Y4L Sutra 1: Practice yoga 6 days a week for about 6 years and then decide if it is something you want to try.

Adapted from David Swenson and David Williams. Williams once told me he is trying a life long experiment of practicing Ashtanga Yoga 6 days a week for his entire life just to see what happens.

Also, almost EVERY student at some point has asked me about some kind of time frame. “How long til these hips open up?” “How long did it take you to learn to “jump-back/through.” As a general answer I often refer to Sutra 1, “Ask me this question again in about 6 years.”

1) You are getting very advanced at intensely practicing frustration. There is a time and place to “get after it”. The practice, however, should not be a constant epic battle in every breath. Is it possible for you to stop “practicing” and just breath and enjoy the process of getting from point A to B? The beauty is the “practicing” part will happen over time with consistency wether you are “getting after it” or not. Yoda: “There is no try, only do.” Stop trying paddle and maneuver in the stream so much and just start to move WITH it.

2) You are also getting good at learning how to injure yourself. For more on this see almost every other Blog entry here, especially; Thoughts On Yoga For Life.

It has been in my mind now for quite a while that there may be a huge disconnect as to our Western approach to Yoga vs. the historical Eastern approach. This can be due to many things, some of the greatest being how it is advertised by various trendy magazines, trendy studios, and simply not understanding (instructors at fault mainly) how asana was intended to be approached.

Here it is in a nutshell in my opinion. Westerners make yoga a BIG DEAL. It is cool, hip, and trendy. We buy all the magazines, clothing, totes, bags, mats, shirts with “yogic” phrases, bumper stickers, etc. We tell out friends we are heading to yoga class as if its a big deal. I completely understand this all and have been guilty of most of it at some point!

However, here is another point of view that… it is not a BIG DEAL. In theory your practice should simply just be a regular part of you daily activity. Get up, drink coffee, poo, yoga, and then on to the rest of the day. And yes I said poo. It literally is meant to be part of the pre-asana ritual. If you dont make it such an EVENT, then you have a much better shot at simply doing it daily and then moving on. Then it becomes less of an event and more of a lifestyle! This is what it was MEANT to be.

Again, I understand how it has been made into a big deal. The Western working world does not necessarily allow us to practice every day consistently, especially once you add in kids, family, and the dozen other activities you are probably trying to take part in during the week. To me, this makes it even more important to treat it like no big deal. If you only get to practice now and then due to scheduling, you are more apt to push harder to make up for lost time. = ouch I always hurt so much after practicing.

Epiphany! Approach your yoga in a way that makes you overjoyed to get on the mat every day. Run gleefully toward your mat as opposed to dragging yourself there because you know you HAVE TO or SHOULD. Stop “practicing” in every breath and simply sip each one and enjoy it to its fullest extent. As a teacher, I really dont give a Savasana as to what your physical abilities may be. I am excited about progress of course, but am truly blessed when I get to watch “practice” slowly fade into joy!

Epiphany #2! No breath in your life is any more important than any other one. You kind of really just need them all. *** More on this in the next piece discussing the reasoning behind Pranayama!***

SIDE NOTE: Due to several personal injuries and life changes over the last year or so, my personal daily asana practice has been altered more than I would like. Within the last several months I was basically down to meditation and pranayama due to a severe hamstring injury (thank you rock climbing). Within the last month I had the first cold I have had in about 13 years and the first resurgence of back pain as well. Started practicing yoga daily about 13 years ago. Hhmmmm.

Sweetness = the nectar derived from a process of work
Sadhana = the work

Join us at the beautiful Pura Vida mountain resort in Costa Rica for a fun filled week of Yoga. We’ll explore flowing Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, Mantra, Mudra, and Thai Massage to discover the sweetness we can harvest in the practice of yoga. Matt and Jenn will teach two classes a day inspired by the Hindu deity Ganesh: the Remover of Obstacles. Remove the obstacles of your daily life for a week, come talk about the elephant in the room, and find out how sweet yoga practice can be!

“If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.”
— Groucho Marx

Retreat Costs:
Tentalow – double (per person) $1,335, single $1,530
Standard – double (per person) $1,405, single $1,665
Deluxe – double (per person) $1,540, single $1,870

About Pura Vida: www.puravidaspa.com

To make a reservation, please call 888-767-7375 ext. 225 or email reservations@puravidaspa.com

Matt has been teaching, practicing, and living Yoga for over 12 years. He likes to call his approach of instruction “yoga mutt”; taking a little bit of information from every resource possible and integrating it into each
class. You will laugh as hard as you work and will enjoy a wonderful sense of community, friendship, and self awareness throughout the
process!

When not teaching, Matt can be found in Austin TX playing
music, two-steppin, and rock climbing!

