tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67432085719002765202024-01-22T05:10:19.989-08:00Subtle BlissAshtanga Vinyasa YogaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-25436730478393561302012-03-02T14:45:00.001-08:002012-03-02T14:45:17.294-08:00Ashtavakrasana B<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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To my knowledge, handstanding doesn't officially appear in the <i>Ashtanga</i> system until this posture, halfway through Advanced A. It's also possible to jump into it more like <i>Bhujapidasana</i>, but this is so much more fun. Bonus points for keeping the legs straight until the last possible moment. </div>Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17709943987117671987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-33513936931328619872011-11-13T15:36:00.001-08:002012-03-02T12:53:22.332-08:00Good Dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">For any yoga practice to be both sustainable and beneficial in the long haul, it needs to do a few things. Physiologically, one of the most important things is to work the abdomen and lower spine.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Many spiritual traditions focus on this area of the body for its contemplative and physical benefits, (the "<i>hara</i>" in Zen and martial arts, for example) and even beyond that is the proof of practice. By keeping the abdominal organs healthy and the lower spine supple, this focus takes care of a large percentage of the health needs of the body.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm totally biased, but the <i>vinyasa</i> movements of <i>Ashtanga</i> address this incredibly well. <i>Chaturanga</i> contracts and strengthens the abdomen and lower back; Up Dog stretches the muscles and tissues of the abdomen while extending the back; Downdog compresses and then releases the abdomen. These movements are paired with complementary diaphragmatic movements that augment the expansion/contraction rhythm.<br /><br />While most of us are focusing on whatever posture/movement is at the forefront of the practice—<i>Marichi</i> D, <i>Kapo</i>, <i>Dwi Pada</i>, or whatever— these fundamental elements are taking care of so many of the background systems that operate below awareness. You may be working on getting the leg behind the head, but in the meantime digestive, lymphatic, immune, sleep, and many more systems benefit from the <i>vinyasa</i> "glue" that holds all the postures together.<br /><br />In many ways, the <i>Ashtanga</i> system is <i>Chaturanga</i>/Updog/Downdog or Exhale/Inhale/Exhale or Contraction/Expansion/Release interspersed with periodic breaks…you know, those <i>other</i> postures. These movements alone have great, deep benefits.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiK3z8rKeX0UFvFkbzg6SbL5bAt26TBFYlQWrncpxfL_lR3k1J6_vZFhzRWdSXGv7gQdn4un99LgdEI9OTiOvtArKohD2R2DLVCJ_mylBzRxZfB_wn9NcoaK0LwZ3rVCIa17G5AE_yiw/s1600/POYODRExperienceExpansion400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiK3z8rKeX0UFvFkbzg6SbL5bAt26TBFYlQWrncpxfL_lR3k1J6_vZFhzRWdSXGv7gQdn4un99LgdEI9OTiOvtArKohD2R2DLVCJ_mylBzRxZfB_wn9NcoaK0LwZ3rVCIa17G5AE_yiw/s320/POYODRExperienceExpansion400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The dog posture sequence begins the <i>Ashtanga</i> system in <i>Surya Namaskara</i> and holds it together throughout the seated sequences. The elements of that therapeutic loop appear again in what could be considered the peak of the <i>Ashtanga</i> system: tic-tacs. Relative to the abdomen and lower spine, Downdog/Handstand/<i>Urdhva Dhanurasana</i> is a slight reshuffle of <i>Chaturanga</i>/Updog/Downdog elements, but inverted and with far more depth and intensity.<br /><br />Personally, I keep coming back to this part of the body and of the practice. Beginners are mentally and physically distant, with attention (at best) in the arms and legs. They feel the work of the arms in Sun Salutes and the pull on the calves and hamstrings in Downdog.<br /><br />But with practice the awareness moves steadily deeper and becomes centered around and finally <i>through </i>the midsection. An advanced practitioner well knows the feeling of a deep seated forward bend releasing the belly back and back and back until it seems to disappear into the spine, or the residue that remains after deep back bending: a light, liquid energy that seems to hover and flow all the way through the belly and back. </div></div>Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17709943987117671987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-80194266260483941372011-11-12T08:39:00.000-08:002011-11-12T08:44:47.673-08:002012 Teacher Training<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGoUG9xtnfdpaR8JuxLCIQH6wFQSTr6hjKGU4KH68VU10ZgRdoF9b74wqats3NAjXreot7uT1P_fVIrGPa_CSxT2q_CbVMBVfB3abfaLZYq6Csjmx3ZQKAPNhKR4l-UhY4nOhZB6AxuA/s1600/DSC00568.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGoUG9xtnfdpaR8JuxLCIQH6wFQSTr6hjKGU4KH68VU10ZgRdoF9b74wqats3NAjXreot7uT1P_fVIrGPa_CSxT2q_CbVMBVfB3abfaLZYq6Csjmx3ZQKAPNhKR4l-UhY4nOhZB6AxuA/s320/DSC00568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674150740684658802" border="0" /></a><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody" ft="{"type":3}"><span style="font-size:130%;">We are now enrolling for our <a href="http://www.tapasyogashala.com/index.php/teacher-training/">200hr Teacher Training Program</a> beginning June 2012! Tapas is a 200hr, Yoga Alliance registered yoga school and training program. To assure you individual attention, we limit the class size to 10 students. Contact us for more information, or to receive an enrollment application.</span><br /></span></h6>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-25669418162468571382011-10-30T19:16:00.000-07:002012-03-02T14:49:09.669-08:00Tired<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Ashtanga</i> yoga makes me tired. It should be making you tired as well, or you're missing something. When I first experimented with <i>Ashtanga</i> using some David Swenson photocopies, it didn't make me tired. At all. And, it turned out I was missing something: the vinyasas :-/<br />
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Since then, as a student and teacher, I have seen "<i>Ashtanga</i> yoga tired", which comes in many, many forms. Here is an illustrative, though not exhaustive list:<br />
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<i>Pregame tired</i>: The yoga bag feels heavier than it should and rolling out the mat is really, well, quite a lot of work.<br />
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<i>Panic tired</i>: It's the first jumpback and the arms tremble and groan. You <i>just</i> make it back to Downdog. Blankly staring at the ankles, a cold sweat breaks out. <i> 89 more minutes?!? </i>I've made a <i>huge</i> mistake<i>.</i><br />
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<i>Utthita Hasta tired:</i> Nah, you're not tired, that one's just hard. <i>(see "Navasana tired")</i><br />
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<i>Eyerolling tired: </i>Puh-<i>lease.</i><br />
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<i>Pleading tired: </i>It's just that I carried a lot of groceries two days ago, and I think my arms are still tired. That's why I'm so exhausted, see, and…oh, ok…we're…jumping…back again…<br />
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<i>Angry tired: </i>Usually starts with the evil/stink eye, and perhaps some <i>Ujjayi</i> that sounds a lot like pouty sighing. May progress to internal talk: <i>On my life, yoga teacher, I</i> will <i>get even for this. *</i>personal favorite*<br />
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<i>Optimistic tired: </i>Usually occurs around the Marichis: Hey, we're almost there!<br />
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<i>Navasana tired:</i> Oh, right, I forgot.<br />
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<i>Backbending/Handstand/etc tired: </i>Like driving around the lawnmower in the autumn until it dies, you burn up every last bit of fuel. Usually the teacher helps. You think fondly back to <i>Navasana</i> and how spritely you felt.<br />
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<i>Closing Matra tired</i>: What—are—the—words to this?—<i>something something Om something something</i><br />
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<i>"Take rest" tired: </i>zzzZZZZZzzzz…<br />
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<i>Bliss tired: </i>The perfected state of tired, it's that afterglow that follows you around after practice. You may not be able to raise your arms above your shoulders, but you can't stop smiling. Also known as "wrecked," "cooked," and "ruined."<br />
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As long as you are putting some energy into anger, optimism, panic, or any other sort of reaction, it's <i>not</i> all going into the practice, which means your probably not tired enough yet. But you will be…</div>Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17709943987117671987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-31898551139480967512011-10-10T17:53:00.000-07:002011-10-10T18:01:07.958-07:00tapas Open House!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgy_r80w68OjI-C_iAR5PvaNHqmB2kDcae5_e1xsJHgzp5SqvnIEItdZ4REKYxefo3B7QhYVzw59FwR3Dys1EZk8ZQtfofqtvp5sXs5MkUIz1bZoryBc_8frAEomxdIyXrRH0Q0n5U2w/s1600/272707_10150353126178298_63859733297_10149486_1181628_o%25281%2529.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgy_r80w68OjI-C_iAR5PvaNHqmB2kDcae5_e1xsJHgzp5SqvnIEItdZ4REKYxefo3B7QhYVzw59FwR3Dys1EZk8ZQtfofqtvp5sXs5MkUIz1bZoryBc_8frAEomxdIyXrRH0Q0n5U2w/s320/272707_10150353126178298_63859733297_10149486_1181628_o%25281%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662033044649083746" border="0" /></a><br />Yay! We are full steam ahead planning our first open house at the new Shala, this Friday, October 14th from 5-7pm. We have lots planned for this night! Evan will present an advanced asana demo and two of our current teacher trainers will present an Acro yoga demo. There will be food, a raffle, friends, class pass specials, and good times to be had by all. Hope to see you there!Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17709943987117671987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-87175269009255455402011-03-10T13:41:00.000-08:002011-03-11T11:51:03.264-08:00Karandavasana<style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px} </style> <p class="p1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "></span></p><div>Some postures take longer to learn than others…and this one is killing me. Quick recap: forearm balance, fold legs into lotus, lower legs to arms and hold in a weird arm-balance-on-the-forearms position and then…and THEN…lift back up, straighten legs, jump back.</div><div><br /></div><div>That sh*t is hard. I've been doing handstand press-ups for a few years and yet the strength to exit the posture continue to elude me. It has to be one of—if not <i>the</i>—most strength-based posture in the Ashtanga system (any series).</div><div><br /></div><div>But I'm figuring it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gregor Maehle's book on the Intermediate Series breaks this one down into five or so stages. The gist of the approach is to only lower as far as you can and still get back up after five breaths, which will eventually give the strength to do the full posture. I really like this approach better than the traditional Mysore approach of collapsing into the posture and needing a strong assist to get back out. </div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gOgs456PWqMj_ZLMCck29aEh6pJFBpApD-cBi-tRPQ_UOPrz_-1CIUXrWjc0mV8WOYmu2H5z1j5zi1qeGO5xsEfDa3thVMCLnZ2qakVdDE8EKkXYOEIDkHYpnxkxCBdnAQGzxHL2hro/s320/ashtanga-yoga-intermediate-series-mythology-anatomy-practice-gregor-maehle-paperback-cover-art.jpeg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 265px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582888639800091298" /><div>In part, I like the former better because I don't always have an assist available, but mostly I like it because I think it actually teaches the posture more effectively. Collapsing only leads to panic and reaction; the discipline of the second approach really makes me think about what's going on, and to notice the subtleties happening during the lower down, especially the shifts in balance. This is crucial, because all of those things have to happen in reverse to exit the posture.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is something entirely different about the posture because you are balancing and lifting on the forearms instead of the hands. On the hands, with the arms straight, so much of the integrity of the body is supported in the arm bones, in that part of the skeleton being lined up and locked. But the with elbows bent at 90° or more, the act of being held off the floor is essentially performed by the triceps. Yikes.</div><div><br /></div><div>And yet, it is pure bliss to work and work and work. Primary Series came easily, so it wasn't until Intermediate that I really became acquainted with the essence of Ashtanga: invest in the process, disregard results. With postures this difficult, there is little other choice.</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-52385764684218314552011-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:002011-01-16T19:25:39.316-08:00Horizontal and Vertical Progress<i>Ashtanga vinyasa</i> yoga has an obvious, linear progression. As you master a posture, you add another posture. The difficulty of postures steadily increases, as does the challenge to your endurance. Adding postures, making the practice longer and smoother, being able to accomplish more and more difficult postures: these are all signs of progress. <div><br /></div><div>But sometimes you get stuck, for one reason or another. For example, personally I had a period of about six months of working to achieve basic competence in <i>Kapotasana</i> (catching the heels) when I didn't add anything else—stuck. I'm also just coming off twelve months of injury—stuck. There may also be times of illness, very busy life situation, held back by a teacher, etc—stuck. And in truth, Ashtanga is structured so that everyone is always "stuck" on something. Other than the necessary period of "integration" when a student has completed a full series and just practices that as a unit for six months or so, there is nearly always some posture or skill that is not ready for primetime—dropback/stand-up, for example. This aspect gives Ashtanga a certain edge that is complete intoxicating…but I digress.</div><div><br /></div><div>All of the above—adding postures, etc—we can call "horizontal" progress. The "stuck" periods reveal the potential for "vertical" progress. Vertical progress is adding depth, it is the practice experience becoming fuller, enriched with attention to details that have otherwise been obscured. This may take any form, but is usually one of the aspects of <i>tristana</i>: <i>vinyasa</i> (movement and breath), <i>bandha</i> (internal attention), or <i>drishti</i> (gazing point). It is as if, by being "stuck," the mind can stop reaching for the next posture and suddenly you find that there is a little bit of surplus attention. After enough practices, the same routine can be done with just a little bit of attention left to explore something new…where to rest the eyes, for example, or the realization that for <i>this</i> particular posture, you should be counting the inhales, not the exhales. </div><div><br /></div><div>When, as a student, you read about <i>tristana</i> and consider it intellectually, it seems tedious, laborious, and artificial to try to remember to pay attention to so many things at once. But simply knowing that it exists, that those elements are all to be integrated sooner or later, means that when the day arises that there is attention to spare, you are ready to smoothly take a hold of whichever aspect has been missing; it simply arises organically. This is a great example of the David Williams quote: "Before you've practiced, the theory is useless. After you've practiced, the theory is obvious."