Practicing with Discernment

When we first begin yoga, it is a tall order to learn how to do it safely. So many of the asanas (postures) are challenging and require physical and mental stability. Any seasoned student knows that in order to learn anything new or challenging - the first step is commitment: we have to get on the mat regularly.

There is a level of dedication that is also required in order to learn how to keep oneself safe, and this main key player for this to happen is discipline. The other key ingredient is finding a seasoned teacher who is in an environment where you feel comfortable enough to share with them how you feel and what is going on in your body and life. Where you practice with them is key - in a studio where it is practical for you to attend or online; for some people, individual sessions is the best way to find this relationship. Currently there is so much yoga out there, a little bit of shopping for the right teacher and for the right style of yoga that suits you is a good idea. And then when you have figured out which style works for you, stick with it.

I wish I could say it would be ok for a new yoga student to come once a week…but it just isn’t enough. A student needs at least two or three days a week on the mat with their teacher to understand what to do.

An example of this is that recently I have been seeing a physiotherapist for a groin injury - she says it is my gracilis. With a little needling, heat and exercises that she has prescribed, it is getting better along with my whole hip health in general. First thing she prescribed to me was:

”Do your exercises every day.”

I asked her,

”Is it like practicing? I have to do it every day or I won’t get the benefit of it?”

”Bingo.”

Like us yoga enthusiasts - in order to understand the postures and what we are learning, we understand we have to do it regularly or often in order to reap the benefit.

The key here though is not to blindly follow.

To blindly follow means that you get stuck in a rut of doing something the same way over and over that doesn’t serve you. It is difficult to discern what is good for you and what isn’t. Especially when you are at a new yoga studio, learning something new and figuring out the how-to’s, it is very difficult to know whether a posture may hurt you or not.

Plus you want to impress that teacher! It is likely that you are doing all you can to do the posture correctly and you want to do it right for yourself and for your teacher - you may even even over do it so that you can move on to the next posture or to be recognised for your effort.

You must use discernment in this process of learning yoga! If it hurts, stop, rest. If the practice causes so much discomfort and you lose track of your breath, then definitely stop. To continue practicing when there are visible signs that something doesn’t feel right or is physically painful is to blindly follow. This blind-following has some terrible repercussions.

Let’s look at why a student would get stuck in a yoga practice trap. They may find themselves in an unsafe place or even burn out of ashtanga yoga entirely due to injury or because they didn’t have the right mentor to guide them.

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A short history lesson of the modern ashtanga yoga practice teaches us that it wasn’t that long ago that teachers were so strict about yoga asana that they took postures away from students; “stopped” them at places where they thought they needed to understand what they are currently working on before moving on; and even gave super strong or even painful adjustments to students.

The ethos of placing a student into a posture has been the norm during an Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style class. The teacher would come over and adjust you, almost always. Sometimes, that teacher would take the student way beyond their comfortable place, past their edge in every posture in order to find the fullest potential in the pose.

The etiquette of Mysore style was that the teacher knew everything. That they could see what you needed to learn or put you in the posture that was right for you. This idolising a teacher to the point where they are placed upon a pedestal as if they were all-knowing was downright dangerous, and even a bit belligerent as yoga students found themselves in an unhealthy student/teacher relationships without really knowing how it happened.

I went to Mysore in 2008 to practice with the young Sharath Jois and the guru of the method, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. At the time Jois was nearing the end of his life; he passed away just a year later. He wasn’t adjusting much, mostly in and out of the Mysore room sitting in his chair but still very active in the room, you could feel his eyes everywhere. I had been to see him a few years earlier when he visited the Puck Place in New York City for his week intensives so I had a little experience with Guruji but not a lot.

I was catching my heels in Urdvha Dhanurasana right from day one. Now I was lucky, I had been practicing at that point almost eight years and had practiced it before with a teacher and knew the ins and outs of it. Plus I have a gymnastics and rock climbing background so backbending is a comfortable asana for my body. However the ones who weren’t really ready to be ‘catching’ were also catching. I remember seeing some people who weren’t really established backbenders being put into extreme backbends; something I’ll never forget that feeling of watching something that looked like a combination of magic and tragedy; how could they even get that person into a backbend? And why put them into that position in the first place?

This was the codified method for a very long while - put the student into the posture and with time they will get to understand it and learn how to do it on their own.

Now teachers are a little more sensible; partly due to the #metoo movement and to the misconduct of the late guru of the method, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, the ashtanga yoga practice - especially in the Mysore style - has changed. Some teachers don’t adjust at all. Some studios have cards where students can place on their mats to indicate without verbal discussion that they do or don’t want to be adjusted. Some teachers don’t teach at all anymore - they simply turned back in their authorisations…some teachers took a big break, and others like myself, have kept teaching with more sensibility.

Why? The allegations of Pattabhi Jois’ misconduct - in recent years many people shared how they were touched inappropriately while he was teaching them yoga. The ashtanga yoga global community reacted in different ways - some teachers renounced their authorisations, some took photos of Guruji down in their shalas, and some people stopped practicing ashtanga yoga altogether. A few teachers said nothing at all. If you read the blog posts by Guy Donahaye (click above link), you will be able to read multiple accounts of his misconduct and dive into the whole topic of what has happened and who has suffered.

Students and teachers who are still practicing with daily discipline fuelled by meditation, dedication and the breath - have taken a fine look at Pattabhi Jois’ behaviour and learned from it: how could they not?! For those of us who continue to teach and practice this method, we have had to look at the past and offer our sincerest condolences for those who have suffered, however we can only move forward and share this style in the most sincere and transparent way.

Students and teachers who are still practicing understand that nowhere in the method is it ok to harm another, touch them inappropriately or cause trauma. Many of us searched through every memory to find any place where we saw misconduct in a Mysore room and worked on our own reaction to it. Did we say something? Should we have?

The informed modern Ashtanga Yoga teacher has educated themselves on new ways of teaching; we have observed our own language, adjustments, our own trauma, and studied how we can be better teachers of yoga. We share this style of yoga in the most sincere and authentic way, offering modifications to the series, offering props or blocks where needed and adapting the series to suit the students’ needs. We seek to be more informed educators of yoga.

Some of us like myself, still have a huge place of love for Guruji and the Ashtanga Yoga method in their hearts; Guruji’s teachings and his contagious smile is a reminder that everyone - even the guru, suffers. For anyone reading this and hasn’t heard about this before I apologise for not writing about it sooner. It is more important than ever to share it. For teachers of the Ashtanga Yoga method, it is important to share the story of Ashtanga Yoga with your students - especially new students. Also, I apologise to anyone who has been physiologically, physically or mentally abused by myself, by any yoga teacher or guru, and by Pattabhi Jois.

