Sunday's at Hall Manor.

As I was leaving the beach, this shack was playing an excellent remix of "Short Dick Man" by Gilette.
Go home, Hall, you have won at todaying.

Just three of the nasty woman in my life. <3

I'm hearing these horror stories about manatees in red hats descending on my city, demanding fish and fried mayonnaise balls. You know what that hat days, eh? @carterstevens
Somehow they've learned English enough to harangue the queers and POC with micro & macro aggressions.
My past:
Most of my early 20s was spent in straight dive bars after work at the DC Improv. I got in a lot of fights -- Drunk guys felt like they could get away with not-so-subtle digs...and I had no problem using my words and my arms to defend myself. It didn't take much to set me off.
I also generally had a surly tits-drunk crew of straight-bros that got excited to talk shit back. They're great men. Typically, things diffused before it got too real. Turns out, most of these bigots were chicken shit.
Things were different then-- both the cultural acceptance of belittling gay folk, and the shortness of my fuse. Sure, I'm not at bars till last call much anymore, but I think it's more than that.
We can't go back. I'm not saying fight these folks with fists, tho, I wonder if maybe I wasn't doing my yoga, which of the bamas would be dead. jokes.
Seriously: Don't be a door mat. Call a bigot a bigot. Don't let the physical manifestation of privilege and patriarchy intimidate you. And, if you are afraid, feel your feelings and if you can speak up: do it. "Tell 'em boy bye. Middle fingers up."

I found something that won't move. Something that feels dormant. So now the fun begins.

On the walk back from Mandrem to Ashwem, I saw the bottom two. So, I decided to play along.

Sunday's are often my rest day (heh: Saturday's, too) -- but when you're feeling like a pretty peacock on the beach, maybe you just gotta shake yo' tailfeather.
I saw @harmony_ashtanga and @waldenjessica talking about "being curious about what is possible" -- and ohhhh man-- doesn't the potential of limitless potential just make you wide-eyed, giddy, and wonderful? Doesn't the curiosity tickle your heart strings?

Tomorrow it's back to practice with community, so maybe I'll slow down on the beach videos.
The truth is, I rarely see my postures this way. At #DCAshtanga we have a "no cameras in the Shala" rule that has exceptions for kids & animals... and occasionally as a learning tool. I stick to it pretty strongly personally, too. Heck, Rolf doesn't even want us to bring our phone to the shala (and probably doesn't like that I've been talking about him on here...). Thanks for sharing some play time on the beach with me. Maybe I'll share more?

Fun fact: I packed everything for this trip into a carry-on. 🏊👙(count the short-shorts)

Practicing dynamism -- working each vinyasa as a part of a whole.
Each dynamic position, each"count" in the vinyasa krama, has an infinite number of breaths that can be explored. But much like garment construction, you have to eventually piece it back together and hope it wears well. @rupaulofficial and @michellevisage would read you to filth if you came out on the runway in just a sleeve, but a well constructed frock gives you a polished look. Oh, sure, the dristhi might be off, or the hem of the skirt, but so long as you're keeping that waist cinched... Sorry. You know I get distracted by drag queens. Anyway.
Rolf told me to go practice in the afternoons on the beach. "Keep your back to the ocean, and work on your ticktacks. Many people learned that way." Playfulness is so important to me, and dynamism sparks just that.

Sprout let me try on his Manicorn cowl (it! has! a! cape!)-- he told me I could be a womyncorn if I wanted-- "the unicorn federation doesn't discriminate."

Spent New Years with a crew of South Americans-- then hung out with some great Iranians. Man, I love world travel.

Can you spot Ganesh? This is my little alter at @dcashtanga ... From the darkness before daybreak 'till dawns early light, his shadow spreads wide-- the shadows of his ears becoming the wings of an angel.
His presence is harder to spot by the time the city begins its bustle, unless you know where to look.
I really love early morning practice, even when it's truncated so as to both support my community and to maintain healthy sleep... But man, catching the auspicious hour sure does reveal things that can't be found in the light.

There are so many great photos from the shoot... But this is the winner.

This was probably not my best idea, but man it was fun.

