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CRON yogitect
super early practice | | practice today was standing sequence, paschimottanasana and finishing poses. they asked us to be super early at the office today so there was no more time for practice. | | 9/2/2010 5:47:00 PM |
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My Yoga Blog
Arrived in Natal |
The picture shows the city Recife. There is one high rise after the other along the coast. We had a stop at Recife on our way to Natal, flight guests left the plane, others entered the plane.
Three things are important to have:
1. Coffee in the morning, this is the very first thing I like to have. I am sure that I get one here.
2. I have room for my yoga mat, even though the place is not the most beautiful one. To travel means to be flexible.
3.And I have free wifi.
Everything else (new smells and new sounds, other light i.e.) is not so important.I get used to it. I am flexible.
I don't think that I will practice today. No, this won't happen, I am lazy. A good red and some food this evening, this would be great, and tomorrow I'll practice primary in the morning. Yep.
A book recommendation: Ashtanga yoga as it is by Matthew Sweeney. It's a classic. Thank you for buying your amazon procucts via my blog. | | 9/2/2010 12:33:00 PM |
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Peace Love Yoga
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"There is sorrow in finitude. The Self is beyond time,
space and objects. It is infinite and hence of the nature of absolute
happiness."
- Adi Sankaracharya
"You
are what you want to become. Why search anymore? You are a wonderful
manifestation. The whole universe has come together to make your
existence possible. There is nothing that is not you. The kingdom of
God, the Pure Land, nirvana, happiness, and liberation are all you."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
 | | 9/2/2010 11:46:00 AM |
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No Sleep To Mysore
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TO JALANDHARA BANDA, OR NOT TO JALANDHARA BANDHA?
In April, senior ashtanga teacher Lino Miele told us that in the ashtanga vinyasa yoga system, Jalandhara Bandha (the chin-lock) is not used during the asana (posture) portion of practice. He said that it is only used for pranayama (breathing). “There are a few things that Guruji [Sri K. Pattabhi Jois] was very particular to teach,” he said. “This is how I know if it came from him or somewhere else.
“Once the guru dies, everyone goes like this,” he said, spreading out his arms. “I don't want to go like this.”
In August, David Williams (the first American to study with Pattabhi Jois) took me aside before his workshop, and told me that he liked my article about Lino, but that it was wrong when it came to Jalandhara Bandha. He said that the chin-lock is done in every pose. He had a text by Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (the guru of Pattabhi Jois) to back him up. It said, "When I explain the rules of yogasana [yoga postures], if the position of the head has not been specified, then keep the head in jalandhara bandha."
I said to DW that the correct response would be to write a letter to the editor. DW said he did not want to pursue it. I said that ashtanga is interesting that way; in April, Lino Miele said that Mula Bandha (the root lock) means to pull up the anus. From my Yoga Chicago article:
When he was writing the books with Guruji (they also completed a book on advanced A and B series, which has not yet been published), Lino said he brought in some other yoga books, and told Guruji he was confused about mula bandha. “Gurji threw away the books. He said, ‘I am the book. You and I are writing the book, and you go to other books?'
“OK, Guruji--but where is mula bandha?”
“‘The anus.'”
I told DW that a month later, Tim Miller (the first American certified to teach the ashtanga system) came to town and told us that Mula Bandha does not mean to pull up the anus. From my article in the September/October Yoga Chicago, which is not yet online:
Tim began “The Mysterious and Elusive Bandhas” by explaining, “mula bandha [root lock] doesn’t mean to contract your anus.” Instead, the action involves lifting the tailbone towards the pubic bone.
I told DW that I found the differences rather amusing.
As for the chin-lock, I recalled that the old pictures of Pattabhi Jois show him doing something like it in the seated forward bends (one year, David Roche, who is a certified teacher *and* a big-time mixer, came to town and had us do all the poses old-school like that. It felt good on the back, and it was easier to catch the bottom two locks. But it did not feel right).
I figured that at some point, it shifted to from chin-to-chest to chin-to-shin in the seated forward bends, with eyes towards the feet.
What I didn't say was that at some point these debates are a bit like the war over which side to open the hard-boiled egg on in the Lilliput section of Gulliver's Travels.
After my discussion with David W, I attended his led primary series workshop at his invitation. He had the students do Jalandhara Bandha in each and every pose.
The following week, the regular Mysore students were still practicing that way, and we had a discussion. I said that the reason for many differences is that Guruji's teachings evolved over the years. (What I did not say is that many differences are due to younger / newer / careless instructors teaching incorrectly, which is a whole 'nother post). I said that I tend to go with my own 12 months of experience with Guruji and what Lino says, since he spent so much time with Guruji trying to get everything straight. After all, how can you look at your foot (the correct dristi, or gaze, in most seated forward bends) if your chin is at your chest? I suggested they find some sort of middle way: neck neutral, eyes towards feet, forehead relaxed. But when I practice, I do chin-to-shin.
On Tuesday, I found Jason Stein's notes from a July 28, 2004 conference with Guruji and Sharath in Mysore:
"Jalandhara bandha is only to be engaged during pranayama, not during asana practice."
Straight from the Guru. To Jason. To you.
Although Jason adds a caveat:
"Take as gospel at your own risk." | | 9/2/2010 7:28:00 AM |
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Ashtanga Jump Back
Yoga Gymnastique |
'Yoga Gymnastique
Some eight years back I wangled a presenter assignment at a Yoga Conference in Texas. I was never invited again because, among all the presenters, I had the dubious distinction of attracting the least number of participants for every one of my presentations.
During one of the breaks a well known Yoga Teacher in US, came and sat by my side and inquired about me, about where I was from etc. I mentioned that I was a student of Pandit Krishnamcahary for 3 decades. With a quizzical look he asked, “What were you doing for 30 years with him?', and with a wry smile he said, “Oh you must have been doing your daily practice at his school”. He left before I could start my long answer. “How can anyone study Yoga for such a long period when there are just a half a dozen sequences or just a little over a score of asanas?” He must have wondered
“Krishnamacharya as I have mentioned earlier was like a many splendoured diamond each facet brilliant in its own way. He taught yogasanas following the Vinyasakrama, the art form. He also used yogasanas, pranayama and meditiation for chikitsa or therapeutic applications. He taught a vast range of Sanskrit chants from the vedas and also from smritis. He taught several traditional texts like the yoga sutras and the sibling philosophies including the several upanishads, following mainly the Visishtadwaita approach. He taught vaishnava religious texts as well to a number of his vaishnava followers. He was a well rounded Yogi and he could make every class absorbing. There would always be something new and insightful. One could never get bored in his classes whether it be the asanas, chanting or textual studies...” I wanted to explain these to my celebrity friend but he was too busy to stay and listen.
Some research scholars have mentioned that Krishnamacharya's vinyasa approach to yoga has a considerable dose of physical exercise systems prevalent at that time in India like the drills and also gymnastics imported into it. But my experience with Krishnamacharya's asana practice is somewhat different. It is true that some of the vinyasas and vinyasa sequences like part of Surya Namaskra, the hand stands, the jump throughs, jump arounds, push ups (utplutis) may appear to mimic floor exercises in gymnastics. Perhaps there are some asanas and vinyasas Sri Krishnamacharya taught that had some resemblance to drills or gymnastics. But he taught to me almost 1000 vinyasas making up close to 150 asana subroutines. The head stand, the sarvangasana, padmasana are distinctly different from gymnastics and each one of them has scores of vinyasas that are uniquely yogic and no other system seems to have anything like that. Further yoga as a physical culture is very old. We may not have records because in ancient times most of instructions were oral and the transmission of knowledge was from teacher to student and the only way to learn was to go to a teacher and learn, practice and internalize. Later on a few texts were written as scripts were developed but they were written in easily perishable palm leaves—like the Yoga Kuranta-- and barely one manuscript , no xerox copies, no electronic books were available. So in these matters we have to rely upon authorities/tradition or as the vedas would call it “aitihya” or firmly held belief. Even from the available texts like the puranas one can glean a lot of reference to yoga practice including asana practice. The Brahma Sutras mention that a seated asana is a necessity for meditation. Works written hundreds or even a thousand years back contain sections on Yoga including asanas. Thirumular, a yogi said to have lived 3000 years back wrote about several asanas in his Tamil classic Thirumandiram. Puranas, smritis and several later day upanishads have sections on asana practice. There is a dhyanasloka pertaining to the Ramayana which mentions that Sri Rama was in Vajrasana while seated in his flowered bedecked, jeweled throne. In fact from time immemorial many people in India, as a religious practice, have been doing sandhya or morning worship of the sun with specific sun worship mantras and physical movements and gestures. It includes mantras like the gayatri, pranayama and many postures like tadasana, uttanasana, utkatakaasana and danda namaskara and utakatasana are specifically mentioned in the smritis. So in a way we may say that suryanamaskara with mantras and the physical exercise has been a very old practice. The word Yoga is indeed a vedic word. You may check with my book “The Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga” (here no commercial intended) based on my studies with my guru and I do not think it in any way resembles a book of gymnastics. Yogasanas have their own distinct nicety. Gymanstics of course has its own charm. Gymnastics was one my favourite programs while watching the Olympics. I do not know if I would enjoy Yoga Olympiad.
My Guru had mentioned on a couple of occasions that physical yoga had been the core system of physical exercises in India. It had technically influenced several ancient systems like wrestling, archery, fencing etc., very physically demanding disciplines, requiring a high degree of strength, dexterity and focus. Yoga is called a sarvanga sadhana as it is helpful for all parts of the body, including the internal organs. There were other indigenous circus-like practices such as malcam, kazhakkoothu where they use ropes or poles and do routines very similar to asanas. He had also mentioned that almost all the physical systems of the world, including gymnastics, had borrowed heavily from Yoga, because the asana portion of Yoga was the most ancient and developed physical culture system. Therefore it could be that there were a few similarities between asanas and some obscure gymnastic systems in different parts of the world at different times. Then one has to investigate the origin of those obscure systems, whether they were older than Yoga, or if they themselves borrowed from ancient yoga practices. My Guru himself was a passionate researcher. He would always be looking for works on yoga and other systems. He even would advise us to go to different agraharams (small cluster of homes of scholars in certain villages) and look for works on Yoga available with such scholars. He would say that we should visit the hundreds of temples in India, especially South India, and observe the sculptures and idols all over the temples for study of yoga postures. And because of the oral tradition and relying on degradable palm leaves, Yoga itself had a checkered progression, in the limelight during some time in history and obscure at some other times. Then it becomes a futile exercise to try to determine which among the physical exercise regimens came first, the seed or the tree or the better known example of the chicken and the egg.
There are distinct differences between the yoga I learned from Sri Krishnamacharya for a long period of time and some of the aerobic exercises like gymnastics. In the vinyasa krama asana practice, the breathing is synchronized with the movements at the rate of anywhere between 5 to 10 seconds for inhalation and exhalation thereby reducing the breath rate to about 3 to 5 per minute, whereas in contemporary aerobic exercises including gymnastics and gym workouts, the breath rate increases to much beyond the normal breathing rate of about 15 or so. This alone makes yoga practice of Sri Krishnamacharya distinctly different from other drills. The variety of movements in Vinyasa asana practice is said to be designed to exercise all parts of the body including the internal organs. We do not find deep movement, synchronized breathing, and the significantly profound exercises like the bandhas-- which are an integral part of Sri Krishnamacharya's asana practice-- in other forms of physical exercises, especially gymnastics. Look at the 30's videos, the bandhas of my Guru, They are not a gymnast's cup of chai.