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Blindly following - have you noticed something not right in your yoga practice or in the Mysore room? Did you stop and address it or were you so wrapped up in the moment you kept at it? Remember that when doing yoga, you can experience 1), liberation; or 2), an experience. Liberation happens when you can discern - look closely at the experience without attaching to it or wanting more of it. This will take some viveka - clear looking and observation - also a bit of svadhyaya - self study; study of the object of your meditation - your practice; and some faith. This faith could be in your teacher, faith in the practice you are doing and faith in the divine that supports you in your yogic endeavours.

Faith however - śraddha - doesn’t mean overlooking something that isn’t right. This is what I mean by practicing with discernment. Modifying your practice to make it suit your needs is practical practice; practicing with a teacher who believes in you and is open to discussion about topics such as the one in this post is key; and also, be confident in yourself to go ahead and change what needs to be changed in the method so it helps you find that joyful yogic space to shine.

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Come study with me online or here in Dublin at Little Bird Yoga and Coffee. Visit my teaching calendar for practice dates and times and let me know in the comments how your practice is bringing you closer to your truer self, your most kindred self, your most gracious self.

New to Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore style? Join me for my monthly workshop at Little Bird Coffee and Yoga - 12 March fro 3-5 pm where we will discuss the philosophy of Patañjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and practical Ashtanga Yoga practice.

Why I Need a Yoga Community

“If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all.”

— Yogi Bhajan, from "Michael O'Neill's book, "YOGA"

Killiney Beach, Dublin. December, 2021.

Right now we need our yoga more than ever: we are craving a daily meditative practice that is both physical and internal - one that invites us to watch our breath, see our actions, and be conscious of our environment and the people around us. One that invites us to see the world in a clearer way - there is light and goodness everywhere.

Where are you practicing right now, yogi? At home? Online? In a shala?

And are you craving the company of others to share your practice with, or are you happy to be alone and research your yoga? 

I’ve sure noticed my behaviours and habits these past two years and watched how my practice - even with its highs and lows - has maintained its status in my life as ‘important’; a ‘priority’, and even a ‘requirement’ for my wellness. I’ve mostly practiced by myself these past few years, occasionally with my online students and a few times with my teachers David Garrigues and David Miliotis - participating in their online communities during their workshops. My daily yoga goal has been to (and remains going into the New Year):

1), focus on my personal daily practice and

2), offer space for others to join in a yoga community and share with them my love of yoga, with soulful care

I am still doing all I can to support these two goals now. And best part is - now I am both online AND in-studio! 

As we go into the second, or is it third? year of the pandemic, I find myself tearing away the layers that I hide behind. I notice…I’m not the only one who is a little rattled by these past few years: we are all vulnerable. We are all standing tall and wearing our bravest faces, yet we need a little help. We all need community. There are two ways to join a yoga community - by joining online or in-studio. My goal is to keep the online community together and supportive while offering a safe environment for daily practice at Little Bird. How can I do both, you may ask, how will this work?

I set up a small computer in the corner of the shala at Little Bird. I use headphones to connect to the online students - giving verbal cues and demonstration. Meanwhile students are practicing their primary, intermediate or third series in the shala and I teach them as well. At the first week mark, I can share it is going well! Try joining in-shala or online and let me know how it goes for you.

The community around you yogi, may be one of the most important parts of a daily yoga practice. This is because the daily practice with its solitary environment can get a little quiet, a little too quiet. Spice it up by practicing next to a yogi with a smooth breath, or someone who you can barely hear breathe at all…or next to someone who is working in a slow methodical way, or someone who is flying through the postures with speed. Communities are strongest when there is diversity. This is one reason why practicing with others is healthy: we see differences amongst the practitioners and this gives us compassion and equanimity (non judgement) to ourselves and others. We stop looking at how others are practicing and begin to work more intelligently in the right way for us.

Most people who practice for a very long time don’t necessarily need to join a community - they are happy with their habitual routines of daily practice in the solitude of their own home: little bit of yoga here and there, reading and studying, carving out a place in their lives for yoga to reside in and traveling to see their teachers when time and space allows. Yet these are few and far between. I’d do anything to get to Kovalum and spend a month with my teacher David Garrigues drinking coconuts on the black sand, or be in Byron with Dena Kingsberg enjoying lush green juices and outrageous coffees. Laughing with like-minded yogis and friends. In those environments there is a community of yoga - practitioners, who all believe in the practice and in each other.

Whether you are alone on your mat or a part of an online or in-studio community - the isolation of the pandemic has warranted more from us yogis - our practices require us to be more curious about our practices and to share them with others. To be curious about our own yoga stories - the story and history of yoga itself! And the philosophy that supports our practices. A healthy yoga community is the place where we get to connect with others, share our yoga stories and learn more about the foundations of yoga. Who else is practicing and why - and the only way to find this out - is when you head into a shala or get online and join a yoga community to share your story of your yoga. How did you start yoga? Why?

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The Gratitude Corner

I have now lived in Dublin just over two years, and I consider myself still very new to Dublin. We moved here just before the pandemic began - December of 2019. I taught in-person for just two months before the pandemic started. And thanks to Amy Kokoszka - I taught for a few months at her beautiful centre, The Rathmines Collective. It wasn’t only Amy who warmly welcomed me here: I have been welcomed by John and Suzanne Forde, Gillian Mooney, Rionach Flynn, and Martin and Fiona Hynes. I taught for a short while at 360 Yoga thanks to Clare and Paul, and now, I add to my gratitude list, Eileen Fitzgerald at Little Bird, who has invited me to start the Mysore Programme there. Thank you everyone here in Ireland who has helped me along and shared my teachings through word of mouth.

Ireland - oh I still have to learn about you! And since I have been here mostly during the pandemic, I have mostly taught online; because of this most of my online students are all over Europe and I have to admit, I have more students around the world than here in Dublin where I live! Because of this - holding this space and maintaining it for those who aren’t here in Dublin means a lot to me as these students have been practitcing with me online almost the entire time. Thank you, yogis!

