A short demonstration video of some of the postures in Intermediate series shot in Mysore, India.
Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Series Demonstration
26.2.14
A short demonstration video of some of the postures in Intermediate series shot in Mysore, India.
Intermediate Series Workshop 11 - 12 May 2013
19.4.13
For Intermediate series students of all levels of experience. Take an indepth look both practical and philosophical into the internal evolution the Intermediate Series awakens.
Intermediate Series, otherwise known as nadi śhodana, meaning nervous system cleansing, builds upon the culmination of energy and purification within the practitioner built upon the foundation of Primary Series. With deeper backbends and forward bends as well as arm balances, the Intermediate series integrates the use of opposing forces to garner greater unity and strength, both mental and physical, opening the internal light of awareness within each individual.
In this workshop special attention will be focused on the in depth study of each posture, their relationship to each other as well as executing the proper vinyasas and transitions, with special attention to all points of Tristhānam (posture, breath, drishte) throughout the practice. In addition, there will be time taken to trouble shoot areas of difficulty gathering skills to move forward in the practice with greater intelligence and awareness.
Whether new to the practice of Intermediate Series, or an experienced practitioner, this workshop will invoke new insights and inspire your already existing practice.
Date: 11 - 12 May 3013
Time: 14:00 - 16:30
Location: Yogayama, Jungfrugatan 8, Stockholm, Sweden
To Book: www.yogayama.se
Investment: 600 sek
Types of Vinyasa in Ashtanga Yoga
1.3.13
This is a great video. Very informative in regards to the nuances of the various vinyasas in the Ashtanga yoga practice explained by the well known Finnish teacher, Petri Räisänen. Not to be controversial, there seems to be few minute differences after just coming back from Mysore, but what do I know, haha. It's up for debate, nonetheless, a great tutorial.
Day Two
3.5.12
Yes. Another AMAZING day in Stockholm! Go on, roll your eyes, but it's true. You just don't understand what it's like to live through a cold and dark winter and to have it turn into this! I relish it. Nothing has made me appreciate Spring more than living through a winter in Stockholm. Nothing. Even growing up in the American Midwest, with all four seasons, and definitely winter. In Sweden, the winter comes early and leaves late. There's something about going through the darkness with a fair amount of grace. At the other side of it, an outpouring of appreciation. It's an expansive feeling.
Today. Day two, practicing with Peter Sanson. Intermediate Series. Everyday is different. Everyday brings new lessons. Another journey, a new insight. Today I felt the synergistic nature of relaxation and fortitude at the same time. The marrying of softness and the energetic power of release. It's interesting playing with these forces, uniting with the energy that presents itself within the body. Even days I feel tired and stiff, I can join with whatever feels blocked, and learn to melt into, to wrap myself around, and give space to what presents itself. There's grace in it all. Nothing stays the same on the outside, and there is more being born than just the physical accomplishment of asana. These invisible attributes cultivate, give solace and a mental clarity and strength, that for me, always comes unexpected.
Say hello to Nina!
London so Fantastic
12.9.11
Traflagar Square
So, I'm a weeeeee bit late posting about my trip to London. My blogging muscle has gotten soooo weak lately! I apologize. Some how, I've managed to blog, here and there, in the past year. As always, I've been too optimistic - stating I'd be back up to speed posting regularly soon. As you can see, that hasn't happened, yet. This go around, I'm not even going to say anything in regards to blogging, and see what happens. Seems better not set any expectations. Just know I have every intention to get it going.
Ok. London. Well, I mean, what isn't there to like? A million thanks to my boyfriend who generously planned the trip as a birthday present. What MORE could this particular girl ask for on her birthday? Yoga, with Sharath, mixed with great friends, and travel to a fabulous city, is a combination that is hard to match. I was in heaven, minus the rain we were blessed with.
Right away the hustle and bustle of London threw me off. In contrast, Stockholm flows at a much slower pace. Took me a while to adjust. Granted, the city had taken a hit with the riots they recently experienced. A definite wake up call, but when it comes to culture, history, arts, and diversity, it's an unbeatable city. I'm ready to go back!
As you've probably already gathered, there's something about travel that really gets me going. I love discovering new places. Even though, in many respects, London felt familiar in that it's one of the most well known cities in the world. Per usual fashion, I sunk my teeth in and took a huge bite. There's no better way to do it really. I ♥ London!
House of Parliament & Big Ben
Westminster
What about the yoga!? Yeah. The main purpose of the trip was to practice with our teacher, R. Sharath Jois. This was the first time I had ever participated in a tour. It's kinda strange seeing Sharath some place else other than Mysore. A tour usually equals a full week of led class. I signed on for a full week of led Intermediate series. Let's just say there was a whole lot of nerve cleansing going on. In Mysore, one day a week of led Intermediate feels like enough. A full week is intense. A manageable challenge, though, if taken in stride. I just love the rhythm and pacing of Sharath's classes. I have yet to meet a teacher who has the finesse as he has. I mean, it should really come as no surprise, he's had enough practice and influence from his grandfather. It's all there. Simple. Straightforward. Energetic.
