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Samasthiti

What do you do in samasthiti? Is it your time to adjust your mat, wipe your sweat, talk with your teacher? Or, do you skip it all together, viewing it as a misuse of time in your already busy day? Samasthiti can serve a lot of purposes in our practice, but often times it gets overlooked, or all-together forgotten and pushed aside for the ‘more important’ and dynamic components of our posture practice.

So, why do we even do it? Our physical posture practice is an opportunity for our bodies to strengthen, heal and soften from the demands of daily life. So that we may live a life with less suffering, so that we may know our true nature, so that we may embody peace. All of the postures we practice offer unique benefits to the yogi’s overall experience, allowing the tension and patterns of our daily life an opportunity to unravel. The patterns we’re struggling with in our daily life will rise to the surface in our yoga practice and give us a new realm to witness and experiment with alternative responses. Then, new patterns of balance and sustainability may rise to the surface. These postures are building a foundation for a process of evolvement, allowing us to have awareness of our conditioned patterns and start to transform ourselves into more peaceful beings.

In a world where we are called to transition rapidly from one task to the next, one role to the next, one experience to the next, we rarely allow ourselves time to process and digest the phase of transition. We miss the opportunity to pause, the opportunity to allow ourselves a moment to feel the space between, to know the space between.

Samasthiti is an opportunity to pause, and feel the spaces between our postures, between our movements. We are given the chance to reconnect to steadiness in our breath, body and mind and then, continue from that point of steadiness.

Samasthiti – an intentional moment to purposefully pause, find steadiness within and continue from that point of steadiness.

So, samasthiti is not JUST a chance to adjust your clothes, fix your hair, check out the other practitioners in the room or look to see what time it is. It is a chance to reset, to pause and to reconnect through the spaces between. In our aṣṭāṅga yoga practice, we return to this position over and over again as a reminder to pause, a reminder to honor the spaces between.


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Lessons From Yoga on Encountering Obstacles

व्याधि स्त्यान संशय प्रमादाअलस्याविरति भ्रान्तिदर्शनालब्धभूमिकत्वानवस्थितत्वानि चित्तविक्षेपाः ते अन्तरायाः ॥३०॥
vyādhi styāna saṁśaya pramāda-ālasya-avirati bhrāntidarśana-alabdha-bhūmikatva-anavasthitatvāni citta-vikṣepāḥ te antarāyāḥ ॥30॥

  • Disease
  • Dullness
  • Doubt
  • Carelessness
  • Laziness
  • Sensuality
  • False Perception
  • Failure to reach firm ground
  • Slipping from the ground gained

According to Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras these are the obstacles we will encounter along the path of Self-realization, toward liberation and peace.

Well, that’s encouraging, right?

To me, it is. I find this sūtra to be one of my favorites. Not only is it long and challengingly fun to chant, but it also validates all of the seemingly ‘bad’ feelings us humans have on this journey of yoga.

So, good new is, if you’ve ever felt any of these along your spiritual journey, you’re not alone! We all encounter these obstacles.

And these obstacles are extremely valuable. This is how we learn and grow, by confronting obstacles and continuing in spite of them.

For many of us, we encounter these obstacles regularly, and some years seem to be more obstacle-ridden than others. 2018 was a challenging year for me. I definitely observed these obstacles presenting themselves in my daily life, practice, study and relationships. From self-doubt, external judgement, ridicule, injury, grief, and loss, I definitely felt my overall resilience tested over and over again as I know many others do daily.

It is validating to know that we are not alone when these obstacles come up, countless others before us have experienced all of the same challenges in their own way. And yes, we grow and learn from continuing in spite of the obstacles But, how we choose to continue when obstacles present themselves matters greatly.

The actions you choose in these challenging moments plant seeds within your heart and mind and those seeds will eventually grow and bear fruit if they are nurtured.

If the choice is defensiveness, deflection, blaming and judging others, then seeds of these actions will plant in your mind and imprint on our hearts. And, over time will start to bear it’s own fruit, arising as increased suffering and chaos in our lives.

However, if we choose ahiṃsā (non-harming), satya (truthfulness) and aparigraha (non-grasping/non-greed), then seeds of peace, surrender and acceptance will be planted in our hearts and minds and will open up the pathway for us to study our own actions and adapt, grow and change ourselves!

