Gaia: Ashtanga Yoga

Re: Early morning practice?

http://astangi.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:57:46 GMT

I had been doing it for 3 months back in 2000 when I drove to Boulder to be with Pattabhi and Sharath on a world tour. Richard Freemans wife helped me find a student at their studio allow me to stay for free, so all I had to spend was gas and food money, so why not right? !

It was an amazing experience, and one day at conference with Guruji he told me to move my practice to the morning, 4am, be done by 6am and my life would change. Boy did it too! It changes the way you approach your day and the way your body feels as you start your day. It changes the way your mind works when you're moving out into your day. At first its the hardest thing I ever did, except for quit smoking, but then it becomes a staple in your morning and now I can't do yoga at night, I can demonstrate for students but can't hold these deep internal poses at all and don't want to. I feel better and look better when I move out into the world to start my day.

Its amazing what happens, besides these things my relationship broke up, I quit my job and travelled and studied yoga and experienced all sorts of things, I began teaching full time, my whole life changed for sure.

So try it, just a few days a week at first, then see how quickly it happens that you can't stand not to do it every morning before you leave the house.

Early morning practice?

http://rougekitten.gaia.com — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:25:11 GMT

Hello all

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I'm curious to know everyone's experience with a morning practice. I'm trying to switch my routine from an evening practice but have found it challenging to wake up my body and feel energetic or flexible at all.

I've been practising on and off for 2 years now, and am still fine tuning the primary series.

book

http://ookami.gaia.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:39:21 GMT

Best intro book to learn Ashtanga asana and pranayama? your opinions?

Changing or Handing over this Pod

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:07:55 GMT

Hello, lovelies-
I am at a juncture where I'd either like to rename /re appropriate this pod into something bigger and more inclusive, weaving together concepts of this and my other pod : as in "Yoga out of Bounds"

BUT- if anyone would like to run the Ashtanga pod and keep it alive, I'd be happy to relinquish the reins, and simply make my OTHER pod bigger/more inclusive.

this change comes about after a year of intense personal growth and change, in which my own yoga practice has shifted away from Ashtanga - into something more exploratory, and more "out of bounds".

So: if any of you want your very own, Ashtanga only Pod, please drop me a line! Otherwise, I'll rename the pod, give it a new life, and archive all the Ashtanga postings into one section of the pod- the other sections will be about other aspects of yoga and personal growth.

with love,
Jess

Re: Ana Forrest comes to Boston

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:21:03 GMT

To update! I took the advanced Forrest training, and it was fabulous..feel free to check out the story on my blog. Has anyone else over here studied with her? Jess

Nancy Gilgoff schedule

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:19:08 GMT

...She travels all around the globe! Its' always online at www.ashtangamaui.com om shanti, Jess

Ashtanga DVDs For Sale

http://philosophy.gaia.com — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:29:31 GMT

For those of you who might be interested in grabbing these off me, I'd be quite grateful. I'm selling these due to low financial reasons and am trying to gather some funds. Perhaps these can be of some use to one or two of you in here. Sells are on a first come first serve basis. Both items are brand new. If you want both, I will give the Nicki Doane video for only $10 instead of $14. Shipping in the US is $3 extra for each item. I also ship worldwide. Contact me for rates. The Ashtanga Yoga DVD Collection (2005) $40 Yoga with Richard Freeman: The Ashtanga Yoga Collection (3 DVDs) Encoding: All regions This boxed DVD set includes: Introduction to Ashtanga The Primary Series The Intermediate Series Through the brilliant method of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, the body, the breath, and the mind are gradually trained to become the ground of real awakening and joyous freedom. Now, in The Ashtanga Yoga Collection, renowned teacher Richard Freeman guides you step by step through these flowing sequences of postures, which are synchronized with a precise, meditative breathing pattern. Careful instructions on alignment and movement address your individual needs and challenges, making this profoundly effective system accessible to both the new and the experienced Yoga student. Caution: The exercises in this DVD set are a progressive series. Beginners should not expect or attempt to complete all of the exercises at first. Consult your physician before beginning this or any exercise program. Ashtanga Yoga - Beginners Practice (2003) $14 or $10 if bought with item above. 100 minutes Yoga Journal's Ashtanga Yoga: Beginners Practice combines breathing and standing poses, including many repetitions of two different Sun Salutations, then various standing forward bends, and side angle bends for balance, flexibility, and strength. The pace of this 67-minute practice is slow, calming, and physically challenging. Remarkably fluid and flexible instructor Nicki Doane explains clearly and in detail how to do each pose and integrate the breathing. Although called a "beginners practice," true beginners will find it challenging, and no modifications are demonstrated for the less flexible, although of course you are instructed to stay at your own level. Recommended as your second stage after mastering Yoga Journal's Ashtanga Yoga introductory series. The Hawaiian setting of this beautifully produced video is gorgeous and serene. --Joan Price Thank You Very Much....

