Why Ashtanga?
Yoga Bala Ashtanga Yoga Immersion and Teacher Training 2012
“Do your practice and all is coming”
Shri K Pattabhi Jois (Guruji)
Why Ashtanga?
Thirty years ago Ashtanga Yoga had finally made its way to the states, to Encinitas California to be more specific. A very small group of dedicated students stumbled their way through their morning yoga practice as taught to them by Shri K Pattbhi Jois or referred to by his students as Guruji. At the time these students were young, broke, hippie types on the search for a little love peace and happiness! They did not have much in the way of possessions but as my teacher (Tim Miller) told this story you could see the glimmer in his eye. “We appeared to have nothing, but we had one thing… our Ashtanga Practice” Tim talked about how they really knew nothing of the benefits of yoga back in those days. He and his fellow Yogis felt its power immediately and how deeply transformative the practice was. Tim would often get emotional when he spoke how practicing together created a unique and magical bond, a real sense of family.
I wanted to share this story with you because it was such an important part of my yoga journey. It feels like yesterday, when I was sitting next to my sister in my first Teacher Training listening to Tim share stories of India and Guruji and his adventure of opening the first Ashtanga Yoga Studio. My sister and I would look at each other no words were muttered but we were saying “I WANT THAT” (THAT) meaning the passion, the dedication, the sense of believing in something so wholly. What I didn’t realize is that I already had (THAT). I fell in love with Yoga the first time I took a class. I owe that partly to an instant connection I had with my teacher Noah Williams, partly to the physical challenge it offered me, and partly to Savasana! I lucked out and fell in love right then and there.
Here we are nearly twenty years later. I have had major life changes. Lots of ups and some pretty major downs, yoga has been by my side consistently. Every day I feel grateful for my yoga practice! Yoga shaped my early adulthood and made me who I am. I was lucky to have had many phenomenal and traditional taught yoga instructors and I soaked up everything they said and did like a sponge!
Noah, my daily teacher and my main teacher was and still is as committed to the practice as I have witnessed. He is what kept me going when I was too sore, tired, depressed, overwhelmed, poor, or any other excuse I came up with over the years to quit. Yes, I wanted to quit many times. It was too hard. Way too much work! My body hurt, wasn’t this yoga stuff supposed to be good for me! I got too much grief from my family, I had too many responsibilities to be so selfish and make my yoga practice a priority, blah blah blah… Noah NEVER EVER ( I have to laugh at how tough he was) said its -ok take a break Karrie. He was understanding and compassionate but never wavered on how important it was for me to stay committed. I believe this utter dedication is what changed my life, not the postures themselves, not that I could finally stand up from my backbend or do a headstand in the middle of the room. It was the discipline and the commitment. It was that I stayed I didn’t run. I didn’t run from my fears or my discomforts. Many times I wanted to run I had lots of ways to justify running too. It helped to have my sister as my yoga buddy. We called each other every night to make sure no one was coming up with a I’m skipping tomorrow excuse. We shared our aches and pains and our accomplishments. I didn’t really realize what a profound positive impact Ashtanga yoga would have on my life but as I look back I see it has molded me into a person that will leave something behind for others to pass on. I am motivated by this desire to share what I have learned by my teachers. I am excited to be in a room with other that will take on the challenge of Ashtanga Yoga. I understand that though this practice is quite challenging if you can approach it with enthusiasm, optimism, and gratitude it will change your life too.
Some of you will go on to teach, others are just interested in furthering their own practice. I encourage you to not place specific expectations upon yourself. You may never do the practice of Ashtanga again, you may do it every day for the rest of your life. I ask you to commit 100% for the duration of this training both in the class room and out. I ask you to put your heart into it when you can and just show up. Just be, don’t run, sometimes we have to sit in discomfort to see the light. Remember what happens on the mat happens off the mat just the same.
I am looking forward to this journey with you!
Namaste,
Karrie
Let’s Connect!
