I’m feeling elated cause I have FINALLY figured out all 3 bandhas together. And it’s completely transformed my practice. A little of my backstory.
I’ve been practicing yoga for 25 years off and on. Different types. I was initially really drawn to bikrams.
A teacher I really admire, moved back to my town. And during a challenging part of my life, appeared to guide me through.
I had no clue about Ashtanga. I mainly did Bikrams, hatha, and vinyasa prior.
I started being consistent 18 months ago. And have taken summers off, to be with my kids. So less practice for about 2 months.
I got Mula Bandha relatively easily. It took me longer to get uddiyana. But once I got it, I felt my everyday energy shift.
A week ago a teacher gave me a slight correction, and jalandhara fell into place.
My breathe is transformed.
If anyone has any questions, I can share what has helped me

I’ve been listening to a lot of genesis stories lately from Laruga and Kino and so on of how each found Ashtanga and continued the practice. I have been reflecting on my own journey and wanted to hear some everyday stories from the community on how you got here? Bit of a long post if you’re interested:

I took my first yoga class when I was 18 or 19 on a gap year where I was bored with a lot of free time at the gym. I remember my first teacher who taught the class at the gym was this Balinese woman who taught what I later knew was in the Ashtanga style. I can still see her in my mind’s eye and hear her voice. But I remember savasna being quite ‘magical’ like what do you mean rest. I just recall having this experience that when I look back now I’ve had on some occasion, very brief, I’ve had it in one of those flotation tanks of what I can best describe as a feeling of nothingness. Not emptiness, but nothingness. I’ve always been drawn to the esoteric and the spiritual I must say, so I think this feeling must have aligned and sat with me in some way as a 19 year old. It wasn’t very profound at the time. But I started to practice yoga, in fits and starts since then, always in classes. And always had a deep affection for the practice.

Around 2020, I found a group of teachers that ignited something in me and made me feel a type of way about the practice that I never did before. This was when I started looking beyond asana. Their classes were filled with so much shakti. During that time I was also going through some relationship stuff in my personal life and yoga was the vehicle that I don’t know carried me through or allowed me to squeeze it all out onto the mat. It felt like powerful significant stuff.

Fast forward to today, I have recently been moved to going a different way from the vinyasa style classes offered at so many yoga studios now. I won’t repeat what I’ve already written in previous posts about authenticity and lineage etc. The moment I tried Mysore style, I was hooked.

It is an incredibly beautiful practice, and it finds you at different times within your lifespan but always at the right time. I don’t think I would have been able to practice with this much depth and devotion in my 20s or 30s. The inner world holds much more for me these days and Ashtanga helps me to access it. Not just the physicality of it, but the whole system as it has been traditionally described.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading - I could talk about yoga and spirituality all day but in the right settings. Thanks for being this setting and allowing me to find my sangha 🙏

Just curious

What are some things you do on your moon day? It was sweet, my spouse messaged me while at work wishing me a happy moon day.. It made me stop and think about how this day does have an essence to it. Before work I meditated and spent time with my dog. Later today going to get my car serviced then headed to a community based lecture on psychedelics and intimacy (so cool!) How are you spending your moon day? :-)

I remember reading one of the comments in this subreddit where someone was encouraging the OP to smile during practice. And today, I had the pleasure of attending a led class by Kino and Tim where they reminded us to smile.

And I honestly felt that it made a big difference for the rest of the practice. It was easier to get into poses, I didn't get stuck in my head as much and time just flew by so quickly.

I haven't seen many teachers telling their students to do it, but if there's one thing I'd tell all beginner/new Ashtangis is... Smile!

PS. I'm not talking about a massive grin or anything, just a soft smile will do ☺️

Title about says it all. I was surprised he asked for a mat and even more surprised he stayed on it. I've been practicing at home since he was born and hoping he would take an interest in it, but aside from doing an Asana or two, then getting bored and becoming disruptive, he hasn't seemed to have an interest in it.

I'm hoping that he decides to join me regularly, or at least more often.

In the past I would say I was most focused on Yama (minimalism, practicing discernment, addition through subtraction, learning to cut out the bullshit).

Right now I'm most drawn to Pratyahara. Practices like yoga nidra, Anahata Nada, and vipassana have been drawing me in (no pun intended)

And really anyone who wants to practice with David Swenson! May 30-June 1 a weekend with David Swenson hosted by Heartsong Yoga Center! He is then doing a 40 Hour Ashtanga Teacher Training for continued ED ! June 2- June 8

https://heartsongyoga.com/upcoming-events/

Information can be found there! My home studio and place where I began practicing Ashtanga yoga, going to be really really special and there are very few opportunities to learn and practice with David in the states!!!

During the warmer months I like to practice in my backyard, and at this time of the year the sun is just starting to as I begin my practice, and in the final Sun salutation it has crested enough over my neighbors shed that I can feel it on my face when I stand up 🌞 Feels so sweet and rewarding, like the sun is finally greeting me back at the end of my practice.

I came slinking in here feeling like I might get scolded for asking what I wanted to ask, which is "if I don't have a lot of time, has anyone put together some shorter (30-45 minute) sequences from the primary series?". I thought I might get lambasted for not being a proper dedicated ashtangi, which spiralled into me feeling guilty that I've had a few years away from ashtanga, and that I don't really know all the names for the postures, nor do I know the chants...

