Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band produces beautiful devotional music with a hint of modern flair. I own several albums by this band but I just found Devaloka. They are coming to Yoga Flex in Charlotte NC, where I live, this year and I am super excited. When it comes to unique workshops, Yoga Flex rocks. anyone in Charlotte should definitely be on their mailing list.
Take a listen to Devaloka and let me know what you think.
Kharma Khare makes , in their words, "the most eco friendly yoga mat on the market". It is made from recycled tires and is supposed to last forever. See video below to learn about the process.
I was excited to try this mat out. My current mat is a Manduka and I lost a little bit of my loyalty to them when they changed their process and started producing mats that had to be broken in.
When I first started practicing yoga, you could take a Manduka out of the packaging, throw it down on the floor and know that your were not going to slip. That is no longer the case. It has a slick coating on it that has to be worn down. I actually talked to Manduka about this and you can read their reply here.
I recieved my Kharma Khare (pronounced karma care) mat a week or so ago and I was waiting for a really sweaty yoga class before I give my final review of it. The best thing about this company is that, if you want another mat, you can send your old one back and get the next one for half price. I bought my Manduka when their was only black, now they come in rainbow colors and I am not about to pay another 100 bucks for another one. I like the idea that, if this company comes out with a different model, I can send this one back and get the next one half price.
For more information on this mat and to purchase it, visit http://kharmakhare.com/
Sharath Jois, the grandson of Pattabhi Jois and the lineage holder for Ashtanga yoga, has written a new book called Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana.
It is a simple, well put together, handbook for Primary Series and includes a succinct summary of the 8 limbs. It is a great reference book for anyone looking to understand correct vinyasa counts and a beginner exploration of the 8 limbs of yoga.
Ashtanga Yoga does include the 8 limbs and is not just a physical practice-Sharath has spoken many times against people who put Ashtanga Yoga into a physical yoga category by calling it "Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga". The proliferation of this untruth has always baffled me because Asthanga literally means 8 limbs. Why would Pattabhi Jois have used the name if he didn't feel that the 8 limbs were important? It shows a lack of svadyaya, self study. It is particularly scary when so called Ashtanga teachers say this. It is an immediate sign to me that the person does not know what they are doing and I should steer clear of their classes. I feel very sorry for their students.
Break Down on Bramacharya-Bramacharya has always been broken down to mean "celibacy" but Sharath breaks it down into life stages that shed a new light on the meaning of the word.
Gives Students Permission To Not Be Perfect-Sharath shows compassion for those learning the practice understands that things like breathing with the Vinyasa count can be difficult
The conversation around image and celebrity status in the yoga community is nothing new. Yoga Journal has been blasted for only featuring pretty yogis in its pages and covers. Yoga talent agencies like YAMA have come under fire for only representing attractive teachers. YouTube is full of videos of half naked teachers whose videos have taken them to viral status and padded pockets.
Even people in pop culture are talking about it. In his song, "Tell em I Said That", Hip Hop artist T.I. warns agains fake rappers and pretty much sums up how easy it is to doop people just by story and image.
Got a job started rhyming came up with a hook
Got a chain and some tats came up with a look
Went and made a hit record
Talked tough in a book
How To Not Get Caught in the Image Trap
Look at their actions and not their words“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”—Malcolm S. Forbes. How does the person treat their employees, the mailman, a stray dog on the street?
Don't take their word for it, study for yourself
Are they really saying something? Most phonies are masters at using pretty words that don't really mean anything. "Let the truth speak through the lotus flower of your heart that shine forth like a ray of light in the wilderness". Stuff like that.
Look at their life. It is not about perfection, however, are they striving to practice what they preach and is their life showing the fruits of their teachings?
I bought my first Manduka mat approximately 8 years or so ago and I had no problem with slipping from day one. I loved the thickness and the durability as well. Once I starting teaching approximately 4 years ago, I recommended the mat to my students who, to my disappointment, told me that they were slipping all over the place. I also witnessed them slipping in class so I started adding a caveat to my recommendation. "This mat will last you forever but you have to break it in." My students started searching the internet for ways to get the coating off. They used vinegar, soaked it in the tub and just straight up used it. All of these helped but the mat was still annoyingly slippery for a long time before officially being "broken in". So I decided to send Manduka a tweet. Here is the conversation. I am "wellnessyogini".
So, to sum it up:
You guys go ahead and do that and let me know what happens. Maybe they will see this and do something about the annoying coating. After paying that much money, you shouldn't have to "break it in". I have a better idea, why don't they "break it in" before they ship them. If they don't want to be bothered with getting the coating off, we don't either especially after the price increase. I am sure that they can find some type of process or environmentally friendly solution that will do it.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Manduka & it is the only mat I will buy....wait...maybe that is why they are unconcerned with the coating....they have cornered the market.....hmmmm
Video of the Day
I just got finished reading Guruju: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Through the Eyes of His Students by Guy Donahaye & Eddie Stern. It is a collection of interviews done on people who have studied with Pattabhi Jois. It is easy to read and a must for anyone serious about Ashtanga.
