Goa Bound - Beauty and the Beach

So my travels in India take me to Goa. This is my mini break from teaching and even practicing. My new friend & new Yogini Maayan decided to travel here to practice some more Ashtanga with Ralph and Marci, so I joined for the trip. The first night we sat and had dinner on the beautiful Anjuna Beach. Jupiter and Venus were aligned and we could see this spectacular sky display in full view. It was lovely. We have enjoyed the beach, the market, the friendly local people and relaxing. While there are many different Yoga, and Reiki classes available here in Goa.....there is something remarkable about meditating with the sound of the Ocean waves crashing on the shore. And the newest thing I got to do on the beach was getting my eyebrows threaded. Threading is the common way to keep brows in shape in India. Instead of using tweezers or wax, women use thread. Goa is beautiful!!! Few more days and I head north to teach, study and enjoy India. Namaste and thank you for sharing the journey.

Welcome New Ashtanga Yogis

Welcome Freshly Certified Ashtanga Yogis to the Worldwide Yoga Community. It has been a blessing to share in this journey. Thank you Caroline for inviting me to join in this experience both as an instructor & participant. Thank you fellow Ashtangi's for making this such a beautiful experience. I know each individual will go on to spread the energy of love & positivity everywhere they go. Congratulations Jaro, Asya, Joanna, Whitney, Elaine, Kim, Sophie, Bob, Bev, Ulrike, Margharita, Maayan, Clare, and Willa (we missed you Willa). Thank you all for helping me grow as a teacher and as a student to the brilliant of practice yoga. Love you all.

Photo: (taken on our last dinner night with live entertainment & a special Birthday cake for Kim)

Top L-R: Ulrike, Margharita, Bob, Whitney, Asya, Clare, Kim, Maayan

Bottom L-R: Joanna, Jaro, Ambria, Sophie, Elaine, Bev

Maha Shivarathri in Vaikom, Kerala

The Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Trainees had the privilege to celebrate one of the most beloved celebrations in the Hindu Calendar, the Maha Shivarathri. This celebrates the blessings of Lord Shiva. The group all dressed in traditional Kerala Set Sari, and Mundu for Jaro. We ventured to the beautiful Temple in Vaikom. They saw the procession, the drums, the Thalapooli line of ladies, the massive crowds, the lit lanterns, the decorated Elephant (who even left a little surprise for everyone to witness) and some of the group entered into the Temple as well. It was such a beautiful experience, and a rare opportunity for Teacher Trainees to celebrate something so special. It was a tremendous honor and privilege to help organize this adventure for this amazing group of Yogis. ~ Om Nama Shivaya.

Ashtanga Yoga with Jaro

Those who practice yoga understand the special qualities that make an Instructor worth following. While I always love to support new teachers, and experience classes from different teachers, it takes a special teacher to have me return for more classes, to have me long for more classes. While I respect & appreciate every learning opportunity, the short list of special teachers who do this for me (and many other students) are Sri Dharma Mittra, Tao Porchon Lynch, Isaac Pena, David Swenson, and Swami Shivam. These are the type of teachers that I not only recommend to my students constantly, but teachers who I would travel to great lengths to take their classes as often as possible. I now have a new Instructor to add to this list.

For a teacher to make my personal list of favorites, the Instructor has an inspiring yoga practice, has in-depth knowledge of the yoga practice, gives impeccable verbal cues, gives amazing adjustments, gives encouraging words, shines with humility, sets the tone for collective consciousness by inspiring synchronized breath, emphasizes the importance of prana, facilitates a mind body experience that challenges us physically, leaves many students with life changing epiphanies/spiritual growth, and of course leaves every student wanting more.

While I am here in Kerala, India, I am blessed to share in Caroline's Ashtanga Yoga teacher training program both as an instructor and student. There is another yogi who is also participating and teaching. His name is Jaro, he is amazing, and he is a new Yogi that I am adding to my personal list of favorites.

His yoga practice is brilliant. His instruction is comparable to the incredible Ashtanga Guru, David Swenson, who not surprisingly, Jaro has studied from. When I first met Jaro (pronounced Yarrow) and heard his name, I instantly knew he had to have some Czech roots. I told him how my late beloved Godfather was named Miroslav and from Czechoslovakia with a brother named Jaro (Jaroslav). Turns out, Jaro is half Czech.

While here in Kerala, Jaro has been instructing students in adjustments and how to lead the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga. He recently taught two led classes. I was supposed to only take the first day led class, and adjust in the second day, but I asked Jaro if I could take both days, and he agreed since I am fine with adjusting that I can take the class. These two classes were soooo incredible, I am mentally planning a trip to Czechoslovakia so I can take his class again.

Jaro is a teacher that is incredibly in touch with the energy of the room, he teaches with the traditional sanskrit Ashtanga Yoga count, and challenges students physically with words of encouragement. He has a lovely sense of humour (comically threatening to collect 50 Euro from students who roll beyond the mat in Chakrasana), and infectious laugh, and gives possibly the best adjustments. Too often teachers avoid adjusting me, they assume since I am flexible or deep into a posture, or aligned correctly, that I do not need to go deeper, that I do not need a tiny tweak, which often makes me never want to return. Like everyone who practices yoga, I LOVE a GOOD ADJUSTMENT, and Jaro gives the BEST!

I am beyond grateful to have met this fantastic Yoga Instructor. I look forward to taking more classes with him in the future.....and conducting retreats and trainings with Jaro as well.

For those of you who are serious about your Ashtanga Yoga practice, please see if you can take class with Jaro. You can also listen to the Pod Cast for the recent amazing classes that Jaro led us in, in Kerala.

Jaro's Website:

www.1yoga.sk

Facebook Fanpage:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/1yogask/219489403341

Photos:

Jaro & Ambria......Jaro doing Handstand

Ayurveda Cooking Class

So while normally each morning is immersion into the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga (Mysore style) we had a special treat recently on our Full Moon, of an Ayurveda Cooking Class. Our daily meals are delicious Kerala style meals, with Ayurveda menu items, as suggested by our beautiful Ayurveda Doctor. Since everyone has been enjoying the meals, part of our experience included a lovely Ayurveda Cooking Class. Our amazing Ayurveda Chef, a fellow Malayalee made some amazing food items.

The menu included:

1. Beet Root Rice
2. Snake Gord Thoran
3. Pineapple Curry
4. Payassam (dessert)

The food was delicious!

Ashtanga Yoga in Kerala

So while students are progressively enjoying the Primary Series of the Ashtanga Yoga practice, as created by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, we are also going over adjustments. For those who are unaware Ashtanga is taught either in a led class or Mysore style. Mysore style is a chance for students to go through at their pace, and Instructors to provide more adjustments. I love to give and receive adjustments because it feels amazing. Adjustments should always be done in a safe manner for both the giver and receiver, with the primary intent to improve alignment and secondary to deepen the pose.

Purvottanasana is a beautiful pose to stretch the entire front body. It is sometimes called reverse plank pose. An excellent way for students to learn to adjust this pose is to stand above the Yoga Aspirant, legs straddled around them, knees bent, and gently placing the hands near sacral area lift up & lean back, keeping their elbows on their knees. This ensures that the receiver will have a lovely adjustment and the person adjusting has no strain to the back in the process.

I am beyond grateful to be part of this experience with these brilliant Yogis. To learn is to grow, to practice is to evolve. Very excited to lead the afternoon Subtle Body & Chakra Class. ~ Om Shanti

Manifesting Dreams with Yoga in Kerala

"Do your practice and all is coming" ~ Sri K Pattabhi Jois

So my trip to India has so far taken me from Delhi where I saw a friend, then to Calcutta where I volunteered with Missionaries of Charity, to Chennai where I saw my Aunty, and now Kerala, the birth place of my parents where I can see my family, where I am studying Ashtanga Yoga, where I am teaching yoga & Chakras, and enjoying the lush paradise scenes of the backwaters of India (Kerala).