When I was young, some exercises were very popular. They were outside the pale of yogasanas. One was known as “dandal”, which would look very much like a repetitive movement between caturanga dandasana and the plank or a simpler version of urdhwa mukha swanasana. The other was known as, if I remember right, 'bhaski'. It involved standing up and doing repeated squats. The first one, 'dandal' looks very similar to part of Surya namaskara. Baski resembles a very popular ritual that is done by thousands even today and is known as “toppukaranam” in Tamil and “dorbhyam karanam” in Sanskrit. One holds the lobes of the opposite ears with one's hands and squats usually in front of the idol of Lord Ganesha. It could be 12 times or 108 times. It is both a good physical exercise and a loving devotional practice to the charming Lord Ganesha. Are these physical drills, yoga exercises or devotional practices? Which came first? God knows, Lord Ganesa knows.
Then there is the question of whether Suryanamaskara is old, from the vedic times. The Surya namaskara can be considered from two views; one is the mantra portion the other is vyayama or the physical part. Certainly Suryanamaskara mantras are from the vedas. In fact there is a complete chapter of Suryanamaskra mantras from the veda which takes about an hour to chant. Again the other important Surya mantra, Gayatri, is also a vedic mantra. The vedas exhort using Gayatri as a mantra to worship the sun daily. Worship of the sun is considered a daily obligatory duty for the orthodox in India. We have a procedure called Sandhya vandana which is supposed to be done thrice a day, but definitely once a day. This Sandhya procedure is a kind of a worship ritual, towards the end of which one prostrates towards the Sun. While the gayatri japa portion is done sitting in a yogic posture after required number of pranayama, the upasthana or the second part is done standing. Towards the conclusion the worshipper of the sun has to do a namaskara, a prostration. So from the standing position, usually one bends forward, half squats, places the palms on the floor, takes the legs back by jumping or taking one leg after the other and does an saashtanga namaskara or the danda namaskara (prostration). One has to go through these steps (from standing to prostration) and if the steps are properly organized we get the surya namaskara vyayama, a sequence, a vinyasakrama. So, since one has to do sandhya daily and has to do the namaskara startig from standing and since the sandhya is mentioned as an obligatory duty, it will be correct to say that suryanamaskara, both the mantra portion and physical namaskara portion, are from the vedic times. The actual steps may vary but the physical namaskara to the sun is a procedure practiced from ancient vedic times. Further In India you can see many people who do not practice yoga or the formal ritualistic sandhyavandana, standing on the terrace or on the beach, facing East early in the morning, and doing prostrations a few times, returning to the standing position every time. They do not call it Yoga but suryanamaskara. Some of the present day yoga enthusiasts however do the suryanamaskara, probably at night, in any direction or directionless, do not use the mantras or the devotional bhavana associated with it, but as a mere workout.
I had chanted the suyanamaskara mantra almost on every Sunday with my Guru for several years. Namarupa also published my article on Sandhya vandana with pictures of the steps some time back. I also have the one hour long Suryanamaskara mantra chant from the Yajur Veda (which I learned from Sri Krishnamacharya) recorded in mid 80s and the cds are still made available in India.
Sri Krishnamacharya's range of teaching was sweeping. I have mentioned about the asana teaching, his chikitsa krama and vinyasa krama. His chanting of vedas was beautiful and very engaging. I do not know of any yoga teacher during his times who could chant as well as he could from memory. He earned the title “Veda Kesari”, or Lion of Vedas. He was a Sanskrit scholar, a Sanskrit Pandit. He taught the vedanta philosophy, the prastana trayas, the upanishads, the Brahma sutra and the Bhagavad Gita in the visishtadvaita tradition. He was given the title “Vedanta Vageesa”. He was also quite familiar with the advaitic interpretation. He once said while doing the sutra on Anandamaya “Anandamaya abhyasat” in which the two interpretations, advaita and visistadwaita differ from each other, “If you want I can teach you the advaitic interpretation, but advaita may be intellectually challenging but does not give the emotional satisfaction one gets from the visishtadvaitic approach”. He also taught us several important upanishads. I studied with him several upanishad vidyas from the major upanishads, like Brahadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Kaushitaki and others. Some of the vidyas he taught include Pancha kosa Vidya, panchagni, pranava, madhu, Sandilya, Dahara Pratardana and many others. Once I asked him why if the goal is the same, understanding Brahman the ultimate Reality, then there are so many upanishads, why so many vidyas. He would say that pupils have different questions about the ultimate reality and these vidyas take you from the known to the unknown. Supposing fifty people, strangers from different places go to an unknown country, Pineland, and take a picture with the leader of the country Mr Pineman. Every one sends home a copy of the picture by e mail. The way they would point to the unknown leader, Mr Pineman to those back home would be to start from the known. The known entity in the picture will be the one who sends the picture. He may tell his son/daughter, ”the leader is three rows in front and eight to the right of me. Another person would start first by asking his kid to identify him/her first in the picture and may say the leader is three rows behind and five seats to the left. Likewise all the various vidyas of the upanishads try to help the aspirants to realize the ultimate truth, starting from a known tatwa. I had the privilege of studying several upanishd vidyas from my Guru Sri Krishnamacharya.
He also taught many of the sibling philosophies so that one's understanding of Yoga and Vedanta will be on firm grounds. He taught Samkhya philosophy by explaining the Samkhya karika with the commentary of Gaudapada. He also taught Yoga Sutra in considerable detail. He had obtained the titles “Yogacharya” and “Samkhya Siromani”. He also was an expert in another profound philosophy called Nyaya and had been conferred the title “Nyayacharya”. He also taught smaller or easier works like Tarka Sangraha to introduce the difficult Nyaya philosophy.
His religious studies were outstanding. He was such an expert in the Vaishnava philosophy, that he was in consideration to head a well known Vaishnava Mutt. He was truly a devotional person. As he practiced yoga he performed his daily puja with great devotion. He had several students who studied the Vaishnava religion in considerable detail. He could quote from the epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and several other puranas like Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana etc.
I do not know of any person who was so well versed in the sastras and also at the same time an outstanding practising Yogi. Sri Krishnamacharya is well known, it is almost exclusively due to his yogasana teachings. But his scholarship and teachings were enormous. I feel a bit sad when he is portrayed as a hata yoga teacher who plagiarized some exercises from gymnastics and called it yoga to make a living, and nothing more. Maybe there is some common ground between these two different physical disciplines. I continue to remain in awe of his enormous scholarship, practice and teachings and kindness towards his students. He was a teacher who would uplift you, a true Acharya. When you study with him, you get an unmistakable feeling that his only goal in life was to transmit the traditional knowledge and make it accessible to the student. He was a unique Yogi, a unique teacher, a unique individual. Twenty years after his passing away, I remember him everyday, while practicing, studying or teaching; sometimes in dreams-- fondly'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- miscellaneous
Certain days in the month are considered “anadhyayana” days. Some people ask if Yoga should not be done on these anadhyayana days. During my studies with my teacher he did not specify any days when we should not practice Yoga. Anadhyayana is usually associated with study of the vedas and anadhyayana days are days one should not study the vedas, presumably with the teacher. In short we may say that the veda pathasala or veda schools would be closed on these days. I started learning veda chanting (with my father) when I was about 10 years old and I had a teacher who would come to our house at about 5 in the morning to teach vedic chanting. But he would not come on these “anadhyayana” days. The smritis say that vedas should be chanted daily (vedam nityam adhiyetaam). So we may say that the prohibition is with respect to studying, perhaps new lessons but not chanting the portions already learned (swadhyaya). On anadhyayana days like the new moon day, one may refrain from learning with a teacher new vedic lessons, but may chant what one has already learnt. It is a moot question if this restriction applies to yogasana learning and certainly does not appear to apply to home yogasana practice
“The outer mind does not know what the inner mind needs. The outer mind is excited about doing hours of alluring asana practice, but how come the inner mind feels very comfortable and serene with an hour 's practice of what appears to the outer mind as insipid, unexciting, monotonous, unvarying yoga practices like pranayama, meditation and chanting? No, no, the outer mind does not know what the inner mind wants.”
“I have attained the highest, the spiritual realization, the hidden treasure in my heart. I move back and forth between samadhi (shyama) and waking state (sabala) with consummate ease. I am like a glorious full moon just coming out of an eclipse; like a horse that shrugs off the loose hair, I toss away the sins (karma bundle) and attain freedom.” Chandogya Upanishad
Bringing under control the breath (pavana) by pranayama and then the senses (indriyas) by pratyahara, one should meditate on the auspicious principle (subhasraya)-- Vishnu Purana The world talks in admiration of one who helps even those who had harmed him/her. "What is great in I-scratch- your- back, you- scratch- mine kind of help?"--adopted from a Sanskrit proverb
“The help a father can render to his son/offspring is to educate him/ her so well that he/she would be in the forefront in an assembly of scholars” Tirukural, a 4th century Tamil classic
The best way to repay the debt of an offspring to one's parent is to make the whole world exclaim in admiration “What good karmas the parent should have done to beget such an exemplary offspring”..Tirukkural a 4th century Tamil classic
The best Gurudakshina a student can offer to the teacher is to make the teacher's teachings known to the world (by practice, adherence and teaching). A Sanskrit saying.
The relationship (bondage) between a wife and husband is considered very sacred. The relationship between a parent and offspring, teacher and student and the devotee and the deity are all considered very special. Any attempt to create a rift in these relationships is considered 'no-good karma'.
The one in this human being and one in the sun yonder, are one and the same -..One who realizes this oneness (of the soul), never fears, never feels sorrow.-Taittiriya Upanishad
If you wish, you may forward to anyone interested,reproduce or quote in your blogs or share with others.
With best wishes
Sincerely Srivatsa Ramaswami
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Other Vinyasa Krama News from the Sept. 2010 newsletter
The month between Aug 15 to Sep 15th is known as Shravana, or we may say veda month. On the full moon day during this month many in India who have been initiated into vedic studies do a ceremony restarting the vedic studies and also chant a “Kamokarshit..” mantra 108 times. It is a mantra asking for forgiveness for the various misdeeds violating the yamas/dharmas of the vedas, due to desire (kama) and anger (manyu), The following day one sits down and does 1008 japa of the famous Gayatri, after doing 10 times of mantra pranayama. In the north on the full moon day sisters tie a rakhi around the wrist of their brothers, strengthening the bondage between the siblings. Aug 25th, 1008 Gaytri Japa with the preliminaries and rituals took about 90 mts. (“We meditate on the orb of the sun, the luster of the Lord. May It kindle/sparkle our intellect” –gayatri mantra). On 24th, shravan day, I chanted a chapter from the Yajur veda, Pravargya Brahmana which took about 75 mts.
