The Heart of Ayurveda by Lea Kraemer

Ayurveda is the longest continuously practiced medical system on the planet! I've been studying it's classical teachings since about 2005 and from the start I loved the idea of Ayurveda as the "Science of Life" because it spoke to the same wholeness and wellness of Being that comes alive in a really good Yoga practice. The root of spiritual psychology is right in the texts of Ayurveda, an ancient system that views mind-body-senses-being as a continuum. 

Yoga and Ayurveda merge very closely in their view of synergistic wellness. A healthy mind and body is one that supports joy, Ayurveda says, and the path for natural healing is in this wisdom. It's an emotional grounding that is one of Ayurveda's most welcoming aspects. You know how after a Yoga class the patterns of our lives can just start to naturally shift? Without force, the way we eat our lunch, or the way we think about scheduling the day, or even how we arrange our houses, just start to shift a little and it feels like things fit in place in a better way. I always hear students talk about this as they come in and out for classes  .... saying things like how their diet changed after a few months of Yoga ..... or how they notice the calm sound of their voice when they are speaking to their child. When our life-style practices spring from consciously observing our own tendencies, inherent reactions and even our vulnerabilities, we are understanding Prakriti, our very nature, and Ayurvedic Yoga is coming alive in us. 

Everything on Earth can be understood in relationship to its qualities. For instance, in everyone's life, day and night time have different energies and should have separate rhythms and practices around them. Maybe it's a lot for a blog ... but it's so nice to start to ponder these relationships that I'll include the"Twenty Types of qualities" here:

गु मद हम िनध लण सा मदृ ु िथरा: । गणु ा: ससू म वशदा: वशं त: स वपयया: ॥

Guru(heavy) X laghu (light in weight)       Manda(slow) X tiksna (quick,fast)               Hima (cold) X ushna (hot)

Snighda (unctuous) X ruksa (dry)               Slaksna (smooth) X khara (rough)              Sandra (solid) X drava (liquid)

Mrdu (soft) X kathina (hard)                       Sthira (stable) X cala (moving, unstable)    Suksma (stable, small) X sthula (big,gross) 

Vishada (non slimy) X picchila (slimy)

A great way to start working with the qualities and forces around you and within you is to notice what tastes you are drawn to. What foods are you missing out on? Are you creating balance in your mind and body at breakfast, lunch and dinner? Ayurvedic Yoga teaches that you will bump up your nutrition if you include all six tastes, but not in the same amounts! Are you over-emphasizing your fire? Or under-whelming your taste buds with a sugary palette? Watch which of the six tastes you go to and you will honestly see your tendencies in action! The Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan says: 

During Winters, (Hemanta and Shishira) and rainy season (Varsa), sweet, sour and salt tastes should be especially used to support as our tissues build. Bitter, pungent and astringent tastes should be used more during Spring Season (Vasanta) to clean us out and keep our fire kindled. Sweet tastes should be used more during Summer (Nidagha) when we can get drained, and sweet, bitter and astringent tastes should be used during Fall (Sharath) when we are in transition. 

Just like the Yogis, Ayurveda teaches that to be healthy, one should get up from bed at Brahmi Muhurtha, as the dawn light is rising! Yes, it's an ideal, but you can do it if you allow your body to rise around 45 minutes before the Sun, around 5 – 6 am. That's the perfect time to meditate, practice Yoga and to balance your spiritual and physical self as the day-light is coming up around you. Many Yoga practitioners rise much earlier to catch this "ambrosia" and for me my ideal time to meditate is at 3:15a.m. 

This past year in a master's class with the DINacharya Institute I had the opportunity to go back and study Ayurveda's incredibly specific morning routine, from what kind of plant material is best for the bristles of your tooth brush to exactly how to clean your nose and eyes. It's all much more detailed than you might have imagined but Yoga and Ayurveda have in common this beautiful idea of waking up to our senses each day. Through special ways of washing and bathing, through Yoga and self reflection best calibrated for you, waking up by cleaning and clearing each sense will give your mind and body a luminous quality that seekers have been enchanted by for eons! We will investigate this higher level of Yogic balance in my upcoming workshop in March. Until then, if you would like to do a bit of self research, take time to clean and clear each sense each day, until .... smelling - tasting - seeing - touching - hearing .... are gateways to the clarity of your mind and power of intuition! 

And last, a kind of charming, curious teaching from a major Ayurvedic text. Don't hold on to crappy energy, is the take away. Be the person you want to be, don't diminish your self for those that are yucky. As life goes up and down, know how to feel like your Self. 

उपकारधानः यादपकारपरे अयरौ सपवपवेकमना,हेतावीयफले न तु

"One should be very helpful even to his foes, even though they are not helpful.

One should maintain a balanced mind both during calamity and prosperity.

One should not be envious towards wealth and happiness of others."

Page No. 20 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan

I am giving a workshop called the Heart of Ayurveda on Sunday, Mar 15, 2020 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. I hope that you will join me as we explore. It's about radiance through conscious living and there will be a strong Yoga practice as well as discussion.

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

by Chris Reed

Did you know that most modern vinyasa practices stem from the Ashtanga Yoga method? Developed by K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga is the sanskrit word meaning eight-limbs as mentioned in the yoga sutras of Patanjali. The practice incorporates breath, drishti or focus, and bandha in a fairly rigorous sequence of postures. Students usually practice the memorized sequence at their own pace in what is called "Mysore style" named after the city where Jois taught. Usually an Ashtanga practice begins with five repetitions of Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskara A and five repetitions of Surya Namaskara B, followed by a standing sequence. After this the practitioner begins one of six series and ends with the closing sequence.

Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) or the Primary Series is the most common practiced sequence in Ashtanga yoga. Many students will spend up to a few years learning the entire sequence before moving on to second series. Postures are recommended to be held for at least five full deep breaths through the nose or whats also referred to as Ujjayi Pranayama. Where the practitioner focuses the eyes while is the posture is what is referred to as the drishti. There are few different key drishti's in the Ashtanga practice, mainly the nose, navel, between the eyebrows, thumbs hands and feet. The bandhas are energy locks within the body that we often hear teachers talk about in vinyasa classes. Ashtanga focuses on three main bandhas; the mula bandha or root lock at the pelvis floor. Uddiyana bandha is located at the abdomen 2 inches below the navel and the Jalandhara bandha is found by tucking the chin to the chest.

There are many different opinions and beliefs surrounding the "tradition" of Ashtanga Yoga. One school would say that you must "master" a posture before being given permission to move on to receive the benefit from the practice. I personally subscribe to my teacher's teacher Manju Jois (Pattabhi's son) and his more laid back approach of adjusting the practice to the practitioner. Having done a few workshops with Manju, I have experienced how this non-linear approach allows the student to complete a practice while being safe and not leave feeling completely defeated.

Join Chris for a Workshop: Balances, Bhandas, & Binds on Sunday, May 20th from 2pm-4pm at Namaste Highland Park. Sign up at namastestudios.la/workshops 

NEW Class: Alignment School

We've all done it: been in yoga class, taken a peak at a neighbor's mat and wondered why they're using a block, or why they're bending their knees, or why their twists look different than your own.  Why are they doing that? You ask yourself, and should I be doing it, too? The answer to the first question is simple: it helps them tailor their practice to their own needs.  The answer to the second question: maybe!

Saturdays at 11am, join Ani for Alignment School-- a workshop style class dedicated to deepening body awareness, functional strength and an all around stronger yoga practice.  Limited to 8 people, this class will feature one on one direction, personalized modifications, and lots of prop work.  Whether you're new to yoga and looking to prevent injury, or you're a veteran seeking more detailed instruction, this is the class for you.  Expect a challenging, non-judgmental, and playful environment-- all in the service of growing a practice that works best for you and your own body.

This Is Why We Chant

by teacher Bethany Eanes

“The words to this song are simple: ‘I am who I am that is that.’ Sing along as you hold this bow pose,” Julie says, matter-of-factly like she always does.

“Is she fucking serious?” I think, like I always do. Then I look around, and everyone is seriously doing it. They’re holding these backbends for minutes at a time, and they are singing along to a song combining the voices of Guru Singh and Seal. Shit, here’s the worst part …

“Joy to the world. Peace on the Earth. God bless the children, how we love them,” Seal sings through the speakers. They all join in.  Fast-forward a few months. My husband arrives from work, briefcase in hand, to find me in a kaftan cooking our dinner with strange music filling the home. “Are you fucking serious?” He laughs, as Seal comes through the speakers. When I first started practicing yoga, I couldn’t believe the shit my teacher would say. She’d say things like, “Hug your anus and genitals in. This is the key to unlocking your full potential.” I couldn’t believe it, but I did it. 

(Photo: Me, pre-yoga, fresh out of the sorority, complete with sear-sucker dress.)

On the surface, I was skeptical, but there was no denying the profound shift happening in my life. That shift tipped a little more after every single yoga class. And if there was singing along, or chanting, that shift tipped big time. I’d float through the remainder of my day, wondering why no one had ever told me that anus and genitals things before. Could it really be that basic?

These days, I have to laugh when I hear myself sometimes at the front of the yoga room. All those things I was once skeptical of, well, they have become part of my every day vernacular and my personal practice. I look out at the mats and wonder, “Who thinks I’m fucking crazy? Who thinks this is awesome? And who kind of thinks both?” I love watching the transformations happen. On the really good days, students tell me how yoga helped them achieve a major transition in their life. On the even better days, they tell me I had some part of it.

On New Year’s Day, we hosted a half-mala and Kirtan chant at Namaste Highland Park. A number of students had very powerful experiences in the room that night. I was thrilled and blown away by the stories that followed that night. I knew we had to do it again.  So, we are! Whether you think it’s crazy, think it’s awesome, or think it’s crazy-awesome, you are invited to join in for community Kirtan. 

(Photo: Me, post-yoga, fresh out of moolabandha exercises, complete with faux hawk. Of course, the surface changes are more obvious, but those beneath the surface are far more profound.)

Healthy Backs Workshops

by teacher Shoshana Stolove

This workshop is for all those wanting to understand moreabout their spine and how to keep it strong, safe and supported. Sadly back pain and injury is up to 90% in the US. There is a lot of amazing study and research happening as to why this is and how we can heal. This work is my passion as I am one of the 90% that has had spinal injury and back pain. Let’s heal and grow strong together!

We will go over all the basic alignment principals that are used in our healthy backs yoga classes and learn helpful modifications to keep the spine safe and elongated within all yoga classes and in everyday life. By incorporating the basic biomechanical features of our bodies design we begin the journey to becoming genuinely stronger, more flexible and youthful in the body. We will discover how our daily activities and how we move through the world can be our most powerful healing tool. Sitting, standing, walking, sleeping, driving and computing can all be empowering practices. I will share different prop options that can also be very helpful. There will be time for Q & A and for some individualized attention. 

 Check our website for dates and times! 

See you there! - Shoshana