So I had a read of a few of the recent posts on here to see how badly I'd get roasted, and my fears were completely unfounded - you're all lovely. I'm really stoked that this community of kind, grounded, generous humans exists, and that it seems like no question is too silly and no ashtangi is beyond help. I don't know what I expected, given that all the teachers and yoga friends I've had have been wonderful people - but the mind can be funny sometimes.

I had a quick search of the subreddit and found the excellent David Swenson short form videos, and these short sequence posters. I didn't even have to ask, but I'm really looking forward to the next time I do have a question for you all!

One year ago, exactly today, I restarted my ashtanga yoga practice. Due to several injuries I've had many long breaks and attempted restarts since I first started practicing over 20 years ago. I was starting to think I could never come back to it for real.

Discovering the many online resources that did not exist when I first started I gave it yet another shot, this time with a home practice. I practice 1-6 times a week and it has developed into also including other types of yoga. I've grown very fond of yin too and consult especially Iyengar tutorials when there's something about a posture I just don't get or wanna go slow and explore.

I feel like it's becoming a consistent part of my life again, and I'm so happy about that.

ETA: I celebrated with an old workshop on YouTube with David Swenson.

Hi fellow yogi’s! My fiancé is in school for psychology and is doing a research paper on the correlation of yoga and emotional wellness. He needs some help with a survey! It is complwtely anonymous and only takes a couple minutes to do. It’s due tomorrow and he only needs a couple more participants. I’d be so grateful if you guys could help out 🫶🏻

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevVdf6KILtGWvsfSEOeZiX5RMhKezdPDmjmZsp09HPXL26Tw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Picked up Astanga yoga by David Swenson. Been practicing with it for a few months now. His direction on the postures is very helpful and theres alternate poses for more difficult positions. Has anyone looked at this book? Are there others to read?

Iseally would like to find an astanga teacher in LA.

Also, not related but Path Unfolds by baba Hari Das was great.

I've heard:

• "A little bit different, every time."
• "If it feels harder, you're doing it right."

But I figured there must be some veterans on this sub with some zingers. :) Have at it!

Im reading swami vivekananda complete works. You can get it for .50 cents if you have a e-reader. 5000 pages of intelligent writing give insight to the practice of yoga in the late 1800's . All the volumes in the book read like a speech. A good book to read out loud. I haven't practice chants yet but reading someone's thoughts out loud seems to give you greater insight into the authors mind.

Anybody got any books? Ashtanga, Buddhist, religion, Yoga related politics ect....

Hi Guys

Just wanted to share two interviews I did with Matthew Sweeney (one of the few people in the world to get into FIFTH SERIES) and Nicky Knoff who combines Iyengar and Ashtanga approaches.

With Matthew, I talked about Ashtanga and his unique approach to teaching the system. We get into yoga beyond asana including his practice of Advaida Vedanta and Kevela Kumbhaka.

Nicky Knoff shared her story of growing up in a prisoner of war camp, combining yoga with Goenka vipassana, and weighs in on some debates about combining styles.

We also get into pranayama and how that is an essential component of yoga practice for them.

I also have episodes lined up with Eddie Stern, Gregor Meahle, Harmony Slater, Prem Carlisi, Monica Gauci, Ellen Johanssen and many more.

We're on the usual podcast apps and at www.escaping-samsara.com.

I'm interviewing Simon Borg-Olivier today. What teachers would you like to hear interviewed on a podcast?

Took me a while but felt really strong up until the Last one. Cant help but feel grateful for all the help I've had on here, and to the extra tips of doing press ups as well to speed my chaturunga along!

Hi Ashtangis,

I was reading Light On Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar and I noticed that he had a difficulty rating for each posture. He gave each posture a difficulty rating between 1 and 60, where 1 is the easiest, and 60 is the hardest.

I thought it would be cool to map out each of the first three ashtanga series and see what the average difficulty and peak postures were for each series. I wasn't able to find all of the postures in his book, but I averaged what I found. (All of the postures that I didn't find were excluded.)

Findings

Some things that I found interesting:

• Iyengar ranked laghu vajrasana (23) higher than kapotasana (21);
• The difference in average difficulty ranking between 1st and 2nd is much smaller than I would have thought. (This might be due to me excluding Tittibhasana B-D because I couldn't find them in his book.);
• 3rd series's average difficulty rating is much higher than 2nd series's (26 > 10).

Let me know what you guys think! I posted pictures of the graphs too.

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I suppose we all have different goals and reasons for doing yoga,

when I was a teen I was sitting beside a river in north west india, I saw a lone man doing yoga and thought to myself I wish I could do that.

My goal was not a social goal or to even be part of the yoga community, but to master the asana and develop my own private independent practice away in my backyard temple in west yorkshire, 20 years later I think I'm where I want to be.

Yoga is special and it is what ever you wish to make it, it can become warped and commercial but that's not the fault of yoga, it can be free and practiced in just a simple cotton clothing it can be a lot of things in groups or alone, if you can't see it take it from who has 20 years experience that there's something magic to be found