Around 2 pm on May 18, 2009, God in his high heavens, in his most infinite and unfathomable wisdom, took the final decision to allow an old man to just exhale for the one last time in his 94 years on the planet, and not inhale that most vital whiff of air, the breath of life.
Yoga guru Pattabhi Jois had breathed his last.
Yoga is showing where to look for the soul - that is all.
“The dead of winter can be a kind of hero’s jourey… [U]se it to discover – and to decide – what you are made of.”
Saving grace.
I recently began practicing Ashtanga yoga. By that I mean I recently began practicing Ashtanga yoga for real, as in crack-of-dawn Mysore style, moon days and I-don’t-feel-like-it-days, eating dinner super early and drinking the “practice and all is coming” kool-aid like it’s going out of style. The experience of committing to [it] finally, was a lot like the joyous free-fall of falling in love. The birds sang, the sun shone, and small creatures trailed behind me singing as I walked from the studio in the early morning hours back to my car.
And then, the music stopped. The Ashtanga Police stepped in and shut those singing creatures up faster than you can say “Ekam.”
Inhale!
This practice comes from a love, not from a sense of duty.
Boonchu, the 8 limbs of yoga
Yama: refers to the five abstentions
Niyama: refers to the five observances
Asana: Discipline of the body
Pranayama: control of breath
Pratyahara: withdrawal of senses from their external objects
Dharana: concentration of the Chitta upon a physical object
Dhyana: steadfast meditation
Samadhi: oneness with the object of meditation
Source: facebook.com
opening chant, pattabhi & sharath jois
Great read! (for about 20% of you, at least ;-)
Ashtanga yogi, R. Sharath shares his views on western yoga w/ Spiros Antonopoulos
Many people think yoga is like a gym, or like going to a work out, but that is not yoga. Nowadays, it has become a trend to take a yoga course for something like one month, and then you are able to say that you have become a teacher. But that is not yoga. Yoga is spiritual. You should consider it a spiritual practice, not just exercise. Spiritual. ~ Sharath Jois
Thanks so much! Appreciate your feedback & follow from Finland. *alliteration swoon* ~ Kristen
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