In the first video, Sharath talks about Parampara, a traditional Indian cultural practice where knowledge is passed down from one guru to the student. He stresses the importance of finding the right teacher from whom you can learn Ashtanga as it was meant to be.

In the second video, Sharath talks about his beloved grandfather, Pattabhi Jois, or as we all refer to him affectionately as Guruji, and his dedication to the Ashtanga practice.

If you are having issues watching the second video, here is a link to the video on You Tube.
R Sharath Conference 2 on You Tube

Again thank you to Rochelle and Paul Gold for sharing these recordings on YouTube with us.

Here’s a trailer to the movie. It’s a must see!

Of all the great spiritual texts, there’s only one that Gandhi carried with him everywhere. Even though The Bhagavad Gita is not about religion, Gandhi called it his “prayer-book” and its the one he lived his life by. The Gita is a beautiful poem that happens to capture the heart of yoga beautifully. It’s also the one book Guruji and many yoga teachers recommend for aspiring yogis.

Like all poetry, the Gita is best read slowly, from your heart, not your head. Because the setting for the story is a war between two families, it’s often confused with supporting violence. However, the war is simply a metaphor for the war we all fight daily. It’s a reminder that our mind can be both friend and foe and you have to stand up and fight the enemies – jealousy, anger, impatience, doubt – the enemies that prevent our true selves from shining through.

The story is told as a conversation between Arjuna, the warrior representing the good family and Krishna representing the Divine. As Arjuna struggles with having to fight this battle he really doesn’t want to fight, Krishna shares insight on relationship with the Atman (our true self or soul), the Divine and Liberation. He also
references yoga and yogis throughout – and never once mentions asana! The Gita defines a yogi as “the lluminated one”. So… we have to be careful about calling ourselves yogis… most of us aren’t quite there yet, we’re simply “on the path”.

Regardless of what’s going on in your life, the Gita can be your compass, offering direction, comfort and wisdom. One time you be may be called to take action, another time surrendering might seem the better option. It reminds us to take care of the physical body that houses our precious soul ; to fight for our svadharma (our personal path), to love our work and the power we have to make the world better because we bring joy to whatever that “job” is ; and to live life fully but let go of attachment to a specific outcome. even though we may relate this to not caring, it’s really just our mind projecting what we think the fruit of our effort should be. Just being present, giving our best effort and being true to ourselves is enough, the
blessings will come.

Here are two videos of Seiji performing two separate “forms”. Both are of the Chen family style, the original teachers of Tai Chi. Those us who’ve been studying since April are now learning the 19 Step Short Form. No worries though if you want to give it a try, new and returning students are always welcomed and will learn the popular Yang Style 24 Step Form to start with.

Class is on Saturdays at 12:30 Noon and lasts 1 hour for new students. From 1:30 to 2 pm we do the new stuff.

This starts out looking similar to the above form, but you see that it changes after the first few movements.

This clip contains brief demos of chakrasana (backward sommersault), Setu Bandhasana entrance, and traditional headstand entrance and exit.

Below are video excerpts of Dr. Gyaltsen’s talk from that evening.

Yesterday, I thought I would jaunt down the street to Pacific Ashtanga. What could be better than yoga directly across from the bay at Dana Point? Plus, there’s something completely decadent about having a yoga studio within walking distance. Not that I walked.

…wandering into Pacific Astanga was like adding the frosting to a cupcake. The studio is presented with so much devoted attention: the altar with photos of Guruji, the beautiful statues, the candles and lanterns, the chanting, and the sheer dedication of the instructor to her own personal practice, was a cut above anything I could ask for.

For the entire original post: Click here to go to Barefoot Bhakti’s Blog

Thanks to Barefoot Bhakti’s for your kind words about our beloved Yoga Shala!