Yoga In Action

We all come to our yoga practice for individual reasons. Some seeking physical health, others for emotional and mental support. With consistent practice, many come to experience the powerful impact this practice can have on our total life experience. We might notice that our overall well-being transforms. And once we start to feel better in body, mind and heart, that impact can spill over into our personal lives and inform the way we interact with others. This can lead to an increase in meaningful and impactful connections.

However, it will not always be easy to integrate the lessons we learn on our mat. Some situations will be very challenging and we will find ourselves ruled by our previous patterns of conditioning and unable to connect to the calm and insightful teachings of yoga. These are the moments that offer us a powerful opportunity to transform. 

The Bhagavad Gītā offers us wisdom and tools for navigating these challenging moments which have the potential to lead us in the direction of profound transformation.

This epic poem beautifully paints the picture of the challenges of the human experience and offers readers a roadmap for navigating challenges and living a life aligned with their purpose.

Set on a battlefield, the main character Arjuna is facing the biggest existential crisis of his life. In the face of having to fight a war with his family, Arjuna throws down his bow and refuses to fight. His charioteer and dear friend Kṛṣṇa, is actually The Lord in human form guides Arjuna through a journey inward to find himself and answer all of his questions.

Kṛṣṇa peels back the layers of yoga, action, study and devotion to guide Arjuna as he is navigating the most challenging moment of his life.

This poem reveals that within each of us, a battle rages between selfish impulses that ignore the claims of justice and mercy and a realization that ultimately we are all connected in a unity that embraces all humanity and the whole world.

Arjuna is our conscious mind, which must make the choice of how we will live. Arjuna’s opponents on the battlefield represent our impulses to self-centeredness and greed. Kṛṣṇa is the divine spark within each of us, our higher Self, which is always available to rein in the horses of our feelings and thoughts and to guide us in the battle of life, if we will only seek that help.

The teachings that Kṛṣṇa offers to Arjuna are vast and multi-layered. In one of those lessons, Kṛṣṇa is educating Arjuna on is how to put yoga into action in his everyday life. This call for action is crucial. We must take action to support the collective growth and evolution of all of us. For, a choice to not do anything is in itself a choice which serves our lower self, the part of us that doesn’t want to do what is best for all because it’s hard, uncomfortable or costly.

Kṛṣṇa offers a 5-step plan to put yoga into action:

  • Keep the spiritual goal
  • Offer all actions to something greater than oneself
  • Don’t be concerned with the result
  • Be free from possessiveness
  • Be calm

These five steps offer us a map to navigating the actions we can take in every moment of our lives.

KEEP THE SPIRITUAL GOAL

We are called to always remember what our ultimate goal is – to reduce all suffering and learn to connect with our true nature.

OFFER ALL ACTIONS TO SOMETHING GREATER THAN ONESELF

By offering our actions up to something that is greater than us, we free ourselves to act for the greater good, without prioritizing our own personal benefit of that of others.

DON’T BE CONCERNED WITH THE RESULTS

This concept might be the most misunderstood concept of all. We are being called to not control the outcome of our efforts. But this does NOT equal indifference. This concept is rooted in CONNECTION and calls on us to acknowledge that we are all in a collective and shared reality and to reflect on the impact of our actions (regardless of our intention) have on others and the world around us.

BE FREE FROM POSSESSIVENESS

This concept is also intertwined with the second one – since we are offering all of our actions to something which is greater than us, we will release our urge to grasp onto acclaim, accolades or praise associated with our actions and instead allow our actions to be of service to all – instead of just ourselves.

BE CALM

We must try to always find steadiness within ourselves so we can continually return to this constant process of reflection, release and adjusting.

These are the five steps Kṛṣṇa lays our for Arjuna to put yoga into action in his life. This method can be applied to every area of our lives and will deepen our understanding of ourselves and continue to fuel our spiritual journey.

Next time you notice yourself feeling frustration, anger, fear, nerves, etc. try to analyze your experience through the lens of these five steps and see if you’re able to find freedom in a different perspective. Often, this different perspective is expansive and inclusive all at the same time and might bring a bit of ease in a challenging moment.

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FREE Meditation

I’m so excited to announce a FREE meditation just for you! This meditation is a powerful meditation to support a healthy and vital life. This Ajapa Dhāraṇā will bring focus to your spiritual heart and support awakening the energetic body and supporting higher integration of the mind/body systems.

What is Ajapa Dhāraṇā?

Ajapa Dhāraṇā is a transformative meditation technique. Through absorption on breath, mantra, visualizations and awareness of the energetic body, one can experience the beauty of dhyāna – meditation.

This meditation will support increased connection to your higher Self, calm the nervous system and support a calm, grounded existence.

In the words of Swami Satyananada: “Ajapa meditation helps one to withdraw the senses and awaken self-awareness.  It removes the impurities of the mind. A burning lamp cannot give full illumination if its glass is covered in smoke. Only when the glass is cleaned will the lamp shine fully. Similarly, the light or the power of the Atman is within us, but it does not manifest itself in our daily life because of the hindrances of the thought process, the vagaries, dissipations and distractions of the mind.”

Read about more benefits of meditation here: https://www.yogachikitsa.net/meditation/https://www.yogachikitsa.net/meditation/

To continue this meditative journey of integrating the energetic body and awakening the higher levels of existence, contact Jessica today.

Always looking, never seeing

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
What would it mean to stop looking and actually SEE?

I have spent the majority of my life looking for something. Looking for approval, looking for love, looking for validation, looking for happiness, looking everywhere for what was missing in my heart, for what was missing in my life. I looked to others, I looked to money, I looked to partners, I looked to material possessions…basically, I looked outward.