</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-52114280715553614592010-12-31T09:38:00.000-08:002010-12-31T10:18:37.036-08:00TristanaThere is an aspect of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga practice called <i>tristana</i>. Like "yoga" it is both a practice and the state achieved through the repetition of that practice. I'm hoping to get up a few blogs that will look at <i>tristana</i> from a few viewpoints, all of which have emerged organically from practice and teaching. First of all, though, let's lay the groundwork with some definitions and background.<div><br /><div>Other than good ol' blood, sweat, and tears on the mat, I have learned the little bit I know about <i>tristana</i> from study of books on Ashtanga and, to a lesser extent, study with Western Ashtanga teachers. In something like 15 total weeks spent with Sharath, to my knowledge I have not heard him discuss it, but this isn't much of a surprise. He has his hands full; at any given time at least 50% (usually more) of the students at the shala seem to be relative beginners in the sense that they are working on Primary and possibly the first third of Intermediate. Remember that additional techniques (eg Ashtanga pranayama) are not taught until at least the completion of Advanced A, so I usually consider that students are beginners until at least that point.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Tristana</i> means "three points of attention" or, maybe "the union of the three points of attention." "Yoga" can mean a technique or a state, but usually means a technique; "<i>tristana</i>" is the same, but usually means a state<i>,</i> a state of flow attained when everything falls into place just right. However, it can also more pragmatically be used to discuss incorporating the various strands of Ashtanga practice.</div><div><br /></div><div>The three points of attention are <i>vinyasa</i>, <i>bandha</i>, and <i>drishti</i>. In effect, this is at least four points of attention, as <i>vinyasa</i> includes <i>ujjayi</i> breath + correct movement in and out of <i>asanas</i>. <i>Bandhas</i> are the physio-energetic points of attention along the central axis of the body, just above the perineum and in the lower part of the abdomen. <i>Drishti</i> is a specified gazing point for each movement. So, for every moment of Ashtanga practice, there is a specific breath, body position, internal focus, and gazing point. When, through repetition, these individual, effort<i>ful</i> elements of experience coalesce into an effort<i>less</i>, absorbing state, it is called <i>tristana</i>. <i>Tristana</i>, in my humble opinion, is what gives Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga such depth and challenge.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some historians of contemplative traditions point to a distinct shift in religious ceremony in Indian history. Ancient shamanic cultures believed that their ceremonies drove the universe, and therefore invested time and energy into performing rites properly to ensure the crops would grown, the seasons would follow one another, the rains would come, etc. Over time, these ceremonies become more and more intricate and at some point, the priests began to realize that perhaps the only element of the ceremony not yet under control was the state of mind of the priest. Thus contemplation entered spiritual practice and ceremony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Similarly, each individual passes through most of the stages of his or her species and culture, in condensed form, during the lifetime. There is a point during Ashtanga Vinyasa practice when one realizes that in attempting to manage all of the separate pieces of breath, posture, count, gaze, etc the most important (and slippery) element is the mind and, in fact, it is the influence of the mind that all of those separate elements aim at anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is a paradox in that moment, for it becomes clear that the thinking mind can in fact only focus on one thing at a time. Like a smartphone it can keep several apps running, but only one at a time can really, truly be at the forefront at a time. The only way for these elements to come together and be held equally in attention is by weaving them together in an absorbing experience, one that goes beyond simply "thinking about" something. This act transcends the thinking mind. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-57345799068138773922010-08-27T10:32:00.000-07:002010-08-27T11:24:46.952-07:00Just the Three of Us<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsctvNU3Imn6JwjVAM7Cf2RnkWuPU6N0aoX7N-q8Z-PACuX5EtYqxDgny8F_mqI0w1YB_tTZ1Va28RV3kG3zTotr9Htb1PxHT-1bBM-kKh-y3iC3478cczMUvhltBXzLt4Kvg1D-h__rU/s1600/DSC00652.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsctvNU3Imn6JwjVAM7Cf2RnkWuPU6N0aoX7N-q8Z-PACuX5EtYqxDgny8F_mqI0w1YB_tTZ1Va28RV3kG3zTotr9Htb1PxHT-1bBM-kKh-y3iC3478cczMUvhltBXzLt4Kvg1D-h__rU/s320/DSC00652.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510152946522830242" border="0" /></a>Usually, we have two of everything. Two mats, two coffee cups, two beers, two towels, two toothbrushes, etc. We like it that way, thank you very much. But for the last few days, there have been three of us.<br /><br />We took Matthew out to lunch yesterday and had a great time (portobello sandwich with fries—er, chips, if you're curious). It doesn't sound like we will be hosting a Sweeney workshop at <span style="font-style: italic;">tapas</span> anytime soon, as he's moving quickly out of the traveling yoga circus business and trying to set up fixed month-long courses in Byron Bay, AUS and Thailand. Still, it was great fun to be out-nerded in yoga-nerd talk.<br /><br />You'd think Matthew would want to talk about anything BUT the y-word, but he keeps bringing it up. Funniest story: pissing Guruji off by doing a difficult arm balance perfectly on the first try. "He said 'Uh…correct' and waddled off to get somebody else." Funniest yoga observation: all of the "old-timers" (long-term Ashtangis) are perpetually crabby from the sleep deprivation of getting up too early. "They said it's more holy. I say 'Bollocks!'" Tonight <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_TvDrfmf1tSwWGYdJPOWTCtHIgc_qgidbpLIuAWpZv_PeqaLGszRxTBFhF_sCNcteBSdbhVoDj9-yDcLLEQW4zqjmteKCgwuOCUxtlEDgYVNlMSZSAjCHoxlRj00DpGpk_rhMXOh6DM/s1600/DSC00653.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_TvDrfmf1tSwWGYdJPOWTCtHIgc_qgidbpLIuAWpZv_PeqaLGszRxTBFhF_sCNcteBSdbhVoDj9-yDcLLEQW4zqjmteKCgwuOCUxtlEDgYVNlMSZSAjCHoxlRj00DpGpk_rhMXOh6DM/s320/DSC00653.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510153800021018594" border="0" /></a>will be another potluck at Fran and Kathy's house. The last one was a blast, so we're really looking forward to this one.<br /><br />Fridays are supposed to be self-practice days just like Mon-Thursday, but they are to be "adjustment free." In practice, this means that each of us does our own thing, including Matthew. You'd think everyone would come out just to watch him practice, but you'd be wrong. Friday mornings are a ghost town, and today it was just the three of us from about 7-9a. Pretty fun. Still not sure who it was that farted…<br /><br />K and I are both "splitting" on Mondays and Tuesdays and practicing Intermediate Series only on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and then either Primary or Moon on Fridays. "Splitting" means doing Primary up to <span style="font-style: italic;">Marichyasana</span> D or <span style="font-style: italic;">Baddhakonasana</span> and then beginning Intermediate Series.<br /><br />We've been told to only do half of the jumpbacks during Primary, based on a rule that goes something like: "If you CAN do all of the jumpbacks, then you don't HAVE to." Presumably, this is specific to the phase of adding on Intermediate postures. It IS nice to have a little left in the tank when getting to the difficult middle section of Intermediate. K is working on <span style="font-style: italic;">Karandavasana</span> and I (E) have been stopped at <span style="font-style: italic;">Nakrasana</span>, though I do a pretty lame "knee friendly" <span style="font-style: italic;">Karandavasana</span> modification.<br /><br />One distinct thing about Matthew's teaching is that he likes students to emphasize the backbending section of the practice. Standard format for a Primary-level student is three <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U0X9Nm3Cs8Yz20TZyovAna2QSA-VHKVbuSvEg4N5qIdhxGL1GS2on3EWdibETR257XCXAiHyz-YBg2tw09sdNOQnw4GPWJsLhW-jE3OvgRVLwZ1mkhl6_5JJTbcyfdZKefzL9Vl-wTU/s1600/DSC00657.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U0X9Nm3Cs8Yz20TZyovAna2QSA-VHKVbuSvEg4N5qIdhxGL1GS2on3EWdibETR257XCXAiHyz-YBg2tw09sdNOQnw4GPWJsLhW-jE3OvgRVLwZ1mkhl6_5JJTbcyfdZKefzL9Vl-wTU/s320/DSC00657.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510154157946328898" border="0" /></a>press-ups, three dropbacks, and then assisted backbending. He suggests doing four or five of each of these things, as well as prefacing each with one or two modified, easier versions (half-bridge before press-ups, half-bends before dropbacks, etc). Both K and I are right in the thick of learning hand-stand dropovers, so also in our practice are a few exercises for this, which include headstand/forearm balance dropovers and handstand half-bends. I'm exhausted just typing it all. It DOES, however, make for a sweet, sweet rest at the end.<br /><br />K continues to wow with assisted <span style="font-style: italic;">Tiriang Mukhottanasana</span> (standing backbending all the way around to hold the ankles/legs). With Matthew's help, she is catching close to the knee—imagine a person bent around backward, holding the knees with the hands, shaped like a capital letter "P." It's usually quiet enough in the room to hear the Rice-Crispy pops of the spine. Wicked!!<br /><br />One weekend of workshops left. Tomorrow (Sat) will be lead <span style="font-style: italic;">Simha</span> (Lion) sequence in the morning and a technique-based inversion workshop in the afternoon. Sunday will be Pranayama and Meditation. Next week we expect to learn the Lion sequence, which we will then practice over the next year or so with Matthew as correspondence teacher. Things will wrap up on Thursday, with Matthew, Fran & Kathy all leaving town on Thursday night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxShYVcgJDe4FGdaz2UPAjYLgZoB00U07dwa62IaQVU52yPOmg0fGJLKGW1EbaB7_MYYa3W8dRZ5xKOwj-PfSUj950lNG8unolEMK8dEWnVlYx00gSNYHctULKjB-UnXygW7K8wdmgDo/s1600/DSC00658.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxShYVcgJDe4FGdaz2UPAjYLgZoB00U07dwa62IaQVU52yPOmg0fGJLKGW1EbaB7_MYYa3W8dRZ5xKOwj-PfSUj950lNG8unolEMK8dEWnVlYx00gSNYHctULKjB-UnXygW7K8wdmgDo/s320/DSC00658.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510154452471575778" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="text"><span style="line-height: 17px;font-size:14px;" ></span></span>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-64772336356841140362010-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:002010-08-16T16:45:32.835-07:00Maffew<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoTH_sykC6IYqpsSi4GkGaNbIFcIp2cxWUpwINsW-dEDq_yDv8ZDJaMl1WDnwnP65B7f-xIOTkEhE5V6O2-81rzLO5dvpKgukzbwwEvT8IvEHjdnQWoEbtNDiPBcXUyJmBBrkB6vYtG4/s1600/thaiyogaprog.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoTH_sykC6IYqpsSi4GkGaNbIFcIp2cxWUpwINsW-dEDq_yDv8ZDJaMl1WDnwnP65B7f-xIOTkEhE5V6O2-81rzLO5dvpKgukzbwwEvT8IvEHjdnQWoEbtNDiPBcXUyJmBBrkB6vYtG4/s320/thaiyogaprog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156992273227202" border="0" /></a><br />One week into this one month yo-cation with M Sweeney and things are going very well. In our limited experience, the traveling yoga life seems to have certain common elements: hot climate, small quarters, early mornings, friendly people, and lots and lots of coffee.<br /><br />Basic schedule—<br /><br />Sunday afternoon: Pranayama & Meditation<br />Monday-Thursday morning: Mysore-style practice<br />Monday afternoon: Teacher Training<br />Friday morning: Mysore-style practice, but "adjustment free"<br />Saturday morning: Led class<br />Saturday afternoon: Technique workshop<br /><br />There are no more than 25 students here for the bulk of the program (Mysore practices & workshops). The weekend workshops can be attended ala carte, so those have a few more students. Some students will only be here for the first two weeks. We have met students from other parts of North Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, and Alaska (!!). The studio hosting Matthew is <a href="http://ridethebreath.com/">Ride the Breath</a>, owned by Fran Slavich and Kathy Hallen. The studio is located in the back of their house just a stone's throw from the east part of the Duke campus here in Durham. It is relatively small and wonderfully intimate. The morning practices are warm (not hot) and moist.<br /><br />Matthew teaches both Ashtanga sequences (he has mastered the first four) and his own sequences from his book Vinyasa Krama. Mysore classes are much different than with Sharath. For one, Mysore classes here are limited to 15 people (there are probably about 10 in our 8a time slot) so attention is the norm. There is quiet conversation, levity & joking, and none of the gravitas (and pseudo-gravitas) of KPJAYI. It is that environment we try to create: genuine but not (necessarily) serious. There are students working on Matthew's first two sequences (Moon and Lion) as well all four of the Ashtanga sequences that Matthew teaches. Fran is 2/3 of the way through fourth series, something he talked about at a potluck and he Kathy hosted on Friday night. A few notable quotes:<br /><br />"I'm about 2/3 of the way through fourth and I don't know if I'm going to finish. I'm 48, and that shit is hard!!"<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Mulabandhasana</span> is the <span style="font-style: italic;">first</span> posture. It's 530 in the morning!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8Si8qXkeVG9BWy338pcTSums9W_lOJJXw0R6di9-Lc9u9V4veyyrDVFpMi7cdyx06LFfLLGl6Lc1uc8XcmXNq7umihIbYUDreZ6yt7f2HVsF674Df-9kVkJH-QeUq6sc4v4F9mGzn6w/s1600/krishnamacharya.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8Si8qXkeVG9BWy338pcTSums9W_lOJJXw0R6di9-Lc9u9V4veyyrDVFpMi7cdyx06LFfLLGl6Lc1uc8XcmXNq7umihIbYUDreZ6yt7f2HVsF674Df-9kVkJH-QeUq6sc4v4F9mGzn6w/s320/krishnamacharya.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506155119679577330" border="0" /></a>It has been a bit jarring to slip into what is ultimately a very comfortable teacher-student relationship with Matthew. K and I both realized that we were operating from a Sharath mindset at first, and therefore found a few things off-putting:<br /><br /><br />1) Matthew remembered who we were.