Claudia’s guide to Mysore – Check it out — here.

“Ever since my first trip to Mysore to study at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute back in 2008 I wanted to have a comprehensive list of information, as in: when to go, how to prepare, what to pack, places to stay, where to eat, etc. I wanted it so much that I created one. ”

We try not to let money drive us, but for all those who practice ashtanga a one month trip to Mysore is $2500 away. It potentially will change your life.

Flight from JFK to Bangalore round trip ———— 1,200
Car Service Back and Forth Bangalore-Mysore —    100
Shala First Month —————————————    650 (**)
Hotel stay for the first couple of days ————–     100
Rental in a Gokulam home (1 bedroom for 2) —–    250
Food ——————————————————    150
Rickshaws/Transportation/Events/Other ———–      50

Living Situation?

Many students just walk around Gokulam and knock on doors.  Indian families are opening their doors to students more and more.  Prices have been going pretty high these days ranging anywhere from 7000 to 20000 Rupiahs per month depending on how far from the shala you rent, which is very different from the 400 Rupiahs I paid back in 2008 for a room 6 blocks away.

Check out this map of Mysore

For more on food, transportation in Mysore, and shopping check out the link at the top of the post.

Om Namah Shivaya

“Sri Krishnamacharya used to tell me: ‘Do the Headstand when you are tired and in need of a tonic; when you are unable to fall asleep; when you are hungry, nervous and unhappy. Do it when in need of relaxation, when the brain is clouded, when you are in low spirits. Do it when your thoughts are distracted and you cannot concentrate properly or meditate.‘”

~Indra Devi

“Now be silent. Let the One who creates words speak. He made the door, He made the lock, and He also made the key.” –Rumi

Practicing and teaching I’ve experienced resistance  on various levels in myself and have observed it in the students I assist on a daily basis. Sometimes the resistance we face comes across quite clear as it screams at us for attention. Other times it sneaks up without a warning, dressed in disguise. Resistance. It’s always around lurking. I’ve been fascinated with the topic in that I’ve felt it on a personal level over the past six months. It seems to run in cycles often making itself known more prominently at certain times than others. What I have found is acknowledging its presence, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t there, even in the mist of feeling to simply show up takes every bit of energy you have, there is an opportunity for growth in the struggle. Afterward, when the clouds have cleared usually on the other side of it a wellspring of growth and expansion awaits.

Allowing what is to be is one of the most arduous of internal practices we face on and off the mat. Because after we have experienced our honeymoon period from attaining the “goodies” of yoga practice, some of the most extensive work is about to begin. This is the yoga. The goodies only give a small taste of the true experience. A fractional glimpse into the eye of the proverbial storm, but we have to go through the storm at some point and resistance is part of that storm.

Not all situations will be ideal. There will be days our bodies will feel stiff, and our minds will feel as if it sits within the depths of hell. In turn we may experience apathy and boredom as we are seduced by our expectations of how things should be. Of course, this is the play of the mind and the craving of the ego. There is really no need to judge when resistance crops up because it is inevitable. However, what will we put in its place? A question worth contemplating.

I know for me the practice has evolved and changed over the years. In the beginning there was an abundance of excitement and enthusiasm. Everything felt new and every challenge was something that motivated me to tread forward. I still feel this to some extent, but more and more the focus rests in the quiet unchanging part of myself. After the realization that the body is in a constant state of flux, impermanence is experienced. Change is always happening and acknowledgement of that makes the ride all the more graceful. The important thing to remember is the effort and steadfastness we put forth to practice. As we rest in this quiet space of awareness, this place is more important then any of the postural goodies we can acquire from yoga. Even in the mist of injury, apathy, boredom, fatigue, and depression, all these struggles must be faced head on and there is really no need to wish it were different, because everything in time passes.

Grace happens when we let go of the need for it to be any other way.

As a teacher it can be one of the most honest discussions I can have with a student. No, it won’t always be easy, and no it won’t always be fun, but I will tell you, it will be worth it.

“Underneath all of your desires is a truer desire—the longing for the truth, the longing to be free. This realization can be profoundly liberating because it makes all other desires irrelevant. Getting what you want no longer matters as much as truth. Whether you are comfortable or uncomfortable in the moment no longer matters because what matters is the truth. What matters is Oneness.”

via PeaceLoveYoga

5 Reasons to Soak Nuts and Seeds Before Eating

Have you ever felt like the nuts you were eating were rock hard and tough to chew? If so, it’s likely that you’re eating nuts that your digestive system cannot break down. Nuts and seeds have natural defense mechanisms (to fend off predators such as squirrels, humans, etc.) These defense mechanisms include toxic substances and enzyme inhibitors. These defense mechanisms are present until growing conditions exist. After soaking your nuts and seeds, you create a growing condition and the defense mechanisms are broken down, making the nut a much healthier option. Soaking nuts and seeds is also known as “sprouting.”

Why Soak Nuts and Seeds Before Eating ?

Eating rock hard nuts and seeds is like eating “dead food,” or more accurately, food that is not yet activated or alive. You activate, germinate, and sprout the nut or seed by soaking it.

5 Reasons to Soak Seeds and Nuts Before Eating :

1. You unlock the nutritional power of seeds and nuts by soaking

Not all nuts are created equally. A lot of people eat nuts because, “they have a lot of protein.” But what good is protein if you can’t absorb it? Soaking the nuts unlocks the protein and allows your digestive system to absorb it.

