This is the latest Ashtanga movie called Mysore Magic, by Alex Medin, Jim and Angie Kambeitz. Our agents in Mysore tell us it was shown at conference recently. How many faces can you recognise?

Here’s the description: Magic happens at the source of Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore, India. Thousands from across the planet journey here to deepen their practice. Hear what they say, and enjoy an insider’s view into the Mysore experience. A portion of the proceeds from this film go to the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Charitable Fund.

In mid August we took a week’s holiday from work to practice with Sharath in London as part of his European Tour. We had been planning to commute from Brighton which would have entailed a 3am start to catch the first train to King’s Cross every day, but even we’re not quite that insane. Luckily we found a friend willing to lend us their holiday flat – a gorgeous, rustic-style, attic flat in Notting Hill – very Portobello!

So we were able to swan about town like true Londoners after our daily morning sessions; although as we soon discovered we were a lot more prone to snoozing than swanning about as the week wore on! Our first commute to the Camden Centre on Sunday morning was filled with anticipation and excitement and we soon discovered we weren’t the only ones who’d hardly slept a wink the night before (and I don’t think that was purely down to our friend’s dog repeatedly jumping on us in the middle of the night either).

The whole room was buzzing as we jostled into place on our mats but a sudden hush fell upon the 150-strong Ashtangis as soon as Sharath walked in. And, just as expected, he greeted us with “Samastithi”, then the opening mantra, then “Ekam…Dve…Trini…” and off we went. This was the traditional Sanskrit count with the correct vinyasa; no frills; no funny business; just straight up led primary. And it was amazing! Sharath has the steadiest, slowest count I’ve ever experienced; he’s like a metronome. Oh except when he wanted to hold us in a posture a bit longer, just to give us a little extra challenge!

This was one of the things that surprised me about meeting Sharath. I’d heard so many things about him – what he’s like, how he teaches, etc – so it was incredibly valuable to experience his teaching for myself. And I found he wasn’t at all how I expected – he’s gentle, humorous and incredibly light. He makes Yoga seem very simple. In the West I think we put too much emphasis on perfection – on getting every posture right – and on progress – getting more and more poses. But he said it’s not about the asana; whatever you’re doing is your practice. So it was very refreshing to practice with him and experience his approach. It was also a great contrast to John Scott’s workshop a few weeks ago which was very exploratory, playful and experimental. Being taught 6 counted led primary classes in a row by Sharath has made me realise how inconsistent I am in my own practice. I take extra breaths in vinyasas and fewer breaths in more challenging postures. I now feel inspired to count his slow, steady breaths in my head, whether I’m in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Sirsana or even the devillish Utpluthih!

Sharath’s clear, steady voice became very familiar to me by the end of the week and some of his little sayings will be forever imprinted in my mind during my own practice. Imagine these spoken with an Indian accent: “Don’t cheat, don’t catch your legs” (in Navasana); “Head down only, don’t leave your leg…. Now leave your leg” (coming out of Supta Padangusthasana); “No Chakrasana here” (when people fell over in headstand); “Stay up, don’t come down” (in Utpluthih).

There was a great energy and a wonderful community spirit during the week’s practice and it was lovely to see some familiar faces as well as meeting new friends in Guy’s Twitter buddies. On the last day the primary and intermediate practitioners all came together in one class for the led primary which brought a different energy again. There was something really moving about the sheer number of people coming together to share such a personal and powerful experience, which is very apt seeing as Yoga means “union”. At the end of the final session, after the last vinyasa was completed and Sharath invited us to take rest, the room broke out into spontaneous applause. This was a magical moment and he appeared visibly moved by it. As soon as rest had been taken, a long queue of people formed in front of Sharath to thank him, say a few words and perhaps have a photo taken with him.

From speaking to some of our fellow Ashtangis it seems many people feel inspired to go to Mysore after practising with Sharath, even if they weren’t entirely convinced before. I also want to go now more than ever and hope I’ll be able to before too long.

I feel quite sad that the week is over but incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to practice with Guruji’s grandson, which is as close to the “source” as I’ll ever get. Thank you to Hamish & Anna and everyone who helped make the event such a resounding success, especially the T-shirt sellers who provided a lovely little materialistic challenge after practice every day! And yes, after agonising over it for days, we both finally caved in and bought one of the most expensive ones each! So much for non-attachment.

Click here if you’d like to read our notes on the Q&A session with Sharath.

Namaste,

Hannah & Guy

On the Sunday morning, the first day of the week, Sharath gave a Q&A session after practice. These are our notes from some of the more memorable bits:

Yoga is for relieving the suffering caused by the 6 poisons which surround each of our hearts. The 6 poisons are: Kama (lust); Krodha (anger); Moha (delusion); Lobha (greed); Matsarya (envy); Mada (sloth).

It’s recommended to practice 6 days a week but practising 4 days is better than 2 days which is better than not at all. But 6 days is recommended. If you make it part of your life then it won’t be something you feel you have to do, it’s simply something you do every day, like brushing your teeth. He said the asana practice is the foundation of your spiritual practice and the purpose is to make your body healthy. It’s very difficult to be spiritual if you’re not healthy in your body first.

Teaching yoga has become very difficult in the West as it’s become like $15 per posture, i.e. if you give your students more postures they’ll come back, but if you don’t they won’t. So some teachers just want to give students more and more postures. But he said it’s not about looking for more advanced postures, in fact it’s not about the asana at all. Whatever you’re doing is your practice. If you’re bringing up children they’re part of you so your children become your yoga.

“Yoga is within me. Wherever I am yoga happens.” (This was a defining moment for both of us and even though he said it as an almost throwaway comment, it really struck a chord.)

He said our practice will support many other things in our lives. We have to make many adjustments in our lives, e.g. when we have children. But we shouldn’t stop practising yoga.

He said Yoga is getting very fancy. People want to be very expressive and put their arms up like this (raised his arms in a very elaborate manner). He said it doesn’t matter how you put your arms up, just put them up!

When asked how long to leave it before practising again after having a baby and whether you should only do primary he said you should do whatever feels right, whenever you feel ready, even if this is 1 or 2 years. If you’re pregnant you can practice up to 8 months into your pregnancy, but no twists. After childbirth you should take at least a 3 month break. If you’ve had a ceasarian you should wait at least 6 months and be very careful.

He told a story of when he injured his shoulder when he was younger and he could feel something tearing inside. That afternoon he went to Guruji to tell him he couldn’t practice the next day but Guruji told him he’d volunteered him to give a demonstration. Sharath protested and said he couldn’t even breathe properly but Guruji told him to just do it. So the next day Sharath gave the demonstration which was very painful but once it had fully healed he actually had more flexibility and felt stronger so he could see the benefits of just getting on with the practice.

At the end of the last session he reminded us to keep practising and that places like London need Yoga. He said if we continue to practice with dedication and faith then knowledge will come easily to us.

Om shanti!

I’m giving away 108 Guruji badges made in 6 different colours. If you practice in the mornings at the BNHC or at the Sunday self practice group you may already have one! When I give them away people ask me what they’re for. I don’t know. A friend has a badge making machine and it just seemed like a nice idea.

With the imminent (er, slightly delayed, Amazon!) UK release of Guruji by Guy Donahaye and Eddie Stern it seems fitting to write a post on essential Ashtangi reading. There are loads of books about Ashtanga yoga. For example you may want to know: ‘The correct vinyasa count for Surya Namaskar B’ or ‘who or what is Kurmasana?’ to ‘What does the opening Mantra mean?’. Here is my definitive list (so far). If I’ve left any out I’d love to hear from you.

In my opinion there are only two short books that I regard as essential reading for Ashtangis (These were first suggested to me by Shari Berman and after reading both books I wholeheartedly agree).

• Yoga Mala – By Shri K Pattabhi Jois
• Astanga Yoga – By Lino Miele

For students and teachers

Yoga Mala is Guruji’s book on Ashtanga Yoga originally published in the Kannada language in India back in 1962. It’s written from the source of Ashtanga Yoga and includes essential information on Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga (8 limbed path). It details the correct vinyasa count and health benefits of each posture in the primary series. It’s interesting to note that there is no sign of Urdhva Dhanurasana at the end of primary series. This must have been included in the practice later.

Yoga Mala is not naturally pallatable to the modern Western reader – for example sexual intercourse for yogis should only be engaged in when the air is moving through chandra nadi. So when one feels air travelling more clearly through the left nostril. There is however a yogic framework for living that the book adheres to and that the Ashtanga practice is very much a part of. This is one of the reasons I think it makes for essential reading. There is more going on than what happens on the mat!

Yoga Mala only covers the primary series which is partly why Lino Miele’s book is such a useful addition. It covers both primary and intermediate series. The great feature of Lino’s hardback is the format of how the vinyasa count and dristi are all so clearly laid out for each asana. It’s super clear – including inhalation, exhalation, sanskrit count for each vinyasa, drsti and number of breaths held in the asana. There is also a really good section on the 5 vayus, pranayama and the chakras. It also includes the closing mangala mantra with translation. (John Scott’s book also includes both opening and closing mantras.)

Recent books on Ashtanga Yoga

Gregor Maehle has also written two great books on Ashtanga Yoga. They’re packed with lots of detail – both anatomical and philosophical. The first book also includes a modern commentary on the Yoga Sutras. Mr Maehle keeps the practice firmly rooted in it’s philosophical tradition and context which I really appreciate.

• Ashtanga Yoga – Practice & Philosophy
• Ashtanga Yoga – The Intermediate Series – Mythology Anatomy and Practice

Ashtanga Practice Manuals

This is an interesting category and although most books on Ashtanga Yoga contain pictures on Asana and instructions on drsti, bandhas, they aren’t designed to have open while you practice. (I’ve never done this myself but I understand that home practitioners would do this while learning the sequence.)

• Ashtanga Yoga – The practice manual – By David Swenson
• Astanga yoga as it is – Matthew Sweeney

Both books are ring bound so you can open them up and have them on the mat next to you. Matthew Sweeney’s book is definitely far more in depth and comprehensive than David’s. The only downside is that in order to incorporate 4 Ashtanga series the pictures are much smaller than in David’s book. But it’s a small trade off to make. You really get a sense of the scale of the practice from Mr Sweeney’s book. He also has an engagingly direct writing style that I enjoyed.

Books for beginners

• Ashtanga Yoga – John Scott
• Ashtanga Yoga – Practice Manual – David Swenson
• Astanga yoga for you – Tara Fraser

I still think that every Ashtanga practitioner should read Yoga Mala. But it’s not entirely accessible to practitioners who are new to yogic concepts and language. In this category I’d included David Swenson’s practice manual (it has good modifications – I’ll write a post on this topic too one day!

John Scott’s book was my first purchase with his primary series DVD and it’s a great introductory guide, with lots of colour photography, it’s also well laid out and very useful. There’s a great section on advanced back bending (or assisted drop backs). His DVD is positively inspiring or depressing depending on your mood.

Finally I’ve included Tara Fraser’s book because while she’s not an Ashtangi she explores the Ashtanga practice in a very approachable clear way. Again the layout is good with lots of tips and variations for beginners.

If you’ve made it this far then you deserve a cup of tea before you hit Amazon and start expanding your library!