Isvara Pranidhana: Sticking With What We Truly Know
In my previous blogs, I have been discussing Sat-Chit-Ananda, which is really a description of the experience of yoga. If you've been following the series, you'll notice that I give…
Yoga
Sat: The Sanskrit Term for "The Real Deal"
In the last two blogs I've written, I have been discussing Sat-Chit-Ananda, an ancient yogic compound that describes the experience of yoga. Each of the three Sanskrit words, sat, chit, and…
Chit: Noticing What Is
In my previous entry , I discussed Sat-Chit-Ananda, an ancient yogic compound of three Sanskrit roots: sat , chit , and ananda , that describes the qualities of the experience of yoga. I…
Choosing "The Yum": Sat-Chit-Ananda
As Ashtangis, I think we're missing a pretty significant tool, the tool to describe and put us in direct contact with our inner experiences. So much of what we learn in the classroom is…
The Marriage of Yoga and Modern Medicine...Ugh!
New York Times science writer, WIlliam Broad, is making the rounds to speak about his book, The Science of Yoga .1 In his interview with NPR host of "Fresh Air", Terry Gross, he suggested…
The Drishti: Looking Out & Looking In
A friend of mine is struggling in her relationship with her boyfriend. They've been together for quite some time, but he's feeling stuck and wants to move on. He tells her that he's in love…
Ashtanga Yoga: The Tradition and The Dogma
A few days ago, while a student was coming up from backbends, I noticed that she was breathless and grimacing. I asked her what was up. She said that her previous Ashtanga teacher…
Asking "Why?"... is the Wrong Question
I stopped to talk with a student in Mysore class today. I wanted to check in to see how she was doing, if she had any questions or needed a little support or encouragement. I thought the…
Practicing All Eight Limbs...At the Same Time
Ashtanga Yoga is not an Indian form of calisthenics or gymnastics. It is an eight-limbed path. The word Ashtanga comes from a text dating somewhere between the 4th and 1st centuries,…
Behind the Scenes at My Yoga Journal Photo Shoot
This summer, I was asked to model some basic asanas for the November 2011 Yoga Journal magazine: As someone who has been practicing Ashtanga for 20 years, I expected the shoot to be an…
The So-Called Tradition of Ashtanga
I have noticed that as the Mysore-style Ashtanga method becomes more popular over the years, the individual connection between teacher and student is disintegrating. The practice, which was…
My Ashtanga Yoga Practice Was Boring Today
That's right. You read the title. Because I am an Ashtanga yoga teacher, I should ALWAYS be inspired by my practice and all things yoga. I'm not. At least today I am not. In fact, I had a…