So, when obstacles come up in your life, return to your yoga practice as a means to help you stay disciplined enough not to feed the energy/drama of the obstacle (Tapas), study your own reactions, your own heart and see what YOU can change within you (Svādhyāya), and then, connect to something greater than you (Iśvarapraṇidhāna) and continue in spite of the obstacles.

Tapas, Svādhyāya and Iśvarapraṇidhāna are the three components of kriyā yoga laid out at the beginning of book II in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on kriyā yoga and why it comes first in the Sādhana Pāda, before the eight auxiliaries of Patañjali’s Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, coming soon!


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Uḍḍīyana Bandha: What is it and how to use it

 In our posture practice, we often hear instructors using Sanskrit in their cues and it can be hard to understand exactly what they’re trying to help you with.

A cue like ‘engage your bandhas’ would often times be a guide from your teacher to find steadiness from the pelvis and lengthen your spine to support the work you’ll be doing in the posture of the moment. But what does it mean to ‘engage your bandhas?’

Over the 12 plus years I’ve been practicing Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, I’ve noticed that using the bandhas in posture practice often means something quite unique to each student. In general, the use of the bandhas will give you control over your center of gravity (mūla bandha) and help you keep your spine healthy and long (uḍḍīyana bandha).

Known as the abdominal lock or upward lifting lock, uḍḍīyana bandha will

  • provide support the the spine
  • help ease pressure from the lower back
  • support healthy postural
  • keep you standing tall later in life
  • aid in healthy digestion and elimination
  • help foster confidence and grace in challenging postures, and more!

PLEASE NOTE: Uḍḍīyana bandha, used in āsana practice is different than uḍḍīyana bandha kriyā. Uḍḍīyana bandha kriyā is a cleansing practice that involves breath retention and is NEVER done during āsana practice.

In āsana practice, the firm and steady contraction of the transverse abdominus will help students to keep their spine long and healthy while executing any posture. And when used with mūla bandha, these two engagements work to flush the body with vital healing energy. Additionally, the proper use of the bandhas fuels the energetic body and ignites the transformative aspects of yoga.

The physical postures will be safer with the use of mūla and uḍḍīyana bandhas, even if those poses are still really crazy and really hard. You will have greater control over your center of gravity and your spine will be supported. Uḍḍīyana bandha is especially important and useful for those who are experiencing lower back pain.

Contraindications:

  • Pregnancy
  • While recovering from abdominal surgery
  • There also may be other reasons your teacher advises against the use of uḍḍīyana bandha. Please connect directly with your teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Advice for finding, feeling and experience uḍḍīyana bandha:

  • Feel the space of the lower abdomen, between the bony parts in the front of the pelvis, above the pubic bone and below the navel.
  • Firm this space of the lower abdomen, and imagine it could gently pull back toward the spine, while not restricting the breath.
  • Observe the way your body responds to this engagement.
  • Sometimes, placing your open palm on this area, above the pubic bone and below the navel, can help you to feel the subtle contraction of these muscles.

Directions to engage uḍḍīyana bandha:

  • Sit in a comfortable meditative posture with the pelvis upright
  • Close the eyes and find softness throughout the body
  • Feel the breath natural and effortless
  • Allow your awareness to shift to the lower abdominal region
  • Contract the transverse abdominus and hold this contraction steady while taking a conscious inhale, release as you mindfully exhale
  • Continue this rhythm of contraction and release with natural breath and continual awareness

Uḍḍīyana bandha is a valuable and transformative aspect of the posture practices in yoga. This subtle engagement can support a long and healthy yoga practice. Try finding this stability, this strength at the midline of the body the next time you roll out your mat and observe the way your body responds.


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Mūla What?!?! Insights Into Mūla Bandha

442By: Jessica Lynne Trese

Mūla bandha, also known as the root lock, can be elusive and hard to connect to. Personally, over my 14+ years of practice, I have continually reconnected/refined/re-found mūla bandha over and over again. Mūla Bandha helps to provide control over your center of gravity and helps you feel steady and stable in physical yoga postures. Physically, it also helps to ensure your body is rooted in healthy alignment as you approach movements and allows you to tap into profound strength and steadiness from within. Mūla bandha facilities the initiation of movement from the midline of the body and helps to keep you safe while you are navigating poses on their mat.

