LOVE ASHTANGA YOGA 2014 EVENTS

Happy new year!

We wish you a prosperous 2014, full of energy and light. We would like to share with you our events for 2014. We hope to see you soon in beautiful Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal.

This Year we will host two guest teachers from Hawaii, Nancy Gilgoff in June and Matt Corigliano in July (for event details please scroll down). We will also run our 3rd annual Yoga, Surf, and Sun Summer Mysore Style program, from mid-June to September, as well as a few other events throughout the year. We will teach here in Milfontes full-time, with some trips to Lisbon (Ashtanga Yoga Studies Part 2) and abroad planned in as well. To organize a workshop with us please contact us via email.

Many Thanks & Blessings,
Lea and Tarik

The 2nd Ashtanga Yoga studies course is a continuation of our previous program. The course is intended for yoga students willing to deepen their knowledge of traditional Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois. The program includes traditional Mysore Style and led classes, along with chanting of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Pranayama and discussions on the philosophical and technical aspects of the practice.

The course will meet over four weekends during February and March.
Dates:
February 8 - 9 and 22 - 23

March 8 - 9 and 29 - 30

Daily Schedule: 8 am Chanting, 8:30 to 10:30 Mysore Style, followed by Pranayama. Break for breakfast.  11:15 discussion.
 

Location: CDO - Centro de Dança de Oeiras - R. João Chagas nº 3 Algés, 1495-071 Lisbon, Portugal (Click here for map)

* To attend this course you must send in us a e-mail explaining previous yoga studies and why you are interested in attending (for new students only), along with a 50€ bank reservation by February 1st.
-THIS IS NOT A TEACHER TRAINING.

 
Spring Detox -  March 21 (evening arrival), 22 & 23

Join us for a two day residential Juice Detox and Ashtanga Yoga Retreat at Herdade do Freixial. Spring is the perfect time for a detox. Traditionally spring is seen as a time of renewal and growth. Detoxing encourages healing physically and spiritually, immune system strengthening, pain and stress relieving, as well as weight loss etc.

Spring Detox includes Friday night arrival yoga class (7pm) followed by evening juice, Saturday and Sunday Mysore Style practice and juices for the day, plus two nights stay at the Herdade do Freixial, Vila Nova Milfontes.

Tarik will offer Acupuncture sessions during the detox for those interested at an extra cost. Acupuncture in the context of detoxing can help the body to eliminate toxins more quickly, help the cleansing process and the relax the mind.

Price: 180€
(Includes yoga classes, juices and two nights stay, in a shared apartment, double rooms for couples also available)
A nonrefundable 50€ deposit is necessary to book your space. This retreat is limited to 20 people.

Check our webpage "Visit us" for travel info or send us an e-mail

Easter Retreat / Ashtanga Yoga Studies Course- April 16th to 20th - Vila Nova Milfontes

This workshop will follow the model of our Ashtanga Yoga Studies Course, but condensed into a 5 day intensive (25 hours course).

During the five days, students will be initiated into chanting the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, followed by Mysore Style Practice, and Pranayama. There will be a discussion group each day covering philosophical and technical aspects of the practice.

Brunch will be offered following the morning session. Between classes, students are encouraged to explore the beautiful local beaches and nature.

Students will be encouraged during the course to: 

• Learn the history, origin and characteristics of Ashtanga Yoga. 
• Pronounce and chant both the Opening and Closing Mantras and to understand their meaning.
• Understand the practice of Bandhas and Dristhis, as well as their numbers, names and when to practice them.
• Understand the practice of Vinyasa and know their numbers for each Asana.
• Practice basic Pranayama correctly.
• Memorize the Yoga Sutras opening prayer.
• To know the Sanskrit names of the Primary Series Asanas, as well as their meanings, benefits and effects.
• Chant correctly the first Chapter of the Yoga sutras, with the help of the text book.

Books Recommended:

Yoga Mala - Sri K Pattabhi Jois

4 chapters on Freedom - Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Material provided:

CD/file recording of the Yoga Sutras to practice at home.

Investment: 250€ with Breakfast Included (50€ deposit due by March 30th)

-THIS IS NOT A TEACHER TRAINING.
Check our webpage "Visit us" for travel info or send us an e-mail

From June 7th to the 10th, joins us for four days of Mysore Style Classes and Discussion with Nancy Gilgoff, in Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal.

Classes will take place at The Herdade do Frexial.

We have the fortunate opportunity to host Ashtanga Yoga teacher Nancy Gilgoff, for her third time teaching in Portugal. Nancy has been practicing and teaching Ashtanga Yoga for over 30 years, being the first woman to practice with Guruji. For more info on Nancy, Click here!