I love working on the leg behind the head postures. In fact, I love working on every posture in my practice-- in as many ways as possible. Outside, I have no props, the grounds as uneven as I am, and Charlie might tackle me it any time. After thinking about Derek Ireland's short-shorts, I went into Logan Circle & did my practice. Intending to show off, I ended up with this. Figures. Yoga bloopers.
#menofyoga #gayyoga #yogadudes #YogaEveryDamnDay #boysofyoga #yogaguy #yogaeveryday #ashtanga #yogabloopers

Getting tested for HIV is scary. At @whitmanwalker it takes 1 minute to get your results.
When I was in my early twenties, those few days before you got your results were an absolute horror.
Then, the test took 20 minutes. Amazing how scared you can be for 20 minutes.
It's not like that anymore. Get tested. Take a friend.

Like a pacing tiger or an under-walked dog, if we don't move, we lose something.
It feels good to feel good-- but my, how I can forget. it's like those pandas that won't mate, or the sloth bears that only live to 15.
We have to awaken the dormant intelligence that knows how to live ecstatically.
Running takes me inside.
Picking up heavy things confronts listlessness.
Yoga reminds me who I am.
We're all beasts. Go outside & play. Get inside and play.
Love yourself.

The first of many adventures for Charlie & Skipper on the SS Samasthithi!

This is my teachers' teacher, Pattabhi Jois.

This week marks the seventh year of his passing. He died before I began learning his method.

I wasn't sure what to say to honor him, as he touched so many people directly, and yet for me, indirectly.

I didn't want to appropriate, and yet I am so inspired by his work.

When I saw this image, I knew what it was I wanted to say.

When I die, I hope it is my good humor that is remembered-- just like yours. Thanks, KPJ. I owe you one.

7 years ago! Man-- I had JUST cut off the shoulder length.

I learned a lot in Goa. One of the surprises? A tempering of my attitude towards teacher trainings. More critical thinking, less knee-jerk.
I met two really wonderful people, both in Goa for a 6 week training.
It demanded of them that they be in community with other practitioners. That they willingly laid down some of their creature comforts. The impact Adam & Julia had on my thinking makes me very happy. I was wrong. Not all teacher trainings are bad. Heck, I am so grateful for my time at the sivananda ashram.
If I'm to believe getting a whole page in Julia's book means I had some impact on her too, then I'm pretty tickled. I certainly made clear my preference for the teacher – apprentice model 😉

I'm not looking at my hand; I'm not looking at my nose. I'm looking inside at the God that has deigned to do drag as MJH.


You're seeing the whole universe concentrated down into man form, and that man form is learning to concentrate long enough to see himself as the whole of the universe.


The universe is never mistaken, she's ceaseless, and made of bliss!What a gift this sometimes faulty yet never imperfect bag of bones is!


Category is: side angled linebacker sensitive kid butch queen realness.
10s across the board.


I didn't make this shit up, and I've got @rupaulofficial and @davidgarriguesyoga to remind me that this look is *sickening*.

@pegmulqueen and I making #ashtavakrasana shapes. #bestfriends #menofyoga #strongwoman #yogadudes #YogaEveryDamnDay #boysofyoga #yogaguy #yogaeveryday #ashtanga

Easy come, easy Goa.
Bottom left, this time last year. The smile looks less forced this year, huh?

My heart feels good.
My body feels good.
My hips feel amazing.

Serving you romance novel cover realness.

"Paradise Beach," promised Junida. Her fellow traveler said it was stunning, the best (and purest!) around. He laid out the route to the very best spot. "It's quite far," she told us.

We followed a map written on the back of an old napkin (or envelope). Photographed by phone, the hand drawn map led north, out of India's smallest state and into Maharastra.

Passing woman wearing saris as we traversed dirt roads, it was clear we weren't in Goa anymore. A similar sentiment crept in as the catholic iconography gave way to temples to Kali and Ganesh.

Soon, we were at Redi fort, an inlet away from "Paradise Beach."

Sometimes the view of Paradise from the side is better than paradise itself.

I mean, it's cool. Beach cows, man 😉

Sums up my day pretty well, as it makes sure everyone gets home safe. So many great people from so many great places.

"The brighter the light of a candle, the greater the circumference of darkness." -- Albert Einstein

Bye, 2015. I hate you. I love you. Thanks for everything. Having a full spectrum of human emotions is a gift in and of itself.
Now get the fuck out.

#todaysmandala #mandala

My first mandala from the book @livelyogini gave me earlier this year. #todaysmandala #mandala

The shmanciest house I've ever seen.