Additionally, the muscular engagement of mūla bandha seals off the bottom of the tube of the torso and inhibits the downward energetic pattern of apana and creates the potential for energetic healing within.

Mūla bandha is crucial to all aspects of our yoga practice and spiritual journey. Engagement of mula bandha is useful in emotional, stressful or uncertain times as it helps practitioners activate and connect to mūlādhāra cakra, and brings about a sense of groundedness and stability.

There’s a lot going on with this bandha engagement. Mūla bandha calls on three separate actions for complete engagement:

  • Aśvini mudra – contracting the anus
  • Mūla bandha – contracting the perineum
  • Vajroli mudra – contracting the urogenital area

Many practitioners find the engagement of mūla bandha to be an evolutionary process of refinement and reconnection over years of practice and experience. The intensity and/or location of mūla bandha activation can change relative to the needs of the current practice and/or positioning of the pelvis.

Advice for finding, feeling and experience mūla bandha:

  • Try contracting the whole pelvic floor, and as often as possible.
  • Try to imagine the diamond shape created between your pubic bone, tailbone and two ischial tuberosities. When relaxed, the tissue that webs these four pints together is soft, like a hammock. When contracted, the tissue is taught, like a trampoline.

Mūla bandha is safe to practice any time EXCEPT:

  • While going to the bathroom
  • When a woman is on her menstrual cycle
  • When a woman is in active labor
  • Mūla bandha is not necessary to focus on while sleeping

All other times – MŪLA BANDHA ON!

Directions to engage mūla bandha

  • Sit in a comfortable meditative posture with the pelvis upright
  • Close the eyes and find softness throughout the body
  • Feel the breath natural and effortless
  • Allow your awareness to shift to the pelvic region
  • Take three rounds of breath inhaling for a count of 3-4 and exhaling for a count of 3-4
  • Contract the muscles of the pelvic floor as you inhale for a count of 3-4 and then relax them as you exhale for a count of 3-4
  • Continue this rhythm of contraction and release with breath and continual awareness for five rounds
  • Inhale for a count of 3-4 with mūla bandha released and then contract the muscles of the pelvic floor as you exhale for a count of 3-4
  • Continue this rhythm of contraction and release with breath and continual awareness for five rounds
  • Contract the muscles of the pelvic floor as you inhale for a count of 3-4 and then keep them contracted as you exhale for a count of 3-4
  • Continue this rhythm of breath with contraction of mūla bandha for five rounds
  • Take three rounds of breath inhaling for a count of 3-4 and exhaling for a count of 3-4

It is always best to work directly with an experienced teacher to help support your physical, emotional and spiritual journey in yoga. If you ever start to feel overwhelmed, un-safe or experience pain with this exercise please connect with your teacher to help guide you directly and safely.


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Ashtanga, Pregnancy and That First Year

Motherhood is hard. 939A49AE-4ACD-40C0-9CCE-86DC11A65CB5

It is, and this is coming from a Mom who has the best baby in the whole wide world!! I mean, it’s taken me six months to get one blog post completed!!

2017 marked ten years of Ashtanga practice for me. I’ve grown and learned so much from my practice already, and I’m only at the beginning of this journey. Given this decade of practice, the past three years have been the most challenging, and most rewarding for me.

fullsizeoutput_1ea3Practice has changed a lot recently, through trying to conceive, pregnancies, loss, birth, recovery and the first year as a family of three. At the same time, it has stayed constant and steady through the ups and downs, and that is something I love about the Ashtanga Yoga method. The consistency of showing up and turning inward to connect is the essence of Ashtanga Yoga to me. The poses are simply different opportunities for me to practice this inwardness and connection. There are days when I am able to do a longer practice, and other days where I only have time for sun salutations, and THAT’S OK!!!!!

So, my advice for all the Mamas, Dadas and humans out there who feel guilty about not getting their ‘whole practice’ in everyday:

* Shift your perspective – if you’re only practicing yoga for the postures then it matters how many you’ve done. BUT, if you’re practicing to find peace and steadiness within, then all that matters is that you show up on your mat and turn inward to connect, for as much time as your life allows.

