Psst: new yoga rugs & hand towels... Coming soon. Sign up for the newetter at michaeljoelhall.com to get the scoop about merch & workshops

Psst: new yoga rugs & hand towels... Coming soon. Sign up for the newetter at to get the scoop about merch & workshops

🚥What should be abolished must first be cherished. —Tao Te Ching chapter 36 🚥

Before I left to study with my teacher in Goa, a student of mine at @dcashtanga asked me what to do when practice begins to feel like a chore.
Ugggh. Anyone who's practiced anything for a long freaking time knows this kind of feeling, I think.
The truth is, practicing with very firm attention to detail creates a solid foundation -- bio-mechanically and spiritually. It's necessary. And when it comes to deliberate practice, you are not promised entertainment. You're promised skill development....
But sometimes it sure does get snooze-aroo. 🙄

Here's what's dope: Arjuna says that "yoga is skill in action" in the gita. This is where yoga is forged -- and it's from this very same foundation that one can begin to let go and create -- moving from the explicit to the implicit. Aka: "don't think, go. "🏃 And so I say: go have some fun! Play isn't practice, but don't forget to make sure your practice let's you play. Life isn't meant for supporting practice... Practice is to support your life! 😉

The great irony (oh, how I love the universe's sense of humor) is just how much thinking is needed until we can stop... And go. 🚦

This fall, I'll be teaching a variety of workshops on how to work methodically, and also how to find the play-- Things that I've seen work over and over again. We'll also talk about what doesn't always seem to work so great. 🏋🏻🤸🏻‍♂️ Interested? I'll be announcing my schedule soon 🙂

Hips, man, they get such a bad rap. Everyone wants 'em open, but the actual effort can seem crazy daunting. Your hips want to be happy! They're a ball and socket joint -- lending themselves to a vast array of possibilities. Let's get in there and play!!! 🍑

On Satutday, March 10, @kaliyogadc I'll be teaching a workshop from 2-4 all about exploring the hope. We're going to look at how to access areas inside ourselves that have been blocked off and forgotten -- letting them be felt, seen, heard, and given the healthy attention they deserve. Just like anything, once we do that, a dialouge can happen. 👋🏼 Healthy dialouge builds strength. This is one of the pieces we'll play with... And if it's not available, you'll learn how to look, listen, and ask there right questions to find your way!
🎶: @leatherandsushi

“WHAT DO I DO WHEN I’M NOT ENJOYING PRACTICE?”☝🏽 You are not guaranteed to enjoy practice as a general rule, but enjoyment of practice is so important. Here’s the thing: you’re responsible for your own joy. 💓 💟Be curious! Ignite the inner detective and see if you can find something interesting inside of yourself to explore!
💟Do more... but differently! See if you can find something in your practice you haven’t explored in a while, and bring some fresh energy to it. You never know! It might be so engrossing that you’re stoked to get back on the may tomorrow!
💟Do a little less! Back off just a bit and get the lay of the land. 💟Share with a buddy! Yoga is inherently an internal process... but maybe talking to a friend... or just practicing with them or near them will get you amped again. 💟 fuck around a little... it’s fun. Practice isn’t necessarily fun— but it can be. Don’t be afraid to combat miasma with mirth. —
Interested in bringing fresh eyes to your practice? I’ve got a supple spine workshop coming up at @mindthemat on Saturday, 3/31. Link in bio💪🏻

THE TRUTH IS HARD TO SWALLOW WHEN YOU'RE CHOKING ON YOUR PRIDE

A pretty bold sentiment-- but, at the core of yoga is an aim to see the world as it actually is: unfettered by illusions and delusions. Raw. Real. Sometimes we want to cling to our precious illusions because we like them. Those can be the hard ones to give up. 🙈

In this pic I'm working with @davidgarriguesyoga -- I wanted so badly to have already found what I was looking for -- more extension in my throasic spine-- that I felt at a stalemate. Like, I wanted to already have it so badly, I got in the way of my own getting it. Somehow, I short circuited my own ingenuity and enjoyment. 📷I like this picture, because I remember the feelings from receiving THIS VERY assistance. It was an a-ha. I knew for sure I had not found yet what I was looking for, but I knew for sure it was there waiting to be found. AND I HAD FELT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!
There is a great joy in knowing you don't know but also sensing that with determination, you can find out. Getting a second set of eyes that you trust is invaluable.
Available to each of us is an infinite state of contemplative poise-- and if we weren't kinda in our own way, we'd have it all the time. So, what do we do? We practice at the contemplation and the poise, taking in the truth as best we can. Getting a taste for these feelings, a familiarity.
It's a bold thing to be a seeker of truth. Find me at my workshops at the link in the bio or join my teacher for a RARE local weekend workshop the weekend of April 6 at @ashtanganation In Northern Virginia.

