Yoga Mat. But which one?

One thing that I really love about Ashtanga yoga is that you really only need yourself in order to practice. Practice on a wood floor or on the grass loosens things up while practice on carpet seems to just never work out. While there are certain advantages to going "en plein air", most people are going to use a yoga mat and sometimes a rug too. It is of course more hygenic (if you keep your mat and rug clean), there is something about the bond one creates with a mat after hours and hours of urdhva mukha svanasanas, and in certain postures more padding is essential. But which mat? And why use a rug?

The Typical
Most people (myself included) started with an inexpensive PVC yoga mat. Usually around $20, one can find these mats just about everywhere from Barnes and Noble to the local pharmacy. Slippery and stinky at first, this will dissipate over time. Usually the go-to mat for yoga studio mat rentals because of the very low price, these mats shred over time. They are often thick, but not firm (a quality that beginners often mistake for a good thing). I do not recommend purchasing a PVC yoga mat. There are many health concerns regarding PVC and it is usually not recycled. These days, with a little effort, you'll definitely be able to get your hands on an eco-friendly mat at a comparable price point. Search Gaiam for mats around $20. I haven't tried any of them, let us know!

The Eco
The common eco mats ($40-$70) are the Jade Harmony mat and the EcoYoga Jute mat. When you first roll it out, it has a strong rubber smell, but that goes away. I found mine (Jade) to be incredibly sticky from day one. So sticky, that certain maneuvers on the mat had to be rethought on account of the non-slippage. That said, other people have told me that it was slippery for them. The Jade mat also attracts dust and hair at the beginning, so be prepared to wipe it off a lot if that kind of thing bothers you. After over two years of use, mine had yet to shred. Other people had shredding within a year. Thickness varies, medium to firm. While the non-stick and eco aspects are positive, for people learning jump throughs I definitely recommend considering a mat with a different textured surface or placing a rug on top for seated postures. Other natural mats can be found through Hugger Mugger, Prana, and Manduka. I've tried the Manduka Eko Lite. It is super light (great for travel). It has two sides: slick and sticky. Extra padding is in order for certain second series postures.

The Classics
The Manduka Black ($90) mat is an Ashtanga classic. Slippery, thick, and firm. Ideal for Ashtanga practice, but not necessary for beginners. Does not shred. These things last forever, but to my knowledge are not eco-friendly. They are heavy and travel with them is not fun at all. David Swenson has come out with a yoga mat which appears to attempt to out-do the Manduka. I haven't tried it. Have you? Is it eco-friendly? Shraddha has also been cooking up a mat...


The Rug
I don't really know why other people use rugs, but here's why I like them.

1. Practice seems less daunting when I'm staring at a rug instead of The Mat.
2. Rugs come in many fun colors and patterns and can liven up any mat.
3. Instead of worrying about cleaning my mat all the time, I just have to wash my rug.
4. Soaks up moisture.
5. Doubles as a resting blanket.
6. Good surface for learning jump throughs.
7. Extra padding for certain postures.
8. Some say they help with slipping.

If you aren't going to India tomorrow, you can find a Mysore rug at many Ashtanga shalas, studios, and online. Many people also use "mat towels". I prefer rugs.

How/where to get a mat
- Online (new-stores, new/used-craigslist)
- At a yoga studio (new/used)
- Health food stores (new)
-Through Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn or our Amazon store

What to do with an old mat
Tips from Elephantbeans
Tips from Gaiam



What do you practice on?

Beginner's Guide

You're Ashtanga curious. Here are some tips on how to get started and what you can expect.

• Observe a Mysore class before beginning practice for the first time.
  
  
• Commit to at least one month of practice.
  
  
• You do not have to know the primary series or anything about yoga to join a Mysore class. Although you will be practicing to your own breath, your Mysore practice will be highly supervised by the instructor. You will be taught individually one posture at a time. Your first classes will be short and will eventually be around 90 minutes. Slowly as these postures integrate, more postures will be added by your teacher and you'll continue to refine previous postures and techniques.
  
  
• All ages, shapes, body types, genders, ethnicities, etc. are welcome to attend. You don't have to be strong or flexible or a dancer or a gymnast. The only requirement is an enthusiasm for practice.
  
  
• The Mysore-style of learning and practicing is different than most other types of yoga practice because:
  -it is made of set series of postures which you practice daily
  -you develop a practice over time
  -the student-teacher relationship is very important
  -students practice with one teacher
  -it is less about catering to what we are accustomed to and more about challenging ourselves to transform
  -Students can take their time, work at their own pace, and are encouraged to marinate in certain postures if there is a therapeutic indication
  
  
• There are six series of postures in the Ashtanga yoga system. Primary series is called yoga chikitsa which means yoga therapy. This practice tones, increases flexibility, and detoxes the body and mind. Everyone starts their Mysore practice by gradually learning and practicing the primary series.
  
  
• You can arrive to practice any time that is convenient for you within the designated practice times as long as you are finished before the end. For example, if your practice is 35 minutes long, you should begin before 8:55am if class ends at 9:30am. So, no, your practice isn't 3 hours long and you do not have to arrive at the beginning of the Mysore class.
  
  
• Bring a clean towel, a yoga mat, wear clean clothes, take a shower, be barefoot, and arrive on an empty stomach. Do not drink water or other liquids during practice.
  
