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!

We’d been looking forward to John Scott’s evening workshops for some time, so it was with some considerable disappointment that we missed the first session due to the burst water pipe in Croydon which plunged the whole of the south east into complete chaos. Luckily we made it up to Stillpoint Yoga on the second evening and marvelled at the sheer size of the Shard building as we exited London Bridge station right underneath it.

We had no idea what to expect from the sessions, as we discovered John Scott is renowned for his casual approach to workshops, preferring to wing it on the day than plan every minute detail in advance – at least this is certainly how it came across. So as we sat in Starbucks across the road watching the organiser, Scott Johnson, and other excited yogis tucking into coffees, smoothies and sandwiches we found ourselves wondering whether there was going to be any asana practice at all. Once inside the studio, these concerns were further enhanced by a friend who told us the Monday evening session had consisted mainly of talking, pranayama and meditation.

But once the workshop got underway we quickly forgot about our worries as John’s gentle voice and inspiring words led us on a fascinating journey of exploration and discovery. He encouraged us to explore the physical development of a baby’s anatomy and experiment with how a baby finds its centre of gravity and learns to sit, knee and crawl. It was eye opening to realise how much strength it takes to make these tiny baby movements and how quickly this strength can be built up.

We progressed very gently through the surya namaskaras and some of the way through the standing sequence using these small but very focussed baby movements and it was astonishing to discover how much effort this required. He also asked us to join him in calling the Sanskrit count out loud whilst we were moving through the sequence, something which I’d never experienced before and found quite challenging, as coordination of the count, followed by the breath and movement was key. At the end of the session John gave a very inspiring speech about sharing yoga with others, with two memorable quotes being “every yoga class is teacher training” and “we teach others what we most need to learn ourselves”. Great stuff!

On the Wednesday evening we were expecting more of the same but were in for a shock! Apparently Scott had told John to “give them one tonight” so it was a much more physical asana session. However, rather than merely count through the primary series, this was a led class with a difference. John incorporated many of the movements we’d learnt the night before so that he’d lead us gently from one baby movement to the next, then say “now just lean forward and see if you can move your arm this way” and before we knew it we all found ourselves happily sitting in Marichyasana A without quite knowing how we’d got there – and letting out an audible “aah” of realisation! We found ourselves moving into many of the postures this way, which provided a uniquely different perspective than simply launching straight in to the full pose as we so often do normally.

John brought a great deal of humour and humility to the sessions and I found myself fascinated and inspired by all he had to say. He has a very gentle, yet very solid and dedicated approach to the practice and I could quite happily listen to him talk about yoga all day! It was a shame we only got to practice twice with him but it was definitely worth it and both Guy and I are already eagerly anticipating our next opportunity to practice with him – whether that’s in New Zealand, the UK or beyond!

I’d like to thank Scott and Oz for their hospitality and for putting on such a great workshop. Their studio, Stillpoint Yoga, is a lovely big space fantastically located right next to London Bridge station and it was great to finally practice there with them.

Om shanti

Hannah and Guy

The Joey Miles Ashtanga workshop fell on a weekend after a new moon. Well rested from a day off the mat, the room at the Buddhist Centre was a buzz. It was nice being in the company of about 20 participants – new faces and more familiar ones from morning Mysore practice – and knowing that we would be sharing each other’s energy.

Saturday morning

Joey began the workshop with breathing exercises, having us lay on our backs with our knees bent and feet flat on the floor. It was a great way to begin the session, grounding us and bringing awareness to the upward and downward movement of prana. Sitting up in Sukhasana, Joey led the chanting of the opening invocation, the authenticity of his Sanskrit very moving.

This was followed by leading us through the Primary Series, with a few modifications to some of the asanas and added hip-opening exercises. Working with postures in different ways is always a good approach to veer away from usual habits or comfort zones, which may eventually enhance the strength of the posture.

The led practice seemed to go quite quickly however like all Savasanas, this one was much welcomed. As we lay on our mats, Joey read us an excerpt from Michael Stone’s book “The Inner Tradition of Yoga”, which turned out to be a foreshadow of the afternoon session.

Saturday afternoon

When we reconvened after the midday break, Joey refreshed our minds with the excerpt he previously read. Having a pen and paper ready, he asked us to answer in stream-of-consciousness-style writing the three questions: What is the body?, What is Yoga?, Why do I practice Yoga? Such thought-provoking questions resulted in answers that brought about insightful discussions with others, and possibly ourselves.

The afternoon continued on with the chanting and interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2:3 “avidyā ‘smitā rāga dveṣā ‘bhiniveśāḥ kleśāh”. This Sutra highlights the five kinds of suffering or afflictions (kleshas), our worldly baggage that prevents us from attaining Samadhi.

We were then introduced to some relaxation exercises for the torso and arms, as well as recognising moments in transition between postures when relaxation could be done. They were fun and as the practice of Ashtanga Yoga can be quite rigorous, easing up and letting go surely has its benefits.

Sunday morning

During our Surya Namaskaras on the second day, we worked quite differently with bringing awareness to the opposite direction of the breath and the pose. Inhaling our arms up from Samasthiti found us grounding our feet even more, and as we exhaled folding forwards we brought our attention to our sacrum.

After the standing postures Joey proceeded to take us into the Intermediate Series, guiding us through with modifications and techniques on how to get into the more challenging postures. It was an enjoyably invigorating class as it is always fun trying new postures that are not part of one’s regular practice.

Sunday afternoon

In the afternoon session Joey focused on Pratyahara, the fifth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. It is the internalisation and drawing back of the senses, where we remove any distractions from the mind. While seated on our mats, he led us through a process of carefully withdrawing from each sense, one by one. This was followed by other meditative exercises, making use of blocks, blankets, and chairs where we were curled over in Balasana and on our backs as in Savasana. This brought a close to the workshop – a perfectly restorative way to end a week and begin another.

Check out this cool choon by Dylpostino!

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!