| Mar |
| 29 |
| 6:00 am |
We will be closed for the Easter Holiday Break. There will be no classes on Fri. 29th, or Sun. 31st March and on Mon. 1st April. We will resume classes as normal on Tues. 2nd April. Please enjoy your Easter Holiday
Quick Links
Easter Weekend Break 2013
Christmas/ New Year Break 2012/13
| Dec ’12 |
| 19 |
| 7:30 pm |
Our last class for 2012 will be the Thurs. evening Open class on the 20th Dec. The first class for 2013 will be the Mon. morning Open class on the 14th Jan.
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Practice, Practice, Practice….What Practice?
Thank you for the intelligent questions in relation to my Blog post “Time to Give up Asana, Old Man”. I will attempt to answer these below starting from the bottom up.
Here’s where my curiousity was piqued:
1. “It is who I am and I enjoy it.” – It this Asmita & Raga? (The 2nd &
3rd Klesha, or afflications, I-ness & attraction)
2. “I am happy to do as I am told by those with greater experience and
knowledge. ” – How do you know they truly know more than you what is
right for you? Didn’t Kausthub’s students, or John Friend’s students
also believe that those teachers had greater experience and knowledge?
3. ” the most important thing a teacher of Yoga should have is a strong
practice. ” – Is a strong practice limited to a strong asana practice?
Or is it a strong yoga practice, which could take the form of kriyas,
pranayama, meditation, chanting etc…
4. “practice, practice, practice and all is coming” – asana, or yoga?
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4. “practice, practice, practice and all is coming” – asana, or yoga?
I think this much quoted line by Guruji is often misinterpreted. People seem to think that he was only referring only to Asana practice. What we practice is “Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga”. As we all know, Ashtanga is the 8 limbs of yoga; Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. To facilitate the practice of Ashtanga we use Vinyasa, or “Breath movement system”. Guruji often quoted the sage Vamana as saying “Vina vinyasa yogena asanadin na karayet” [O yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa]. This is the practice of Yoga that we do.
There are 2 ways to consider Ashtanga. One as a linear progression starting with Yama and ending with Samadhi and the other as a more organic process where the limbs evolve with each one supporting the others. Either way you look at it I think there is often too much importance placed on achieving Samadhi so that people are putting the cart before the horse. In his very good book “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” Edwin F. Bryant says that when listing things the tradition was to put the item of most importance first and then follow in descending order. In this case Yama is of the most importance and it is this that we should give our attention to. Guruji said that the practice of Yama was very, very difficult and that the discipline and strength of mind we develop in our Asana practice is essential to the practice of Yama. He also said that it is essential to master the first 4 limbs before even considering the latter 4 and that the mastery of the first 4 was almost always a matter of many life times work.
This makes sense to me because I am a pragmatist. The stage of life that I am in now requires of me that I am the best father, husband, brother, son and member of society that I can be. Withdrawal is not an option for me and I am certainly not ready for it. You know, I have been teaching in Wellington since 1999 and I have students who have been coming to my classes since that time. These are people who have families and jobs. People whose practice has ebbed and flowed with their lives. People who plug away at the Primary Series and to whom it does not come easy, but who persist. It is these people that I consider the Super Heroes of Ashtanga rather than the person jetting around the world teaching workshops and promoting their latest DVD. We need both, but I have a huge respect for those people who know what it is like to change the sheets on their child’s bed for the 3rd time because they have been vomited on at 2 o’clock in the morning, but still fit a Yoga Practice into their lives.
3. ” the most important thing a teacher of Yoga should have is a strongpractice. ” – Is a strong practice limited to a strong asana practice? Or is it a strong yoga practice, which could take the form of kriyas, pranayama, meditation, chanting etc…
A Yoga teacher should have a strong practice grounded in the tradition that he or she is teaching. It is simple. You must practice what you teach in the manner that it has been taught to you. It would be dishonest to do otherwise.
2. “I am happy to do as I am told by those with greater experience and
knowledge. ” – How do you know they truly know more than you what is
right for you? Didn’t Kausthub’s students, or John Friend’s students
also believe that those teachers had greater experience and knowledge?
There has quite rightly been a lot of condemnation of John Friend and Kausthubs indiscretions. I don’t know anything about either of them having never met them, but their actions can not be condoned. Sadly there is nothing new about this sort of behavior from people in positions of power, not just in the Yoga world. And it will happen again.
