I cried in practice yesterday. I have heard of people crying or sobbing in practice, and certainly heard others break down and sob. And I certainly had my own share of silent tears, either during or after practice. But I guess there is a first for everything. Yesterday was Friday so it was just Primary.…
8.11.14 Poses in ashtanga yoga feel like gifts, and sometimes you feel like you don’t deserve a gift. But you accept it anyway, as best and graciously as you can. My teacher David gave me Vasisthasana today. It was not a complete surprise, as he had mentioned that pose when I practiced the day before…
You can’t imagine beginning practice without the opening chant. Sacrilege! You can spend hours talking about the technical aspects of Karandavasana until you are blue in the face and everyone’s eyes have glazed over You begin to think more about what you wear to practice than to your work Getting up at 4:30 am for…
4/8/14 — I finished the Second Series today, and I suppose that I should celebrate, but instead I came into and out of practice somewhat humbled. Finishing the Second Series feels like a milestone and I wish that I could write about just postures themselves; but to leave out the other context of my experience would…
Today I went to practice as usual. I had a good night’s sleep and felt rested. My mind felt clear, and I had a sense of energy in the body. I went through my practice routine…Pashasana was not so much a struggle today, thankfully. Kapotasana felt a little tight but bearable. Maintained balance in Gomukasana. In…
I don’t think that anyone ever looks forward to Kapotasana with unbridled eagerness. Whenever I come up to this pose, I think, “Okay, here we go…” and say a little prayer to myself (aka, please don’t hurt me too much). That being said, I do believe that one can arrive at this posture without the…
It was that kind of day today. The day when your practice…sucked. What an irony, as I wrote blissfully about the interior experience of the Intermediate Series the other day. Today was an interior experience of hell. I wake up around 4 usually as I have to be into work by 7. Usually, between 4-4:45am,…
Sometimes I look at the Intermediate Series as akin to a journey into the Himalayas — it is an endless trek that feels impossibly difficult. We also venture into the interior terrain of the body and soul, and there are two big “hills” over which we must climb. The first is Kapotasana. For me, the…
You would think that the return home would be easy. After all, parts of me were longing for familiar Western comforts, and the comforts of my own home: my own soft bed, bathroom, raw food and water that are safe to drink, safer driving conditions…to name a few. And, I have had more meltdown moments,…
I have been warned that people will have their “moments” when practicing in Mysore. Claudia’s awesome blog about staying in Mysore also has a story about her meltdown moment, which you can read by clicking here. Mine came on the third day, on Monday. Sharath had made an announcement that we will have a led…
Myths and Fragments, Landscape and Writing
notes of an aspiring ashtangi
Ashtanga Yoga in Birmingham, UK
(c) Copyright 2022. This material cannot be reproduced without the author's permission.
(c) Copyright 2022. This material cannot be reproduced without the author's permission.
(c) Copyright 2022. This material cannot be reproduced without the author's permission.
A journey with no end in sight
"The Present Moment" Book Project
Confessions of an Ashtanga Surf Yogi 