Unleash Your Strength with Functional Range Conditioning!

What is Pranayama? Pranayama, or breath control, is an ancient practice that is a cornerstone of many forms of yoga. The practice of pranayama is said to improve overall health through deep, mindful breathing exercises and techniques. Through its ability to strengthen the connection between the mind and body, pranayama can be used to reduce stress and tension, increase focus, increase energy, and improve general wellbeing. Though it has been practiced for thousands of years, in recent times pranayama has become more popular and accessible to the public. In this blog post, we will explore what pranayama is and how individuals can benefit from its practice. 1. Pranayama is a yogic practice that involves controlling the breath If you’ve ever heard of pranayama and wanted…

This is an introduction to the Functional Ashtanga Yoga Training Program

One of the most brilliant aspects of the ashtanga vinyasa yoga physical practice lies in its adaptability. Not unlike the swiss army knife housing a blade, a toothpick, and a bottle opener, the ashtanga yoga practice works effectively across a spectrum of applications. Not confined to being solely a central axis meditation, one could also consider the vinyasa practice a kind of physical therapy. After all, Guruji referred to the primary series of ashtanga yoga as “yoga therapy” — yoga chitiksa. The premise here is that this practice, when done correctly, heals the body. What needs healing, one might ask? To my mind, its an easing of chronic pain, the kind that subsist long after trauma has been healed.  The other is acute pain, the…

After I was assaulted and hospitalized in 2012, I became something of a media spectacle. We needed money for my surgery (titanium plates run about 14k a pop, and I needed a few), and my community rallied around me. From yogis to drag queens, so many people gave that we had to tell folks to stop. It was pretty amazing. There were even lots of news articles. I shouldn’t have read the comments in those articles. I know a lot about victim blaming now. Shortly after my recovery period, the non-profit activist group Collective Action for Safe Spaces (formerly: Hollaback!) approached me to raise some awareness for their cause: stopping street harassment. It should be a no brainer: you should be able to walk home without getting…

Talking about ashtanga can make you crazy. Or not. Or both. “Whenever we practice, we quickly run into paradox… this is what happens when we start to cling to any one formula or any one technique. We quickly run into this sense that it isn’t complete– when we run into another viewpoint coming up in the background–  there is this sense of paradox.  And, whenever this happens, we know that the yoga is starting to work. Its considered to be a very auspicipous sign. “ — Richard Freeman “The Self-Reference Paradox” With the right google search, you can find someone confirming any belief you’ve been kicking around. Confirmation bias takes us out of our present moment. It sets paramaters for our capacity to feel. And, I…

[su_quote]”This practice, its different. It doesn’t ask you to *give up* anything. A house holder practice, and all that.” I laughed, and responded “except dinner.” — a dialouge with a good friend, on ashtanga yoga. also: bullshit 🙂 [/su_quote] Every Sunday afternoon in Mysore, Sharath holds a conference. It’s a little bit of Q&A time, a little bit of lecture, and a whole lot of Ashtanga Family Time. The Boss’s kids often interrupt. It’s generally very crowded. And, its always really nice. Sharath has done enough of these now that he sometimes finds a deeper question hiding inside the banal. Conference would be much shorter, some might say for the better, if the bit of Q & A were to be removed. But. every so often…

Over the last few years, I’ve received all sorts of questions about the type of yoga I practice and teach. Since before my last trip to India, I’ve been teaching Sunday-Friday at Kali Yoga Studio in Columbia Heights in a traditional format called “Mysore Style” Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. We call this program “DC Ashtanga.” In my experience of both practicing and teaching, I have come across no system of yoga more effective, exacting, or straight-up powerful as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as it’s taught in Mysore. Right now, we have a $45-two week get-started special that will help new practitioners get their feet off the ground and flying high. Like sugar’s taste, its hard to explain, easy to experience. (and pretty darn sweet) Without further ado:…