One of the criticisms often leveled at Ashtanga is to question the validity of its origin. The Yoga Kuranta text that both Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois claim it is based on has never been sighted. This naturally leads to some doubt. In my own experience, Guruji was adamant that Ashtanga was based on this text and that he had not changed it. I can find no reason not to believe him. He sincerely believed he was passing on a tradition given to him by his Guru. As for Krishnamacharya, if you care to read the very good Biography of him by A. G. Mohan* you will discover that in his early life he studied Vedic philosophy extensively, was renowned as a scholar and was called upon as an expert in the correct performance of Vedic ritual. To suggest that this man would later in life invent a Yoga system that was some sort of hybrid of traditional asana and Western gymnastics seems to me incredibly disrespectful and lacking in knowledge of who he was and what he achieved. It also shows a lack of knowledge of the Ashtanga practice itself.

For me, asana practice is developing and strengthening the relationship between Breath, Bandha and Dristi which cultivates a field of energy in the body out of which Contentment will grow. This is the basis of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system as I experience it. The way the method is structured, if you persist gently with discipline and a good teacher the result is inevitable. You simply cannot continue in this practice without cultivating Breath, Bandha and Dristi and Vinyasa is central to this. Following the proscribed sequence is also essential as the asanas are combined is a way that generates the correct flow of energy and obliges a practitioner to work on their weak points through practicing the asana that they find difficult. A good and dedicated teacher is crucial to this process.

A good teacher will be like the conductor of an orchestra. He will have the framework of the piece of music he wants the orchestra to play, but he will work with each player to get the best out of them. He will encourage them, laugh with them, challenge them, do whatever he thinks necessary so that they will play as one. Guruji was the master of this.

Many in the West struggle with the concept of bowing to their teacher and through the teacher, to the Lineage. I have heard “I am my own Guru”, and “in the end it is about me and the practice”, as if a guru is not crucial to the process. Instead it is all about “I know what is best for me” and “I know when I am ready to move on” and “I am going to achieve Kundalini rising” and “why should I work on those asana that I can’t do”. Focusing so much on doing what you please is a cul-de-sac you can go down that will give the appearance of moving ahead, but is ultimately a dead end. This is when the wisdom of your teacher and all those who have gone before will assist.

The first lesson of Yoga is humility. Every day that I practice I humbly bow to my Guru’s feet and offer the practice to him and to the Lineage he represents. Many of us struggle with this. Every time I hear of a new type of yoga started by some very clever person who wants to combine their cleverness with an ancient tradition, I wonder about the ego involved in that. It never surprises me when people like that seem to inevitably crash and burn. What does surprise me is that they attract so many followers who are shocked by their fall.

After 20 years of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga I still accept my Guru’s exhortation. “Practice, practice, practice…and all is coming”.

* Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings. A.G. Mohan, Shambhala, Boston & London, 2010.

Friday 4th April to Monday 7th April 2012
Shri K Pattabhi Jois – Guruji always used to say “That Man only Exercising”
“Ashtanga Yoga is a Spiritual Practice” For a yoga asana practice to be
considered as a spiritual practice it must have 3 components present they are:
1. STRONG BODY
2. STRONG MIND
3. PURE HEART
An Asana practice definitely produces a feel good factor, Join John Scott this
coming Easter weekend on a four-day exploration of yoga and find the secret
key which propels the work-out practice to a work-in practice opening the door to
a Transformative Practice. JOHN SCOTT For many years, a
dedicated, direct and certified student of Shri K Pattabhi Jois. Is
still practicing and exploring the techniques passed directly to him
and continually discovering new meanings to the gems of wisdom
that Guruji left for his students to pass on.
New Zealander by birth, John originally studied Industrial Design
both in New Zealand and Australia to graduate with a Batchelor of
Applied Science in Industrial Design. John applies his design awareness
and skills very uniquely in the teaching of Ashtanga Vinyasa
Yoga. His highly individual, analytical and sensitive approach
touches deeply the students who work with him. During the past 25
years of his yoga study, John’s experience has amounted to
illustrating the Primary, Intermediate & Advanced Series.
Writing “Ashtanga Yoga” – The essential step-by-step guide to
dynamic yoga (Gaia Books) and also producing a DVD of the
‘Ashtanga Yoga Primary series’. John also teaches the counted
vinyasa in 6 different languages.

