Ashtanga Yoga Maryland

10/26/2024

added my two cents about the latest non endorsement outrage to this emerging post:

stealing is bad y'all

10/17/2024

if anyone interested in traditional knowledge from Bharat (India):

"Here again are the links to our offerings:

Death & Dying course link: https://satsangam.net/death-dying/

Vedic Threads link: https://satsangam.net/vedic-threads/

Nava Rasa: https://satsangam.net/nava-rasa-course/

Vedic Remedies: https://satsangam.net/vedic-remedies-for-modern-spiritual-crises/

Sivananda Bahamas retreat Apr 13-16: https://satsangam.net/event/interconnectedness-of-indian-wisdom-traditions/

Satsangam LLC team heads to beautiful Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in Nassau, Bahamas, to explore the cultural, spiritual, philosophical, scientific and artistic context in which Indian wisdom traditions like yoga and Ayurveda exist. While in the West it is common for students to quickly specialize...

09/27/2024

I have a Substack now

I practice so I'm a little less grumpy...

08/28/2024

hey yogis, DAVID SWENSON HAS A NEW BOOK COMING OUT

08/15/2024

and meanwhile:

Exploring the Role of Paramparā and Dṛṣṭi in Modern Education We had a wonderful conversation with Dr. Anuradha Choudry in Vedic Threads wherein she shared that, in today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, the ancient concepts of paramparā (tradition) and dṛṣṭi (worldview) off...

08/01/2024

a bit of history from the comments section of the latest from Heather Cox Richardson re: the current Israel/Hamas conflict:

"The Balfour (so spelled) Declaration (1917) was crucial, but so was the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, in which the British and the French carved up the soon-to-be-extinct Ottoman Empire for themselves, and then of course the Treaty of Versailles.

P.S. Balfour didn't "set Palestine as an official homeland for European Jews." What it actually said was (I know it almost by heart but I'm looking it up anyway) "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." It's worth noting that at when the declaration was issued, "existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine" made up about 93% of the population. They included many Christians and Jews as well as Muslims."

07/04/2024

from Master Teacher Donna Farhi:

"Recently, I happened upon an intensive advertised for “Intermediate & Advanced” practitioners of yoga. There was a list of prerequisites for attending that included being able to hold Head Stand for 5 minutes, Shoulder Stand for 10 minutes and the ability to push up multiple times from the floor (or chair) into Upward Bow. Although everyone has a right to decide who can and cannot study with them, I felt saddened (and a little angry) that advanced yoga continues to be defined by a check-list of physical attributes, many of which were arbitrarily dished out by the Celestial Design Committee at birth. Paradoxically, many of the senior teachers I deeply respect, with decades of wisdom to share, would likely be rejects for this event, not out of lack of experience, or practice, or commitment, but because these practices are no longer appropriate for them (or never were).

As someone born with spina bifida occulta (a tiny gap in my lumbar vertebrae), an extra rib on one side of my cervical spine, and a hereditary tendency to fragile capillaries, I had to stop practicing Head Stand in my mid-forties. Having multiple blood vessels burst in your eyelids must certainly be a warning sign worth listening to? Despite years of forceful daily practice, my spine never particularly liked deep back bends, arguably the yoga status symbol of our time. No matter. None of these abilities defines who we are.

What interests me now is seeing how yoga practitioners, peers and colleagues demonstrate their “advanced” through gracefully accepting limitations and working with them to create beautiful and unique versions of practices that are testaments to progress. It can mean patiently rebuilding capacities and tending to and sustaining those so important to ease in daily life. Most of all, to be advanced is to go beyond “us” and “them”; to be generous, kind, and caring to others. You never know the hundred faltering steps that led a person to where they are today. Every body has a story.

Because advanced is any movement that draws us closer to the truth of who we really are."

03/27/2024

my friend and fellow MUIH cohort member Diane Diana Tokaji is doing another one woman performance to raise funds for her work with survivors of trauma, learn more here and even if you can't go you can donate:

Greetings from Diana Tokaji! Welcome to the show and the scholarship fund! E… Diana Tokaji needs your support for Ella's Gift: Yoga Therapy Scholarship Fund

07/01/2023

if you are interested in Qigong or Traditional Chinese wisdom traditions or currently studying them you should consider following an authentic traditional lineage holder like Master Wu; I studied with him years ago when I was unable to practice yoga during and immediately post menopause, he's the real deal and his teachings helped me find the yoga masters I study with now.

Traditional Daoist arts for healing and personal cultivation. Click to read Chinese Wisdom Traditions, by Master Zhongxian Wu, a Substack publication with hundreds of readers.

04/11/2023

this is how I strive to teach my classes, especially the restorative class at Brick Bodies Fitness Services (Brick Bodies Padonia) on Sundays at 4 pm but also in my Thursday 6 pm vinyasa slow flow classes.

if you are a teacher this is a great article on how YOU can think about how you teach, if you are a student it's a great article to help you learn how to practice.

When learning to move with the breath while standing with ease, you learn about right relationship, trust, and the interconnectedness of all things.