This constant LOOKING finally led me to a yoga mat.

I was looking for peace of mind, looking for something more in my life, looking for a healthier body. As I began practicing yoga regularly, my pattern of looking outward for validation and happiness continued. I would look for approval, look for new poses, look for the next accomplishment.

All of this looking was to fill something that was missing in my life.

And where did this get me? I found pain, suffering, frustration, loneliness and isolation.

But, with the help of some really amazing teachers along the way, I was led to turn inward and observe. I finally learned to calm down my monkey mind enough to start to see and witness my inner landscape.

Instead of looking outward to receive what I needed, I found a path to turn inward.

And there it was revealed, everything I was seeking was inside me all along. Like the tearful moment when Dorothy realizes she could have been swept back to Kansas at any moment, I found myself rushed with the overwhelming knowledge that I had everything I was looking for me inside me already.

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥३॥
tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe-‘vasthānaṃ ॥1.3॥

And then, the seer abides in His own nature.

By practicing yoga, you can lead your self toward bliss and supreme connectivity. Or, you can also be led toward more suffering.

The intention beneath your practice is what matters the most.

What are you looking for on your mat?

What do you SEE when you look within?



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Returning the Mat

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Samasthiti Feet
I hadn’t practiced in 18 weeks and the idea of stepping back on my mat was a little overwhelming. I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga in 2007 and since then, I’ve never taken this much time away from my practice.

There are so many reasons we can get pulled away from our mat: injury, pregnancy, depression, illness and sometimes laziness. For me, it happens to be a joyous reason, but the idea of trying to ‘rebuild’ my practice after four and a half months off still brought up all of my old patterns of perfectionism and avoidance (if I can’t get it ‘perfect’ I have a history of just avoiding it).

Baby TreseIt is recommended that women rest from their Ashtanga practice during the first trimester of pregnancy. This is a very delicate time in the gestational process and most women are guided to let their bodies lead the process without adding a strong practice to the mix. For me, this hiatus began with standard first trimester rest, and then some complications led me from voluntary rest to limited activity as ordered by my Doctor. We also had a few more bumps in the road which kept me away from my mat for another month.

And then, it was time, little bundle was safe and healthy, and I was cleared to resume normal pregnant activity.

The first week back was tougher than I could have ever imagined. I tried, but all I seemed to be able to pull out of myself were sun salutations. And it wasn’t easy, most days I wanted to just quit practicing. My mind was distracted and disconnected, my body was stiff and resistant and my heart was unrestful as I moved through these familiar motions.

But after the first week of struggling, I finally started to feel excitement as I stepped on my mat each day, and with it along came some additional physical strength and stamina to practice more than only sun salutations. I’m in the process of reconnecting to my practice, and the moments of interconnectedness are beginning to grow again, slowly I’m seeing more frequent peacefulness in my practice.

19weeks Baby BumpI know I will never ‘get back to where I was,’ because that moment has passed and this moment is an entirely new experience. And I also know I will once again find ease and grace on my mat, a brand new and also familiar experience in each fresh moment, and in each familiar pose. I will once again grab my heels in kapotasana, and find lightness as I drop back, it will come.

But it won’t come as a RE-creation of what was. It will come as a simultaneously familiar and entirely brand new experience as I move through my practice each day.

General guidelines for practicing Ashtanga Yoga during Pregnancy





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Mindful Assisting & Adjusting

with: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

After practicing yoga with a teacher a few times, you’ve probably experienced the way hands-on help in the room can bring you into a deeper experience on your mat. And sooner or later, you’re bound to receive help that doesn’t feel good, throws you off balance or maybe even hurts.

As teachers and students of Yoga, we want to learn how to help people journey deeper on their mat, without causing them suffering. Assisting and adjusting can be a practice, which leads students toward deeper experiences on their yoga mat. And when approached mindfully and knowledgeably, teachers can safely guide their students deeper.

Learn how to individually assess students in order to effectively assist them in their yoga practice. We’ll learn how to safely guide our students deeper into poses and lead them further along the path of yoga. This workshop will cover assisting and adjusting poses commonly seen in Vinyasa classes as well as poses from Ashtanga’s Primary and Intermediate series and is appropriate for both teachers and students as a way to deepen their understanding of the poses, the goal of Yoga and the students experience within the poses.

Location: Yogani Studios, Tampa, FL
Date: Now on January 9, 2016
Times: Saturday – 12:00-2:30pm
Cost: $45

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What does it really mean to practice non-attachment?

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

Vairagya, non-attachment, gets thrown around a lot during yoga classes and discussions on yoga philosophy. But what does it really mean to practice non-attachment?

Often times, non-attachment gets interpreted as indifference. As students we hear ‘practice non-attachment’ and we think, ‘ok, I just need to stop caring about everything.’ WRONG.

To me, non-attachment can only be practiced in the presence of pure connection. Non-attachment means connecting to the present moment, without trying to control it.

Connection is the key to non-attachment.

In order to practice non-attachment, we must reside within the exchange of energy in each and every moment without trying to control it. We must give our energy freely, with kind and honest intentions, and genuinely experience what each moment has to offer.

We Are All ConnectedIt’s possible the whole reason we are here on this earth is to CONNECT. Maybe our purpose is solely to connect to our Self, to connect to each other, to connect to the Divine, which is present in and around all of us. Connection could possibly be the goal of our entire journey. Honest connection, without trying to control what comes back to us, but accepting what comes for exactly what it is.

And when we roll out our mat everyday, the goal is not to preform asanas but to connect to the Divine within our hearts even when our situation seems impossible.