Re: Did I really just join a yoga group?!

http://tinamadgefan.gaia.com — Sat, 05 May 2007 14:11:25 GMT

The yoga of Patanjali's Sutras is Raja Yoga (Royal Yoga). It is meditation based. Hatha Yoga comes from the Tantric tradition of Yoga and later became the sort of stepping stone to Raja Yoga. Hatha Yoga asanas are to get the body back to wellness so that it is not an obstacle to meditation.
And at the time the yoga sutras were written there weren't very many asanas. I would say fewer than 100 if that at that time. Many of the asanas we know of today are the products of the research of Modern teachers like Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar etc.
Many traditions see the body as a hindrance to meditation. And so use Hatha Yoga to purify the body so that the deeper aspects of Patanjali's Yoga can be grasped and actualized.

I am more of a Tantric-Hatha Yogi myself. I don't see the body as a hindrance to mediation becauser the mind-body is one unit. So, the asanas, work on both levels at once and can be used as a meditation. One doesn't have to sit and meditate at all. You can practice asanas with focus and intent and that is by definition also meditation.

Did I really just join a yoga group?!

Thu, 03 May 2007 20:46:07 GMT

Hi, howzeverybody? OK, my interest has long been Tai Chi, but where I live, there are no Tai Chi instructors, so no class to join. My wife has been taking a yoga class for some months now, and she’s urging me to do the same. Don’t know why I’ve been resistant. I’m sure it would do me good, as I spend long hours working at a computer, and at my age, I could stand to take up a practice which could help me grow more relaxed and supple, in the physical way. Here’s the really strange thing. I’ve been intrigued by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for many years. Recently, I’ve started back studying them, and want very much to get a good practice going, as far as meditation, stilling the modifications of the mind, and all that good stuff. As for Hatha Yoga… I realize that’s not really covered (much) in the Sutras. Maybe that’s why I’ve not been too interested in it until now. Well, that’s my situation in a nutshell. I thought I’d join this pod and explore around; see what kinds of things are being talked about. Hopefully I’ll be inspired to take the plunge and join a hatha yoga class. Question: How come so much emphasis in the yoga world on asanas, postures and so on, but rarely are the other limbs of yoga discussed? It seems to me the only serious discussion I find are in certain groups devoted to yoga as a tool for Christian spiritual formation. (See, for instance, christianspracticingyoga.com). Well, happy to be here.

Re: The Wisdom Of Yoga

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:33:35 GMT

....I have to jump in and vouch for Chip and his Sutra translation! I actually live right around the corner from his studio (and teach there)...He's an amazing guy!

Yoga & Meditation

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:41:11 GMT

Hello, My name is Jonathan Reynolds, I teach yoga and meditation around the US and my home base is San Francisco. I teach a style called 'Meditation Vinyasa' which focuses primarily on cultivating awareness in an effort to grow a complete awareness in one's asana practice. In some ways this method is no different than any other yoga being taught, but I find that teaching the class as if it was a meditation experience rather than a physical experience opens up the energy of all aspects of one's personal practice. I teach this vinyasa experience as if I was teaching a seated vipassana lesson - movement of body, movement of mind. I've started a group for yoga & meditation teachers; if anyone is curious, please visit: http://pods.zaadz.com/yoga_meditationteachers Have a beautiful today. loving, Jonathan

My other POD!