Between September 17th and 26th I will be teaching at Suddha Weixler's Chicago Yoga Center. There is a weekend program on Yoga Sutras Ch I and II, a week long Core Vinyasa asana program and a week end of asana, pranayama and meditation, the three pronged yoga sadhana. Here is the link
http://www.yogamind.com/workshop-ramaswami_TT10.shtml
LMU is registering for the December retreat in India (New Delhi and Rishikesh). Here is the link
http://registration.xenegrade.com/lmuextension/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=724
Anthony Hall has created a blog Vinyasa Krama Yoga, with his videos of many asana sub-sequences from my book “Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga”. Thank you very much Tony for your energy, effort, expertise and focus. Here is the link
http://vinyasakramayoga.blogspot.com/
I have written earlier requesting the scores of participants to my various programs to make a video of at least one subroutine showing the slow long fine breathing and the sedate, controlled pace at which vinyasakrama is done and load it on to You Tube or somewhere and send me the link. You may perhaps even use a cell phone to record it—may be you could ask your spouse or friend to do a favour of recording a short video for you.
Madhu Berber has started a Vinyasa Krama Yoga School, called Kaivalya nMaui, in Hawaii. I wish him well.
I have confirmed programs to do; a 200 hr Vinyasakrama yoga Teacher Training Program (regd with Yoga Alliance) in June July 2011 at LMU and a one week program at Esalen Institue in May 2011.
If you want to send a message or comment please send it to info@vinyasakrama.com and not use the reply tab.
| | 8/31/2010 10:00:00 PM |
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Daily Cup of Yoga
Book Review: 27 Things to Know About Yoga | Welcome to Day #3 of the Blog Book Tour for Victoria Klein’s new yoga book, 27 Things to Know About Yoga! I couldn’t be happier to share and recommend this gem of a yoga book with each of you. Part how-to book, part intro to yoga philosophy and lifestyle, 27 Things is that book you [...] | | 8/31/2010 6:31:04 AM |
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Globie
8 more today! | Very civilised 9am start to practice today, though I suspect Cary was there way earlier to have the heating cranked up, my glasses steamed up when I walked in. Nice to be there early for a change, which meant a chance to talk about practice. She was asking people how they thought their practice changed [...] | | 8/30/2010 11:40:04 AM |
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Yogini's Quest
It’s starting | It’s the beginning of my final term at CDI!!! I’m not gonna lie, my outlook felt a whole lot better today when I finally came to terms with the fact that the end is near. 11 weeks near. Some of … Continue reading → | | 8/30/2010 7:26:55 AM |
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Aum Buddhipriya
A Calling | So I had been planning a trip to Mysore, India for at least a year for January through March of 2011. Through a strange series of events my plan, or at least my passion for my plan slowly eroded, at least for that time frame. The timing felt off. What I needed was an American fix: quicker and including my husband. A vacation, that included yoga, America and the ocean. My husband, having just returned from Europe was also in a funk and I was determined that we find our love of our country again - if not the state in which we are currently living. I told him we shall "go West young man" and so my dream of visiting my teacher Tim Miller in Encinitas, CA was born.
It felt like a true calling. A road trip to find the "Great American Dream" a la Jack Kerouac or Hunter S. Thompson minus the drugs and the booze and the craziness. I could hear the Pacific, too cold in which to swim, but so beautiful crashing against the shores. I could hear Tim's distinctive count of "1,..2,...3..4..5, nawa inhale, dasha exhale, ekadasha pick it up...." I had questioned him too much the last time I had seen him, had too many doubts about going to India before I saw him again. In my soul I know that he is my guru.
It's a classic American solution to a classic American problem: the urge to wander, a dissatisfaction with where we are now and a profound sense that out West lies something greater and perhaps as we reach our late thirties and look to our forties we don't remember the simple solution anymore. The road trip west to find our guru. Traveling across the Mississippi, across the Rockies or the Ozarks, across the desert of infinite probabilities and finite possibilities, until we reach the Pacific. Find our peace. Follow the highway of our bliss until the endless miles force our souls to reveal all of our inner truths. And in the desert we wander, until we hear the voice of our inner guru calling us home. Wherever that may be. | | 8/29/2010 5:15:00 PM |
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Ashtanga Journal
Afroz | I spent 18 days at Osho Afroz meditation center and each day was blissful. Going to Afroz was the best thing I have done this whole summer. Afroz is in Eressos, which is at the southwest part of the Lesvos island. This was my second time there and it seems like each time I am falling in love with this place more deeply. I arrived on August 4, during noon. Lucky me, that date there was a boat leaving Turkey in the morning, so I arrived to Afroz by noon instead of taking the afternoon boat and arriving at night… Then I had enough time to get my tent and settle down and then go to the beach for a swim… Next day, a friend whom I knew from Pune arrived and she also start practicing with me in the mornings at the Buddha Hall. Then a friend from last year also began joining us for practice, then there was another one who was doing his sitting meditation/pranayama/asanas… So each morning was beautiful with this small group. Other than the morning practice, there were meditations we participated each morning, evening and of course also beach meditation ☺
After a week my sister also arrived and the Osho festival began. It was really beautiful. I was planning to come back but I could not. I ended up staying the whole festival. There were friends from last year, from Pune, and then lots of new ones I met this time! The festival was really fun and there were really nice workshops. The music was great, musicians were great… Every evening meeting with live music, and many active meditations with live music! Ahhh it was so alive. I became alive again with life, with love, I discovered my life source again…
Words are not really enough to describe it all… I woke up to life, to living… This summer has been demoralizing for me and I ended up in this very negative mood from which I could not get myself out. It was like falling into a pit and not knowing how to get out of it, or as if I was punishing myself with staying down there… In Afroz, I finally saw the stairs going up and I got the courage to go out of the pit. Finally, I could breath again! And I felt so much love, so much light from all around, from people, from the nature, from the universe… I realized that there is nothing to worry about, existence takes care of all this and it will also take care of me. I felt Osho’s words penetrating me again, lifting me up, encouraging me to go on. It was a beautiful time with beautiful friends, sisters, brothers, lovers… | | 8/28/2010 9:08:00 AM |
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Chai And Yoga
Stretch to the Cure | | The week of Sept. 20 the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is running a weeklong fundraiser called “Stretch to the Cure.” Try to make it for a participating class, both for the cancer preventing benefits of yoga and pilates and to support NFCR!
If you’re a yoga studio, consider signing up one or more of [...] | | 8/26/2010 9:53:05 AM |
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The Elephant's Belly
dive into the fall | I’m in Seattle for the ISME conference. It rained last night. Hard. There are leaves changing. The first hint of fall in the air surprised me on Friday in Corvallis. As rapidly as summer arrived, it is moving on. The changing of seasons, and especially the dive into Fall, is my favorite times of the [...] | | 8/22/2010 10:48:55 AM |
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Alfia
| Two days in a row of really good practice (knock-knock-knock, spit-spit-spit). I even got bakasana today. Well, did not really get. I was going through my regularly scheduled supta vajrasana suffering and asked David in frustration if I was going to get stuck in this pose forever. I really did not mean to ask for a pose, but he readily gave me bakasana. Since being nice is not really in David's nature, he added that is did not matter if I was going to get stuck in SV or bakasana, because I would get stuck there for sure. Such a typical David! Still love him. :)
I think I did not mention my hip problems here. I got a bursitis of the hip joint due to my sucky jump through. I used to land heavily on the outside of my right foot every time I jumped through, felt the jolt in my hip and thought to myself "oh, this is not good". It really was not good in the end, when the outside bursa inflamed, with pain spreading to the butt and to the knee through the IT band. Massage and acupuncture are slowly making things better. Meanwhile I thought that my jumpback improved, because I no longer felt the jolt in the right hip. But today the realization struck me - I just learned to land not on my right foot, but left one instead! I am listening attentively to my left hip now and planning a weekend marathon reading of Gimmli's archives on learning how to jump back and through.
My new work keeps me just as busy as my old one. For some reason it seems a little more meaningful, so I do not feel drained and unhappy. It would be good to have some time to write and to read blogs, though. | | 8/17/2010 7:12:00 AM |
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Journeys
Update from the past few weeks | Well, where have I been?!! Mostly too busy to post! I spent a week down in NSW helping my Mum who'd broken her arm falling over a few weeks earlier. I was there to help out for her first week home from hospital. With a broken arm she can't drive, and there's so many simple things that we take for granted that are either impossible, or hard, or you have to find new ways of doing! Luckily she was able to get community services help of one hour a day during the week. She gets the house cleaned, gets taken shopping, help with hanging out the washing, etc etc. Luckily she has a big network of friends who are constantly dropping in with food or for a chat, to take her or the dog out for a walk, etc etc.
Only managed a couple of yoga practices in that week, but since I got back things have been going well. I can actually see the results of putting in extra time/effort, which is pretty pleasing! I'm still mostly looking at consolidating my practice before I go to Bali. I know that I am unlikely to be able to practice some of the poses that I do at the Brisbane shala, as they have a different view on skipping poses to what I imagine Dena Kingsberg has! But that's OK - I'm happy to learn and improve wherever. (Although I do plan to keep doing certain poses in Bali in the privacy of my room, just so I don't completely lose them!!)
And I've booked my ticket to Portugal (going to stay with my friend Wendi), and most excitingly, she has booked tickets for us to go to Marrakesh (Morocco) for 3 days! Flying from Seville ... Oh it's going to be so great! That's kind of at the end of my time in the UK, so I've now got a great 10 days in Bali at the beginning, a great 3 weeks (only 3 weeks?, help!!) in London and the UK visiting family and friends, and then 8 days in Portugal and Marrakesh towards the end!
Happy sighs ... :) | | 8/15/2010 8:24:00 PM |
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Renegade Reality
Good Night Blog | This blogger site has served me well for over 5 years. I've transferred all the files over to http://detroitevolution.com, sealed up the doors and windows and, after a blatantly nostalgic walk-through, I'm closing this chapter.
There's a great deal documented here. I'm certainly not the same person I was when I returned to Detroit in 2000. This blog, when taken in conjunction with my old Live Journal and the Vitriol Archives (this Wayback Machine version is uber slow), make up the majority of my computer documentation. Up until 2000 I was still active with my hand-written journals.
I find the need to electronically trace and track old links and blogs in order to properly archive my work fascinating. Now that Aya Eden is here I'm a bit more mindful of keeping proper records. Loosing track of these chunks of documentation would stink.
This blog started as my personal and rather egotistical yoga journal and oddly enough turned into something called Detroit As A Portal for Global Transformation. That in and of itself makes me smile.
Thanks to those who have tuned this channel in over the past five years. Please keep up with the story at http://detroitevolution.com
In Health, Joy & Liberation,
~Gregg | | 8/13/2010 3:22:00 AM |
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A Lotus Girl
Time... |  The older I get, the more amazed I am at how fast time passes....