I can only say that I took Sri K Pattabhi Jois as my Guru, but that did not mean that I put aside my intelligence when I did so. Guruji never claimed himself to be anything other than human, but the knowledge and experience he had of the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice was unsurpassed. With his actions and with his words he, in fact, invited us to question what it was he taught. I remember him saying “Don’t believe what you don’t experience for yourself”. He certainly displayed some very human characteristics, but these did not shake the faith I have that what he taught works for me. He also never promised us a short cut to Samadhi by his touch or by being in his presence. Instead he promised us a lot of hard work and constant endeavour over many lifetimes to achieve this goal.
1. “It is who I am and I enjoy it.” – It this Asmita & Raga? (The 2nd &
3rd Klesha, or afflications, I-ness & attraction)
There is no doubt that I suffer from the afflictions of knowing, at least in part, who I am and of enjoying what I do. These afflictions result in a veil of contentment that prevents my perception of the reality of constant suffering. I wake up every morning and look over at Victoria and know that my daughters are safe in their beds and that I am going to put my mat down and do some practice and then teach some classes to some beautiful people and I can’t help but feel blessed and a long way from suffering. What to do? I can only do what I can do and as I am not a scholar, that is to keep practicing and to keep observing and to have no expectation of any outcome. I hope to have plenty of time left to practice in this life and after that, who knows? I do know that if I am offered another ride on the circle of life I will take it with both hands.
Posted in Mike's Blog 4 Comments
Peter Sanson Mysore Morning Workshop: Wed. 21st to Sun. 25th Nov. 2012
| Nov ’12 |
| 21 |
| 6:00 am |
Peter is back and once again I highly recommend attending his workshop. Peter has spent more time in Mysore studying at the AYRI than any other Westerner and the time he spent with Guruji is reflected in every aspect of his teaching. His depth of understanding and good humour will benefit all practitioners from absolute beginners to advanced.
Start times; Wed. to Fri from 6am; Sat and Sun from 8am. Cost is $135 for all 5 sessions or $30 per session casually. Booking essential. Book here or ring Mike (021) 02722362
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Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga- No Props, No Blocks
Mike… would you be inspired to write something about (Ashtanga) Yoga and the use of props? Also what Guriji thought about it?
I was exposed to a few Iyengar style and other style classes and I noticed the extensive use of props and in a way it seemed to nurture a great emphasis on ‘things we cannot do’ and ‘issues’ in our body. Of course I see the point of using props especially with elderly people or disabled people of whoever likes to use them.
But what about this saying that yoga is for everyone?
And how can you reconcile Ashtanga yoga with this?
We do not use any props but I often notice that it is very intense for people who have never done yoga before or any form of physical activity.
Is there such a thing as a restorative Ashtanga yoga class?
In terms of teaching yoga?
Just a few thoughts…
thaaaaaaaaank you Mike!!!! haribol Jyd
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga- No Props, No Blocks
Thank you Jhulanyatra for giving me the subject of this article. I wonder if I am the person to comment on the use of props in yoga classes and also on “Restorative Yoga”. I have never done a class that involved the use of props or blocks and have never used them myself. I also have never done a “Restorative” class, so I am not exactly writing from the perspective of one who can accurately make a comparison. What I can do is comment on why I have never felt the need to either use props or to do a specifically designed restorative class.
I never heard Guruji make any comment on the use of props. I just don’t think he ever considered them necessary. I did read somewhere that he thought that they disrupt the flow of energy by putting something artificial between the hands and ones body or the floor. This makes some sense to me, as Guruji was always very particular about where the hands should be on the body or the floor. I suspect this is one of the major differences between Guruji’s Ashtanga Vinyasa method and other methods of practice. The flow of energy in the practice as driven by the combination of Ujjayi Breath and the activation of Bandha was of the utmost importance to him. Much more so than correct alignment or emphasis on the outward form of the asana.
The other important factor in this is the Traditional or “Mysore Style” of teaching. In this method one is introduced to each asana one by one. When one has attained reasonable proficiency in each asana the next one is taught. This is the “slowly, slowly” method Guruji taught which meant that I was ready to meet the challenge of each new asana when I got to it and never felt the need for a prop. If I did need help to get the correct bind or to get a little deeper into an asana this was provided by way of an adjustment from my teacher. With an adjustment the energy is not being blocked by an inanimate object.
