Ashtanga Yoga Redwood City

To end any speculation as to why I have been taken of the KPJAYI list I feel the need to tell my story. In April last year I noticed I had been taken off the li...st and then a friend informed me that there were rumours going around about it. I wrote to Usha in June to ask if it was true and she replied that, Yes, we have been told that you are not teaching traditionally and mixing in different things and we are waiting for you to explain yourself. I wrote back saying that I am teaching 5 days a week Mysore classes and one Led class per week. I teach chanting and philosophy and technique workshops to help students better understand the postures. She wrote back saying, Ok, I will inform Sharath. The next thing I knew I was back on the list. So, I’m not surprised that I am now off the list again, as anyone who reads my social media posts would know that I am sharing more than only traditional (KPJAYI) Ashtanga Yoga. So, I’m ok with it, as it is Sharath’s shala and his call. Of course it saddens me because I had such a good connection with him and I have so many fond memories of the times I had as his student. However I don’t agree with everything that is taught, for example I don’t believe that ‘catching’ your ankles or knees in a backbend should be a requirement. I also believe that just as we modify the practice for pregnant women or for disabled people, we need to modify the practice in some way, and address dysfunctional movement patterns in almost all individuals because we all come to the practice with imbalances - otherwise people end up getting injured and leave the practice feeling bitter. All I’ve ever tried to do is help my students practice in a more intelligent and sustainable way so that they can continue to enjoy the practice and integrate it into the rest of their lives for their lifetime. But, I accept that Sharath doesn’t have to agree with my approach, and therefore I accept his decision and I will move forward with no hard feelings. I will continue to share all that I can in the best way that I can and I hope that some of you will continue to practice with me despite what has happened. I also hope that there will be no ill feelings towards/from my friends in Mysore who continue to practice with Sharath and of course no ill will between Sharath and myself. In the end we are all doing the best we can in this life. Big love to all. See more

I did a Podcast! Skip first 11mins, coz I didn't realise it was being recorded! Warm thanks to Peg Mulqueen at Ashtanga Dispatch for a lovely chat :-)

Find out what yoga really is...!

"While the popularization of yoga is, generally, a positive thing, in many cases the meaning of yoga and the reason for practice may be lost or obscured. When y...oga is practiced without understanding or the correct intention, it can lead you away from the yogic state rather than toward the bliss that is promised." Andrew Hillam See more

https://www.mysoreyogatraditions.com/ Mysore Yoga Traditions in an inquiry into the social background and worldview of the yoga community in Mysore! From the Pr...incipal of the Maharaja's Sanskrit College to the Queen of Mysore herself, the elders, scholars, and philosophers of Mysore tell the story of the yoga that has come from their community. With passion, candor, and sincerity, they express their views about their own tradition and what yoga means to them. This film gives an unprecedentedly intimate glimpse into Indian culture and philosophy, and it addresses many of the questions that western yoga practitioners have debated about for decades! See more

- Update: On KissKissbankbank until 27th April https://www.kisskissbankbank.com/the-yoga-industry *Please like our page and Share and sign up. Stay tuned for more.

NAMARUPA ISSUE 23 YOGA & SCIENCE published Go to http://namarupa.org/product/issue-23-yoga-science/ for a PDF On May 30, 2017 a pop-up conference was held at Lo...ng Island University in Brooklyn, NY for scientists, yogis & meditators wishing to explore the most recent scientific evidence on the positive effects of yoga on healing, cell regeneration, longevity, and consciousness. This special issue has transcripts of all the talks and is illustrated with slides. For a 4 color perfect bound Print-on-Demand issue go to http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1340263

one more time .. Ty Landrum 's lovely scribble on how and why asana can bring yoga about within us. thx Ty for your way with words (along with dedication, inspiration and generally just being the fun awesome dude you are!).