About Matt: www.yoga4liberation.com

Jenn’s yoga roots are planted in the Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara and Yin Yoga lineages. She draws from the varied styles to create a Vinyasa Flow Yoga style that cultivates strength, grace, fun and freedom of expression.

She has taken over 1000 hours of advanced study and has taught classes in Thailand, Venezuela, Mexico and the U.S. Her yoga practice and her family are the glue that holds her life together and she is deeply grateful for both.

About Jenn: www.experienceshakti.com

AT Austin Kula Yoga- corner of Exposition and Windsor
JANUARY 23rd, 2-4pm
www.austinkulayoga.com

I have had a few spots recently open up in my private teaching schedule! Give me a holler if this is something that may interest you!

So I was talking to a long time student of mine this evening at Kula, and it brought the subject of this writing to the forefront. I have been wondering for three weeks now how my former students, that I have not seen since I left to teach at Kula, have been faring. This is mostly about curiosity and much about me missing those students I haven’t seen. Here is what I am wondering… My classes at a previous studio averaged in attendance around 20-30. Those former same classes are now averaging 4-8 from what I am led to believe. My present classes are all over the place ranging from 1-13 students. So if students are not in my “old” classes, and those students are not in my present classes; then where did they go? Dont get me wrong, this is not about me wanting my peeps back, which to be honest I do, but more about the simple curiosity of where students go. So my question to those of you who fall into this category is… Are you kids still practicing? I certainly hope you are still all loving the practice!

It was the hardest decision I have had to make in a long time to leave (insert former studio name here). The hard part of that decision being based purely on my fear of not seeing so many of the faces that I have watched work so hard and transform throughout my 5 years here in Austin. Due to respect and legality to the previous business owners, there was a lot I wanted to say but could not on my way out. I am an emotional cat and had to hold a lot of sadness and hardship in over the last month or two. My reasons for leaving I am still keeping mainly to myself, but most of you have figured much of it out for yourselves. Suffice it to say I am psyched to be working in a studio that is small, friendly, community based, has yoga and its students foremost in mind, treats its teachers and students with the utmost respect, and is more focused on the business of yoga than being focused on the business of business. Kula sees other studios as partners and community and not simply as competition, and this makes me sooo happy. It seems they honor what they promise and that they hold truth and sincerity quite highly! I love the owners and the students that I have had the pleasure of meeting here thus far. It is so hard emotionally, physically, and financially to make such a change. I am a yogi down to every cell in my body. It is what I do and what I ponder on every day from waking to sleep. Usually I end up dreaming about it too! It is imperative to me that the business of yoga should be first and foremost true to its roots… love, compassion, honesty, community, environment, family, education, and Samadhi -the ability to rise above ego and champion the greater good. A yoga studio should be the pinnacle of this behavior in my opinion and it is reprehensible to me personally when that is not the case. I understand that it is hard in todays day and age to lose sight of the essence of things amongst the darkening clouds of money, fame, growth, and ego; but it is not necessary. I also understand the reality of being able to survive as a business, but am smart enough to know that if you focus on the reasons you exist, i.e. teachers and students, then success is more easily obtained.

Before every class I teach, I allow myself a moment to think about what I am about to do. “Why am I here teaching and what is it I am hoping to impart?” “This is not about me. I am a conduit of information being passed along, that has simply been colored by my own personal experiences.”

Is it possible to ask yourself questions like this no matter what the endeavor? What is your true motive and what are the ripples that are going to be left in the pond when you have thrown your stone in?

I have digressed… a lot, and kind of planned on that happening. Bottom line is that I think Kula has these intentions in mind and it is nice to be in a studio that has the yoga side of their proverbial sh!$ together.

Other bottom line, simply curious about where students go when they disappear entirely. Please leave comments and let me know how and where you are! Hope this finds all my friends, family, and students well and happy! Love you all! Namaste!

When coming from the North on Mopac you can get off at 35th to avoid some downtown traffic and get on Exposition from there. Balcones is also a great option.

When coming across town I highly recommend 38th which turns into 35th, go past Mopac and hop on Exposition.

When coming from South Austin via MopacI highly recommend passing the river and taking either Chavez exit, going West onto Lake Austin Blvd and then North on Exposition OR getting off at the following exit which is Enfield. Both of these will avoid waiting a couple extra minutes in traffic to get to Windsor exit.

If your coming from South Lamar, take a left at 15th to Exposition and avoid the whole Shoal Creek debacle!

Have no fear of coming late, you kids know I dont care at all!
There are many of your faces I have not yet seen, know that I am missing them and wondering how you are and how your PRACTICE is!! Come by and play!

WWW.AUSTINKULAYOGA.COM

I just recently had the pleasure of attending a weekend of workshops with Matthew Sweeney and had a fantastic time. There was quite a bit I picked up and am still processing and integrating much of it. The initial golden nugget that I came away with was a quote which he passed along to us and I can unfortunately not remember the source. It is a succinct way of defining a philosophy I have been a fan of possibly since birth.

