Practicing together

I've very much enjoyed visiting a Shala for the last couple of weeks.

It's actually a remarkable place, the teacher who had been there for a while decided to open another Mysore program elsewhere in town, some of the Ashtangis where able to follow but it was inconvenient for others and there also seems to have been a loyalty to the place itself where they had been practicing for a number of years with stewardship passing through several teachers.... and so they just hold the room and carry on regardless.

There is a wonderful spirit at the shala, sincere, committed and disciplined with or without a teacher, everyone just getting on with practice.

It felt almost like practicing at home.

It must have been like this in the old days when the early Ashtangis would get together and practice, with or without one of them taking the role of teacher and showing newcomers the ropes, perhaps after coming back from Mysore themselves, one of Pattabhi Jois' US visits or after having spent time with one who had practiced perhaps longer (although not necessarily) than themselves.

And then they would head back perhaps to wherever they came from and start sharing the practice, not so much teaching as passing along in turn, in one medium or other, parampara.

Authorising practice came later of course.

A teacherless shala strikes me as still very much of this tradition and lineage.

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Monsoon

Monday I got up with a dodgy stomach and decided to practice at home M. ended up joining me, laying her mat beside mine. She had to run off to work but I had a long  practice, taking my asana nice and slow.... longer stays, kumbhaka the odd variation and savouring finishing. After asana, pranayama, pratyahara and a sit, practicing at home does give you more time for actual practice,

Home practice will always be my preference, I'd rather spend the time traveling to and from a shala on the mat and cushion but I'm staring to understand shala practice a little more and more with each one I visit.

The June monsoon seems to have come, I'm about to roll out my mat for practice a little in awe of those I know who have already headed off to the shala in the rain.

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see also

Where are they now? (mostly) Recent Videos/interviews with students from 1993 Sri K. Pattabhi Jois led Yoga Works Ashtanga demonstrations

Ashtanga yoga in 1995 (plus links to posts on 1986 and 1988 YJ Ashtanga articles)

A look at how Ashtanga was viewed/presented 20 years ago

 Interesting Yoga Journal article by senior editor Anne Cushman on Ashtanga in the 1995 January/February edition of Yoga Journal. This starts off as being about Power Yoga but quickly moves to the roots of power yoga in Ashtanga with input from David Williams, Tim Miller (The Alchemy of Ashtanga), Richard Freeman and on the final page Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty on 'Changing the series' ( or not). There's also a nice first hand report of visiting Mysore back in '95 by Beverly Fredericks

Link to Yoga journal

http://www.yogajournal.com/

If this is your kind of thing then you may like to look at an earlier post

1988 Yoga Journal Ashtanga yoga with Pattabhi Jois interview/article inc. 10 second inhalation, 10 second exhalation

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Also this article from 1986 which has a fuller version of the Yoga Korunta story.

Pattabhi Jois, Krishnamacharya and the Yoga Korunta story, as told in 1986 Yoga Jourmal

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Anyone know of an earlier extended article on Ashtanga?

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This post from earlier in the week may also be of interest

Where are they now? (mostly) Recent Videos/interviews with students from 1993 Sri K. Pattabhi Jois led Yoga Works Ashtanga demonstrations

Chuck Miller Satsang, TOKYO 2014, one hour forty minute talk. plus quotes from his website

http://www.sama-ashtanga.orghttp://www.sama-ashtanga.org

Yesterday I put up this post

Where are they now? (mostly) Recent Videos/interviews with students from 1993 Sri K. Pattabhi Jois led Yoga Works Ashtanga demonstrations

This was a look at the practitioners in early 80s Led class with Pattabhi Jois and included some relatively recent, decent length, videos of where they may be thought to be now, twenty odd years later and perhaps thirty to forty years after they first encountered Yoga. While hunting out recent videos I came across this extend Satsang with Chuck Miller Video.

One of the reasons I'm drawn to 'senior/longer serving' teachers/practitioners is the question 'What is it to have practiced for twenty, thirty years, even forty years, where may decades of practice take us, how does the relationship to practice change, and shift....


From Chuck Miller's Website Bio.

"In 1974 I found the book Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar. The Introduction was one of the most profound things I had ever read. I began working through the practices contained in there. they were laid out in weekly routines, with photos in a different part of the book and descriptions for how to do the postures in yet another place! Complicated! 

   The book became my constant companion, I had a special pocket for it in my backpack. It was complicated but I was motivated and after about 3 years I had managed to get to the recommended week 35 or so. I thought that I must be a very slow student! Years later talking to others who tried the same I found that actually I had done pretty well!

    In 1980, intrigued that here was a man who had studied with the same teacher as Iyengar, I met Sri K Pattabhi Jois. When he asked me who my teacher was I replied "book." What book he asked. "Light on Yoga." Oh, you are Iyengar student! So he called me that for the first month as I began practicing Ashtanga Yoga. I continued with him intensively for many years and intermittently until his death.

    In March of 1988 I got permission from Guru-ji  to teach Primary Series and was pushed into the yoga room and began teaching Ashtanga Yoga. I taught in the same school, almost the same time for 17 years. Many of the students came for years and years. It was a great experience for me. I hope it was for them as well! 

After selling the school and moving to Hawaii Island, "The Big Island," I began accepting invitations to teach in other cities around the world and continue to do that today".  
Full Bio here http://www.sama-ashtanga.org/bio--chuck-miller.html

Check out too Chuck's new website.

Notice the 'Info' dropdown menu on the top right. There are pages here on

Ethos
Practice
Chuck Miller/Bio

I hesitate to quote as it's so much better to read it all in context but these pages are buried away a little and I don't want you to miss them as I almost did,

So, some quotes from the above pages

Ethos

ethos:    "A Greek word meaning Character that is used to describe the guide lines that characterize the beliefs of a community , nation or ideology. It is also used to describe the power that music has to influence its hearers' emotions, behaviours and even morals." 

Practice:

Practices are great tools, primarily tools for Observation. They present us with an otherwise difficult to perceive view of ourselves. Who we are and how we relate to the world around us and to each other. They help to alter how we “Sit within Ourselves.” That is what the word “Asana” refers to, our "Seat." 

Practice

Sama
Drishti means the place where the mind goes, as a result of where the eyes go! The place, from the yogic perspective, where the mind is to go is Inwards! Yoga is an introspective practice. We need to go in. We work from the known to the unknown, from the periphery to the center, to uncover the truth of who we are inside and then letting that express itself outwards.

 Vinyasa
"I asked Guru-ji what the word Vinyasa meant in 1982, while he was teaching a 2 month Intensive in Austin, Texas. 
(Photos here above are from that time and place!)


    "Vinyasa is the Breathing System, he answered." 

"...I went upstairs to thank Guru-ji one day after morning practice, maybe it was in 1984:
I had an experience of the continuity of the practice and wanted to share my thoughts with him. I told him that the breathmovements were like beads on a string, like a string of prayer beads, what in India is called a Mala.
He got excited and told me the name of his book was "Yoga Mala." It was as yet only available in very limited supply in his native language, Kannada. He pulled out a handwritten manuscript and let me make a copy. I thought maybe someone could translate it! (Eddy would go! Thanks!)"

Bio

See again the quote at the top of the blog taken from this page.

June 2015 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami—Events

June 2015 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami—Events

I was in UK for 3 weeks doing three different programs organized by Steve Brandon of Harmony Yoga. The first was a 6 hr workshop on “Yoga for Internal Organs” at Jivamukti in London. It was well attended. It was based on my studies with m Guru on the six physical kosas. The human body is known as “Shat kaushika Sarira” or “six bags body”. These six kosas contain six vital organs which in turn sustain six subsystems to maintain vital functions. They are the heart and the circulatory system (hridaya losa and rakta sanchara). The lungs and the respiratory system (svasa kosa and the prana sanchara), the stomach and the digestive system (annakosa), uterus and the reproductive system (garha kosa ), bladder/kidneys and the urinary system (mutra kosa), the elimination bag (malakosa). Yoga has some very extraordinary procedures something unique to the yoga system like Kapalahati, the inversions, different pranayamas like ujjayi and nadisodhana all have very salutary effects on these systems. The workshop was to identify these yogic procedures and relate to these systems and the benefits these confer to the six kosas and the subsystems and also on the brain and the nervous system. I thought the program went well

I taught a five day 25 hour “Core Vinyasakrama Asanas” program for Harmony Yoga at the spacious Mahatma Gandhi Hall at Indian YMCA in London. All the 10 major vinyasa sequences were covered with hundreds of vinyasas and scores of asanas in each of the major groups. The participants were taught and they also practised many rounds of different pranayamas several times. The importance of breath oriented vinyasas was stressed. It was a well attended program with many coming from other parts of UK and especially also from Europe, like Sweden, Norway Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and then from the US.

