Integral Ashtanga Yoga with Guy Donahaye

01/01/2025

ASHTANGA YOGA - The Original Method
300 Hour Traditional Teacher Training

starting March 13 in Michmoret
with Guy Donahaye and Amit Manber

As Ashtanga Yoga has become a worldwide phenomenon, it is inevitable that much has been lost from the original teachings. This is unfortunate, because important ingredients, which make the practice safe and effective are missing - as a result students struggle with practice and suffer pain and injury.

A RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL METHOD

This training is an in depth immersion in traditional Ashtanga Yoga as it was taught by Pattabhi Jois in the intimacy of his small yoga shala in Mysore, before Ashtanga Yoga became a worldwide phenomenon.

click for more info: https://www.integralashtanga.com/

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24/10/2024

MIND MEDICINE
Yoga Psychology in the Sutra

This series of talks will explore the yogic view of body/mind/spirit and the transformation of mind that happens through the practice of the internal limbs of yoga - as described in the Yoga Sutra and other supporting yogic literature. Each week we will take several sutras as our jumping off point for further exploration, discussion and meditation.

Sundays (1/8/15/22) in December 12PM Israel Time
Live in Karkur and
Online/recorded via Zoom
90 minutes

by Donation - register here:
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/Z76BQV6GEUR3U

14/09/2024

Yoga Chikitsa = Yoga Therapy

The first stage of yoga is healing the body. If we experience sickness, pain, tension or other discomfort, how could we achieve the higher stages of yoga? We need to feel well first, then we can move on to more subtle or advanced practices.

In fact, stress, sickness and pain is not just an obstacle to yoga - it is an obstacle to everything we desire, but especially to the peace, happiness and freedom that we are able to reach through deeper practice.

In a very real sense, yoga is always therapeutic - up until the final stages. There is no difference between being realized/enlightened and being fully healthy and affliction free - so yoga is actually nothing but a healing practice.

In this retreat we will explore yoga through a therapeutic lens. Although practice is rooted in the physical (asana), we shall explore both the therapeutic aspects of practice, and the how to add healing modalities, first via the physical/energetic, then the mental/emotional and finally from the intellectual/spiritual perspective.

Ashtanga Yoga - Healing Retreat
October 4-6
in Karkur

early bird discount before September 15

more information and to book - https://www.integralashtanga.com/mysore-healing-retreat

WhatsApp 052-3327013‬

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08/09/2024

Healing through Yoga

When you dig up a precious metal, such as gold, from the earth, there are usually some other elements - impurities - present. In order to remove those impurities, the gold is heated, melted, and the impurities rise to the surface and can be removed.

The ideal human body is likened to pure gold in Hindu thought - but there are often impurities in the body that need to be removed in order for the body to glow with health. In yoga practice, this purification happens through sweating.

The digestive fire, centred at the navel, is intensified through yoga practice to purify the body. Through the application of mula and uddiyana bandha, along with vinyasa, the heat in the body is increased, which results in detoxification through sweat.

“When apāna rises upwards and reaches the sphere of fire (the navel), the flame of the fire lengthens, fanned by apāna. Then the apāna and the fire join prāna which is hot by nature. This greatly intensifies the heat in the body.” - HYP III.66/67

“By synchronising movement with ujjayi breathing and applying Mūla Bandha and Uddiyāna Bandha an intense internal heat is produced within the body causing a profuse sweat. This sweat cleanses and purifies muscles and organs releasing unwanted toxins. The result is a light and strong body.” - KP Jois

Primary Series of Ashtanga is known as Yoga Chikitsa - which means Yoga Therapy. The second series is Nadi Shodhana - purification of the subtle, nadi and nervous system. These are healing practices.
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Ashtanga Yoga - Healing Retreat
A Three Day Retreat to Deepen Your Practice�October 4-6�in Karkur

with Guy Donahaye - Certified Ashtanga Teacher

more information - https://www.integralashtanga.com/mysore-healing-retreat
WhatsApp 052-3327013‬

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08/09/2024

You could be forgiven for not knowing who Brad Ramsey is - he played a significant role in the early growth of Ashtanga in the West before retiring to Maui, where he lived as a semi recluse for many years. It turned out to be one of my favourite interviews, as it filled important gaps in the Ashtanga history, and because Brad was a deep and serious thinker and practitioner.