* Stop judging yourself – your worth as a human does not depend on your ability to catch your heals in kapotasana or hold a steady headstand. What matters is how you interact with yourself and the world around you, yoga can help with that, but there’s no higher benefit to executing challenging postures if you’re not using them as a tool to turn inward and connect.

* Practice six days a week – no matter what, get on your mat. Even if you’re only able to practice one sun salutation, do it. Every bit of practice counts! And hold gratitude in your heart for showing up for your SELF!

* Remember, practicing yoga is about trying to be the best version of yourself – Yoga is not about trying to be better than anyone else. So, no matter what your practice looks like, or what someone else’s practice looks like, you find steadiness within and reside confidently in YOUR connectedness.


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Truth Matters

"When in doubt, tell the truth" on blackboard
Mark Twain

It does. It actually matters a LOT.

Truthfulness matters even more now than it ever has. We now live in a world where stories that are literally made up, with no factual evidence, are taken as fact and people’s lives and their livelihoods are put in danger.

Satya, honesty, is one of the guidelines for interacting with the world as laid out in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Practicing truthfulness is not limited to simply avoiding lying. Truthfulness also involves an honest view of all of our actions. The activities we participate in, the food we eat, the way we treat our body, the way we keep our home, etc. If any of these actions are not aligned with our internal core values, this is a form of non-truthfulness.

Satya is truthfulness in thought, word and action.

As a community, as a global family we must practice and fight for truthfulness. Let truthfulness fill our lives, giving us the strength to stand up and resist the bombardment of lies and falsehoods we have found ourselves surrounded by.

truthfulIt starts with each one of us. If we hold ourselves accountable to be honest and truthful with our families, in our actions and with our hearts we will add more honesty to the world. We can fix this. One truthful action at a time.

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Yoga Doesn’t Really Mean Union

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

yoga-patanjaliYoga is often times defined as union. To me, this is not completely accurate.

Students always hear, yoga means uniting our body, mind and soul. Which sounds awesome! But, I feel this definition is missing something.

I interpret yoga to mean RE-UNION. Yoga is a tool to help students return to place of inner peace through connection, a place we have been before, the place from which we came but have since forgotten. Yoga opens the door to once again, reside in complete unity within our own divine Self.

So, I like to define yoga as REUNION, returning to the place of complete connection, which life has led us to forget about.


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Mindful Assisting & Adjusting

with: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

After practicing yoga with a teacher a few times, you’ve probably experienced the way hands-on help in the room can bring you into a deeper experience on your mat. And sooner or later, you’re bound to receive help that doesn’t feel good, throws you off balance or maybe even hurts.

As teachers and students of Yoga, we want to learn how to help people journey deeper on their mat, without causing them suffering. Assisting and adjusting can be a practice, which leads students toward deeper experiences on their yoga mat. And when approached mindfully and knowledgeably, teachers can safely guide their students deeper.

Learn how to individually assess students in order to effectively assist them in their yoga practice. We’ll learn how to safely guide our students deeper into poses and lead them further along the path of yoga. This workshop will cover assisting and adjusting poses commonly seen in Vinyasa classes as well as poses from Ashtanga’s Primary and Intermediate series and is appropriate for both teachers and students as a way to deepen their understanding of the poses, the goal of Yoga and the students experience within the poses.

Location: Yogani Studios, Tampa, FL
Date: Now on January 9, 2016
Times: Saturday – 12:00-2:30pm
Cost: $45

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Three Gifts

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

twinkle lightsIt’s that time of year again! The Holidays are upon us! Soon twinkling lights will line the streets at night as the season of celebrations kicks into high gear!! And along with that comes the overwhelming pressure to buy, buy, buy! It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t celebrate this time of year, we all receive pressure from every direction to show our love through purchases.

My partner and I have taken a new twist on gift giving in our household. We only give each other three gifts.

A gift we’ve made.
An adventure OR an act of service.
A gift we’ve purchased.

human-connectionResisting the urge to waste all of our extra money on more STUFF, we’ve tried to make this seasonal celebration more a celebration of connection, instead of a celebration of consumerism.

This practice, brings a much deeper experience of connection for us throughout the entire season of celebration. We both end up taking a lot of time to decide how we want to use our three gifts.