Here in Dublin - you can come and practice with me at Little Bird - Sunday-Friday from 7-9 am. You can come online or join the in-shala practice; I am happy to have new students - people who have never practiced Ashtanga Yoga before. You can also practice daily with John and Suzanne Forde at their shala, Ashtanga Yoga Shala Dublin. They even have two practice times - morning and night. Depending on your location and your time and energy - try to blend your practice where you join a community online once in a while and in-shala. Once you find your people, stick with them and support them. The shopping for teachers is over, dear yogis. The pandemic has taught us to stick by your local teachers, support them and they will continue to support you.

So get in there - join your community, get with a teacher and participate in their in-studio classes. There is plenty of space and room, us teachers are wearing masks and doing all we can do stay healthy, promote healthy practices and share yoga with you.

And as difficult as some days can feel, even the smallest bit of yoga - rolling out your mat (just doing two postures even!), makes us all feel a little better. If you think of your yoga practice as a life-long relationship - you can’t also just quit when you have had enough. People do quit the practice and move on to other meditative practices, however I bet even the smallest asana component supports the meditative practice in a large way.

The Mysore Ashtanga Yoga model is a perfect recipe for success in yoga that sets a keen yogi up for a successful meditation and conscious yoga practice later on. This set sequence of postures (Primary Series, Intermediate Series, Advanced A and B Series, etc.) are linked together through the breath on a physical, mental and somatic level. Each series makes the body lean and supple, strong and resilient. On the subtle level one will learn how to breathe with ease which acts as a back-up tool during stress. One learns how to breath amidst pressure, strain and discomfort and this in turn teaches one how to endure.

The years’ one puts into practice becomes an accumulation of āsanas, tricks and masteries that only one has learned from a teacher and from the work they have put into research. Stick with the practice long enough and your āsana language will be full. As the years progress, my friends and peers are less interested in advanced asana and more in the quality of the yoga they do - in whatever shape or form. They are more interested in the craic - talking about yoga and sharing their story of their practice than actually doing it. This is the armchair yogi at his or her finest - just chatting about their practices because it is an old friend, it is a mentor, the practice is a part of their lives.

So we meet on the mat daily - Mysore style. Some people do a little (a little primary, maybe a little intermediate) and some people do a lot (maybe some third or fourth series or beyond! With pranayama..), but each person who shows up to their mat is:

• Witnessing their actions past and consciously present - feeling them in their body and breath

• Sharing their practice with others - being vulnerable and brave

• Admitting their presence

• Being amidst others who too are thinking the same way - “I am breathing fully with others who also seek change from the inside and out”

• Knowing that being there with others - there is no judgement - everyone had to start somewhere!

Join me at Little Bird for daily practice - in-studio or online. If daily practice isn’t for you and you wish to join a community for the philosophy and the bhakti, join me the first Friday of the month from 8:45-9:30 am for the community yoga discussion. Next one is Friday, 7 January. That’s tomorrow, yogis!

Another great event coming up online is the Piñca Mayurāsana workshop held on the 30th of January from 2-4 pm. You can register for all these below.

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon, and much love and light,

Sarah xo

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Online Classes Schedule and Booking Details

Online Mysore Monday-Thursday - 7-9 am

Friday Led Class 7-8:30

Saturday Mysore 7-9 am

No class online Sunday

Zoom ID:

583 779 3991

Password Practice

Booking on my website here.

Little Bird location and booking details:

Little Bird: 

South Circular Road, Portobello

In-shala Classes

Sun-Thursday 7-9 am Mysore

Friday Led Class 7-8:30 am

Register to Book here

Piñca Mayurasana Workshop

30 January, Sunday 2-4 pm

Book here.

Free Community Yoga Discussion

Friday, 7 January 8:45-9:30 am
Online with Zoom Details

583 779 3991
Password is Practice

Non-Attachment and Parenthood

 “I’m just another mother, another yogi, trying my best.” 

I have been practicing this yoga now for a while. Some people get to a point in their yoga journey where they ask: 
“Why am I doing this every day?” 

I ask:
“Where would I be without this!”

Recent Yoga Practice at Yoga in Salento, Italy. Join me next year in October, 2022!

My practice keeps me in balance. It is a maintenance tool, sweeping my wellness into samastiḥ. Since I’ve always been a bit of a quitter, the fact that I am still at this practice over twenty years now, tells me it is working. 

l too go up over the red line at times and lose my balanced mind. Yogic practice is meant to help with this but often it can’t compete with such emotion. With too much of this or that, too much practice, often our cit (shit) comes out when we are spread thin. It is my kids that have taken me to my edge this last year and a half during the pandemic. When I really lost my patience and my focus, I would sit in my room, close the door and wait it out. They didn’t need to see my red-line emotions erupt - though sometimes they saw it, and that was ok too. Dash would say":
“Mummy, are you crying again!? It’s really not that bad, Mummy!”

Daily mindful yogic practice - this invocation into the self - is an expression of deep looking that is intended to make us better people. It’s job is to keep us out of those red lines. It helps us hold back, write the letter to take action, work more intelligently and become more efficient in our daily routines. This happens when we apply austerity, tapaḥ.

Does practical longterm yogic practice actually make us better people? Maybe! And well, maybe not. Heck, I know a few assholes out there who practice yoga, and I bet you do too.

If we are looking through the same lens every day, we will fail repeatedly to penetrate the veil that holds us in this constant world of samsaric carnage. Sometimes we don’t even know that we aren’t seeing it because the veil is so thick. Other times we chose not to see it - blinded by some tradition or an anxiety to break the norms. Sometimes we reside in pain in fear of change.

This habitual pain - whether these repetitive actions are in our bodies or in our thoughts, this is like a dutiful dog tending to its owner who beats him, we often don’t see that it is unhealthy - that there needs to be a different way to see, act and live.

Our environments change when we choose to practice with discernment. The yogic language for this word is “viveka”. Having discernment of what kind of practice we do, who we practice with and how we are practicing. This is the filter we need to apply often. Then the messy behaviours, that red line belligerence...perhaps these become less acute and eventually go away altogether when we choose to listen, watch more clearly and apply discernment in all that we do on and off the mat.

~*~ Being like Ravana

The first ten years I practiced yoga, I wasn’t really a yogi at all. I may have been a yogi because I did asana, pranayama, meditation and chanting with diligence. I was like Ravana, collecting boons from Shiva while still being evil. You see, my behaviours weren’t changing. As I mature, some things have gone away, some have not: has it been the yoga that has helped me learn this? Maybe. Though I think it has been motherhood that has taught me more about yoga than any yoga pose or advanced series. 