As I have said to many of my beloved students in the past, write down your dreams, your aspirations, meditate on them and watch how the Universe brings those things to you. Our thoughts are the key factor of quantum physics, vibrational energy that brings to your life exactly what you seek, and exactly what you are meant to learn from or let go of. Key point, if you want to manifest amazing things, please let go of the things that no longer serve you (grudges, painful memories etc....This will lighten the load for your journey)

So the things I wrote on my list last year:

1. To See my family in IndiaTo study Ashtanga Yoga & become a certified Ashtanga Yogi & deepen my practice.
2. To Volunteer with Missionaries of Charity in India.
3. To study Ashtanga Yoga & become a certified Ashtanga Yogi & deepen my practice.
4. To Teach Yoga and study Yoga in a beautiful location surrounded by water and nature.
5. To meet my Teacher in India
6. To study Ayurveda
7. To travel to the Northern part of India
8. To Study Kriya & Meditation

Last year, I wrote that I want to go to India and see my family, it had been a few years since I was here. I spent my Birthday with my Uncle and Aunt, and have seen almost all of my relatives so far.

I spent one of the most amazing weeks of my life with the Missionaries of Charity, working at Daya Dan, the orphanage for children with special needs. This experience introduced me to amazing new friends from all over the globe, allowed me to see Mother Teresa's Tomb, and spend time with children who will forever remain in my heart.

I also wrote that I want to finally study Ashtanga Yoga. This was on a list years ago, but in the past I would get sick on my many trips to India, I had family obligations, and also I had many injuries (unrelated to Yoga), that left the Ashtanga practice as far to intimidating. But here I am today, enjoying Ashtanga and discovering new muscles.

If you look at my list above, technically I have crossed off item #1,2,3,4 & 6.

The location where I am studying Ashtanga and teaching yoga/chakra in Kerala is on a beautiful exotic Island, 15 minutes from my family. The experience has been so amazing! I am so grateful for the amazing teacher who invited me to teach here during her training, what a blessing.

On my list items #5,7 & 8 will happen in the month of march when I travel north to Dharmshala.

I share this post with tremendous gratitude for the opportunity to learn and teach in the place where my family originates from, in the place where Yoga originates from, and where many of my beloved teachers are from. Also, I share this to inspire people to understand how quickly the universe responds to our desires, our thoughts, our mind.

Watch your thoughts, as they are the map to your life. While the Asana practice is amazing, it is all preparations for us to become one with God, one with this Universe and experience Samadhi.

Namaskaram from Kerala

Pictures:

Ashtanga Yoga Clinic, Class with Ayurveda Doctor, and Me on the Boat getting to the island where I am studying & teaching in Kerala.

Ashtanga Yoga Workshop with David Swenson

This weekend there was an amazing Yoga Workshop with world famous Ashtanga Yogi, David Swenson. Three days at the convention center in Hamilton, Ontario that exposed many people to the world of Ashtanga. For me, Ashtanga was the original style I wanted to learn with the late Sri Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India but due to family obligations on my many trips to India, it never happened yet. At first I entered into the convention center and saw the sea of Yoga Mats laid out, so Katie from De La Soul Yoga (organizer of the event) invited me to lay out my mat close to the front. People came from all over to attend David's weekend workshop. The front was actually the middle, as David positioned himself in the center of the large banquet room. While he was giving a series of workshops for three days, today was Handstanding, Floating and flight. Like many people I have had injuries that have left some residual fears but with practice those fears have been put on the side to usher in the Joy of Flying. David began with answering questions from the group. He shared his take on certification as it is a beautiful thing and now a standard, but the certificate does not make an excellent teacher, he himself never had a certificate, nor did Sri Pattabhi Jois, nor did B.K. S. Iyengar or Krishnamacharya. Certification is a beautiful way to help regulate for studios, but experience, compassion and the ability to deepen a yoga practice is a safe way is ultimately what will make you a good teacher. While I myself taught long before I got a certificate, I am grateful for my training experience and look forward to more trainings. As Ashtanga is known for jump backs and jump throughs we began with that style of flight. With the help of partners we assisted each other to truly get the effect of the physics of the jump. While some may think it is about the height or the speed, it is actually supposed to be effortless with light feet and weight in the hands. From there we explored Handstanding, at first with partners to spot and then free style. It was AMAZING!!! No use of the wall whatsoever, and the beauty of this is it forces you to be aware of the body mechanics, while ensuring safety for your joints. From there we took flight with crow and side crow, kundinyasana, and more jumping through. We concluded the evening with a Pranyama and Bandha worksop that slowly turned into a Pranayama Circle. David began with the quote "Life is initiated on an in breath and terminated on an out breath". David has a brilliant way of teaching with remarkable demonstrations, beautiful stories of Sri Pattabhi Jois & his time in Mysore with Guruji, a ton of comedic comments, and encouraging variations to make sure everyone feels amazing! His occasional imitation of Guruji in an Indian Accent was fun to listen to also. The concept that if we are able to control our breath we can control our mind was something he highlighted, mentioning that this movement is meditation and connection to breath. This was important when we had us all explore Maha Bandha with the engaging of all three bandhas and truly experiencing the 6 directions of breath movement, rather then the sucking in of the abdomen that many people sadly think is Uddiyana Bandha. The Abdominal lock is much more than this, in fact Bandhas is the internal lifting and resisting which is what controls the outside core, therefore it is not a contraction, it is a lift.