Live This MomentAnd when we fail, when we are faced with a task which appears unfeasible we find the strength to continue wholeheartedly, and without attachment to the outcome of our efforts.

We practice the poses to feel and experience the present moment within each pose, and when we don’t catch the bind or stick the landing, we accept the outcome without remorse, judgment or anger. And when we do manage to accomplish the impossible, we accept it graciously, and then move on to the next moment with joy in our heart.




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Yoga To Sleep Better At Night

sleepy-kitten
SLEEP BETTER

A restful night’s sleep is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. Here are a few yoga practices that can help you sleep as soundly a tired out kitten!

All of these practices can be preformed either in your bed or on the floor of your bedroom. I suggest doing this sequence when you are ready to go to sleep, after all the household tasks are completed and you can turn in for the night. If any part of this routine makes you feel overwhelmed or if it feels unsafe at any time, please stop immediately and find a comfortable place to breathe deeply while the sensations dissipate.

Keep in mind the most important aspect of ANY yoga practice is the breath. Try for deep, steady breathing where the inhales are the same length as the exhales.

Breathe your way to more restful sleep!

Alternate Nostril Breath:

    *Take three deep breaths in and out through the nose
    *Use the thumb to block off the right nostril and breathe in through the left
    *Use the third finger to block off the left nostril and breathe out through the right
    *Repeat 9-12 times total
    *Use the third finger to block off the left nostril and breathe in through the right
    *Use the thumb to block off the right nostril and breathe out through the left
    *Repeat 9-12 times (the same number of rounds each side)
    *Take three deep breaths in and out through the nose

Legs Up the Wall:

    *Sit down right next to the wall
    *Keeping your hips as close to the wall as possible, lay down on your back
    *Lift your legs up the wall
    *Rest your hands on either side of the body or let them rest on your belly
    *Remain here for five minutes breathing through the nose as possible

Reclining Twist:

    *Bend your knees to your chest and catch the outside of the left knee with your right hand
    *Use the right hand to guide both knees to the right
    *Breathe 15 times through the nose as possible
    *Draw both knees back to the center
    *Catch the outside of the right knee with your left hand
    *Use the left hand to guide both knees to the left
    *Breathe 15 times
    *Draw both knees back to center

Seated Bound Angle Pose:

    *Sitting on the floor or the bed, connect the bottoms of the feet and make the legs shaped into a large diamond
    *Rest a pillow or two between your legs
    *Gently fold forward so your upper body can rest on the pillows with your head turned comfortably to one side
    *Stay here for 20+ long breaths

Final Resting Pose:

Yoga Brings Out The Worst In Me…

By: Jessica Lynne Trese
Hate, fear, anxiety, anger, doubt, judgement – they all come flooding to the surface and they bring up all of my buried crap along the way. The more I practice yoga, the more I find my personal pain coming to the surface – and I LOVE it!!!

I went to my first yoga class after the um-teenth friend suggested I just try it. The suggestions always came up during discussions of spirituality and the meaning of life. Inevitably, the conversation would lead to this recurring phrase: ‘You know, you should really try yoga.’

So one day I did. And it was awesome! I felt great! All of the sudden, I had never felt better in my body. I was calmer, more present and had more energy. I was hooked! Yoga would be in my life forever.

I had no idea how choosing to include yoga in my life would transform my heart and soul. Yoga has allowed me to experience the peace of truly being comfortable with who I am.

This experience of yoga has not always been pleasant, and it doesn’t always feel good. There has been pain. There has been anger, fear, doubt, frustration and more. At the same time, it has been the most wonderful addition to my my life and has brought me more overall health, happiness and joy than anything I’ve ever tried before!

This practice of yoga continues to dredge the lake of my soul and shines light into the darkest corners of my heart, revealing all the shadows I have buried away, and had hoped to never see again. Having to re-experience this past pain is not easy.

My regular Ashtanga practice teaches me to observe my internal fluctuations. I’ve learned to watch the emotions and feelings as they come to the surface and instead of allowing myself to get wrapped up in all the pain and suffering I’ve buried, I am able to remain neutral… well neutral-ish.

Before yoga, neutral wasn’t possible for me. I was easily weighed down by experiences of sadness and grief. I would look for ways to burry and numb these feelings so I could just go back to feeling happy.

But because of the work I do on my yoga mat each day, I now realize when these feelings come up, it’s more than just a time to be reminded of the pain, it’s also an opportunity to release the pain once and for all.

If I can watch the emotions and pain as they come up, without holding onto them, they can finally be released. I can finally let them go, one at a time. And all of the sudden I am no longer weighted down by that pain and my heart is lighter.

Yoga has given me freedom. Freedom to be happy. Freedom to be who I am without the weight of past suffering. Freedom to experience and receive pure LOVE from the world around me. Freedom to give love to the world around me. Freedom.



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Conference Notes with R. Sharath Jois – November 2014

Sharath Conference #3
Notes by: Sara Moncivais

Last conference we spoke about three things, asana, breathing, and concentration (drishti). These three things are very important in our practice. Why not bandhas? Uddhiyana, mula, jalandhara bandha. These three, jalandhara means locking the chin, mula is the anus, and uddiyana bandha is below the navel. That is where we lock or contract.

This mula bandha is described in Hatha yoga Pradapika and many texts. These three bhandas, especially mula bandha, is very important. Mula is the source, the base. One verse says, always mula bandha. All the time, when walking, sitting, running, when you shouldn’t do…you know that. Many people come, their first day, oh I want to know all the bhandas! Mula bandha—they don’t even know what it is. People telling, I know some senior student, they giving lecture and they don’t even know what mula bandha is, “Oh, yeah, anus contraction, yeah,” how to do that? How long it will take? What is that?