With only one gift to purchase, we put extra thought and consideration into what we want the other person to have. Instead of buying a bunch of gifts and hoping a few of them hit the spot, we limit it to one and try to make sure that one gift is something they will truly enjoy and appreciate. And by giving each other an experience or an act of service, we offer up our time to each other, which we usually need in the midst of all the Holiday obligations and end of the year festivities. And when we make something for each other, we infuse the gift with LOVE while it’s being created, so it will always be a reminder of the time and love we put into it’s creation.

No matter how you choose to celebrate this year, try choosing connection over consumerism.


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* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

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Ashtanga Opening Mantra

By: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

Sharath&Guruji OpeningMantra“Samasthiti.”

At this sound, we all join together. Wherever we each were in the practice, now we are all here together, at the top of our mats. Uniting our energy together through sound, the vibration of ‘om’ moves through the room, moves though our hearts.

GaneshThe Ashtanga opening mantra is a call to practice. A recognition of the teachers who have come before us and an acknowledgment of the work we are here to do on our mat. This practice is not merely yoga poses. We are here to overcome the cycles of physical and mental suffering in our lives. Our goal is to no longer be bound by the poison this suffering flushes into our hearts.

And with time, devotion and consistent practice, we will start to experience peace. We will start to find the neutral ground which allows us to be fully present in each moment of our lives. And in those moments of pure connection, we are able to connect to the Divine in every thing.

This mantra is a reminder of why we’re practicing.

So, next time your teacher calls “samasthiti” let your chant be a vow to yourself, a reminder to connect to the Divine, and a reminder that the practice is much more than simple (and not-so-simple) yoga poses.


Om
Vandē gurūṇāṃ caraṇāravindē
Sandarśitasvātmasukāvabōdhē |
Niḥśrēyasē jāṅgalikāyamānē
Saṃsārahālāhalamōhaśāntyai ||

Ābāhu puruṣākāraṃ
Śaṅkhacakrāsidhāriṇam |
Sahasraśirasaṃ śvētaṃ
Praṇamāmi patañjalim ||
Om

Translation

om
I bow to the lotus feet of the Supreme Guru
which awaken insight into the happiness of pure Being,
which are the refuge, the jungle physician,
which eliminate the delusion caused by the poisonous herb of Samsara (conditioned existence).

I prostrate before the sage Patanjali
who has thousands of radiant, white heads (as the divine serpent, Ananta)
and who has, as far as his arms, assumed the form of a man
holding a conch shell (divine sound), a wheel (discus of light or infinite time) and a sword (discrimination).
om


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Yoga To Sleep Better At Night

sleepy-kitten
SLEEP BETTER

A restful night’s sleep is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. Here are a few yoga practices that can help you sleep as soundly a tired out kitten!

All of these practices can be preformed either in your bed or on the floor of your bedroom. I suggest doing this sequence when you are ready to go to sleep, after all the household tasks are completed and you can turn in for the night. If any part of this routine makes you feel overwhelmed or if it feels unsafe at any time, please stop immediately and find a comfortable place to breathe deeply while the sensations dissipate.

Keep in mind the most important aspect of ANY yoga practice is the breath. Try for deep, steady breathing where the inhales are the same length as the exhales.

Breathe your way to more restful sleep!

Alternate Nostril Breath:

    *Take three deep breaths in and out through the nose
    *Use the thumb to block off the right nostril and breathe in through the left
    *Use the third finger to block off the left nostril and breathe out through the right
    *Repeat 9-12 times total
    *Use the third finger to block off the left nostril and breathe in through the right
    *Use the thumb to block off the right nostril and breathe out through the left
    *Repeat 9-12 times (the same number of rounds each side)
    *Take three deep breaths in and out through the nose

Legs Up the Wall:

    *Sit down right next to the wall
    *Keeping your hips as close to the wall as possible, lay down on your back
    *Lift your legs up the wall
    *Rest your hands on either side of the body or let them rest on your belly
    *Remain here for five minutes breathing through the nose as possible

Reclining Twist:

    *Bend your knees to your chest and catch the outside of the left knee with your right hand
    *Use the right hand to guide both knees to the right
    *Breathe 15 times through the nose as possible
    *Draw both knees back to the center
    *Catch the outside of the right knee with your left hand
    *Use the left hand to guide both knees to the left
    *Breathe 15 times
    *Draw both knees back to center

