Home Stretch

I'm in my final week in Mysore before heading to Scotland...Am I excited to go? You betcha!!! I'm now in the final phase of my journey here in India, the place where I've accepted I'm leaving, making final preparations and last minute errands, and am extremely ready to get on the plane to my next destination. It feels good to be here - don't like the phase before this one where I'm like, "what the ????" So I have spent the majority of last week figuring out what it is I need to get done before I leave, spent all of yesterday doing many of those things, and will continue in the same manner today through Friday. Should be all set and ready to roll by Thursday afternoon though, which will feel so sweet!

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Here's The Scoop on Conference:

Sharath started Conference with a few questions: "What is Yoga?" "What is this practice?"
He spoke in great detail about Parampara, which means the Lineage of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. He re-caped the history of this practice and how important it is to keep the Parampara sacred - to keep true to the teachings of our teachers - to keep this practice PURE! He then went on to discuss the duty of the student to repay the teacher for all that your guru has bestowed upon you. It is not necessarily in the form of money - could be a number of things - but the important thing is that the student should do something. Krishnamacharya's teacher asked that he go out and teach this knowledge he learned to others throughout India. Had Krishnamacharya not stayed true to the teachings of his teacher, and Guruji done the same, none of us would be here today to enjoy the benefits of this practice.

Sharath spoke about how the bond between the teacher and the student used to be SO STRONG! But nowadays things are different...Many senior teachers of Ashtanga Yoga do not teach the same method they were taught by Guruji, instead they teach their own method.
"If your teacher is not strict, if he tries to please you.....you used to have to show your dedication...nowadays teachers are trying to attract students. How in 100 years things will change. Knowledge is important...Trust your Guru."

Sharath speaks often about the need to keep learning and growing. We must learn and study more. Regardless of if you teach yoga or have another profession, yoga should be your spiritual practice. No matter, get up early in the morning and do your practice - then the whole day will be wonderful - this practice will change your life.

Yogasana is so powerful, you can misuse it also...use this practice properly - let it change your mind, your attitude, in a good way. "It changes your life, that is my personal experience."

Many people make many mistakes if life, and we must learn from them and not do them again.

First, you should have faith in this practice - it can cure all kinds of diseases. We should have faith in our teacher also - your teachers energy will transform you and your practice.

So, this lineage, this practice we do, we should take it and learn.

Something has connected us practitioners to this institute - something has brought us here to learn....Follow this truth and be true to it!

If your mind isn't pure, your body isn't pure...when you practice yoga your mind becomes very strong...

"WE SHOULD ALWAYS TRY TO GO TOWARDS THE DIRECTION THAT IS TRUE!"

When the mind if pure you can achieve all of your goals.

"The two hours per day that you do asana practice - thinking of nothing - it might just change your whole life."

After conference we were had guest speakers from Pratham Mysore, which is an organization nationwide that seeks to educate children. for more information please visit http://www.prathammysore.org/ - they want every child to be able to go to school and learn well. They typically visit the poorer sections of the community to reach out and help.