Morning practice this morning 2th of august

One of the most important teachings of the Yoga tradition is the advice Krishna gave Arjuna many thousands of years ago, when he said, "Do your work, put in you...r best effort, but do not be attached to the fruits/results". This message is an important one to implement on a day to day basis as we find ourselves immersed in a culture that emphasises #goals over processes and practice. . I have had a lot first hand experience with this being from the tradition of the Ashtanga Yoga Method. Along with its multitude of positive elements, one of the pitfalls of its linear approach is that because there is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th series there tends to be a lot of future thinking and the ego has its own devices for sneaking in to the thought process. Without knowing it, it's easy to get caught up in thinking that attaining certain postures, or completing a series, will bring happiness. Ubtil the goal is reached what it often brings is a sense of dissatisfaction of where you are at, along with a competitive/jealous nature when comparing yourself to where others are at. Even when the goal is reached it only ever brings a fleeting kind of happiness. The absence of the wanting/craving may actually be more satisfying. . But what happens when there are no more goals to be attained? Often an ambivalence arises, disguised as non-attachment but it's actually that the person doesn't care anymore, which is a form of aversion. Is there a way to remain passionate without the wanting/craving and without the aversion? This is what Krishna was getting at. It's as if he was speaking directly to us and saying, "Do your practice and enjoy the journey. Don't worry about the future and what rewards you will receive - enjoy the benefits that you receive in the moment." And then he might have added, "And I'll let you in on a little secret known to all the masters of all time: with this approach you will end up reaching your goals." . In this video I'm working on my #handstandpushups - the goal? is to practice quality over quantity...not worrying about numbers but focusing on maintaining good form throughout - and the funny thing is - the numbers are increasing. See more

CLOSING CHANT May all of humankind be happy and well. May the great noble lords protect the earth in every way by the path of just virtue. May there be perpetua...l joy for those who know the real nature of things. May all the worlds be happy. May the rains fall on time, and may the earth yield its produce in abundance. May this country be free from disturbances, and may the knowers of the truth be free from fear. Photos by Kar Yn Karyn Laudisi and Anton Roland Laub http://www.richardfreemanyoga.com/

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives a talk on "Embracing the Beauty of Diversity in our World" followed by questions from the audience at RIMAC Field, University of California San Diego in San Diego, California, USA on June 16th, 2017.

The ancient sage Vamana Rishi practiced yoga postures in this way: One meditative yoga posture flows through endless forms, just as one being manifests an infi...nity of forms. Currents of energy rise and spread, pulling the body through the whole spectrum of attitudes and viewpoints. Postures strung like flowers on the thread of the breath . . . This movement produces spontaneous meditation by awakening the core energy of the nervous system, connecting it from its root to the crown of the head. ~ Richard Freeman http://www.richardfreemanyoga.com/

Rotation pattern of the Primary Series The term rotation in this article refers to the rotation of the thighbone (femur) in the acetabulum of the hip joint. The...se actions are important to keep your knees and hip joints healthy and in the long term to open the hip joints so that lengthy sitting in Padmasana and similar postures becomes possible. For full article please go to http://chintamaniyoga.com//rotation-pattern-primary-series/