<br />2) Matthew takes an active interest in teaching. Creepy…<br /><br />A little hyperbole there, but our experience here so far has truly been the opposite polarity from the gruff, Indian experience.<br /><br />We are both at about the same place in practice: Primary is good and we'll probably be learning the rest of Intermediate along with Intermediate backbending (handstand dropovers <span style="font-style: italic;">with</span> control) during the next two weeks. We then expect to learn the beginning of the Lion sequence during the last week. Unlike the Moon sequence, we have not dabbled with the Lion sequence on our own (except in subjecting our students to sections of them in Vinyasa classes!!), but have heard rave reviews from Fran and Kathy.<br /><br />Two bits of <span style="font-style: italic;">tapas</span> news…we will begin instructing the Moon sequence to interested students upon our return, especially in Mysore classes…we have tentative plans to begin early morning Mysore sessions this fall, so start getting up a little earlier to get ready…Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-56159569267311229032010-04-07T00:15:00.000-07:002010-04-07T01:08:40.779-07:00The end is nigh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2voMffDrKp2NMpV079m7Lo5n9AxUNci80fcEvdQ8BnMNJDkloAbRMbhjJOgMBvMrjnh-zD7avDmLzxTBbna_kLTpVI5rQGSfnUd0VopO7FVdt3jsGP40vjFFlnHaJu3bcFyC__w53a8Q/s1600/coconut+stand.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2voMffDrKp2NMpV079m7Lo5n9AxUNci80fcEvdQ8BnMNJDkloAbRMbhjJOgMBvMrjnh-zD7avDmLzxTBbna_kLTpVI5rQGSfnUd0VopO7FVdt3jsGP40vjFFlnHaJu3bcFyC__w53a8Q/s320/coconut+stand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457294373728966594" border="0" /></a><br />“Tomorrow you come. 430. BOAT!” (Tomorrow you should both come at 430.)<br /><br />The last week of <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> practice stretches before us…Time seems to accelerate here as numbers dwindle and thoughts turn to home. It is strange how the process of ending our study here (decreasing classes sizes, farewells to friends, packing up, etc) interacts with feelings about studying here. We feel ready to return home, but that is due in large part to the fact that the “season” is ending. We are staying until the end of the party, and it’s nearly done. Yet, it also feels that, under different circumstances (e.g. Sharath were not taking a break) we could easily stay for another four months (six months is the maximum for any one trip). In many respects, this ending of the yoga “season” is the exception: Guruji taught virtually unceasingly for nearly 60 years. Usually, students stay for as long as they can and when they leave the shala is still running at capacity, and continues to do so while they resume their home lives and think about the next trip.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbftmW80lMOlSR2BfcoEJR-GyObNJu4HlNeQqtjrOIx7HZFmcCtND8g9hRCKUS8RM45caa25kkO71HwYnzEFjA1_uhOCYosUYmlRWocRLjy-iUsdrxgIHZdJeUQ9CkbiMgOkOYIWLoCc/s1600/plants.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbftmW80lMOlSR2BfcoEJR-GyObNJu4HlNeQqtjrOIx7HZFmcCtND8g9hRCKUS8RM45caa25kkO71HwYnzEFjA1_uhOCYosUYmlRWocRLjy-iUsdrxgIHZdJeUQ9CkbiMgOkOYIWLoCc/s320/plants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457294537135699378" border="0" /></a><br />There is that twinge of sadness when anything so anticipated and enjoyed ends, but there is no alternative: there is something about the culture of the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> and, in particular, the bearing of Sharath, that states clearly that this is not about staying indefinitely. He is not supportive of the yoga bum lifestyle. He does not want students shirking responsibilities or foregoing a “normal” life to simply live here. What he wants to see is a stability in and integration of the practice both here and in a daily home life, whatever that may be. We have heard from other senior <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtangis</span> that one of Guruji’s main qualifications (perhaps the only one) for granting teaching authorization was the witnessing of a transformation in the person by practicing at the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> and, especially, NOT at the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span>. Sharath also hinted at this when he mentioned “seventh and eight series’: marriage and children.”<br /><br />The final student conference ended with an appropriate topic: <span style="font-style: italic;">guru</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">sadhaka</span> (student). In his usual oblique way, Sharath did not directly say that he chose this topic because all of his students will soon be leaving, but the connection was clear. Surprise, surprise, dear reader, but Sharath has NOT tried other forms of yoga, nor does he have any interest in doing so. He feels what he has been taught is working for him. He also feels that his students, if they feel what he is teaching them is working, should stick with this method, returning to study with him and/or other senior <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtanga</span> teachers. We couldn’t agree more. The difficulty is determining what is meant by “working” and distinguishing between the inherent discomforts of the system and true pangs of change when it is time to look elsewhere. Unfortunately, it is ultimately, entirely, up to you.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUoPrYRZmC3ZEFXORkOVCK0xq7g1XGIKUUiG-QSqmH80c6GiZiFuAXsKmy-e1UIWfA5bVMcs4i7crzAFn4LzD66P-myRgBteHstbN4fmnz-9HJ9-J3t42PihlCWkCEs6lYkoaPKA-TD4/s1600/sirsasana+b.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUoPrYRZmC3ZEFXORkOVCK0xq7g1XGIKUUiG-QSqmH80c6GiZiFuAXsKmy-e1UIWfA5bVMcs4i7crzAFn4LzD66P-myRgBteHstbN4fmnz-9HJ9-J3t42PihlCWkCEs6lYkoaPKA-TD4/s320/sirsasana+b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457302027696054546" border="0" /></a><br />Before long the serious tone of conference was gone and it was again time for Sharath to bust a move (or two). This time it was <span style="font-style: italic;">Sirsasana</span> B: the “lift-up” headstand, plus some other variations. Hard to say why Sharath is so eager to demonstrate these days: perhaps because he is more proficient in asana than English, or perhaps because he knows what we all want to see. All we know is people get damn excited when he takes off his shirt and ties up his lunghi!<br /><br />It was also a great final registration with Sharath (we had to pay for our last two days). Steeled for a desperate attempt at an actual conversation, we found him to be open and willing, if not eager, to talk. We shared out “situation” (no authorized teacher for 200 miles in any direction), asked about his break (going to Africa to take some wildlife pics), and ended up looking at quite a few of his pictures. The man loves big cats. The pictures were really pretty impressive: of lions and wildebeests, tigers and elephants. He also showed us some of the “over 300” <span style="font-style: italic;">asana</span> pictures he has had taken of himself at the old <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> in Lakshmipuram. His mock secrecy about these pictures (“for a ‘project’”) quickly dissolved and we ended up with quite a scoop. Read on…<br /><br />After nearly three weeks with barely a glance, K has been given five postures in nearly as many days. Today she practiced up through <span style="font-style: italic;">Kapotasana</span>. Sharath then asked how it went for her and, basically, if she cheated in <span style="font-style: italic;">Laghu Vajrasana</span> (the posture before <span style="font-style: italic;">Kapotasana</span>) or not. She claimed innocence; however, tomorrow it will be down to the nitty-gritty: “You show me.” Being moved this far into Intermediate Series (<span style="font-style: italic;">Kapotasana</span>) was the “best case” scenario before the trip, so it’s satisfying. However, it’s a hell of an intimidating posture, especially learning to dropback straight into it, as is the practice here: lean back and catch the heels before putting the elbows (or hands, for that matter) down.<br /><br />I (E) have receive no postures, but plenty of $hit from Sharath: “This NOT <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtanga</span> yoga” (remarking on my <span style="font-style: italic;">ardha baddha padmottansana</span> modification); “Wery bad <span style="font-style: italic;">garbha pindasana</span>” (repeated three or four times until I realized he was talking to me); etc. I think he was maybe expecting that I wouldn’t still be modifying… There is no doubt that I am the only student doing any modifications who has also been granted any (two) Intermediate postures. His comments are not the cuddly, supportive atmosphere we might expect in the West, but some how—the sadomasochistic tendencies of <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtangis</span>—it is part of the allure. His comments are pretty <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtH4Ka9V4oki-755gTL1DVZ9lqGSZ0ybP6mq66iCqTQHJh9f-LKh5UkM1nHWlQ-6cK0PYFAR7AsgKNNajEINJ6JmCVNcvoixv7MlJsgcP0mForp76ta8mlitYZ3K8tfuSmQwrcQTr_i8/s1600/metropole.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtH4Ka9V4oki-755gTL1DVZ9lqGSZ0ybP6mq66iCqTQHJh9f-LKh5UkM1nHWlQ-6cK0PYFAR7AsgKNNajEINJ6JmCVNcvoixv7MlJsgcP0mForp76ta8mlitYZ3K8tfuSmQwrcQTr_i8/s320/metropole.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457302314372416530" border="0" /></a>half-hearted and really, if he’s not giving more postures, what else is there to say? Don’t worry Sharath: I ain’t mad at ‘cha.<br /><br />As Sharath gets ready for his break from teaching, we are looking forward to our return to it. It is very difficult to say why coming here helps teaching: we haven’t learned any new postures or adjustments or applications, or anything like that at all. To some extent the immersion back into being a student renews the import of the teaching role. In other ways the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> itself is inspiring: there is a depth and solemnity amidst the superficial, frantic energy of the practice space on any given day. Finally, strangest of all, there is Saraswathi. As a teacher, she’s just so damn HAPPY all the time, bopping around the shala, backbending students, humming to herself all the while. When you come up out of the deepest backbend of your life and see her smiling face, you can’t help but grin stupidly, feeling the scream die in your throat.<br /><br />We are saying goodbye to our friends Vanessa and Vikram. Last week the silence of the shala was broken during Vikram’s backbending with Sharath. It started off with the usual exchange when a student is just learning to grab his/her own heels/ankles.<br /><br />S: “Walk your hands.” (In toward the feet in <span style="font-style: italic;">Urdhva Dhanurasana</span>). “Good, now catch.”<br />V: Claws his way into holding his right heel.<br />S: “Walk. Other side. Catch!”<br />V: Reaching…reaching…desperation mounting…finds the left foot and gets a grip. S: “No, no, that is MY foot!”<br /><br />Ok, back to “the scoop.” The <span style="font-style: italic;">asana</span> photos Sharath showed us included some recognizable poses, but also some very advanced postures, almost certainly fifth and sixth series: hovering in chatvari w/ the legs in padmasana (only the hands on the floor), each foot in the same side armpit (<span style="font-style: italic;">dwi pada yogadanasana</span>?), etc. As he showed us the pics, we guessed about the “project”:<br /><br />“Are you working on a book?”<br />“Yes. Maybe one or two years. Many things I want to say.”<br />“There are many yoga books.”<br />“Yes. Many of them are crap.”<br /><br />Soon, ashtanga yoga returns to the Quad Cities. No crying!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfE5_HgF7JmcDkjpOho23nl51317erqMGKBR9PVntaE-uHydgW2F1rgkZas6AgaO_3gFiRcGor7E3tFRvZYv4_CwF4a3H8TRXsXq6u2uZZWDOsRFN187DwO_L9tfci5jyItQfwUsFs0M/s1600/With+sharath.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfE5_HgF7JmcDkjpOho23nl51317erqMGKBR9PVntaE-uHydgW2F1rgkZas6AgaO_3gFiRcGor7E3tFRvZYv4_CwF4a3H8TRXsXq6u2uZZWDOsRFN187DwO_L9tfci5jyItQfwUsFs0M/s320/With+sharath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457302565832334226" border="0" /></a>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-83125956085958983972010-03-29T03:18:00.000-07:002010-03-29T03:47:13.262-07:00Hell yeah<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdFdtz-25XubQKWNfd82VXEamE0j2EYx3hRd1dVUq3S5HxFB_41OKVcYYRLA5JMndl7Rk5AGYb1AMmKr-Gt30PyUp-z3stjYl0Vqoy7CzxLXyvwp_3JLOvRjG361IU4F3-mtlPBqVgaA/s1600/hot+chips.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdFdtz-25XubQKWNfd82VXEamE0j2EYx3hRd1dVUq3S5HxFB_41OKVcYYRLA5JMndl7Rk5AGYb1AMmKr-Gt30PyUp-z3stjYl0Vqoy7CzxLXyvwp_3JLOvRjG361IU4F3-mtlPBqVgaA/s320/hot+chips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454001285682803810" border="0" /></a><br />All signs in Gokulum indicate that the yoga season is winding down.<br /><br />Sharath’s last day teaching will be Friday, April 9th. Saraswathi will continue teaching keeping the shala open until the end of April, and then again beginning in June. Sharath will run the second annual session of teacher trainings (invite only) in June and July, and then resume teaching in mid-August. Many students are already planning their next trip back, even as this one winds down. And for the time being, winding down is certainly what is happening.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJw3k2n_6ZfynAHzM-8QX6OUWk_Kfg1a1LNAtRKa6GJ3NthryusxxXW2pRm0yLF9Zt8_FitIXMKylNUxdk0bytcW_HOgHqVOpWe2lJmE8fZrcVTt91vKW6a56qz3RwoHXE0tx86D7KLig/s1600/temple.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJw3k2n_6ZfynAHzM-8QX6OUWk_Kfg1a1LNAtRKa6GJ3NthryusxxXW2pRm0yLF9Zt8_FitIXMKylNUxdk0bytcW_HOgHqVOpWe2lJmE8fZrcVTt91vKW6a56qz3RwoHXE0tx86D7KLig/s320/temple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454001426326766914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We’ve watched students depart and noticed smaller and smaller classes on led days and waits on Mysore days. This week Sharath cancelled the second Led Primary class on Sunday, as the number of students has dropped enough to fit them all (though not exactly comfortably) into one class. Direct result: less haste from Sharath in turning over the room to the next group, meaning Sunday’s 430a class had, according to Sharath, “longest <span style="font-style: italic;">savasana</span> since January.” This is true, but not all that remarkable, as many led classes didn’t have any rest, and often not even a closing chant. We will reregister one more time, as our current registration will expire two days before the end, and in all likelihood end up with a 430a start time on Mysore days, beginning with the first group of the morning. That will also be the last and best opportunity to say whatever we have to say—if anything—to Sharath.<br /><br />The posture distribution (or lack thereof) is forever an interesting and entirely useless topic of conversation. K’s long drought ended this morning when she was given two new postures. She is now up to <span style="font-style: italic;">parsva dhanurasana</span>. There is loose talk about using that last reregistration time to ask to Sharath for “help” with the postures up through <span style="font-style: italic;">kapotasana</span>, in effect requesting more postures. Usually asking directly is a serious <span style="font-style: italic;">faux pas</span>, but the ways in which students ask-without-asking are myriad. (Read some thoughts on this by long-time <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtangi</span> Matthew Sweeney <a href="http://yogatemple.com/musings5.html">here</a>.)