Cost:

$125.00 for all four days
7:30am -10:30am (3hr Classes)
Each class will have a component of,
or a combination of,
1. Counted Vinyasa
2. Self-Practice
3. Technique
4. Theory
5. Chanting
6. Pranayama
All welcome – Namaste John Scott

Guruji was always very upfront about pain in the Ashtanga practice. Basically, he said that if you do this practice, there will be pain. He was also adamant that if you breathe correctly you will never injure yourself. So, there is pain and then there is injury and the one does not necessarily lead to the other.

In the first 3 or 4 years of practicing I was always carrying an injury of some sort. I am a slow learner, but eventually the message got through and I learned the value of Ujjayi breath combined with Dristi, Bandha, and softness in my practice. Throughout this period, I never stopped my daily practice and I do not see the injuries I had as a negative. There were lessons I learned that I never would have without them.

The pain is still there and again I do not see it in a negative light. Instead, I learn what I need to from the pain. The biggest lesson is to listen. Pain is there for a reason. It is your body sending you a message and that message is about limits. Each of us has a limit that our bodies will go to and we must respect that limit. Sure, we are looking to expand those limits but with respect and compassion. Listen to what the pain is telling you because if you don’t, you will hurt yourself.

An important aspect of the Ashtanga practice is the flow of energy. Each of us has blockages in our bodies through which the energy struggles to flow freely. Our practice is about opening the blockages and we do this by working with pain. Not pushing through pain but dancing gracefully with pain.

Pain is an important sign post to what is happening in our lives as well as our practice. The pain I experienced in the early years of my practice caused me to completely change my posture. Things I could get away with before I started Yoga became impossible. This still happens today. If I put my body under stress in my life, and if I am experiencing emotional stress then there will be pain. In fact, most of the pain I experience now is as a result of stress, emotional and physical in my life.

Many people don’t make the connection between emotional stress and physical pain although it probably causes us more physical pain than anything else in our lives. Emotional stress leads us to breath badly and affects the carbon dioxide-oxygen balance in our bodies, causing muscular tension that can be very debilitating. It has been suggested that many difficult to treat problems such as sciatica, oos and fybromyalgia are in fact the result of oxygen imbalance, a psychosomatic result of emotional stress*.

Pain deepens my understanding of every asana. As I said, I have never stopped my daily practice because of pain or injury. Instead I work every day to discover a way to practice that heals. This is why I love the dynamic nature of my practice. I move and adjust in every asana to find out where my body should be in it, always paying close attention to breath, bandha and dristi. My experience over the years has been one of periods of building my practice to a point where injury, or life, or emotional crises break the practice down and then re-building again. A few times this has meant going from practicing Advanced A series to doing Standing Postures only. Each period of re-building has been one of huge development and learning.

Pain teaches compassion for myself and for others. It teaches humility in knowing that I have limits and that I have to approach every practice with no expectation that it will be the same as the one before. It teaches me patience and an understanding of this being a lifetime’s effort. Maybe others can learn these lessons without this dance with pain. I know for myself, that pain is an essential teacher.

* To find out more about this idea check out Dr. John Sarno at http://www.healingbackpain.com/

On Saturday 10th March from 10am to 12pm Nick will be taking a traditional “Mysore style” class as part of the “Yoga Stops Traffick” initiative. This class will be by koha (donation) with all funds going to Odanadi Seva Trust, to give survivors of human trafficking the chance of a better future. To find out more about Yoga Stops Traffick click the link. Please come and support this great cause.

The concept of a journey, or a progression, seems to me to be based in the ego. It comforts us to think that we are heading towards a goal and that we are getting better at what we are doing. But is this is missing the point? If you are on a journey it is inevitably away from the goal of Yoga. A journey implies action and action is karma. Yoga is the state of no karma.

Use the concept of a “journey” or a “river flowing to the sea” if it helps motivate you to put your mat down, but know in your heart of hearts that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You are abiding in the pot of gold at every moment. You just need to realise it. 