Workshop price: 200€

*A 50€ reservation must be made by May 30th

Check our webpage "Visit us" for travel info or send us an e-mail

July 19th to 25th - 7 days Mysore Style and Surf Retreat with Matt Corigliano - Vila Nova Milfontes, Herdade do Frexial

Join us for Matt's Mysore Style and Surf retreat. Matt is an amazing teacher, friend, surfer, photographer and nature lover.  He spends his time traveling the globe teaching Ashtanga Yoga and surfing.  For more information on Matt Click here!

Price: 200€ (50€ reservation by July 1st)

Check our webpage "Visit us" for travel info or send us an e-mail

 

Join us for our third summer in Vila Nova Milfontes teaching daily Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga seven days a week.
Come to get healthier, to learn to surf, and enjoy your summer in our piece of paradise in southwest Portugal.
 

Click here and watch a short video from last summer:

Program includes:

- Mysore Style Classes, 8 to 10 am, 7 days per week, with exception of moon days.

After class you can take Super Food Breakfast at the Shala, explore the local beaches, learn to surf, take walks, go horse back riding or simply take rest.

- Price for Yoga classes: 80€ /week, 150€ / 2 weeks, 200€ /month

 

Check our webpage "Visit us" for travel info or send us an e-mail

 

FROM FEMINISM TO FEMININITY, YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND THE MOON



Written by: Lea Perfetti
Edited by: Jamie B Lind
 
In 2002, I was finishing up my final year at Syracuse University. All students graduating with a focus in Women's Studies had to write a thesis for the final project, which then had to be presented to about 200 people, including all the professors within the department. Save for a few exceptions, almost all of the audience was female. One girl in my class got up to speak. She was someone I barely noticed during those four years, since she kept to herself and, honestly, came across as a bit strange. She began her presentation, which dealt with menstruation and pagan rituals. She spoke about women going into the forest during menses and spreading their blood on the earth, in a sort of ritual to the Goddess and Mother Earth. I remember feeling horrified at such a topic, and somehow it embarrassed me. On the other hand, I also felt a strong desire to hear more about her work on the subject, and maybe even a secret urge to experiment with what she was talking about, which alarmed me. In our modern society, most women feel as though they have to hide their period, and discussing such a topic in a public forum would be considered taboo. As an early bloomer, my younger sister hid her period from our family for years. When I finally got mine, I felt proud and excitedly bragged about it to her, only to be told that she was two years ahead of me! I couldn't comprehend why someone would hide something I saw as a "rite of passage" for so long.

In the years since my college days, I have lived in various countries and have been exposed to many cultures other than the white, middle-class America that I grew up with. Yet, with the distractions of daily life, I got away from my passion for women’s issues that I had in my early twenties. In the last few years, however, I’ve been brought back to this realm through the help of women-centered novels like Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, books I wish I had read at 14. These books brought me back to contemplating what being a woman meant to me on an inner level. They made me remember that long-ago college presentation, and for the first time I began to analyze and possibly enjoy menstruation. These authors made me see menstruation as something powerful and unique to women.

I have been a devoted Ashtanga Yoga practitioner and teacher for over ten years. With my yoga practice at the forefront of my life and with menstruation on my mind, it didn’t take long for me to notice that my menstrual cycle follows the moon's path almost harmoniously each month. I have been an athlete since a young age, but back in the day I was a runner, a swimmer, I lifted weights. I was taught to push through my period, medicating myself when necessary, so that my performance was altered as little as possible. This was so deeply ingrained in me that it was with the same attitude that I approached my yoga practice. After all, wasn't that what women's liberation was all about? Conquering these moments that differentiated us from men? Didn’t we make fun of the girls who sat out of gym class during their periods?

In contrast, the Ashtanga Yoga practice aligns itself with the moon's cycle, and all students are to break from asana practice on both the new and full moons, with women also abstaining during the first three days of menstruation (the latter of which I avoided for the first ten years I practiced). These pauses are intended to reconnect you to the moon's cycle and the undeniable power it has over the human body. Western culture has little connection to the lunar cycle these days. Even so, there still remains a somewhat magical quality surrounding a full moon. People still become awed when they unexpectedly find a bright full moon in the sky, yet most still don’t understand the moon follows a steady 28-day cycle. I have encountered few people who know of and understand moon cycles – fishermen, because their work is based on the tides, farmers, surfers, those who work in biology, and (of course) astrologers and astronomers. Even with the days off from yoga on the new and full moons, I have had yoga students ask me if these moons are on the same days each month, without the vaguest idea that the moon follows its own course each month, moving through the zodiac, from new to full. In fact, as most women are ovulating (and therefore at their most fertile) on the full moon, this synchronicity results in a higher chance of conception on full moons.