What do you think of when you try to imagine the most ideal circumstances for practice? Perfectly even floors? Temperature just right? Body totally on point? Supportive teacher by your side? I think those are pretty common. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤔 I, for one, hate practicing in the cold, and don’t like practicing in a stuffy room (gimmie that air flow!). ❄️☃️ This year, many of my students took up home practice while I was studying with my teacher. From a business perspective, this is scary... what if they don’t come back? For the sub, it’s disheartening (why don’t they like me???). Not to worry-- from my own experience, this is one of the great joys (and dare I say essential factors) in cultivating a personal relationship with practice: the ability and desire to just go do the damn thing. You can do it anywhere, anytime. Not when, ya know, everything's perfect... (It helps to visit a bestie in miami tho 💁🏼‍♂️ ). My teacher, Rolf, is about a foot shorter than me. To help me help him, and to help me help myself, he's equipped me with ways to work on things that allow me to learn and work independently.
At @dcashtanga we teach one-on-one in a group setting on a daily basis, empowering people with the skills to execute a physical contemplative practice with safety, skill, and longevity. 😍

For those who live just a bit (or a lot) too far, I like to travel on occasion and bring techniques and ideas that may be fresh or useful or different so as to help them develop a functional toolkit-- so they can practice anywhere. 🔧

Just like with my time away, where conditions can be near perfect, it's nice to work on the hard scary stuff in a supportive environment with clear direction -- but it's also great to develop the ability to work solo.
After all, yoga is a journey from the self to the self through the self. So, don't be afraid to work with what you've got... Like a palm tree between your legs. If you'd like to explore the backbending and hand balancing techniques going on here, join me at @mindthemat March 29 (click the link in bio to join me for a supple spine workshop 😉

Backbends, decoded:

In order to develop a supple spine, we need to identify the parts supporting it (and address their intrinsic needs!) ___________________
1️⃣First things first, Identify the parts: shoulders, hips, spine.
Shoulders: 👉🏽right side flexed, externally rotated, upwardly rotated, tilted, protracted.
Hips: 👉🏽Right extended, left flexing
Spine: 👉🏽Extending, focusing on thorasic extension especially. Neutral cervical, resisting the focus only on lumbar.
____________________
🔢Got it? If you're confused by these terms, hit me up for a one-on-one (yoga teachers should know this stuff especially!) or come see me in the mysore room at @dcashtanga ..: or join me for a supple spine workshop. Link in bio 👆🏼
_________
I can help you piece it together... And show you how to address specific limitations that may be hindering your practice. Hit me up.

@sadhanainthecity

HERES HOW IM GETTING RID OF MY SWAY BACK

MY TYPICAL MORNING
🛵
🐘
🤸🏻‍♂️

At @kaliyogadc @dcashtanga is proudly in residency

1: Organize yourself

2. Control Your Movement

1. Organize Yourself

2. Control Yourself

3. See Step 2

4. Lay that thing down flip it and reverse it. "ti plif nwod gniht that yal"

1. Organize yourself 2. Control Yourself

How I protect myself for giving supta kurmasana assists #prehab

1. Organize Yourself:
Spine braced.
Shoulders packed.
Knees drive out. 2. Control Yourself:
Lateral Movements.

dynamic sounds like dynamite. 💣 Dynamite goes boom 💥

New toys for the
supple leopards
at @dcashtanga

when the burpees leave a DC Ashtanga stamp:

flip that thing over and reverse it

butt squeezed ⏩ ⏪ toes point ⏪ navel to spine shoulders to ears ⬇️ ⬆️ chill vibes

Join Maggie and me in Knoxville, MD (near Harper's Ferry!) August 10-12 for a weekend of yoga, community, and philosophy.

https://goo.gl/forms/AmGL5ZocUSZaJIeG3

Samasthithi is the same setup position as the deadlift (fix yo' face hall)

make the movements healthy and accessible--using a band to help with form.

TEAMWORK
MERIT
BADGE @LIVELYOGINI

TFW
A mysore rookie makes their own cheat sheet

Today, a student told me that the pineapple was the fruit of hospitality.
I was like "nah dawg, that's my gig." (You're welcome.) 🍍🍍🍍

@livelyogini teaching folks how to use dat 🍑

🦈 @davidgarriguesyoga my teacher (dun nuh) about to strike (dun Nuh)

if I've learned anything from @davidgarriguesyoga -- it's to turn every obstruction or obstacle into an opportunity for development. your own ingenuity matters and Hatha yoga hones it.

Wanna become a more effective and efficient practitioner and professional?

Join me for my course on Applied Anatomy for Yoga -- This four week course is every Tuesday, beginning October 2nd at @kaliyogadc in DC.
According to the International Association of Yoga Therapists, the two main causes of injury in yoga come from “excessive student effort” and “inadequate teacher training.” By learning how to practice in a manner that is built on a solid foundation of movement science, course members will learn how to practice smarter, not harder— taking the excess out of the effort.

We’ll cover major landmarks, joints, and articulations, weed out misconceptions and incongruences, and have a lot of fun along the way.