Motherhood has taught me that I am not capable of complete vairagya, non-attachment. This huge and great path I have embarked upon, has complicated my life as a yogi, but also enhanced it. It requires me to be better on and off the mat. Being a mother has become more important to me than any advanced yoga posture. Could I ever step away from this role as a parent and let go? The attachment to my children is carnal. My children have chosen me for their mother, and they need me to guide them. Sure they are young and won’t always need me as they do now, but at this time and place, I am completely bound to them and they are to me.

Children see everything with clear eyes: they may see me do fancy yoga postures on a regular basis, but more importantly, they watch how I speak, eat, relate to others, and act all the time. It has become clear that my yoga can no longer just live on the mat, it has to be visible in my actions so my kids can use this model to be better individuals. Through my modeling they will have the tools and confidence to reach their goals and dreams.

Mindful people focus on their their yoga practices AND parenting practices. They are the same. Dash is absolutely right when he says:
“it is alright, Mummy. It isn’t that bad.” 

Patañjali shares that vairagya (non-attachment) is one of the main paths of the yoginaḥ. When the yogi has seen all (become omniscient - all knowing) and has turned away from that all knowing (reaching the cloud of virtue - the “dharma megha samādhiḥ”), and has completely withdrawn from the mindfield - separated the puruṣa - the higher self from the mind-field and all that it resides in (prakriti), and the guṇas no longer persuade the conscious self to experience this or that, or attach to that sensation of experience - it is now liberated!  This is Patañjali yoga! 

So what about the seventh series yogis out there - the parents  - who can’t extract themselves from their job, minding their children - do they not get to ride on top of the cloud of virtue?

Yes, yes!  They still will get to ride on the cloud and this is why: this time will pass. This time and place in our lives is impermanent. Exhausted parents out there (like myself),  running around chasing their toddlers with their heads’ cut off like a chicken, how exhausted you are! It isn’t always going to be like this, the children will grow up and need us less. We will have energy again, though will we ever let go entirely?

One definition of avidyā - not knowing or being ignorant to - the first of the kleśas - is mistaking the idea that something is permanent when really it isn’t. There are only two aspects of yoga that are permanent:

Puruṣa is always conscious and always at its finest place - it doesn’t change; think about if you get to sit on the cloud of virtue - your liberated self (puruṣa) has nothing else to look at but itself. No attachments (no screaming children, etc). So it resides there.

The second constant that is always the same is that the guṇas are permanent - they change all the time, they are always influencing us to either experience something or liberate us from it. 

For further detail, Edwin Bryant asks us, “Is there anything permanent?”
Yes:

1) changing guṇas are permanent because they are always changing - this is a permanent behavior of them. The Underlying essence of prakṛti is always changing. This essential nature isn’t destroyed.

2) unchangeable puruṣa - no change, pure - the essence always remains true - it is devoid of experiencing the 6 events we all go through: birth, endurance, change, growth, decline, destruction.

**

This awareness of being attached has brought me insight into other areas where I am holding on. When I open the basket of my kleśas - the big obstacles that hide my true and quiet self (puruṣa), this barrel is full of attachment, ego, aversion, not-knowing or just plain ignorance and clinging to this same life - the same behaviours that haven’t proven helpful  -  and it is the contents inside this barrel that continue to persuade me to go into overdrive, lose balance, and not see clearly.

Having a look with clear eyes at the obstacles that are hidden makes us honest. The yoga practice speaks less about the postures and asks us to listen to our behaviours. I want to blow that top off and go into those kleśas!  I want to look at them, explore their caverns that have been stealing my mojo all these years. 

Through asana, chanting, daily pranayama - my seated stillness - these kriyā yoga actions brings these kleśas into view and of course, limits them from coming - but nothing brings them to the table more clearly than children. Trying not to shout or yell is harder than you think - it would be so easy just to yell sometimes. 

The yoga now is second but still required in order to stay balanced. I do a little bit every day. When I say a little bit - I very rarely do more than an hour and a half every day. To be a good mother, I have to keep enough stamina in my mental and physical body to share with my sons. I can’t cash it out all on the mat anymore; there always has to be some reserve in my tank. Almost every afternoon I chase a small person at the park or carry them up a mountain or a hill. 

When I begin my practice, the breath starts the show. I watch and listen to the secrets of the bandhas and the breath and I notice how my thoughts support this orchestra. I slowly wake up my internal world and begin to watch and pray to my outer world. Most important, I am filled with gratitude each and every time I get on the mat, not expecting anything other than being present in what takes shape.

I watch my legs as I have used them as great vehicles my whole life - they’ve carried me up great rocks and mountains:
“Thank you for being there for me and continue to.” 

I watch my hands and my arms and thank them for being so strong as I did many times hanging from a wall:
“You are tireless, I thank you.” 

I see my abdomen with all its squiggly lines and lumpy bits for what it did for my life:
“Thank you for your amazing ability to grow -  thank you for building two lives.”

And I give myself the honest pep-talk:
“I’m just another mother, another yogi, trying my best.” 

And then I got on that mat, again and again. No matter what. And it repeatedly responds with:
“You’ve arrived. Stay and be present. I support you. You are okay, you can melt here. You can shine alone here. You got this, mamma.”

Almost twenty-two years of practice - daily since 2008, I am no stranger to taking breaks, re-inventing my practice (twice after two huge pregnancies), and I tell you yogi, or yogi-wanna-be, don't stop practicing. Keep your gear ready and able, for any day, after no matter what happened yesterday or or last night, and no matter what is happening now - the mat is ready and waiting for you to witness something old or new, or something begging your attention to change. 

When you apply viveka - discerning awareness and complete deep looking and investigation - you’ll find something is there worth extracting. Pull it out. Write about it, share it. And if you end up in a muddy puddle, your kid may even surprise you:
“It’s ok, not that bad, actually. Let it go.” (thanks, Dashiel.)

Seek that solace in the silent places around you and within you. This great place where we balance ourselves with the world around us, and within ourselves - not going over the top and heading into the red-line...this place that is entirely yours - yours alone to dive into, this place is independence, alone-ness, freedom:

kaivalya.

** Tips for a sensible practice week:

I am a true ashtangi where I don’t add poses in - I don’t take them out - and I follow the series with devotion - this is only because it has been tried and tested for me personally, and I have found a great joy in this beautiful tradition and lineage. I also know I belong in it - I care deeply about my teachers who have practiced before me and shared it with me so selflessly - and so I would never muddle with such careful and potent - priceless and special yogic secrets that have been shared with me.