<br /><br />Most common is to simply do your last posture over and over again, giving Sharath that many more opportunities to notice you and your obvious need for the next posture. Some students who really make use of this strategy seem to be stuck in a loop and, especially if they are on the mat next to you, it can take a few cycles and some mild <span style="font-style: italic;">deja vu</span> before you realize that time is still passing for everyone else. Another strategy is making sure to get Sharath, not Saraswathi, for backbending.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRne_T60SXrOSnqUedRpjxN0vO5Spu-kDY3eDLnFowq_zPkrGQLiJwM7bdrSlAOvdS1o33iMxBnNFWNNUps1syJiT93JrBqUSvEWX8vV_cZY2KfOyVsOvGz34swpg0Ajg0A1baQkcSbwk/s1600/jackfruit.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRne_T60SXrOSnqUedRpjxN0vO5Spu-kDY3eDLnFowq_zPkrGQLiJwM7bdrSlAOvdS1o33iMxBnNFWNNUps1syJiT93JrBqUSvEWX8vV_cZY2KfOyVsOvGz34swpg0Ajg0A1baQkcSbwk/s320/jackfruit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454001551060438306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A quick recap: in backbending, the typical procedure is three “press-ups” (<span style="font-style: italic;">urdhva dhanurasana</span>) from the floor coming up to standing after the last one. Then three cycles of dropping back and standing up. At that point, you wait for the assist, standing at the front of the mat with your arms crossed (the signal). Most people want to get Sharath for this, because he will often use the opportunity to give another posture. Accomplishing this (getting Sharath) is often a matter of avoiding Saraswathi by: adding extra dropbacks, going to the locker room, fixing your hair/mat/clothes, doing your own improvisational “warm-ups,” and generally keeping your eyes open so that you can appear ready if Sharath comes near and not ready if Saraswathi is near. Be warned, though, Saraswathi is cagey. She’s less than five feet tall and moves through the room largely unseen. Many a yogi has confidently crossed the arms in the “I’m ready” signal upon seeing Sharath approaching, only to have Saraswathi spring up out of nowhere.<br /><br />Both of us have made peace with Saraswathi’s assists and have made significant progress with her help. This simplifies things and avoids the most significant risk in using any of the stalling tactics mentioned above: Sharath may come over and tell you to hurry up and finish, because people are waiting. This means: “Hey, I see you already and I’m not going to give you a pose, so let’s wrap this thing up.”<br /><br />As this season draws to a close, we’re saying goodbye to the students we’ve met, and the far greater number that we don’t know, but recognize and therefore have developed a system for referring to. So, to Incense Lady, Sleeveless, Line Cutter, Guy We Thought Was Fabio, Tiny Shorts, Line Cutter’s Friend, That Awesome Chick, Fashionista, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Boris, The Bobsey Twins, The Russian Mafia, Old Hollywood Girl, The New Hollywoods, Guy w/ the Baby, Lululemon Bra, and so many others: we can only guess at your names for us; see you all again soon.<br /><br />We’ve wrapped up a busy week (for us, for Gokulum), the highlight of which was surely a five day anatomy course with <a href="http://sukhashanti.net/">Noah Mckenna</a>. Noah is one of the yogi/entrepreneurs here who does not study at the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span>, but comes into town when the numbers at the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> are high. He teaches anatomy courses and gives individual body scan/typing & yoga therapy sessions. We found the anatomy course very useful, with just the right combination of information and application to keep it relevant and interesting.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkpjOn7G4UbTki9e82Ebze8ZwyyXHlOll3tlDrud2o_YXxp9WOt5LGo7wrdhlVgyQ8uW6t4kco6BtJNNIXqj6QIDf7gDlrlRH4z0eCB9gmEsxx-QnYxzykx5okwAD99fxoaRsrIiLNB4/s1600/santosha.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkpjOn7G4UbTki9e82Ebze8ZwyyXHlOll3tlDrud2o_YXxp9WOt5LGo7wrdhlVgyQ8uW6t4kco6BtJNNIXqj6QIDf7gDlrlRH4z0eCB9gmEsxx-QnYxzykx5okwAD99fxoaRsrIiLNB4/s320/santosha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454001833521699234" border="0" /></a> Focusing primarily on the skeleton, musculature, and nervous system we talked a lot about kinesiology and the impact of body types and movement patterns on posture. Also inherent were some indirect but significant challenges to the rigidity and, in some ways, poor sequencing of the <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtanga vinyasa</span> system. Noah kept these subtle, obvious-but-unstated conclusions to be drawn, of course, not wanting to be run out of town, but as a yoga therapist who sees many <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtangis</span> come in with MRIs and blown out joints the universal application of the system and especially its tendency to breed blind faith must be, at times, bewildering. It may seem odd, but we love these challenges just as much as—in fact, probably more than—the hero worship, and fundamentalism in the air. It seems that the more we get to know the inherent limitations and flaws of any given system, the better students and teachers we can become.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidGDfFy8A-4sc80BO8FPgOuKvb3stKtVK7DrUtD5xuJxLZGLEifYip6t-JI1cjWtf-ft54qiEXD2rahFyLmUBBKMkzlKa8nyFB_LTOVmVZyetc6dILJq7wK4ATWk0999CtyqE9Ylz_Ns/s1600/massage.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidGDfFy8A-4sc80BO8FPgOuKvb3stKtVK7DrUtD5xuJxLZGLEifYip6t-JI1cjWtf-ft54qiEXD2rahFyLmUBBKMkzlKa8nyFB_LTOVmVZyetc6dILJq7wK4ATWk0999CtyqE9Ylz_Ns/s320/massage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454002033554483922" border="0" /></a><br />So we are enjoying the last few weeks, indulging (but not <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> much) in all the favorites: Hot Chips, street noodles, mangoes, etc., saying things to each other like “Just so you know, I’m up for Gobi Manchurian anytime.” We are systematically working our way through the list of chats (snacks) at Gokul Chats, the best little restaurant in town. We’ve pegged the best <span style="font-style: italic;">dosa</span> joint and know where to get gossip and coconuts in one spot. It’s a strange place to be at times, perhaps most analogous to a college campus. There is a diverse but small (relative to the size of the community as a whole) population here for one central reason. Within the larger Indian community there is a modest infrastructure to support the yoga population and most students exhaust all the opportunities in that infrastructure in a number of weeks. It can become claustrophobic or even boring if you’re not careful. Luckily, we are.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-80368743810546799242010-03-20T04:31:00.000-07:002010-03-20T20:25:31.283-07:00And…we're back<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily6bAbEIQhn6S4qdC1awaMhmoh4PxM2ckLUJCwqdSjTvLQpKHQIhDz2-D7b1Ztcy58TKSCdTkMPNubobCybK2LLXefn3o527K1XKlZHWUIDLxfANLm5CA9EX-a4wV9uEUWr8McjDI8Sc/s1600-h/bindus.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily6bAbEIQhn6S4qdC1awaMhmoh4PxM2ckLUJCwqdSjTvLQpKHQIhDz2-D7b1Ztcy58TKSCdTkMPNubobCybK2LLXefn3o527K1XKlZHWUIDLxfANLm5CA9EX-a4wV9uEUWr8McjDI8Sc/s320/bindus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450678233043776402" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This brief blog hiatus was brought to you by Indian stomach flu/food poisoning/ick.<br />Another week has passed in Mysore and I (E) haven’t seen the inside of the shala since leaving with chills halfway through student conference. Digestive problems—what we might call “stomach flu” in the states, though in this case it’s definitely bacterial and not viral—is a risk and on our last trip we both fell ill after eating some fruit from a street vendor. This time was better, as only I got sick, but it was also worse, because I was really sick. Anyway, to shorten a long story, after some antibiotics and rehydration at the Gokulum hospital I’ve gradually improved all week (with wonderful caretaking!) and think I’m up to returning to the shala for 430a led class on Sunday.<br /><br />Word is that the numbers are quickly dwindling. Sharath’s last teaching day of April 9th is fast approaching (though he has since announced that he will resume teaching in mid-August of this year) and many students are finishing up and leaving. This means that most students with any level of experience are getting in to practice by 630a or so. It also means there is a terrific logjam of students from about 530a on. Sharath’s policy seems to be “You wait so I don’t have to;” as long as he can say “One more!” and have a student quickly appear out of the waiting room, he doesn’t much care about shortening your wait time, so he has moved a huge number up students up to 530a. It is just as it used to be at the old shala with Guruji in Lakshmipuram. There it was the legendary wait on the stairs outside, with some students cutting in line and vying for position, or simply being called in out of turn by Guruji. Just like at that time, in the end everyone gets to practice and is almost certainly humbled by it. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6-WzsO7-iVd-ce-TND79T1Q7bGFI2AEOSkQ1zuWi4yj1FGDhu0PueqoEgfK444WZdf07vgyFWbWyot_sJuNk_3mo8KNZ0Hv3-YkvxEqSfQIRVOYt3GHOkPMta5MN8SAmfJ7Q6Bl7rs0/s1600-h/Gobi+Manchurian.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6-WzsO7-iVd-ce-TND79T1Q7bGFI2AEOSkQ1zuWi4yj1FGDhu0PueqoEgfK444WZdf07vgyFWbWyot_sJuNk_3mo8KNZ0Hv3-YkvxEqSfQIRVOYt3GHOkPMta5MN8SAmfJ7Q6Bl7rs0/s320/Gobi+Manchurian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450678893110678514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of which, we were very excited to see the arrival two weeks ago of Alex, a very advanced student we first saw two years ago. At that time we saw him practicing at least part of the fourth series (Advanced B), which makes him the most advanced student we have seen. I, for one, distinctly remember seeing<span class="text"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;"></span></span></b></span> Vrschikasana (forearm balance with feet on the head). That was two years ago, so we are waiting to see what he does this time.<br /><br />For advanced students (those proficient in two, three, or more series’), it seems standard to build into capacity: each student does Primary for the first week, Intermediate the second, Advanced A the third, etc until reaching his/her threshold, depending on how many times they’ve been. Alex has been doing Advanced A this week (seemingly his third week). It’s not clear whether such students follow the daily schedule here (Intermediate on Sunday, Advanced A on Mondays, etc) or if they do what other students do: their most advanced, “leading edge” practice every day, periodically receiving new postures. For us, it can be hard to do your own practice while constantly gawking at another student—especi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sgGdlK2LQaqQWX2ZDJqctU3Ef0lqJ8pM2sfcFFsAi81qU0WjSj6vNlJggFWCGwOeS9lWfSrh75bLCo5lrDRyb2pFr06z_DpeTjpUXQ1lDOKDsc4msNJiMTiMBF8m3JG1j-Orbc2kEKY/s1600-h/tinas.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sgGdlK2LQaqQWX2ZDJqctU3Ef0lqJ8pM2sfcFFsAi81qU0WjSj6vNlJggFWCGwOeS9lWfSrh75bLCo5lrDRyb2pFr06z_DpeTjpUXQ1lDOKDsc4msNJiMTiMBF8m3JG1j-Orbc2kEKY/s320/tinas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450681989605813874" border="0" /></a>ally if you are across the room from one another, for example—but we’re getting good at it.<br /><br />Like anyone proficient in a skill, advanced students have a “style.” Alex does’t have the same powerful, gymnastic presence of some other advanced students, but is light, poised, and, seemingly, completely unaffected by the difficulty of the postures. He is also great fun at student conference, and often spends nearly as much time talking as Sharath. There is a great and obviously long-standing relationship between the two, and they often tell stories about one another. For example, Sharath said that at one point Alex said to Sharath “I want to see your asana practice.” Sharath said that that was impossible, because he practices at 230a, but Alex insisted. (You’ve got to love anybody with the stones to do that.) So one morning Alex came over and watched Sharath’s practice. “Such advanced postures,” Sharath said, “that just seeing them, he became enlightened.”<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9su90o3xG7kao_mVl9yyQc1-b1vL3WxbxNbwYjA3QplrWuV8wEhlSW0h1w3eimb-4cYo-4DYExr4ZJvsaIkoEh1Jt_GcKYb80Fa63TlbbXX0NJrR7gosyLD46Ts5TDSqmcJpyyU9qha8/s1600-h/bananas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9su90o3xG7kao_mVl9yyQc1-b1vL3WxbxNbwYjA3QplrWuV8wEhlSW0h1w3eimb-4cYo-4DYExr4ZJvsaIkoEh1Jt_GcKYb80Fa63TlbbXX0NJrR7gosyLD46Ts5TDSqmcJpyyU9qha8/s320/bananas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450678673297402786" border="0" /></a><br />We celebrated the Hindu New Year on March 16 by having some kind of sweet flatbread with our landlord and family. It’s great fun to experience a set of holidays “from the outside” and take in the traditions in complete novelty. Also a wonderful random moment in the marketplace: as we were buying some fruit, a sadhu (a wandering holy man) shuffled over. He looked the part: white hair and beard, walking stick, barefoot, naked to the waist. He was hunched and little palsied with age, with a face absolutely lit up with a beatific smile.<br /><br />This is a tradition we obviously cherish, so we are cautious not to be taken in by the many charlatans in orange robes, but we both had the sense that this guy was the real deal. He seemed somehow totally apart from the craze of the market and everyone in it. He shuffled over, used a long thumbnail to pinch red tikka powder from a bag, smeared bindus (forehead dots) on us, and then rested his hand on top of each of our heads for a moment (he was so small and hunched we bent down for this). Beautiful.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgb7MF-_2TLpXhpfls4I1Rj8AGBQb7rnd2YZgaB_UsKEADCqqqIVTYmkdPGDWXllmacfVXGA7xtCRbQUKAyI8oxx6t7Y62LUg4BxlAdnrsHZmPoeI0vuDtiCHnRaHjrZ-sn9WCIPjCik/s1600-h/stay+in+school.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgb7MF-_2TLpXhpfls4I1Rj8AGBQb7rnd2YZgaB_UsKEADCqqqIVTYmkdPGDWXllmacfVXGA7xtCRbQUKAyI8oxx6t7Y62LUg4BxlAdnrsHZmPoeI0vuDtiCHnRaHjrZ-sn9WCIPjCik/s320/stay+in+school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450680353905609250" border="0" /></a>Finally, one more funny story, completely unrelated. Our friend David (who has since gone back to Toronto) told us about the last years of Guruji teaching. Guruji officially retired in 2007 though for some time before that Sharath was shouldering most of the load (there are stories of Guruji doing things like dozing in his chair during Mysore practice days). David said that he was in some of these Mysore classes in “the later years” and it was not uncommon to be in, say, a standing posture like Utthita Parsvakonasana and feel Guruji’s old-but-strong hand on your shoulder, side, or head. Expecting an adjustment, you would be at first surprised to see Guruji moving on to the next student—only to realize that Guruji was not giving adjustments, but instead using the students as support to cross the room. Getting a handhold wherever he could—shoulder, side, head, arm, or whatever—he would lean on one and then grab the next, like a horizontal rock climber. No disrespect here—the man was in his 90’s—but that makes for a funny visual, Guruji walking/leaning/swaying through the room, his touch at first bringing excitement, then confusion, and then possibly annoyance from each student as he bounced from one to the next.