Taught by this method, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga truly is for anyone. I have experienced Guruji teaching elderly people as well as people with quite serious disability through injury. He never altered his method, but taught them slowly, slowly asana by asana. If you put an elderly or disabled person in a situation in a Led class where they feel they have to keep up or do things they are neither ready for or capable of then there will be trouble. Very quickly they will lose track of their breath and get themselves into an unstable position which is the antithesis of good asana.
The Primary Series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is Roga Chikitsa. This means that it is therapeutic and healing of disease. Is this not the essence of “Restorative Yoga”? Practiced correctly, regularly, and often the Primary Series will restore the body to correct alignment and good health. I have experienced this in my own body so I have no doubts about this. If by “Restorative” you mean gentle asana that do not challenge but just make one feel good, then this is all very well. However to have lasting restorative benefits some effort must be put in and fears must be faced. Again, it is essential that the practice is developed slowly and steadily so that you manage the challenge. It is also essential that you go through this with the guidance of someone with experience and an understanding of the method. Put yourself in safe hands, establish a regular practice, and practice with a light heart and you will be restored.
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Labour Weekend Extended Break
| Oct ’12 | Oct |
| 18 | 23 |
The school will be closed for an extended break over Labour Weekend. There will be no classes on Thurs. 18th Oct. through to Tues. 23rd Oct. Classes will begin again as normal on Wed. 24th. Enjoy your Labour Weekend.
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Understanding the Pelvic Floor Workshop: Fri. 14th Sept. 6-9 pm Workshop Cancelled!!
| Sep ’12 |
| 14 |
| 6:00 pm |
Having an awareness of, and strengthening the Pelvic floor are crucial aspects of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice. I recommend this workshop to all of you, in particular to the women.
1 in 4 Kiwis suffer from pelvic floor weaknesses. Did you know that it is not normal to wear pads for wetness as you age? The pelvic floor supports us in posture and function. It is the base of our core strength and effects us on the emotional, mental and physical levels. This short workshop will teach you how to isolate and engage the different layers of the pelvic floor and how you can use this in everyday life.
Cost: $50 paid before 10th Sept. $75 paid after
Venue: To Be Announced (Wellington CBD)
Book; Contact Marina mlocke@ihug.co.nz or 021 871 818
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Excerpt From “One Shoe Over the Fence” by Stephen Simes
I suck at being married
Marilyn Monroe
About three years before the birth of our first child we travelled to Mysore in the south of India. At the time we had been together seven years and were desperately in need of adventure. Life in the city had become a series of pleasant routines – work, walk, coffee, shop – and we were bored with our lives and each other.
One day we’re sitting in yet another non-descript café avoiding the fact that there was nothing else we had to do and Rebecca put a magazine under my nose. ’Read this article. It sounds great. I’d love to do this.’
It was good to see a sparkle in her eyes. It had been a while.
It was article about a man who had travelled to Mysore in Southern India and studied yoga with a revered old teacher called Pattabhi Jois. It was full of life and dilemma and humor and I was riveted. He seemed to be experiencing everything we weren’t.
That afternoon we found a local yoga class and ten weeks later we were on a plane.
There is no avoiding anything in India. It is a challenge from start to finish but my biggest problem was me. Before I left home I knew that I wasn’t gifted, that yoga didn’t seem to come easy. However when I started to practice with serious students under the guidance of a master teacher I realized that I had no talent whatsoever.
I was surrounded by teachers and advanced students. I couldn’t touch my toes. I remember being at a social event where I was the only one who couldn’t put his foot behind his head.
In the shala I would sit on the stairs and press my face to the grill as the human noodles contorted their bodies into wild positions, sweated furiously, chanted ancient mantras and looked fabulous at the same time. I struggled to maintain a shred of human dignity as I embarrassed myself and misrepresented the practice. I look like a pink leopard when I get hot and my mumbling was not spiritual. I was a contender for the worst yoga student of all time.
Progress was almost non-existent. On the final day of our six month visit I tried to get into Lotus. The grandson of the guru did everything he could but there was no way that my foot was going any further. He wobbled his head in that non-committal way the Indians have and that was that.
Doing yoga in India was a perfect storm of ineptitude for me. There was not one element that came easily. I went straight to the bottom of the class and stayed there. Even the kind old teacher looked at me with a bemused look. What was to be done with the class dunce?
