Italy Retreat - Yoga in Salento - Next Year!

I had the pleasure of holding our first yoga retreat at Yoga in Salento in Southern Italy, and I have to say, it exceeded our every expectation. We had an amazing time. It went so well that we have two retreats booked for next year! Ashtanga yoga combined with the beauty and culture of Italy makes for a remarkable combination. With a multitude of beach locations to travel to, and the beauty of Lecce not to far away, there is an abundance to take in and experience. Join us! More details will arrive soon. Until then, these are the dates! 

May 18 - 25, 2013

August 31 - September 7, 2013

For more information and bookings email: info@yogainsalento.com

The beaches in the Salento area are some of the most beautiful in all of Europe. 

Yoga Transforming Lives

AYNY

Workshops and Events - Remainder of 2012

Four Day Ashtanga Yoga Workshop - Warsaw, Poland 

Dates: 5-8 October 2012

Location: Yoga Republic

Phone: +48 22 790 805 853

Email: yogarepublicpl@gmail.com

Website: www.yogarepublic.pl

Ashtanga Yoga Weekend Workshop - Athens, Greece 

Dates: 12-14 October 2012

Location: House of Yoga

Phone: +30 69 741 90910

Email: sgiantsis@hotmail.com

Website: www.houseofyoga.gr

Ashtanga Yoga Weekend Workshop and One Day Primary Series Workshop - Toronto, Canada

Dates: 19-22 October 2012

Location: Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto

Phone: +1 647 342 6550

Email: info@ashtangatoronto.com

Website: www.ashtangatoronto.com

Ashtanga Yoga Workshop for Ongoing Students - Stockholm, Sweden 

Dates: 27-28 October 2012

Location: Yogayama

Phone: +46 73 663 63 35

Email: info@yogayama.se

Website: www.yogayama.se

Stockholm Yoga and Dance Festival - Stockholm, Sweden

Dates: 2-4 November 2012

Location: Academy of Ballet

Website: www.yodafestival.se

Ashtanga Weekend Workshop - Cologne, Germany

Dates: 16-18 November 2012

Location: Ashtanga-Yoga in Köln Mitte

Phone: +49 160 90 308 506

Email: ashtangayogamitte-koeln@hotmail.com

Website: www.ashtangayogamitte-koeln.de

I Heart . . .

I do . . . 

Taking Flight, Part 1: "Develop the Root"

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”  

- Henry David Thoreau 

In order to take flight, first develop the root. 

Lightness is cultivated from grounding. Start here. With a number of opportunities to establish roots in the practice, when learning to ground, move the energy downward through the limbs. The rebounding energy, in turn, surges upward, allowing the subtle channels of the body to flow and energize, arising first from a place of stability. 

Look in nature. The tallest trees in the world, the redwoods, have a vast intricate network of roots supporting their skyward stretch. I like to think of it the same way in practice. Whenever my hands or feet are touching the floor I consciously ground my awareness and energy down toward the earth. This is where I gather my strength. It's an offering. 

Primary Series, among other things, is designed in a manner to ground and center, attaining an intimate relationship with our bodies. Starting from the gross level of awareness, then through time and practice, slowly, moving upward into the subtle reaches. It's intelligently designed. Often I feel gathering strength originates from focus and awareness. Even if it hasn't physically manifested yet, it doesn't matter. We are working the most challenging muscle of all in between the ears. If we work with internal guidance the outward manifestation will start to form. It really isn't the goal, think of it more as the byproduct of consistent, devotional practice. Practice is the goal. Then we taste the true experience.

Grounding doesn't always correlate into working with the downward flow of the body, even though this is an important step. It is also about fully inhabiting the body from root to tip. Every inch, every layer, ALIVE. Every part of our bodies integrated with the greater whole. This doesn't mean tensing, grasping or holding. This simply means awakening every cell of the body through the breath. If we can't feel it, we can't transform it. Equally stated, we can't let it go either. Truly, what we are aligning to is the conscious awakening of the parts of ourselves that lie dormant or inert. We already encompass everything. Think of it as an excavation. Some may have to dig deeper than others, however in the larger of scope of things it doesn't matter. Our body, our lesson.

There's a pulsation. Feel it. Through the breath our sensitivity toward this pulsation arises as we channel the energy. Grace begins to take form. Join with it. It onsets by inherently listening, feeling the natural flow of the body emanating from the center, radiating outward. This too is grounding. The center is the area of Mula bandha up toward Uddhiya bandha. The entire area. Encompass this area. Even if it feels dead, it doesn't matter, send your awareness there. Like I said, before it initiates in the mind, then in time, the body follows. We are creators, it takes consistent effort and patience. The refinement of the bandhas happen over a duration of continual practice. Don't get too wrapped up into it if it doesn't make sense, because it's still a mystery, even to me. All I know is connecting toward center brings the energy down into the body where the intelligence resides. Ever had a gut feeling? It never lies. Does it?

"Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  - St. Francis of Assisi

As cliché as it sounds, the power is within. I like to say, in an Ashtanga yoga practice, it's about having an in-body experience. We begin with what is tangible, and accessible, our bodies, and often before we have considered entering into daily practice we haven't become intimately connected with what houses our souls. I remember when I first began yoga practice I was amazed at what took place as I settled into the body. Through the power of the breath and the conscious connection centered on each movement the synergy created was a revelation. Ah-ha. The gateway to greater liberation is through the body revitalized by conscious breath. Of course there isn't only one way to freedom. However, from this realization the power of practice started to unfold. Layer upon layer we lighten up, whether it manifests in our body, or better yet, in our hearts and minds, never forgetting the added element bringing in a sense of discovery and curiosity in the process. 

