Video: Ashtanga Vinyasa Inspired Power Yoga and Breathwork

What happens when charismatic teachers extract value from communities and leave? How do we rebuild after the damage is done?

This is about the hard work of regeneration—in yoga communities, in local spaces, and in ourselves. It’s about the difference between extraction and cultivation, between building a following and building an ecosystem.

In this video:
• Why charismatic “dirt bags” wreck communities and leave others to clean up the mess
• The downstream effects of toxic yoga culture and multi-level marketing dynamics
• What it means to commit to place and do the unglamorous work of regeneration
• How my teacher turned barren land in Ecuador into a thriving cacao forest—and what that teaches us about community building
• The difference between systems thinking and linear thinking when addressing harm
• Why local matters: serving the same community for years instead of chasing platforms
• What real success looks like (hint: it’s not follower counts)
• A note about anger—and why channeling rage into regenerative work matters

This isn’t abstract philosophy. It’s documentation of how to build communities that survive extraction, drawn from years of teaching Ashtanga yoga in Washington DC and watching what happens when authority figures abuse their power and leave.

If you’re tired of watching charismatic individuals burn through communities, if you’re doing the quiet work of tending your local space, if you’re angry about extraction being rewarded while regeneration goes unnoticed—this is for you.

The work is slower. Quieter. Less glamorous. And it’s worth it.

Based on concepts from my book “Collider” about building resilient yoga communities through systems thinking.

YogaCommunity #AshtangaYoga #CommunityBuilding #SystemsThinking #RegenerativeWork #YogaTeacher #LocalMatters #YogaCulture

00:00 Regenerating Land After Charismatic Dirt Bags
00:57 The Problem: Charismatic Dirt Bags Wreck the Land
02:37 The Downstream Effect
05:08 Local Matters
07:06 The Cacao: Why It Matters
07:58 Building the Ecosystem
09:27 Surviving Extraction
10:12 Systems Thinking
11:02 The Risks and Rewards
12:12 What Success Looks Like
12:36 A Note About Anger
14:02 Channeling Rage Towards Regeneration

In this video, Michael Joel Hall discusses the ongoing debate within the Ashtanga yoga community about incorporating complementary exercises, such as swimming, running, and strength training, into their routines. He addresses how these activities can enhance cardiovascular endurance, joint stability, and overall strength without detracting from the primary yoga practice. Michael emphasizes the importance of integrating these exercises mindfully to prevent repetitive strain injuries and maintain a sustainable yoga practice over a lifetime.

00:00 Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga
00:10 The Need for Cross Training
00:30 Benefits of Cross Training
01:04 Integration and Balance
01:18 Conclusion: Sustaining a Lifelong Practice

In this video, Michael Joel Hall discusses the ‘Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Trap,’ a scenario where personal experiences of yoga teachers are misconstrued as universal truths. Highlighting the dangers of authoritarianism and high-demand dynamics in yoga communities, Hall emphasizes the importance of honoring individual experiences, promoting self-awareness, and fostering personal agency. He stresses the need for discernment, humility, and open dialogue, both from teachers and students, to ensure yoga remains a personal and explorative practice.

00:00 Introduction to the Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Trap
00:11 Subjectivity vs. Objectivity in Teaching
00:59 The Dangers of Authoritarian Teaching
01:26 High Demand Dynamics and Cult-like Behavior
02:03 The Importance of Honoring Student Experience
03:22 The Role of Humility and Discernment in Teaching
03:46 Conclusion: Maintaining Dialogue in Practice

Title: Harnessing Energy in Ashtanga Yoga: From Grounding to Expansion

—

**Introduction to Energy Management in Ashtanga Yoga**

Hello, hello, hello! Michael Hall here, and today I want to share some insights on managing your energy within the practice of Ashtanga Yoga. This practice transcends the physical; it’s an intricate system working harmoniously with your nervous and energetic systems. The sequence of postures is methodically designed to guide prana—your life force—through the body, balancing effort with ease and integrating activation with relaxation.

