Yoga ~ Anne Nowell

The term, karma yoga, implies a realization of the essence of Life by the service to life. Karma yoga is most often defined as selfless service. Great karma yogis include Mother Teresa, Gandhi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ammaji; those who give tirelessly for the benefit of others. At the lay level, those persons who take up the role of parenting and stirve to do it well are, in my opinion, karma yogis!

In August our Teacher Trainees participated in a work day at Drikung Kyobpa Choling, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center in Escondido. The director of the center, Drupon Samten Rinpoche, is indeed a karma yogi. With his assistant, Ani Chodron, he has planned and built a beautiful temple almost single handedly. They are currently expanding the Center to accommodate more functions and to serve the increasing Southern California population of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners.

On this hot August day we donned our work clothes, hats, and gloves to help organize and create space for the ongoing construction at Drikung Choling. Sweaty and dirty, yes, but so lovely to experience what community energy can accomplish! And as you see by the photos, we had fun as well! Click on the photos for a larger view.

Iyengar Yoga as developed by the Indian master, BKS Iyengar, is one of the more structured of the yoga asana systems, with great emphasis on precision. As a teenager Mr. Iyengar learned the basics of yoga asana from his teacher, T. Krishnamacharya. He is a nephew of Krishnamacharya by marriage and lived in the household of his teacher for a number of years. Iyengar later went on to study the asanas in great detail through personal practice, and published one of the first comprehensive books about yoga asana, “Light On Yoga” in the 1970’s. The Iyengar tradition uses equipment (or props) as a way of deepening one`s experience in the yoga postures, as well as making use of props in therapeutic situations.

On August 2&3 Yoganic teacher, Kim Kolibri, a certified Iyengar instructor, presented workshops on Iyengar sequencing and use of props. Kim is an especially gifted verbal instructor, inspiring with her understanding and execution of Iyengar’s techniques. In the following photos we have documented some of the work and “play” of our Teacher Training group on this weekend. Click on the photos if you wish a larger view.

Currently Anne is teaching weekly in San Diego at Yoganic Studio

“May All Beings Be Happy!”

In the Ashtanga Vinyasa system the primary style of study as taught by Master Teacher Pattabhi Jois at his Indian yoga shala (school) in Mysore, India is called “Mysore practice”. In these classes students practice in the room with the teacher but there is very little verbal instruction. Students are expected to have their sequence memorized. The teacher is available to give hands on assistance and advice, much like a private class in a group class situation. In week twelve of our Teacher Training we have begun studying how to assist with the hands as well as teaching with the voice.

Teaching with the voice is the more common way to conduct a class and certainly the most direct way to share information. Just as practicing the yoga postures is necessary in order to become proficient in their execution, so practice teaching with the voice is a necessary requirement in the training of a yoga instructor. Initially there is some hesitation, over time one develops confidence.

Here are some photos of our group in their practice.

In the fifth weekend of our Teacher Training Intensive the students were given a quiz on the Sanskrit terms necessary to understand in identifying the asanas (postures). Sanskrit is a beautiful language, like Latin, in that it is the origin of other languages. In India, Sanskrit is known as “the language of the Gods”.

There are several major schools of Yoga coming from India. Most of the schools have similar postures but call them by different names. This makes for some confusion when discussing asanas. As well, in different regions in India they tend to shorten part of the pronunciation, asana becomes asan. This shifts the accent of the word; “Ut ta NA sa na” becomes “Ut TAN a san”.

Since our Training emphasizes the work of Krishnamacharya, the names of the postures tend to be the same however the pronunciations can be different. As students and practitioners of yoga it is important to stay flexible in the mind. ears, and tongue, as well as cultivating flexibility in the body!

In June, as part of our Teacher Training Intensive, we explored the topic, Energy Anatomy. The information was compiled from various sources mostly with origins in the Vedas (the ancient source texts of Indian philosophy). The Pranic Chakra and Nadi system of Yoga is similar to the Oriental Medicine depiction of Chi and Energy Meridians.

Koshas are a classification of the multi-dimensional attributes of the human being involving body, energy, mind, and spirit. A beautiful representation of the Kosha subdivisions can be seen in the artwork of Alex Grey, in his Sacred Mirrors exhibit. www.alexgrey.com

The Vayus are the categories of Prana as it relates to certain bodily functions and activities. During pranayama (yogic breath work) a primary goal is to enhance the body`s energy reserves by breathing exercises.

These subjects which have been understood for hundreds of years by Yoga practitioners are slowly being acknowledged by Western thinkers. Gradually we are transitioning into an understanding of “metaphysics” and the potential of this wisdom to enhance our well-being and spiritual evolution.

In early June we began the journey of a 200 hour Teacher Training Intensive which will be continuing through December. There are eight very talented candidates, and since the group is intimate, it will be a wonderful opportunity to train and mentor each of them closely. The understanding of Ashtanga Yoga as an Eight Limb path developed by the ancient rishi Patanjali will be an integral aspect of this training. In the photos below, we begin the practice of teaching with the voice. Stay tuned for the highlights of the course.

Please click on the photos for a larger view.

Early May in Atlanta, GA is such a beautiful time of year with the budding in the trees and the spring flowers. For those of us who live in California a thunderstorm is a rare treat indeed! Here at the Onlyoga Studio in midtown Atlanta I presented a workshop entitled, “Jumping into the Core”. Studio director, John Merideth, has brought together a group of dedicated and talented students under the wing of his tutelage, with an emphasis in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system. We spent an afternoon developing techniques to facilitate the jumping moves in Ashtanga Vinyasa and how these moves relate to core strength and the bandhas. Thanks to John for pulling all the strings necessary to bring us together, to Michaelyn for her help in demonstrations, and to all the lovely participants at the workshop. I would be honored to return to Onlyoga to work and play together with this group. When in Atlanta stop by Onlyoga for a great practice!

Please click on the photos for a better view. For additional photos and info go to www.onlyoga.com