It was such an awesome experience to learn with an incredible teacher like David. After the workshop he posed for a picture and we chatted up Mysore and Yoga. Thank you David for an awesome experience, I hope to learn more from you in the future. Thank you De La Soul Yoga for organizing this wonderful event.

Ashtanga Yoga at Reebok

Ashtanga Yoga which means 8 Limbed in Sanskrit is a style of Yoga popularized by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. The practice is taught in Mysore, India now by Sri Pattabhi Jois's son, and is an amazing practice. Originally it was my dream to be an "Ashtangi", the intensity of the practice and power always peaked my interest. However, it never happened, and I just would be wide eyed with admiration for the Ashtanga Yogis that I came across on my journey.

Last night, my amazing friend/yoga student/Karate Sensei, Joseph, invited me to take an Ashtanga class at Reebok Sports Club. Joseph is currently doing the ZOGA YOGA 200 HR Teacher Training, and as part of his training he is taking regular classes. His receptivity to instruction is amazing, and his desire to learn is inspirational.

Reebok houses a lovely "Mind-Body Studio" and amazing Instructors. I used to take classes there regularly when I worked there, but never an Ashtanga class. I asked Joseph is there a lot of "jump backs?" (jumping back to Chutturunga), as I knew this was the flow of Ashtanga, and he said "no" the teacher holds the poses a lot. I said "are you sure?", as I was totally confused, and decided perhaps this is the "watered-down-American version" of Ashtanga, as this was not the description of Ashtanga I ever knew. Since I broke my toe earlier this year, I am laying low on the "jump backs", so I was excited to participate in class.

We enter the lovely space with natural light from wall to wall windows and lay out our mats. Joseph and I are joined by our friend Sensei Oscar. This was the first time I took class with all three of them. The teacher, Evan Perry walks into class. I turn to Joseph and say that I recognize him, and he explains how Evan is the father of a child that used to come to the PreK where we both taught. WOW, small world. Evan begins with a lovely chant, and into Surya Namaskar.....with "Jump Backs". I smile to myself, as I realize this is a serious Ashtanga class I am now in. With the traditional Ashtanga Cues, Evan leads us into a brilliant class. His adjustments were fantastic. He supported me in my forward fold as he noticed I had trouble with one side to balance, and also contorted me deeply into poses & binds that I don't usually do. Joseph calls it the "pretzel class"....it is. Evan concluded class with a wonderful chant, and before we got up from Savasana he was out the door with his back pack on.

The power of ancient techniques & tradition resonate in the Ashtanga practice. I love the emphasis on the breath as connection to the movements and the use of Bandhas, as those are keys to the practice. Thank you Evan for providing an amazing class, thank you Sensei Joseph and Sensei Oscar for sharing in the awesome vibration. All three of us left the class floating!

Picture: Me (Ambria), Sensei Joseph, and Sensei Oscar