Then at Wells, Somerset in UK was this 13 day Gita marathon. 13 participated fully in the program and a few attended the program for a few days. Bhagavatgita was one of the subjects taught by Sri Krishnamacharya which I studied from him. I had taught the Gita to a few individuals, but this was the first time I attempted to do this at one stretch the entire text. We did not follow any particular well known commentaries like those of Sankara or Ramanuja nor the contemporary interpreters. I based it on the teachings of my Guru and my notes. It was 5 ½ hrs everyday for 13 consecutive days. We went through every word of all the slokas/verses (700) in all the chapters (18). All stayed to the end. The reactions were somewhat mixed. Some were clearly uncomfortable with some of the teachings of the Gita but many on many occasions were happy and appeared astonished at the unique teachings of Lord Krishna to Arjuna. . The Gita is a Brahma Vidya and aims to educate ordinary people like Arjuna and us, the non-scholars about Brahman the ultimate reality as per the Upanishads. It is perhaps the most widely read works from India and has scores of commentaries, ancient and modern. But as many believe , the best commentary of Bhagavatgita is the Bhagavatgita itself, The Lord comes down to the level of non scholar like Arjuna so that one can understand the complexities of life, about oneself and the ultimate reality which is Brahman. The Gita is Brahmavidya and is also a Yoga Sastra or a treatise on Yoga. It was part of Krishnmacharya's teaching of Yoga. He would point out the several similarities of Yoga sutras of Patanali and Krishna's Gita. It harmonizes all yogas as Bhakti, Karma and Gnana and thus becomes a wholesome teaching of Yoga, this Krishna's Bhagavatgita..

Steve Brandon from UK underwent the 200 hr TT program several years ago at LMU. He also attended my programs in Chicago and then in New Delhi India. He has been teaching Yoga for several years and his Harmony Yoga has been successfully functioning for 10 years now. He judiciously combines his yoga knowledge with a his Ayurveda background and makes himself doubly useful to his students/patients. He has arranged programs for me in UK for several years. He was keen that I should teach in UK several of the subjects taught by my Guru. I have been able to teach Hatayogapradipika, Samkhya Karika, Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavatgita. As this would be my last trip to UK for doing long extended progras, I wish to thank Steve for affording me the opportunity to teach these subjects for his Harmony Yoga. He not only organized these programs meticulously but also brought in very dedicated and keen participants Thank you Steve and Sally.

I intend teaching an abbreviated program (25 hrs) of Gita in July/ August in LA for a few weekends during the time I will be teaching the 200 hr TT program in Vinyaskrsma at LMU. I intend to go through the entire text, verse by verse, if possible. Here are the details of the program contained in the brochure.

The Bhagavad Gita A 25 hour Immersion with Srivatsa Ramaswami Sri Krishnamacharya was a versatile teacher. In addition to yogasana`s he taught vedic chanting and several texts like the Yoga Sutras, Brahma Sutras, and of course the Bhagavat Gita. He truly lived up to his given name Krishnamacharya, meaning Krishna the teacher/preceptor. His teaching of the Gita had a unique depth and flavor as he was a practicing yogi, not just an academician. In this program the Bhagavat Gita (The teachings of the Lord) will be gone through completely chapter by chapter. It deals with the entire range of human experience and endeavors and the Lord’s guidance to everyone to go through life fruitfully and reach the ultimate spiritual state of Yoga. A young Ramaswami with Krishnamacharya

Srivatsa Ramaswami (76) was a student of the legendary yogi Sri T Krishnamacharya for over 30 years. He studied hatayoga, vinyasakrama, chanting of several chapters of the yajurveda, yoga sutra`s, and Sanskrit philosophical texts like the upanishad vidya`s from Taittiriya, Mandukya,Mundaka, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka and others, samkhya, karika et al. He has published four book: Yoga For The Three Stages Of Life, Yoga Beneath The Surface (with David Hurwitz), Basic Tenets of Patanjala Yoga and The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga. Has also published more than 100 yoga related articles, released about 30 CDs on Sanskrit chants including yoga sutra`s, Surya Namaskaram. And has uploaded about 60 videos on chants, vinyasakrama talks on YouTube. Has been teaching for the last 30 years—including in India, and 10 years teaching the 200 hour Vinyasakrama Teacher Training Summer Program at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Additionally, several shorter programs in Chicago, UK, Canada, Mexico, India et al. At a Private Studio in Santa Monica, CA July 25/26~August 1/2~August 9 (5 days) Saturdays: 1-6PM, Sundays: 12:30-5:30PM $550 (A light chai service will be provided during the breaks) To inquire or sign up, contact: sarahmatayoga@gmail.com / 310-266-5177 Space is limited.

