Atha Yoga Anusasanam – Now, the teachings of Yoga – Yoga Sutras 1.1 These words ring in my ears. I can hear David chanting them clearly. Possibly, because he recites them to my 7 month old daughter whenever he sees her, which is fairly often these days. But what I originally, and naively interpreted as a mere introduction to a deeper text, turns out to be in fact, one of the most profound sutra’s in the entire text.
Something that’s come up a lot around our Shala lately is the theme of meditation. Many practitioners have shared their desire to learn how to meditate, but have no idea where to start, or feel that it’s way too difficult.
This week we’re bringing you three simple tips on how to begin a meditation practice in addition to your asana practice. It’s way simpler than you might think!
If you’ve ever practiced at AYCT, chances are you’ve seen the bright and smiling face of Elyse Mason. She is David’s right hand assistant in the morning, and the main teacher when he travels. She’s the small one with the blonde hair and friendly smile. But don’t let her petite frame fool you – she’ll pretzel you into Marichyasana D or Supta Kurmasana with the strength and technique that only skilled teachers possess. Elyse has been assisting and teaching Ashtanga for over 5 years, and I don’t want to brag or anything but… she’s pretty great! So when I wanted to get an idea about what Teaching and Assisting Mysore is like, I knew exactly who I wanted to ask!
For anyone who is interested in assisting and teaching Ashtanga Yoga, this article is an incredible resource!
Sandra Pribanic is a seasoned practitioner here at AYCT and a Registered Psychotherapist here in Toronto. This week she is sharing her wisdom an experience with the practice, the importance of breathing, and how to cultivate and sustain a yoga practice.
I get asked a lot what the best nutrition practice is for yogis, and what type of diet a yogi should adopt. What might seem like a pretty straightforward question is actually more complex than you might think. In this article, we deep dive into the question – to eat meat, or not to eat meat.
Maintaining my Sādhana postpartum has, and continues to be the most important thing I do for myself and my family. It is the one thing I have learned to unequivocally prioritize in my day. And truthfully, it is the one thing that is keeping me together in what is shaping up to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done – raise a tiny human.
In this article, I share more about how I maintain my practice with a new baby, and why it is incredibly important.
This week, the amazing Chandler Bond, a practitioner and AYCT has written a blog all about her journey to Ashtanga Yoga.
This is the story of how years of battling mental health led me to Ashtanga Yoga. Mental health is becoming more openly talked about, and through sharing my story I wish to help end the stigma. This story is raw. It is me at my most vulnerable. While some of the content may be intense, even triggering for some, but please know that I am always open to talk to anyone who needs help or has questions about anything.
Ashtanga is much more than just fancy asana. It’s not all handstands, and legs behind the head. It’s about connecting with your breath – learning to still the mind even in the most challenging of postures. After all, as David Robson says, asana without breath is just shitty gymnastics.
This week we’re uncovering why we actually practice asana in the first place, featuring a brand new video from our very own David Robson!
Ayurvedic nutrition goes beyond the basic macro and micronutrients. This philosophy looks at the energetic aspects associated with the food we eat and accounts for things like fueling our Agni (digestive fire) and replenishing Ojas (vigor and vitality).
This week we’re giving you a few Ayurvedic post-practice nutrition tips, and a delicious smoothie recipe to go along!
A pregnant woman, a midwife and an Ashtanga teacher walk into a film studio…
There’s no punchline, that’s just how this video got started.
If you’ve been following our blog since the beginning, you may be familiar with our very first article on pregnancy. Well, this conversation goes far beyond that.
I sat down with David Robson and Safire Naranjo to have an in-depth discussion about all things pregnancy and practice. And what started out as a project to discuss the idea’s around a safe pregnant practice, turned into something much more profound.