There’s so many things. The philosophy behind mula bandha no one knows. What is the philosophy behind mula bandha is, that that is the source to control the mind. There’s lots of verses which says, “If you master in mula bandha, even an old person will become young.”

This is another verse that says, “What is the source for this whole existence?” Without the air, nobody can live, fire, earth, ether, space. This fire is very important, without this nobody can survive. What is the source for this fire? I know many of you don’t want to believe in God, because it’s scary, to believe in God. Yeah, I’ve heard it so many times, “Ah, God, I don’t want, no…” So what is the source for this fire? It is the God, the Supreme Energy. This is the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Soul is the source for this fire.

How do you think this is created? There should be someone who created all these things. Created water, created air. Bringing life. This would be some energy, which is there. Energy, we can just feel it, just like yoga. Yoga you do asanas, but real yoga happens within you. Which you feel inside. So, like that is the source for the energy, the fire. What is the source? He’s just giving an example, like how I give all the time, masala dosa. So what is the source for this? To control the mind. Mula bandha is the source.

He says, “Mula bandha, he who masters it becomes the greatest yogi, the king of all the yogis.” Raja yogi means, the king of all the yogis. Many commentaries have been written on mula bandha, it doesn’t come, “Oh, I pay shala fees for one month in Mysore and I practice everyday seriously, but I didn’t find mula bandha,” It’s not possible, like that to get. It’s practice. It takes one year, two years, three years, so then you keep on practicing. Like on English man said, “Practice makes man perfect,” my wife the other day she said, “Man has to work to become perfect, but women are already perfect.”

Let’s say everyone perfect! So, how perfection comes? Only through practice. Nowadays it is all fast, fast food, you get everything fast. Everything is take away, no process to cook, or to do anything. Processing the new generation, they don’t like. Masala dosa to go. The process to make masala dosa is two days process, it’s not one day. They have to grind it, leave it the whole night, it gets fermented, long process. So yoga is also a process which should happen. Mula bandha, asanas also. To master an asana it takes time. You have to give the time, if you don’t give the time you won’t know what yoga is. So everything is mula bandha also, it takes one, two, or three years. It might take longer. Day by day when you practice you become more familiar with your asana practice. Then my grandfather always used to teach—if you go to other yoga straightaway the first day they will teach you ten, fifteen asanas straightaway. That asana, this asana, there’s no method.

Here in this state of yoga we always progress slowly, slowly, step by step. Once we master one asana then we move on to next asana. When we practice two to five years then we can realize what we are doing, until then it is just practice, more physical.

How to realize beyond your physical practice? Once we get more clarity within us, the yamas, niyamas, asana. This one subject itself, it takes forever, to learn the purpose of doing it. So many people, they get very confused. Many people who don’t have proper knowledge of yoga, you can stragihtaway know the difference—people who don’t have in-depth knowledge or experience, meaning once you do asanas for many years with devotion—it just becomes physical. Many people they don’t want to do. Asana becomes ego. Ego because you have ego, already, here what we are doing—yoga—to get rid of this thing. These people who don’t have proper understanding of yoga, you can straight away make out they don’t have experience in the system, in yoga. Straightaway—philosophy anyone can talk with a book, “Oh yeah, this is yoga,” but the in-depth experience is only through practical experience and thoughts which come in your practice, and finding answers within you and through the help of your guru. Then you get better clarity within you. Then better understanding will come. Anyone can quote sutras. Lots of translations in English—they say, “Yeah, I know,” anyone can quote sutras. My son, Sambav, can do that.

What is behind Citta Vritti Nirodah—how to do that? Have you realized that or not? You realize that, you gain Saddanah, in-depth knowledge to realize that. You do Saddanah, then only you get better understanding. Exactly for anything in yoga, as I told you, you can purchase certificate, but that won’t make you a yogi. It’s good to put on your wall and they advertise everywhere, “Yogi! Yogi John,”

Long time back I met one student, a wife of one of my friends, she said, “Oh! I am practicing yoga for four years now,” and she is asking me,” What is this? What is that?” I said, “Your teacher didn’t teach you? “ She said no, “I don’t do ashtanga yoga I do hatha yoga.” Me, “Oh OK, what is hatha yoga mean? Can you explain me?”

“Oh, don’t ask me all those things!” So in five years practicing with someone they don’t even know what hatha yoga means and she is asking all the questions to me. Unfortunately these things are happening, some people learn some asanas, they have bendy body, and they say, “I’m a yoga guru.” You see it in the paper. There’s no respect for the yoga guru, they don’t have any respect.

A guru removes all the darkness within us, all the obstacles within us, and takes us towards the brightness. Towards the jnana—the real brightness which we should have. The spiritual knowledge, removes all the ignorance in us, and takes us towards the brightness. To become a guru, this guru should have this experience for many years. This is called guru-shisha parampara. This is the lineage coming from a parampara. This is what happens when there is no parampara. (Gurus and yogi John’s everywhere, etc.) Paramprara means a teacher, a guru or master, a master, which is totally different from a teacher because their experience is in-depth on some subject. Mastering this technique, a student, devoted, the student also has some responsibilities. “Oh, I was in Mysore, I just wanted to do some yoga so I went to KPJ, I was going to Kerala, just passing Mysore, Kerala to do Pancha Karma,” He will be passing through and will never understand what yoga is.

Someone asked, “How do you recognize your guru?” A wise man asks. How to find the guru, he asks a very big master. The master says, “when you hate your guru when you see him the first time.” Then something in your mind says, “I can learn something from him,” but then something in your mind again resists. Finally, he becomes your guru.

Q&A

Q: What’s the process for developing this mula bandha?

