Thursday, November 25, 2010

GRATITUDE

At the risk of sounding mushy, Thanksgiving seems like an appropriate day to give gratitude.  Ashtanga yoga continues to change my life and for that I am so grateful.  It didn't happen over night and it certainly hasn't happened without much struggle both physically and emotionally, but as the years have passed, I feel changes taking place.  And for that, I have faith that the system works.  I only had the opportunity to practice with Guruji once back in 2006.  I was still fairly new to ashtanga and went to New York for Guruji's tour.  The sanskrit word "guru" means heavy and even at 90 years old, you could feel Guruji's presence the minute he entered the room.  The trip had a profound effect on me.  I returned to Richmond and three months later, opened Ashtanga Yoga Richmond.  I wanted to practice in a space that was dedicated to ashtanga and create a community to share the experience with.  I must first give thanks to my dear friend and first teacher, Rob Miller for introducing me to ashtanga yoga and nurturing my devotion to the practice.  I am also grateful to Michael Hamilton for sharing his knowledge and teaching experience with me so that I could continue to grow the mysore program at AYR.  I am eternally grateful to my teachers, Lino Miele and Sharath Rangaswamy for teaching me the method.  I continue to study with both teachers and feel that they both offer a deep connection to the source......Guruji.  I feel very fortunate to have had these experiences on my personal path, however, AYR would not be what it is today without the teachers and the students who support it.  I would first like to extend my appreciation to Kyra.  I am fairly certain our paths crossed by some divine intervention and I know I couldn't do this without her.  She is a great friend, mentor, listener and the list goes on and on.  I am also deeply appreciative to all of our teachers for their commitment and dedication to teaching and to the students who continue to show up and make our studio a "community".  Finally, I would like to say thank you to my family...Jared, Haley and Izzy for supporting me.  I know our life is sometimes not the "norm"... early mornings, extended trips to India, yoga, yoga, yoga.  I am so grateful for each of you.  Have a wonderful holiday!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

DAY 13

Day 13 and the numbers are falling off a bit......any comment?  Are you practicing at home on the days you don't make it to the studio and if so, why?  Is it scheduling, work, family?  Did you start the month thinking you would practice all 19 days and something changed?  Did you miss one day and now it makes it easier to miss another?  I have recently been working with a meditation teacher and one of the things that she continually repeats is that with each breath you have the opportunity to let go and start again.  This speaks volumes to me as I tend to favor the "all or nothing" concept but it has been so helpful in allowing me the freedom to start again (and hopefully without judgement).  I would like to revisit the idea of daily practice, day in, day out, over the years.....In the Guruji book, Annie Pace said "Abhyasa is consistent practice over a long period of time with clear intentions.  Whatever our practice, if we are doing it consistently, even if it's a small practice, we benefit a lot.  There comes a point where certain aspects of the practice do become integrated and Guruji told me this point is twelve years.  After twelve years, okay, we start to become established in a practice.  These phases start at 3, 6, 9 months, 1 year, 3 years, 6 years, 12 years and so on- these chunks of time.  When we have been practicing for a long time, we can then actually step away from the practice for our family duties or whatever might be calling us away and step right back into the practice and be right on the boat.  With a short-term practice it's a little harder to get back on the boat.  Whatever practice it is, it becomes established over years, decades, over lifetimes.  The inner quality is a steadiness that comes from that integration."