Days seem to just fly by lately. I like it in a way. Especially when I have a goal in mind...a plan. I was reading Operation Shanti's blog post this morning and when I saw this photo I was blown away at how these boys have grown. It seems like just yeserday when I was there and Kaleem (the boy in blue not looking at the camera) came up to me after we had distributed the shoes at the school he was then living at, looked up at me and said "Thank You for the shoes you gave me" and I immediately teared up... He especially holds a soft place in my heart for some reason...It's wonderful to see how much he has grown up and how handsome all those boys are. They are all well on their way now...and the future will be theirs for the taking. No doubt about that! I can't wait to go back to Mysore and see them all again... Time....
| | 8/12/2010 9:07:00 AM |
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Donutszenmom
| - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location:Test | | 8/11/2010 6:05:31 AM |
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YogaVita
I’ve moved to Twitter. | Meet me at Two Wheels N Tofu! Nanoblogging on yoga, cycling, nursing, food, Seattle, well-being and good living. http://twitter.com/twowheelsntofu | | 7/18/2010 1:04:10 PM |
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Living Breathing Yoga
Back to West Coast Living! |  We are back to Victoria - back "home" - and oh how good it feels to have a "home" to come back to... and one that is so stunning at that! Lucky Us! We've been visiting the ocean every day, and enjoying the intrinsic beauty of nature, just taking it all in - it's been a sweet return to this island paradise.  The air is clean, the sea breeze is refreshing, the sun is shining, and the food is fresh, nutritious, and delicious! We feel so blessed to be able to call this place "home".
 We've returned from India with a new certification to teach at a more advanced level, which was the main purpose for our visit to Mysore.
 In addition to this however, we were blessed with the opportunity to reconnect with many colleagues and dear friends, with whom we shared and learned as we reinforce the strong bonds in the international community of Ashtanga Yoga practitioners and teachers.
 In a way our time there was a bit of a "graduation."
 A time to reconnect with the lineage of this tradition, and to have Sharath express his full confidence in our ability to transmit the teachings of this practice, and to go on teaching what we have learned with full authority.
 Now that we are back, we will focus on continuing to build and educate the growing community of Ashtanga Yoga Practitioners and Seekers here in Victoria with deep gratitude and humble sincerity for all that we have had the blessing to receive!
 Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah Hari Om! 
 | | 7/17/2010 3:31:00 PM |
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Ashtanga Yogini
Overwhelment | I had a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday about feeling overwhelmed. I'm back to work, Kaiden is 2 1/2 months old and I'm trying to figure out how to run my business, teach my classes, maintain my relationship with my partner, keep my house clean, and be a good mother to my son...oh and find a little time for myself too. I'm truly happier than I've been my entire life but also busier and pulled in more directions. I know time will help me figure out balance for it all but at this moment in time the only word that can describe how I feel is, "Overwhelmed!"
After I chatted with Gaby yesterday she emailed me this quote:
"Overwhelment is about you not being up to speed with what you told the Universe what you want. The Universe is yielding to you. You're just not ready to receive it right now."
- Abraham
hmm..... | | 7/14/2010 6:54:00 AM |
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Tree Dweller Jess
Chaos is Freedom | Borrowed this from: h.koppdelaney’s website Chaos is Freedom “Master, why are you not going to celebration?” “I am learning to make no plans.” “Why? “Today chaos is freedom.” HKD | | 6/21/2010 11:11:06 AM |
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Cherry Blossom
Baby | Update- on April 7th, Mae Hee Rose was born. She weighed about 7.5 pounds and came to us via a beautiful, natural, water birth. I thank my yoga practice for the amazing labor/ delivery experience. I know that my practice helped the experience be what it was. If you are curious, see my baby blog [...] | | 6/20/2010 5:49:56 PM |
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movement
keeping the faith | | this past year has been pretty tough,the past month especially so.as it stands,i find myself,by my own choice,quite alone.the initial estrangement from friends and family was hard and still I find myself lonely.but somehow i felt that i was going to shine somehow. and i am finding direction.i could never figure out what i wanted to do.mainly because i wanted enough time to read,paint,practise yoga,dance,live,spend time with friends and family,devour music music ,eat,skydive,travel...list goes on. it is coming to me.being alone is a blessing.i feel i can concentrate.feel i can decide what to do concentrate on my work and figure out what my priorities are.i feel ambition and direction and strength. i believe :) | | 6/19/2010 4:30:00 PM |
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99 To 1
03 Lists June | | Had a caravan for 295 yesterday
I had 20 minutes notice
Was about to turn off my phones to do yoga practice
My agent likes txting
She left out (from the previous day's txt) any mention of the day for the caravan
Only 2 other companies visited
I find that discouraging
I have faith the house will sell at a good price | | 6/16/2010 2:00:59 PM |
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Mysore Musings
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com | From the talk: "And what I have to, sort of keep telling myself when I get really psyched out about that, is, don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed, for just one moment through your efforts, then "Ole!" And if not, do your dance anyhow. And "Ole!" to you, nonetheless. I believe this and I feel that we must teach it. "Ole!" to you, nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up."
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com
From TED.com: Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
| | 5/29/2010 4:44:00 AM |
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Woke Up This Morning
Loose change | In my current, immediate possession:-
1 pair black/green Haviannas, bought as replacement for the pair that broke after I'd walked round the world (ok it seemed that way to me). These may not actually be mine, as I'm convinced they were swapped for MY pair on the steps of the shala in Mysore earlier this year
1 pair blue / white striped boxed boxer shorts. Ok, there's no story behind these at all. In fact I can't remember where I bought them from (Debenhams in Glasgow?) or how long ago. I do know they're reasonably comfortable, which is kinda important. I stopped wearing 'briefs' years ago as they always seemed to cut into the tops of my legs, though they made David Beckham look small by comparison. I do own 1 pair Calvin Klein that get worn on special occasions, no, not that kind of occasion, though I've been known to go command for long periods - I am Scottish after all.
1 pair newish King's designer jeans bought in Clapham Junction. They have a nifty white stitching which is prominent down the legs of all places. I've had more comments about these jeans than any single other pair I've owned. They're too big for me, or rather, they were a good fit and I've shrunk (again) over the last few weeks. I bought these completely on a whim. Turned out the salesman was from a town only 7 miles from where I grew up and he knew the pool where I used to work. SOmetimes it's a very small world.
1 8Y yoga singlet emblazoned with the Surya Namaskara A count from the Astanga Yoga Primary Series. Ekam 1 inhale et al. Purchased from a very nice ex-BA cabin crew member in Mysore circa 2008. Still very comfortable though I've worn the crap out of it. Pleased this one survived the Mysore stoor this last trip.
1 All Saints blue low cut t-shirt. Cut so low in the chest area it actually looks like it's been ripped across the middle. I love All Saints for their lack of logo-ing, or relative lack anyways
2 x silver bangles. 1 from the Paddington Market on the way to Bondi Beach in Oz, bought for the pricely some of 30 bucks, and a great steal at that. After I lost my hat and chain when I came back from Mysore this year this is my most prize possession as it's been with me the longest. it's surprisingly heavy, I've worn it every day since I bought it, on my right wrist, though I'm right handed, I'd wear my watch on my left one, it sits aloneg side a single bangle that I bought for $10 in Miami. I think I actually got 4 for 10 bucks. It's cheap, cheerful, and just great for annoying people when I bang it against the other one.
1 Paul Smith leather wallet, contents :
Lloyds tsb card, 10x1st class stamps, AYL Moon calendar, driving licence, Tri Yoga membership card, RAC membership card though I no longer own a car, costa coffee card (I'd never go to Starbucks if I had the choice not to), £15 in cash, loose receipts.
1 Oyster card for getting around town
1 duffle bag, contents thereof…
1 Dell Mini 10v. I got fed up carting my macbook pro round about with me so this was the cheapest alternative to that.
1 Dell mouse, as the touchpad doesn't work too well with OSX here
iPhone3GS, heavily used and currenty sporting some 60+ apps 3 of which I wrote myself! Yes, I know, big head. Headphones, for said big head. 3 missed calls, mostly from iPhone head hunters who always never call me back when they hear how much I currently earn; 14 text messages, 1 of which says 'Is 2.00pm Sunday ok?', which of course it most definitely is. :>
Books:
-On the Road (The original script) by Jack Kerouac, currently pegged at page 200 (oh spooky) by a flyer from Sharath's August '09 workshop. I find Jack's work very easy and somewhat liberating to read. If I'd had him with me in India I probably would've consumed this one in a day. It's one, monolithic paragraph from start to finish, which by itself adds to the sensations of his journey across America in the 50s. I'm rather quickly becoming a fan. How comes I never read any of his stuff before now, and how come I had to read Billy, flipping, Budd rather than something like this at school?
-Sports and Exercise Massage - Sandy Fritz
-Mind Hacks, Tips & Tools for using your brain - Tom Stafford & Matt Webb
-The Muscle Book - for colouring
1 yellow marker pen, 1 green one
1 black Bic pen
1 kiwi keyring plus keys, which gives me great joy when kids and adults play with it as I know all the disgusting places it's been that they dont
Aside: Can you tell I'm starting a massage course in the not so distant future? I'm absolutely shitting myself on this, it's so much like going back to school, well University, it is BTEC level 5 after all. Most to of the books are 500+ pages thick. Aaarrggggh!!!
6 CDs with various boring computer programs on them that I need to check out
1 Ray Ban case complete with cleaning fluid, cloth, and Graphite Sun Glasses (non polarised as I thought they fit my face shape better than the polarised ones). Apparently I was the first person to buy these new pair in the shop where I got them
1 Inatur factor 15 natural sun block from India which worked wonders today. It's the only sunscreen I found in Mysore that didn't state that it prevented you from tanning or made you whiter. What is it with that and India?
1 tub 100 tablets L-Lysine 1000mg, 99 left. Took one with eats tonight.
1 triangular meditation cushion which was a gift from my Yoga flow teacher when she came back from Bali, and, which, for various reasons i'll not go into here, is very close to my heart
Its a big bag
Belly contents:
1 Chipotle Veggie Burrito, Cheese, Guacamole, Peppers, 1 Brooklyn Lager, 1 Stella, 1 litre water (remains there of)
I brain, mostly used and a bit worn around the edges, full of junk, romantic notions, dreams you could fill the British Museum with, hope for the heart (see below)
1 heart, badly bruised, in much need of some TLC and a decent counterpart to help find some much needed rest. It's been a long search. How come you haven't found me yet?
£2.27 in loose change
Sounds a bit like an autopsy report if you ask me
| | 5/22/2010 2:50:46 PM |
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Colorado Ashtanga
Annie Pace Upcoming Workshops | Annie Pace, certified Ashtanga teacher, will be having three workshops in Colorado this summer: Telluride: June 4-6, 2010. Info. at www.tellurideyoga.com Pagosa Springs: August 20-22nd, 2010 (more info TBA) Denver: Sept. 17-19, 2010. Info at www.ashtangayogadenver.com For more info on Annie’s teaching and workshops, consult her website at anniepace.com. | | 4/25/2010 11:15:24 AM |
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Southern Yogi
Fresh Start |  Hi Wordpress, where have you been my entire blogging life??
I decided to make a move over to wordpress from my Blogger Account! Many reasons; but the main reasons is the additional features Wordpress allows such as "pages" so I can provide future students with my schedule! Another reason is a fresh start. Next month I will be graduating from my training. I know this will not be the end of my yogic path and learning opportunities. I am considering signing up for my 500hour with Stephanie and there are many many workshops in the future!
But, I wanted a fresh start with a nice neat new blog!
I am excited; because the future is wide open and many things are starting to change around me. I hope to start teaching more classes around Newnan after my training is complete. I head up to Asheville this weekend for the 8th weekend/month of training. It is our last weekend of actual asana and practice.