“Brad was a very private guy, to the extent that he became a recluse over the last 25 years of his life, living in Maui for most of that time. He was certainly not someone who drew undue attention to himself—no page or blog for Brad. Still, it is sad to see that someone who made such a valuable contribution to the development of ashtanga yoga in the West has gotten so little recognition. Brad was my teacher for the first three years of practice. Over that time he taught me primary, intermediate and advanced A and B asana sequences, all the six pranayamas, many Sanskrit slokas and devotional songs….

From the late 1970’s through the late 1980’s Brad was one of the best and most important ashtanga yoga teachers in the West and one of Guruji’s favorite students. If you read Brad’s chapter in the book, Guruji, you get a good sense of Brad’s brilliance and insight into the deeper dimensions of yoga.” - Tim Miller

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Interviewer: I heard you had a high level of concentration. When people saw you practicing; they said they had never seen someone with such incredible focus.

Brad: I got lost in it. I would lose myself in it. I got everything I wanted to get out of it.

Interviewer: You felt that in the moment or after practice?

Brad: I feel it right now.

Interviewer: When you say you got everything you wanted out of it, I presume you don’t mean just the physical practice.

Brad: No. I mean the place where it put my mind. It may not appear perfect to anybody else, but inside I’m very comfortable and I feel that I have achieved the goals that I have for myself. Really, it’s all preparation for your death moment, that’s the whole idea behind it. Because if you can put your mind on God while you are hopping around on the floor doing mildly painful things, that’s practicing for the last moment of greatest extremity and if in your death moment you can put your mind on God, the theory is, you save yourself a whole lot of birth(s), you save yourself many travails.

You could be forgiven for not knowing who Brad Ramsey is - he played a significant role in the early growth of Ashtanga before retiring to Maui, where he lived as a semi recluse for many years. It turned out to be one of my favourite interviews, as it filled important gaps in the Ashtanga history, a

21/08/2024

Ashtanga Yoga is a Healing Practice

The Ashtanga Primary Series is also known as Yoga Chikitsa, which means “Yoga Therapy”. It is a sequence of asanas that act therapeutically - correcting posture, releasing pain and stress from the muscles and joints and healing or improving the health of the internal organs, including the circulatory (blood), nervous, lymphatic, endocrine and digestive systems.

Yoga is a powerful tool: if you know how to use it, it can bring everything you desire, but if you misuse/misunderstand it, it can cause a lot of pain, injury, illness and misery as well. It is therefore absolutely necessary to understand certain fundamental principles that are the basis of practice - such as, how to breathe, the correct use of bandhas, vinyasas etc.

Ashtanga Yoga - Healing Retreat
A Three Day Retreat to Deepen Your Practice
October 4-6 ~ in Karkur

More information - https://www.integralashtanga.com/mysore-healing-retreat
WhatsApp 052-3327013‬
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20/08/2024

Essence of the Yoga Sutra
5 Online Talks - Live and Recorded

Sundays - 9AM EST
September 15-October 29

Class Length - 1hr + (including discussion)
Cost - By Donation - Click here to register: https://www.integralashtanga.com/sutra-study

In these talks, we will select a few important sutras each week and break down and expand their meaning, with reference to the sutra commentaries and real, practical, life experience.

Some people suggest that the Yoga Sutra is a text only suitable for those who renounce the world, however, the sutra contains layers and layers of meaning and a large collection of valuable practices that can be used by ordinary people, even if the ultimate goals seem so far off.

In truth, yoga is intimately accessible. There are different types of practitioners, each at different stages, and each with individual abilities and challenges. Practice must be developed accordingly. There should always be an eye to the balance between yoga and bhoga (practical life) - this is how we can understand the types of practices we need, and the intensity with which they are applied.

