Yoga Gurus

Jala Neti • Nasal Cleansing Most colds and viruses are breathed in through the nose. From there they work their way through our system to the throat, chest, and into the entire respiratory system. One of the most effective ways of stopping that cycle is to clean out the nasal passages. A neti pot and some lightly salted water can do the job quite thoroughly. Nasal cleansing exerts a profound physiological effect on the body and mind. On the physical level, irrigation of the nasal mucosaremoves accumulated mucus from the nostrils, associated passages and sinuses, allowing air to flow without obstruction. Regular practice of neti maintains healthy secretory drainage mechanisms of the entire ear, nose and throat area. This helps to ward off colds and coughs, hay fever, and tonsillitis. It builds up resistance to various diseases of the ears, eyes, and throat. Practicing neti promotes a balance between the right and left nostrils and consequently the right and left hemispheres of the bra...

Nauli kriyas If you look around you, you’ll notice what happens as we get older. The middle of the body begins to lose shape and collapse. Gravity is pulling us downward. Unless we are practicing some type of opposing technique, the whole solar plexus area, a major nerve center of the body, will become squashed. Not to mention the toxins that get trapped, the poor digestion that results, and thelack of oxygen to the abdominal region. Naulis, in conjunction with the bandhas, bring everything upward, inviting vitality back into the middle of the body. These techniques keep the gastro-intestinal or alimentary system balanced and functioning smoothly. Naulis massage the internal organs, acting as an internal cleansing technique. Keeping you pure and clean, naulis remove sluggishness of the stomach, intestines, and liver, bringing back upward the evercaving-in abdominal region which is crushing and suffocating internal organs as gravity pulls us down.Don’t let the fire go out. Keep the chan...

Eye Play The gaze is a focusing technique. By directing the gaze at specific points (the space just beyond the tip of the nose, betweenthe eyebrows) the focus is directed inward. This brings moreconcentration and awareness into the movement. Keep the gazesoft. Practice Drishti 1. Pay attention to your wandering eyes. What distracts you? 2. Try to control the urge to look toward something moving in the distance. 3. Gaze at the space just beyond the tip of your nose for one minute. 4. Does sound distract your eye gaze? Smell? Notice how your senses direct your focus. 5. At different times during the day focus your gaze at specific points (the space just beyond the tip of your nose, navel, a spot on the wall) and see what it takes to make you look away. The nine looking places are called nava drishtis 1. Nasagrai - the space just beyond the tip of the nose. This is used most often and is the primary drishti in the sitting postures. 2. Ajña chakra - th...

Asana is not a particular posture, but a state. Within the word asana itself are the connotations of strength and firmness, as well as the connotations of pleasantness and comfort. This is the balance we are trying to achieve, strength and flexibility, not only in the physical postures, but also in our mental state. Take The Ambition Out Of It Everybody is unique and their progression in yoga is going to look differently than the person next to them. It is important to allow the asanas to arise out of an internal place rather than some externally imposed idea of what the posture should look like. As long as you are working at your peak, combining breath, bandhas, and movement, and you are gaining that internal sense of stretching and strengthening, you are exactly where you needto be. In the beginning, the physical aspects of the postures will affect you the most. In time, and as you progress, you will become more aware of the flow of prana, life force, moving through your ...

The Chakras From bottom to top the 7 chakras: 1. Muladhara chakra - at the anus 2. Svadhishthana chakra - at the genitals 3. Manipura chakra - at the navel 4. Anahata chakra - at the heart 5. Vishuddha chakra - at the throat 6. Ajna chakra- between and behind the eyebrows 7. Sahasrara chakra - at the crown of the head Prana is a subtle form of energy. Prana literally means “breathing forth” the universal life force. Through practicing asana and pranayama, prana is brought into and stored in the body, increasing vitality. Prana mainly flows through the body in the nadis, or nerve channels of the astral body. Prana exists as a negative energy as well as a positive energy. Prana moves upward and apana moves downward. When the two unite at the muladara chakra (base of spine) kundalini (dormant cosmic energy) is awakened. The most important nadi, or energy channel, (there are 72,000!) is the shushumna nadi which correlates to the spinal cord in the physical body. When kundalini is awakened ...

Twenty years ago Ashtanga yoga was very much a fringe activity. Our small, dedicated group of students in Encinitas, California were mostly young, hippie typeswith little money and few material possessions. We did have one precious thing – Ashtanga practice, which we all knew was very powerful and deeply transformative. Practicing together created a unique and magical bond, a real sense of family. Over the years the Ashtanga family has grown considerably throughout the world and I’ve had the opportunity to share the practice with many wonderful people as both a student and teacher. In Austin, Texas I met Larry Schultz 15 years ago when he was just beginning his Ashtanga practice with my teacher, Pattabhi Jois. Even though the practice was very challenging for him, Larry approached it with great enthusiasm, optimism, and gratitude. He, like so many others, recognized immediately that this was exactly what he had been looking for and was very excited by both the practice and the people i...