Without the work of Sri K Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga yoga would have been lost. All modern practitioners of Ashtanga yoga benefit directly or indirectly from his teachings. Sri K Patthabi Jois learned from his master Krishnamacharya, whose own master was Ramamohan Brahmachary. My own yoga teacher Nancy Gilgoff learnt directly from Pattabhi Jois. For me, keeping close to the lineage is very important. I try my best not to dilute my physical yoga practice and continue to study the text of Patanjali (Pattabhi Jois said he taught Patanjali's yoga). This, alongside reading items by writers who have given a lot of time to research both the history, and the physical practise of Ashtanga yoga. I am currently reading this book on my Kindle: Ashtanga Yoga: Practices and Philosophy by Gregor Maehle The first two lines above are quoted directly from this book by Gregor Maehle. It is a fascinatingread so far. My well-thumbed book, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ...

Some amazing old footage from Mysore with Sri K Pattabhi Jois.

As my yoga teacher lives in another country, I have to take yoga adjustments where I can. My husband is a handy man for this as he is an Osteopath with an MSc in Sports Medicine. Trusting your assistant is key!

Straight arms with hands near the feet? I thought hands were near the knees! I'm going to give this variation a go.

I always find Kino's video clips useful. But how fast does she talk?

I have been very fortunate to be able to practice yoga with Nancy many times. She is a wonderful teacher, both on and off the mat. On her recent travels, I was able to catch up with Nancy in a few different locations, which really enabled me to progress in my physical yoga practice. I don't think I need to write which poses I have (or don't have), which is why I am just posting a few photos to show that if you are practising yoga, you are on a journey of discovery within, regardless of what poses you are able to do.

The past seven months have been a pretty difficult time in my life. As a family, we lost two friends to suicide, one of whom was 18 years old. My daughter became really unwell and we spent months trying to discover what was wrong and what we could do for her? The house was burgled, the dog had a major operation, the Vespa was stolen, the car blah, blah blah... Life stuff! Shit happens to everyone! Throughout this time, I consistently showed up on my yoga mat. I showed up and cried. I showed and did standing poses. I showed up and did what ever I could, but I showed up. For me, when I am in emotional pain, I feel it physically in my body so I had to sit with myself at times and allow those emotions to surface; something that is not always easy. I had to with draw from the debating society as my physical yoga practice felt like it was going backwards and I had to accept this. Binds I once had were no longer there, poses I once loved became my nemesis, I continued to place my mat on the f

Kukkutasana , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Kukkutasana

Ashtanga yoga is a dynamic form of yoga practiced six days a week. Ladies' holidays are when women are menstruating and are advised to refrain from practising Ashtanga yoga, during the first three days of menses. I have looked at the different anatomical reasons for not practising Ashtanga at this time and here are a couple of examples: Inverted poses Where the head is lower than the heart, affects the downward flow of the menstrual cycle. Mula bandha and uddiyana bandha Are internal muscular locks, used during this yoga practice, to increase the upward flow of Prana (energy). During menstruating the natural flow is downward Apana, therefore affecting a woman’s natural cycle. A lot has been written about this subject but I have chosen not to list them (see last paragraph) When I first started to practice Ashtanga yoga I did not adhere to “Ladies' holidays” and I still have a little bit of a problem with the “ladies” word, but I am not about to try and change Sri K. Pattabhi Jo

Here is a video of Lino Miele practising Kuttutasana. Enjoy!

I recently had the pleasure of attending Nancy Gilgoff’s Ashtanga workshop, the only one she will be holding in the UK this year. I have practised with her on many occasions and it is always a privilege for me to spend time with one of the world’s most renowned Ashtanga yoga teachers. Nancy was one of the first Western women to practice Ashtanga yoga with Sri Pattabhi Jois in India back in the 70s. She arrived at his shala with a lot of physical pain and, with the help of Pattabhi Jois, she was able to begin her wonderful Ashtanga yoga journey, which has now continued for more than 30 years. She was able to work through her physical pain using this physical form of yoga. Nancy has also studied with the "silent sadhu", Baba Hari Dass, and will sometimes refer to his teachings. She says that what she learnt from him has also helped her as a teacher. I missed the Friday evening led class, but I could tell immediately when I joined the Saturday intermediate class that there had b

Bhujapidasana prep. Arm pressure pose , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Bhujapidasana prep (Arm pressure pose)

Ashtanga yoga is a flowing dynamic form of yoga, where each pose is linked and synchronised using a breathing system called ujjayi pranayama . Ashtanga yoga practises postures (asana), breath (ujjayi pranayama), focal/gazing point (driste). The discipline of this system allows us to develop a deeper understanding and awareness of ourselves. It is both empowering, and liberating and allows us to move through life with a calmness and steadiness of mind and body. The linking of breathing and movement creates an internal, purifying heat which detoxifies and purifies the muscles and internal organs. Internal locks (bandhas) are used throughout the yoga practice. The breath is the heart of Ashtanga yoga. Eight Limbs Ashtanga translates as “eight limbs”. Below are the eight limbs as described by the sage Patanjali: Yama (abstinences) Niyama(observances) Asana (postures) Pranayama (breath control) Pratyahara (sense withdrawal) Dharana (concentration) Dhyana (meditat

Lino Miele practising Navasana. Amazing to watch the grace and flow of this Ashtanga yoga practice.

Ahimsa is probably one of the best known Yamas of the Eight Limbs Yoga Path and is often described as "non-harming" or "non-killing". Patanjali's description in the Yoga Sutras is as follows: "Himsa means to cause pain. Ahimsa not to cause pain.' The translation of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda goes on to say: "Killing is different from causing pain. Causing pain can be more harmful than killing. Even by your words, even by your thoughts you can cause pain". (Patanjali Yoga Sutras Book 11.30). Ahimsa in our lives So how do we bring Ahimsa into our life? Firstly, I believe we have to have some understanding of how we can harm ourselves; looking at some areas of our lives that might not be working for us. If we hate our jobs; don’t feed ourselves in a caring way; berate ourselves for not being good, rich and/or successful enough etc... we are acting on Himsa. These are just a few examples, as we all have d