I took the opportunity to really focus and go inward, surrendering to the counted rhythm, which is more challenging to maintain when practicing at home. It's an amazing litmus test. Going in, I wondered if I would totally flake on karandavasana, haha. To my amazement, I didn't. No touching. Whew! It's one of those things you can't predict in a led class. Flowing on command poses interesting challenges for the mind. There's an abundance to learn when it comes to this. To trust the energy flow. Just do. No thinking. Understanding when internally aligned, the embedded power carries the body.
As the days progressed I found myself being sore in the oddest places. The side of my forearm kept talking to me amongst others. I felt I was being re-calibrated. That's the thing, even though I've practiced Intermediate series a multitude of times, it's never the same as it is with Sharath. Of course it wouldn't be. After practice I felt stretched and challenged both mentally and physically. By the end of the week something shed. Old karma, emotional baggage, who knows. A weight lifted. Which is hard to explain, because it felt like the most natural thing. Of course this would happen. On the way back home everything culminated. I felt unknown anxiety. Sadness. Grief, that I couldn't explain. An emotional release came and went through. Somehow afterward I felt a big sigh of relief. Another level of clarity. I also felt pumped in a way. A true testament to how unbelievably strengthening it can be. Like a slow burn. A steady sizzle. As the embers of tapas dove deep inside.
Practicing back home the integration filled into the new empty spaces. My breath felt fuller. Deeper. Expansive. It's one of those things you don't realize while going through it. It's like you have to step outside to really feel what has transpired. I'm not trying to make it into some earth shattering experience, no, this is not the case. However, with that being said, I felt the profound affect on what being in his space has. Focused and clean. Underneath it all, opening to what the practice does over time. I'm thankful. It's a learning and stretching that can only be experienced through practice and practice alone. And the willingness to be in it, is key! It's not always easy.
London Tour 2011 with R. Sharath Jois
We were not allowed to take pictures inside the practice area. Somehow the above picture was taken on the last day! Tisk, tisk, I know! It's not really representative of the space we were in. We were packed in pretty good for the Friday, Primary series class that ended the week. Felt good to be part of such large sangha! As far as I'm concerned connecting with a community of practitioners becomes just as rewarding as the practice itself.
Tower Bridge
Obviously practice with Sharath was the highlight, however with London as the back drop there was much more to take in and experience. One of my favorites was our visit to Hampton Court. I always enjoyed history in school, and to walk around one of Henry VIII's old stomping grounds was absolutely fascinating. Being educated in the U.S. our history classes always had an English slant to them. It was fun imagining life "back in the day," especially as tyrannical and neurotic as Henry VIII was. What a guy!
Hampton Court
Technique
28.11.10
"I am learning to understand rather than immediately
judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept
their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual
manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my
self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that
life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy
because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit
lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new
discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added
more to my bank of fortitude." - Bruce Lee
My technique is daily practice. It's as simple as that. Easy, no, not always, but a straight forward, direct approach. I guess you can say, there are no magic bullets. At some point and probably not in this lifetime, the practice in itself will have to fall away. No longer needing to be identified with the tool, but able to sit in the state of yoga alone. Perfect oneness. Hmmmm. Sounds wonderful. Can't say I know what that is like in my everyday living. Though, I've tasted glimpses. Tiny little trickles that keep me hanging on - knowing somewhere deep within the spaces, filled with conscious breath, will reveal the light, moving stillness brings.
I've had an interesting past several months. I took the opportunity to practice with a number of guest teachers. Self-practice is my bread and butter in between trips to Mysore, but I guess you can say I'm always curious about well known teachers. From awesome, to decent, to down right bad, I've experienced it all, and everything in between, and what I've found is there is always something to be learned by various teachers. Always. It's inevitable, there will be those we just won't resonate with, while others we'll hang on to every word and instruction like a treasure. It's never one size fits all.
Sometimes I'm left wondering what is really being offered? Did I sign up for an experience of staged charisma and a bagful of techniques to buy into? What happened to the internal alignment? Is this only about perfecting asana or is it about entering into the places inside left unopened? I don't have the answers but the yoga industry more and more is sounding like some type of new age "please fix me because I'm broken" type of thing, that well, seems to work for some and keeps them feeling as if they are doing yoga.
"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential." - Bruce Lee
There will always be differing points of view and it takes time to filter through it all. Understanding what feels good in this moment for me has become an important factor. I had one teacher out of the blue tell me I'll break my knees doing Bhekasana (Intermediate series) in the manner I was doing it, which not to mention, was clearly instructed to me by another very well known teacher. Huh?! Well, to date, my knees have felt really good, and I just don't seem to understand the fear based instruction being offered. The attitude didn't feel good, and in the process my knee was tweaked by being pushed into something that the teacher felt structurally I should have been doing, that in the process totally bypassed the energetic component. Which is often missed. One thing I have learned, through experimentation, if a teacher breaks me, at least I know the practice will heal me.