The themes are arranged in a way that can help us understand the process that unfolds internally, as we progress on the path of yoga, samadhi and realisation. After each talk, we will open for discussion.

click here for more info and to register: https://www.integralashtanga.com/sutra-study

Essential Teachings

Sept 15 - Samadhi

What is Samadhi? Samadhi is the definition of yoga - chitta vritti nirodhah - restriction of the activity of mind. There are several levels of what is known as “cognitive” or samprajnata samadhi. In this case, the chitta (mind) activity has been reduced to one vritti - one thought or point of concentration - the focus of meditation. These types of samadhi may lead to a second type of samadhi, in which all vrittis disappear - the mind merges into its primal condition (pradhana) and only the pure internal spiritual nature is experienced.

Sept 22 - Obstacles

There are many obstacles to yoga. We could say that our culture is even totally opposed to it: ambition, desire, accumulation of wealth, drive to material success, etc., are opposed to the principles of yoga. This is exactly the reason why yoga is needed and desired. Yoga is a natural phenomenon, but we have moved far away from harmony with nature in modern times. The primary obstacle is avidya - ignorance about the true nature - all our suffering and misery derives from this fundamental ignorance.

Sept 29 - Sadhana

Sadhana means practice - an integrated practice with three fundamental principles - discipline/purification, study and devotion to higher ideals. These ideas are expanded in the system of Ashtanga Yoga - a practice with eight components. The limbs of yoga purify, heal and transform the body and mind - this clarification of mind leads ultimately to viveka - discrimination - the capacity to know the Self as different from mind.

Oct 13 - Realisation

Samadhi describes the state of mind at the ultimate level. How is this translated into liberation? Through the faculty of discrimination or viveka. But before viveka can properly mature, a degree of non-attachment (vairagya) along side consistent concentrated practice (abhyasa) has to be developed. The limbs of yoga help to develop the first stages of vairagya, but the ultimate stage can only develop through meditation.

Oct 20 - Liberation

The ultimate stage of yoga, according to (the dualistic) Patanjali, is described as “isolation” of the Purusha (consciousness) from mind/body (Prakriti). On the other hand, yoga as described in the (non-dualistic) Bhagavad Gita as “merging” of the individual soul with the universal soul (god). Is there a difference? What is the process moving from Realisation to Liberation? Or are they one and the same?

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Click here to register: https://www.integralashtanga.com/sutra-study

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16/07/2024

Mysore Ashtanga Retreat in Karkur - August 1-4
Four Day Immersion to Deepen your Yoga Practice
Through the Art of Giving and Receiving Adjustments
Mysore is the birthplace of modern yoga. Come and immerse yourself in this original teaching method. Deepen your practice and learn the Art of Giving and Receiving Adjustments.
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"The traditional method of teaching Ashtanga Yoga postures is by physically adjusting the student into correct alignment or simply deeper towards the postures' true expression. Guy embodies a unique combination of gentleness and power. From the first moment as a student in Guy's hands the sensation was one of security and trust, allowing me to relax and breathe into the posture. It is inadequate to talk only about the physical nature of Guy's adjustments. He communicates a calming spirituality, rooted in tradition, which sets one free into the present moment. For a teacher, learning Guy's approach to adjustment would be priceless. My yoga journey has included many master teachers. Guy is among the very best." - Tom
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Ashtanga Yoga is Karma Yoga - the yoga of action - action which leads to healing, transformation and evolution. These actions require skilful, careful, insightful application - only then can yoga lead towards the desired purpose…
As Krishna says in the Gita: “Yoga is Skill in Action.”
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Guy has been teaching Ashtanga Yoga in the Traditional Mysore Style for over 30 years. He trained extensively in Mysore with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and is one of a few advanced teachers certified by KP Jois.
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* More info here: https://www.integralashtanga.com/primary-adjustments
* Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits Available
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06/07/2024

The Significance of Breathing in Yoga

Breathing is not just an organic process; it is deeply connected to the functioning of the mind. The way you breathe affects the way you think and feel, and vice versa—the way you think and feel also affects your breathing. According to yoga, all body functions are caused by breathing, and one’s health is directly affected by the quality of the breath.

