"If I were asked to single out one of the benefits of this practice that perpetuates my desire to get to my mat each day, I would without doubt choose empowerment." - Krista Shirley During conferences, Guruji would almost always speak of the importance of children and having a family. I used to laugh about the idea. Now I’m sorry that I never had the opportunity to thank Guruji for planting those seeds in my heart. If it weren’t for Guruji’s presence, I don’t know that I’d have been able to hold the space in my life for all that I have now. I wish that Guruji could have met my son. I’ve had a wonderful journey so far,...
"As we observe our own cycles and those in nature through the practice, we come to understand that our bodies are influenced by the earth, the moon, and the sun; our bodies are also influenced by other women around us." - Sharmila Desai Practicing Ashtanga yoga as taught by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois , R. Sharath Jois and Saraswati Rangaswamy was and is indeed Sadhana in its purity. In following the daily rituals inclusive of observing moon days and ladies holidays by not practicing the asana sequence, my body naturally flowed with the biorhythms and respected as well as supported feminine rites of passage such as menstruation and later on pregnancy. As women our monthly cycle mirrors the...
“Ashtanga Yoga is the washing machine for the mind,” Guruji used to say. It washes the mental patterns of self-doubt and self-criticism: things that stand in the way of us becoming our best selves - Magnolia Zuniga “Ashtanga Yoga is the washing machine for the mind,” Guruji used to say. It washes the mental patterns of self-doubt and self-criticism: things that stand in the way of us becoming our best selves. Deeply grounded in history and myth, it is capable of transforming the mind and body on all levels through dedicated study and practice. The first, or “Primary” Series focuses on detoxifying and cleansing the physical body. [1] In Sanskrit, it’ s called Yoga Chikitsa, which means “yoga therapy.”...
"I knew that in the Ashtanga community hard work and dedication were well respected, regardless of the physical results." I am often grateful that I came to Ashtanga as such an average student. I could not do most of the fancy things that I saw on that first trip to Mysore. My arms were too short and my body too soft and feminine for the work of the asana. At first I resented being such a girl about it. I wanted to be one of the compactly muscled practitioners who didn’t cry about feeling fat and weak; I didn’t want to have broad hips or have to take ladies’ holidays. I wanted the potential to be a powerhouse, even...
"My excitement was both in eager anticipation of what I would experience in the classroom with Pattabhi Jois, and a certain fear. I knew that I would probably end up facing a physical and psychological excavation that, in the process of healing, might be as painful as it was sweet." This excerpt from the book Strength and Grace picks up on Lori's first practice in the old shala with Guruji...... My excitement was both in eager anticipation of what I would experience in the classroom with Pattahbi Jois, and a certain fear. I knew that I would probably end up facing a physical and psychological excavation that, in the process of healing, might be as painful as it was sweet....