I'm witnessing the emergence of a rhythm that concerns me enough to use words for it. The trend is practicing strongly several days in a row, then taking an equ...al number of days completely off. This is potentially harmful. Some of you remember back when I taught public classes, I would joke to those groups about weekend warrior yoga - the crash workout thing of taking a super hard class once a week, then being sore, spaced out and a little depressed for days after. This is very western minded, in that it’s about getting a hardcore workout and then completely losing the thread for a while. Weekend warrior yoga is not really practice - practice is methodical, dispassionate, devoted, and done in a way that stabilizes the mind, nervous system, hormonal and digestive rhythms, and physical structure. What concerned me most about this trend back then was not JUST these aforementioned vrittis (ups-and-downs), but a fortiori the loss of consciousness and emotional lows that occur in troughs between intensive periods of practice. In the extreme, super intense periods of practice, alternated by fully blowing off yoga, can foster dramatic poles of awareness. You might not even KNOW this is happening, if you get very spaced out or locked in old habits during the times you are not practicing some sort of yoga. What I’d say to those public class about this is: it’s better for your body and people around you to not practice at all than to do the weekend warrior thing. I didn’t want to be part of people getting so high, so open, and so clear that the world around them regularly caught the (perhaps unconscious) effects of the crash when they came down. The pattern I'm witnessing now is different - I do still perceive that a person might benefit somewhat from periods of intensive practice alternated by blowing off yoga entirely. (I have not done this myself, ever.) But this approach is still destabilizing. And it’s probably HARD for you, especially when you try to climb back up from nothing. So, what to do? Ideally, switch the boom and bust cycle for a super gentle rhythm, perhaps a light practice every other day. This keeps your digestion, hormones, emotions, physical structure in a place of knowing what to expect and when. No big surprises. FAR BETTER: ask me for a short practice that you can engage at the same time every day. And, if you’re doing a physical practice every other day, and want to make contact with your practice at the same time on the other days, work with me to devise a short breath practice for off days. Generally this is a big part of the ashtanga teacher skill set: helping you structure practice rhythms that lead to vibrant health and a happy heart. The underlying element for these is stability. Predictability. Yoga is science. Be methodical, run experiments, learn, thrive. Yet also, take advantage of what is well known. Be crystal clear on what this method is. Use me and the senior practitioners as guides on beneficial practice, so the way that you make it your own leads to you being a you who is stable, balanced and smart and a blessing to all beings in all words. Lokah samastha sukhino bhavantu. http://kpjayi.org/the-practice/

Needless to say, Ashtangis keep their fingers together. Just beautiful.

Interesting interview with Monica Marinoni who will be our visiting teacher in less than two weeks!

One By One... You Come One By One... You Do One By One... You Take One By One... You Make... Ever So Grateful for Guruji's presence in our heart and lives.

A day filled with deep gratitude.

Thanks, Harmony, for capturing this precious moment from the conference in Stanford this morning!

Om is the eternal sound; Om is the sound which is there in the universe all the time. But have you ever wondered, what it is about OM, that can fill a person with eternal bliss?

Ahhhhh, love is in the air, literally! What else can I say? Practicing with Sharath-ji in my own backyard and seeing some good, old friends - or should I sa...y legends? Eternally grateful. Also, it is important to mention how thoughtful Sharath's first talk was today: why do we practice? What are we looking for? Yoga is 24/7, asana 90minutes. Below you can catch a glimpse! #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #sharathtour2017 #ashtangainstanford #practiceandalliscoming #ashtangacommunity #ashtangalegends #faithintheprocess #whensharathtalkswelisten See more

3 days of Led Intermediate in Stanford with Sharath-ji. Grateful - and already looking forward to Primary Series! ( first row, second student ) #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #ledintermediateseries #practiceandalliscoming #faithintheprocess #nopainnogain #sharathtour2017

Besides a brilliant course, it is in Tahoe! What else do you need?

Excellent moon day reading.

