Ashtanga*Ashtanga

Snow Day Tomorrow?

If you're wondering if we'll be open for business as usual tomorrow, January 28th, just check the news! If AISD is open, we will be too! You can always check online to make sure your class is on: just go our website and check any of the schedules on the left-hand side of the screen!

Practicing to Feel Better

 Read on to hear the rest of Matt's great thoughts about the David Williams weekend-keeping it simple, beneficial, and for yourself!

Whether we are pointing a foot or flexing it, whether we are rolling around 9 times or 5 in Garba, whether we are doing the invocation together or call and answer, what’s the difference? The questions to be asked are so much simpler.  Does this teacher have my best welfare in mind? Do I feel better after each breath? Do I WANT to practice as opposed to HAVING to practice?

I understand and respect tradition, but if the tradition is not making you better, then you need to question it. There are certainly a lot of traditions that we no longer take part in that some crazy person came up with and then some “bad” person thankfully questioned.  

The bottom line for much of this for me is that it was so good to finally hear a senior instructor lay this out plainly.   I have often felt to be in a minority and jokingly called myself an “anti-ashtangi." I have, in fact, had my wrists slapped by other teachers telling me that this line of thinking is not Ashtanga and that I need to go to Mysore to “fix” it. Well, if injuring people and putting asana in a box so it cannot grow according to peoples needs is Ashtanga...then Ashtanga is not yoga and needs to be put into its rightful place in the gym. Ouch! Might have gone a bit far there--almost offended myself! To truly understand yoga, its origins, and its theory we should all read and re-read in order of their creation, The Upanishads, The Gita, Yoga Sutras, and The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, or in my line of keeping things simpler--just experience your practice and constantly question it!

“This calm of the senses and the mind has been defined as yoga.” -Upanishads

“Even as a burning fire burns all fuel into ashes, the fire of wisdom burns into ashes all works.” -Bhagavad Gita

“The practice of Yoga...must develop our capacity for self-examination...” -Yoga Sutras

“Hatha yoga is the greatest secret of the yogis who wish to attain perfection. Indeed, to be fruitful, it must be kept secret; revealed it becomes powerless.” -Hatha Yoga Pradipika (...this blog is for your eyes only and will self destruct in 15 seconds!)

Disclaimer:  All of the above is truly just personal thought and inspiration from Davids workshop meant to create thought and discussion. Nothing is meant in the least to offend or judge others who believe or feel differently. We all learn and are inspired by different approaches toward the same ends!  Practice inspired, simply, and compassionately!

And remember: “How can I practice today so I can still do this when I'm 100 yrs old?” -David Williams

Slowing Down the Ashtanga Train

by Caitlin Culp

When I first started practicing at Yoga Yoga, I was a dedicated Ashtangi. I didn't like Flow classes because I didn't know what poses were coming next, and I didn't like Hatha classes because it was more talking than I wanted to deal with. I liked getting into class, getting into my zone, and re-emerging an hour and a half later, drenched in sweat and completely satisfied. I religiously went to Matt's 4:30 class on Monday at South and Libby's on Friday at North and saw no reason to step outside that box.

And then somewhere in there, I realized that I was getting frustrated with myself in class. I thought I should be able to bind in twists and get into headstand without problems, since everyone else around me was doing it. I started leaving class physically hot and mentally annoyed, angry that I wasn't progressing as quickly in my asana as I thought I should be. Eventually I quit going to Ashtanga classes altogether, because my practice was less comforting and more angering; it (finally) occurred to me that ending my practice in a huff wasn't helping me any.

It's been about a year and a half since I made that simple but profound discovery. We're right in the thick of a Texas "winter," and my body has been dying to move and sweat. A few weeks ago, I decided it was time. Time to get out my Yogitoes and venture back in. And how awesome it was! Matt was high off his weekend with David Williams (read his post below), and he really emphasized what I feel like often isn't emphasized enough--that we're not there to push ourselves to an unsafe place but to find the forms of the poses that are most appropriate for us at that moment. For me, that means moving through the sequence a breath or two behind everyone else, and for the first time in an Ashtanga class, I let myself do it. It was amazing and eye-opening. I left the class feeling refreshed and content, just like in the good ol' days.

It's a lesson I hope I can take with me not only into other classes, but into the rest of my life. Slow down. Don't push. Even when everyone else around you is panting and red, remember that you're doing what's most appropriate for you, even if that means you're a few steps behind everyone else.

