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Time Travel
Is it telling that I slept on the car ride from Bangalore to Mysore? The last two times, I was wide-eyed, heck, WILD-eyed, sitting on the edge of my seat. Not unlike my dear pooch Sebastian with his head out the window, I couldn’t help but marvel. Everything was so foreign! I had never seen anything like, well, anything I was seeing. It was all so new. It was all so different. How had some of it become a bit… pass the salt? I’ve brought a plethora of books to read. Unfortunately, other than a 30 page smattering on the Mirror of Yoga, the only thing I got a really good read of on this trip was the back of my own eyelids. If all…
Video: Discover the Ultimate Yoga Retreat in Paradise
Are you ready for a transformative yoga retreat in Playa del Carmen? 🌴 Join us for an unforgettable experience that blends tradition, innovation, and breathtaking beauty. Dive into daily Mysore yoga sessions and revitalize your body with cold plunge therapy on the serene beach. 🏖️ Our retreat offers personalized accommodations and curated excursions, including exploring Mayan ruins and vibrant local spots. Connect with like-minded individuals and rejuvenate your spirit. 🌊 This isn’t just a retreat; it’s an adventure into tranquility and connection. Reserve your spot and say yes to renewing your spirit in paradise! #YogaRetreat #PlayaDelCarmen #ParadiseGetaway
Reimagining Ashtanga Community Leadership
Introduction For nearly two decades, I’ve witnessed the profound impact that leadership styles have on yoga communities. As both student and teacher in the Ashtanga tradition, I’ve experienced firsthand how the decisions, behaviors, and communication patterns of those in positions of authority shape not just the technical transmission of the practice, but the very culture in which we learn and grow. When I first began teaching Ashtanga yoga over 10 years ago, I consciously and unconsciously replicated the leadership models I had experienced. Some of these served our community well; others perpetuated patterns that limited growth and authentic connection. Like many teachers, I found myself caught between reverence for tradition and the practical reality that our understanding of both human movement and effective teaching continues…
What Ashtanga Yoga Teachers Can Learn from NFL Coaching Excellence
The Performance Paradox In 2007, Tony Dungy became the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl. But his real legacy wasn’t built on that February night in Miami—it was constructed over the following decade through youth mentorship programs, education reform initiatives, and community leadership that reached far beyond football. Dungy understood something essential: elite performance and transformational teaching require fundamentally different skill sets. The Ashtanga yoga world faces a similar paradox. The most accomplished practitioners—those who can effortlessly float through advanced series—often become authorized teachers. Yet the ability to perform complex asanas bears little relationship to the capacity to guide diverse bodies through sustainable practice. Like professional sports, yoga has conflated achievement with teaching excellence, creating a system where ability privilege determines…
Context Matters for Indigenous Insight Practices
Decontextualizing indigenous insight practices—like those in traditional Ashtanga Yoga or other ancient systems—tends to diminish their efficacy because these practices are deeply embedded in specific cultural, spiritual, and historical contexts. This “embedding” isn’t a casual detail; it’s essential to how these systems work. When aspects of a practice are extracted or secularized, they lose the nuanced interconnections that support the whole system, similar to removing a keystone from an arch. For example, in Ashtanga Yoga, specific techniques and philosophies are not just exercises but methods developed within a layered understanding of ethics, community, and personal transformation. This is why teachers like Gregor Maehle emphasize that yoga is not just postures but part of a system that includes spiritual texts, breath work, ethics, and ritual. Removing…
What Is the Yoga of Synthesis?
If you’ve made it this far, you already know that yoga is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries and is beloved by many for its physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. But did you know that there is a special type of yoga that is even more advanced and powerful? It’s called the yoga of synthesis and it is a unique approach that combines a variety of yogic traditions to provide a holistic experience. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what the yoga of synthesis is, as well as how it differs from other types of yoga. We’ll explore how this approach can help to bring peace, balance, and well-being into your life. Lastly, we’ll provide some tips on how…
