Day Twenty-Five - Obstacles

When you go to Mysore, India to study at the shala you have your morning asana practice, chanting some afternoons, and the rest of your day free to fill as you see fit.  On my last trip I took yoga philosophy classes (my usual MO) a few days per week.  A group of yoga students climb the stairs in the women's dressing room, grab a carpet square, and sit cross-legged on the floor in an amorphous semicircle facing our teacher.  It is usually fairly hot and humid with mosquitoes flying around and my legs fall asleep and my hips ache and I'm fairly certain all of these things only really happen to me but I don't mind one bit.  I love sitting there with atrophied feet listening to my teacher walk through yoga philosophy from an Indian perspective punctuated by the birds outside, honking and laughing in the street, and the perplexed faces of students trying to make out his accent or English in general (because some of the students don't speak English at all) and whether or not the explanations he makes and stories he tells are real.

But this one is an easy one.  Our teacher is talking to us about a monastery in the north of India and how things are done there.  How we kind of don't understand what it is like to be a student and how maybe this illustration will give us a little bit of insight.  Maybe.  At this monastery students go and they wash the floors and clean the toilets and do all sorts of manual labor.  They do this for the "first few years" he says.  Once they complete this stage, that's when the yoga teaching begins.  "How many years is a few years?" Someone asks.  "Ten or eleven."

Last year I had to get a new Visa to travel to India.  Incredibly, my ten year Visa had expired.  I thought I had too.  Washed up maybe. Too something.  But when I heard that simple story in the women's locker room in philosophy class, I realized that the yoga was just beginning.

Me, in the thick of practice (dwi pada shirshasana which is a posture in the intermediate series), photo taken in my last apartment in New York somewhere between 2008 and 2011.

व्याधिस्त्यानसंशयप्रमादालस्याविरतिभ्रान्तिदर्शनालब्धभूमिकत्वानवस्थितत्वानि चित्तविक्षेपास्तेऽन्तरायाः॥३०॥

vyadhi styana samshaya pramada alasya avirati bhranti-darshana alabdha-bhumikatva anavasthitatva chitta vikshepa te antarayah

“Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground and slipping from the ground gained- these distractions of the mind-stuff are the obstacles.”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 1.30 translation by Swami Satchidananda

Exit:  "Million Dollar Bill" Middle Brother

Day Twenty-Two - My first trip to Mysore, India

We all have our own story, our own legends.  I am remembering my first trip to Mysore.  India had not been on my travel radar but I was serious about yoga and so when an article on yoga popped up in Vanity Fair my grandma clipped it out and gave it to me.  I was so excited to see anything "yoga" and at the time there were not many books or magazines like there are now.  You kind of had to know what you were looking for in order to find it. 

I read through the article and a few pages in there is a spread on Ashtanga Yoga and how it comes from Mysore, India and Pattabhi Jois is still there, an octogenarian, teaching.  And I thought to myself "well, that's it... I have to go" and nothing else mattered.  The image was like looking back in time and I had no idea that I could be a part of that.  I asked my teacher for travel advice and in his typical fashion, he gave none because that's what they all had to do.  Just arrive and discover.  It is part of it.  Okay.  And in a way, he was very right.

Another teacher put me in touch with someone based in Mysore.  Once I bought my ticket, he gave me advice on a taxi and that I should stay in a hotel for the night (because you fly into Bangalore which used to be four hours away) and then head into Mysore where I'd stay for the first week at his bed and breakfast. So I get my visa to travel to India which at the time meant that you had to go to the Indian consulate and it was my first introduction to what it would be like in India.  The rules, not rules.  The feeling that absolutely everything would not be fine and then it would be totally fine don't worry except for those few times but that was magic too.  And I skip the shots because I only have catastrophic health insurance and I don't even know where to begin to find that kind of doctor and I'm sure it will be fine.  There wasn't Pinterest either.  I have no idea how I knew what to pack.

I arrive in India around 3am.  I later learn that this is normal.  And so will be being fully awake at that time. Not just from jet lag.

