“Are you listening to confirm what you already know or to learn something new?” - Anthony De Mello If you already practice Ashtanga Yoga and want confirmation of it’s benefits then reading the first post in this series will do that. Not this one. This post will challenge you and the Ashtanga Yoga story with something new. Before I share things that aren’t allowed to be talked about in the Ashtanga community I want to be clear with my intention. I want to expand on the knowledge I’ve gained from practicing in Mysore with Sharath. Add to it. Not make practicing in Mysore “bad”. Up until now I didn’t know how go about this then my life circumstances...
Before you read this post I want to share an idea I recently learned from a Taoist teacher on judgement. It comes from the second chapter of the Tao Te Ching which says - When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other. When we judge something as good and make the other thing bad we miss the Tao. My question to him was “well how do we know what to choose when given options? “ He said “with resonance”. When...
You Need A Room. "You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you" - Joseph Campbell This striking mountain sits directly in front of my home & family business, The Overlander Mountain Lodge, located at the edge of Jasper National Park Canada. Any person who has ever traveled from the flat prairies in the East of Canada to the West would see this view as they approached the Rocky Mountains. This is no ordinary mountain. It is the subject of legends. Ever...
The Secret Sun Salutations Level 1 Most people who have been taught some type of yoga postures have attempted the first 2 Sun Salutations. It might surprise you that even very advanced Ashtanga Practitioners who have been practicing 20 years or more don’t know The Secret Sun Salutations C, D and G. Whether you will place Sun Salutations first in your daily life depends on what you value most. For me it has always been my health. If physical, mental and spiritual health are your highest priority then sun salutations will help you get there. Below I will explain Level 1 of a daily routine that puts the emphasis on Sun Salutations above all...
"This practice nurtures me and my own life so that I can then go and do something with that energy that is meaningful—at least that is my hope" - Lisa Schrempp Many practitioners wonder about how long they can practice Ashtanga, and if it is meant for people middle-aged or older. My asana teachers have always advised me to practice as long as I can, and that is how I am going to practice Ashtanga Yoga. I am an Ayurvedic practitioner, and because of my studies I understand not to push beyond my limits. I practice in a way that enables me to still go out, teach, and spread Yoga for the rest of the day. I believe...