In asana practice, our aim is to make the breath slow, even, smooth, and consistent. Modulating the breath in this way facilitates vinyasa—the movement into and out of each asana. By softening, lengthening, and smoothing the breath, the mind relaxes, and the muscles release tension, allowing for deeper more comfortable posture.

Once one can sit comfortably, the next stage of yoga is pranayama. Pranayama is the practice of slowing down, controlling, and holding the breath - a subtle tool for balancing the body and eliminating many ailments, as well as the primary technique for stilling the mind. It can be used to cultivate optimum physical health, calm and transform the mind, or to enter into states of meditation.

The Meaning of Pranayama

Prana - breath or life energy
Ayama - to increase, lengthen, or control

Pranayama means to slow down, control, and eventually stop the breath. It is a way to move the mind internally, as it rides on the breath. When the body moves, the mind also moves. When you sit and focus on the breath, the mind channels internally.

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Online Pranayama Training
July 7-28
Classes are live and Recorded
By Donation

More info: https://www.integralashtanga.com/pranayama

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24/06/2024

Yoga Sadhana - How to Deepen Practice

There is a big difference between doing yoga once in a while and developing a yoga practice, or sadhana. A practice is something you do every day. It is not necessarily exactly the same each day, but the practice has a particular target or gaol, which is gradually developed.

You can only make progress through repetition, but in practice one encounters various obstacles. The condition of the mind and body, as well as the life one lives, has resulted from our past actions and habits. So, developing a practice challenges us to change some of those habits - and that is exactly why many people come to yoga in the first place.

Change can be tough, but yoga not only gives support, but also facilitates the changes that we want to see. But in order to achieve this transformation, we need to expand practice beyond the purely physical stretching and breathing. Sadhana is a comprehensive practice that includes lifestyle choices, such as a particular kind of diet, ethical perspective and in depth study of yoga philosophy.

There are many possible goals or expectations we can desire from yoga - from the mundane to the sublime. In order to achieve anything, one needs to practice with depth and continuity. Everything is possible - it just depends on whether you can find the right technique and apply the appropriate effort.

Upcoming Workshops to Deepen Practice:

Mysore Retreat - Aug 1-4
https://www.integralashtanga.com/primary-adjustments

Pranayama Training - July 7-28
https://www.integralashtanga.com/pranayama

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04/06/2024

DEEPENING YOUR ASHTANGA PRACTICE
Through Learning the Art of GIVING and RECEIVING ADJUSTMENTS

In Karkur, Israel - August 1-4

BREAKING DOWN the ASHTANGA YOGA SYSTEM
and ADAPTING PRACTICE to the INDIVIDUAL

A Course for Teachers and Students who would like to deepen their practice.

Every body is unique and each student needs to approach a posture in a slightly different way - some students are tall and thin, some are broad and short, some are flexible, some overweight, some stiff, some with injuries etc..

We have to adapt yoga to the individual but how do we do that? And what is the best approach in one’s own personal practice?

In these workshops we aim to establish a deeper understanding of the essential components of Ashtanga Practice and then learn how to adapt these to the individual through observation, analysis and giving and receiving adjustments.

The day starts with Mysore practice. After a short break we will then look at individual postures, speak about vinyasa, breathing and alignment principles as they apply to different body types, different levels of practice, flexibility and injury. Then we will explore these ideas through adjusting each other in the postures.

* Early Bird Discount before July 1

* Register here: https://www.integralashtanga.com/primary-adjustments

* Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credits Available

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30/04/2024

Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga in Karkur

New Classes start May 5

Sunday & Thursday
9.30 - 11.30

Upstairs at Dyan Yoga Centre
Ha-Moshav St 69, Pardes Hanna-Karkur, 3706969

Tuesday
9.30 - 11.30

at "Place of Yoga” - המקום של יוגה - Kibbutz En Shemer

New students are invited to come and watch class and talk to me - just come
between 9.30 and 10.30 any day.

more info: https://www.integralashtanga.com/mysore