This weekend will include:
- Sutra Discussions
- Gentle Yoga class
- Master Flow Yoga class
- Student Teachings
- Meditation and Silence from Saturday evening until Sunday morning at 8:30 am
- More Meditation
- Pheonix Rising Yoga
In May we go back to take our final exam (totally paranoid about that) and for graduation.
Also remember to check out Asheville Yoga Blog! I will be submitting posts from time to time. I recenlty published a brief piece on Spring Cleaning your Yoga Mat! | | 4/20/2010 7:31:00 AM |
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Yoga Maiden
Jacques always makes it better! | Jacques Brel was born In Schaerbeek, Belgium on April 8, 1929 and passed away in Bobigny, France on October 9, 1978. He was a Belgian French-speaker author-composer. In Jacques there was an incredible potent ability of expression in his lyrics that many considered him a poet as well. Tagged: Jacques Brel, Les bourgeois | | 4/8/2010 12:48:07 AM |
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A2Ashtangi
The Last Supper | We'll, our house is being turned upside down for awhile, as we redo our "central corridor" - a kitchen, two baths, and stairs.
Let's see how it goes . . . .
I thought I'd track the progress here.
Here is The Wife, making our last meal in the old kitchen.
Au revoir.
| | 3/21/2010 5:51:00 PM |
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driste
Re Port | Nothing too new to add here… Life is crazy and work is nuts and stress is always present, tying knots in my stomach and shoulders. But it’s all wonderful. Yoga practice? I took some deep breaths in the car yesterday. That was my yoga practice. I had this moment on January 1st when I said [...] | | 1/14/2010 11:40:08 AM |
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Yogi One Can I Be
2009 – the Year in Poses | I overstated the badness of 2009 yesterday. After all it was replete with opportunities for spiritual progress (or I’ve been reading too much Eckhart Tolle). As far as my physical practice is concerned, it was a year of extremes. I practiced 217 times last year. I know this because I have a log (more on [...] | | 1/12/2010 4:08:00 PM |
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Still The Turning
Happy 2010! | | After a long vacation (1.5 weeks!), I am back at work at lab, back in the studio for both practice and teaching, and back at the computer to blog. I can't believe how fast it went, it seems like maybe it was a dream that I snapped awake from so quickly that it doesn't seem real, like it is fading in the distance. Ok, enough romanticizing about the holidays...
Monday was my first day back at both jobs. Finally had students in my Monday night class, after changing it to Hatha Level 1, from Ashtanga-Vinyasa Fusion. Monday nights at 7:30 pm is a little late I guess to market a hot, sweaty, full-o-cardio, kind of practice. Although I think the real kicker was that a very established teacher was doing a dynamic flow in the class before mine, and there had never been a class after. So we move on to Hatha 1 for now, which was really fun to teach.
My practice has felt like a calico cat lately, with patchwork contributions from everywhere. FitTV, Anusara, Ashtanga, Sivananda, Iyengar, etc. It has been really fun just finding my way. However, I do crave structure and progress, and answering to a regular teacher has always forced me to stick with it. Which is why I fell in love with Ashtanga in the first place. I've heard people say that if you are a Pitta, Type A personality, that you will naturally align with Ashtanga, but what you really need is a practice to balance out the Pitta, like a restorative type. I can't tell if me being ok with being away from a daily mysore, or even led, ashtanga practice is a function of me seeking what I am needing, or if it is a function of my personality changing. And I'm falling into a style of practice that matches my constitution, rather than complementing it... | | 1/6/2010 11:42:00 AM |
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On The Ashtanga Path
New Year | I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!
Though I haven't written any blog entries since I don't know when, I still very much enjoy reading your blogs and it often gives me a huge inspiration regarding my practice or life or ... thankyou all for this!
I'm not going to make any assumptions about my further blogging activities since it is obviously a fact that I'm not a great writer but let's see.
In any case I'm still on the Ashtanga path, trying to hold up a six-day-practice-week, which often fails, but sometimes not. Perhaps the first practice of the new year will happen now. | | 1/1/2010 2:43:00 AM |
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The Downward Facing Blog
Is this legal according to yoga? Using NLP for freedom | |
For years I went about paying homage to imaginary yoga critics and ‘authorities’ in my head, which extended from how I should think, act, eat, and even dress. I’ll admit that part of the impetus came from a belief I had to conform to a certain presentation, toe the line of the dogma and “look” [...]
| | 12/20/2009 6:38:37 PM |
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Lymphoma Journey
Good blood test results, but no sleep! | I went to have my monthly IV-IG infusion yesterday. The nurses always do blood tests before they start, and I was pretty pleased to see that my WCC and neutrofils had come back into the normal range! They'd been down for the past couple of months ...
WCC - 4.4 (normal range 4.0 - 11.0)
Neutrophils - 2.6 (2.0 - 8.0)
Platelets - 123 (150 - 450)
Platelets are still down but they may well always be down! In fact, looking at the previous post they were exactly the same then (July)!!
I'm seeing Dr B again next month before the December infusion. He's ordered up some extra blood tests that I'll get done before I go and see him. Hopefully all will be well! :)
However, I should note that it's actually 4.00am right now! I am not sure that I have slept at all - if I did it was only for 15 minutes here and there! I'm feeling OK at the moment but I don't expect I will by the end of the work day ... sigh! I'm wondering if this is because of one of the drugs they give me prior to the infusion, to stop reactions. Some 'cortico steroid'? Does that sound right? Who knows ... ! Anyway, I think I'm going to refuse to have this drug again next time. I really don't like tossing and turning all night! I'll see what the doctor says at least!
A couple of days ago it was the Melbourne Cup - the (horse) 'race that stops the nation'! It's one of those things like the Grand National in England. Everyone at work has Melbourne Cup lunches, wears silly hats and gets big TVs in to watch the race at work! And then there are the sweeps. You know - you put in $1, $2, $5 (whatever the amount for that sweep) and you are randomly assigned a horse. Well, one of the young IT Helpdesk guys was persuaded to set 2-3 of these these up for our department, despite protestations that he didn't know how to. So he spent I would estimate at least a day setting up these complex Excel spreadsheets that would randomly assign a horse to a person. And then we discovered after the race that he hadn't realised that he had to 'fill' each sweep! And there was at least one sweep where the winning horse hadn't been assigned to anyone!
I don't think he's ever going to live this down! I told the nurses and they all fell about laughing! At least he's ensured he won't be roped in to do this again next year!! | | 11/4/2009 11:12:00 AM |
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Malaysian In Mysore
Until My Next Trip | | So long until my next Mysore trip. Saving this blog for my future Mysore trips. I have started another blog - Crazy Cacat in the City. Feel free to drop in. It is not a yoga blog - just anything that comes into my scattered mind. But it will contain updates/progress in my yoga journey. Happy practicing, everyone! | | 10/23/2009 8:58:00 PM |
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Of Yoga And Hummus
I can't beleive we have to do this | I am sorry more people didn't fell it was their obligation and not just 'right' to make it to this March, especially people who live in places they could have made a one day trip for low or no cost.
Younger generations tend to forget the fight older generations fought for us, so we can read an openly gay blog for example. Even worst, we who live in big cities, forget about our gay brothers and sisters in smaller towns, the teenagers, the other minorities, that still suffer from discrimination and bashing. Not to mention our community in places like Iran where being gay is simply dangerous.
The day of course was glorious, the weather was amazing and there were tons of people from all over the country marching pass the White-House and up to Capital Hill. The first speakers were young activities, ages 18-22 and they were the best speakers of the rally, they made all of us emotional and motivated.
But the simple fact is that this is a sad story, the fact that we have to act and protest to get a right that is naturally ours is just wrong. There were tones of really good signs I saw, but I think this one really drives the point home.
Photo by Marc Leonard for LOGO | | 10/12/2009 11:49:00 AM |
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Between Ease And Effort
Wow..I'm posting here...haha | Wow its been a long time since I last posted. And its been a while since a serious practice...BUT...
I did practice a little the past few weeks. About a quarter of what I used to do..but still..its something.
So lets see..my weight is fortunately back to pretty much normal;) YAY!
My practice however, is really way way off..but can be expected after months of layoff! Apparently I can still get my legs behind my head quite well..endurance is shot to pieces, can still jump through, can't jump back. Hamstrings very tight, but I guess nothing that can't be fixed with a few more practices. My backbends..now thats a completely different story, my psoas are unbelievably tight..which is something new to me, since backbending and front body openness has always been my forte..but thats taken a whole dimension backwards from not doing much yoga for months. Quads are super tight..can't really relate what I've done to get that...can't be the swimming I've been doing lately..?
Anyway..since I'm kinda back here..I'll update on my clawback journey into Ashtanga after the long layoff..it will be interesting to see how it will be this time around..;) | | 9/14/2009 8:34:00 AM |
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Gaia
| | It's so interesting how life just continuously becomes more and more challenging.. Or shall I say more and more challenges are put in front of us as life goes on.. Lately, I've been going through a ton of stress, and subsequent stress symptoms. As I am going through this process, I keep thinking about the fact that difficult things are always going to pass in front of me. I am challenged by responding to them in a calm and even matter, so I go into stress mode... I'm working on it and I'd have to say it's a lot better than it used to be. I've had times in my life where I couldn't handle the situation at all and have been in the emergency room with such intense stomach pains, I thought I was going to die...
Today is one of those super stressful days for me two months of high stress is coming to fruition.. The event I have been totally stressing over is here and I really want it over with and I want you all to wish me luck... Sometimes it really sucks to be an adult.
I finally feel like I can breath and see the light and that is good. I've scheduled acupuncture for tomorrow morning and am going to start preparing for my 3 week journey to the Middle East, I leave on Sunday!!! | | 5/5/2009 8:21:56 AM |
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Yoga Gumbo
Taking a Break | I think it’s time for me to admit that I can’t keep all the balls in the air. I just have too much going on these days with work and family commitments and can’t keep up with writing here. So I’m going to take a break and regroup. I will keep reading blogs; many of [...] | | 3/12/2009 2:55:22 PM |
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Rew's Blog
trapeze! | Hi everyone,
I will be performing in Ruby Streak Trapeze Studio's Springtime Showcase at The Bushwick Starr Theater (directions here) ** February 7, 2009 ** Showtimes: 7pm, 9pm ** Tickets available at the door for just $15. Please come and share this special night with me! A work-in-progress video of my piece is below:
| | 1/24/2009 2:29:00 PM |
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Julie's Lotus Garden
It’s been a very long time! | I’m tired and going to bed soon, but I thought I should drop a line to say that I’m alive and well. Things have picked up since my last post… I should write about it later! But for now, I’ll just post a few pictures of Baby A., who’s growing more and more beautifully each [...] | | 12/17/2008 7:34:46 PM |
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The Big Squish
Wandering around in a fog | After consulting with the physician and nurses, the family decided to discontinue meds and mechanical life support of Dad. He wasn't making any improvement since being admitted, and as time passed, his chances of getting better were diminishing. My main concern was that he be in as little pain as possible and that we should not prolong his suffering needlessly. We all took our turns to say our goodbyes. I was feeling so many different emotions, but mostly, I was numb with shock.
