I have always fancied having someone guide me in my Yoga studies. A lot of books say that great progress can be made when you have a guru, as a guru can show you the way. Sounds great, but I am pretty sure I am not going to find anyone who can fit this role. Of late, I do not want it either. I am afraid that the person will let me down. Last year, I was at an ashram in India. I thought I liked a teacher who could explain things very well. I also felt he practiced asanas and everything else that he was talking about. Integrity is super important for a role model. Then I got to know he was after a girl in my class. There is essentially nothing wrong with that. Just that he had claimed a completely different lifestyle in class. That was the last time I ever wanted a guide, teacher or a guru. Now I look for inspiration among my own friends, yogis or non yogis.

I am writing this as I read about this guru called Nithyananda. Normally I do not like to write about such people, they do not deserve my time and space on this blog. This guy has this ashram just outside of my home town, Bangalore. I heard about this guy the entire time I was in India last year. The youngest swami in India. One of the yogis that I had met was a follower of this man. She would meditate on this man and she had told me so much about him. I kept thinking to myself, what would happen if this guru is a fake. It would be such a waste of time and energy. I simply don’t trust anyone who lives in an ashram and claims he is a guru. True to that thought, I read there is so much confusion caused by this man.

I taught my first class today. To one student. And, even that one student was not guaranteed.  The studio that I am teaching at is sort of a high end yoga studio, the class size is very small.  Anyway, I have a long way to go before students seek me out for a class. I guess that would be the mark that someone has made it in this field. I was patiently waiting all this while for my knee to heal. I guess it has healed quite a bit that I can attempt to teach and demonstrate.

It went quite well. I was so sure I was going to mix up the left, the right or simply forget things to say or do. I did not goof up and I remembered one of my teachers telling me that teaching yoga is the same as doing yoga.  You must be in the present, be with the students and do not let them be hanging with one leg in the air. I am sure I have lots to improve, but this is a good start.

This is the best reason I have ever heard as to why one needs to practice yoga. Move over, the quest for the perfect butt, midlife crisis or whatever. You can actually cut your prison time. Or become an instructor to promote yoga so others can cut their prison time. To be free and liberated feels great. I think this is brilliant, Om to that.

Faster, stronger, higher — but not that high.

Asana is a startup to solve enterprise collaboration. I wonder how they got hold of the domain, asana.  You get to do free yoga and even a personal class. They are hiring, not yoga teachers. Software folks.

We aim (in the words of Masaru Ibuka) to “establish a place of work where engineers can feel the joy of technological innovation, be aware of their mission to society, and work to their hearts’ content.” You should be ready to make Asana the primary focus of your life. We will be working together, eating together, and playing together, so you must be in or willing to relocate to the Bay Area. (We will help cover moving costs.)

I could definitely see myself solving enterprise problems and teaching yoga. But, I cannot handle the bonding that Asana expects. I just have to say no to this Asana.

Yoga is all about finding your true self. India decriminalizing gay sex is a right step towards that. Go, India!

MP3 playback? Check. Two cameras? Check. Built-in mobile Buddhist altar? Che… Wait, WTF?! The idea is to allow Buddhists to perform their dedications and rituals conveniently when away from home. You can simulate incense burning, purification rites and play music to help you meditate wherever you happen to be.

I really doubt if the Buddhists I know will approve of this. Anyway, it is fun to see how much time has been spent on designing this. I really like the Lotus motif that covers the speakers.

Until a few months back, I had come across the word Sraddha only in books. The first time I heard someone actually use it was in a Kalari class. My Gurukkal would whack the kids and say, sraddhikanum kutti. He would say this so many times in the class and I heard it every day. It is an interesting word and it defines my journey through India. I heard it everywhere since then and have come across it in Buddhist texts, Bhagavad Gita and in newspapers.

Sraddha means a deep faith. I heard a different meaning this morning, bull headed determination. (more…)

Pattabhi Jois died in Mysore yesterday at age 94. He was one of the most famous students of Sri T Krishnamacharya. I have read about him in some of the books from KYM.

When he was 12 years old, he attended a yoga demonstration at his middle school in Hassan. He was amazed by the asanas and by the strong, graceful yogi jumping from pose to pose. The next day, he went to meet the yogi who had given the demonstration, a man by the name of T Krishnamacharya. Bravely, for a boy of only twelve, he requested to be instructed in yoga. For the next two years, Pattabhi Jois learnt yoga from T Krishnamacharya. He continued his studies with his guru again after a break.

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If you have been considering getting a tattoo of Bhagavad Gita like all the celebrities, think again. You don’t need a small sloka on you anymore. You get to wear the entire eighteen chapters by wearing a pendant. Yes, the entire Bhagavad Gita is written on this pendant on a 1 cm sq chip. The only catch is you will also have to carry a 200X microscope and there is no english transliteration for those of you that cannot read Sanskrit.

I still prefer Sri Krishnamacharya’s method. He just knew the entire Gita by heart. And, I am quite happy carrying a paper back pocket edition with me.