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0_zSrysxsNaVspKcIh4SAvkMBE27KkJ9SW54Y5Vd_ACKxYnwPfjekL-b4D_Q-obl0SRLcKj6CYKfYnudEElJNLOJXn6g1MtSAHhd0itCS4mksw4-aLq8jm2q3GM7emEm6Af12dtC4m4/s1600-h/China+doll.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0_zSrysxsNaVspKcIh4SAvkMBE27KkJ9SW54Y5Vd_ACKxYnwPfjekL-b4D_Q-obl0SRLcKj6CYKfYnudEElJNLOJXn6g1MtSAHhd0itCS4mksw4-aLq8jm2q3GM7emEm6Af12dtC4m4/s320/China+doll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450679718883257682" border="0" /></a><br />Guruji is no longer around to wreak such havoc in the practice space, but Sharath’s youngest (two-ish) does his best, tearing into the room at any given time, echoing his dad’s count at the top of his lungs during led class, or banging his plastic cricket bat against any given thing in the otherwise quiet room. It’s hard to keep a straight face when you are in, say, setu bandhasana, reclined with the head back, shaking with effort and you suddenly see tiny, sneakered feet creeping by with all the care and caution a two-year-old can manage.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-30788621119666531622010-03-12T04:32:00.000-08:002010-03-12T04:44:58.038-08:00Five Weeks InRe-registration went well. It’s a little awkward being alone in the office with Sharath, and we never know what to say, and you have to pay in cash and it’s thousands and thousands of rupees so you have this cumbersome, ridiculous wad of bills and you have to count it all out and then Sharath runs it through this bill counting machine and you can’t help but be sort of put off by the money part of it, as if that somehow taints everything, but of course THAT’S stupid, and if we could only think of something to TALK about to break the awkward feeling in that tiny office…and then it’s over. We were officially moved up to 630a, and within two Mysore practice days are sitting at 530a. There must have been quite an exodus of students in the last few days, with more arriving to fill in the later times as the students who have been here for some time move earlier and earlier into the morning. Also, strangely enough, Sharath used the re-registration time to assign me (E) <span style="font-style: italic;">Krounchasana</span>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX3UvqRm_w3F5aQF2CL0TrUtnvi3unMNyEtZjnweY5daxbIiHF_tEcXj8VYB0UQiMsusKxqlVcJmbMOq1MgglSAPtU6oNo4dIAn1Fg4ESziv4BwyU0n74Z5EYBkA5Tb7ueYTFuVC3RqQ/s1600-h/rickshaw.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX3UvqRm_w3F5aQF2CL0TrUtnvi3unMNyEtZjnweY5daxbIiHF_tEcXj8VYB0UQiMsusKxqlVcJmbMOq1MgglSAPtU6oNo4dIAn1Fg4ESziv4BwyU0n74Z5EYBkA5Tb7ueYTFuVC3RqQ/s320/rickshaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447725169223101362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday proved to be quite an interesting student conference. We have not been typically impressed by student conferences in the past. They are often vague, with few questions, or with questions that Sharath doesn’t really address in specific. For whatever reason, this conference was different. Sharath was in an expansive mood and talked in specific about breathing and <span style="font-style: italic;">bandha</span> techniques. Over the course of a few follow-up questions about how to work in the lower belly, he stripped to the waist and demonstrated <span style="font-style: italic;">uddiyana bandha</span> (lifting and stabilizing the lower abdomen) as well as a jumpback from <span style="font-style: italic;">padmasana</span>, saying “Now, can you do <span style="font-style: italic;">chatvari</span> like that?” It’s nice to be taunted by your teacher. No comments about visas, so we’re guessing it’s all good for the time being.<br /><br />Sharath also talked about Guruji’s final days (he died in May of 2009) as an illustration of his (Sharath’s) understanding of the purpose of practicing yoga postures: cultivation of equanimity. Though Guruji often comes up during conference, there is usually an element of deification that makes it feel superficial and saccharine. This time, however, Sharath talked with poignancy and objectivity about “this 94 year-old-man” in the hospital, being stuck with needles, in obvious pain, but serene and gracious. It was more than a student saying the obligatory things about his guru, it was a man talking about watching his grandfather in his final days and being truly surprised and inspired by the composure and mastery he saw. Sharath studied under Guruji for something like 30 years, and their bond must have been remarkable. The spontaneity and candor of Sharath’s words about Guruji’s death brought this home more powerfully than anything we have read or seen before.<br /><br />It has been a nice, long week of Mysore-style practices, with no moonday getting in the way. K continues to work on the no-touch jumpback and in general we’re both working the jumping aspect of the practice intensely, as always. We are both catching the ankles consistently during backbending with both Sharath and Saraswathi. My knee continues to slowly, slowly stabilize. We’ve had some discussions with other students about injuries, and have come to appreciate something we already knew: they can take a long, LONG time to heal. One person described tearing a psoas muscle (!!!) during “hangbacks” (standing backbending practice), an injury which took “a good three years” to heal.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeSDDCi0K2UwCsSS9bkJjFNZe7Qsgn0If6eBr6nvQI8-4taaHZtM5XBuyP1hq4G9ZRMxKpsdRlkp-NLb1j9GYZDsPsvX_T3X-d6xIYGs1ZDROs29j2e-atyGxMkBJF5rT4UJ2u8yz_2Y/s1600-h/lunghi.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeSDDCi0K2UwCsSS9bkJjFNZe7Qsgn0If6eBr6nvQI8-4taaHZtM5XBuyP1hq4G9ZRMxKpsdRlkp-NLb1j9GYZDsPsvX_T3X-d6xIYGs1ZDROs29j2e-atyGxMkBJF5rT4UJ2u8yz_2Y/s320/lunghi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447725452275635714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When practicing at this level and intensity, it is virtually inevitable that injury will happen periodically. That said, it may be useful to qualify and flesh out the understanding of “injury,” which in this context is more nuanced than usual. No doubt there are good old-fashioned injuries—as in pulled, broke, or sprained something (this current knee injury is one of these). However, in other cases a yoga injury is often the peak experience of an imbalance, or a blazing beacon to draw attention to a dead zone in the body, or a strong (possibly perceived as violent) shift in the body. It would be nice if opening/awareness always progressed slowly—it usually does—but occasionally the movement is abrupt, the way that decades of slow, imperceptible adjustments in the Earth’s crust lead to a sudden shift. After the body has healed/pain has resolved, what remains is balance and awareness, but it can be rough going in the middle of it.<br /><br />With good reason, this process not often discussed by yoga teachers, for fear of encouraging recklessness. It is mostly in advanced postures that this sort of thing occurs. One student who is beginning Advanced A under Sharath was given <span style="font-style: italic;">Kasyapasana</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(supine leg-behind-the-head). As Sharath adjusted him in the posture, he (Sharath) said “Knee will break.” The student said “It feels ok…” and Sharath said “No, MUST break,” meaning that he (Sharath) perceives that there is still a major shift needing to happen in the knee. It’s food for thought when you consider that a) Sharath is probably one of the most advanced teachers and practitioners in the world and knows his $h*t and b) he has been known (mostly in the past) for “blowing out” knees by overadjusting. Hmmmm…<br /><br />There is much buzz around Gokulum about teacher training with Sharath. It’s obviously invitation-only, but we have heard of at least one meeting he called with hand-picked students to fill out forms/gather info about teaching and teacher training. The surprising thing is that these students are not all on their 10th or 20th trip: some have only been a couple or a few times. This, of course, has set everyone speculating. It is remarkable to consider how much time and energy must be wasted every day by students trying to figure out what Sharath is thinking.<br /><br />We’re looking forward to off-day, including dinner with some friends tonight, then led class on Sunday and moonday on Monday. Off-days (and especially the nights before: off-day/moonday eve) are always good for staying up a little later and sampling street food. Let the feast begin!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1rDRoUDAcr7n6kXKDd3FG9TGhzJIfs7DGT8UiNXRJ0qnHTHppfVgo79vEMdgBbfI5pR3A_VD1LTpUeAQ7C2uNc1L77plfD8qkWoUTEE6jLsh-dPlUI1c51vsvr-61qmkv1w3zq9OJRs/s1600-h/anus.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1rDRoUDAcr7n6kXKDd3FG9TGhzJIfs7DGT8UiNXRJ0qnHTHppfVgo79vEMdgBbfI5pR3A_VD1LTpUeAQ7C2uNc1L77plfD8qkWoUTEE6jLsh-dPlUI1c51vsvr-61qmkv1w3zq9OJRs/s320/anus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447725678384233458" border="0" /></a>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-66896739004414262962010-03-04T04:07:00.000-08:002010-03-06T20:13:39.699-08:00Ouch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQD2B2qxsUib89SRBiiTSxYw6ENTS5YzFTnx02kOLnqZbxgXR6fYRJ40W5AhN30gi-ORZnPtE5q0SkQCODFbu04SvtQIBcGxUrEE-VkTvADiSKgdYJg4lGC1jR-_FDQREvu20l82GNCQ/s1600-h/url.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQD2B2qxsUib89SRBiiTSxYw6ENTS5YzFTnx02kOLnqZbxgXR6fYRJ40W5AhN30gi-ORZnPtE5q0SkQCODFbu04SvtQIBcGxUrEE-VkTvADiSKgdYJg4lGC1jR-_FDQREvu20l82GNCQ/s320/url.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444763752794072946" border="0" /></a><br />When the daily schedule revolves around yoga practice, as it does for a student in Mysore, even small changes make for big differences. Already it’s nearly the weekend again, with the moonday last Sunday making this week feel short. We have succeeded in getting to early (430a) led class on Sundays (or Mondays, when the moonday falls on Sunday) since that problem the first week, but it is no picnic and throws the schedule for the rest of the day off. Up at 3, done with practice at 530…what now? Still, Sharath only teaches one led Primary class on Sundays (Saraswathi teaches the other) and we will do whatever is necessary to see him every day.<br /><br />The speed of progress has been on our minds this week in a number of ways. Such conjecture is impossible to avoid in this environment. This week I (E) managed to finally catch in backbending (<span style="font-style: italic;">Tirieng Mukha Uttanasana</span>). Thank you Sharath! It only took two years of daily attempts and, in all seriousness, that’s pretty good, considering how awful backbending was when I started and what a ridiculous thing it is to try do in the first place. The only problem is that now Sharath expects it EVERY DAY. For K, after a drought of over a week waiting for another new posture, today Sharath said, with vague hand gestures to describe the postures, to “take <span style="font-style: italic;">Salambhasana</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Bhekasana</span>, BOTH”—sounds like “boat”—on Monday.<br /><br />The distribution of postures is the subject of much speculation, prognostication, and confabulation. Though theoretically Sharath is doling out postures as each student is ready, in practice it seems at best a product of circumstance rather than design. Most important is certainly how much time you have spent studying with him. Beyond this, it is a matter of various seemingly random factors: if he happens to be by you as you are coming to the end of your postures, the mood he is in, etc. In short, nobody really knows why. But yoga students being who they are, there is a drive to assign great, glorious plans and insights into the giving or withholding of the next posture, though this is most probably a device for obscuring from ourselves just how random it all is.<br /><br />That said, overall the postures seem to be coming fast and furious for most students. One theory is that Sharath is recognizing that, being that he is only officially teaching for three months this year, it’s now or never for assigning more postures to students. There are still basic guidelines, however, (especially in the Primary Series) that seem intractable and without exception: just today, K talked with a middle-aged student who is on his fourth trip to Mysore and is still working on <span style="font-style: italic;">Marichyasana</span> D. That is, he is still held up about halfway through the Primary Series and said that progress for him is “quite slow.” It’s all relative.<br /><br />Friday we will register for our second month at the shala, and probably be given a yet-earlier start time (were currently about 645a or 7a). There has been no more information about the potential visa problems, either rumored or official, and it seem to be business as usual around town. Well, one exception: the two Westerner-run cafes catering to yoga students (can you say omelets and baked goods?) have closed due to pressure. They were not legitimate businesses, due to the owners’ tourist, rather than business, visas. It’s a wise move in the present climate, but further cuts down our already paltry ration of wi-fi and drip coffee.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXTFjo3tpUJAH2yeKnr7t6TiB0m8qPnStBo0TI0XhpBkxIg9GiZr_PCKvmdvZAF6kGchhS06h713eLZ6SMA5voOoz1Ro16SNKnyijDXjtsRAuTK7Aoz-hJMRPhpQdcudlrdG4167qWf0/s1600-h/Petri-Raisanen-Jump-Through.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXTFjo3tpUJAH2yeKnr7t6TiB0m8qPnStBo0TI0XhpBkxIg9GiZr_PCKvmdvZAF6kGchhS06h713eLZ6SMA5voOoz1Ro16SNKnyijDXjtsRAuTK7Aoz-hJMRPhpQdcudlrdG4167qWf0/s320/Petri-Raisanen-Jump-Through.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444765054826848754" border="0" /></a><br />A minor ashtanga celebrity sighting this week: <a href="http://www.ashtangabook.com/en/start.asp">Petri Raisanen</a> has started practicing at the shala. He is quite reserved and has a start time way after ours. Surprising.<br /><br />Our apologies for not having our own pics this time. Our batteries from home have run out and we're having a difficult time finding batteries good enough to use in the camera. Soon.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-91602422949751330252010-02-28T17:00:00.000-08:002010-02-28T17:00:00.761-08:00Spiritual Gang-stasWe’re happy to be part of a small social group of students coalescing mostly around shared practice time. Vanessa, Vikram (yes, rhymes with “Bikram” and he is therefore the target of a now-unfunny but unrelentingly-daily joke from Sharath: “Ah, Vikram. Ha. Get ready for ‘Vikram Yoga.’ Haha”) David, and (Miss) Stan are all from Toronto (yes, it’s THAT David) and we usually share a few words over post-practice coconuts. David has the most experience in Mysore, and it is interesting to hear stories: for example, there was the one a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOK1AaJc9VPrt1RdXaQ9O1saEK1ZWRvY6hyphenhyphenvBfCqcFt-dfzGMzbzblVtfZSo2C1viN5S5PVKz6Sv4isiyPacu9xcfAg7uRb89H2X-jFbM-6VrLzyUgpxFoD_3atQB6kFjDYrikZyhStU/s1600-h/restaurant.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOK1AaJc9VPrt1RdXaQ9O1saEK1ZWRvY6hyphenhyphenvBfCqcFt-dfzGMzbzblVtfZSo2C1viN5S5PVKz6Sv4isiyPacu9xcfAg7uRb89H2X-jFbM-6VrLzyUgpxFoD_3atQB6kFjDYrikZyhStU/s320/restaurant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443145095035622866" border="0" /></a>bout an authorized teacher who threw a party in Gokulum and handed out baked goods laced with who-knows-what without telling anyone. At least one person had a seriously bad trip and went to the hospital. It sounds like the teacher was kicked out of the shala, ex-communicated, shunned or whatever it is that they do. The teacher was not named. Guesses?<br /><br />Practice, practice, practice. It is truly a joy to go to the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> every day. It only gets better as time passes. After having completely submitted to the necessity of healing injury instead of adding postures, I (E) was given <span style="font-style: italic;">pashasana</span> this week. No one was more surprised than I. Also, Sharath has taken helping me catch in backbending as a personal mission, coaching and manipulating me in a much more specific way in the last few days. I haven’t gotten further than clawing at the ankles with my fingernails, but have received a “Very good” and “Next week.” Yikes. K added <span style="font-style: italic;">krounchasana</span> and will probably be onto <span style="font-style: italic;">shalambhasana</span> next week. We’re both working the jumps of the Primary Series pretty intensely. Strangely, this skill—which we think is one of the most important for the poise and strength it builds—is virtually ignored here in Mysore, at least as far as teaching is concerned. Looking around the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span>, there are all levels of it, and Sharath seems not to care in the least. One thing that is clear is that it has nothing to do with being given new postures.<br /><br />We have been acutely aware, for obvious reasons, of any modifications going on in the practice space. There aren’t a lot, but more than you might expect. Most common (or at least apparent) is knee problems. There are several people with bad knees, modifying one or both sides of many Primary postures. Most hindering are shoulder/wrist injuries. There is one woman who clearly has one or both of these going on, such that she does SS on her fo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1G8OUkn7gMHCtal1gQo5j0C_IMrS9E8hVOX4gmbuz9kJbYNUvCyGqUbnAEjbY1J4-llYOCG2QivUNw_nleN8u6q6jTEJMEwBsH68nk0LjcdoykKuME4iA91og-a5CZOGDEhgUx_IVUs/s1600-h/bonsai.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1G8OUkn7gMHCtal1gQo5j0C_IMrS9E8hVOX4gmbuz9kJbYNUvCyGqUbnAEjbY1J4-llYOCG2QivUNw_nleN8u6q6jTEJMEwBsH68nk0LjcdoykKuME4iA91og-a5CZOGDEhgUx_IVUs/s320/bonsai.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443146338423674114" border="0" /></a>rearms and, while she does all of the Primary postures, she does not do any of the jumpback <span style="font-style: italic;">vinyasas</span>. Does this hint at a new touchy-feeley, listen-to-your-body shala? Mmmmm, not exactly. There are still students held up in the middle of Primary, either at the <span style="font-style: italic;">marichyasana</span> postures or <span style="font-style: italic;">garbha pindasana</span>. There is also the occasional shout from Sharath, correcting for some otherwise invisible posture imperfection from across the room: close fingers, heel down, arms slightly wider, etc.<br /><br />Our usual daily routine is practice, then some fruit and working/napping (it’s the coolest part of the day), lunch “out” somewhere, errands/Internet, and dinner at our flat. Additionally, there's usually a stop by the coconut stand or an evening walk thrown in there. It's an easy rhythm. Trips into the city (Mysore proper) are usually entertaining, if exhausting. With practice, we make a decent scooter-driving team (E driving and honking/K watching and hand signaling). Once we make it into town, it’s not hard to wander into a new restaurant with a few minutes of walking.<br /><br />It is best to take a quick assessment of the restaurant and then simply enjoy. That is, don’t think too much about food preparation, kitchen conditions, etc. (this is true in the States as well, but absolutely ESSENTIAL here). For example, K had <span style="font-style: italic;">rava dosa</span> at a typically grungy cafe. It comes up at the window and the server scoops up a small pat of butter onto it and brings it over. Delicious. Let’s leave it at that.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOFYy8yZjd-_dDptcCqYFtOrIgEIRm4NgiQ9itCO0dYfb40XMHFBwgWvoYk6DDNGogSeegvzQsEonYHt42csN8uExSdbfZg2zooq45uIF1L2TyZhQ7VzjTTQEuS3LmeoarZDf5JzY90w/s1600-h/kelly.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOFYy8yZjd-_dDptcCqYFtOrIgEIRm4NgiQ9itCO0dYfb40XMHFBwgWvoYk6DDNGogSeegvzQsEonYHt42csN8uExSdbfZg2zooq45uIF1L2TyZhQ7VzjTTQEuS3LmeoarZDf5JzY90w/s320/kelly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443147138122296498" border="0" /></a><br />Let’s NOT consider that the butter is sitting, not only unrefrigerated, but completely uncovered, in an open container in a stifling open room beside the kitchen. Or that it’s doled out pat-by-pat with the server’s bare, grubby hands, which also wipe tables with filthy rags, buss tables, carry supplies and who knows what else. Let's not think about that.<br /><br />We're closing out another 48 hours of rest after Saturday's off-day and Sunday's moon day. 430a practice tomorrow and then probably watching the Intermediate led class again. Feel free to drop by…we have a spare room…Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-4689521680534776462010-02-27T19:45:00.000-08:002010-02-27T20:20:06.806-08:00The shala is NOT closing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lnaItwVR4CXfYjeR6OWiOJq4YSL8BG89tDMC4bpSr5MGYxICNOWBA29uO2xl0YOPew6z9OksVFpnxnQ0-s7gpp-qXxMvTCGU6yExFfnnEGqQ-g5Lx9vrLJS1Zbcn2-9gmAQPlvOkhCY/s1600-h/shala.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lnaItwVR4CXfYjeR6OWiOJq4YSL8BG89tDMC4bpSr5MGYxICNOWBA29uO2xl0YOPew6z9OksVFpnxnQ0-s7gpp-qXxMvTCGU6yExFfnnEGqQ-g5Lx9vrLJS1Zbcn2-9gmAQPlvOkhCY/s320/shala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443142869239550162" border="0" /></a><br />The “special meeting” called by Sharath finally happened Friday morning, and the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> was full to bursting with students. In essence, Sharath said that there are some “serious” issues regarding yoga students in India. First, the national government has changed visa requirements such that it seems that a tourist visa is no longer sufficient for studying yoga. Instead, a yoga student visa is required. This latter is more difficult to get and requires verification and documentation from the institute at which the student will study (in this case KPJAYI). Of course, most of the students now in Mysore received tourist visas with no problem, because they were approved long before the new rules were passed. You would think that these tourist visas would be honored as they were issued before the new rules, but that is not necessarily the case. <a href="http://kpjayi.org/practice.html">Read a little about this on kpjayi.org.<br /></a><br />Second, Sharath said that on the local level, within Mysore and Gokulum, there have been complaints about yoga students. He had a student read aloud a local newspaper article which described the actions being taken by the police commissioner to essentially crack down on foreigners by enforcing the new student visa requirements. This would, of course, be a problem for us and everyone else who has come here under the “old rules” of tourist visas.<br /><br />After working everyone up into quite a lather, Sharath addressed these problems. He said that there have been rumors flying in the <span style="font-style: italic;">ashtanga</span> community that the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> would be closing (as a result of the new visa requirements), and that he would no longer be teaching. He denied this and directed everyone to watch <a href="http://kpjayi.org">kpjayi.org</a>, as he will keep the most current information there. He also said that he has been in contact with the local and national government “trying to keep my students safe” and work out a way through these new regulations. It sounds as if the government has passed these new regulations essentially in response to terrorist acts, and only now are the full implications being understood as enforcement begins on the local level.<br /><br />In the end, he asked that we trust him to resolve the situation. He has received a promise of a grace period of one month from the police commissioner of Mysore so he can organize the proper paperwork to satisfy the new regulations. He told us not to put any rumors about the shala closing or him leaving “in email or on your Facebook.” These are untrue and stir up many long-time students who then call or email the shala, panicked about it potentially closing. He said it is HIS problem to solve. At the same time, on the local level, he asked that we do our best to deal with the complaints in Gokulum by, well, not being a$$hole foreigners: NOT blocking the street outside the shala, supporting local, Indian businesses, avoiding the questionable restaurants set up by foreigners who are likely not here on a business visa and therefore operating illegally, etc.<br /><br />It’s hard to tell if this is much ado about nothing or something truly serious. We believe Sharath when he says he has the situation under control, but also when he intentionally used the words “serious problems” a number of times. One indirect result of this meeting was a real sense of responsibility, protection, and affection from Sharath for the students. Daily interaction is usually in the vein of teacher admonishing student, but in the face of these problems, it was very clear that Sharath is workin very hard to protect all of these people who arrest and/or arrange their lives to come from all over the world to study with him.<br /><br />In short, the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span> is NOT closing and Sharath IS teaching as scheduled. It is not clear how the visa situation will shake out in the summer and fall, for the “special (teacher) training” scheduled, but it seems certain that Sharath will post this info ASAP on kpjayi.org.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-9351211533050871692010-02-23T00:23:00.001-08:002010-02-23T00:32:18.208-08:00Not-so-lazy Sunday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-4lPkPUMs9rNa47C8b6QI-DfKSBNqmfiXgCds5bnaDeFUTNVJ_krWvZPctF4NYpT9wTvWnU5_PHSLiKQpes2QulzcsMuzqeSPj76_t8POht5jZJOfBYchG4zHBmk7fhKVDyzteJpDeM/s1600-h/Evan+shala.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-4lPkPUMs9rNa47C8b6QI-DfKSBNqmfiXgCds5bnaDeFUTNVJ_krWvZPctF4NYpT9wTvWnU5_PHSLiKQpes2QulzcsMuzqeSPj76_t8POht5jZJOfBYchG4zHBmk7fhKVDyzteJpDeM/s320/Evan+shala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441351959977924546" border="0" /></a>Sunday was perhaps our busiest day since we got ourselves settled here.<br /><br />We started off with led class at 430a. Our led time on Friday is 6a, but because Sunday also includes a led Intermediate class (more on that below), Sharath announces on Friday during the 6a class that the first x number of rows should come at 430a on Sunday. K has been in the first couple of rows each week. After announcing on Friday that the first two rows should come at 430 on Sunday, he must have seen K in the second row and me (E) in the third, b/c as everyone began to disburse he walked right up to me and said “You also come 430 Sunday. With your…girlfriend. I don’t want to separate you.” AWWwwwww…<br /><br />Anyway, 430 is pretty d@mn early, but we made it, leaving the flat at 345. We were still in the last 1/3 to arrive, so we may need to bump it up even a bit more. The first round of students on any given day must wait outside the gates, huddled under the streetlights. It is not an inspiring sight. At best, the students look vacant, perhaps engrossed in an iPod, at worse some look downright morose. Soon enough the lights come in the shala and the “houseboy,” Prakash, opens the gates. No dragging at that point, it’s a barely-restrained crush through the doors to get a spot I must get a spot so I don’t end up stuck in the waiting area or even worse the locker room so I have to get a spot OH LORD I HAVE TO GET A SPOT HOW ABOUT RIGHT HERE!!!!<br /><br />It’s a little stressful.<br /><br />We were done with practice long before dawn and after the ceremonial milling around and consuming fresh coconuts we went back to the flat to clean up before the led Intermediate class.<br /><br />A little background: each of the six Ashtanga sequences has a specific day of the week assigned to it. Strangely, the second series (Intermediate) starts the week on Sunday, and then Monday-third, Tuesday-fourth, Wednesday-fifth, Thursday-sixth, and Friday-first (Primary). Of course, this is mostly theory, as Sharath is almost certainly the only person in the world following this schedule in full. In the meantime, you do however many sequences you know on the appropriate day.<br /><br />So, at the <span style="font-style: italic;">shala</span>, there are a decent number of students working on the Intermediate series. Once they learn about the first third of it they attend the led Intermediate class on Sundays. It is a regular pastime for the other students to huddle in the waiting area and watch the led Intermediate class, usually with mixed feelings of envy, fascination, admiration, dread, and, if we can be honest, the occasional wave of <span style="font-style: italic;">schadenfreude</span>.<br /><br />We have watched led Intermediate classes on previous trips, but this was the biggest one: probably approaching 50 people. It is inspiring to see, and also sadistically fascinating to watch how Sharath works the room: different postures than Primary, obviously, but just as wicked. Rather than dragging out the count in <span style="font-style: italic;">Navasana</span>, for example, here he instead makes everyone wait in <span style="font-style: italic;">chatvari</span> before coming all the way down to the floor for the various prone backbends. Also, for any readers who have braved <span style="font-style: italic;">Kapotasana</span>, which holds a special, black place in my heart, know that the count is brutally slow. So involved was I in watching that I forgot there is a <span style="font-style: italic;">Kapotasana</span> B and gasped in empathy when it was called and counted.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3PorcJC7yYLhbf1M1kYg-hlaheKTd9BWXjYbu8PEadFBx7KrZdRWV3kEpNVBJKGc0aSt2VO3pgCa1tRQLhyk0eT_14a6O02dVly4m9QCXYKrvYZVHFAw7Z5ylzeFVauCq3KXDtocoFQ/s1600-h/stage.