Videos Updated and New Program Flyer

I spent some time embedding videos that I have posted on Youtube.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for the first day of Mysore classes at Castle Hill Fitness this Sunday, July 1, 2012. Enjoy!

Handstands in the Primary Series?

Recently, I was asked about my perspective on the practice of handstands in the Primary Series. Despite the fact that handstands are not taught in the Primary Series at the shala in Mysore, some teachers and students insist on inserting handstands into the Primary Series. I disagree with this and do not teach handstands in the Primary Series. The next question inevitably follows. “Is it a big deal if handstands are done anyway?”

No, in the grand scheme of life, it isn’t a “big” deal; however, within the context of developing an Ashtanga practice, it is a distraction from the earthly, lower body lessons of the Primary Series. One must first learn to stand and sit before flying. The Primary Series is a tool that teaches us the basics of a simple yoga practice and educates the practitioner about the basics of breathing, movement of the joints, body control, rhythm, symmetry, and balance.

Handstands are considered an advanced practice in Ashtanga Yoga. Without learning the basics of the lower body in the Primary Series and the more complex spine and joint control of the Intermediate Series, the effort of the handstand is transmitted prematurely to the upper body. This leads to a multitude of problems with the shoulder girdle, impedes the healthy development of the physical body and short circuits the energetic pathways.

Take your time learning the Primary and Intermediate Series. There are many valuable lessons within these practices that will eventually render flying easy and effortless.

Vinyasa as the source of the Bandha

This is a bit of a continuation of the previous article about the ujjayi breath. Not exactly but close enough. If you have ever taken any of my bandha workshops then you know that introducing the bandhas is one of my most favorite things to teach, but if you are a student who takes my classes daily then you know that I rarely mention them in class unless you are personally having them explained and taught experientially to you. I've come to realize over the years that like the breath, in my opinion, the bandhas are a practice that should gradually evolve.

I enjoy taking students to that place within themselves that moves far beyond their external notions of 'doing' a posture. Once the realization that working the asanas correctly and in sequence creates the feeling of the bandha then the focus can be more about the breath and not trying to do something with the body that breaks it apart instead of uniting it and the consciousness inside.

One example of this came up this morning when I was helping someone with Laghuvajrasana. (I'm posting a picture at the end of this article). I noticed that as they went back and the tension from exhaling and the general nature of the posture squeezed everything toward the midline that the concentration/bandha of the posture was broken when instead of being in the pose the focus went toward trying to do something with the pelvis, the arms and the legs. The result of the splitting of the consciousness of the pose was that the vinyasa coming up from the posture was a lot more difficult than it should have been.

Once I mentioned the separation and suggested tuning in to the inward movement of the posture, and its corresponding entry vinyasa, the exiting vinyasa became easier. One could have easily said that more uddiyana bandha or mulahbandha was needed but then the mind would have searched for an external idea of the bandha.

Simply tuning into the internal effects of the pose allowed the mind to be clear and precise in what it was experiencing. It also allowed the vinyasa to be the source of the bandha. This is the key.

I'm reminded of a quote Eddie Stern posted in his shala a long while back that was attributed to Guruji. "When the mind is clear the asana is correct."

It took me a moment to wrap my head around power of the quote but when I thought about it I realized the power of simply doing a posture or doing the practice. Sometimes that is all it takes.

Don't think. Just do.

Ashtanga Yoga Austin, Texas now on Facebook!

You can now find Ashtanga Yoga Austin, Texas on Facebook. Simply search for Ashtanga Yoga Austin, Texas and become a fan. It'll be another great way to keep in touch with your fellow Mysore Ashtangis and what's going on with the program. See you there.

To Ujjayi, or Not Ujjayi

As an Ashtangi you are familiar with the audible sound of Ashtanga practice, the ujjayi breath. I’m often asked how one breathes “like that.” My usual response is that I don’t teach anyone how to breathe. This usually creates confusion because the person asking hears the ujjayi sound in the room.

My main reason for not teaching anyone how to breathe is so that the ujjayi process can evolve naturally as a result of experience and not an external idea,or suggestion of how one should breathe. Experience has shown me that the ujjayi sound is not an intellectual process but a state of being.


Every asana, vinyasa and sequence of asanas changes the breath in a different way. Each asana focuses the breath in different parts of the body and restricts it in others. These changes magnify the physiological effects of the postures as well as shift the experience of one’s awareness and concentration. For example, the breath and awareness for Samasthiti is quite different from that of Kapotasana. One would not pump the breath in Samasthiti as strongly as they would in Kapotasana, it would be a waste of effort. We have all been next to somebody who, from the beginning of their practice, is loud and aggressive with their breath. They pump and work the breath as if they are executing one of the most difficult asanas while they are going through a simple sun salutation.


The Ashtangis who present themselves to me with such exaggerated breathing patterns, on the average, tend to be those who were instructed to breathe 'like that' or to breathe like their neighbor. More often than not, they were instructed to breathe that way in a led class from the very first day. Introducing the idea of controlling the breath without first learning the simple ins-and-outs of how to move and breath (vinyasa) with awareness and comfort seems faulty.

Most people are not aware of how they breathe while sitting still much less when they are first starting a yoga practice. The first thing students need is to be given the chance to acclimate to the effects of the practice and how to monitor and control the mental and physical effort that goes into discovering the basic concept of vinyasa(breath coordinated movement). Without this, they mentally and physically constrict the breath because they are trying to duplicate something that they don’t feel or understand for themselves. This is what leads to exaggerated breathing.


Thanks for reading. We’ll continue exploring this subject in the next post.