Lightening up isn't only about fancy entries and exists out of postures. It entails bringing a sense of devotional wonder into our hearts through the experience of yoga. Each conscious step we take to dive inside through this physically demanding practice will begin to shed the unnecessary. What holds us down, what blocks our light, through observation comes clarity. "Mind medicine," as Guruji would say. 

"We don't use the body to get into the posture we use the posture to get into the body."  - Bernie Clark

Yup.

What are you waiting for? There is no criteria to start practicing yoga. None.

Teaching in Taiwan. Highlights.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed since my time in Taiwan. I miss all the inspiring students I met during the trip. To say that my heart is full is an understatement. It is OVER- FLOWING! What an incredible feeling that is. I am humbled by the heartfelt sincerity offered, the willingness, and enthusiasm. What more can I say! It is always the students who make the experience.

 

Just Give Me This . . .

Just give me this:

A rinsing out, a cleansing free

Of all my smaller strivings

So I can be the class act God intended,

True to my purpose,

All my energy aligned behind my deepest intention.

And just this:

A quieting down,

A clearing away of internal ruckus,

So I can hear the huge stillness in my heart

And feel

How I pulse with all creation,

Part and parcel of Your great singing ocean.

And this too:

A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times

I fall short,

Forgetting who I am,

What I really belong to.

So I can start over,

Fresh and clean,

Like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun,

My heart pierced with gratitude.

--Belleruth Naparstek

Emptying. Over the course of the last several months I've had to empty myself. Painful, scary, liberating all at the same time. When I empty, what I cling to becomes evident. What doesn't serve me becomes clear. When I empty of all that is unnecessary I see what is then worth holding on to, and IT is what is holding me. Grace. God. Love. Whatever you want to call it . . .  What a welcome release that is. 

As my trip in Taiwan starts to wind down I am reminded how honored I am to be able to do what I do. I have worked with some of the most warm hearted people imaginable and truly I have learned so much from the experience. A part of me will always be tied to this island nation. Always. And, I have the people who inhabit it to thank. 

Buddha Memorial Center. More Pics!

Serene. Majestic. Here are more photos of my day trip to The Buddha Memorial Center, in Kaoshiung, I thought I'd share. Taken from a real camera and not my iPhone! Imagine that.  

Unraveling

“Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through the facade of pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.” 

— Adyashanti


When I came in contact with the above quote it really struck home in a time when I needed it. I guess that is how it happens. There's a question maybe we can't quite formulate, and an answer comes, or at the very least, a new perspective. I welcome the challenge of viewing something in a new way. Discovering a new opening or outlook pushes my ingrained thought patterns or stuck points of view. 

When teaching, I don't illustrate the path of yoga as rainbows and yellow brick roads. Often the path becomes quite murky when we start to unravel. In truth, that is what it is all about, a shedding, because our purity is within and nowhere else. Sure, we are inundated with images that it comes from out there somewhere, externally. One of the many reasons consumerism is at the level it is. It's not all bad, no, there are necessities and also why not enjoy. However, in the same breath, when entering on to the path of yoga, or other spiritual practice, sometimes things feel like they are getting worse before they get better, in the end, an exposing feeling may not feel the most comfortable, but just might be what you need. This has been my experience. 

I remember going through a period where the tears fell like an unending stream. No, it wasn't pretty on the outside, I felt fragile, I felt shattered, I felt fragmented. Through the process I felt lost in an environment where being on purpose was an expectation. I allowed myself comfort in face of uncertainty when a mentor at the time told me, "it's okay to not know in this moment, this means you are open. It's okay not to know where to turn next, it will only broaden your mind to possibility." 

At the root, authenticity comes to mind. I want to taste what is real even if that taste is sour. Throw away the pretense. It's the down and dirty, grounding, touching my nose to the earth that really teaches me something. I've observed it in those on the realized path. What brings me to my knees softens my heart.

Breath is the Bridge

Stockholm

"Our breath is the bridge from our body to our mind, the element which reconciles our body and mind and which makes possible oneness of body and mind. Breath is aligned to both body and mind and it alone is the tool which can bring them both together, illuminating both and bringing both peace and calm." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Breath is the bridge. This has been my mantra this week . . . Honestly, I've been going through some interesting stuff internally during my stay in Taiwan. Once I attain some semblance of clarity, I will share. I've been working various balance points, and it has been a challenge. Planning for the future which requires intense focus, all the while, staying present, stepping into various roles, and still feeling connecting to my center, can be an interesting dynamic to play around with. To say the least, I've been touched by the warmth of the people and community in Taiwan. So in that regard, I feel grateful. Experiencing internal upheaval has in many instances given me the opportunity to recess my direction, my life, hopes and dreams. Also, a big one for me is what is holding me back? That, more than anything, has been a big issue for me. I know where much of it has manifested and truly sometimes I wonder if I will ever heal from it? I am sure many of you out there can attest to this. When stricken with certain events and misgivings in life often we find better ways to cope, but maybe haven't truly resolved or come to terms with it fully. I am only human, and when I start to feel the cracks in my being, though painful, brings me closer to my humanity. I soften. I come out of the numbing. So much in life pulls us out of the quiet and the stillness, but it is only here where we can find our truth. 

Look to This Day!

Taiwan

“Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the truths and realities
of your existence:
The bliss of growth
The glory of action
The splendor of beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision,
But today well lived
makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day!For it is life, the very life of life,In its brief courseLie all the truths and realitiesof your existence:The bliss of growthThe glory of actionThe splendor of beauty,For yesterday is but a dreamAnd tomorrow only a vision,But today well livedmakes every yesterdaya dream of happinessAnd every tomorrow a vision of hope.Look well, therefore, to this day!”

- Kalidasa