Thoughts on David Williams, a Few Weeks After the Fact

by Matt Borer

There was certainly a lot of great information and advice to ruminate on after David’s wonderful workshop here at the YogaYoga. So much of his viewpoint was new and refreshing to hear, and much of it simply reinforced thoughts that I have been harboring for quite some time. The major one of these thought processes is that your yoga practice should be an enjoyable, elevating, healing practice that should be approached with an eye toward simplicity!  Seems like an obvious statement, but when I tell many students to RELAX to deepen their practice and that it shouldn’t be a frustrating goal oriented process, they sometimes look shocked!  “You mean I can just relax and not push constantly?” Indeed! For two weeks after his workshop I tried to get students to create a silent verbal contract both with themselves and me. Something to the effect of...

Student:
I am giving myself the freedom to not compete with myself or others. I am giving myself the freedom to alter, modify, or skip postures I intuitively know are not making me feel better. If i come out of an asana feeling worse, than I am doing it wrong! I have the freedom to verbally question any teacher concerning what they are asking of me and how they are physically assisting me. I am here to feel better in every breath!  I will settle for nothing less than this!

Teacher:
I will do everything in my power to give you a healthy, compassionate, and comfortable environment in which you can let your practice grow in the directions it needs to. Anything I ever suggest in a class is entirely negotiable. You have the power to NOT do anything you know is a bad idea for your body or mind. I will never physically assist you in any way in which you could possibly become injured.  (If you are injuring yourself in yoga, you need to approach it differently or find another teacher that understands and has compassion for human anatomy. Seriously, question your teachers actions, motives, and methods.  Injury is %100 unacceptable!) As teachers we are not always in the right. I am open to any questions, ideas, suggestions, and changes out there. I am still learning constantly as well!

The best quote I got from David over this weekend relating to this is, “We are doing cave man exercises.” I love it. Think about it. 

Caveman:
“What can I do with the tools that I have to make me feel better and give me a longer, happier, healthier life?”

Before the advent of any modern medicine, besides the practice of eating random things and waiting to see what happens, we had only breathing and movement to experiment with. How can we make ourselves feel better using just the tools of movement and breath? Stop making it so complicated!

Check back for more of Matt's insights on this way of approaching your practice!

What Students Are Saying About David Williams

All the students who participated in the David Williams event last weekend seem to be bursting at the seams with new insights and inspiration. Here's what a couple of students had to say about the weekend:

Cedar, our Yoga Yoga bookkeeper, said:
I loved his philosophy of practice - Don't hurt yourself!  I have hurt myself in Ashtanga Yoga a number of times and have been hurt by teachers; trying to figure out how to maintain an ongoing practice after these traumas has been difficult, even though I recognize all of the benefits of the practice.  His words helped me start to reconcile these reservations, and begin to realize the benefits of the practice again.  Endorphins!  Stretching!  Also, his stories filled in a lot of the gaps and reconciled some of the inconsistencies in the story of Ashtanga Yoga that I had been wondering about for a long time now...I think I have a greater respect for the spiritual tradition and the long history of the practice now.  David Williams more or less encouraged us all to become students again--to investigate the practice for ourselves rather than obeying without question.

And Rachel, one of our Ashtanga teachers at Westgate, said this:
David Williams was a breath of fresh air for many of the Yoga Yoga Ashtanga studen, as he echoed lots of the alternative ideas they were secretly harboring on their mats.  For others, his challenges of the long-accepted patterns and rituals of the very tradition that he was responsible for bringing to America, created unrest and discontent.

As a teacher and a student of Ashtanga, I have mixed emotions about David's visit.  I was overjoyed that he, as senior teacher, broadened the minds of long-time practitioners who might otherwise continue down a blind path of injury.  He not only made the practice accessible to people of all ages, but he also assured them of its changeability.  His vim and vigor as he nears the age of sixty were a testament to his opinion.  His overall appeal  to those willing to accept his ideas was immense and I hope students do not simply trade one dogma for another (something he cautioned us against himself.)

The most important lesson for me was to use common sense and intuition.  Teachers and disciplines serve only to put us all on a path that grows into our own.  It is a mistake to follow a path without question.  It is our job to decide the future of this style of yoga as it is now uncertain.  And the more I learn about the entire world of yoga, the more I know that uncertainty is a good place to be. 

 

Pictures From Our Weekend With David Williams

Here's a peek at the David Wiliams event this past weekend at Westgate. Stay tuned to hear from some of the students who were able to be there!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Alicia's Ashtanga Yoga Medley

Rusty found this great video on YouTube recently and wanted to share it with all of us! He recognized a former Yoga Yoga student and writes about seeing her practice second and third series back when he'd only heard of those mythical sequences. Read his article below:

Some of you old-timers may remember a fellow student, Alicia Russell. If there was anyone who was ever naturally inclined to this practice, it was Alicia. After a few short months she had mastered the primary series and was moving on to second and beyond. I can remember being next to her during Sharon Moon's Sunday afternoon Mysore class and seeing her do third series postures. At that time, I had heard that there was a third series, but I had never seen it practiced.