I arrive in India around 3am and it is just me and a bag or suitcase I can't remember.  I must have had some rupees because I walked outside into the dark completely unable to identify which cars were taxis.  I didn't know what a rickshaw was.  I had the name of a hotel that I was to stay at and the driver took me there.  I paid for a night even though my car was picking me up in just a few hours.  I didn't even have a watch.  No phone.  The hotel was over the top colonial - white with red textiles and gold trim.  I am escorted to my room.  I am exhausted. As soon as the door closes behind me I run toward the huge massive pillow cloud of a bed, leap into the air, and completely back flop onto the hardest, thinnest, best disguised mattress I have ever experienced in my life (up until that point).  I groan myself to sleep.

Even jet lagged and pretending to sleep in Bangalore I didn't know if I would be able to practice at the shala.  Back then it was called the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI).  There was a website and the application was simple: you mail a letter explaining why you wanted to come practice and include a photo of yourself.  The AYRI would write to you if you were not accepted.  Otherwise, you show up.  I was so worried that maybe my rejection letter was lost in the mail.  That I had come all this way...  And maybe it was and maybe it wasn't.  I got to my bed and breakfast.  I registered for classes.  I looked for housing. I had no money as my credit card and debit card were not working in the ATMs.  My banks had shut them down.

That first month was very difficult.  Friends I made would tell me that I should probably go home.  "Some people just weren't made for Asia."  They are probably still right.  But being in the shala, practicing with Saraswati and Guruji and Sharath... it felt like home.

Exit:  "Wake Up"  The Arcade Fire

Day Nineteen - Moon day vibes

On the first day of each month I burn copal that I picked up in Mexico.  They say burning copal cleans crystals and energy and is a powerful conduit to the spirit world.  It is different than incense.  It seems stronger somehow.  The scent is different, the smoke is different, even when you try to light it you realize it is more like lighting a fire.  The dried resin smokes and fills the room and your house and it is a new month with all the energy of a new year.  So far, that is how 2019 has felt for me.  Each month an entire year in itself.  Pretty soon a decade will have come to pass and one moment I feel so different and the next exactly the same.

But wait -- I still wake throughout the night and with nightmares... I'd say I am a terrible sleeper.  

But wait -- isn't that a massive improvement from not being able to sleep at all?  

But wait -- I've got some major inflammation happening right now so I'd say nothing is working.  

But wait -- isn't it much less than it was?  And isn't it only now actually correlating with normal cycles instead of just a continuous haze of confusion and uncomfortableness?  And what about the tiredness and anxiety and stress?  That's still there.  

But wait -- didn't you used to drink extremely strong coffees with 4 shots each throughout the day?  And have to workout on top of that?  And need to listen to crazy intense music to be able to concentrate?  And struggle with procrastination and finishing projects?  And every other legal self-medication strategy that made sense?  

Aren't you doing a lot more now on and with much less?  Now that you have decluttered?  

Ok, I guess that's true.

So right now here is life, decluttered.

1. Seeing doctor about nutrition

Taking supplements as prescribed, clean diet, food diary

2. Mysore practice

3. Journal

Schedule lives here as well as notes, idea, plans, etc.

4. Kon Mari'd house

5.  Social media detox

6.  Tech detox

7.  Tracking budget

8.  Office 

Decluttering the unnecessary and one thing at a time

9.  One thing at a time

Also, one project at a time

10.  Listen to body/mind

11.  Reading

12. Write for 30 days

And I guess it is true that I have noticed other things besides unresolved feelings...  My memory is getting better.  My attention span longer.  I am maintaining eye contact.  My creativity is coming back.  My voice...  I never realized how much they had all diminished.

FOMO is gone.

Noticing how much my identity is tied up in my yoga practice.  Somehow noticing even more how essential it is.

Exit: "Different Now" Chastity Belt

Day Eighteen - Burnout

This morning I spilled searing hot coffee on bare legs and considered downloading Instagram.  I imagined curating my feed to reflect a clean and inspiring deluge of color and ideas and how I’d post on occasion when it really felt good. And then I exited the idea factory in my brain and settled into my stomach and felt dread and fear and doom and anxiety. It should bring joy or don’t do it.

Too soon. Social media detox continues.