Our last class for 2011 will be a Led Full Primary Series class on Wed. the 21st December. We will go out for dinner after the class. Our first class for 2011 will be the morning Open class on Monday 16th January. Thank you to all our students for a fantastic 2011. Your continued support and efforts are much appreciated. Victoria, Mike, Nick and Julia wish you all a safe and joyous festive season.

Mike, Holly and Isla at Alex's

On the latest trip, we were going with no expectations for the yoga, but looking forward to a great break. We were lucky enough to stay in Alex Medin’s house in Gokulum, about 5 minutes walk to the Shala and to Gokulum village. Staying here was very easy and relaxing. The streets are clean, there is no-one hassling you and you can walk around relatively unmolested. There is every thing you could want in the area so there is no real need to travel into the inner city. Though I love central Mysore, Holly and Isla found it a bit intimidating, noisy, smelly and crowded.

It turned out that I was extremely blessed with my Yoga experience again. I was fortunate enough to enjoy classes with Saraswathi, Sharath and Peter Sanson, with very few students. The highlight was having a week of classes with Sharath with only myself and 2 good friends. Getting another week with Saraswathi with just 6 to 8 of us was also very special.

Temple at Mysore Palace

Sharath was in holiday mode gathering his energy for another trip overseas. We in the Ashtanga world put so much expectation on Sharath that I am not surprised that he gets worn out. I average about 150 students a week and get very tired unless I have a break. Sharath has to deal with that number every day at times! I don’t know how he does it. His adjustments are sublime and the passion and integrity he has are amazing. And he is still so young. If he is this good now, I look forward to visiting him in Mysore as often as we can afford into the future.

Mysore Palace lit up

This was the first time I have practised under Saraswathi’s direction and I loved it. Her energy reminds me so much of Guruji. With so few students she was full of help and light and laughter. She had time to give us pointers on the little things and her adjustments are fantastic. In over 19 years of Yoga practice I have now had 4 teachers. Guruji, Sharath, Peter Sanson and now, Saraswathi. I am humbled by them, and bow at their feet.

I have been asked many times since we got back what I learned from my latest trip. I learned that the Ashtanga Vinyasa method is in good hands. On a personal level, no new postures (in fact I was not practising up as far as I was last time I was in Mysore), but lots of learning around the breath. My focus quickly came to the quality of my breath and how deeply this influences the practice. The quality of puraka (inhale) dictates the quality of the following rechaka (exhale) and the quality of rechaka dictates the quality of the following puraka, and so on. This is so fundamental to the practice that you think it would be the first thing you learn. Steady breath leads to steady practice and steady focus. Steady breath energises you, whereas ragged breath tires you out. With a steady breath anything is possible. It is far too easy to forget this and it is also not as easy as it sounds. As with the practice in general is takes practice, practice and more practice.

This has induced a certain amount of introspection. My experience of my practice has always been one of integration. There is normally a union of breath and body. Vinyasa seems to strengthen the bond. My body moves to the rhythm of the breath. I have never felt such a strong separation of the two.

The sense itself was not uncomfortable or alarming and 19 years of Ashtanga practice has shown me that all is as it should be. I know it will all be sorted out in the Practice. I will observe with interest what develops….

In the precious times I had with Guruji I only heard him talk about Mula Bandha once at any length. He said “control your hips, that is Mula Bandha” and then followed up with “practice and Mula Bandha is automatically coming”. He also stated that we should maintain Mula Bandha at all times, not just during our asana practice.
My personal experience is that the development of this important aspect of my practice has happened slowly and steadily over time. When I first started Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in late 1992 I had no idea what Mula Bandha was, but I was strong. This strength enabled me to muscle my way into some asanas without activating or being aware of Mula Bandha. As my practice has developed and as I have got older brute strength does not suffice. Thus it became necessary to increase my awareness of my centre of gravity, the source of an inner, more powerful strength.

As with so many aspects of this beautiful practice, there is an organic evolution of awareness and understanding that no amount of reading or attending workshops can give you. Do your practice on a regular daily basis and Mula Bandha will creep up on you and as it sneaks through the door into your awareness it will let a little light through. As David Garrigues writes in his blog, hand in hand with Mula Banda comes Ahimsa. Practice, don’t think about it and certainly don’t worry about it. Just practice. It is the kindest and most compassionate thing you can do for yourself.