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3PorcJC7yYLhbf1M1kYg-hlaheKTd9BWXjYbu8PEadFBx7KrZdRWV3kEpNVBJKGc0aSt2VO3pgCa1tRQLhyk0eT_14a6O02dVly4m9QCXYKrvYZVHFAw7Z5ylzeFVauCq3KXDtocoFQ/s320/stage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441352180854271026" border="0" /></a>Sunday is also the day for student conference. At 430 in the afternoon students—bearing enormous sunglasses and decked out in their floaty, elegant, scarved-n-shawled Sunday best—attend the optional time with Sharath, usually about an hour, which involves a little lecture/pep talk/admonition and questions. It is a far more casual vibe than any other time in the shala during the week. This week Sharath told some stories, vaguely answered a few questions and smiled while his 7-8 year-old daughter stole the show with a shortened version of the dance she’d just done for recital.<br /><br />It is nice to be back to Mysore-style practices now (Tuesday). K has been given the next posture, <span style="font-style: italic;">Krounchasana</span>. It looks like Sharath hands them out one per week at most, which would put K at about Ustrasana by the end of our time here. I have been working my a$$ off trying to catch the heels/ankles during backbending. Today, almost. Tomorrow, “is coming.” After my first real attempt at it on Monday, Saraswathi offered some sage advice: “No shake, you.” Take that to heart, dear reader.<br /><br />In more local news, our landlord had some workers do some repairs to our shower, which was apparently leaking in his kitchen. “One hour work is there,” we were told. The hammer and chisel started at 530p and mercifully, finally, ended at 1030p. No power tools here, just breaking out the existing stone floor with pure strength and the putting down concrete. Concrete, BTW, involves three piles in the driveway: sand, gravel, and cement. They are eye-balled for proportion and mixed manually with a shovel/pick-thing. Add water, scoop a portion into a wide metal bowl, set the bowl on top of your head and walk it up the stairs to the job. Repeat for three hours and you’re good to go. Made us feel that our yoga practice was pretty lazy.<br /><br />The whole community is a-buzz today over the unexpected, mandatory meeting for all students at the shala at 530p, which Sharath announced during practice this morning. Dare we hope for a pizza party?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdXT-bqdpj_PZhhIjb4Fex1IshcbH8SWPPWymPotGivsgJ82Egnekt_2Np9zkHg_nvlPMpN2L3iaL9H-4bi2uAa_UvnLjgjMULhyphenhyphenGW98yb54zG5He0J4vS0mCxAqMQNKk0uisTZJmdnM/s1600-h/Chamundi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdXT-bqdpj_PZhhIjb4Fex1IshcbH8SWPPWymPotGivsgJ82Egnekt_2Np9zkHg_nvlPMpN2L3iaL9H-4bi2uAa_UvnLjgjMULhyphenhyphenGW98yb54zG5He0J4vS0mCxAqMQNKk0uisTZJmdnM/s320/Chamundi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441352676594117330" border="0" /></a>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-44135047658166804112010-02-17T03:55:00.000-08:002010-03-07T21:04:32.231-08:00Superstars, Pashasana, and modifications<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMx6iFKycni42wxSuPRYiq3UggeJi918hipIptFRw5PVOQ0Cnt7oqfWwLF72hnIB98yzJl0dHFL0MX0IhBnaC-JmeblU8JzcpDTFo9GXU_svCZJe_ULWkM9aBF1fOHKJhSnZj4lRHr0Y/s1600-h/gallery1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMx6iFKycni42wxSuPRYiq3UggeJi918hipIptFRw5PVOQ0Cnt7oqfWwLF72hnIB98yzJl0dHFL0MX0IhBnaC-JmeblU8JzcpDTFo9GXU_svCZJe_ULWkM9aBF1fOHKJhSnZj4lRHr0Y/s320/gallery1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439195960463756290" border="0" /></a><br />In the end, Sharath didn’t seem to have even noticed that we missed class. So, this is our confession: Sharath, we’re sorry!<br /><br />The fact that he didn’t say anything seems to imply that he has things on his mind OTHER than OUR practices, start times, wishes and wants, general well-being, and what we are doing each day. Ha! Unlikely.<br /><br />Surely you are wondering what kind of yoga skills we’ve seen around the practice space. Yes, yes we should have our eyes on our own mats, but come on now. For you, reader, we’ve compromised our morals and looked around.<br /><br />One student we’ve noticed is David, who teaches at the <a href="http://www.ashtangatoronto.com/">Ashtanga Yoga Center of Toronto</a> in Canada. David practices all of the Intermediate series. His strength and equanimity make what he is doing quite distinct because it is clean, precise, and refined. Practicing in the same room, you can’t help but take note as each Sun Salutation begins with a pike handstand press before lowering down to <span style="font-style: italic;">chatvari</span>, similar to the embedded video, though he doesn't bring his legs all the way to vertical. There is a similar press from kneeling after each of the kneeling backbends in the sequence (<span style="font-style: italic;">Ustrasana</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Laghu Vajrasana</span>, etc), lifting/pulling/pressing the bent legs up the chest, belly, and hips and then a controlled lower into <span style="font-style: italic;">chatvari</span> (most students hop or step rather than lift). It is inspiring.<br /><br />While every student does some version of backbending, David is one of the few students working on “advanced” backbending, which consists of: 3 press-ups (<span style="font-style: italic;">Urdhva Dhanurasana</span>), after the last one, stand up. Then 3 dropback/stand up. At least three “tic-tacs”—downdog/handstand/upward bow/handstand/downdog and then three Scorpions, dropping over from handstand while pulling the feet as close to the head as possible, and then stand up. Finally, Sharath comes over and assists with one final Scorpion, pressing the feet to the head as David holds handstand, and then the regular ashtanga assisted backbending routine.<br /><br />Ok, ok, “David this” and “David that.” But what about our heros?<br /><br />K was given <span style="font-style: italic;">Pashasana</span> on Tuesday, only one week into practice here. Sharath said “Last time Primary only? Tomorrow <span style="font-style: italic;">Pashasana</span>.” This was nice to hear for two reasons. One, because K is being moved on and will have almost the whole time on this trip to work into the beginning of Intermediate with Sharath’s instruction. She had a little bit of backbending weirdness (nauseous, feeling faint, etc) during the first couple of practices, but since then she “is catching” and has received a “Very good” each day from Sharath.<br /><br />The second reason it’s nice to hear from Sharath “Last time Primary only?” is that it implies that Sharath at least remembers enough about us to know we’ve been here before. That is something with so many students. There are still many arriving. We have been both early and lucky and have parlayed our way up to a 730 start time (we originally began with 830). This bodes well as we are only a week into it and we hope to keep movin’ on up.<br /><br />I (E) am discovering something else about practice at the shala: they do allow for modification. In short, my knee is $%&*ed up for the time being. Closed knee + lateral hip rotation is not happening currently. So far it seems like the kind of thing that will heal up eventually. In short, it’s not the injury but the timing that is bad. Anyway, Sharath has ok’d me to practice all of Primary, but modify as needed. This is nice, as it allows for all the jumps and backbending without re-aggravating and gives me plenty to work on so I won’t be tempted to push too far. There are a few students doing something similar. It must have been apparent to Sharath when my postures were so different between L and R sides that it was an injury rather than an imbalance.<br /><br />Speaking of injuries, one more funny thing. During our timeslot it is common to see students who are still learning how to dropback/stand up. Yesterday a female student really ate it during her (unassisted) dropback attempt. There was much preparation and pomp and circumstance. She was standing, leaning back, leaning back, extending her arms, leaning back, extending, balancing, leaning…CRACK! and her head hit the tile floor (through her rug and mat, but it was still damn loud). Saraswathi, who didn’t see it but knew it was not a good sound, said “Oooooh.” It was the most epic failure we’ve yet seen in mid-class. The student in question was fine and decided that that was enough on her own and instead collected herself, stood and waited for Sharath’s help. When he made it over to her he was laughing pretty hard, so we didn’t feel so bad about laughing (though on our previous trip K was scolded for laughing at her own dropback wipeout).<br /><br />New product idea: Dropback crash helmet?Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-62621174597724572722010-02-15T05:53:00.000-08:002010-02-15T06:04:56.314-08:00Shala time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Ukj6WURhT8V8A5rymJIXUS53xvsxUA6YauUHYrjSpKZdMO4qkEEyqbc7VPEavos4_AvMXxMzf_D7YmlmUKfkwnHkxugQScED328-L2aJfOpypmJO9YQBDTiauZfDxtGgCQ1_wKmIkQ/s1600-h/hallway.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Ukj6WURhT8V8A5rymJIXUS53xvsxUA6YauUHYrjSpKZdMO4qkEEyqbc7VPEavos4_AvMXxMzf_D7YmlmUKfkwnHkxugQScED328-L2aJfOpypmJO9YQBDTiauZfDxtGgCQ1_wKmIkQ/s320/hallway.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438469149682468834" border="0" /></a><br />We may be in trouble.<br /><br />Well, not REAL trouble, but the kind of pretend, scowling, scolding trouble that makes up so much of the ashtanga tradition.<br /><br />We missed led class this morning. Or, more accurately, the beginning of it.<br /><br />Sharath said “445” and so we rose at 4, shuffled around and grunted at one another until 420 and then hit the scooter. As we pulled up to the shala we heard the first dawn-sounds of birds. And counting.<br /><br />Uh-oh.<br /><br />Either too proud or too smart to sneak/barge in to an ongoing class, we scooted back home. We walked back into our place with the clock reading 431a. WTF?<br /><br />Rumor has it that the clock at the shala is EXACTLY 17 minutes fast, also known as “shala time.” We knew that everything runs about fifteen minutes early there and had figured this into our schedule. That would mean that Sharath’s 445 is actually 430, our time. This means we should have been arriving at the shala at about 423-25. This is maybe cutting it close, but we knew from our previous trip that 445 led class usually starts at about 5a by the shala clock inside and that the call for 445 is to make sure that no one is late. So, I repeat, WTF?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZCYstVz_zNSR5tptv-6Y3iTuMiZ0L7siRHZeqKU7oKJdsJ2lgiz2RgU99Kw5os6CnT3RdvhtgKpUfHVHzDM2jLIGZxwgR9vy2DAhar9SoOHYZdtlg-ytI5J29mmrOGG1M1fZO7jUIio/s1600-h/water+reserve.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZCYstVz_zNSR5tptv-6Y3iTuMiZ0L7siRHZeqKU7oKJdsJ2lgiz2RgU99Kw5os6CnT3RdvhtgKpUfHVHzDM2jLIGZxwgR9vy2DAhar9SoOHYZdtlg-ytI5J29mmrOGG1M1fZO7jUIio/s320/water+reserve.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438470182354093058" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Methinks that, in addition to the other changes Sharath has been making, he’s been inching up the led class time a little. In retrospect, we can now remember that in addition to saying “445” he also said “430” for the led class time. This would be 430 and 415, respectively, in non-shala time. In short, it’s time for a new plan: ARRIVE at the shala at 4a OUR time. That may or may not happen for Friday’s led class, but certainly will happen again soon.<br /><br />Luckily, we have our own little Sharath who lives in our computer, so we were able to practice, accompanied by a nice sinking feeling of guilt. Is it possible this is all a (subconscious) part of our masterplan to ensure that Sharath remembers who we are? The tea leaves are inconclusive.<br /><br />Regardless, it’s back to Mysore-style class tomorrow morning. Either we will show up, wait, and get called in in the customary fashion and nobody will even notice that we were absent. Or, Sharath will mention it to one/both of us during backbending (the most consistent “face time”). Or, worst case scenario, he’ll see us in the waiting room and say in front of everyone something like “Yesterday you are sleeping? You already have one moonday, how many you need? Too much partying?” (characteristic chuckle and scowl)<br /><br />Better or worse than being told to eat “ONE MEAL ONLY”?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mTIaNe5rwcPdh2J7CuUZRH-UaSKm2qJjLmuTJP5lPGMWS1Q5lSwDN9FIhXTFKEReNLa6uLqOgdR3U-pRfwxPhJZzYGcapEDMrE_tPHMYq2c029mgLXb9-Lb-KyIJ87ne0qwozcHAdNw/s1600-h/scooter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mTIaNe5rwcPdh2J7CuUZRH-UaSKm2qJjLmuTJP5lPGMWS1Q5lSwDN9FIhXTFKEReNLa6uLqOgdR3U-pRfwxPhJZzYGcapEDMrE_tPHMYq2c029mgLXb9-Lb-KyIJ87ne0qwozcHAdNw/s320/scooter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438470388714961090" border="0" /></a>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-36834712394295160632010-02-12T03:54:00.000-08:002010-02-12T04:27:23.804-08:00One MoreWe are already creeping up in start time in the morning. A large number of students had their last practice day on Tuesday, so we showed up pretty early on Wednesday and were not only called in earlier than our 830 practice time, but were also told to come at 800 the following day. We will continue to come early; making ourselves available for “bumping up” in practice time is key. We’d love to practice as early as possible, mostly for the opportunity to see the most skilled yogis here.<br /><br />While in general new students register and begin after all current students, experienced students are sometimes started early immediately. We recognize one such student who registered on Tuesday (we were hanging outside the shala waiting to pick up a scooter) and was already practiced and gone before we arrived to practice on Wednesday. There is definitely some logic to keeping the students who are working on approximately the same skills/series’ together. We have been surprised at how many faces we recognize from our last trip, as well as a few from workshops with other Ashtanga teachers.<br /><br />Overall, Sharath seems cheerful and happy to be here. This is different from our memory of our last trip when he seemed to take more pains to be the curmudgeonly, disapproving teacher. He buzzes around the room in a long sleeve AYRI shirt, black shorts and some kind of towel wrapped around his waist, presumably for depositing students’ sweat. He is smiling and joking with students, even giving encouragement (!) During our practice time, he spends most of his time backbending students, occasionally adjusting Marichyasana postures or explaining which postures comes next and telling new students when to stop.<br /><br />There are some remarkable students here. There are several men doing handstand presses during Sun Salutations, and a decent number of students working on Intermediate Series. Many have very good jumping/floating skills and it’s apparent that even though most everyone is doing the same sequence (Primary Series) the potential for refinement is infinite. Some are sloppy, some are precise. Of the few students at our times doing Intermediate, one woman in particular caught our eye as we were waiting to be called in for practice: she did Karandavasana THREE TIMES in a row, unassisted. Apparently it wasn’t up to her standards as she kept repeating it, but as far as we could tell it was perfect. We have also seen students doing incredible backbending: catching the shins/calves unassisted, without putting the hands down. Don’t try this at home, kids. All of that said, there are representatives of all skills levels here.