by Dr Monica Gauci | Jan 9, 2016 | Anatomy/Rehabilitation, Asana, Ashtanga Yoga, Teaching
When I was young and naïve I used to say “the good thing about practicing yoga is that as you get older you only get stronger and more flexible!” This is true up to a point and that point is different for every body. The fact is that as we age our body slows down. All...
by Gregor Maehle | Dec 12, 2015 | Asana, Ashtanga Yoga, Teaching
Recently I read an article in which the author wrote about her difficulties in maintaining her Ashtanga practice. She called her practice “hard, really hard, exhausting” and complained that it “never gets any easier” and that she just kept upping her expectations or...
by Dr Monica Gauci | Nov 28, 2015 | Asana, Ashtanga Yoga, Meditation and Samadhi, Teaching, Yoga Philosophy
Bringing our hands together in prayer is a universally understood gesture of peace and good intent. Prayer is an occasion to commune with our innermost heart. It abolishes the borders of religion and personalises our connection to Self. In the chamber of our heart we...
by Gregor Maehle | Nov 7, 2015 | Anatomy/Rehabilitation, Asana, Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama, Teaching, Yoga Philosophy
I was asked to comment on the statement, ‘All misalignment comes from incorrect breathing ‘. A teacher said this to one of my students when they explained that they had a postural imbalance. The teacher was insinuating further that if the student would get...
by Dr Monica Gauci | Oct 23, 2015 | Anatomy/Rehabilitation, Asana, Ashtanga Yoga
Recently, I was instructing my students on looking after their knees in hip-opening asana. I said, “Do you know anyone who is pretty inflexible in how they like to do things, is very sensitive, tends to hold a grudge if you do something they don’t like and if you hurt...
by Gregor Maehle | Oct 3, 2015 | Anatomy/Rehabilitation, Asana, Ashtanga Yoga, Meditation and Samadhi, Pranayama
I was asked why we put the right leg into full lotus (Padmasana) first and whether it gets balanced out later on in the practice? In my 2006 text Ashtanga Yoga Practice and Philosophy I wrote: “Why is Padmasana traditionally done only by first placing the right leg...