Monday, May 18, 2009

Carrying on with tradition...


This morning we received word that our beloved Guruji passed away. He would have been 94 years old this year, so certainly he has lived a full and wonderful life. Today, as I received word of his passing, I am so very grateful that I took the time to see him last year.

To Guruji...
I promise to carry on the ashtanga yoga lineage as you introduced it to us. I promise to honor the ways of your teachings to the best of my abilities. I promise to continue my path in this yoga, to show up on my mat, to present this yoga in a manner that will continue to honor you.

I will be forever grateful for this practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I have been altered by this practice and touched by the man who gave it to the world.

Peace Guruji!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

find the middle path

Even in Ashtanga we must follow the middle path. Not to hard, not to soft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KwqxZiM9y4

Monday, April 20, 2009

Beautiful graphic art yoga

Stumbled across this artist while looking through ashtanga poses images on google. She is very unique and has beautiful talent.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/gosiajanik/sets/72157607323430449/detail/

"Ashtanga during pregnancy"

Here's that article I was referring to when we talked about prenatal yoga. Amazing, simply amazing.


http://ashtanganews.com/2006/06/06/ashtanga-during-pregnancy-one-ashtangis-experience/

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sanskrit and Chanting

Hello!

We covered a lot of material this weekend, most notably the Sanskrit counting and chants. I will post much more here in the next few days as a back up to everything we did in training this weekend but wanted to kick it off with the following link to the Gyatri Mantra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW8IjcOWtlI&feature=PlayList&p=4EC85A945242AE0B&index=11

॥ ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहिधियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
In
IAST
oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
(a) tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
(b) bhargo devasya dhīmahi
(c) dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt
In
IAST Long Form
oṃ bhūr oṃ bhuvaḥ oṃ svaḥ oṃ maḥ oṃ janaḥ oṃ tapaḥ oṃ sat yaṃ
(a) oṃ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
(b) bhargo devasya dhīmahi
(c) dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt


And this from the SwamiJ website:
Gayatri Mantra(Gayatri Audio CD)
Gayatri Mantra (GUY-ah-tree) is one of the most known and beneficial of the ancient Sanskrit mantras. Gayatri is a mantra of physical, emotional, and mental healing, purifying the subtle karmas, protection from the onslaught of obstacles, and of spiritual awakening or Self-realization.
The handwritten mantra below and the audio sound sample are by my dear friend, Swami Nardanand.
Aum Bhur Bhuva Svah Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Naha Prachodayat
On the absolute reality and its planes,On that finest spiritual light,We meditate, as remover of obstaclesThat it may inspire and enlighten us.

Click here to listen to 108 repetitions by Swami Nardanand.
Audio Podcast: The Secret of Shiva and Shakti in the Three Worlds
------------------------------
AUM/OM: Absolute reality. That which encompasses the three states of
waking, dreaming, deep sleep, represented by AUM, the three levels of gross, subtle, causal, the three levels of conscious, unconscious, subconscious, and the three universal processes of coming, being, and going. Absolute silence beyond the three levels is the silence after AUM.
Bhur: Physical realm or plane; earth.
Bhuva: The subtle or astral plane.
Svah: The higher, celestial plane.
------------------------------
Tat: That, the essential essence.
Savitur: Bright, luminous, sun-like, inner power of spiritual light, which brings one to Self-realization.
Varenyam: Finest, best, choicest, fit to be sought.
------------------------------
Bhargo: Destroyer of obstacles. Effulgence
Devasya: Divine, resplendent, shining
Dhimahi: We meditate.
------------------------------
Dhiyo: Our being of intelligence, intellect, understanding, mind/heart
Yo: Who, which
Naha: Our
Prachodayat: May enlighten, direct, inspire, guide, impel.


This is a lot of information on one chant...enjoy! Now you can chant along AND know what you are saying! I really enjoyed class this weekend! Thanks for being such great students!

Peace,
Linda

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sharath 2009 Tour

As you all know, I traveled to Islamorada to take two classes with Sharath! (http://www.rsharath.com/) I did not come here with huge expectations... only a little yoga and a lot of R&R! What I got was some awesome yoga and a little r&r. After class he spoke briefly about how all of this is possible because of his grandfather and that the yoga does not belong to one person, but to everyone. I got several adjustments, which were quite nice.

A little inspiration goes a long way and I was definitely inspired this weekend!