A: There are many asanas. Now you are struggling with uth pluttihi, this is a very big tool. It’s a good tool to improve your mula bandha. Navasana, even jumping through and jumping back, one day I will show you how some people they go to handstand—this is not uth pluttihi—it doesn’t need any strength. As soon as you are mastering it is like flying, you can just jump through. It’s easy. The whole balance of your body will change once there is mula bandha, uth pluttihi is very important—it just means lift up, that’s all. Elevating your body, that’s uth plutthihi, so this one when you practice navasana try to pick up with your whole body off the floor. The feet don’t touch the floor. Once mula bandha comes uddiyana bandha will come. jalandhara bandha is mostly in pranaymana. It stops all the external air, these three bhandas will come. Right now, this things is to do, if you do mula bandha correctly you will find the other two. The source has to be strong. The foundation is not strong, then whatever comes through that will not be strong.

Q: I know of the Sutras, but I don’t know who Patanjali actually is?

A: Patanjali, there will be lots of people suffering with lots of diseases, so if Patanjali takes birth in his form with thousands of heads, people will get scared. That is why he takes form as both a human and serpent. To bring health to the people, the suffering people with diseases (physical or mental), the people are lost with delusion and confusion, lots of ignorance. He comes to preach yoga. Three things he brought is yoga for clarity, for concentration, to bring steadiness to the mind. He brought grammar, without grammar you won’t have better speech and understanding. He brought grammar. To cure diseases, he brought Ayurveda. There are two kinds of yogas— some diseases can be cured by asana practice. Some need Ayurveda.

Without grammar you won’t have better speech, without yoga you can’t have peace of mind, without Ayurveda you won’t have health—there are no side effects in Ayruveda it is all natural. Patanjali brought these three things. In the yoga sutras, yoga was before these sutras also, yoga was always there. The whole universe, the whole existence started and yoga started then. It came before Patanjali. All of this you see, the reminders start coming. Krishna he comes in the Bhagavad Gita and he teaches about yoga, Patanjali comes and he teaches about yoga. In the Bhagavad Gita it says, “Yoga is a very old knowledge and practice, which has come from a lineage, from parampara.” It has come from one generation, guru, to another, student.

There is no time when yoga started. It’s timeless. Why is it timeless? Because yoga can’t be seen, it can only be experienced. You can see me, as soon as I took birth. Yoga is all the experience, which happens within you, if you do in the proper direction with the proper ingredients. If you want to plant a rose plant you have to nourish the earth, the soil, you have to give many things.

If you nourish that soil, then automatically a flower will blossom. If you don’t, the plant will die. Is it not true? You don’t water it or nourish it and it will die. Like that, our body is here and our mind is there. What is the nourishment we have to give for the yoga to happen? Yoga is the flower that blossoms within you. What to do for yoga to blossom? We have to follow yama, niyamas, asana, pranayama. Yamas and Niyamas are very important in our practice, these are the nourishment. Then the yoga will happen. The first four limbs are external exercises. Now I’m doing Dhyana. You can’t say that. Some people want more attention, “Oh yeah, I went to this lady she was doing dhyana!” If you are in the state of dhyana nobody will realize, it happens within you! You can’t advertise, it happens within you! When you are in this state you get absorbed in the deepest meditation, all of your sense organs come together and you go to that deepest state of yoga. Meditation can be focused, drishti can be meditation, that’s all. Dhyana is where you withdraw all your sense organs and everything becomes one. Everything becomes one and you don’t know where you are, then everything becomes clear.

There’s no you and then that thing, everything becomes one. That is again, yoga. Yoga can be described as many things. Self-realization is the perfect word for yoga. Transformation happens when self-realization happens. Transformation happens when you follow yama and niyamas. It becomes clearer, day-by-day and year-by-year as you practice. If the transformation does not happen you are doing something wrong, you are making some mistakes.

Q: Why do injuries happen?

A: There’s lots of reasons. Overdoing it is easy to injure yourself, you do it here and you go home and do it again. You’re doing asana practice you just have to concentrate on asana practice. You can’t go and do bicycling for two hours and then come and do asanas. These are opposite things. When you’re doing asana you don’t need to do anything else. Your body is getting stiffer cycling. Here you are coming and getting flexible. When your body is getting stiff and flexible, stiff and flexible, then you are easy to hurt yourself. Everything in asana practice is opening.

I played lots of cricket when I was young, so when I came back to yoga I could feel that there was so much difference between cricket and yoga. I didn’t play after that. I had to go through so many pains in the practice. When you are getting flexible also you get pain in the body, so many changes. If you go to bad teacher, it is possible to get injured.

You have to allow your body to change. You see someone else doing a pose and oh you want to do!! Then you do and don’t give time for your body to change, then you hurt yourself. You should understand how to use the asanas. You can’t do all the asanas and you have to give time. The more time you give, the more you can perfect. You want perfection or you want to learn 100 asanas without any perfection? I would rather do ten asanas or twenty with perfection.

There’s lots of changes to happen in your body. This process should happen. Sometimes you get pain and it quickly goes away, sometimes you get pain and it doesn’t go away for years.

Once in 93/94, guruji taught me a deep back bending and I wanted to go deeper and deeper. It was eka pada raja kapotasana, you bring the leg behind you and catch the ankle with both hands, I was already deep—my heel was here (he points to his nose)—and I thought, “Oh, I can go deeper,” so I pulled and heard a tear here. I couldn’t lift my hand. The morning it happened, I came home, I could take deep breath, in the evening an institution came and wanted us to give demo. My grandfather said, “Yeah, tomorrow we will give, no problem,” I said, “Who is doing the demo? I’m injured, I can’t lift my hand or breath.” There was no one to do the demo, I had to do the demo. I don’t know how I did, but I did kapotasana. After that for one month I couldn’t move my body—even Surya Namaskara was hard! Sometimes we don’t put enough attention in asana practice. The attention should only be in asana practice, when your mind gets distracted, you’re physically here but your mind is somewhere else, many times you get injured like this.

