Full Disclaimer: I sell organic cotton yoga blankets which is one of the reason's I wrote this post. You don't have to buy one to learn what it teaches but that was part of my motivation for writing it. The reason I sell them is because I have been using one myself for over 3 years for yoga but not for yoga practice. Just wanted to be upfront. No marketing tricks. If you ever feel anxious, achy, tired, unfocused or depressed then you're in the right place. I know it's a long list, and unfortunately these ailments are quite common, but these problems may share a common root cause. I found out what was causing these issues for me even after a...
Atha Yoga Anushasanam Now. Here. In this very moment – we enter the path of yoga and the journey unfolds before us. As the practice of yoga takes hold, life begins to come into focus. The darkness dissipates and we see ourselves, maybe for the first time, in this new light.We are waking up. It is difficult to predict or explain exactly how this asana practice of Ashtanga Yoga begins to illuminate our consciousness. We begin to comprehend, at a cellular level, that yoga is more then just a physical or mental exercise… it is the very heartbeat of our existence. This practice finds us wherever we are -- As we Are. Like many, it found me both broken...
Vande gurunam caranaravinde sandarsita svaatmasukhaavabodhe/ nihshreyase jaangalikaayamaane sansaara haalaahala mohashaantyai// (1) Sadaashivoktaani saptaadalaksha Layaavadhaanaani vasanti loke/ Naadaanusandhana samadhimekam manyamahe maanya tamam layaanam// (2) (2) There are 125,000 methods of laya (yogic dissolution) described by Lord Shiva in the world. It is my opinion that Naadanusandhaana (the pursuit of ‘inner sound’) into the deepest samaadhi is the best of all these layas. - Yoga Taravali of Shankaracharya verses 1 (from opening Ashtanga chant) &2 I was raised around music. When I was a baby, my mother taught piano lessons and used to put my crib next to her piano. Her love of listening to and playing music infiltrated my life deeply. As a child, I sang in the church...
If you want to learn how to cultivate the quality of strength in your yoga practice and not hurt your back, knees & elbows then you are in the right place. The observation that Patanjali doesn't say a lot about asana in the Yoga Sutras leads me to believe what is said must be important. Sthira Sukham Asanam Asana should have the qualities of steadiness & ease. In my experience of 14 years with a daily asana practice the ease comes after the steadiness. The ability to relax and breathe comes after the strength & foundation. In particular the legs. Hanuman legs. Hanuman symbolizes the qualities we are looking for perfectly but both Hanuman and the Yoga Sutras need to be...
Learning through experience. There really is no other way. As I waited in the lobby of KPJAYI waiting to practice for my first time I read the sign. "All students must have 1 cotton mat and 1 cotton towel. " Ok the rug I had. I had it for years. But the towel? What was that for? Aren't they the same thing? I'd already been practicing 9 or 10 years but the differentiation wasn't clear to me. Then not until Feb 21st 2017 did I understand the Microfiber difference. I had to write this post to clear up some of the confusion for visitors that come to this site when it comes to Yoga Towels, Yoga Rugs and the Microfiber Yoga Towels. Since...