“I use methodology, I just dont believe in it.”

He drove this concept home all weekend as it regards to teaching/practicing yoga and how many of us get so firmed in our belief of a method or technique, that we often stick to it much to our own detriment. I have personally found in my own teaching to use certain techniques to help students along the path, but to constantly leave myself open to completely altering that technique if something else seems to have a better result. There are far too many teachers and styles of yoga, in my own opinion, that adhere so strictly to a particular method, that they often are doing the student a disservice if not even injuring them at some point. If you think your way is right, you are wrong.

One of the gifts that separates some of the most successful teachers and some of the happiest human beings from the pack is the ability to have a well thought out and fact/experience based method or opinion and the freedom and forethought to give it up if something better comes along. I love it when I am in conversation with friends and holding strong to an opinion until someone gives me a better reasoning and I simply change my perspective. “I used to think one way, but now I am open to another, and I am better off for it!” There are few worse crimes as far as freedom of thought goes, than that of belief or blind faith. Once you put a thought or method in a steel box, all other option have now been ruled out.

As far as yoga goes and asana practice, every student that has ever been in a particular asana has had a different overall experience than any other person ever! We all have completely different ages, physical/psychological/ emotional injuries, body types, etc. Thus, methodology is a useful starting point but should never be the golden rule!

Let the temple doors open so that all that come may be served! (conch shell blowing in background)

The first one that I m going to mention is that of sound.  There are many sounds that can come out of the human body, some can be controlled and others not.  Some effect only the student and some effect your immediate local environment.  Gas related hygiene is most often a controllable event that can negatively effect the entire room rapidly.  Now, granted, historically there are postures for releasing gas and dealing with digestion.  Pattabhi in fact mentions getting rid of “bad gas”.   My observations are thus…  Sometimes things just sneak up on you and there is nothing you can do, but one of the benefits of consistent practice of yoga is that over time you can balance out the body and what you are ingesting, so this no longer happens.  I am aware of students that just “let it rip” all of the time.  FIrst off, we are in a public and often crowded environment.  When most of these concepts of releasing gas were written or created, you were in a room with you and your teacher, not in a room with 30 people you did not know too well.  Big difference.  Second of all, yoga should be dietary introspection as well as spiritual or physical.  If you have gas all the time,  then you need to look at what you are eating and alter it.  Gas is your body telling you that you are eating something that is not in your best interest (or those around you).  I know this because garlic is my first love and the bane of all of those who are subject to its aftermath.  So I stopped eating a lot of it and my digestion AND skin were altered for the better.  If its bad etiquette to wear perfumes or colognes, than dont you think it would be worse etiquette to have digestive “cologn”?   Haha.  Thats funny.  I am always amazed at the ease with some students comfortability and obvious non  caring or even the reinforcing of this particular behavior.  Seriously.  Respect those around you.

The subject of smell in general is a big one.  Personally, I am a bit allergic to perfumes and colognes and will spend my teaching/practicing time sneezing and crying when someone decides to douse themselves in them.  I dont jump around and show off, wear distracting clothes (whole other subject), or do anything else that distracts me or others.  This includes smells.   I find that the best situation for me is to shower immediately before a practice and immediately after.  I know that it is hard to find the time or shower for that matter.  Because of this, I often carry wet wipes or use a wet tissue in the bathroom to spot clean problem areas before class.  I understand that some folks fundamentally disagree with deodorants and whatnot.  However, there are ecologically minded products out there that work well enough to get through a practice.  I  have found some great ones!  Also, what you eat comes out of you not only in “sound” but in sweat.  When I eat onions or garlic, I smell like I ate onions or garlic.  When I stopped eating all things fried, my skin and sweat were totally altered for the better as well!  

Cleaning your clothing and yoga mats/rugs is huge.  HUGE.  Us men smell like man things and its not a good smell when  left to “age”!  Your rug should be cleaned, often.  

Patanjalis’ Yoga Sutras mentions the concept of SAUCHA, purity and cleanliness of body, heart, mind, and environment.  It is one of the 5 niyamas.  The Niyama are the second of eight elements in the 8 limbed approach to yoga, asht+angas.  Caring about yourself and your local environment is an integral step on the path to yoga.  Conscious of not only yourself, but of those around you.  By all means eat what you want, “expell gas” at will, and clean as little as you like while in the privacy of your own home.  If you are putting yourself in a public environ, however, your behavior cannot be the same as when you are at home.  I try to behave in a manner all of the time that does not need to change due to my environment.  Life is much easier this way and I find that I am always respectful of both myself and others constantly!  SAUCHA for my people!