Mr. Lehman describes one important reason that I don't obsess over what I call "micro-alignment" principles in teaching yoga. There are some branches of yoga, ...as well as some outspoken teachers within the Ashtanga fold, who strongly insist on very rigid and dogmatic postural alignment. Some of these teachers tout their training in fields such as physiotherapy, kinesiology, etc, as giving them greater authority to dictate how the traditional postures should or shouldn't be performed. They generally take a "one size fits all" approach to postural alignment, believing that there is a right way and a wrong way, and that everybody must conform to what they have decided is the right way. I had the misfortune of working with one of these teachers for a number of years, and it was neither a healthy or pleasant experience. I experienced deep physical trauma from being forced into rigid and unnatural alignment patterns. And, I was much less subject to her dictates than most of the other students were. As a teacher, I observe the practices of other students who come from extensive training with these types of teachers, and the tendency I see is that they don't have any less pain than other students. In fact, in many cases they have more pain than others, and their movements tend to be rigid, stressed and lacking in freedom or fluidity. Their approach to the practice tends to be intellectual, rather than intuitive or embodied. They tend to have very little confidence in their own practices or their own bodies, often because these teachers have spent a lot of time pointing what is wrong with their bodies. Mistrust is a key feature in their practice experience, and probably also in their experience of life. We humans come in all different shapes and sizes. One of the most beautiful things about the Ashtanga practice is witnessing how people of different body shapes and sizes, strengths and weaknesses, can all find their own unique way to move through the standard postures and vinyasas of the Ashtanga series. My goal as a teacher tends to be to see how I can stimulate and inspire people to have enough confidence in themselves to find their own way though the postures and movements using the tools that they naturally have, rather than pointing out what is wrong with, or what they have to change about their bodies. When I do adjust alignment, it tends to be an attempt to bring them into a deeper experience of one of the bandhas, or to change very inefficient movement patterns. I don't necessarily see them as "corrections", but more as a suggestion to try a different way of moving. When a student complains about pain, I will sometimes make more extensive adjustments in alignment, but as Mr. Lehman states in the video, this is often more to break up a chronic pattern that has become stuck, rather than judge any particular pattern as being absolutely right or wrong. We will tend to feel most healthy when we are practicing, and moving through life in general, with a sense of embodiment, self - confidence and freedom to be who we are and to honour the instinctive and innate patterns of our own unique and natural body structure.

If you’re really doing #Ashtanga Vinyasa as taught by Pattabhi Jois, then you’re practicing yoga techniques within the context of Patanjali’s 8 limbs. Are you...? Richard outlines the limbs in 3 concise minutes in this interview with Nataraja Kallio and Mary Taylor, which took place in Dec 2016 at Shambhala Publications, when Richard and Mary launched their book *THE ART OF VINYASA* See more

Listen and support!

Sonima.com is a source for v interesting pieces on yoga, particularly the ones that Sharath is sharing. Here they've asked me to talk about the years I've been in Mysore. I'm so very grateful to share this and to Sonima.com for bringing our dear Guruji, Sharath, to the USA.

Sharathji’s demonstration and explanation on exiting from Padmasana. Conference 18/03/3017

Thank you, Peg, for sharing your adventures and wisdom with us!

