Ageless by Sharath Jois

Dear Yogis

I’ve been reading Ageless by Sharath Jois, the man who is the ‘source’ of Ashtanga yoga! In his book he talks about food, daily routines, postural yoga and breathing practice. It’s not deep! If you’re looking for a quick read, this is quick.

I thought this was fun; he names some physical problems and the yoga postures ‘that cure them’. For backache he names a whole lot of postures from Ashtanga Primary Series. (It might be easier to just do the Primary Series!) For flatulence and indigestion he says “Pavanmuktasana almost immediately relieves discomfort from flatulence”. Not for nothing it’s called ‘wind relieving posture’.

Lotus pose ‘destroys not just disease in the body but great sins too’. Paschimattanasana (sitting with straight legs and touching your toes) is advised for backache, indigestion, headaches, painful periods and menopause, anxiety, high blood pressure, but not for hamstrings.  It’s the magic posture!

(If you want comprehensive advice about postures go to Dr Timothy McCall or Iyengar’s Light on Yoga)

I’ll take any opportunity to pass on this kind of advice: lack of sleep, he says, is known to cause cardiovascular diseases, compromised immune function, diabetes... ‘and without it we will descend into madness’. Fix the same time for going to bed every night.

Retreat

I’ve been asked about the timetable of our magical yoga retreat. It follows the shape of our previous retreats: Early morning Ashtanga with the rising sun; plenty of time for breakfast, holiday and rest; afternoon workshops with Valentina and evenings on the bay, sipping something cool and watching the sea. It’s idyllic...and, yes, all levels welcome.

One year brilliant teacher Lisa asked her workshop students to spend time thinking of three things they could change when they get home. A yoga retreat is a perfect time to reset, invest time in yourself, reflect, and make positive decisions. It might be as simple as to drink more water, get more sleep, or adopt a better diet. It might be a bigger, life changing decision.  Come with us, starting September 21st. Write back if you have any questions.

Home Studio

Plenty of room next week. Fans are whirring at speed to keep you cool-ish! Have a look at the latest availability attached to this email or on my website.

Training

If you are thinking of introducing a regular yoga class in your workplace, I have a morning slot free. Let me know if this would be of interest. You can read about yoga in the workplace on my website.  

Yoga in the News

The New Yorker has: Yoga Reconsiders the Role of the Guru in the Age of #MeToo. An interesting article! ‘Devotion to the guru is meant to symbolize devotion to the teachings, not to the man. But in the Western context gurus become rock stars, and students compete to curry favor with them. This gives gurus significant influence over their students, which is sometimes misused.’

NBCNews has:  5 ways to avoid back pain during yoga class. What’s the answer? Engage the core!