I wrote the above sentiment before my yoga practice.  I was hot and inflamed and groggy and feeling terrible. None of my yoga clothes available. Coffee made for me but not according to my direction.  All things bad all things bad all things bad.  And somehow somewhere something happens and one foot goes in front of the other and I’m greeted with patience and kindness and I just stand on my mat and ok inhale hands up exhale fold. And I’m sweating and I’m moving and everything is ok.

This is just it.  The yoga works.  But you have to let it.  You have to get out of your own way.  You have to keep showing up.  And once you do sometimes the decluttering has already happened.  You have already done the work.  And you just climb into a river of energy and plug in and flow.  Other times you have to do the decluttering and you just sit in your space and cry or you hold each object but there’s too much for just one session.  And sometimes you’re really lucky.  You’re in the worst place and you feel awful and everything seems heavy and congested and impossible and somehow you’re persuaded to practice and you do and you come out the other side.

I think this is one thing that I enjoyed about Instagram.  I had started posting some practice photos and videos and people would tell me that it inspired them during tough times. That’s pretty powerful stuff and to me part of what this whole internet thing can do for us — help us truly connect.  It would be nice to find a way to have that kind of impact without feeling absolutely energetically sucked dry.  Just to put that out in the universe. I am sure it has something to do with balance and an internal homeostasis which has a lot to do with residing in an internal world of unshakeable integrity and clarity.  It starts with this:

My time is valuable
I am valuable
My education, knowledge, and experience are valuable
Please be aware that when it comes to yoga and me that you have entered a no bullshit area
I am allowed to say “no”
I am allowed to be available when I decide
I am allowed to change directions
I am allowed to make my own health and needs my number one priority

Also, you are entitled to all of the above as well.  I respect you, your time, and your process.

I went to an energy healer when the stagnation, the tamas, got really bad.  She said she used to work in a crystal store and the energy was just so intense she had to constantly clear herself out.  She walked me through her meditation that she would use.  Part of it involves creating a dome around you.  Everyone that looks in is greeted with something comforting and warm like glowing lavender love.  And when you look out you see something nourishing as well.  The ocean kept coming up for me.  Every time I ever sat staring out at the horizon.  The waves, the color, the push and pull that has always been and always will.  I think this was Cancun.  Maybe 2017.

Exit: “Fuck things up” Dope Lemon

Day Fourteen - Declutter yoga practice

Ashtanga is simple and specific.  You'd think it would get easier.  Nope.  That would be like having a guitar and expecting it to make its own music.  And actually the more complicated we make it, the harder the practice becomes (and not in a productive way).

When we are in the thick of transformation we can tell it is us that is freaking out and not the practice because the practice is the same.  Peel away the distractions, noise, extra dialogue and instructions and caring at all how it looks. Keep polishing it down to bandha, breathing, vinyasa, asana, drishti and we can tell that we are different.  We are changing.  The practice is simply holding the space.  That's the thing with doing similar forms every day.  Our senses become heightened.

So I remind myself to let it be easy.  To just show up.  Yoga is uncomplicated at the core.

Strip away all the extra well-meaning bullshit.

I'll try to remember to prep tonight for tomorrow:

Clothes and coffee

And I'll try to remember this:

Pick space on floor

Designate space with yoga mat if it makes it easier

Eliminate everything that uses electricity or at least reduce

Connect with breath

Look at nose and maintain 

Think of nothing else but "look at nose"

Stay a little or a lot (insert asana here)

Rest

Get on with day

Each day:  Yoga + 1 = plenty

Day Twelve - Spiritual decluttering

Confession:

This morning I was dreading getting on my mat.
Absolutely dreading.

It seemed so daunting so hard so long.  A marathon.  Some days are like this.  This is why I try not to ask myself how I feel in the morning.  And I avoid giving others the opportunity to do so as well.  Because the answer is usually about the same (unless the coffee has kicked in) - definitely somewhere on the grim spectrum. So I stop thinking and I just do (this is the automatic like brushing teeth part).  And with each breath I forget that I have an option to walk away.  I am just in it.  And sometimes that feeling of dread passes as my entire being realizes there is nothing to dread at all.  Other times I can tell that I just didn't look hard enough because it is there buried deep down when I go looking.  And maybe it always will be.