<br /><object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/25cIRYOJjE0&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/25cIRYOJjE0&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="265" width="320"></embed></object><br />Today was the first led class of our trip. Fridays and Sundays are led classes. By luck we ended up in Sharath’s second led class at 6a (Saraswati takes over w/ another at 8). It was brutal and wonderful. He counted pretty fast, but wrung all he could out of the really juicy parts (Navasana, anyone?). Ut Plutihi is always a joy. Today we both counted about ten actual breaths in the space between “One!” and “Two!” and let’s not even talk about “Nine!” and “Ten!” Sunday is a Moon Day, so there will be no class. Monday will have led classes instead of Mysore practice to make up for the Moon Day. Sharath advised “No partying!” We find ourselves in the first led class on Monday: 445a.<br /><br />Yesterday was a long day of homemaking after a terrible night of sweating and mosquitoes in our new place. It’s not uncommon to notice students riddled with bites during practice: but not us! The mosquito net is in place, along with water supply, cooking stove, dishes, pots and pans, etc. Our place is remarkably big: one main room, two extra rooms, a shower room and a bathroom, all very spacious and located above a house. We have it all to ourselves unless we decide to sublet the extra rooms (not likely!). Furnishing it meant two days of going through rupees like water, but in the long run it’s an excellent place at a time when everyone is scrambling to find a room.<br /><br />Other adventures: mastering the scooter, getting an expert cobbler sandal repair on a streetcorner (btw, the sandals in question were labeled too far gone to fix by a shoe repair establishment in Davenport before we left), learning how to select a ripe pineapple, and readjusting to the joys of India power outages, both planned (every night 8-9p) and otherwise (most anytime, including as this is being written), and the first hot shave.<br /><br />Right now we're looking down the barrel of over 48 hrs of rest time. What to do?Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-17045287413893494562010-02-08T22:47:00.001-08:002010-02-08T23:07:04.627-08:00Ah, this is the life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrOFvJ5KDJwTNy705manOezIiED6zxUPAvCnQwFuQQsXhyphenhyphenf79cX4xL1b3msLejPp4UaCjiLepgQyKGQnJov5om4-8aoIq68ElVjSBIKmL0tRM0qECSMwUK7r0Y9gNNxXC_Kw55UNUc9o/s1600-h/airport.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrOFvJ5KDJwTNy705manOezIiED6zxUPAvCnQwFuQQsXhyphenhyphenf79cX4xL1b3msLejPp4UaCjiLepgQyKGQnJov5om4-8aoIq68ElVjSBIKmL0tRM0qECSMwUK7r0Y9gNNxXC_Kw55UNUc9o/s320/airport.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436135854702127282" border="0" /></a><br />Well, we slipped right back into the yoga bum lifestyle as if we never left. It's almost as if we live some version of this way even when at home. We're two days into practice at KPJAYI and feeling thoroughly sore in the hammys and satisfied overall. We have a start time of 830a, which is pretty late, but not difficult to understand with the shala as full as it is. Sharath is still teaching during our practice, and for this we are grateful. We were both told to do full Primary on the first day. I (E) am a little gimpy due to a knee issue, so Sharath almost stopped me at Marichyasana D, but I told him to buzz off. No, seriously, I was able to catch, even if only by my fingernails. Not sure if my knee is in the process of opening up into some new magical vista of flexibility or if it's just falling apart, but I'm working with it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4krg3UGTcPxpc56_Z95gc6JdEUTelxWG-PvCKSaJl5Co0Hwqwf9RW2Oq78l22WdaEv_t51IQsN-xWKXcTe2XNH-xjk4WiZ5tPPpl_5wLgkh4KNKyGnXNeIWxazRHw1R1tq0XZwdD7B-g/s1600-h/plane.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4krg3UGTcPxpc56_Z95gc6JdEUTelxWG-PvCKSaJl5Co0Hwqwf9RW2Oq78l22WdaEv_t51IQsN-xWKXcTe2XNH-xjk4WiZ5tPPpl_5wLgkh4KNKyGnXNeIWxazRHw1R1tq0XZwdD7B-g/s320/plane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436136147794156338" border="0" /></a><br />There are all levels of students at the shala. With our start time we see mostly those at our level and below, as the total beginners are arriving as we are wrapping it up. There is probably some 3rd & 4th series craziness going on at 5a; we're hoping to have our times bumped up, especially as Sharath's first month ends.<br /><br />Today we are happy b/c within 30 minutes of ending our practice we had secured a great place to stay and a scooter. These two chores, especially the former, had been weighing on us as everyone EVERYONE told us how many students are here and how there is no housing. We won't have wi-fi in the place, and it's your average Indian concrete, barebones structure, but it is three or four rooms, an open air hallway, kitchen, bath, etc. With the scooter, Internet is only a few minutes away. So far, Indian driving rules seem to be: do anything at any time as long as you honk excessively.<br /><br />Today as we were waiting to be called in to practice, one student was leaving through the waiting area. He was very noticeable b/c he actually a little…stout. Portly. Husky. Chubby. You get it. You wouldn't even notice him most places, but for the shala he's heavy. So, anyway, he's almost out the door and Sharath calls across both the practice space AND the waiting area: "Andrew! Remember, today ONE MEAL ONLY." He comes hustling across the practice space and sticks his head out into the waiting area and says it again. Andrew says "Yeah, I know, I've already lost 6 kilos." Sharath says "Six more!" and turns on his heel and goes back to work.<br /><br />The first lead class approaches (Friday morning). It should be a swift ass kicking and we're looking forward to it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZqvTEK8BsMxIVydlJb2PqyVipGNcqFqEsnuMM5_cwswRxzJY_Rb3qCueUXe8bc-YvwXuFDIYE70cE2Y6iDZXFjAh3ZrnAO_YNLSG2ys2vlr-wWjOp30OjTOD1KI3oIjbIujT1axTOsk/s1600-h/digs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZqvTEK8BsMxIVydlJb2PqyVipGNcqFqEsnuMM5_cwswRxzJY_Rb3qCueUXe8bc-YvwXuFDIYE70cE2Y6iDZXFjAh3ZrnAO_YNLSG2ys2vlr-wWjOp30OjTOD1KI3oIjbIujT1axTOsk/s320/digs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436136452704269682" border="0" /></a>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-69794978214167347262010-02-04T20:08:00.000-08:002010-02-04T20:24:40.185-08:00...zzzZZZZzzzz...Three flights, two layovers, one taxi ride and about 30 hours in transit and we are officially back in Mysore. Currently, that means sitting in an open air Internet Cafe in about 75° early Friday morning, typing away. We have about 15 minutes of good sleep between us in the last 48 hours, so we're gritty-eyed and thick-headed, but otherwise well.<br /><br />To be here again feels remarkably surreal. Surely the sleep deprivation has something to do with it. But more than that, it's a deja vu sort of feeling to be again in a place that has remained vivid and frequently visited in memory in the last two years. It almost feels as if we never left, and yet it was overwhelming to simply walk through Gokulum for the first time a few minutes ago. It's loud, hot, dusty, aromatic, urban, and somehow like stepping directly into a memory you've been savoring on a daily basis for years.<br /><br />For today we are staying with an Indian family. That is only until we find a more suitable place (they normally don't host couples, and it's a little too far from the shala), which is the main business for today. That means knocking on a few well-known facilitators' doors, and also asking most anyone we run into. There is sure to be a significant turnover at the end of Sharath's first month of teaching here (Tuesday the 9th) and hopefully we can scoop up a soon-to-be-vacated prime spot. Dare we hope for wi-fi?<br /><br />We've also been invited tonight to go see some Indian classical dance with our host family. It will be a good reason not to go to bed at noon (Mysore time). If we can make it through the performance before crashing out, we're well on our way to shaking off the jet-lag.<br /><br />Our first practice day at the shala will be Wednesday Feb 10th. We will probably register at the shala on Monday the 8th and hope for a good (early) start time. Hope Sharath likes our new haircuts! There looks to be enough room in our living space to practice on our own until then. K is looking forward to sweating again; E is already sweating from the typing exertion.<br /><br />All for now. Shout out to all who attended the first Mysore class in our absence, which wrapped up just a few hours ago!Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-43969091459607703282010-01-04T11:33:00.001-08:002010-01-04T12:39:38.230-08:00Student Conference<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u4Hll8kNqavS-qDJtjV3FRG6Kw0r0gV9zVJtk0wIVwXQ6DUiNgmAU3RkTjBpS-BVgCbcdv7vDPAMFMo8Zu-1LvJQpIKa3p16a_V3NF3UoLFt1zfK8xLQdbOy4lmf8Ut04dXFrtZC13A/s1600-h/student+conference+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u4Hll8kNqavS-qDJtjV3FRG6Kw0r0gV9zVJtk0wIVwXQ6DUiNgmAU3RkTjBpS-BVgCbcdv7vDPAMFMo8Zu-1LvJQpIKa3p16a_V3NF3UoLFt1zfK8xLQdbOy4lmf8Ut04dXFrtZC13A/s200/student+conference+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422985116662068306" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks to everyone who baked (either at home or in the 11a class) in preparation for Student Conference. A good time was had by all, following one of our biggest <a href="http://tapasyogashala.com/tapas-yoga-schedule.htm#Primary">Primary Series</a> classes in some time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Revelations included instruction on <i>Setu Bandhasana</i>, <i>Sirsasana</i>, and E & K's ridiculously long personal practices. But the big news of the day is that we will be returning to Mysore, India, for more study with <a href="http://rsharath.com/">R. Sharath</a>. Though the <i>ashtanga</i> series' are easily found in books and online, there is no substitute for personal study at "the source," as <a href="http://kpjayi.org/">KPJAYI</a> is often called. We are happy to have been accepted back for study with Sharath, as standards seem to be tightening.</div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeIrQuos5l9jr_DFba1oW8sERg-fuhA_GPNVYfZfjrX3Nxi6WwbOXlUOTwoNhyiI11DQW9yyz2q1Dj7e6oP5cKZBGI9oAmr3lHofsk-A_iiiooHTGIh-8DGSWm2Hrl9JxZ77nDfgpoGs/s200/student+conference+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422985285653534386" /></div><div><br /></div><div>What does this mean for <i><a href="http://tapasyogashala.com/">tapas</a></i>? For the duration of our study (approx. Feb 3 – April 17), our class schedule will be reduced. All <i>vinyasa</i> classes will be cancelled. Mysore classes (Tues & Thurs nights @ 6) will continue with a "lead student" taking responsibility for housekeeping and available to answer basic questions about the sequence. Sunday Primary Series class will also continue, in some capacity (audio track, Mysore-style self-practice, or something else TBA).</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, we may have some other events in the offing: <a href="http://kinoyoga.com/">Kino MacGregor</a> will be returning to Moksha in Chicago in March. There is loose talk about a <i>tapas</i> roadtrip to Kino's Sunday Led Primary Series, 3/21. We strongly encourage study with other teachers, especially those of the caliber of Kino and attending a class identical to that we do every Sunday is a perfect opportunity. We are also looking at hosting a <a href="http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/">Jivamukti Yoga</a> workshop with Aubrey Hackman in late March. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to everyone for your support of our lil' yoga studio. We have received generous offers of help around this trip, from help keeping a few classes meeting to trip sponsorships. If you are interested in helping, please contact us (info@tapasyogashala.com or 309.236.6084).</div><div><br /></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtNHI0bW82_vcx8PEpPFoYh1LcTGt5ZYffmo7-b1-7iwq09T9zBA2v48QvEQX6rGJE1-lkwLCKNUmF3mRDu8FH2bZuD3BSX3oh6e2fe2b_IA-9nDyeR5zGq_M9ZAHs-Af7ZxdO0wgMuc/s200/insightsimage.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422985443808449794" /><div>There are currently two teachers at KPJAYI in Mysore. Saraswathi is Guruji's daughter. She is now 68. As you can see, they start them young (that's proud papa Guruji on the left in the lower picture). Saraswathi primarily works with new students.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sharath is Saraswathi's son, Guruji's granddaughter. He has succeeded Guruji as director of KPJAYI. He also started young. Unlike American teachers (present company included) you rarely see him practice and have perhaps wondered if he spends his mornings barking orders at students and then loafs around the rest of the day eating Indian Cheetos. Well, check out the video below and see what you think.</div><div><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LzGr3jRjB64&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LzGr3jRjB64&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></div>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743208571900276520.post-75775948183875609592010-01-01T10:40:00.000-08:002010-01-01T12:02:33.340-08:00New Year's Eve Mysore<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyaEGgeQ6IAMthpndSkai-sULWW2IxQ4s1OZ4QvYuMHXPirkfd2nwBvj8JQSKtsn5UEcf8sZpV4s66SToyooQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had a cozy group for our New Year's Eve special Mysore class. Technically, this year New Year's Eve was Moon Day (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon">blue moon</a>, in fact). While that makes it an off-day, we figured there were better chances of attendance on New Year's Eve than New Year's Day, even at 10am. Rules were made to be broken (just don't tell Sharath). </div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMF9pi4p8vTShZtS_QDgIthJclxn6O0SuPCgG3DihYcDku1u7Joi_68tUASBNYDgyXF9NzNj4X31fpSAMjhHGofrj4ugHGK7D-1RUU364o9JTe5dwyQG_-z45FJEjWHt42TXfj0faWY4/s320/halasana.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421847538635353570" /></div><div>So, three plucky ashtangis gave it a go. Jeff and Jessica (two of our legion of "J" students) did the first half of the Primary Series. E, following Matthew Sweeney's practice advice, used </div><div>Thursday as an Intermediate-only day. It is traditional in Ashtanga to practice one series until competent, and then gradually add on postures from the next series. </div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UZxqsBEzkGdraKjFvJzfsCtrHTgLhY2WA5NjbrYTyHHfqAGFA6rv7AbSj-h_cx-q8c3CNg_G03FOO9ilEh8J2aKkzRTIq1htZe5rIxmWqi_2vCt2LK4fuYRYY0FPkY1FZFQqADfVPb0/s320/parsvottanasana.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421850597923992930" /></div><div>Sweeney advises choosing one day per week to practice only the new series postures alone. This is usually done on Thursday, sometimes called "Research Day." Yes, we are yoga nerds. No, there's nothing that can be done about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Check out these few pics: dueling <i>Parsvottanasanas</i>, closing postures. Also, a couple of videos: a passable and, believe me, hard won <i>Kapotasana</i>—go go spider fingers!—and the <i>Tittibhasana</i> sequence, sure to have the thighs screamin' by the end. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx3h-JGIKTxygG4FNn3b3XYQ3O_P_auHiwDph2g56Xgb3TSoW4PYJoMxSw6D6TacuVUfpm1_YRlVZzsLHm4jg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09101858081872005342noreply@blogger.com1