What do you do for fun? So many ways to manage ones emotions. Happy Moonday! @humblebeastcf

"Makara"
#tourof2nd
Makara is the name of my kayak. I love being out on the river, playing pirate.
Makara is a fierce sea-creature in Hindu mythology. The front half of this beast is a land based animal, often an elephant, crocodile, stag or deer. His hind part is depicted as an aquatic animal, in the form of a fish or seal tail. Sometimes, even a peacock tail is depicted.

#karandavasana might be a Himalayan goose, sure, but to me she is a chimera named Makara.
Picture the image of the body as a rickety ship, sailing across the sea of suffering to the oasis of true nature, called bliss. It, as @davidgarriguesyoga says, is unseaworthy-- takes in water-- may just sink.
But, if you fear so much you never start the trip, you're sure do die in the depths of the fear. So you sail-- and with enough faith and courage, you may just make it.
The alternative is that you die right where you are, and as @rupaulofficial says, "none of us are making it out alive." None of us are making it without takin' on some water, so you might as well sail.
For me, makara cum karanda has helped me to love the adventure, see the sacred geometries, and fall on my face many times. You just get back up. 🐥🔥💦🐋 Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @ashtangadispatch and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

"Busy"
#tourof2nd
#pinchamayurasana

Forgive the delay, I've been busy getting ready for @davidgarriguesyoga Primary series intensive at @aysphiladelphia -- I've worked with David a few times a year for a bit now, and I am realizing just how much of an influence he has on me. I could not as for a better mentor.
He has so many considerations for every asana-- and yet also allows autonomy. I get a new perspective on how he works every time I study with him-- just so many layers and strategies. And fun 🙂 This time I'm a fly on the wall and a designated footholder. So much to learn.
This is feathered peacock pose-- with a little liberty taken. Maybe I'll gets big fancy feather for my quill to make the samyana portion exciting 😉 we were asked to make a few promises to ourselves this go round: the third & final? Enjoy yourself.
Yes sir. 🎉🎢
Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @ashtangadispatch and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

"Snuggle"
#tourof2nd
#yoginidrasana
So very snug,
like a bug in a rug.
Legs, use 'em both
To get a hug.
Sleep yogi sleep
Nuzzle in deep
Ankles, pillows...
Don't be crude!
Tho this pose misconstrued
Could make a man
Be both lewd & rude.
##🌻🐓🙈🙊🌈 Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @ashtangadispatch and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

"Ego"
#tourof2nd
#ekapadasirsasana
Put your leg behind your neck and pray it doesn't take your head off with it.
This posture is not without risk and for so many is an extreme challenge, with all its moving parts. Maybe this is the point?

Ahamkara, the I-maker, is born of buddhi, the intellect. This posture challenges the seat of intellect.
Avidya, aka Ignorance, is the biggest obstacle to yoga. With regards to this posture, I can spot two ways ignorance (and ultimately suffering) arise: misidentification of pain as pleasure and false identification of self as not self.
So! A) Don't hurt yourself, and B) Don't confuse your true nature with the tools of perception. You are so much more than this posture!

Don't suffer! ----👻💀👀--- Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @ashtangadispatch and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

"Head Games" #tourof2nd Dhanurasan, a posture which demands you cling for dear life and l…

"Head and Heart Games"
#tourof2nd
#Dhanurasana , a posture which demands you cling for dear life and literally kick your heart open.
Bear in mind a few things when dragging your heart open, kicking and screaming. Perhaps the best advice comes from my folks on this subject:
Make like prom night and keep your knees closed while you're crackin' that heart. 😉

Don't underestimate the great load your shoulders will bear while you kick to infinity -- if you don't get strong and stable shoulders, the load will hurt you over time. Sounds an awful lot like love, eh?

Lastly, use your head!... I played with the head position a bit to explore the movement of energy & muscular recruiting patterns. 😏 --- Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @ashtangadispatch and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

"Living Traditions"
#tourof2nd

I hear stories of this guy named Derick Ireland. He passed away a few years ago, but taught on the beaches of Goa and Greece. He wasn’t so much, on the surface, into the “spiritual” side of things. He wore ankle weights, practiced in less than a speedo, and sold a valid practice off the back of his own gorgeous aesthetic.  I’m told that Guruji had him bind his arms as you might see in an american flow style class. I imagine it was to accommodate his big ol’ biceps.
Funny, that. Remarkably, his legacy is such that he is remembered as a pioneer. He inspired practice in people who are now certified, and have legacies all their own. The John Scotts, The Petri’s, they all met a man who helped spark passion and practice.