Yesterday I did an old school 1993 led intermediate class.  With the sun shining and the birds singing and the steady "ekam... dve" for a lingering moment it felt like a Sunday led intermediate in India.  My attention was completely held in keeping pace with the count and keeping my breathing steady (what you mean the method actually works?) and the result was a complete lack of drama and such a nice little contrast to today.

Imagine someone hands you a cute little kitten.  And then another.  And another.  And so many kittens that the kittens are falling from your arms and scratching at your torso and jumping to the ground and you're scrambling to keep them all together for I don't know maybe an hour and forty five minutes.  Or maybe pretend that you're running in water and everyone is laughing at you.

I think I sounded like I was in pain.  Breathing loud and forced and obvious to any innocent bystander that I was not relaxed.  Intermediate plus third marathon.  So mental.  Hits me in some place from every possible angle and like some sort of surreal nightmare every thought and emotion and memory seems to be held in front of me and playing out like some sort of spiritual kon mari session from hell. And I am trying not to cry and I am trying to think of looking at nose squeezing anus steady breathing 5 breaths and then boom confusing childhood memory full of anxiety and stress and boom that thing someone said last week and boom how will this other thing play out tomorrow and boom boom boom they keep coming and I'm sniffling and its just yoga chill out.

This is what it is supposed to do.  Get to edge, work on self, enjoy benefit.  Rinse.  Repeat.  But wow.

Maybe because I am so raw after a practice like that (which is often where I am at at the moment) and I have just dropped into a flow state I feel like I can write.  Something breaks open and things just want to be expressed.  Creativity.  Love.  Sharing.  Calmness.  Drifting on the river.

Again, I sat down this afternoon to write and it was rough.  And I thought about the concept of flow state and wondered "when do I feel this outside of yoga"?  A long solo walk or hike.  Music for hours.  Reading for hours.  Cleaning.  So I did chores.  (For whatever reason calling cleaning/personal care activities "chores" makes them easier to do.  Finish your chores before watching TV, going out, seeing your friends, etc.) So I do the chores and wouldn't you know it: flow state and writing and trying to think what I can do now to have an easier go of it tomorrow.

Good food
Nourishing things/activities
Set clothes out
Set out coffee
Go to bed at decent hour
No screens an hour before bed
Imagine what it is like in the morning for the sweet baby me and do anything else that would be loving

Because the karmas will come no matter what we do.  And we want them to come.  We want to work through them.  We want to run toward the pain. The thoughts will come.  The vrittis will come.  The shenpa will come.  We want to be ready.

Day Nine - Ashtanga yoga is minimalist

Yoga is hard for me to write about.  Immediately I start to wander into the weeds.  Imposter syndrome.  Include everyone and over explain everything. Don't want to offend anyone or say the wrong thing. But the truth is that yoga is uncomplicated.

Yoga is the non-identification with the thought fluctuations of the mind.  Basically just realizing that our thoughts aren't us and operating from that place.  So it is not circus bending or sweating but what we do in our day-to-day lives.  It is a quality we bring to everything.

For some of us, we like to workshop that through putting our bodies in crazy places and then training ourselves to concentrate and relax.  It gets the organs and body healthy as well.  Because we have bodies and life is easier without bubble guts. And there is this sweet spot where the energy is just flowing and it feels like "ah this is what the body is for."  Or whatever.  Just magic.  That's the on the mat asana part.  And even that's minimalist.

Directions on how to yoga
1. Make body shape
2.  Squeeze anus
3.  Look at nose
4.  Do nothing else but 2 and 3 for 5 inhales and 5 exhales
5. Move out of body shape using breath
6. Move into next body shape using breath
7.  Maintain anus squeeze
8. Maintain nose looking
9.  Repeat
10.  Extra credit -- practice with happy

All this goes away
clenching teeth
loss of vinyasa
clenching at joints
shortness of breath
shakiness
drishti is everywhere
bandha is nonexistent
soreness after practice and into the next day
tiredness or agitation
stiffness

Do for 30 days.  First week will be hard.  By fourth week no turning back.  I know this because I have had plenty of time to experiment.  Seems so simple.  It is.  But I've lost it.  I've become cluttered and distracted. But I am back on week one of basic (all-you-need-extremely-powerful instruction) and the magic is coming back.