Unfortunately, factors such as diet, stress, lifestyle, and drug use (including birth control) have thrown so many women’s rhythms out of sync from the moon’s cycle that most people will continue to view any relationship between the moon and the human body as just a myth. In fact, modern culture has disconnected with our own bodies so much that there is actually an app that will track your menstrual cycle, to tell you when you are ovulating (i.e., the most fertile) or pre-menstrual. Women have reached the point that they cannot decipher physical symptoms in their own bodies for guidance, let alone look to the night sky to do so. I was fortunate enough that as a woman, my body learned – through yoga and a healthy lifestyle – to slowly come back into alignment with these cycles. I have reconnected to the cycles of the moon and see the evidence in my menstrual cycle. As you practice Ashtanga and observe the moon days, you will begin noticing when you are ovulating and menstruating in relationship to the
moon´s cycle.

The lack of understanding women have concerning the relationship of their bodies to the moon’s cycle gives them a disadvantage in becoming more in contact with their bodies natural rhythms. The moon is associated symbolically with our emotions, femininity, intuition, renewal, etc. When we lose this contact that our bodies naturally have with these cycles, we lose contact with ourselves, our essence. We need to remember that this is a sacredness that we naturally have within us. Spirituality does not have to be something we look for outside ourselves – it is something we already have within, naturally. We just have to take the time and make the effort to remember it. This ancient knowledge is in our own bodies, and when most women hear that their menstrual cycle follows that of the moon, and see that their levels of intuition, energy, and creativity are mirrored in this, they are not all that surprised. In my experience, when informed of all this, women seem to remember that they already know. Following these natural cycles brings great power to us, yet we live in a society where women are being driven, by forces from within as well as without, to live lives that are less feminine in nature, which can often result in infertility and other health problems, including menstrual irregularity and extreme PMS. Some advanced Ashtanga yoga practitioners lose their period entirely, when the practice becomes so physically demanding that the body doesn’t have enough energy left for ovulation and menstruation. The prospect of having children often gets pushed farther down women’s list of priorities, with advancement in their careers – or even asanas – getting more attention.

What's my point with all of this? I encourage you to start observing the moon's cycle, from new to full and back again, in relation to your menstrual cycle. As you begin to see how your body is influenced by the moon, having to actively track your period becomes irrelevant, as simply observing how the moon is waxing or waning will let you know where you are in your cycle. Not all women follow an exact 28-day cycle – if yours is shorter or longer, you can still use the moon to know where you are in your cycle. If you have a 25 day cycle like me, which would mean that if I bleed on the last full moon for example, then I know that my next period will come about three days before the next full moon, and subsequently go subtracting days through the moon cycle. As you begin to consciously follow these cycles, you will also see how your energy and intuition levels ebb and flow during the course of the cycle. The new moon is when you are at your lowest, energy-wise, supporting contemplation and inwardness. As the moon seems to “grow,” so too will your energy levels until they peak around the full moon. I see this change in energy reflected in my yoga practice. With increased awareness, you will feel just how many facets of your life are connected to these cycles. I see it reflected in the intensity of my dreams, my ability to intuitively interpret natal charts when doing astrology, the quality of my sleep, how creative I feel, my level of patience with my children….I promise that when you start to develop a relationship between the moon's cycles and your own body, you will not be disappointed. You may even start to feel goddess-like.

GURUJI - THE JUNGLE PHYSICIAN

 
By Tarik van Prehn Praça

When I went to Mysore for the first time in 2001, I had finished my Chinese Medicine degree one year before, after 5 years of intense study. I was already practicing and teaching Ashtanga Yoga at the time. I was also treating a few patients with Chinese Medicine. To complete my Chinese Medicine course I needed to do a two month Internship in China, at the Nanjing University's Hospital, and for that I had been saving money, to cover all travel expenses and tuition, etc.

Meanwhile, I came to know that Rolf Naujokat and Kiersten Berg were teaching Ashtanga Yoga in Bali at the same time as my Internship in China. I was committed to finish my studies but could not resist two months of Yoga, surfing and sun, opposed to two months in a hospital, treating sick people in a over populated city, where the sun never shines. So, instead I postponed my China trip and went to Bali to do an Ashtanga Yoga and Surfing Internship. Since then I never looked back. After that trip to Bali, I dedicated all my time and travels to learn Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore. The trip to Bali was in September 2000, in March 2001 I went to Mysore for the first time.

During that first trip to Mysore, my Chinese Medicine studies were still very present and fresh in my mind; I saw the world through the eyes of Chinese Medicine Theory. I was constantly visualizing the Meridians in every asana, trying to make energetic sense of many of the postures. I started noticing something very interesting: every time Guruji adjusted me in Pascimattanasana after back bending, he would press both his thumbs on my feet in a very relevant Acupuncture / Acupressure Point, located on the dorsum of the foot in a depression distal to the junctions of the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones. This point in Chinese Medicine is called Tai Chong or "Great Surge," the point number 3 of the Liver Meridian. He would do it every time, and that made me very intrigued. Was Guruji consciously trying to influence the flow of Prana in me? Thirteen years later, with a bit more studies and practice, I came to some very interesting discoveries, hence the reason I am writing this "text."