I am awful at relationships. I don’t have an intuitive understanding or a natural feel. Perhaps the main reason is that I am most comfortable by myself. I have a low need for the company of others so I never invested in relationships. I didn’t pay much attention.
I remember as a ten year old not knowing how the other kids hooked up to go to the movies and in my twenties I had to observe how to give a social hug. Any knowledge I have gained has been through hard work.
It’s possible to learn about relationships even if you find them confusing and mysterious. Like any subject, there are rules and insights that if consistently applied yield results. It’s always nice when things come easily; however, improving the way you relate to others does not require talent.
The yoga in India doesn’t sound like a good experience but there were definitely some diamonds in the rough. It was the first time I had ever been in a situation for a reasonable amount of time where I was not in the least bit competent. No matter how hard I tried I just didn’t get it. Putting in that much effort and still bringing up the rear is unpleasant.
I was lucky because I went through this as an adult so I had some perspective. What I hadn’t noticed was that I was just as inept at being married and I needed to use strategies that did not rely on talent or intuitive insight.
‘Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It’s cheaper.’
Quentin Crisp
If I look back at my life, mostly I’ve been attracted to things that came without too much effort. I played the sports I thought I was good at, and avoided those that were more difficult. I studied subjects where I gained good marks and dropped those where the results weren’t as high. This approach is obviously the best for many endeavors; you should probably follow a career in an area that you’ll excel at. The problem is that in life we will get involved in some things that we don’t have a natural feel for, yet we still need to put our best foot forward.
Yoga and relationships are two areas I have to work hard at to make even ordinary progress. Neither comes naturally, so what to do?
It is much easier if you know yourself and are truthful about your limitations. I was inept at yoga and I decided not to be concerned about it. I turned up every day and tried my best. While others in the room twisted hypnotically I got better at touching my toes. Improvement did come I just had to look very carefully to see it.
Our teacher was a revered scholar who had spent his working life as a professor of Sanskrit and had taught yoga for over 60 years. Each afternoon he would have a forum where you could ask questions, discuss the day’s news or maybe he’d just read the paper. Students from all over the world would gather in his home and wait for the first question.
Every day you could divide the gathering into two groups; those who would ask questions that they didn’t know the answer to and those who would ask questions so that everyone else would know that they knew the answer. One group came to learn and the other wanted a pat on the head.
Being the class dunce had one very serious advantage. It was no problem for me to admit that I knew very little. I sat at the back and listened. I recommend admitting that you know almost nothing and be willing to learn. Choose your teacher carefully then follow their instructions precisely in that area.
The no talent zone is ripe for character building. Humility may be forced upon you. There’s an advantage in this lack of ease; straight away you’re confronted with your limits. Some of the yoga stars practiced for years before there was a posture that was truly difficult. When they hit that limit it was a shock for them and I saw a few who didn’t cope well. They didn’t know how to move forward in difficult circumstances.
There will be golden days and others that feel like a hike through a blizzard. Don’t get caught up in it, just keep moving.
If you have no talent, embrace the basics; leave the fancy stuff to the stars. You can travel a long way by mastering the fundamentals.
Being a marital moron is a bit annoying really. Having no talent or insight is inconvenient but it doesn’t change the fact that if I want to improve my marriage I have to find a way to make progress anyway.
Amazon.com/OneShoeOverThe Fenceby Stephen Simes
web site: http://www.stephensimes.com/
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Time to Give up on Asana, Old Man.
For a long time now I have never really asked myself why I do my Ashtanga Vinyasa practice 5 or 6 days a week. If anyone asked me I would say because it is who I am and that I enjoy it. As the result of a couple of recent conversations, and these cold Wellington winter mornings I have been thinking about it a bit more. A friend and student of mine recently said to me after I explained that I try to do 2 Intermediate, 2 Advanced A, and 1 Primary Series Practice every week, “aren’t you getting a bit old for that?”
Well I have to admit that some mornings I certainly feel too old for it. Other than enjoying it (mostly), which sounds a little self indulgent, there are several reasons that I continue with this strong physical practice.
The first and perhaps most important is that the teachers I am blessed with expect it of me. Guruji gave me a certain number of asana to practice and I honour that. He passed the mantle on to Sharath and when I was in Mysore last winter both Sharath and Saraswathi expected that I would be practicing Advanced A Series. My teacher here in NZ, Peter Sanson also expects it of me and one of the enduring characteristics of my practice is that I am happy to do as I am told by those with greater experience and knowledge. I bow to their feet.