I've been around the bend enough to tell the difference between being adjusted from the core versus the periphery. What do I mean by this? Well, an adjustment that aligns the energy to the central axis of the body versus molding it into an external structure, hence a "yoga journal" pose - alignment that may look good in the magazines but is all wrong energetically and therapeutically. It is easily felt. It feels like connecting only to the periphery. No internal engagement. It's so interesting, and even though the experience didn't feel good and had my knee popping in and out of place for several days afterward, I really learned the difference, and felt it in my body clearly from the experience. At least for that I can be thankful. A light bulb moment, knowing that, hey, I'm on the right track here. After 15 years of yoga practice maybe I know at least little bit about the mechanics of my body.
As a teacher, I have learned to see where there is no energy flow. It goes much deeper than just looking at the structure. Is there a free flow of energy running through the circuits of the body? Where is there dead space? It's amazing how many of us carry dead space in our bodies, and it's beautiful when it begins to awaken. Through time, a sixth sense begins to develop in feeling/sensing where these areas arise in students. With much to still learn, the subtleties and unseen parts, the spaces, are what leave me fascinated, and undoubtedly knowing there is a vast amount to discover and realize.
"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at." - Bruce Lee
Ashtanga yoga is an energetic practice. On so many levels. The importance of getting the body circulating first is key to the development of practitioners starting out, hence the internal alignment. I've seen how time and time again when starting from this point, through consistency, the practice and the body start to take shape. Which we see externally. The by product.
Exceptional teachers will adjust the body in a manner which will further the engagement or alignment internally. I have felt it many a times with experienced teachers coming from this place. Where when moved, I feel the central axis of the body more pronounced through the adjustment. The interesting part is how it looks on the outside may be amply different from person to person depending on what stage they are in - the further beauty of the Mysore method of practicing and teaching - working individually while having the energy of the group to carry one through.
What I've also come to discover is the vast difference felt with those teachers who continue to work with a teacher themselves even if they have reached a certain apex in their work, especially in the tradition they are teaching in. It means a lot to me, and I seem to connect to those who continue working with teachers or go to the source so to speak or have done so long term. It is a different experience when practicing with those who use the name to further their reach as teachers but in the end don't really respect where it is coming from. Because in the end, what are we promoting?
“Zen
is not “attained” by mirror-wiping mediation, but by
“self-forgetfulness in the existential ‘present’ of life here and now.”
We do not “come”, we “are.” Don’t strive to become, but be.” - Bruce Lee
Weekly Round Up
3.9.10
No matter what stage I find myself in my practice, Fridays are for Primary Series, and Sundays are dedicated for Intermediate. I especially like the feeling of coming full circle on Fridays, ending with Primary. There is something absolutely satisfying about it. Then, after having Saturday off, diving into Intermediate to kick of the week sets the pace for what is up ahead. It's feels good, and necessary to follow this routine, though challenging at the same time. Going through a set cycle is an awesome access point for self observation.
Practice today, felt good, though I was a bit tired. Lately, maintaining the drishte has really started to deepen. I'm getting a sense of how not only do we move the energy or prana internally through the bandhas but also through the gaze with intent and focus, especially during vinyasa. It's all connected.
Tonight is my liver/gallbladder flush session. Yes, I'm doing another one - it's all about maintenance. The seasons seem to be shifting in Stockholm. It's already feeling like Fall. A bit early for my taste. Blah.There is no better time to do a cleanse than during the change of seasons. Our bodies naturally crave this. One reason why people often get sick during season shifts. I've quoted it many times before but the book I follow for the cleanse is The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse: An All-Natural, At-Home Flush to Purify and Rejuvenate Your Body
, by Andreas Moritz, who has an informative website and blog, by the way. Check it out. He's on facebook too and really says some interesting things. This week I was alerted to the fact Tim Miller started a blog. For those of you who may not know, I'm a huge fan of Timiji. There is so much embedded within him after over 30 years of continuous practice. He's a gem to all practicing Ashtanga yoga. A true gem. I was a bit confused because it seems he has two blogs. One where he talks of personal accounts and another that is more informational in nature. Either way, I'm loving that he's putting himself out there so candidly, and sincerely. Below are the links. I especially like his post describing what he was going through internally following Guruji's passing.
Tim Miller blog
"Dust" - By Tim Miller
I extracted the following poem from Tim's second blog, as well. I couldn't help it. One thing I remember about his workshops is that he always had the most perfect reading excerpts to share with the group. This is no exception.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! Enjoy.
The Feast of the Epiphany
Peace Be unto Thee,
Stranger
Peace be unto thee,
stranger, enter and be not
afraid.
I have left the gate open and thou art welcome to my
home.
There is room in my house for all.
I have swept the hearth
and lighted the fire.
The room is warm and cheerful and you will find comfort and
rest within.
The table is laid and the fruits of Life are
spread before
thee.
The wine is here also, it sparkles in the light.
I have set a
chair for you where the sunbeams dance through
the shade.
Sit and rest and refresh your soul.
Eat of the fruit and
drink of the wine.
All, all is yours, and you are welcome.
-Ernest Holmes
Ashtanga Yoga Toronto
24.4.10
A beautiful demonstration of floating in Sūryanamaskara A.
Hopefully David will be putting out more lovely videos demonstrating the progression of daily practice - balancing strength and flexibility, power and release, in each and every breath.
YouTube channel link: AshtangaYogaToronto.