Vīrabhadrāsana

Today/Tonight is Mahasivaratri, the great night of Siva. It’s when your consciousness explodes, and you realize you’ve been in a fog all winter. Or that ‘this too shall pass’ is, actually, true. It might have grief in it. Or joy. Or relief. Feelings being varied, it might have some of all of that.

Sivaratri is when the God Siva comes down from his mountaintop meditation and joins the world. Consciousness comes to being. Or Consciousness marries power and action (siva, pavarti).

Sivaratri is when Siva did his cosmic dance, thrumming the cycle of reality into being with beginning, happening, and destruction.

Sivaratri is celebrated as the return of the light, the victory of light over darkness, and/or inner awakening.

It’s a good time to pray or reflect.

It’s a wonderful time observance.

I wanted to make a video for someone, and that turned into a bit of a tutorial on āsana in general. Enjoy!

Laying Sūtras on your Body: Integrating Yoga Postures and Yoga Philosophy

This June, over the summer solstice, I’ll be leading a workshop from Yess Yoga in Minneapolis. I want yoga teachers, long term yogis, and those interested in finding their own feet in a yoga practice to come.

There has been a little bit of an awakening in yoga land. Ten years ago, most people in our culture assumed that yoga meant postures. This is still heavily believed, but studios and pop culture generally are a little bit aware now that yoga is not limited to poses. We know there’s a philosophy. We sorta get the impression it’s a sprirituality or has something to do with mindful, purposeful living. We understand that it is ancient but know very little of the actual details.

I’m proud of us for the little bit of awakening we’ve had. I’m glad that students suspect there is more to it than poses. I thrill every time someone reaches out with curiosity, confusion, a mystified what in the heck is this magic kinda question.

The picture above basically captures our reality. We start with the first circle, in which yoga mostly equals poses, but has a tiny little bit of philosophy in it.

Then, we start to understand that yoga poses are actually the tiny part. They are only a part. They are minor. They may not even be ancient, and might have more to do with European caletsthenics than Indian philosophy.

I think we need one more model. Something that can bridge or resolve these two circles.

Otherwise, we’re still just as stuck as we were.

Come spend three days learning about yoga bodies, yoga anatomy, and yoga posture from a lineaged standpoint. I think it’s exciting. It’s also affirming, reassuring, clarifying. Expect lots of movement exploration, lots of discussion, and lots to move forward with.

Registration is here.