I hope you all enjoyed your Real Life Ready portion of the teacher training. I understand Theresa gave you a lot of information. :-)

Linda

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Philosophy - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

There are four chapters or padas in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, they are:

1. Concentration (Samadhi Pada)
2. Practice (Sadhana Pada)
3. Experience (Vibhuti Pada)
4. Absolute Freedom (Kaivalya Pada)

In the last post I asked that you start reading the second Pada, this is because I believe that it is a nice place to start studying. I still want you to take a look at this Pada, however I will start posting sutras from the first Pada with explanation and discussion, one at a time...one each day. So, check in here daily to read the sutra and respond or ask questions accordingly.

1.1 Now then authoritative instruction of yoga. (atha yoga anushasanam)

atha = now then
yoga = union or bringing together; contemplation or absorption
anusasanam = teaching

Monday, March 16, 2009

Philosophy

To this point, we have not spent a great deal of time studying the philosophies associated with the Ashtanga Vinyasa System. As we continue to move forward, the physical practice is taking shape, I would like to start introducing some of the philosophical aspects of the practice. These will be simple illustrations of some of the concepts and how they could be applied to your daily life. Of course some will be more challenging than others, experiment with spending some time with the "1% theroy" of Ashtanga Yoga and see if or how it changes how you move throughout your day.

Guruji often refers to his Ashtanga Vinyasa System as "Patanjali's Yoga." The translation of "ashtanga" is ashta=eight and anga=limb, which implies an eight fold path. The path as descirbed in the Yoga Sutras are guidelines for how we live; moral and ethical conduct, self discipline, etc...a prescription, if you will, for how to live a purposeful life.

Do a little on-line search regarding the Yoga Sutras, Book 2. www.swamij.com is a great place to start.

I will start posting some things to think about along with a sutra... let the journey begin! I hope you enjoy this section of the training.

Peace,
Linda

Marichyasana = Marichi's Pose

It was a great day in teacher training on Sunday, March 15th! We practiced in the morning, had a wonderful lunch at Infusion Tea outside in this glorious weather and then got to work! We worked our way through Navasana in adjustments.

The homework for this section is to continue the work in understanding the Sanskrit name and translation of the postures. Marichyasana has a different translation, it is named after someone... who is it? Do some research on Marichi.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Krisnamacharya Yoga Film 1938 (silent)

I found this video on YouTube... I continue to be amazed by the posts! Take a look and then do some research on Krisnamacharya, post five (5) things you learn about him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd_eTupTCbI

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A Question...

Hello fellow yogis!

I am just curious to know what you feel your yoga practice has given you, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.  

Also, what do you hope to get out of it?  Goals?  (those reached, and those reaching towards).

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Article on Chaturanga

Hey check out this article and let me know what you think:

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Bad Karma

Ariticle from Self Magazine on some interesting injuries...

http://www.self.com/health/2008/06/yoga-related-injuries

Great Progress.

We have had a great couple of weeks in teacher training! I have enjoyed this journey very much and I am grateful to be sharing it with you.

In the next couple of weeks I would like for you to observer a led primary series class. As an observer, take some time to watch the students as well as the teacher. Enjoy the dance, the energy created as a room of people move to the same breath! It is a glorious sight.

For Alex and Jeff, we will be moving into some anatomy study. Please send me an email of your anatomy studies today. Do you feel like you have a strong anatomical understanding? What do you think will best serve you as a teacher: 1) In depth knowledge of muscles; 2) Practical application and understanding of the body; 3) endocrinological applications; 4) subtle bodies. Go on line, look up chakra.

For Anat and Cris, next week begins Teaching Methodology. We will be touching on the qualities of a teacher, styles, principles of deomonstrating and more. I would like for you to take some time this week and think about your teachers, yoga and otherwise. Best and worst teachers, how would you do things differently, what to expect to gain from teaching yoga?

Please send me your thoughts, research, questions, and observations by Thursday.

Have a great week! Peace, Linda

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Fundamentals of Teaching I - Assignment 2/3/2009

Welcome to the Urban Ashtanga Teacher Training Blog!

As you can see, we posted some information on the blog during the last session. Going forward, all of your homework assignments will be posted here and I would encourage you to post comments and questions here as well. The teachers from the shala are also watching and participating in this blog, who themselves have been through teacher trainings, have a wealth of knowledge and may have some constructive input that you will enjoy. Use this media to open dialog about your classes and studies.

Assignment #2
Do some research on Ashtanga Yoga. What are the key elements of the practice? What is “vinyasa?” What is the breath? What are bandhas? How do these combine to make up the Ashtanga Vinyasa system as we know it? There is a lot of information on the web, there are many books in the shala, starting with Yoga Mala. Spend some time with these words and their meanings.

Take a look at this video clip of Guruji talking about Ashtanga.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQGRq00xqbI
Go to the Shri K Pattabhi Jois website at www.kpjayi.org.
Spend some time getting to know the man who brought this practice to us.