Sometime before 4:30 pm, the nurses started "the process" of giving him morphine and taking him off the IVs and ventilator. His heart continued beating faintly and irregularly for about an hour, then his breathing completely stopped.
I think he was ready to go. His friends noticed that he was a little down during the last couple of weeks. His angiogram did not have great news and it was clear that he needed to have bypass surgery. He was likely thinking about how much he could tolerate the surgery itself and whether he was going to be really out of the danger zone afterwards. Little things he said lately made me think that he was preparing us for what might happen.
It's been good for the family to distract ourselves from the grief and focus the arrangements for the funeral service. I'm going to say a few things and get some help from a friend to work up a segment in formal Chinese (similar to what I did for my mom two and a half years ago).
It's going to be challenging to summarize this remarkable man's life. He was a hardworking entrepreneur who lived and pursued his dreams with intensity. | | 10/31/2008 12:00:00 PM |
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Yoga Mama
Trip update | So things are going great. We have been so busy it seems that we leave the house early in the morning and get back in the later afternoon and we are all exhausted. I have walked more here than I have at any time in my life – and that is saying a lot since [...] | | 10/24/2008 7:18:32 PM |
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but I was alive
Of various and sundry things | I feel like it’s time to dust off the cobwebs over here and get back to it. As for exactly what “it” is, I’m not entirely sure. There have been a lot of changes, but not so much a lot of yoga. Let’s see, well, what used to be the hypothetical house is now a [...] | | 8/20/2008 1:19:11 PM |
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Yoga Spell
I am the Sun | You are The Sun Happiness, Content, Joy. The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent. Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way. The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light [...] | | 8/11/2008 3:53:10 PM |
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De Di In Diem
Mother Pain & God Trust | | Today is a day for dealing with family stuff (mentally, I mean). I went to my homeopath* and somehow ended up on the topic of my mom. So much pain there.
Over the past couple of years, I had come to the conclusion that endlessly analyzing my family situation and all the problems it brought, and [...] | | 6/10/2008 4:35:14 PM |
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Ashtanga Santa Barbara
Yogamind | | Take your non-dominant hand and try to press the index finger and middle finger together and separate them from the ring finger and pinky which are pressed together, a V shape with two fingers on each line of the V. Spock used to do this. Make it flat. Not too hard? Now press the ring finger and middle [...] | | 5/20/2008 2:53:54 PM |
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Same Same Only Different
Peter Sanson workshops rule! | | Peter Sanson was here for 4 days, doing a workshop. I had heard great things about him, and was interested to see what he was like. Well for once, everyone is right. He's wonderful. If you ever get a chance, go study with him. His Mysore classes were good, great adjustments, not too strong, just insightful. He would not let anyone away with sloppiness in practice, so would berate you in good humour. But it was the talk that he gave yesterday that really blew me away. I'll try and remember the gist of what he said, but this is just my recollection, so don't take it as gospel. He started off by telling us how he first experienced ashtanga in Mysore. Guruji took a look at him and told him that he would teach him privately, upsatirs above the old shala. There was just Peter and one other Indian woman. Guruji taught him very slowly. First week was surya a. second week, surya b. Then slowly the standing postures. Only when Guruji thought that Peter could get a good grasp on a posture was he moved on to the next posture. And that is how he learnt the forst 4 series. Slowly, one posture at a time, from Guruji. Amazing. Peter was saying he now believes that it was a blessing to have learnt ashtanga this way, as it is a safe way for the body to open up. He believes that people are now racing through the series, grasping at postures. That is why so many people are injured, or exhausted. This is what really connected with me. He described the practice as a prana building exercise. The whole time during your practice, you need to be aware of your prana/energy levels. As soon as you feel your prana dipping, you need to stop. Otherwise you won't be able to sustain this practice for life, you'll have to stop, as you can't do the rest of your life and an exhausting practice. If you feel your prana building, than you know that you're on the right track. He believes that 7 years per series is a good average. Feel steady and at ease in each posture before moving to the next. It really struck a cord with me. So today in practice, I made that my focus. Steady, deep breath. Staying connected to my energy. And you know, it worked. Usually by the time that I get to bakasana b I'm ready to collapse in a heap, find it hard to breathe. Not today. Sure kapotasana could hardly be described as peaceful, but overall my energy was great. It felt like a very different practice. I felt fantastic after. Sometimes after doing practice, particularly once I started 2nd, I can feel almost jittery high. All that nerve cleansing I guess. But today was just prana flowing through. Clear nadis. Fantastic. Another point he made was that every day he's excited to start his practice. Excited to see how his first sun salute will be. And that is how to approach your practice. Don't be mentally racing ahead, thinking of what's coming. Start at the beginning. Stay in the present, with the breath. And also he reminded us that the sun salutes are about paying repect, a humbling practice. So thank you Peter. You've given me back the beauty of my practice | | 5/5/2008 9:51:00 AM |
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Ashtanga Diaries
Widening horizons or selling out? | 
Its pretty well known that Sri Krisna Pattabhi Jois, the guruji of ashtanga yoga believes that asana practice is fundamental to the 'higher' practices of yoga - pranayama, pratyahara etc and that as a result of that he doesn't teach his students anything beyond asana until they have achieved proficiency in yoga chikitsa (the primary series) , nadi shodana (the intermediate series) and some of sthira bhaga (the four advanced series). He believes that the asana practice is necessary for the body to withstand the influx of prana that comes with pranayama.
Most authorities on yoga agree that asana is a precursor to pranayama and that it is the foundation of preparing the body for 'real' yoga, however they don't tend to be as dogmatic as Guruji. In most forms of hatha yoga, for instance, pranayama and meditation are taught alongside asana. In India, the majority of yoga practitioners don't do asana at all after they reach adulthood. Their yoga practice is pranayama, karma yoga, bhakti and so on....
OK.
Enough rambling.... time to get to the point.
By sticking to ashtanga and the precept of "practice, practice and all is coming", am I missing out on some of the other stuff that's so integral to yoga?
If, for example, I were to take a jivamukti class alongside my ashtanga practice would I be selling out? I'd get to study yoga philosophy, do kirtan and other forms of bhakti, pranayama, meditation, go to satsang.....
Tempting isn't it.... | | 4/15/2008 1:33:00 PM |
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Ashtanga Yoga In My Days
Oh, February is gone | I must have had an overdose of blogging in January. Luckily not of yoga...!
I have more or less managed to keep up my minimum daily practice of at least sun salutations. If I am right, I have counted 4 or 5 missed days: busy Saturdays, one funeral, one sick leave.
There was almost a two-week break from the full practice due to influenza, but I did one Bodyflow class and praticed a little at home almost every day (see above). That seems to be sufficient to keep up the flexibility and the physical condition. Now I feel ok with the practice: almost zen, learning little by little NOT to have bad conscience of not practicing when tired/overloaded, and on the other hand, NOT to exhaust myself either.
I wonder if I am overdoing it the other way, me and my lazy ass... | | 3/4/2008 7:19:00 AM |
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Hanuman Tat Sat
The dust of my Satguru's lotus feet | 
Valentine's day arose with a half-moon in the eastern sky. An auspicious beginning to the day. Pranayam lite at the shala and then very loving singing to Hanuman. The darshan talk before practice was about love and manifesting it. The Improv practice with the satguru was full of love. One of the sweetest loving practices I have ever had at the shala. And at the end we sang again - Jaaya seeya Ramaa. I knew it was a day of destiny for me.
I had been thinking that I would touch the Satguru's feet soon. Perhaps next week near his birthday and the full moon eclipse, but Valentine's day practice was so sweet and so loving that how could it be any other time to do it? So I told him I was ready to do it and he said go ahead.
In the center of the shala, in front of anyone who noticed, I bowed down, I touched the dust of my Satguru's lotus feet, and then I rubbed the dust on my eyes and ears. He put his hand on my back and the shakti pat was complete.
I found my way over to my spot near Hanuman to chant the Aditya Hrdayam. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. Tears of love for the moment. The moment that many have described to me. It is as told a humbling moment. A moment in time where time stands still and God's love is so overpowering that only tears can express the meaning. It is as if Surya is alive in your heart and your heart is Surya.
I bow down to my teacher and his teachers before him in the tradition of Ashtanga yoga. I am privileged to live a life such as this. Privileged to wake up every morning and do pranayam, yoga, and bodywork. I am humbled before God and in God. Tears fall now and fall short of being able to express the feeling of love.
Hari Om, tat sat.
Namaste, love, light, and shanti. | | 2/16/2008 3:09:00 PM |
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A Tamago Gohan Lover
WoYoPracMo Day 8:I have a prize! I have a prize! | 
-Mont Blanc
This is NOT macrobiotics. It contain a lot of suger and cream, but simply the taste is great. I have been taking a sweet class at a cooking school. This is my recent work. Baking cakes is my favorite thing to do beside doing yoga. I am obviously addicted sweets. As I am getting interested in macrobiotics, I decide to take a macrobiotics sweet class at the academy from April.
I had a good practice this morning I had had a terrible low back pain two days ago. Today, it was much better, I was able to do all primary series. It was a joy! I also did backbends. I normally do backbends 6 times but today I did 8 times. When I finished 6, Matt asked me to do 2 more. Oh, no... I did somehow. As a result, my legs were shaking. Apparently, I need more strength of my lower body. After that, I did dropbacks with Matt. I hardly stood by myself, so Matt had all my weight. I felt sorry for him.
I have been trying to walk my hands or legs in backbends. But I am worndering if I should walk in legs or hands or both? And my prior goal for backbends is standing up without any support. To do that, how should I practice? But for now, I need to straighten my arms more and more. There are tons of questions.
I thought it would be rash to say focsing on backbeds since I am a "low table" backbender. But now I realize it's really good. I found some struggled backbenders. I am not the only one person who is suffering from backbends! I was encouraged during the practice.
I have just checked the forum. I got a prize! Yay!
| | 2/8/2008 8:41:00 AM |
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Road To Mysore
LA Bound | | I'm currently at the Bangkok Airport waiting to board my plane back to LA. I can't believe this is the end of another amazing chapter of my journey. I'm not ready for it to end. My life in LA is boring compared to my life in India/Thailand...Thailand have become my second favorite city and will be flying through Bangkok whenever I head to Mysore.
I left Mysore last Sunday. I hate leaving Mysore. I was having such a blast. I was suppose to leave last Thursday but begged my travel agent to book me in for Sunday instead. I was waited until Thursday morning which meant I still had to pack as if I was leaving on Thursday. I didn't know until 11AM that I was confirmed for Sunday. The extra 3 days helped me calm down a bit and got me ready to leave.
This trip started slow and a bit boring but in the middle, it picked up some steam and in the last 4 weeks went 150 mph. It was crazy busy in a very good way. I really loved Narasima's meditation class and philosophy class. It put a lot of things in perspective. I appreciate more what I'm going through. It gave me the courage to tell my boss in my own words, "to fuck off". Which means I'm currently unemployed. I was a little worried about that in the beginning but I know that life has it's way of working things out by itself. I love Narasima's explanation of "detachment". i wish I wrote it down. i can't explain it but i understand the essence of it. It help me decide to make changes with my life. I wasn't planning on changing jobs this year but I knew that it would have to happen sooner or later. I guess it happened much sooner than I expected.