The whole attention should be on your practice. It’s a kind of meditation also, which you learn and it automatically becomes a meditative practice. All of your attention is towards, “Oh what’s he doing? Oh she’s doing kapotasna,” then you go have coffee and discuss all the asanas. Concentrate on your practice. Put everything into your practice. Do that for one week, two weeks, two months and your practice becomes a meditative practice. You do that and your practice will change, you can feel this is not just physical exercise, but a spiritual practice. So many changes will happen within you when this happens.

I’ve done so many demonstrations. 5,000 or 6,000 people I have seen at demonstrations. As soon as I go to my postures I don’t know what happens around me. I’m not worried about how I can perform the asanas. It took many years of practice like that. Getting up at 1 o’clock everyday and practicing 2 or 3 hours I have developed that. As soon as I come to yoga practice my attention comes to my practice. This is what you have to develop within you. Once you develop that you can go to another level of yoga. You can straightaway experience something different.

Q: 99% of practice is not just for the practice, the yamas and niyamas also.

A: Guruji taught 99% practice but people didn’t understand what he was telling. Guruji’s English was very limited, but he learned so much over the years. Later on he became more fluent, but 99% practice many people think, “I have to do asanas here, I have to go home and do asanas, I have to do asanas there.” 99% practice, they didn’t have proper understanding what it was. The real experience only comes when we practice and we realize what it is.

“…and in all earnestness”

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – THE ‘how-to’ book for yoga, not only do the sutras define Yoga, they also provide a roadmap for our journey, shedding light on the obstacles that will arise and providing us with tools to overcome these obstacles.

In the second sutra, Patanjali informs us what goal of yoga is:
Yogaś chitta vṛtti nirodhaḥ | 1.2
“The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga.”
So basically the calming of the monkey mind is Yoga, this is why we practice. And, the rest of the sutras expound upon this single goal – calming the mind. For most of us though, the calming of the mind is not as simple as just flipping a switch and turning that internal chatter off. For this reason, Patanjali uses the rest of the sutras to show us how to accomplish the calming of the mind.

A few sutras in, Patanjali tells us how we can become grounded in this practice of calming the mind:
Sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ | 1.14
“The practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.”

Here, the sage Patanjali tells us how to become firmly grounded in the practice of stilling the mind. First, we attend to the practice for a long time, dīrgha kāla. Second, we must practice without break, nairantarya. And lastly, the practice must be preformed in all earnestness, satkārāsevito. The first two requirements are fairly easy to comprehend – practice for a long time (maybe even lifetimes) and without break. But what does it mean to practice in all earnestness?

To me, that is the big question, how do we practice in all earnestness?

To practice Ashtanga Yoga in all earnestness we must practice with devotion, respect, austerity and faith. Each day when we roll out the mat, we must make a choice. The choice to practice with devotion. The choice to practice with respect. The choice to practice with austerity. The choice to practice with faith. Every time the mind begins to wander, we must continually bring it back to the tristhana method. Rising above the ego’s need for praise, and perfection, we practice not to gain poses or to be able to accomplish some physical feat. We practice to learn about ourselves, trying to uncover and overcome our unconscious patterns of conditioning.

When we allow our mind to be immersed in only the breath, the bandhas and the gaze we are able to transform our practice into a moving meditation. This moving meditation is a tool to overcome suffering. It allows us to begin to identify our unconscious conditioning, it allows us to begin to see the ways we bring suffering to others and ourselves. Without this step, we will remain caught in a continual cycle of suffering – samsāra, we will remain caught in the illusions of the ego.

Each day, when we roll out our mats, may we practice as a way to begin to know our Self, as a way to overcome suffering, as a way to bring more peace to the world through our own experience of internal peace.


* About Jessica

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Guru Gratitude

The full moon of July is celebrated with a Hindu festival known as GURU PURNIMA. This is a day honoring spiritual and academic teachers and is mostly celebrated by hindus and buddhists as a way of thanking their teachers.

The full moon of July is also the anniversary of the birth of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, born on this day in 1915. Our beloved teacher, Guruji, the Father of Ashtanga Yoga was born on the day to honor our gurus.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois a Guru, one who destroys/dispels darkness, the bringer of light, the guide on the spiritual journey of yoga. His eyes sparkled with peaceful joy and his smile invoked inspiration in all. His presence was humbling, comforting, and inspiring. He was a natural teacher and a true representation of yoga. And now, his grandson R. Sharath Jois continues to lead the Ashtanga tradition with honor and grace, our modern Ashtanga guru. Sharath’s teachings are honest and pure, wrapped in humor to inspire and motivate students from around the world, shining light into our hearts through the Ashtanga Yoga practice.

I am thankful for my teachers every day. I hear their words in my practice, inspiring me to roll out my mat, encouraging me to practice kapotasana one more time. And when I doubt the practice, when I doubt myself, I remember Guruji’s message to me “You, you come back, you take practice” and I do.

Thank you Guruji, thank you Sharath, thank you Ashtanga Yoga.

About Jessica

5 ways to find JOY!! Even when you’ve got the GRUMPS!!

We all have grumpy days, it happens sometimes. You wake up one morning and the day just lacks its usual luster. Where there is usually a warm, glowing, ball of beautiful life giving energy in the sky, you see the sun as merely a hot, bright, blinding headache instead. Not fun. And when you wake up feeling bummed it can easily change your entire day – usually for the worse.