I rarely ever do a full series. A mature practitioner does a little bit every day, sharpening their asana and their breath and staying focused on what they are working on. Projects, drills, actions with meaning - this is a sound and safe yoga practice. Not repeatedly doing an asana poorly for the sake of the breath or following a series. Often the breath will fail to do its job if the asana isn’t clean and vice versa. And if the asana isn’t clean then where is the mind?

Take a look at how I adapt this practice of ashtanga yoga - it is a practice to support me in my daily life - this supportive girdle holds me in its arms, instead of thrashing my nervous system and making me rest on the couch all day after completing it:

Sunday - half intermediate to Karandavasana

Monday - first half of third to Viranchasana B

Tuesday - second half of third starting at Viparita Dandasana

Wednesday - first half of fourth

Thursday - try to do full fourth

Friday - some primary - usually just to Baddha Konasana

Have you found your sensible practice? Share it with me!

Join me for two upcoming events:

-Sunday, 31 October 2-4 pm for Backbending and Handstand Workshop

-Friday 5 November: 8:30 am Online Free Conference and Discussion

September Newsletter: the Pulse of the Practice

In the September newsletter, I share about how practicing when most vulnerable or when one is the least prepared. When would this be a healthy choice to head back to practice and when it is a good time to take a break?

Often we wait to begin a yoga practice because we think we aren’t good enough or we aren’t ready. It is the pulse of the practice, the healthy memory of what yoga means to us - that usually draws us back in. Need some more mojo? Find it in the newsletter below:

Join me for the next Sanskrit Online 6-week course: 12 October - 16 November, Tuesdays from 9-10 am.

Book the event here

Your living breathing Practice

If your practice was living being, how old would it live to be?

Are you a practitioner that has a ten-year practice burning at both ends? Are you firing away at it every day till it comes to a stop like an old car making noises when it is parked? Or are you smoothing out your practices daily, making them last a long time, and finishing each practice with ease and restoration?

I invite you to design your practice so that it is a living breathing well-oiled machine, that goes and goes for years to come. You see those old cars on the road whose owners have reinvented, painted, cared for, and taken out with a bit of pride when they drive them? We want our practices to be like those adored cars as we age.

Your practice is a lifelong friend. Build the relationship with your practice that you would want to have till your last days. Your prāṇic relationship is worth the daily investment: notice how you feel when the marriage of breath and movement is symbiotic! Your majestic lungs thrive when you breathe fully, your skeletal system gets stronger with the natural lifting of your limbs - your digestive system stays rhythmic - and your eyes, ears and tastes mature. This reinvention of yourself each and every time you practice is a daily washing of yourself: you wash away those negative thoughts, add ojas and nourishment to your internal and external machine, you release tension, and the result is that your smile brightens.

How you oil your machine is your yoga - whether you take a day to explore one single asana, or you do the entire intermediate series - each time you step on the mat, you are doing so with the right intention that the daily dose of yoga that you are about to do - is the right amount for you.

“niḥśreyase jāṅgali-kāyamāne”

Look at these words chanted in your invocation to practice, most ashtanga yogis chant this at the beginning of the practice so it is an intention for a clear practice to be embarked upon. A basic translation is that “may I take refuge (niḥśreyase) in the teacher who heals any mental, emotional and spiritual problems that I may be suffering from" (jāṅjali-kāyamāne). This is the practice you are about to do - the practice is the teacher for you that day. Sure your teacher could be this as well, but it is the amount of yoga that you for that particular day which allows transformation to happen. This could be a lot or a little, it is what is needed for you for that practice.

Your āsana practice is a rejuvenation of life within you, it is a creative dance which has the freedom to explore and witness your self, that hidden self I keep writing about over and over again. It never gets old writing about puruṣa, the conscious self, because…well, I am curious! I appreciate taking the time to separate the thinking, acting, doing, and working field of my to explore that sweeter side of me, the quite side. This is the side that doesn’t do anything - it is just the observer, or even the passenger in the vehicle.

Beautiful flowers here in Ireland, heading into summer, there is no lack of expression!

It never gets old writing about the inner self that is hidden. It is our job as yogis to tune out the chattering of the mind and listen. As David Miliotis says, “Go into a dark closet and stay there. Listen. What do you hear?”

I’m coming to a place in my practice where I stop more often in the practice. Have a think. Sit still. Listen to my breath for a moment before moving into the next posture. Sometimes I even open my mouth and exhale with a smooth, even breath. This opening of the mouth and letting the cold air come in comes from those pregnant days of practice where I needed to maintain a coolness in the body. This simple moment of reflection brings me back to being more present. The same thing also happens when I keep my mouth closed, I focus on mūla bandha, have a glimpse into my spine, and then start the next posture with a quieter, smoother breath. Quieting the breath is key here - iron it out, listen more clearly, and to make it joyful, easy, and thoughtful.

Taking pauses, having a rest during your practice or even just having a sit for a moment is such a no-no in the ashtanga world.

Stop!? What? Keep going, don’t stop the meditative flow, right? Well I say no. There are interruptions everywhere - stop signs come, bends in the road, and navigation is required. If you are always moving at the same speed, head down and on a mission, sometimes you miss out on a new awareness that could only come when you find stillness. This could happen while you have settled into a posture, or by just resting for a few breaths in downward dog or childs pose, before doing the next posture. The best one of all - you could come to Samastiḥ.

Did you practice with me recently for the Full Vinyasa Primary Series? Get in touch if you’d like the recording, coming back to the top of the mat is the best way to take a pause and reflect before moving into the next pose. It is just like driving a vehicle: take the time to pull over, take that pit stop, and get back on the road with more focus. (I love me a good full vinyasa primary or intermediate - I try to do either one at least twice a month!)

Other times, I am moving fast like a dancer on the mat, each breath an invitation to move with full expression. Moving without thinking through each vinyasa and posture is a great meditative practice as well: what is really happening when you breathe to your fullest potential with each and every breath, and link it with movement - with no thinking? Meditation, concentration and absorption happens, sañyama. There are no stop signs, and all you do is go. You can still be very present, yogi, even if you end up being a little sloppier than usual. No stops. Now you wouldn't want to do this all the time - but once in a while this could be a great go-to when there is a lot on your mind.

Bright, slow, clear, rhythmic, bold, brave, courageous. And even…quiet. All of these could describe a practice any given day. Try this: on Monday do all of your standing postures to Baddha Konasana followed by full finishing poses. Do it without any interruptions. Then on Tuesday do all of your standing postures and then start your seated postures at Upaviṣtha Konasana - right back where you left off on Monday - finish the second half of primary but do it in Full Vinyasa form. Observe…did it take you same amount of time? Do you feel nourished after? Separate the series - one day do the first half and the other the second half. It isn’t a chore. You don’t have to do the full series every day - by breaking it up, and by doing it a different way, you may bring more ease to your practice week.