Seated Bound Angle Pose:

    *Sitting on the floor or the bed, connect the bottoms of the feet and make the legs shaped into a large diamond
    *Rest a pillow or two between your legs
    *Gently fold forward so your upper body can rest on the pillows with your head turned comfortably to one side
    *Stay here for 20+ long breaths

Final Resting Pose:

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Yoga Brings Out The Worst In Me…

By: Jessica Lynne Trese
Hate, fear, anxiety, anger, doubt, judgement – they all come flooding to the surface and they bring up all of my buried crap along the way. The more I practice yoga, the more I find my personal pain coming to the surface – and I LOVE it!!!

I went to my first yoga class after the um-teenth friend suggested I just try it. The suggestions always came up during discussions of spirituality and the meaning of life. Inevitably, the conversation would lead to this recurring phrase: ‘You know, you should really try yoga.’

So one day I did. And it was awesome! I felt great! All of the sudden, I had never felt better in my body. I was calmer, more present and had more energy. I was hooked! Yoga would be in my life forever.

I had no idea how choosing to include yoga in my life would transform my heart and soul. Yoga has allowed me to experience the peace of truly being comfortable with who I am.

This experience of yoga has not always been pleasant, and it doesn’t always feel good. There has been pain. There has been anger, fear, doubt, frustration and more. At the same time, it has been the most wonderful addition to my my life and has brought me more overall health, happiness and joy than anything I’ve ever tried before!

This practice of yoga continues to dredge the lake of my soul and shines light into the darkest corners of my heart, revealing all the shadows I have buried away, and had hoped to never see again. Having to re-experience this past pain is not easy.

My regular Ashtanga practice teaches me to observe my internal fluctuations. I’ve learned to watch the emotions and feelings as they come to the surface and instead of allowing myself to get wrapped up in all the pain and suffering I’ve buried, I am able to remain neutral… well neutral-ish.

Before yoga, neutral wasn’t possible for me. I was easily weighed down by experiences of sadness and grief. I would look for ways to burry and numb these feelings so I could just go back to feeling happy.

But because of the work I do on my yoga mat each day, I now realize when these feelings come up, it’s more than just a time to be reminded of the pain, it’s also an opportunity to release the pain once and for all.

If I can watch the emotions and pain as they come up, without holding onto them, they can finally be released. I can finally let them go, one at a time. And all of the sudden I am no longer weighted down by that pain and my heart is lighter.

Yoga has given me freedom. Freedom to be happy. Freedom to be who I am without the weight of past suffering. Freedom to experience and receive pure LOVE from the world around me. Freedom to give love to the world around me. Freedom.


* About Jessica

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Led Full Primary: Igniting Your Practice

by: Jessica Lynne Trese

Ekam Inhale…

Two words, two languages, one breath, one practice.

Hearing those two words inspire a moment of spontaneous meditation for me. For a moment, I can feel the mat beneath my feet, I can feel Sharath’s presence on the stage nearby. The grace of surrender floods my system and ease fills my heart.

Surrendering to the pulse of Ashtanga Yoga, surrendering to the pace of the vinyasa count allows me to dive into the waters of the moving meditation. Stilling the mind and calming the body. The next 90 minutes are a concentrated experience of Breath, Bandhas and Dṛṣṭi.

Then rest, peace and tranquility pervade the physical, energetic and mental bodies. Stillness abounds.

The Ashtanga Full Primary.

#takepractice


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Ashtanga Yoga & The Ego


I’m a beginner to Ashtanga Yoga; I have only been on this journey since 2007. I hope to practice for the rest of my life. Already, I know how powerful this practice is. I know I can find peace within my own mind, balance within my own body and light within my heart. I struggled with this my whole life, until I found Ashtanga Yoga. Now, I know balance, ease, presence and grace can exist within me, I see that from my practice. This is why I practice Ashtanga Yoga. These are meditations from my mat.

*I have an Ego. We all have an Ego.

*The Ego blocks me from experiencing the pure BLISS of connecting to my inner light, blocks me from connecting with the essence of the divine within me.