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

DAILY PRACTICE

What is the value of daily practice, day in and day out, year after year, decade after decade?  Graeme Northfield responded in the Guruji book "If we work intelligently, with daily practice we can start to understand not only what's going on in the body, but also the fluctuations of the mind.  At first its a letting go, a softening of our attitude.  In the beginning we're striving and working towards more asanas.  But one needs to let go of that, let go of this whole goal oriented practice.  Then we need to see our condition as we are, here and now.  The next step is to be at peace with that, to actually accept our condition as we are here and now.  And from that point, practice with feeling and connection, integrating the whole body and the breath."  For some of you, 19 days of practice in November is no different from any other month other than the fact that there are more people practicing in the room.  But for others, this may be a real challenge.  Getting up early everyday usually equates to going to bed early, being mindful of what time you eat dinner (not to mention what you eat for dinner) and can overall, just feel like too much structure.   Your body hurts, it's cold outside, you need more sleep... these all seem to be valid reasons for staying in bed.  So why a daily practice?  Does it really matter if you practice 2, 4 or 6 days a week?  Let me first say, that any amount of practice is better than none.  Practice is the path to awareness and transformation and it does not happen unless you do the work.   In my own experience, when I have traveled to India with the sole purpose of practicing yoga, there was no question whether or not I would practice everyday.  If you didn't show up to the shala, no matter how much you believed you were lost in the crowd, you were sure to get asked "Where were you?" Not practicing was not an option!  And that is fine when you have traveled to India with one intention....practice yoga.  But how does that fit in to our daily lives here in Richmond where most of us have a plate full of other responsibilities throughout the day.  I really liked what Graeme Northfield had to say about daily practice.  It can feel like you are just going through the motions, doing the same asanas, same series everyday.  But what if we approach it from a different perspective.   Not a goal oriented practice but rather an observation of the present moment, staying connected to the body and letting go of the mind.  And on the days when you just can't let go of the mind, finding some joy in the experience, whatever that experience may be.  Everyday is different.  A daily practice gives you the opportunity to arrive each day and start again.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

ADJUSTMENTS

I would first like to thank each of you for showing up and making the commitment to practice 19 days in November and also for taking the time to share your insight.  Again, you can comment as much or as little as you like.  Wow!  What a morning....19 students (how fitting).   I know this is a long stretch of practice for most of you who attended the workshop with Tim Feldmann this past weekend and I am very aware that most of you were "stretched to your limits" and feeling a bit sore and fatigued.   I am delighted to see that everyone is honoring their bodies and doing what feels appropriate.  So this brings me to an important subject in the ashtanga practice....Adjustments.  How do you feel about adjustments or lack of adjustments?  Did anything come up for you when Tim adjusted you this weekend and took you deeper in a posture than you are used to going?  Or how about this morning, with 19 students I was not able to give everyone the same attention that I usually try to give.  Does this bring anything up for you?  How important are adjustments to the quality of your practice and how does your practice differ on days when you practice at home or during self practice with no teacher?

Monday, November 1, 2010

DAY 1

I will start with a paragraph from the Guruji book. The question is "What do you think is the essence of Guruji's teachings?" David Swenson answered: "Every person you ask will probably have a different answer to that. The essence is the yoga, the essence is prana, the essence is seeking the Self, and this is the great paradox of yoga, of ashtanga yoga. You look and at first glance it's all about asanas, it's about jumping around, it's about doing this and that, but the paradox is, as David Williams says, the real yoga is what we cannot see. It lies beneath the surface, it's what is happening in that mind, what's happening in our breath, in our energy." He goes on to say that "Spirituality is not determined by the practice itself, but rather by the focus and intent of the practitioner and the choices they make and the quality of their character." "IS THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE BY OUR PRESENCE IN IT?"

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

19 DAYS IN NOVEMBER


19 Days In November 
I am currently reading Guruji A Portrait of Sri K Pattabhi Jois Through the Eyes of His Students.   It is such an inspirational book about the meaning of ashtanga yoga and the importance of doing your practice.  It has got me thinking about what motivates us as students of this practice.  This is unique for each of us, but the common thread that we share is that we continue to come to our mats and have faith in the process.    With that I would like to pose a challenge of sorts to our mysore students.  This is NOT a physical challenge, but rather a commitment to explore your practice more deeply and hopefully, offer insight to each other.
There are 19 mysore classes in November.  I invite you to make a commitment to attend all 19 classes with the intention of revealing something new about your practice and maybe about yourself.  The subjects are endless......
  •  attachment to a posture or perfection in a posture
  • following the breath/vinyasa for the entire practice
  • observing what goes on in your mind (and ego) when something is difficult, painful or injured
  • how is your practice different if you practice everyday or maybe it is not different at all
  • what constitutes a practice for you
  • is this a lifelong practice for you
  • are you able to access the meditative qualities (or stillness) in the practice
  • how does your practice affect your home life
  • how does your practice change with age (both physically and mentally)
  • does your practice bring you joy 
The idea is to commit to a daily practice and focus on something that is meaningful to you.   When something comes up, comment about it.  I feel that by sharing this information, we not only learn about ourselves but we learn about each other.  This is as much a learning experience for me as it is for you.