What’s a normally happy human to do when all you’re feeling is grumpy?

 

Try these techniques and see if you can change your perception and as a result, change your grumpy mood into one that is a little brighter and more enjoyable!!!

  • 1. Change your scenery and get out in nature!!
    Just a few moments in nature can alter your mood significantly, find a beautiful spot to sit and breathe, even if you only have five minutes. Absorb the sunlight, observe the colors and textures painted on our earth, breathe in the fresh air and feel your connection to your surroundings! Can’t get outside today, that’s ok, just PRETEND!!!! Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful place in nature, maybe some place you’ve been before, or maybe some place you’re dreaming of visiting. Find a quite place to sit for five minutes, close your eyes and let your imagination paint a scene in nature for you to absorb and observe. Notice the colors of the landscape, imagine the sounds you would hear, and let yourself find stillness.
  •  

  • 2. Spend time with people you love!
    Take a couple of minutes to call, text or visit with a friend or family member you care about. Ask them about their day, tell them you love them or send them a wish for success in their day. Sometimes stepping out of your head to connect with someone else is all you need to start feeling a little better!
  •  

  • 3. SING!!!!
    Turn up your favorite song and let it out!!!!!! Find a place where you can have privacy and let yourself get lost in a few of your favorite songs. Be silly. Dance. Sing. And don’t worry about how it sounds, how it looks or whether you’re singing the same words as the artist – just let yourself have fun and enjoy the experience of connecting to music!
  •  

  • 4. Go for a walk!
    Whether it’s for five minutes or one hour, physical activity can change our state of mind for the better.
  •  

  • 5. Do something nice for a stranger!
    Random acts of kindness can really help elevate your mood, so even when you’re feeling grumpy, practice a random act of kindness and it might help elevate your mood. Hold the door open for the person behind you. Let someone go ahead of you in line at the store. Smile at a stranger.

No one really like being in a grumpy mood, so when you notice your mood starts to sail south, try to take steps to counter your mood and you might find you can rise above that grumpy mood before it ruins your day.

A yoga practice can show us the power of our perception. When we practice asanas (yoga postures) we are able to see how altering our view of a situation can change our experience. Suddenly a frustrating experience turns in o a beautiful opportunity to learn more about yourself, and the experience transforms from something you were resisting to something you’re embracing.

That’s pretty awesome, if we can learn to control our perception, we can ultimately control our reality, at least on some level that is. We learn to change our responses to events, feelings and even start to appreciate the lessons in the most challenging situations.

 

About Jessica

Upcoming Events & Workshops


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  • Yoga and the quest to Know it ALL!!!
    Yoga is a journey of Self-Discovery, a journey of knowledge. And along this path we will learn a LOT. The journey inspires curiosity and awakens a ‘thirst’ for knowledge within the practitioners…
  • Standing up from back-bending – a lesson in vulnerability
    The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well…
  • Keeping Guruji With You When You Practice
    Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’….
  • The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method
    Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery…..
  • Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!
    Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment…
  • The Seven Words That Changed My Practice
    It was 2008, I was traveling in India for the first time and immersing myself in Ashtanga Yoga. I’ll be honest, when I first traveled to Mysore, I was not a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner. I LOVED Ashtanga Yoga, I just didn’t practice it 6 days a week. Yet, I was ready to dive in and see what it would be like to commit to the daily Asthanga practice.
    At this time, Guruji was still with us…

 

 

Yoga and the quest to know it ALL!

Inspired by Conference with R. Sharath Jois

11/10/13 – Mysore, India

Yoga is a journey of Self-Discovery, a journey of knowledge. And along this path we will learn a LOT. The journey inspires curiosity and awakens a ‘thirst’ for knowledge within the practitioners. We learn about our bodies, we learn to stretch our limits both physically and mentally and we learn to perform seemingly impossible feats of the body through its physical manipulation.

We also begin to learn more about our selves – what makes us happy, what makes us sad, what pushes us out of our comfort zones and we can even begin to identify our typical ‘programmed’ responses. Additionally, yoga teaches us to be a witness to our own actions, to see the way our actions impact our environment and the people around us.

Often, this perspective gives us the inspiration to learn EVEN more, to try to understand our place in the world and why people exist in the way they do.

This path of Self-discovery leads many practitioners to begin to learn and explore many new disciplines that seem to align with the practice of yoga, including Yoga Sutras, Philosophical studies, Ayurvedic medicine, Reiki, Meditation, Sanskrit Chanting, – just to name a few. These are extremely healing and powerful practices that open the doors of knowledge even wider, providing a flood of information for the practitioner to integrate into their daily lives, this is information that can also be used to help others along their own path of healing.

While, as students begin we to heal ourselves, and maybe we even start to help others heal along this path of Self-discovery; it can be easy for some to fall into the mindset of thinking they ‘know it all’.

In conference this week, Sharath was talking about what it’s like being a student, he mentioned the tendency for students to feel as if they know everything, and shared his insights with us. Please keep in mind, I’m paraphrasing what Sharath explained here – when I know there is more for me to learn, then the door to knowledge is opened. The man who thinks he knows everything cannot grow, because in his eyes, there is nothing left to know. While the man who knows everything, would never admit he knows everything, he will always be searching, exploring, and seeking to uncover more truth.

To me, this is a beautiful perspective. The idea that we will ALWAYS be learning, and that we are not expected to ever know everything is very liberating!!! Acknowledging that we will be wrong sometimes, that we WILL make mistakes, and that making mistakes is ok, it’s part of our process as humans; we make mistakes, we hopefully learn from them (eventually at least), and because of these mistakes we learn, we grow, and then we make different mistakes!!!