I have heard from my students and yogi friends that when they are most stressed, they often skip the practice. These are the times when it is better to do the bare minimum of practice rather than none at all. Just do some standing and some seated. The next day do some standing (the ones you didn’t do) and some seated (again, do the ones you didn't do the day before). Just do 30-45 minutes. You’ll see that by separating the practice over the course of the week you still get your full primary series. It just wasn’t done all in one day!

Practice when it is convenient for you, it doesn't matter when really, as long as you tend to it.

When I get the full eight hours of sleep, I am a better mother and better yogi. My eyes are clearer and I am more focused on the practice. Hard postures require clarity. Easy postures require maturity. They are all equally important. Tending to your loved ones with a calm mind and one that hasn’t been exhausted is just as important as your fancy practice. If you are getting up at zero-thirty to practice - continue to do it if this is the only time you have to practice…if you can put it in elsewhere in your day, do that instead. Drop the super early mornings, your co-workers, family members will thank you.

And you may even just kick your coffee habit for good.

Calvin and I walking at Glendalough - waterfalls and skipping stones in the river - our favourite!

Starting 25 June, I’ll be teaching online from my family’s home in Reno, Nevada - Pacific Coast time.

You can catch me three days a week - mornings at 6 am - for Prāṇāyama followed by Mysore on Mondays; Chanting class at 8 am Monday; Wednesday Led Intermediate at 6 am and on Friday, join me for led primary series at 6 am. Ireland and European yogis, this means these three days all start at 2 pm your time. This is so that Calvin, Dash and mommy spend a lot of time walking the Sierras. Classes will be recorded; just send me a message if you’d like to join.

Click on the practice calendar below for details:

Calendar

Join me for an Online Arm Balance Workshop just around the corner…

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Finding Yoga in a Bookstore

When I began yoga, I knew there was something magical about it. The year was 1995, and I was in Truckee, California. I happened upon a used book store by the river. I remember opening the squeaky door with the bell on it…and there right in front of me was this magical treasure, a tattered used soft back, “Yoga for Women”. The cover had a picture of a woman sitting in lotus with different colours painted along her spine (the chakras). I practically read the whole thing standing right there in the shop. “Well I should probably buy it”, I said to myself, “this is amazing.”

It was a $1.50.

I did everything in the book that whole year and good thing I did as I was having the hardest year of my young life. I had moved up to Truckee so that I could be closer to my mountains of Lake Tahoe and train exclusively for ski racing, which I was seeking to land a spot on the US Ski Team and progress my skill.

This did not happen. What did happen was that I got very isolated from my parents and my friends; I went into a very internal time - I stopped eating the food I was normally being cooked and started looking at health fads - nutrition that would make me stronger. I didn’t do myself any favours when I took out all “fat” from my food and began over-training, not getting enough rest and quite simply, wearing myself down.

Alpine skiers need powerful legs and lots of stamina to sustain the weight bearing and very technical physicality the sport demands. I became smaller and smaller as the season progressed and eventually, found myself injured with a stress-fracture in my tibia, one that sheared up my shin bone all the way from my root of the bone to my patella. It look six months to heal.

I quit skiing, I moved back in with my parents and finished my senior year at Reno High School. I met some new friends, connected with old ones, and started over. I went back to swimming and playing soccer and I started climbing and white water kayaking; I also got involved in my schools’ social action and environmental clubs. In many ways quitting competitive skiing woke me up to the world around me, and I was much more of a participant in my surroundings. Being back in a comfortable place, my relationship with food became healthy again and I learned how to nourish myself and my thoughts. I had to: I was at rock bottom. I had lost my sport, my vision and my dream: there was no where else to go but up.

I found a yoga teacher named Lee Burgen; she was quite possibly the reason I didn’t go off the deep end. Lee taught me Hatha yoga - the breathing and the relaxing postures taught me how to soften and sit. To watch and to listen. I didn’t mind that I was the only teenager in the room amongst the adults at her home. It was a luxury to take her classes once a week and I found myself spending more and more time on my own practicing.

Injuries continued to plague my sporting endeavours: just before heading off to University I tore my ACL playing soccer in a pick-up game. This injury had to do with that same stress fracture a year before - it just didn’t heal quite right. I looked more and more to the yoga practice I was learning and again sought to listen more.

The yoga stayed, like quiet background music to the play, it was always there. Curious and soothing, it never went away, even on days when it didn't feel good at the beginning, it always rewarded me after with thoughts of clarity and ease.

While at the University of Oregon, I saw a demonstration of ashtanga yoga. I had no idea what it was called, I just knew this was the style I had to learn. The sound of the breath was audible and the focus and concentration around the yogi was palatable.

From when I first started hatha yoga in 1995 from my little used book to when I began dipping my toe into ashtanga in 2000, it wasn’t really until 2004 that I finished the primary series. It took me all that time to uncouple what I had done to my body: heal my knees, grow my inner self and quite possibly, unlearn what I thought was a healthy body and mind. To be completely honest, I am still doing this today.

Have a listen to the Ashtanga Yoga closing prayer - the Mangala Mantra below - may it remind you that no matter what level of yoga you are at or where you are practicing right now, your first yoga experience and what led you towards practicing - is the reason to do it! And may this memory call you back into daily practice if you’ve lost it. May your yoga story encourage you to keep returning to the mat over and over as the years go on, as it does for me. And may that curiosity about what yoga is continue to draw you back to the mat each and every day, as it does for me.

Even though that rocky, isolating and painful year in Truckee had a huge impact on my life - I will always be grateful that I found yoga waiting for me in a bookstore.

Join me online for a workshop THIS Saturday, 27 March at 8 am, “Spring into Aṣtānga Yoga” where we will have a detailed look at the relationships of the primary and intermediate series - we will look at patterns in our bodies where we have woven unfriendly relationships and find ways say goodbye to some and hello to others. There is a booking link below. Also here is a wee description of why I feel we need both series in our lives for balance and rejuvenation. Enjoy!

