Knavesdied epitaph

The Sanskrit word परम्परा (paramparā) is often literally translated as ‘tradition’, ‘lineage’ or ‘an uninterrupted row or series’. In the practice of Ashtanga Yoga, paramparā encompasses the relationship from teacher to student, the transmission of knowledge based on direct and practical experience, the teacher and student forming the links in the chain of instruction that has been passed down…

The Art of Teaching Yoga One-to-One

In November 2015, I was able to spend a weekend training with Kate Ellis on the Art of Teaching One-To-One organised by Whitespace Yoga Studio. Kate currently teaches on the triyoga Teacher Training and the Yoga Therapy Diploma course run by Yoga Campus. Kate’s perspective is that teaching one-to-one is the traditional form of learning Yoga asana, and she describes how teaching one-to-one allows…

History of Philosophy in India, by Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri

In September 2015, Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri began producing a new podcast series on the History of Philosophy in India. Peter is Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King’s College London, and has been hosting a podcast since October 2010 that takes listeners through the history of philosophy, “without any gaps.” This original podcast is still running and has built up to…

John Scott workshops in Oxford, November 2015

In November 2015, I was fortunate to attend a weekend of Ashtanga Yoga workshops with John Scott in Oxford, organised by Ian Macdonald (who has been organising Ashtanga Yoga workshops in Oxford for over 25 years). I did teacher training with John in 2012–13 but first met John in 2009, the first time he taught at Stillpoint Yoga London. On Friday evening and Sunday morning John led a counted…

World Peace Day meditation

Since 1982, World Peace Day takes place annually on the 21 September and is a time dedicated to the absence of war and violence. It is supported by many nations, political organisations and military groups globally. Yesterday, as part of this day, hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square at the heart of London to meditate. The rain was coming down and, as I stood slowly, the square became…

John Scott talks yoga with the Ashtanga Dispatch

Spending time listening to John Scott talk can be a life changing experience. I know it has been for me, and continues to be every time it happens. John’s perspective on a yoga practice always brings some new attitude, some new context to my practice. In the Ashtanga Dispatch podcast released today, John is in conversation with Peg Mulqueen, talking about the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and…

Finding ‘flow’ in a yoga asana practice

There are many ways to find happiness, but I believe part of the equation is to include moments of ‘flow’ in our lives. We’ve probably all experienced them. When you knowing what to do and how to do it, you know where to go and what’s coming next, the challenge is high but you know you have the skills, you’re free from distraction and can focus completely. There are many ways we can train our…

The Ashtanga Yoga method contains many tools to help build a practice of yoga. One of the tools is the counting of the breaths and movements in the practice—the counting of the vinyasa. For me, in my own practice, counting vinyasa gives a structure and regularity to the movements. It’s the plan, the pattern to follow and the pattern to build from if I need to adapt the flow. Counting gives a…