—

**Understanding the Primary Series**

Each series in Ashtanga has a deliberate arc, beginning with the Primary Series. This series is all about building stability—it wrings out the body, ensuring your hips and shoulders can twist and your spine can move freely. Beyond its physicality, the Primary Series teaches you how to ground yourself, directing your prana downwards into the earth, known as Ana. This foundational grounding is crucial as it sets the stage for understanding the upward rising energies in later series.

—

**Exploring the Intermediate Series**

Progressing into the Intermediate Series, the practice shifts focus to an upward energy flow. This series activates your internal awareness and internal rotations, requiring greater breath regulation and a sharper mental focus. It’s not just about moving energy up; it’s about mastering the internal aspects of your practice to cultivate an expansive, inward journey.

—

**Advancing to the Advanced Series**

Carrying the principles of the previous series forward, the Advanced Series amplifies both strength and the feeling of lightness and expansion. These poses are wildly intense, demanding refined control to maintain ease amidst the challenge. This series is about finding balance through strength, enhancing your ability to manage energy in demanding postures.

—

**Optimizing Energy in Practice**

Practicing multiple series calls for energy optimization, not merely endurance. Some practitioners fall into the trap of overexerting early on, leaving little energy for later postures. Effective energy management involves using your breath to contain and channel prana wisely, avoiding unnecessary leakage of effort that leads to exhaustion.

—

**Breath Control and Pacing**

Maintaining a steady breath is vital, as erratic breathing can quickly drain your energy. Mastering breath control requires pacing your intensity, resisting the urge to push too early, thereby maintaining balance and ensuring consistent energy throughout your practice.

—

**Self-Regulation and Wise Energy Use**

The structure of Ashtanga Yoga is self-regulating, teaching practitioners to use their energy wisely. The challenge lies not just in your physical capacity to perform each posture, but in learning to harness your energy efficiently so that your practice becomes an energizing, rather than exhausting, experience.

—

**Conclusion: Energizing Your Practice**

Ultimately, the goal of energy management in Ashtanga Yoga is to leave practice feeling energized, not depleted. By understanding the arcs of each series, utilizing breath control, and pacing your intensity, you harness your energy effectively, fortifying the union of body, mind, and spirit.

Embrace the journey of mastering your energy in Ashtanga Yoga, and transform your practice into a source of vitality and inner balance.

Michael Joel Hall discusses the practice of Ashtanga Yoga as a vehicle for self-inquiry, awareness, and transformation. He emphasizes that it is more than just physical postures, involving breath, movement, and meditation to foster presence and stillness. Hall highlights the importance of ethical principles and turning practice into a way of living. The objective is to cultivate flexibility of the mind, recognizing deeper transformations that align practice with life.

00:00 Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga
00:15 Beyond Physical Postures
00:32 Ethical Principles and Living Practice
00:42 Spiritual and Physical Connection
00:56 Deeper Transformations
01:05 Applying Meditation in Life

The Art of Assisting in Ashtanga Yoga: Beyond Physical Adjustments

In this video, Michael Joel Hall, a seasoned Ashtanga Yoga teacher based in Washington DC, delves into the nuanced art and responsibility of assisting in yoga practice. Hall emphasizes that assisting is not about fixing students but about supporting their personal practice through presence and understanding. Drawing on systems thinking and yoga philosophy, he discusses the significance of verbal, visual, and physical assists, the importance of consent and trauma awareness, and the spiritual dimension of assisting within the framework of the eight limbs of yoga. The key message is to support the students’ exploration and self-organization rather than imposing corrections, advocating for a holistic approach that respects individual needs and fosters mutual growth.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:08 The Art and Responsibility of Assisting
01:04 Purpose of Assisting in Ashtanga Yoga
01:48 Supporting an Intelligent System
03:21 Spiritual Practice of Assisting
05:50 Types of Assists: Verbal, Visual, Physical
08:17 Consent, Touch, and Trauma Awareness
10:27 Feedback Loops in Assisting
12:36 Adaptation and Individualization