This is a reminder to myself. Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
Squeeze anus and look at nose.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
We are all magic.
The end.

Vinyasa

Vinyasa:

“To begin the practice of yoga, an aspirant should first do the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations), and then proceed to the asanas. The Surya Namaskara and the asanas must be practiced in the correct sequence and follow the method of vinyasa. If they are not, or the movement of rechaka and puraka is neglected, no part of the body will become strong, the subtle nadis will not be purified, and, owing to the resulting imbalance, the body, sense organs, mind, and intellect will not develop. They may even become further imbalanced. 

If the asanas and the Surya Namaskara are to be practiced, they must be done so in accordance with the prescribed vinyasa method only. As the sage Vamana says, ‘Vina vinyasa yogena asanadin na karayet (O yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa).’ When yoga is practiced with a knowledge of its proper method, it is quite easy to learn, but practiced without such knowledge, it becomes a very difficult undertaking, Therefore, aspirants should not forget to learn the method of vinyasa, as well as of rechaka and puraka, and to follow it in their practice.”

From Yoga Mala (Sri K.Pattabhi Jois)

“Vinyasa” means breath-synchronized movement or the marriage between the breath and the movement. By practicing the vinyasa system, an intense internal heat is produced that purifies muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins, and increases the circulation. The balance between breath and movement eventually brings balance to the practice, creates a balance of strength and flexibility, and encourages the practice to become a moving meditation. The vinyasa is carried out after nearly every asana during the practice and aside from bringing balance to the body and mind, it brings the body back to a neutral position before starting the next posture. The vinyasa always begins and ends the journey, wiping the slate clean to begin again.

The Yoga Comics

Awesome Editor: Jessica Walden and Elise Espat  (Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala)

Cartoon guy: Boonchu Tanti,  Ashtanga Illustrations by Boonchu

Video Archive: Sharath and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Demonstration

Ujjayi vs. Free Breathing

I've heard this brought up in conference on multiple occasions, meaning that I've witnessed the question being asked of the current lineage holder of the Shri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga yoga method - R. Sharath Jois.  The bandhas and breathing in the system are very specific.  Listen properly!  Also good to realize the importance of the student-teacher relationship...

The Same River

By David Robson
Posted May 4, 2011
Source David's Blog

There is some contention around the idea of “traditional” Ashtanga.

Traditionalists would be the teachers and practitioners that follow the practice as it is taught in Mysore, India. We practice 6 days a week, with rest days on Saturdays and the days of the full and new moon. Practice is done “Mysore-style,” in a group setting. We progress pose-by-pose through one of the six series. That would seem like a fairly straightforward distinction, but it gets more complicated. Some of the fine details of the teaching have changed over the last 50 years. Some postures have been added or taken out, some have different entrances and exits, and some have longer or shorter holds. So, a teacher who went to Mysore in 1980 might be teaching Ashtanga as they learned it back then, and calling it “traditional”, while someone who went to Mysore last year might also call their practice traditional. Their practices would show many differences. Who’s right?

The practice has altered very little since my first visit to India, 9 years ago. The poses and vinyasa count, as they are taught now, are almost exactly the same as they were taught to me on that first visit. However, there have been some small changes. So, every year, when I return to Mysore, I listen carefully to Sharath as he leads us through the led classes and lectures in the weekly conference. Whenever I notice a change, I integrate it into my teaching. That means that when I get back to Toronto and my home shala, I teach all my students the new version. Most of the time the changes aren’t actually new information, but clarifications and corrections, a sharper focus on the already existing details.

On my last trip to Mysore, I heard something new. It was during the weekly conference with Sharath. While talking about the breath during practice, someone mentioned “Ujjayi Breath.” Sharath corrected them, saying Ujjayi is a pranayama, a formal breathing exercise, and then moved on to another topic.

