I've probably been annoying some people here in Mysore at the coconut stand after practice talking about herbs. I can't help it. I read about them, test them out and then just want to let everyone know. Take turmeric for example. My body feels so much better when taking it. Turmeric is a super powerful anti-inflammatory and there is a good chance it will help prevent Alzheimers. In fact India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimers disease and they believe one of the reason's could be the large amount of turmeric in the diet. I tell everyone I can to get on it. Obviously there is a lot more to staying healthy than just taking one supplement but it's actually way...
My first practice with Guruji was 1999 in Mysore, India. Guruji shouted out at me, "Why fearing?" in one of my harder postures. One of the reasons that I practice is to see my patterns. Practice is a gift to the soul. In my early years of practice, I arrived with expectations. The posture should look like this. I should be able to do this today, since I did it yesterday.
Mysore in March is hot. Really hot. Normally in Vancouver I won’t put my rug onto my mat till after standing. Practicing at KPJAYI last year mid March I would start with my mat on my rug since by Surya Namaskara B I was already dripping with sweat. We were in the middle of a heat wave which meant temperatures as high as 40 degrees C in the middle of the night. Needless to say this didn’t make for a very good sleep. We had no air conditioning in our room since most places don’t have it here and instead had a large overhead fan. It was the only small relief from the heaviness of the heat which for...
I hear it all the time. So and so has a "good" practice. So and so has a "strong" practice. What does that really mean? What is a "good" practice? What does a good practice mean to you? Sharath has said many times that every time you get to practice it's a good practice. In this video excerpt from the Ashtanga Yoga Vancouver Documentary Fiona talks about what a good practice means to her. I've practiced at AYV for 5 years and I know first hand that what Fiona values in a student is exactly what she says in this interview. - Clint "This is about showing up every day and just being aware. It's not an accumulation. It's a moment and it's...
Fiona: Part of being a yoga practitioner is practicing through the ebbs and flows of life. Last fall, Tina showed up to the studio in the early morning hobbling. She had fallen the day before and hadn't been to the doctor yet, but we figured it was a strain. She went through her practice that day doing a modified . . .Tina: Primary series.Fiona: And, it looked quite different, because she couldn't basically bear any weight on her left leg. I got the text later on in the day saying that she had actually broken her tibia. There's Tina, showed up the next day in a half cast for practice. For the next . . . How long were you...