Happy Birthday to our beloved Timji! 66 years young today! #Timji #pisces

HIGHLIGHTS ON A PATH OF SELF-PRACTICE: PERSONAL MEMORIES OF GURUJI By Daniela Ceccarelli from Australia I’m an Ashtanga Yogi who 99% of the time practices alon...e. It’s been that way from the start - about 15 years ago. I live on Magnetic Island, North Queensland, Australia (a Great Barrier Reef island 8km off the coast of Townsville), and yoga teachers, while recently more numerous, have been very scarce in that part of the world. I trained as a marine biologist, handed in my PhD thesis in 2004, and after working for a company for a few years have turned to freelance consulting for my income. When I go out to sea for work, that usually means living on a boat, at a research station or some other transient accommodation for the duration of the field trip. My dive gear box always has my yoga mat in it (which often gets so impregnated with saltwater / sand / dirt / etc. that it gets thrown out at the end of the trip). I almost always manage to find somewhere to practice on some rocking and rolling back deck, in an unused laboratory, squeezed in between boxes of gear and samples, on the beach, beside the tent and usually the motivation is there (except in rough weather when I’m seasick). This all sounds very disciplined and devoted, but I admit that I spend stretches of time thinking, why am I doing this again? Maybe because I know that if I don’t practice, I always regret it. Maybe because, as Sharath says often, it’s a vehicle to connecting to something bigger; if not God, then at least the global force that is the Ashtanga Yoga community. Maybe because it lights up that spark of inspiration I felt when I first met Guruji all those years ago I often see his smile when I practice. Maybe because, even before I heard the words, I believed the alchemists’ quote that David Swenson likes to remind us of: Through repetition, the magic is forced to appear. In 1999, I had been practicing yoga for about 2 years first out of BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, and then with a Siddha Yoga teacher. I was four months pregnant with Felix, my second child, when a friend told me about someone that was coming to our town to teach a 3-week Ashtanga Yoga workshop. It’s this jumping-around yoga you’ll love it! It was true. For three weeks I got up at 5am, cycled to the class, and under the teacher’s instructions made my way through some semblance of what I now know was Primary Series. For those three weeks I looked forward to each morning (although I fell asleep in all my lectures at university for the rest of the day), and I knew I had found something I wanted to explore further. This practice had the power to bring about a stillness that sliced through the sweating, the movement, the transition from one asana to the next. One of the women attending the workshop then started a weekly led class, which I tried to get to as often as I could. It meant catching the ferry with my bicycle, and returning home quite late. The teacher had spent time in Mysore and used to tell us stories about Guruji, and it seemed like such a distant world to me. In 2001, I decided it was time to go to Mysore. Leaving my two small boys (Felix was 2 and his brother, Tai, was 4) was heartwrenching to me but somehow the pull of Mysore was stronger. Two friends came with me, and together we landed in Chennai, spent the night on the floor at the railway station, and caught the Shatabdi Express to Mysore the next morning. We checked in at the Kaveri Lodge and then set out to find the Shala none of the locals we asked knew where it was! We finally arrived at the Shala just before the regular afternoon conference. Guruji sat reading the paper, with people sitting around him on the floor. I remember the feeling when he looked our way bright, curious, open, alert and the instant feeling that I had found what I was looking for. I had heard others say that when you come face to face with your Guru, you just know. It’s immediate. I didn’t expect to ever feel that, but there it was. We practiced in the old Shala, which many will know from experience or stories. Twelve people fit in the room, which was dark, windowless, and steamy from the bodies doing their practice. You arrived at your allotted time, and sat on the steps behind whoever was already there. Once you were far enough down the steps, you could see into the room this was one of my favourite parts of the morning and watch experienced practitioners doing incredible things with their bodies, their breath and their concentration. Once you were in, there was nowhere to hide. Guruji and Sharath were both watching, and adjustments were plentiful. Standing close to me in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana on the first morning, Guruji watched me wobble and said, oh, no dancing. Bad lady! Sometime towards the end of that first week, it was announced that there was to be the official opening of a temple that Guruji had had built in Kowshika, his native village. All the yoga students were invited. We all went out and bought fancy outfits, got on a train and spent a hot and dusty day in the village first there was the temple ceremony, then talks and presentations, with a long talk by Guruji that made people laugh and cry, and then we were all fed a delicious meal on banana leaves in a big hall. Despite returning home with a feeling of having found something I very much wanted to be part of, it was three years before I could return to Mysore. My marriage broke down, I was still a PhD student, the boys were little and there was not much money. During these three years I practiced daily at home, at the research stations, occasionally in a class, and for weeks in a hut in Papua New Guinea, where I finished my practice at dawn and then spent all day diving for my PhD research. By 2004 