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:56:25 GMT

Hi Kids You're all invited to join a second pod I just sprouted a few minutes ago...Transformational Practices, aka the JOY pod. http://pods.zaadz.com/yourtruth love and light, Jess

Re: Greetings from Texas!

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:27:28 GMT

Hi Whitney Kate thanks for joining us, and for introducing yourself! Jess

Greetings from Texas!

http://awakeninglight.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 05:07:41 GMT

Hello! I'm an Ashtanga yogi from Texas and I currently teach in my hometown. I travel around Texas giving Restorative Yoga Workshops and Beginner Yoga Workshops to anyone wanting to learn. I love the Ashtangi practice and adore the healing and clarity I have received.

Namaste'

Whitney Kate

www.ExploringTheArtOfYoga.com

awakeninglight.zaadz.com

Available Housing at Sri. Pattabhi Jois' Workshop in March

http://awakeninglight.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 05:04:11 GMT

I have an available room for 2 people in a beach house in Islamorada, FL the last week of March. This week will be the grand opening of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute and Sri. Pattabhi Jois will be leading the Primary Series each morning.

My friends and I rented a beach house only 6 mi from the Institute. If you need to stay something, please contact me. Like I said, I have an extra room for 2 people (queen size bed). Only $410 a person for 7 days.

Contact me at my profile: awakeninglight.zaadz.com.

Namaste'
Whitney Kate

Re: Advice

http://3gem.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:51:40 GMT

Hi all,
I totally agree Jess, I try not to create the mental construct of my "diet". That just creates another boundary and can also lead to guilt and unwholesome self criticism if things vary slightly for me. I have enough samskaras that I am already dealing with :)

When asked, I usually just say I choose not to eat meat as this is something that remains consistent and leave it at that.

Living in Toronto, I really experience the changing of the seasons, that being the case my diet just like my yoga practice changes with them. I just try to stay in tune with my body which is just one of the many reasons why we all practice here right?

Right now, I crave heavier starchier things and hot soups. I use an organic food home delivery service so I have been eating lots of apples, carrots, dark greens and various root vegetables lately.

My vices...wine and one coffee in the morning on a work day..admittedly not really good for me, but my body and consciousness at this stage of development is fine with that :)

namaste

sebastian

Ana Forrest comes to Boston

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:20:53 GMT

Hi All Non Ashtanga, but just as intense! Awesome and renowned yogini Ana Forrest will be presenting an advanced teacher training this may in Boston. Spots are almost sold out...details at Back Bay Yoga ...www.backbayyoga.com Jess

Nancy Gilgoff and David Swenson in northeast us

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:19:14 GMT

Hi all ,.... Nancy Gilgoff will be coming to the northeast us in May/June 2007 and then again in August. Late May will be PA (www.b-fityoga.com) and Acara Yoga studio in MA (www.acarayoga.com) , August will be at Yoga EAst in NH (wwwyogaeastyoga.com) and in VT at bristol yoga (www.bristolyoga.com) Also, David Swenson is coming to my friend Gail's studio, Acara Yoga, March 2-4, in the Boston area....www.acarayoga.com..... Soon. so sign up for D Swenson sooner if interested! love, Jess

Re: Advice

http://jessicaabelson.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:15:58 GMT

Hey! i'm neither raw, nor veggie, nor macro, nor vegan! What works best for me is :whole foods, mixture of cooked and raw. By (mostly) eliminating flour, sugar, yeast, alcohol, dairy (do goat cheese, however) and even soy, plus eliminating most processed things, i've become far healthier and stronger. a typical day....breakfast, oatmeal with berries and nut butter lunch...lentils, barley, sauteed veggies, maybe some goat cheese. dinner: salad and or veggies, fish, sweet potato or brown rice... as for snacks i usually do veggies/nuts/fruit/veggie based soups/sushi/meal leftovers/... my two indulgences are dark chocolate and coffee. I think a lot of it has to do with constitution, blood type, and Trusting Yourself...rather than someone else's dogma or pre concieved set of rules. (all of the above is actually really good for me, except the coffee, which, well, is a habit that i enjoy!) Jess

Re: Advice

http://tinamadgefan.gaia.com — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:39:41 GMT

thanks!!!