Similarly, in Yoga, as in many other Ancient Eastern disciplines, Chinese Medicine considers the human being as a "fraction of totality," a microcosm on the macrocosm. Like Yoga, Chinese Medicine was also developed by very evolved sages, who understood the flow of Qi (Prana) on the body. Qi is to Chinese Medicine, as what Prana is to Yoga, and much importance and emphasis are given to the "free flowing of the energy".

When the "free flow of Qi / Prana" is obstructed, disease and/or imbalance appears. That can be caused by external factors, such as weather, or by accidents/injuries, poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle, etc. However, the mind has the greatest effect on the flow of Prana/Qi . The mind can have the power to "heal or to kill." A balanced mind can smooth the flow of Prana, but when there is mental tension, obsessive thinking, worry, anger, etc., the flow of Prana becomes obstructed, causing pain and disease. Hence, the importance of learning to discipline the mind.

There are many ways of influencing the flow of Prana/Qi in the body, such as the practice of Asana and Pranayama, Qi Gong, Tai Chi Chuan. All these practices are primarily intended to discipline the mind. Once the mind comes under control, the Prana can be gathered and directed along specific Meridians/Nadis towards "higher realms" where the seer can "Reach" or "Understand" the Spirit, Purusha or Shen.

Yogis have traced 72.000 Nadis in the body and it is no coincidence that Krishna had 72.000 lovers, the Radha Krishna Love is a metaphor for the internal alchemy that takes place when all the 72.000 Nadis (Krishna's flute represents the sushumna nadi and the 7 holes are related to the 7 Chakras)
merge and enlightenment happens. The Chinese simplified it into 12 main Meridians and 8 extraordinary. Acupuncture points are called "Marmas" in the Yoga/Ayurveda Tradition. These points have direct access to the Meridians or Nadis, and when stimulated they can change, move, increase or decrease the flow of energy in the body.

Whenever someone asked Guruji why crossing right leg first on Padmasana, his answer was always the same, "liver and spleen Nadi." While most Westerners are worried about the correct "anatomical and external" implications of the Asana, Guruji was concerned with the "correct flow of Prana."
Coincidentally, the Tai Chong point that Guruji used to press when adjusting me, is the "Earth" point of the Liver Meridian, it balances and harmonizes the energy between the "Liver and Spleen Meridians/Nadis.

The Liver is responsible for the free flow of energy within the body, and partially responsible for the free flow of Blood. Subsequently, the Tai Chong or "Great Surge" is a very powerful point, which is the exact same point Guruji was pressing. This point is used to ease and to stop the mind, restore the flow of blood and energy in the body and harmonize the "Agni."

*Tai Chong has many therapeutic applications so if you are interested you can see more here (http://www.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/lv3).
I also did some research to see if the Tai Chong coincided with any important "Marma" Point. I came across this very interesting article: http://www.vedanet.com/2012/06/marma-points-and-the-practice-of-yoga/. I also found a very interesting article relating to the importance of stimulating specific marmas in order to awake and direct the Kundalini: http://www.denverchinesemedicine.com/PadaK.html

Tai Chong corresponds with the Kshipra Marma or big toe Marma, and the article above relates Marmas and Pratyahara: Marmas as Control Points.
Was Guruji pressing this point on the foot consciously? Honestly, I do not know. What I do know is, when it comes to Yoga, there is much more to study, learn, understand and research. It is good to remember that yoga is an energetic system, based on the understanding of the flow of Prana or Life Force (Nature). Unfortunately, that knowledge is being quickly diluted and lost in the "Main Stream" of the majority of Yoga styles, including Ashtanga Yoga. We Westerners have tried to understand and to explain Yoga (Asana) through anatomy, which has only contributed to the "externalization" of the practice. In my opinion this vision of Yoga has limited Yoga's vast knowledge to a mere physical and mechanical practice. After all, how well do we need to know about the body to be able to transcend it? The Body will eventually decay and parish, as will the mind, that is known, but what happens to the life force after dearth... That remains the greatest mystery.

On a more simplistic note, the Tai Chong is also commonly used to alleviate lower back pain. So, maybe Guruji knew that, and after all, the last Pascimattanasana adjustment is a strong compensation to what is arguably, the biggest source of low back pain for many Ashtangis and first timers visiting Mysore, as they try to "walk their way in," in the Shala, pushing too much in Back Bending.
As Guruji said, "No pain, No Yoga."

Blessings

Tarik van Prehn