The next few days is going to be spent getting my LA life back together...finding an apartment, going on interviews, pulling stuff out of storage, renewing my license...and shit, I'm short 2 or 3 hours of CPE and getting ready mentally and physically for work...that's assuming I'll find something. In other words...life is good...it's going to be fun.
I said goodbye to Luke today. I told him I would see him in October, maybe even earlier. I haven't left Bangkok and I've decided to return already. | | 1/25/2008 3:30:55 AM |
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The Looking Bird
Mysore | | It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I can't believe it but I leave for Mysore in 3 days. So, at the urging of those in my life who are worried about me traveling so far, those in my family that are scared I'm joining a cult and never coming back, and the ashtangis I practice with daily who can't make the trek yet themselves, I've decided to resurrect my blog and share my experiences. I don't know what to expect but I am thrilled to be making this journey. Of course none of this would be possible without the support of my husband and 3 children who have given me the gift of allowing me to step away from my life and responsibilities and travel to India to follow my passion. I am a lucky lady! It should be an interesting ride. Stay tuned . . . | | 1/14/2008 1:53:00 PM |
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Coming Home
Back to the mat | Most of the time between Thanksgiving and the holidays was deliberate rest period for me. My knee had become painful again and I thought rest would be a good experience, though I did breakdown and practice a few times during that period. I am now practicing sporadically again and have practiced 3 days in a [...] | | 12/30/2007 9:49:22 AM |
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Indian In America
Am I a star now ? | I'm thrilled that people read my blog and even posted comments. Its fun to interact with people this way. In the blog world , the blogger is like a celebrity, a star :).
Anyways life is very busy now. Boss thinks I need to do more and more to have a strong footing in the company. I kind of agree with him. In this IT industry or perhaps even in other industries in America the corporate philosophy in broad terms is "Perform or perish". Nobody is spared. It does not matter how many years experience you have or how much good work you did in the past. Its always the "NOW" factor. No living in past glory ..Sorry.
I havent been able to practice Yoga for the past couple of days.Lethargy for sure.
Okay folks , keep the comments coming.I really enjoy them. | | 12/2/2007 5:58:00 PM |
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Mind Tides
over the edge | I was on the mat but feeling a bit like a bird with a broken wing this morning. No flying for this bird today… Just slow and steady and very very gentle… soft. Pain in a few moments, and an immediate backing off – was nervous of going too far too soon and living to regret [...] | | 11/21/2007 11:22:37 PM |
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Liz In Question
Feel like writing | 
Hi, I feel like I should introduce myself. Hi, I'm Liz. It has been a very long while since I've written. Sorry blogosphere- life just got hectic and crazy.
Brief update, got married to my wonderful Husband(turned out perfect- so much fun), went to Bali (good and bad times both), hurt my knee practicing yoga in bali and still can't do lotus, got back in August, found out I was preggers, got a job... now getting big (already at 27 weeks), and so stoked to have our kid. She is a busy little girl, she has been kicking non stop since yesterday morning and kept me up all night. I guess this is good practice for the upcoming sleepless nights.
I am having an easy pregnancy. I am so lucky. Due date is Feb. 4. Crazy lucky to be having a baby, I have so many friends struggling to get pregnant. Not at all pleasant for them.
My ribs are being pushed out by this little spud, it hurts!
Here's some honeymoon photos for your viewing pleasure | | 11/8/2007 3:30:00 PM |
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Vegan Ashtangi
My first yoga class | I taught my first yoga class ever last Saturday morning. I wasn’t sure if it was right for me to do it and was quite nervous before starting. I felt a great sense of responsibility for being the person who’ll provide a bunch of people with their first contact with yoga. Let me say that [...] | | 10/22/2007 2:40:46 AM |
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Ashtanga Traveler
The week before... | | ... the workshop weekend is all coming together.... Peter Sanson is coming across to my little island to give a 4 day Mysore Style workshop.... I am just so excited. It is spring and I am looking forward to 4 days of class in a row (I have done about 4 classes in the past 6 months so I am ready for my teachcer to be there). But it is a little daunting to have a big list of names in front of me, some I know some who I do not know, people flying in from other parts of NZ to attend..... the island will cater to all I know that...it is a wee paradise.... I just hope I am able to keep on top of the lttle things I need to without stressing too much.... I tend to do that.
I also just got booking for two privates in less than 20 minutes.... what is going on? And they were unrelated as well... so that will be fun. Plus my own yoga for the past 2 days has been well, really great.
It is all just a little bit wierd. Of course if I was to suddenly be able to lift up from karandavasana...well I would pinch myself... not in this life.... well I guess I should not say that....
and I am not drinking coffee... and no headache ... okay it has only been a day but still.
| | 10/8/2007 9:05:58 PM |
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Sounds of Clouds
is that egg on my face? | 
nope, it's just slobber.
she has mastered savasana, and of course down dog (doggie style). her twisting skills are solid. admittedly, it's hard for her to breathe with her mouth closed...
next on the list? learning that it's never a good idea to put chicken bones from the street in your mouth. she quickly learned that licking broken glass never comes to a good end... and that eating bicycle seats (though chewy) and cell phones (though crunchy) and books (though they smell so good) does not lead to a happy mom. so i think she'll catch on quickly. | | 8/29/2007 5:49:00 PM |
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1 Percent Productions
Too experienced? | Ok so I am really pissed off today! Not only did I gain back that 10 pounds I lost on the Master Cleanse (whoever said sperm has no calories was WRONG WRONG WRONG) AND I've been fired from my teaching job! Yes, apparently some old bag complained to managment that I wasn't 'experienced enough' as a teacher for her. She told management she wanted someone with more 'life experience; and possibly kids. Like she would know an experienced yoga teacher if one jumped up and did Kappalabhati breathing all over her! Bitch!
I mean come on! I've been practising yoga for nearly a year now, how much more experience could you want? Some of these other so-called yoga teacher ho's have taken one or two classes, max. So it's a career choice for yummy mummies who haven't got anything better to do? I'm so NOT going to be a yoga teacher... I mean I love getting up there all buff and toned and tanned and telling everyone what to do and shit, but once everyone starts in on the gig. FORGET IT!
Mind you, people do hit on you, men, women, old guys, you name it, they all love a hottie in Prana...
So maybe I won't give up just yet.
My ticket is booked to Mysore. I fly out of here 1st class on 1st May. I didn't write a letter. Fuck that shit. I'm going to walk in there and just say "do you know who I am?"
Kidding. I wrote the letter and am hoping to stay in some dive called The Southern Star. If anyone has stayed there recently, let me know, I'm not going to end up in some godforsaken flea pit in downtown Gokulum... I want hot water, I want fluffy towels, I want vintage Beavis and Butthead on cable...
BL | | 4/23/2007 1:45:00 PM |
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The Body Electric
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! | | Stoked. The Teach added Kurmasana and Supta Kurm. Been having up and down practices with some hip pain moving around. Got the accupuncture and It seems to be fading away, leading to the rockin practice today. Floating, flowing.
Went to my frind Thomas' class on Sunday with my friend Lady Kat M. It was great to see Thom. We used to study together at the Monkey Shala, and He has been teaching at Yoga Mandala for 3+ years. His class was definately his own. He has been studying Tantra, and definately infused it in the class. He even talked about noticing the subtle energies of the body electric.
Well Class this morn was definately a flow of energy. I didn't actually eat that much yesterday, which really helped this morn. My clasp has come back for Mari D on the right, and the left was a few inches away. The teach added the tortise, and I am no where near. I gotta start using a strap.
Went to Santa Cruz with Lady Cat after practice. Ate some Brazilian Food and laid on the beach for a few hours. It was a beautiful sunny day and a great pleasure to lay around with a beautiful lady, bare feet in the sand.
Taught a private lesson last night in the city. That was a cool experience. Brought me back to the beginners body. Student T was tall, skinny, and very unflexibe. Updog was a challenge. As was the lunge forward to Warrior 1. Long legs made for new geometry challenges. Really Enjoyed it. | | 2/20/2007 12:10:51 PM |
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Saysasana
| Nothing but good news! Seriously, I am so waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Practice has been great. Grabbing heels in kapo, still landing Bakasana B but I'm still a little afraid and dragging my tail bcs of it. My students have been gifting me with kick ass CD's to play in class, Prana yoga pants, electronic japanese buddha thingys... Classes have been big and I have a workshop coming up and I'm going to Shiva Rea on Sat. w/ some of my girls. One of my teachers even added a 9am ashtanga improv on Mondays. I get to sleep in on Mondays! Om namah Shivayah!
Tom and I even had the best "date day" on Sunday. After my classes we ate Vietnamese food, got lit, walked around the Spectrum, got caramel apples, rode the ferris wheel, had a cocktail, watched a dumb movie, and did it. I mean really, isn't that AWESOME???It was so fun.
The rest of my life is rolling along. I mean I still have to get insurance and file for bankruptcy as I will never pay off my past hospital bills. {Grand Total exceeds $100,000} But I look forward to a clean slate, especially since I feel more in sync with my health. The second series and my wierd doctor are really bringing things together on the inside. It's quite amazing.
AND I have TOOL tickets!!!
So, I'm sure a fish will die soon, or I'll get really bad pms, or something to restore the energetic balance in my life. But until then....
rock on lil' pirates! | | 2/12/2007 12:26:00 PM |
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Tartan Yogi
Idling | | I have just received my copy of How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson, the man who also wrote How to be Idle. The idea being that you can spend your time doing things you actually want to do rather than toiling away at the 9 to 5 of work. Thus forming in my mind a great plan where I only work three days a week and do yoga or assist yoga classes the rest of the time, with time off for the drinking of wine and lying around on the floor.
It is good to have dreams.
As a small start of my plan to be able to afford to work part time I think I am going to get rid of my mobile phone. It will save me £50 a month and won't go off in relaxation noisily when I have fogotten to turn it off (rare, but it has happened on particularly stressful days).
Maybe I am turning into a hippie. I blame my parents.
In other news had a good practice yesterday, although my headstands are still rubbish. Well balancing is OK, but getting up with straight legs is challenging on a wood floor. When I do them at home I am fine so it must be the carpet and mat combo cushioning my head that makes it easier.
I am going to do some more observation next week too, hopefully some more assisting too, we will see how it goes. Am also excited because the centre has just introduced an intro to second series which I am going to at the weekend.
Tonight I shall practice and then fashion myself an idler's corner near the window where I can read. The husband thinks I have gone mad as I have decided I want to get rid of the TV. He doesn't agree so it will stay. But once I have my idlers corner all will be well as it will be TV free.
There is a temp sitting across from me at work today. She has spent all day practically pummelling her keyboard, hitting her desk and talking to herself. This was after announcing to the whole room that she had just landed a plum job with her own office (insinuating obviously that really all this temping malarkey was way beneath her and that we are all plebs). If I ever temp anywhere I will remember her performance and try to be a bit less mad. Maybe temping drives you insane?