*Ashtanga is HARD, physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically – but, the work of honest and genuine Self-discovery is hard, and that’s what Ashtanga is really all about. It’s not about doing handstands (well, not till third series that is) or other crazy asanas. It’s about learning who I really am, healing the physical, emotional and mental bodies so I can connect to the divine within.

*It’s important to have a ‘constant’ on the journey inward, as in the Ashtanga practice. If the poses are always changing, if the activities are always changing, it can be just be another form of distraction, another way to avoid the deep work of honestly exploring and observing the layers of the Self.

*We all want to be the best student, the best practitioner, the most knowledgeable, etc. but being the best student is not about how much you know, it’s about how much you’re willing to listen, how much you’re willing to learn.

*More often than not the real work comes when we do fewer asanas in our practice, than when we do challenging things like handstands (again, before the practice leads us there). These challenging poses are sometimes SO hard they don’t give us the chance to reside within the stillness of the Self. In the less ‘challenging’ poses we are able to sit with the stillness, and can really see the shadows within the Self and start the deep examination of the Self.

*Ashtanga teaches us to shed our desires of self-promotion/success and allows us to be whom we are in each and every moment, regardless of how we think we should be. Every body is different and the poses look different from person to person, as they should.

*When we release attachment to how we think things should be, we’re better able to experience how things truly are.

*Cultivating presence in THIS moment, and moving on to the next moment seamlessly, without attachment, expectation or judgment.

*This means some days you will float on your mat and catch deeply in all poses. And other days, you will be heavy and stiff, maybe experiencing pain, and will need to modify your practice to accommodate your present capabilities, even if that means doing an abbreviated practice.

*In order to start to chip away at the Ego we must first recognize that it’s there and that it influences our actions.

*The Ego does not dissolve overnight, we start to shed it slowly, a tiny piece at a time, and this is work we do for our entire lives.

*In order to start to shed the Ego we have to observe when it starts to come into play and then make a conscious effort to change our Ego-driven actions. This is the practice; we practice changing our habitual patterns. We practice finding balance. We practice quieting our mind and our body.

*Shedding the Ego is hard work; it’s easier not to try.

*We have to choose to practice, we have to choose to change our Ego-driven patterns even when it’s hard.

*It is hard to change our patterns, but when these patterns are causing us suffering, we need to change these patterns or they will always cause us suffering.

*If I stop trying to shed the Ego, I will cause myself suffering.

*I practice yoga as a means to rise above suffering.

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‘Trying to Find a Balance’

A beautiful narrative about beginning the Mysore practice and surrendering into the depths of your Self!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-penny/yoga-practice_b_2444114.html

Mysore is a traditional method of training Ashtanga yoga. It’s not the typical instructor-led homogenized yoga class you get from a Bikram studio or gym chain. Mysore remains pure to the intended roots of yogic study. Mysore classes have start and end times so you know when the room is open, but it’s run like I’d expect from a traditional studio or dojo. If yoga were The Karate Kid, Mr. Han teaches Dre Ashtanga to compete with Master Li’s Bikram protégé (Mr. Miyagi, Daniel San, and Cobra Kai, respectively, if you’re stuck in the ’80s).

I showed up for my first Mysore session at White Orchid in Tampa Bay. As I sat in the hall, mentally preparing to begin my training, a surprise greeted me in the form of Ally Ford. The instant I felt her energy, I knew I was in the right place. I felt a genuine warmth and kindness in her that told me everything I needed to know in order to traverse the grueling path I’m facing over the next six months. Ally believes in what she does, and she’s passionate about guiding others along her path of enlightenment. There’s no way our story ends that doesn’t include her becoming one of the great teachers of my life’s journey. It’s an important role, so I casted it carefully. We’d only spoken online and over email thus far, but meeting Ally in person felt like meeting an old friend I’d known my whole life. I instinctively look for the strengths and weaknesses in people. Ally is a soldier. I can see it in her eyes.

That incidental meeting was all it took to drop the weight off my shoulders as I walked barefoot into the studio to lay out my mat and begin my practice. I sat, gazed at the orange wall in front of me, and lost myself in the dreams I had of this wall years ago. This is the place I’m going to balance my center and tap into the power of my true potential. I had a vision of myself crumbling in front of this wall. That’s when Jessica Lynne knelt beside me to greet me… KEEP READING

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