Secondly, I still feel as if I have much to learn from my Asana practice. Maybe I am a slow learner, but every practice still brings a new subtlety, and new discovery with it. I know people say that Guruji stopped full Asana practice at around the age I am now (mid 50s), but he had more than 30 years of daily practice with his Guru, Krishnamacharya before that. I have had 20 years of practice, 90% of which has been self practice with Victoria. I know I have lots more to learn.
Guruji always said that the most important thing a teacher of Yoga should have is a strong practice. I encourage my students to play at their physical limits and I feel it would be remiss of me not to do the same. There must be this willingness to play at your limits in order to expand them and to free the flow of energy in the body. This is on going. It is amazing how quickly the body will get back into bad habits if you stop practicing. Very quickly the energy blocks you have spent so much time clearing will return.
I have heard the argument that teaching traditional Mysore style classes can be your practice. For me, the energy that is created in me from teaching is quite different to that created in my practice. There is no doubt the two complement each other, but I don’t think one can replace the other. There is much that I learn in my practice that I apply in teaching, and the reverse is also true.
My practice makes me feel alive. I am not in the time of my life and do not have the inclination to withdraw. I have a young family, life is busy. I want to be fully in every moment and my practice brings this to me. Guruji was the most alive person in his 70′s, 80′s and early 90′s, that I have ever met. He loved life and was fully part of it. He said that we should not even consider working into meditation practices until we had achieved proficiency in Asana practice to Advanced A level and proficiency in Pranayama. I feel a long way off that yet. Working hard in that direction though.
I believe what Guruji taught me; “Practice, practice, practice, and all is coming”, and I do my best to apply it to my life.
Posted in Mike's Blog 13 Comments
Boston — and the Ashtanga Yoga “Police”
I normally make a point of not being “political” in my blog posts. The recent bombing at the Boston Marathon has filled my mind so much that I do want to publish what I think about it. My overriding feelings, beyond my sorrow and sympathy for those affected, is that I cannot imagine a God who would welcome to paradise someone who has perpetrated this kind of atrocity. I cannot imagine a belief system that can condone these acts particularly against children. This sort of thing simply cannot be justified.
I would also note that just because all the media we get is about this and that we never get to hear about the similar atrocities that are perpetrated by the US military and their allies, that we should only hold one party up as being guilty. Somehow, this cycle of retribution has to stop and I would suggest that the party that holds by far the strongest hand needs to show the courage to say, “this ends now”. I do understand that people have long memories and history shows that we are good at holding a grudge. It may take more than one generation of showing love and compassion for the scars to fade, but all the more reason to start now. Unfortunately, given that those in power in the US lack the courage to pass legislation to make it more difficult for their own citizens to have access to weapons that do a vast amount of damage in a very small time, I doubt they will have to courage to stop bombing the citizens of other states.
This all got me thinking about the nature of fundamentalist thinking and it reminded me of a blog that a friend of mine sent me this link to; http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/01/how-i-dismissed-the-ashtanga-police-jean-marie-hackett/. I think we all are subject to the lure of dogma. To an extent, we all look for certainty in our lives. I remember on my first visit to Mysore in 1994 that there were students there analyzing everything Guruji did, looking for the system. “Oh yes,” they would say,”when you can do this, he will start you on that”. The amazing thing was to see the looks on their faces when Guruji did something that was totally outside of the “system” they had devised for him. Guruji would often give specific advise or instructions to certain individuals for certain situations, and it amazes me how some of these things have somehow become “rules” of Ashtanga Yoga.
I think that above all else, Guruji was a pragmatist. He saw what each of us needed whether we thought we needed it or not. I myself saw him give a good friend of mine, on his second 6 month stint in Mysore, Navasana before he even attempted Marichasana D. Everyone seemed to think that you had to be able to take your ankles in Urdva Dhanurasana before you could start Intermediate Series. I saw Guruji break this “rule” on more than one occasion. The fact is that the Ashtanga Vinyasa method provides a framework that is then applied to each individual, as befits that individual. To achieve this successfully with respect for the lineage, requires a great deal of humility and years of experience on the part of the teacher. To insist that there is one set of “Rules” that applies to everyone, and that if you don’t adhere to those rules that you are wrong and that no benefit can accrue is to show the ignorance and the arrogance that ultimately leads to fundamentalist thinking.