YOGA

 Yoga is a sacred journey towards the inner realization our true nature. A journey towards the discovery of union between our sense of individual self with the underlying Divine substratum of all existence. The word union is commonly used, but in fact, more accurately it is a reclamation, a remembrance of who we really are. How could we ever be truly disconnected from the very core of our being and from the rest of the universe and the infinite mysterious force that upholds it? It is said the main obstacle in Yoga is a great forgetfulness, an ignorance of our true nature because we are simply confused and have gotten used to living and identifying with a limited sense of self in a world of separation. However, all of us have the seed of Yoga inside and the universal urge for expansion and happiness are expressions of a single and deeper yearning for a reunion with who we really are, with our ancient home and eternal nature.

The journey of Yoga begins with acknowledging this longing. A simple recognition of a stirring inside the heart will do. It need not be declared or spoken or shared, but arises naturally as a longing for something more, a silent conviction that there is more to this life than meets the eye and a desire to know it more intimately. Often the desire to follow the path of Yoga awakens when we simply become bored with the normal passage of time and/or have exhausted the typical joys and experiences that normal human life have to offer, and awaken to a deeper need embedded within our souls to taste the sublime and discover our true purpose on this earth.

While Yoga is ultimately a formless path for everyone, regardless of race, country, gender, religion, body size or shape, athletic ability or degree of strength or flexibility, it has historic roots in Ancient India and finds context in particular methodologies. Yoga is first referred to in the oldest spiritual literature in the world of the ancient Vedas, thought to have origins as old as 6 thousand years. From then, the path of yoga has been described in varying levels of detail and description, and is broken down into a variety of paths and applications for all types of people. It is fundamentally regarded as a practical route to experience union with the Divine offers different paths to accommodate all types of psychological constitutions and differing natures and personalities. However, they all share the common theme of purifying the mind and emotions from selfish tendencies and turn our attention and focus instead to the Divine.

Then Divine qualities, such as love, peace, harmony, selfless power and bliss, are beyond the limited nature of the mind or the perversion of the ego and remain untainted by our past or the collective’s past begin to replace old habit ego rooted patterns. Through recognizing and cultivating these divine qualities, Yoga has the power to transform every aspect of our relationship towards life, from work to love to our connection to each other and the environment - nothing escapes the purview of the light of Yoga.

While there are many paths of Yoga the most popular form today is a practice that uses the body as one of the main foundations. In this way, it starts with the most tangible part of our lives and uses this as a tool to create balance and harmony throughout every other aspect of life. Generally referred to as Hatha Yoga, it is an entire system to purify and strengthen the body, while simultaneously making it more supple and open. It is a practice that teaches us inner strength, openness, concentration and devotion. It looks very physical on the outside but is actually simply a gateway to enter the inner worlds of our emotions, mind and heart. Through this doorway we cultivate a connection to the divine inside of us and begin to awaken this secret flame of inner knowledge that begins to guide us and direct us on the path, guiding us closer to our ancient home we so long to reunite with. Within the wider world of Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga stands out as an effective and potent distillation of Yogic wisdom and contains the essence of all elements of the Path of Yoga at large.

ASHTANGA YOGA

Traditional Ashtanga Yoga

While Yoga for me has been an organic and multifaceted journey, the main practice I have consistently attended to over the years has been the method of Ashtanga Yoga. It serves as a foundation for other practices like meditation, pranayama, prayer and self-inquiry. It is a very concrete practice that grounds me in the physical dimension while giving access to enter the deeper inner states beyond the body with more ease and concentration.

The term Ashtanga literally means the eight-limbed path and was first written about by the Rishi Patanjali in the seminal work on Classical Yoga, the Yoga Sutras. Amongst other approaches to achieve the state of Yoga, Rishi Patanjali proposed the Ashtanga method as the most accessible and linear. It is a path clearly delineated and broken down into different steps, or limbs that constructs a sacred path for the practitioner. The 8 limbs are Yama (moral codes and ethical precepts), Niyama (Purification, Self-Study, Devotion), Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing practices and breath control), Pratyahara (turning the sense mind inwards), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption or final union). The 8 limbs provide an entire and holistic journey of Yoga that begins with daily life and includes all the elements of the inner world and examination and purification of the deepest parts of the subconscious mind.

The modern form of Ashtanga Yoga has been taught by a long lineage of teachers but most recently can be clearly traced back to and inspired by T. Krishnamacharya. His disciple and founder of the modern Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, K. Pattabhi Jois condesend his teachings and creating the modern intelligently sequenced and compact series of postures. Now, his grandson and current lineage holder Paramguru Sharath Jois continues to teach and spread the practice worldwide. The Ashtanga Vinyasa method weaves together wisdom, practices, techniques and insights gleaned over centuries of yogic studies and a variety of traditions. It was created by combining a fusion of the most potent elements from the entirety of the yoga corpus to have an effective practice for the modern man and the busy ‘householder’ in particular. It’s efficacy speaks for itself and could now easily be considered one of the most popular and widely practiced methods of yoga in the world.

Technically, it consists of six full series of postures ranging in difficulty, but most practioners spend most of their lives working on the first two series of postures, the Primary and Intermediate series. These practices are rich and profound in themselves, offering most of the healing and purification benefits from a daily asana practice as well as giving access to the deeper elements of concentration, self-inquiry and mind control. The Ashtanga system is unique as it combines breath with movement in a non-stop, flowing sequence of postures wherein every movement is coordinated with a specific breath count. It not only builds and balances strength and flexibility but also creates an inner sense of calm and an inner environment that is conducive to access the deeper and more internal limbs of Yoga.

While no practice or tradition is perfect, the Ashtanga method and lineage provides a robust and secure framework from which to explore the inner workings of the body, mind and breath, and open to new vistas of inner inquiry. I seek to teach and share from this place of honoring the tradition while passionately investigating the living nature of the practice. Everyday I strive to assimilate the practice into more sublime and refined experiences within my own journey. I teach from this place of deep reverence for tradition while acknowledging my own role in helping it evolve further through my own insights, discoveries and connections drawn from other relevant traditions. In this way, we can extract the sacred essence from the practice and keep the living journey of Yoga alive and flourishing!!