Anyway. Bind your arm or leave your palm up. You do you.
--
❤️❤️❤️Find the entire Intermediate Series (and more) in the latest Ashtanga Dispatch —> visit ashtangadispatch.com/themagazine. *5% of all proceeds go to @eaglemountboz, a small charity making a BIG difference by providing outdoor adventures for kids with disabilities.
And visit @michaeljoelhall and @jrene01 for more practice ideas!
#yogagivesback #makeadifference #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration #intermediateseries #practicedaily #ashtanga #kidsmatter
#yogadudes #ashtangay #menofyoga

“Four to the Floor”
#tourof2nd #day2

In the early 2000’s, I was a young queer kid cutting his teeth dancing on boxes (shirtless). When that familiar 4/4 beat of a good house groove came on, everyone would book it to the dancedloor-- answering the siren’s call of “four to the floor!” This, you could say, was our mantra.
The Sanskrit word mantra consists of the root man- “to think”, or perhaps mamas as in “mind," and the suffix -tra, meaning “tools or instruments.” So, mantra is an instrument of thought.
Ashtanga yoga is a counted method, and keeping track of what that count is can be tricky. When I first started practicing alone, I could never remember if I had done both sides. Here’s a way to get started memorizing the count, and also make sure you get both sides: remember “four the floor”. Why? Because chatturanga dandasana, four limbed staff pose, is the fourth vinyasa of the Surya Namaskara A. In the Surya Namaskara B, it comes at 4, 8, and 12.
Notice that they’re all divisible by 4. If you can remember the mantra “four to the floor”, then you always know when to do Chatturanga Dandasana in the sun salutations.

Richard Freeman talks about any mantra being a good mantra so long as it works. Eventually, if we repeat the mantra over and over enough, it has power but no meaning— it just devolves back into its root sounds, it seeds. These seeds are powerful. This is one of th reasons I enjoy the sanskrit count so very much. It gets out of languaging I’m familiar with and lets the breath-movement-count become a chimera, greater than the sum of its parts.

That being said,  perhaps the sanskrit is too obtuse or feels like cultural appropriation. Maybe its good to know that I use a great deal of mantras in my practice that come from popular culture and have also thoroughly lost there meaning... except in the way that they hone my focus.
So, when you can remember “four to the floor,” you might also want to remember that chatturanga is "light as a feather and stiff as a board"— and also that "tight is light.” --
Visit @ashtangadispatch & @jrene01 4 more.
#yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #yogainspiration
#gayyoga #ashtanga #menofyoga

Got to tell @shirleymansom of @garbage that I got an empowered self identification label via "queer". All of my love. I hope to pay it forward.

Gumby & Pokey both turn up to @humblebeastcf -- yes, even Gumby lifts. Don't skip leg day, gentleman.

Progressive? Regressive? Egalitarian? #merman at #tabardinn #GiulinosSayIdo

"Make a career of humanity, commit yourself to the noble struggle of equal rights. you will make her greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in District of Columbia 1959

There is a seemingly never ending cycle of freezing, forgetting, and re- remembering that happens in this life.
If you make it in this world long enough, it all looks the same. Harder, faster, more gives way to the "thank god I'm still alive and have lungs to breathe." The hard truth is that if you make it long enough, all your old friends will be dead.
You've got to be ready to give it all back, or you'll just cry and cry and cry. Your best friend, your beautiful face, your Instagram identity.
I'll tell you a secret: 12 years ago, thoroughly off the deep end of grief, at the bottom of a drug fueled haze, I saw that the universe was made of love. I had lost my best friend in a tragic accident. I couldn't hold that much pain in my heart.
That was a long time ago now, I reckon. Heartbreakingly, in that span of time, I had forgotten her exact voice

Not so long ago, on a shamanic journey, my dead best friend came to me and told me to let go of all this sadness and pain. "nothing ever really dies," she said. "That's not how it works." I had already learned that lesson once. I can hear hear her voice again. "I push myself up through the dirt and shake my petals free. I'm resolved to being born again, and so resigned to bravery." -- Dar Williams

At the DC goodwill. Oh man.

#tbt with @conman3500

I had a wonderful time at the ashram cohosting a retreat with my first beloved yoga teacher. This beautiful mandala was outside the LOTUS (light of the universal shrine) interfaith strike at the satchidananda ashram. It was with Karuna's guidance that I found myself at the Sivananda ashram deepening my yoga studies in 2008. #todayspattern

The perfect photo to repost on the eve of my 32nd birthday!
・・・#tbt My man @michaeljoelhall as an aspiring child actor. So cute!
#tbt My man @michaeljoelhall as an aspiring child actor. So cute!