A few Sundays later, Alicia was subbing for Sharon. At the beginning of class, she asked if there was anything in particular that we wanted work on. Like a crazy person, I asked her if she could teach me how to float. Without rolling her eyes or laughing out loud, she proceeded to work with me and my 8 month old practice that afternoon. I was certainly much too undeveloped to make any tangible progress in this area, but she gave me something so much more valuable……the sense that at some point I would be able to do it.

Alicia moved up to Eureka Springs, Arkansas several years ago. She opened a yoga studio. I saw her at David Swenson's last Yoga Yoga workshop, along with a half dozen of her students. One of those students was her husband-to-be. Now Alicia Russell goes by Alicia Jones. About a week ago, I saw Alicia again. I did not see her in person, but on Youtube! I hope you enjoy.

Last Chance for the Fall Special!

We know that the more regularly we practice, the easier our practice becomes. Instead of jumping into two classes a week and staying sore for days, a daily practice helps condition the body and the mind to fully receive all the benefits of an Ashtanga practice.

In the Unlimited Program, you can come to as many classes each week as you want to help create a regular practice! The Fall Special only lasts through October 15th, so if you've been sitting around thinking about signing up, it's time to come in and do it! Remember, when you sign up for the Unlimited Program now, you will receive: unlimited classes for $99/month, 50% off weekend workshops, a free eco-tote bag, and the chance to bring a guest with you to every class in December.

You can sign up at any of our locations!

Meet the Ashtangi: Terri Koen

A year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I lost 25 pounds in mostly muscle mass in a very short amount of time. While I enjoyed the weight loss (I was planning my wedding then), I was physically weak. I played in a volleyball league at the time, and it was frustrating to not be able to overhand serve or hit the way I used to. My doctor recommended that I keep my stress levels down and stick to low impact exercise until my symptoms were under control. I started taking an Iyengar class at the University of Texas. It was very relaxing, but I missed the physical challenges of more active sports. My teacher at UT recommended I take a beginning Ashtanga class at Yoga Yoga after I finished grad school to continue my practice.

I started my adventures in Ashtanga with Matt's Beginners Series at Westgate. I liked that the progress was slow, because I wanted to challenge my body without going too fast too soon. I was also taking medication to slow down my thyroid, so not only was I trying to build up strength again, I was also fighting another set of symptoms that had me feeling sluggish AND rapidly gaining weight.

Every time I went to class, though, I felt like I was making small steps toward health. Now that my thyroid levels are back to normal, I'm dealing with the stress of my new job. It requires long hours and frequent travel. In just the month of June, I saw 5 different airports! I really treasure the times I can go to class and forget about the outside world. It's 90 minutes when I don't have to worry about work, my next business trip or any of the chores waiting for me at home. I love sweating out my stress and any negative energy. I love that I know what I'm up against, and yet the challenge is different every time. I feel like I've really found something that has wonderful benefits for my entire being, and that I can practice for the rest of my life.

Johnny Kest: Patanjali and Fighting Fear

To thoroughly present to you the entire weekend with Jonny Kest would take up too much space, so let's whittle the entire forest down to one particular tree: Jonny's extraordinary interpretation of Pantanjali's second sutra. For those not familiar with Pantanjali, he is credited with writing one of the authoritative texts on yogic philosophy, the Yoga Sutras. About 2000 years ago, Patanjali wrote down these 197 short sacred phrases. Since then, the Yoga Sutras have yielded ten thousand times as many words of interpretation.

An artist's interpretation of Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras (2nd century BCE)

In the second sutra, Patanjali defines "yoga." The Sanskrit definition reads,"Yogas citta-vritti-nirodhah."The common English translation is "Yoga is the restraint of mental modifications." There are dozens of interpretations of this phrase, but to some none as seemingly compelling as Jonny's.

In his words, "mental modifications" are fear. And fear is caused by two things: fear of losing what you have, and fear of not getting what you want. When we are afraid two things happen. First, our breath changes, becoming faster and/or shallower. Second, our body changes. We tremble, sweat, or tighten up in anticipation.

By practicing asana and pranayama - rehearsing control over our breath and our bodies, we prepare ourselves to meet fear head on. By steady practice, we build the tools to fight fear.

We're interested to know if this interpretation resonates with you in your own practice and life. Leave us a comment and let us know!