The interviews are honest and raw and present some interesting insights. I picked out a few below.
Different Students Were Taught Different Things- Ashtanga is essentially a set sequence. After studying with many different teachers, most of them certified and authorized by Pattabhi Jois, I noticed that there were discrepancies in the sequence. The unique stories from the different students made it clear why this was the case. The differences in the sequences occurred due to the following:
Jois's Fame Was Due to His Western Students-Many stories allude to the fact that, though Pattabhi Jois was respected due to his education, character and family lineage, the local culture as a whole really wasn't into what he was teaching. He always had Indian students but the business didn't blow up until the Western students came. After that, people in his home country started to recognize him as a Guru.
Like Most Yoga Teachers, In the Beginning, He Had Very Few Students-Don't give up Yoga teachers! During his first 20 years or so of teaching, he had very few students and no money. Now look! Its a movement!
Andre van Lysebeth Was the First Westerner To Study with Jois Around 1964
The Sequences Used To Be Primary, Intermediate and Advanced but They Were Broken Down to 6-Primary is Yoga Chikitsa which purifies the muscles and organs. Intermediate is Nadi Shodhana which purifies the nervous system and Advanced is Sthira Bhaga and it is to build physical and emotional strength.
Squeezing the Hand At The Waist For Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana and Prasarita Padonttanasana is for Emphasizing the Bandhas.
Pattabhi Jois Was a Healer- There are great stories in the book of him healing people from various diseases using yoga. He also worked with people with cancer and those who were paralyzed.
His Attitude Toward You Was Directly Related To Your Ego-The bigger the ego the meaner he was. It was a tool to make the person confront their ego and eventually break them down and release them from it.
Enlighten Up is a documentary where a young woman, who loves yoga, picks a total stranger and novice to expose to yoga and see the results. It was obvious in the first 30 minutes that this was not going to work. Let me tell you why:
Forced Enlightenment
The young lady believed in the power of yoga and she wanted everyone else to believe it too. She got angry several times during the film because the subject was not having the experience the way she wanted him too. You can never force anyone to feel the way you do. The only way someone can be receptive to any idea or concept is if they come to it on their own accord.
Preconceived Notions
The subject did not come into it with an open mind. From the beginning it was obvious that he believed he could not embrace yoga unless he embraced religion. About 90% of the teachers he met told him it was not the case, but yet he kept going back to that one thought. Even when the yoga did make him feel better, someone would say something about God and he would forget about the benefit and start playing the same broken record.
His mother was also some kind of shaman or spiritual leader and her kookiness was a turn off. You draw to you what you put out and of course all the kooks in the yoga class surrounded him like sharks to raw meat. I swear I have never stayed after class and heard yoga students standing around talking about God but for some reason everyone he talked to had something to say about it. Until you commit to living in the present moment, your past experiences will color your current circumstances. Throughout the movie the yoga teachers gave him brilliant answers but he couldn't even hear them because he was not listening.
Time
Westerners want everything now. We are very impatient. We don't want to commit to a practice. As a yoga teacher who teaches some pretty tough classes, I meet people every day who are pissed or disappointed that they could not do all the poses on the first day. Hello!! That is like going to medical school and expecting to do brain surgery on the first day.
The guy only had 6 months and the directer really thought he was going to have this huge transformation. Hate to tell ya, but Yoga is a life time event. It doesn't matter if you came to it for health reasons or spiritual reasons, if your practice is not consistent, you will not be able to sustain the benefits. It took the guy 20+ years to pick up his current habits and it may take him just as long to get rid of them.
As Pattabhi Jois says in the movie, "Practice, Practice, Practice". You do your practice and all that you want will come through persistence and dedication.
Most people only dip their toe into the waters of yoga. They never fully immerse themselves and usually those are the ones with the most to say about it.
Here is a conversation I have all the time:
Student: "I don't like Yoga/Certain Yoga(insert your favorite most hated forms like Ashtanga or Kundalini for instance). It is too hard/It is took easy/It doesn't make sense/I can't do the poses!"
Me: "Really? How many classes have you taken?"
Student: " I have taken one or two classes/a workshop/my teacher trainer said/somebody told me/this yoga teacher said/I saw a picture/I saw a video...."
You get where I am going with this? Not that you should force yourself to take a yoga that you don't like, but damn, don't comment on stuff that you don't really know much about. That is why this blog is about yoga instead of Rocket Science. Guess which one I have spent over 9 years studying and which one I don't know 'ish about? I don't claim to know everything about yoga either. I have taken one Iyengar yoga class in my entire life. If you search my category list, you won't find one post about Iyengar yoga. But I digress.....
To Many Teachers/Lineages
The movie pointed out contradictions in yoga philosophy which there are many. No wonder the poor guy was so confused! He went to see more then a dozen different teachers from different lineages. I think it is a good for a beginner to find a teacher/style they gel with, but once you find them, sit tight for a minute and learn from them. It was kind of like he was Catholic on Monday, Muslim on Tuesday, Jewish on Wednesday,Devil Worshiper on Thursday....You get what I am saying? To much confusion.