A detailed description of the workshop ahead:

The primary series teaches us how to pacify the nervous system and listen to our breath. It consists mostly of forward bends, hip openers and some backbends. There are roughly 45-50 upward dogs and 2 backbending postures in the series, so we can't really say there isn’t a lot of backbending. This series is governed by the exhalation breath since most of the postures are forward bends and we enter each pose via an exhale and these are countered with a repetitive upward dog inhalation vinyasa where we hold the upward dog for only one breath.

Depending on who you talk to or who you have learned from, one usually starts the intermediate series only when they have 1), bounded their hands in Marichyasana D, 2), bounded their hands in Supta Kurmasana, and 3), come up to standing from the position of Urdvha Dhanurasana (coming up from the floor). You may also hear that one is ready for the intermediate once they have done the primary series 1,000 times. I started the intermediate series after I had been doing the primary series for four years.

The Intermediate series is a whole different energy entirely - most of the postures are entered from an inhalation - however not always, and are replicas of parts of the primary series postures though many are from another realm altogether. The main themes of the Intermediate series - or Nadhi Shodhana, is Backbending, Leg Behind the Head poses and Arm Balances. Though there are finer notes about this series these are the basic actions that govern the series.

To link both series in a given week is a good idea for all long-term practitioners because one receives a balancing effect from each series. One receives the therapeutic benefit of the forward bending poses of primary series - pacifying the nervous system and aiding in digestion and elimination with the many postures of Marichyasana, and also by practicing intermediate series, one enhances their life force by building the inhale breath with deep backbends, opening our hips further and balancing on our arms which gives us courage, fortitude and stamina.

If you are just starting the Intermediate series, don’t be afraid to modify it, adjust it and skip poses that don’t work for you - like a jigsaw puzzle, do parts of it carefully with the guidance of a teacher and then arrange the pieces together by adding the more difficult parts in with time.

Practicing Dhanurasana, in Boise Idaho, 2009.

Home Practice: how to practice safely and effective on your own

Safe and Effective Home Yoga Practice

This post was originally posted the first week of lockdown in 2020. A year later I have decided to re-post this as it is more important than ever to continue to find space, build your practice environment in a safe way and continue to dive into yoga. It has been edited to suit us all who continue to practice in a lock-down environment…even a year later.

When we begin yoga, we often think that the practice has to be done in a certain way, for a specific amount of time (at least an hour and a half, right?) and at a shala or in the right room, and only with an empty stomach, etc. 

The unrealistic expectations overwhelm us on how yoga has to be practiced: doubts swallow us, and then we end up not practicing at all.

Guess what? 

We can do the practice in any shape or form. When we moved to Dublin, I was practicing at 6 pm in the evening once Tim finished his work. Was this perfect or ideal? I would say not, though at the time it was just right. This shared, there are some benefits to getting on the mat no matter what, and at whatever time and even in the most absurd of times and circumstances: it pays off in the end.

Like right now. Now is the time to practice. Things are difficult, unknown and there are doubts everywhere. Take the time for yourself to cultivate your personal wellness and clarity. Carve out time to get on your mat, even if it is the smallest amount.

I recognize that it is hard to get on your mat. Even harder now because you have to do it at home! And practicing at home has its positives and negatives. Your job right now is to make practicing at home a successful event, and some work needs to be done in order to do this.

Try these tried and tested, bomb-proof recommendations outlined below. And share it with someone who says they don’t have the time or space to practice. Be a good friend and help them get on their mat everyday!

Rule 1):
Practice yoga by at the same time of day that works for you; 

As long as you have a clear intention and are hungry to cultivate the smallest glimpse of quiet and peace inside you every single day -  this works. And you know that getting on your mat every single day could even bring you joy and often sorrow - but with this glory of getting on your mat for fifteen minutes or forty-five minutes, or even an hour and a half, you rejoice in the freedom and victory that you practiced!

No matter what happens on that day, stick with the routine of the time you set. These are a few time frames that are possible:

evenings- after you put the kids to bed, or right when you get home from work; before you eat dinner;

mornings - before the kids wake up or before you to go work;

on your lunch break - you eat your lunch during your work that day after you practice in a small room or somewhere quiet.

Take away the shame and the guilt that your practice has to be a certain way or look like some photograph of someone famous. Leave the sorry thoughts behind and just start breathing. You can do the shortest of practices - even 5 A’s and a couple of B’s with seated breathing, and call it good for that day. Goodness, add some seated posture or one inversion with pranayama, and you are still a very good yogi. 

Sure, you can dive in and do the longest of practices and burn the tapasic fire through your being and be a yogi, too. However let’s be honest, those big fires only last so long…

My teacher David Garrigues shared this beautiful metaphor to me once: 

“If you could take five postures with you on a desert island...and those were the only postures you could do for your entire life, which ones would they be?” 

Simply put - do those five and call it good: practice the five asanas every single day that you would have on your secluded island. Choose wisely good yogi, and do them with glory and joy! Oh the victory, you made it on your mat!

Rule 2):
Stagger your practice over the course of the week to three practices: this means do a short, a medium, and a long practice; repeat this plan again to make a six days a week plan, or repeat one or two of them. 

For those who practice full primary, here is a basic and effective practice plan:

Monday: 
Surya A and B plus the first 5 Standing asanas (always follow the krama - the order as prescribed - don’t mix and match)  followed by seated breathing  
(25 minutes including savasana):  SHORT

Tuesday: 
Surya A and B plus all of Standing and the first five seated asanas of primary series followed by full Finishing 
(45 minutes-1 hour - including savasana);  MEDIUM

Wednesday: 
Surya A and all of Standing to Baddha Konasana then full Finishing
(1 Hour-1 Hour and a half, including savasana) MEDIUM TO LONG

Thursday: 
Once a week do full primary then Full Finishing
(1 Hour and a Half-2 Hours, including savasana) LONG

Friday: 
Repeat what you did on Tuesday but instead of doing the first five of primary do the last six of primary (because you already went to Baddha K earlier in the week - this means finishing primary over the course of the week) into finishing
(45 Minutes to an 1 Hour) MEDIUM

Saturday or Sunday: 
Repeat what you did on Monday, Tues or Thursday  SHORT or MEDIUM or LONG

In this model, you have a variety of choices: you get two days of short, two days of medium and two days of long. This is the basic plan. HOWEVER! You can always do LONG or MEDIUM every day if you have the time. 

Be honest and realistic though good yogi: say you are having a *!(@)!  week...this means you get on your mat every single day and you are just surviving doing SHORT practices all six days. The ashtanga yoga police won’t get you, life got the better of you, and did what you could. You’ll get back on track the following week, good yogi. Exhale, it’s okay to have a full six-day a week of just surya Namaskaras with easy breathing.

