some of the sanas wherein we should definitely learn to engage the full depth of Uyna and also be able to breathe: Adho Mukha vnsana Prasrita Pdottnsana Jnu rsana Upavihakosana

How to rise above suffering & obtain peace according to the Ashtanga Yoga opening mantra from our Sunday morning Satsaga & chanting group: