The Yoga Practice

This is a kind of journal of my practice:

Elliot\’s Yoga Practice Articles

"The goal is ne...

“The goal is ne…

“The goal is near for those who are supremely vigorous and intense in practice”Patanjali Yogis who practice with enthusiasm, self-honesty, …
Personal Practice of the Ashtanga Primary Series

Personal Practice of the Ashtanga Primary Series

I practice Ashtanga by myself sometimes. It can be liberating in ways that a studio can’t fulfill. Every time I …
2 Days of Yoga with Bryan Kest

2 Days of Yoga with Bryan Kest

I got a chance to practice for a couple of days in Santa Monica while I was down there (from …
Yoga and Drugs (part 1: Depression)

Yoga and Drugs (part 1: Depression)

Let me ask you a question. Do you think that the drugs out there are more complex than your body? …
Electrolytes and why they are essential

Electrolytes and why they are essential

Electrolytes are extremely important for the human body and cellular activity in general. Have you ever had a cramp? Ever …
Take Days Off

Take Days Off

I am continually finding that days detached from my yoga studio lead to improvements in my teaching and my practice …
health_symbol

3 reasons why you should start practicing yoga

Yoga has changed western lifestyles for a reason. It is a powerful healing and rejuvenation system that cleanses the nervous …
yoga styles_krishnamacharya

The Different Styles of Yoga

The origins of yoga date back to the beginning of civilization (read my article here) We live in a world …
Ashtanga Institute, Mysore

The Application Process for the Ashtanga Institute

This article was specifically written for people applying to the Ashtanga Institute in Mysore (http://kpjayi.org), directed by Sharath Jois and Saraswathi …
Day 3 of Practicing Ashtanga in India

Day 3 of Practicing Ashtanga in India

I woke up late this morning, but got to the shala at about 5:15. Saraswathi asked me to be there …
leg_lateral_musculature

Keeping Knees safe in Hip Openers

Over the past few months, I have been working diligently toward lotus pose. This has led me to some very …
temple in Gokulam

Day 18 of Practice

Today’s practice was very rewarding. Not for any particular reason, the Maricyasana postures, mostly C and D were as challenging …
Saraswathi_Jois_Shala

Practicing Ashtanga with Saraswathi Jois

Last day of practice with Saraswathi was a sweet one. Can’t believe I’ve been in India over 2 month, holy …
Patanjali Statue from the Jois Shala

You are the Guru

Over the past few months of practicing in a traditional ashtanga setting, in what many people consider to be ‘classical …
"Human-Hands-Front-Back" by Evan-Amos - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human-Hands-Front-Back.jpg#/media/File:Human-Hands-Front-Back.jpg

Hand Anatomy, Physiology, and Use

The Usefulness of Man’s Hand The hand is one of the most intricate and useful mechanisms of the entire human body; …
ashtanga workshop w/ Elliot cover

Yin Yoga Meditation

A Unique Approach to Meditation Meditation is one of my favorite things. Yoga, sitting cross-legged while doing various mental exercises, …
Yoga's Primary Benefits_autonomic_nervous_sytstem

Yoga’s Primary Benefits: Control of the Autonomic Nervous System

Yoga’s Primary Benefits Honestly, yoga’s primary benefits are still unknown. Our science isn’t good enough yet. Not really. Science is …
pada yogi free yoga classes

Free Yoga Classes from Pada Yogi

Free Yoga Classes Over the past few months I have recorded some yoga classes from the studios to create some …

Yoga is normally considered to have 8 facets, or limbs of teaching. Of these 8 limbs, there are two that we are particularly interested in:

  1. Exercise (asana, limb 3)
  2. Mediation (pranayama, limb 4)

Yoga is Hindu philosophy of life, not limited to exercise and has many applications that can be assimilated into modern lifestyles to help you to be functional and ideally, happy.

Western organizations have adopted yoga as a form of fitness, which it suits excellently. Yoga benefits are backed in many ways by modern science, however, we are constantly learning more about the purposed benefits

The third and fourth limbs, Mediation and breath work (pranayama) can be done any time, any where, which is part of what makes yoga so useful. I practice this on planes, in airports, when I wake up, and like to start my day with a meditation and Dharana(focus).

My yang practice is heavily influenced by Ashtanga. I love exercise, handstands, jump throughs, burpees, and work heavily on abdominal strength through breath control in the classes that I instruct. I mostly practice in yoga studios, but also have a very personalized practice and practice the primary series somewhat regularly. Lately I have been delving into calisthenics and body resistance exercises that aren’t necessarily called “yoga” and I run pretty often, play other sports, and am generally an active person.

Yin yoga is very a very powerful, new practice that overlaps heavily with my meditation and yang practices; it is so useful! It tends to be much slower and easier to perform, as the poses are extended and the breath tends to be much slower.

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