Another scenario would be: maybe during an eventful week, on a ‘Tuesday’, when you were planning on doing the SHORT practice, you ended up having the whole evening off as your husband or wife took the kids and made dinner (legend!), so you ripped off a two-hour practice. This would mean the following day you would have to do short or medium to recover. Don’t beat yourself up over it - just stick with the same time of practice and do your best. 

The theme here is to rotate through your plan AND to practice at the same time every day. Good yogi, you need 24 hours to recover from practicing. This is ideal for your mind and body. If you practice at night, stick with nights. If you practice in the mornings, stick with mornings…

Another scenario of practice is that if you do multiple series of practices, meaning you are proficient in primary, intermediate and advanced, this would mean to do a little bit each day of the series, and rotate each day. Always do full standing and full finishing. Do a little of primary one day; then another day intermediate and then on another day, do some of third. This means do one series per day and if you are modifying each respective series, be sure not to change the sequence. Always do things in order and once you do Kapotasana (say in intermediate series) don’t be going backwards in the series and go doing pasasana. Stick with the order! And always do Surya A and B with full standing postures and full finishing with Savasana.

What do I do? Well, right now I start my week in this order and try for this plan:

Sunday - Intermediate - sometimes just to Karandavasana - always full finishing.

Monday - Third - I try to get to Hanumanasana, often it is just to Purna Matsyendrasana - always full finishing.

Tuesday - Fourth - I try to get to Ekapada Kapotasana - always full finishing.

Wednesday - Primary - sometimes all of it sometimes just to Baddha K - always full finishing.

Thursday - Fourth - I try to get to Ekapada Kapotasana - always full finishing - a repeat as this is the series I’m working on.

Friday - Survival practice (Surya A and B, some standing and some breathing)

You may ask, “What is a ‘survival practice’?” 

The Survival Practice

I call the survival practice the practice that takes all of you to do. Pulling from your soul. Get it out. Do it no matter what. How many people out there do this? More than you think. Actually most people! We are all working hard in our lives to get on our mats. To have the freedom to do so.

Oftentimes the ‘survival practice’ reminds us of this and so therefore, in it’s ugly shape and form - it is often the most beautiful on the other end when you finish and celebrate that you actually did it. In hindsight, “Oh, I practiced during that crazy time. Can’t believe I did that. It meant so much. It was my safety net. My home.” In this wild and crazy world, we have to practice to rekindle a relationship with ourselves so that we may have the courage to share this side of ourselves with the world around us. 

If you are a mamma or a pappa, or you work full time - you owe it to the universe to practice to your fullest so the smallest glimpse of insight of who you are may come out - and you can learn about it slowly with time and patience. With practice it becomes more comfortable...and then with time, you do change, you do act differently, and then, you actually are living your yoga. Your friends tell you, you know it too. 

You are living your yoga! AND even if you don’t know you do, you are sharing it with the world around you.

Rule 3):
Follow a strict diet.

What?! No fair you say! Yes it is true, yogi. If you are going to compromise your practice (i.e. shorten it by doing whatever you can on any given day and modifying), then you will have to be sure you are taking care of your body by eating as little as possible in the afternoon if you are practicing in the evening; not eating too late if you are practicing early in the morning; and watching what put into your temple. This means just because your practice isn’t at a shala filled with sweaty people and surrounded by gurus, you still have to have the mindset of a yogi and stay committed to health and wellness inside and out: eat like you are on a retreat every single day.

Rule 4):
Practice the Eight limbs every single day

Stick to the plan to practice all eight limbs - watch what you say to people, be mindful to your partner; watch how you stand as you are holding your children or breastfeeding; breathe deeply while at work or working around the house (maybe even do some pranayama - no one will know); and watch your thoughts. You can fully cultivate all eight limbs - especially the first four every single day. And the final four of inner limbs of withdrawing the mind, concentrating, meditating and finally, absorbing what is happening inside and all around you - this is called samyama - it will happen all at once, just as long as you are thinking of yoga, being a yogi, and keeping your mind on God. Remember yogi, “God is everywhere.” - SK Pattabhi Jois.

Rule 5):
Make a space in your home that is practical and quiet. Prepare it the night before.

This one is my favourite because it works! Set the space before you go to bed if you are practicing in the morning; lay out the clothes you are going to wear and have the mat ready to roll out. This means that all your tools are prepared for you: the space, the clothing…not to be underestimated is the determination, discipline and dedication!

If you are practicing in your child’s room (like I am), tidy the room the night before so that all you have to do is roll out the mat to begin. If it is in your bedroom, be sure to make the bed and tidy up the space after waking up and before you begin your practice.

Prepare the space so you can be successful by de-cluttering the space around you. If it is a narrow hallway, move the furniture the night before so you have room to move safely and freely.

Rule 6):
Turn off you phone and don’t look at it; also do not wear a watch.

If you need to watch the clock - put the phone away and lay a watch next to your mat so you can see the time or have a clock near you that you can see. Do not touch your phone, check it or look at it: all will be well in the world while you practice! If you are waiting for a call or there is a chance of an emergency that you may need to be contacted, lay the phone face down and don’t look at it unless you are called.

Preferably, keep it on silent.

Rule 7):
Practice with your Friends Online or Reach out to people who may also be practicing alone

If you are really struggling to get on your mat, use your online resources around you. Look to your teacher and ask for a 1:1 online private. Get on an online platform and listen to a live class, pay attention to who is teaching around you and see if you can join in on their zoom classes. Don’t be ashamed if you have to take class once in a while, being the student, listening and following along by modifying what you are doing in order to do so, may be just the right information to keep you going.

Below are some references to keep you going!

Happy practices to you yogi, and please don’t skip your practice.

ॐ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

Resources:

seradee@sarahhatcheryoga.com - email me for details on how to join my daily 7 am GMT Zoom class. Visit my new Youtube channel for some inspiration

David Garrigues - check out his website on how he is offering online courses as well as video courses.

Meadowlark Yoga - check out how Karen Kirkness and her team of expert teachers like Emma Isokivi, Amy Hughes, Nadine Watton are offering loads of online options.

Joanna Darlington - in the US - visit her website and participate in her online offerings for expert teachings.

Participate in a spring cleanse with Clare Fulton or Elise Hill @simpleliving.ayurveda (Instagram)

David Miliotis - what his Youtube channel for great instruction in the classic Ashtanga Yoga method and in chanting practices - get in contact with him at Ashtanga Yoga Orange County.