I was ready to return, with my new partner, Peter. The new Shala had been open for a couple of years and almost everything had moved to Gokulam. I left the boys with their father, and we settled into the Gokulam lifestyle. We had arrived with the intention of asking Guruji to find an auspicious date for us to have a little celebration, maybe later that year, to mark our commitment to each other. Neither of us was interested in getting married in the legal, Western sense. But sometime during the trip we found ourselves in a conversation where it was revealed that Guruji sometimes marries his students by the sounds of it, this sometimes happened when he was on tour. Peter and I looked at each other and said He marries people? Let’s ask him... In his office he looked us over, asked us how long we had been together, and seemed to view the idea of marrying us favourably. He told us to come back the next day so he could consult the stars and find us an auspicious date. The next afternoon the date was set the 29th of February. For the next two weeks, we ran to and from Guruji’s office showing him the things he had sent us out to procure. Being ignorant Westerners, we had no idea what we needed to prepare, and Guruji had no idea how ignorant we were. So our afternoon sessions went something like this: Guruji would say: Go get incense! And then show me So off we went to buy incense and the next afternoon we showed it to him and he said, Good. Did you get the camphor? And we said, no... camphor? What camphor? And Guruji said Go get camphor! And come and show me. So off we would go, back to the market to get camphor. And the next afternoon it was like, Oh, good camphor. Did you get flower garlands? No, what flower garlands? And so on. We spent every afternoon with Guruji, who stayed wonderfully patient, with Sharath helping to interpret, explain, and give advice about where to buy things (inbetween heated discussions with Peter about the cricket). The wedding was to take place in the Shala on Sunday afternoon instead of conference. I went upstairs and got changed in Saraswati’s room, with Shruthi and Saraswati both in attendance. Saraswati was shocked at my lack of jewelry (I don’t usually wear any), and sent a fellow student to buy me some bangles. When I showed her that I didn’t have pierced ears she nearly fainted getting married without earrings! Emma O’Neill came to the rescue and put holes in my ears then and there, and so I was ready to go. Everyone had turned up in their best clothes and the Shala looked beautiful with all the flowers. Guruji and the rest of the family were dressed a bit more casually in singlets and dhotis! I think it was a bit funny to them that we wanted to get married that way. Guruji performed the puja, with much chanting and the odd instruction for us to do things (various gestures of worship and walking in circles around the imaginary fire), and for Peter to put on my various bits of jewelry (the most important of which is the golden chain with the mangalasutra the pendant that symbolises marriage). Then he stood in front of us and gave Peter a nice long lecture on how he wasn’t allowed to leave me You! One hundred years living! (Pointing at me) You not leave it! No diversing! and: Many childrens take! Then there was a beautiful reception for everyone on the rooftop across the road. We were overwhelmed at the generosity of people we had only just met, who decorated, ordered sweets and made a big fuss. If you were there, thank you again! We kept it fairly quiet that this was a second marriage for both of us and the children were already here, so there was some puzzlement when we turned up with two 10-year-olds and an 8-year old three years later, in 2007 (my sons, Tai and Felix, were 10 and 8; Peter’s son Barney was 10). We were there in July, for Guruji’s birthday. Guruji was spending some time in hospital, but we were able to go and see him in his office, and were invited upstairs to give the family the gifts we had brought. We had brought a book for Shraddha and the boys took turns reading it to her. To help our family keep up with our news, we started a travel blog: http://bartonia.blogspot.in/2007/07/first-week-in-india.html, with pictures and stories focused mainly on the boys and our adventures with them. All in all, my trips to Mysore have been sporadic, given the demands of work and family and the limitations of the hip pocket. I did some trips alone, which were wonderful in allowing me to really structure my days however I pleased. In 2014 I took Felix with me he was 14 and spent the month practicing with Saraswati. I was more aware than ever what a great luxury it is to have the time and means to go to Mysore, even just for a month at a time. Whatever challenges I might encounter, this one month I occasionally manage to steal out of my life feels like one of my greatest privileges. And even though it’s often not one year of waiting to come back here but two, three and once, due to knee surgery, even four the certainty of coming back fuels the daily step onto the mat, standing to attention in Samastitihi, and beginning.

Even Gods have to keep Balance in their powers. Watch the video to know More.

Many consider Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to be the architect of Vinyasa yoga.

"I encourage students if they are stuck at a posture not to look outwards for an answer, but to be present with that discomfort and see what it brings up. Even ...the frustration, anger and sadness or whatever emotions may arise - are important. So often these days, people try to avoid sitting with that by putting too much emphasis on mastery of the physical. But our struggles in practice are meant to help us develop concentration and internal focus." New interview with L2 teacher, Zoë Slatoff, is published! http://www.ashtangaparampara.org/zoe-slatoff.html