2. Soak nuts and seeds before eating for better taste

Soaked nuts taste better.  They’re softer and moist, giving the nuts more of a “nut+butter” taste.

3. Soak nuts and seeds before eating to eliminate toxins

The enzyme inhibitors and toxins are all but removed after soaking nuts and seeds, reducing potential damage to your digestive tract and internal organs.

4. Soak nuts and seeds before eating to activate beneficial enzymes

Not only does soaking reduce toxins, it also activates beneficial enzymes and vitamins (especially Vitamins A, B, and C.)

5. Soaking nuts and seeds before eating is better for your teeth

Any dentist will agree ~ it is better to bite and chew softer foods. You can turn a rock hard nut or seed into a soft, nutritional powerhouse in a few short hours. The lucid practitioner is always seeking vitality through healthy, cleansing, enlivening foods. You can actually increase the life, power, and vitality of your seeds and nuts by soaking them! What experience do you have in soaking/eating seeds and nuts?

If you’re an aspiring ashtanga yoga practitioner, Kino MacGregor’s website is a great place to learn.

Here’s a link to her notes from a recent Sharath Jois lecture in Mysore, India. Sharath is one of the most respected ashtanga yoga gurus alive today. He is the grandson of the great Pattabhi Jois, the Father of ashtanga. Enjoy!

Kino’s Ashtanga Notes from Sharath Jois Lecture

Thanks to @twnkletoez10 for the link 

~TR

A bit late, but nice to document.

Last week there was a yoga event in Times Square, “The 11^th Solistice in Times Square.”

Event organizers drew over 15,000 yogis for the 5 yoga classes that took place in the middle of Broadway between 43rd and 48th streets. The heavily sponsored spectacle likely lured in about 10,000 more spectators throughout the day.

Overmedication in America

As a society, we’re severely overmedicated in America. Too often, we are willing to take the easy way out by swallowing a pill. We’re passing this ritual down to our kids.

Many of us anesthetize ourselves by plopping in front of the TV or using drugs to “zone out” and escape life. This too, is being passed down.

Overmedication in Schools

I recently read a mediocre yet alarming article on the overmedication of children who are diagnosed with ADD & ADHD. The article reads, “Walk into any American high school and nearly one in five boys in the hallways will have a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.”

Our solution? Pills & iPads. If a kid is misbehaving, we are so willing to prescribe stimulants & amphetamines or place an iPad in his/her hand allowing them to “zone out” and thus stop “misbehaving.” We’re not saying ADD isn’t real but we are too quick to diagnose & treat unnaturally.

Natural Alternatives to Overmedication:

• Change in diet (eliminate processed food & add more fresh veggies & fruit) Has anyone seen the food in cafeterias of US public schools? I don’t like to be negative but it’s deplorable. You wouldn’t eat your 11 year old nephew’s cafeteria food the same way you would’t eat your dog’s food.
• Exercise/Sports/Outdoors (real sports, not video games) The amount of time allocated towards outdoor recess in US public schools has decreased dramatically in recent years. One of my best friends is a teacher at a public elementary school — he says that the kids have been so conditioned to technology that instead of going outside to play football or soccer, they’d rather sit inside & play computer games.
• Yoga (UCLA 2003 study scientifically proved that yoga helps kids relax, focus, & feel better about themselves) A natural alternative that requires a bit more discipline than popping a pill or toggling a touchscreen.
• Prayer/Meditation/Spirituality (not necessarily in school but in general) The sooner kids realize the importance of spirituality, the better. They will learn to connect w/ themselves, each other & the earth at large as opposed to “connecting” w/ a virtual cornstalk in Farmville.

Kale and Spinach Growing in an organic garden next to an elementary school

What are the short+term effects of chronically bathing young brains in stimulants and amphetamines & solving their “bad behavior” by handing them electronic devices?

For starters, it’s rare to see a teenager in America who can go 5 minutes without their smartphone.

Furthermore, it’s proven that those subjected to ADD pills are more likely to experiment w/ illicit drugs later on.

This is a new trend. The short+term effects are alarming but the long+term effects could be catastrophic.

We can reverse this trend. The four alternatives above are only the beginning.

Excerpt from WSJ article on overmedication::

“History has already taught us that overprescribing stimulants to millions of Americans leads to dependence, addiction and overdose. By medicating children for wiggling in their chairs, losing their homework and shouting out answers, we are not teaching them vital coping skills to manage their behavior. Instead, we are teaching them to take a pill. One day, we’ll look back and wonder: Why did we do this? Again.

Walk into any American high school and nearly one in five boys in the hallways will have a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 11% of all American children ages 4 to 17—over six million—have ADHD, a 16% increase since 2007. When you consider that in Britain roughly 3% of children have been similarly diagnosed, the figure is even more startling. Now comes worse news: In the U.S., being told that you have ADHD—and thus receiving some variety of amphetamine to treat it—has become more likely.”

Lucid Practice is rooted in positive energy so hopefully this post doesn’t come across as a negative. The Lucid Practice mission is to help people, hopefully this post serves as a helpful reminder that overmedication is a problem that needs our attention.

What’s your opinion?

What are some alternatives to help reverse the trend of overmedication in the US?

http://yogadork.com/news/yoga-related-studies-are-increasing/

“As the plot above shows, there has been roughly a factor of 10 increase in the number of yoga-related scientific papers per year since the late 1990′s. In fact, there were 41 more papers published last year than in all the 1990′s combined.

And we could be in for the biggest year yet. There have already been 74 studies published in 2013, which sets a pace for 380 yoga-related studies this year.”