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I am planning to go to Austin, Texas and Los Gatos in California. Steve Ross attended my TT program at LMU several years ago and since then started and is now running a very successful Yoga facility in Austin Texas-- Eastside Yoga. I will be teaching there for a week starting June 12^th.. I will be teaching a 4 hour workshop on Yoga for Internal Organs on the lines explained earlier and another 4 hour workshop on Vinyasakrama, an introductory program on vinyasas and asanas. Then for the week following I would be teaching Yoga Sutras 20 hrs for the word by word study of the entire text and chanting the Yoga Sutras for 5 hours.

http://www.eastsideyoga-austin.com/srivatsa-ramaswami/austin-june-2015.html

http://www.eastsideyoga-austin.com/srivatsa-ramaswami-yoga-sutras.html/

During the later part of June I am planning to teach a four day certificate program on Vinyasakrma asana program at Breathe Los Gatos in California. This will be about 18 hours. Here is the link

http://breathelosgatos.com/?tribe_events=certificate-program-in-core-vinyasa-krama-practice/

http://breathelosgatos.com/?tribe_events=yoga-for-the-internal-organs/

Of course my main program will be my 200 hr Teacher Training Program at Loyola Marymount University where I have been teaching as a visiting faculty for more than 10 years now. This will be the last time I will be offering this major program at LMU even as I hope to be able to do shorter varied programs at LMU in the future. I have written about this programs many times before Here is the link

http://academics.lmu.edu/extension/programs/vinyasa/teachers/

During my visits to India and UK, many participants mentioned about the difficulty of travelling to USA to attend the 200 hr Teacher training program and would ask me if I planned to do the 200 hr TT program outside USA. I may be able to do one 200 hr TT program in Europe or India if anyone would be able to organize it.

In September I plan to teach for a week at Chicago Yoga Center where I have been teaching almost every September for about 10 years. I will be teaching the week long Certificate program in Vinyasakrama. Then there is the one day workshop on Yoga for Internal Organs. I will be offering a new program on Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta, which form a close group of sibling philosophies subscribing to the authority of the Vedas. They are called Nivritti Sastras or those that help one to get permanent and sure relief from the threefold misery human beings undergo without an end in sight birth after birth. These bodies of knowledge beautifully and logically present these tenets. The common goal of eternal freedom and subtle differences among these will be presented; all via the classical texts of Samkhya Karika, Yoga Sutras and the well-known Upanishads in this short program.

http://www.yogamind.com/index.shtml#schedu

Best Wishes

Srivatsa Ramaswami

Where are they now? (mostly) Recent Videos/interviews with students from 1993 Sri K. Pattabhi Jois led Yoga Works Ashtanga demonstrations

Right to left: Maty Ezraty, Eddie Stern, Chuck Miller, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Tim Miller, Richard Freeman, Karen Haberman

Coming across the excellent interview with Maty Ezraty yesterday I was reminded of other recent videos from the other participants in the 1993 Led Primary and Intermediate demonstration videos.

Students:

Maty Ezraty - http://www.matyezraty.com/

Chuck Miller - http://www.sama-ashtanga.org/

Eddie Stern - http://www.ayny.org

Tim Miller - http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com

Richard Freeman - http://yogaworkshop.com/

Karen Haberman 

You can check out many of these teachers every year in San Diego at http://ashtangayogaconfluence.com 

This video can be purchased at http://www.kpjashtanga.com

As far as I can tell Karen Haberman is no longer teaching ( unless YOU know otherwise). A google search brings up so many students and teachers who mention that Karen was their first ashtanga teacher.

UPDATE -  December 2017

See this article from Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman to which Karen Rain (Haberman) responds

Can Difficulties Give Us Insight?

"In fact, it is well documented that my own teacher, Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, (whom I love dearly) had certain “adjustments” that he gave to female students that were sexually invasive and inappropriate...."

and a follow up piece

Karen Rain (Haberman) Responds to Mary Taylor’s Post About the Sexual Misconduct of Pattabhi Jois