Checkout the link in my bio for more info!

there's only one spot left for my anatomy course try not
to stall

finishing touches on my applied anatomy day 1 best study date ever, too. #instawags

lessons from my applied anatomy course!

I still like to write by hand with ink and shit (anatomy preview!!) da traps

my singing teacher, ladies and gents. we learn a lot from each other. @madeline.miskie

yes,
we use props
@dcashtanga

coming in November to @yogadragons Tuesdays @ 730 3 weeks.

Kapotasana: Two Ways

Here are two different ways of approaching Kaptoasana, both with my student Madeline. In the first part, I'm functioning as a support structure both physically and mentally for her. I’m a big ole prop. Because Kapo was relatively new for her, working hands on together was super helpful, as sometimes going to scary places is easier with a friend.
In the second, Madeline is going about Kapo in a hands-off way, using a prop set-up (we use all kinds of different setups at @dcashtanga). Over the last few months, Madeline has become more confident and capable, so she can feel where she really is more effectively. She’s learned how to work on her own and it shows.
Modern postural yoga uses the body as a reference point for understanding the deeper dimensions of insight practice-- like the ability to internalize the sense and focus, allowing for meditation to come on line. An effective posture builds strength and flexibility-- so that you can work in a non harming way; it calms the nervous system-- building distress tolerance; it also works systematically with other postures to unlock certain understandings-- like a physical crossword puzzle keeping the mind and the body sharp.

The thing with these "bigger postures" is that  everyone has their own set of limitations-- both real and perceived-- and working with a good assist or prop setup helps us move from the unreal to the real. That is gooooood yoga, right there.

In the Mysore room, we teach yoga that allows for autonomy and agency. Teachers aren't put on pedestals, and theres no heirachy-- everyone can practice, and even better, folks learn how to practice on their own.

This November, I'm teaching a workshop series on assisting. Over the course of this series, we'll go over the philosophical and the practical of assisting in a yoga room. Participants will learn how see bodies and construct an approach that teaches using voice, intention, and touch. A good assist can offer guidance, make corrections, and sometimes even help with adjustments that a practitioner may not be able to make on their own-- so that they may learn how to *do it on their own!* The link's in the bio.

another day at the office @madeline.miskie

New Classes!! 3 new days to catch me, at my first regular public drop-in classes in over a year.
Join me at the hippest new hotel in the city with the MOST fabulous and chill yoga room— the Eaton Workshop:

Tuesday:
12-1
Wednesday:
1:30-2:30
5:30-6:30p
Thursday:
1:30-2:30

Classes are $11!

Virañci — he who creates.
Kinda looks like rain cloud to me 🤷🏻‍♂️ This posture comes in the middle of the middle of the third series. After having completed some major arm balancing and deep twists, this guy has you work with this set-up three different ways— seated up right in prayer, in a bound arm position, and then in an arm balance.
This is the third aspect of the A part of the posture. The B part gets weirder.
Next week I start creating and holding space for creation at the @eatonworkshop. Classes are $11, and I’m beyond excited to show you guys the space.
Classes this week:
Tuesday
12-1
Wednesday
1:30-2:30

another day at the office with @emerymargaret (listen to that breath! wow!)

55 minute
vinyasa class link coming soon filmed
@eatonworkshop

Yo! I’m a cyber monday!!

Why the shapes, and how does that lead to self realization?
We construct shapes and patterns with our bodies to hone in on the ever-shifting nature of the mind.
Because somewhere inside of each of us is something unmoving and infinite. And only by watching that which shifts can we begin to hone in on that which doesn’t.
It is with these bodies (and brave, tenacious wills) that we create a sacred space for internalization— for observing the profoundly wild inner landscape — and take a stab at making sense of it all, and finding stillness in it.
So how do we find that which doesn’t change? We use our resources: a body that feels, a mind that discerns, and a heart that senses the abode of that unmoving, unchanging thing— infinite and luminous.
Our true self.

The paradox of course, is that as brightly as our god-like infinite, unlimited self shines, we are incapable of looking directly at it... a reminder of the great sense of humor the universe possesses.
And so, we find mirrors. In our friends, our spouses, our teachers, and that very nice cashier lady at Whole Foods. And, of course, our Postural practice. ..
** Drop in classes at the Eaton Workshop, 1201 K St NW
Tues 12pm- Wed 1:30 -Thur 130
**
Workshops this weekend at @mindthemat **
Mysore daily with @dcashtanga at @yogadragons

GO SIGN UP!! link in bio!

more legs
than a bucket
of chicken #eatonworkshopdc

@eatonworkshop

It takes
a village. @holly.yogs.lightly

Book learning can only get you out of so many jams. But carrying water up a hill? That has value. And you know, Rhodes Scholars can dead lift more and more through periodization, just like anyone else. I may never be able to multiply fractions on the fly, but I can teach you to carry your own weight. Strong people are useful.

Join me this week:

Eaton Workshop
1201 K St NW
Wednesday 1:30
Thursday 1:30

hmu for passes if you haven't