On the up-side I bought a bag of dried cranberries at lunchtime, mmmmm cranberries. | | 2/8/2007 9:57:41 AM |
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Crash Test Ashtangi
The story of a crash test ashtangi | I’m a 28 year old nursing student who has been doing ashtanga periodically since 2003. In between these great periods of doing ashtanga, I’ve also been practicing the fine arts of drinking heaps of red wine and smoking cigarettes. Closing in on the venerable age of thirty, I decided it was time to kick the [...] | | 1/24/2007 1:45:54 PM |
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Mysore Bum
Some advice from the Mysore yogis | 
Today J and I left Mysore for Bangalore. Last night we had a very yummy dosa party at Anu's, her's are the best in town. She made my favorite deserts as well so I was totally spoilt once again! I went to kirtan with a few people to hear Ganesh play tabla one last time and L sing. Then to the Metropole for drinks and chats. We all said goodbye this morning at the coconut stand over chai. I had a few quiet little tears to myself there, it was hard to leave Anu, Ganesh, and my little gang of special people, you know who you are, love you all. We will all see each other again though. I'll see AJ next tuesday for a start.
In Bangalore J and I went for lunch at the palace, and lazed around there chatting about our trip and our favorite Mysore moments. Tomorrow we leave India. As always I expect going back to be more of a culture shock than going, and it's going to be cooooold! I will come back to Mysore I'm quite sure, as you know from my blog I've had a great time there.
For this last post I wanted to put together all of the advice and tips that I gathered from Mysore yogis in the hope that it might help some of you who intend to come here for a while and are new to the experience as I was.
- Don't worry about coming alone, you will make friends easily as long as you are friendly
- The food is very good, you won't go back emaciated, and you are unlikely to get dysentry or something like that as long as you stick to the good eating stops.
- Don't bring loads of stuff, you can find pretty much everything in Mysore.
- Tell someone if you have a problem, Ganesh can take you to a docs or sort out most things for you, and other students usually have a lot of good advice.
- If this is your first time abroad you may well feel a little rattled by the experience at first, it takes a few days sometimes to get over the culture shock. You might feel unsettled for a few days but this is quite normal. It's not a mystical "Mysore thing", it would happen anywhere.
- Don't recreate the busy schedule you left behind at home by filling your days with classes. Leave yourself some time to chill out and do nothing. It's ok to do nothing, you're not at work or having to deal with the responsabilities you have at home.
- There is no such thing as "being ready for Mysore". You go and bring your practice to the shala wherever and however it is whether you have been practising 20 years or 2 weeks. Beginners are warmly welcomed, what a great place to begin.
- Don't even start to think about where you will be stopped or if you will be stopped. You came to learn and they will take care of it, at the end of the day you pay the institute to teach you so you don't need to worry about it, let them do that for you.
- Don't even begin to try to understand why some people get stopped at different places. If you can't bind in Mari D and get stopped there and someone else can't either and can go on...that's just the way it is. They have their reasons.
- You don't need to be able to do everything perfectly.
- Don't come to Mysore as a "Yoga tourist", come with a deep respect of the shala and the teaching which you recieve there.
- It can be hard if you're not used to practising 6 days a week but it gets easier. The early start also becomes a habit, you might even start to enjoy it.
- Ladies cover your shoulders and legs or you'll get some unwanted attention.
- It's good to respect ladies holiday (Guruji advocates it and you're in his shala after all, so even if you don't usually respect it maybe give it a chance). It's also good to miss practice if you are injured or unwell.
- It's ok to stop your practice early if you need to for whatever reason, just let Sharath, Saraswathi ot Guruji know. It's not a crime!
- Take the time to chat to the locals, like your rickshaw driver for example, they are very friendly people. Guru who owns the coconut stand is one of my favorite people for example, and Lokesh my rickshaw man.
- It can be hard but the best thing is to come with no expectations.
- Smile. If you can't laugh at yourself you're taking your practice too seriously. It's meant to enrich your life.
- Don't obsess about the yoga.
There are many more but those are the main ones that were often repeated during my stay.
My personal advice would be to come with a love for the practice and enjoy it. With the right attitude you can have a very good time indeed. So... go and write your letter to Guruji.
The Mysore Anthem has been voted "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, because there's a lot of that in Mysore, and you need a lot of it too (suggested by Rew).
| | 12/2/2006 7:09:00 AM |
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Peacock Feather
Moon Days | What to do on a moon day? Go to the beach of course. I was a bit hesitant to do asana on a moon day, but could not resist. The Fire Island waves were big, choppy and erratic, no doubt due to the high energy. So the question is, should one practice on a moon day or [...] | | 11/10/2006 12:36:47 PM |
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Gypsy Sister
Aloha! | | Greetings from Maui! I have returned to this magical isle where my troubles just seem to melt away! Of course some have been replaced by others but in general I'm relaxing and taking a much needed rest from teaching. I'm practicing with my teacher, and ironically it's not as intense as it is in Taipei. Maybe I'm not working as hard, maybe it just feels easier, I'm not sure but I'm still enjoying myself. The thing about having one of the originals as your teacher you hear a lot of the bull shit that goes on in and around the world of ashtanga. As Guruji ages there is a distinct line being drawn between "new school" and "old school" ashtanga, who's teaching the "correct" method, Guruji vs Sharath. It is very unsettling for, as my friend Stephen calls us "young pups" and very confusing! I'm being taught one thing in Taipei and another thing here. I guess it's down to respecting the teacher in the room and doing what they ask you to do, seeing if it works for you, and then incorporating what does into your personal practice and getting rid of the rest. It amazes me though the ego that gets involved and the things that these senior teachers are saying about eachother.....can you imagine what they would be like if they didn't practice yoga? Or are they still practicing "yoga" or only "asana"? Something to ponder....I'm off to practice.
12:00
Back from practice. It was a good one! Really trying to work moola bandha throughout the whole practice and it's getting easier to do. Still not maintained throughout the whole thing but I am using it more. Got my toes to my head in vrishikasana (which Nancy keeps in intermediate) but I'm still not moving my hands in the jump out of pincha. Mayurasana is a nightmare! But it's slowly, slowly coming. I can bounce both feet off the floor but I can't stay up yet. Nacrasana I can do 5 bounces - gonna try to add one a week to get up to the required 10. Should be interesting. The rest is fine until I get to supta urdhva pada vajrasana where I cannot bind and roll without feeling like I will break my back! One day maybe....Not taking my ankles here yet in kapot or backbends. Hopefully by Wednesday they will feel comfortable enough to take me there. Merritt took me there last week but I'm not allowed to practice with him anymore ( we got into trouble!) so here's hoping the girls will do it! I think I will just tell them to be more forceful with me. Or I'll just relax and enjoy the break from intense practice! But I did work up some heat today which was good, and balance is pincha was good. I gotta get some body work done here on my shoulder and lower back so I'm off to make an appointment. Hope all is well. Until next time...
| | 10/30/2006 3:02:02 PM |
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Self Practice
Vinyasa is so much fun! | | How does Yoga work without vinyasa? Its so much fun anyways, I don't think I could dispense with it. The temp of the room I practiced in this afternoon was 64, but I still worked up a pretty good sweat by navasana. Progressing into handstand with navasana is slow going still, but seems like I am unlocking some secrets. It IS a strength thing, partially, but a lot of it has to do with how you use the breath and pivoting forward, etc.
Well, jumpthroughs are progressing along, too. I have started pausing during some jumpthroughs for fun and to work a little strength. On the jumpbacks, I've started pausing and really extending the exhale once I land the feet, in chataranga. I feel like that really builds good strength and good form, too (it becomes obvious when you hold something that you must have good form).
I have lost sight of mula bandha as hardcore as I had a hold of it a few weeks ago. I don't know why this has left. Perhaps I need to more consciously engage it, although it doesn't really affect my practice as far as I can tell.
I also think its time to start working on dwi pada, but I am pretty comfortable with my practice as it is now. Perhaps thats all the more reason to add on some mayhem. | | 10/20/2006 1:18:51 PM |
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Note To Self
Um Yeah… | Dear Purusha, I have a bug up my ass and it’s from this comment we got the other day: “Who told you that “There is only here and now”… “I am” sense ? The sense of presence ? It is just sound.. bzzzzzz, nothing else.” There is no here and there is no now. There is no [...] | | 10/5/2006 8:00:03 AM |
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Ashtanga OZ
Assisted Dropbacks | I was introduced to dropbacks this morning and "Oh my God! How amazing are they!!!!". Up to today I was doing 3 or 4 rounds of 5-8 breaths each of standard Urdhva Dhanurasana. My teacher asked when was I going to try dropbacks, so I said how bout now, so we did. When going back for the first time I got all of these memories from when I was learning backflips at gymnastics when I was younger, it was unreal! I felt like my heart was opening to the universe and all of this loving energy was pulsating through every cell in my body, making me feel so alive and relaxed and uplifted. It makes sense that backbends are so intense because of the spinal cord and nerve roots. I kind of get a similar feeling in the Marichasanas but with back bending I get the extra rush of being inverted too. The thrill of dropping back and coming back up is so addictive. The rest of my practice went well despite struggling to get out of bed and feeling tired when I hit the mat. I've really been struggling to get up in the mornings of late. My energy levels have been lower than normal first thing in the morning. Funny though because I had a lot more energy for practice than I thought. Can't think of what else to write as I'm still riding this euphoric wave of dropback bliss. Happy bending people! | | 6/29/2006 11:17:00 AM |
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Chatvari
DO we ever learn? | |
WASHINGTON - A Republican gubernatorial candidate's call for creation of a forced labor camp for illegal immigrants drew rebukes Friday from two GOP lawmakers, who labeled it a low point in the immigration debate.
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Don Goldwater, nephew of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, caused an international stir this week when EFE, a national news agency of Spain, quoted him as saying he wanted to hold undocumented immigrants in camps to use them "as labor in the construction of a wall and to clean the areas of the Arizona desert that they're polluting."
The article described Goldwater's plan as a "concentration camp" for migrants.
Goldwater, a candidate for governor in Arizona, said in a statement Friday that his comments were taken out of context. He said he was calling for a work program for convicted nonviolent felons, similar to "tried and tested, effective and accepted practices" used by state and local jails.
But two Republicans, Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and Rep. Jim Kolbe (news, bio, voting record), called Goldwater's comments "deeply offensive" and asked state Republicans to reject his candidacy in the Sept. 12 primary.
"That Mr. Goldwater is either unaware of or indifferent to the loaded symbolism, injustice and un-Americanism of his 'plan' to address the many serious issues caused by illegal immigration reveals his flaws as a candidate and a stunning lack of respect for the basic values of a generous and decent society," McCain said in a statement.
Kolbe said that if the comments are true, Goldwater "has demonstrated his complete unworthiness for public office, and I am confident he will be soundly rejected by Republicans from the party of Barry Goldwater, who consistently demonstrated his compassion and respect for all people. This is a sad day in the national debate on immigration policy."
McCain and Kolbe favor a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants.
Goldwater made a similar comment at an April anti-immigration rally.
"Build us that wall — now!" Goldwater said, referring to a proposal to add 700 miles of fences along the U.S.-Mexico border. He promised then that if elected, he would put illegal immigrants in a tent city on the border and use their labor to build the wall.
Barry Goldwater, the former Arizona senator, was the Republican presidential nominee in 1964. | | 6/24/2006 3:28:14 PM |
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