  
• Ashtanga yoga is a daily practice. Really, if we are talking the full spectrum of practice, it is 24/7. In terms of being on a mat, students practice 6 days per week. Saturdays or Sundays are a day of rest as are the first three days of the menstrual cycle (called ladies' holiday). Moon days (full or new moon) are also a day of rest. If this isn't possible for you at first, do what you can.
  
  

Got a question you want answered? Send it to info@ashtangayogabrooklyn.com

Also see:


David Robson interview video on what to expect in a Mysore class
how to pick a yoga mat
essential ashtanga reading
2011 Moon Days

{Food} Savory Breakfast

Carrot-Tahini Spread with Avocado and Toast

2 pieces of toast
2 grated carrots
6 tablespoons tahini
splash of wheat-free tamari sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 of a ripe and ready avocado, sliced

Blend carrots, tahini, and lemon juice. If more runny than peanut butter, taste and add more carrots and/or tahini (depending on the flavor you like). If very thick and dry, add more lemon juice. Add a splash of wheat-free tamari. Taste. Test consistency (peanut-butter like).

Squeeze a little of the remaining lemon juice over the sliced avocado.

Serve carrot-tahini spread with avocado and toast. I like to pile it on my toast as I eat, but maybe you want to pre-stack the goods. It is up to you!

Enjoy!

I try to stay clear of prepared/processed foods, but for gluten-free bread I usually buy Food For Life Millet Bread.

{Class} Led Ashtanga Primary Series & Community Class starts 3/27/10 in Bushwick

Led primary series of Ashtanga yoga
with Elise Espat
Mondays and Wednesdays 12-1:30pm at the Green Fitness Studio, L to Morgan Ave

$5 suggested donation
Saturdays 1-2:30pm

{Event} Ashtanga Yoga with Mary Flinn 4/25/10

Ashtanga Yoga Practice and Theory
with Authorized Ashtanga Teacher Mary Flinn
Sunday, April 25, 2010
12:15-2:30 pm

Led primary series of Ashtanga yoga followed by a discussion on practice and tasty eats. All levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. Be sure to sign up early as space is limited.

Learn more and sign up

This event will take place in Brooklyn, NY.

Surya Namaskar, Encinitas CA. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois {1989}

Drumroll

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The Mission

What we are trying in all these discussions and talks here is to see if we cannot radically bring about a transformation of the mind.
Not accept things as there are but to understand it, to go into it, to examine it.
Give your heart and your mind with everything that you have to find out a way of living differently.

But that depends on you and not somebody else.
Because in this there is no teacher, no pupil, there is no leader. There is no guru. There is no master, no savior.

You yourself are the teacher and the pupil. You are the master. You are the guru. You are the leader.

You are everything.

And to understand is to transform what is.

J. Krishnamurti

Podcasts From the Miami LIfe Center

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Image: Greg Nardi, Kino MacGregor, Tim Felmann of the Miami Life Center

Pattabhi Jois talks about yama niyama and pranayama

GURUJI: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Through the Eyes of His Students

{from the Ashtanga Yoga Shala website}

Publication Date:

Guru Purnima — July 25, 2010

Order your copies now through your local wholesaler or contact Twanna McLennon at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5438

GURUJI: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Through the Eyes of His Students

Guy Donahaye and Eddie Stern

It is a rare and remarkable soul who becomes legendary during the course of his life by virtue of great service to others. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois was such a soul: through his teaching of yoga, he transformed the lives of countless people. The school in Mysore that he founded and ran for more than sixty years trained students who, through the knowledge they received and their devotion, have helped to spread the daily practice of traditional Ashtanga yoga to tens of thousands around the world. Guruji paints a unique portrait of a unique man, revealed through the accounts of his students. Among the thirty men and women interviewed here are Indian students from Jois’s early teaching days; intrepid Americans and Europeans who traveled to Mysore to learn yoga in the 1970s; and important family members who studied as well as lived with Jois and continue to practice and teach abroad or run the Ashtanga Yoga Institute today. Many of the contributors (as well as the authors) are influential teachers who convey their experience of Jois every day to students in many different parts of the globe. Anyone interested in the living tradition of yoga will find Guruji

richly rewarding.

From the jacket cover:

"The guru’s transmission of energy and knowledge is a precept central to classical yoga. How Jois handed down teachings and values and what they were, the aspects of his personality and quality of his presence, and above all how he guided and changed so many lives through yoga—these are the subjects of Guruji. Through the words and recollections of students and close relations who knew Jois for over half a century, we are given remarkable insight into the life and mind of a dedicated yogi, an astonishing wealth of knowledge about the path of yoga, and a documentary account of how one traditional school of yoga has spread around the world."

Yoga/Spirituality - 16 Pages of Black-and-White Illustrations - July 2010 - 6 x 9 - 496 pages - ISBN: 978-0-86547-749-0
- $40.00 - North Point Press

Contributors: Norman Allen - N. V. Anantha Ramaiah - S. L. Bhyrappa - Mark and Joanne Darby - Brigitte Deroses - Joseph Dunham - Heather Troud - Nick Evans - Richard Freeman - Nancy Gilgoff - Peter Greve - Ricky Heiman - Manju Jois - Dena Kingsberg - Krishnamurthi - Sharmila Mahesh - Lino Miele - Chuck Miller - Tim Miller - Rolf Naujket - Graeme Northfield - Annie Pace - Brad Ramsey - Peter Sanson - Saraswathi Rangaswamy - John Scott - R. Sharath - David Swenson - David Williams - Tomas Zorzo

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