#MortalsWelcome Day 12: Hanumanasana: Hanuman is the super-strong, super-rad flying monkey who can carry mountains, jump over seas, and tie you in knots. This champion of Rama teaches us devotion and represents prana, or life force.
Every super hero also needs courage in the face of fear and Hanuman is there to help! Just call him through his hymn, the Hanuman Challisa, and fear will be kept at bay as the energetic and powerful lord Hanuman helps champion your battle.

#ashtangayoga #yogaeveryday #yogi #yogini #inspiration #instapic #instaphoto #namaste #pushmedaily #motivated #pasasana #yogaig #inspired #yogadaily#yogaposeweekly #ypwcomp #iloveyoga #beautiful#strikeapose #health #happy #yogafit #igers #om #yogachallenge #ashtangadispatch #hanuman #hanumanasana

The FBI called: case closed. Hate crime by way of the media, but how do you talk about black on white violence? No more leads.
Do you want your blood stained clothes returned? DNA, nay nay.
Burn it. Burn that shit. Just like the house. Burn it all and get rid of the blood.
So much anger between communities-- easier to sell papers by calling it black-on-queer. Black-on-white crime opens too many doors. It doesn't sell papers. It makes us ask too many questions.
Maybe we can understand better the anger. Maybe we can better understand each other. Maybe we can live without boundaries-- maybe we can live in a place of unity. Maybe we already are, except we're pretending we aren't-- and maybe that's the place from which the feeling of pressure and subsequent hate comes.
I'll never be the same again-- but that's always true. Cycles of death and rebirth. But I'm not this body, and I'm not this mind... But I am. And you are too.
All is full of love; case closed.

Mapsua market getting set up. A #mansionhouse sign for @mroike

A lovely lunch with some lovely people. Best shack food yet-- pineapple paneer tikka & a mango lassi.

Many blessings are there. Coming home with prayer scrolls for #chamundishwari

Oh, India. #Mysore #snowman. It's 97F. Have your people ever seen a snowman IRL? Not rude, but really! Elsa, ha effect.

So many cells. The energy vibrations are palpable inside them.

Here it is, the final crescendo of the 7 fiery Uranus/Pluto Squares burning through outdated societal and personal paradigms since June 2012... a Great Cosmic Bonfire roaring through our inner and outer spaces... liberating and illuminating new expanses of awareness... creating fertile opportunities for the seeding a of brand new existence... "Kali is here. That means that deep transformation is at work in your vibrational reality... Kali is the fiercest Goddess. She rips away what is no longer needed... she is the One who can cut the ties to your anchor, for you have new waters to sail now, dear Carrier of the Light." ~ Sophie Bashford "Monday March 16th 2015 at 6:50pm PDT/9:50pm EDT, Uranus and Pluto will square (90*) each other for the 7th and last time since 2012. The wild awakening of the 60s' conjunction (0*) of Pluto and Uranus in Virgo wasg to a deeper and higher consciousness, opening up doors of new perception and states of awareness. This was to prepare humanity for our future.
#todayspattern #todaysrangoli ##rangoli #mysore

Yoga Stops Traffick at the Mysore palace. Raising money to empower woman & stop child sex …

Yoga Stops Traffick at the Mysore palace. Raising money to empower woman & stop child sex trafficking. Learn more at Odanadi.org

Hanuman temple at the mysore palace.

Fresh haircut. Manjanat insisted on putting a line in. He knows what's up. #onfleek #ashtangadispatch

I met the people who helped me grow into a man here. My sisters in service. The Connecticut cul-du-sac. My best friends. #fbf ... 2002

I love my man and #westmorelandstatepark

@mroike @barmanmichael being just the cutest.

Camping with @mroike (@barmanmichael) and #charliegram

Chez Hareg open for breakfast and lunch? New management? #eckington

Outside playing on a moonday in Malcolm x park. #badman #ashtanga

Gentleman, your posture is *terrible*. #h&m

But really @rgryffo and @elliekaufman this is the truth.

We miss you too @rgryffo and @elliekaufman !! Pool time!

"Why were you late?" Oh man. Not me, thank god.

Poolside primary, post run. #badman #ashtanga @sunglasswarehouse

@rebuilding_ellis is famous! #wrestlemania

#tbt 2007