At first, I assumed I had misunderstood what Sharath was saying. I had always thought Ujjayi Breath was one of the key principles of Ashtanga Yoga. Confused, I went to the source, Yoga Mala, by Sri K Pattabhi Jois, to see what he had written more than 50 years ago. To my surprise, there is no mention of Ujjayi Breath with vinyasa. None.

A month later I saw Sharath again. I had the chance to ask him if we do Ujjayi Breath during our asana practice. He said no, explaining that Ujjayi Breath is one of the Pranayama techniques of Ashtanga Yoga. In Ashtanga, Pranayama is begun only when a practitioner has started the Advanced Series. During our asana practice we only do steady and even puraka and rechaka, inhalation and exhalation.

It would be easier if we could think of the tradition as unwavering; that the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga has remained unaltered since its inception. But no tradition is like that; nothing stays the same. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “Ever-newer waters flow on those who step into the same rivers." I think of the teaching the same way. The tradition is not still. At different moments in time it has been taught with this or that vinyasa, this or that count, but it is always from the same source. It would be impossible for me to follow the tradition without listening to my teacher. The river is always changing, but its source is always the same.

Be sure to read the comment section as well here

David Robson is the co-owner and director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto, where he leads one of the world’s largest Mysore programs. He made his first trip to Mysore, India in 2002, where he initiated studies with his teacher Sharath Jois. Since then he has returned annually to deepen and enrich his practice and teaching. He is Level-2 Authorized by the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute.

republished with permission

Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice

From the KPJAYI website:

Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of Yoga that was taught by Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta. This text was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900’s by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927.

The following are aspects that Pattabhi Jois emphasizes as the main components of Ashtanga Yoga.

Vinyasa: Vinyasa means breathing and movement system.
Tristhana: This means the three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place.
The six poisons: A vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart.

Read full posting at KPJAYI.org

Led Primary Series at Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn/ Go Yoga

Ashtanga ~ Led Class
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-5pm starting December 2nd

The primary series of Ashtanga yoga taught in the traditional method of Mysore, India by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. Students will be led through Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) to the rhythm of the vinyasas counted in Sanskrit. There are no classes on new or full moons (moon days).

No class on Dec 21 (Tue), Dec 23 (Thur), Dec 28 (Tue), Jan 4 (Tue), May 3 & 17 (Tue)

Location:
112 North 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Sign Up: Unlike the AYB Mysore program, please contact Go Yoga to register online or in person. Drop ins welcome.

{Event} 5/23 Ashtanga for Vinyasa Students with Elise

Ashtanga Yoga for Vinyasa Students and Teachers:
An Introduction for the Mysore-Curious

with Elise Espat at Go Yoga

Sunday, May 23rd
4pm - 6pm

As we move deeper into our understanding of yoga, we often find ourselves wondering where our practice comes from and where it might be going. We find ourselves digging a little deeper into the subtle aspects such as bandha and dristhi and possibly even entertaining the idea of learning more about and beginning an Ashtanga yoga practice.

This two-hour introductory workshop led by Ashtanga yoga practitioner Elise Espat is intended to give the vinyasa student a window into this traditional method. Anything but your typical led primary class, this will be an opportunity to learn more about the lineage as well as to dip your toes in the Mysore practice. Participants will explore the fundamental postures of the primary series (Yoga Chikitsa), delve into the tristhana (breathing/bandha, posture, dristhi), and have a taste of the history and theory behind Ashtanga yoga.

A perfect way to jump-start your Mysore practice, gather tid-bits to chew on in your vinyasa classes, or immerse yourself in the lineage for an afternoon.

All levels of experience are welcome and invited to attend.

$25 Advance / $35 Day-of
Please register at Go Yoga


Elise leads the Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn program hosted by Go Yoga which is focuses on the traditional Mysore-style practice of Ashtanga yoga as taught in the lineage of the late Shri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Please visit the Ashtanga Yoga Brooklyn website for more information and resources. www.ashtangayogabrooklyn.com

How the #@!? do you jump through?

I've been asked this so many times.
How the #%&! do you jump through?
?

Well...

Magic. My long monkey arms. I don't eat meat. I'm a girl.

Just kidding.

I decided that it is my duty to share with the world how I learned the jump through and maybe it will help you too. For those of you who are experts of the jump through, please send in your feedback, tips, videos, etc. Together, we can get the world to jump through! Ah, that's sweet.

I've divided the journey of jumping through into seven parts. The important things to remember are that everyone is different, Rome was not built in a day, you have to really try. Keep in mind that you might be working on one of these stages for a long time. That's okay!

How to jump through (Part One)

The basic basics

Let's start at the very beginning--the very basics of the jump through. These simple instructions are important to master before the fancy stuff that comes later.

Breathing

Start in downward facing dog. Make it a short downward dog. Take an inhale and as you exhale, hollow out your belly (like a greyhound), bend your knees, look past your hands. Inhale and lightly jump your hips up and forward into the air. Exhale and lightly land on your shins between your hands. Inhale, take your legs forward into dandasana.

I know, you wanted to just jump through right? Well if you could do it, you wouldn't be reading this... So, first we start with baby steps. The things to focus on here are the breathing patterns, not holding the breath, moving with the breath, getting the hips high, landing softly, and learning to be in control of your body in space. Imagine a little kid walking a big dog. Who is walking who? This is you and your practice. Take the lead!

Part Two:

Cross your legs and jump for the sky

Once you are in control of your breathing and you are landing lightly, do the same thing, but this time land with your legs crossed. This will help you face your fears of breaking your toes, it will help you learn to make new habits, you'll be able to continue to apply the skills you learned above, and you'll be one step closer to the full jump through! Continue to focus on your breathing patterns, not holding the breath, moving with the breath, getting the hips high, landing softly, and learning to be in control of your body in space.

Part Three:

"Bumble bee" spine and uddiyana bandha

Learn to cultivate the actions of the jump through in the other parts of your practice. Really, the jump through is the final culmination and outward manifestation of lots of internal work. So, while you are working on parts one and two listed above, also be sure to work on the lift ups before your jump back and uthplutih at the end of your practice. A wimpy jump back equals a wimpy jump through.

For your lift ups, focus on a strong uddiyana bandha. From whatever posture you are in, exhale and cross your legs while you put your hands down by your sides. At the bottom of your exhale, hollow out your belly and then inhale and lift your body up. In both the lift ups and uthplutih, make a "bumble bee spine". Puff up the space between your shoulder blades, hollow out your belly, and turn your tailbone (your stinger) toward your head rounding your spine. You are making yourself little so that you can fit through your arms. These actions will help you to develop strength and muscle memory for the actions needed to jump through.

Part Four:

Let it be ugly and use the wood floor

I'm not a magician and neither are you. You were probably a mess when you first walked into yoga and now look at you! You learned so much and are no loner the yoga newbie falling over in triangle pose. At this point, you have to let go of your ego and expectations and let your practice be ugly so that you can develop the information to make it pretty. Move off your mat onto the wood floor. Come to a short downward dog. Exhale and hollow out your belly like a greyhound. Bend your knees and look past your hands. Inhale and jump. As you jump, lean your weight into your fingers so that your shoulders are past your wrists. Land with your legs crossed as you exhale. Then inhale and wiggle your crossed legs through to sit. Remember to keep breathing and move on your breath. Work on extending your breath so that you can inhale as you jump and wiggle/slide though.

Right now you are probably whining about your arms being too short and you need to stop that right now. No more excuses. You have all the tools to make this happen, you just have to keep practicing. Let it be ugly.

It is important to remember that you need to puff the space between your shoulder blades like you do when you are making the bumble bee spine. It is like the cat part of the cat/cow warm up. Also, you need to work on leaning your weight forward so that your shoulders go past your wrists. If you don't, you'll land behind your hands instead of between them.

Part Five:

Mat wiggle through

Now you put yourself back on your mat and do the same thing you did on the wood floor. It will be hard because you can't slide. Again, let it be ugly. Your body will be like "this sucks!" and will find a way to make it easier i.e. jump through without touching the floor. Patience my friend. You'll build confidence, awareness, control, and strength.

Part Six:

Air born

Don't touch the floor.

Part Seven:

Keep the vinyasa

Land in the pose.

There you have it. My personal journey through the jump through. Feedback welcome!