The more we learn and discover on this journey the more we see we have much still to learn. Embrace your knowledge, and at the same time, celebrate the opportunity to continue learning, to continue growing, and to continue exploring. The ability to change, adapt, grow and evolve is an amazing quality we humans possess – Let’s celebrate the fact that we can change – we can grow, and we can spend the rest of our lives doing just that, while making a few mistakes along the way!!

About Jessica
Teaching Schedule

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  • Standing up from back-bending – a lesson in vulnerability
  • The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well. The practice leads students inward, toward their TRUE SELF, allowing them to live happier, more honest and peaceful lives. On this journey, students will no doubt encounter painful, challenging and even frightening moments. It is in these moments when we really learn the most about our self. It is through these painful, challenging and frightening moments when the real yoga happens and we can start to break down the conditioned patterns that we need to let go…

  • Keeping Guruji With You When You Practice
  • Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’….

  • The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method
  • Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery…..

  • Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!
  • Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment…

  • The Seven Words That Changed My Practice
  • It was 2008, I was traveling in India for the first time and immersing myself in Ashtanga Yoga. I’ll be honest, when I first traveled to Mysore, I was not a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner. I LOVED Ashtanga Yoga, I just didn’t practice it 6 days a week. Yet, I was ready to dive in and see what it would be like to commit to the daily Asthanga practice.
    At this time, Guruji was still with us…

Standing up from back-bending – how I overcame my fears

When practicing Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore room, students begin a deep and intense series of back-bending toward the end of Primary Series. It begins by doing your back-bends on the floor (urdhva dhanurasana) and then standing-up from this position. Next you learn how to move backward from a standing position to land in urdhva dhanurasana, and then come back up to a standing position again. And then repeat. And then repeat.

This was a HUGE challenge for me. For a while, I thought I would never be able to do it.

The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well. The practice leads students inward, toward their TRUE SELF, allowing them to live happier, more honest and peaceful lives. On this journey, students will no doubt encounter painful, challenging and even frightening moments. It is in these moments when we really learn the most about our self. It is through these painful, challenging and frightening moments when the real yoga happens and we can start to break down the conditioned patterns that we need to let go.

It is in these moments that we are able to grow as humans, for if we truly want to heal and move past the pain in our life, we have to stop locking it tightly inside our hearts, we have to let it rise to the surface. We have to stop denying its presence. Only then can these destructive patterns finally be released.

When I first began dropping-back a few years ago, I was fearless. I fell on my head, I jammed my fingers, I fell on my butt, I fell forward onto my knees – and, I still kept doing it, everyday. To me, it was fun; it was an adventure – ‘what’s going to happen this time’?!?! And eventually, I was able to control my decent and land in urdhva dhanurasana consistently, and sometimes even gracefully.

But, when it came to standing up from the back-bends I just couldn’t do it. I was terrified. And worst of all, I had no idea why I was so scared of this part of the back-bending sequence. I understood the mechanics of what I wanted to do; I just couldn’t find the path within me to articulate the movement. There was something blocking me, something beyond physicality. Something within me was holding me back.

Then, one night I dreamt of my practice. In my dream, I was practicing in Mysore, India with Guruji and Sharath in the room. When it came time for my back-drops, Guruji looked in my eyes and simply said ‘No fear, you stand up.’ My dream was so vivid, so real I can still clearly remember his voice, the look in his eyes when he said this to me. So, in my dream I took a big breath in, dropped back to my hands and then… I did it. I stood up from my back-bend!!!! Somehow, in my dream I found the way to send my pelvis forward, and engage my legs so I could stand on my own from back-bending. It was amazing!!!

I awoke with a wonderful feeling in my heart, I felt Guruji had come to me in my dream to help me. I had his guidance to show me I really could do it. And it was simple, ‘no fear, you stand up’. I was excited to practice that day, I was excited to see how my body responded to this new sub-conscious experience. At the same time, I wondered why I was so afraid of standing up for myself.

I was afraid to stand up for myself.

That was it, once again the practice shed light on a part of my life, a part of my heart, I had been avoiding up until now. I’ve always been nervous about standing up for myself and my feelings. I have always been unsure about sharing what’s in my heart. I’m afraid I won’t be able to convey my message clearly. I worry about what others will think of me. I afraid people will judge me for speaking up for myself. I worry people will see me as selfish or egotistical. I afraid of being told what I’m feeling is wrong.

It was then that I realized I was smothering this part of heart, the part that needed to speak-up, the part that needed to be heard. All because I was afraid of what other people would think. This pattern has been with me since childhood, I was taught that my feelings were wrong, I was taught not to trust myself, not to trust my heart.

But, the practice has allowed me to clear away the chaos of the mind (at least a little bit) so I am starting to find the confidence to share my heart in a way others can understand. The practice has allowed me to look inside my heart, inside my Self, to start to see who I really am – instead of seeing who I thought everyone else wanted me to be.

Finally, I’m starting to learn that it’s absolutely perfect to just be me.

I’m beginning to find the openness, the freedom that comes with letting myself be vulnerable and completely my SELF. And it is AMAZING!!!!!! And, I can also stand up from back-bends now, but it’s not about the poses, it’s about the experience, the JOURNEY inside that really matters.



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Keeping Guruji with you when you practice

Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’ The essence of Sharath’s answer was this: When you can’t practice with your teacher, place a picture of Guruji wherever you are practicing and he will be there. Sharath’s answers may seem simple, but they are truly powerful.

I often practice by myself, with no teacher. This leaves me on my own to complete my practice, to find the motivation to do each vinyasa, to find the stillness to practice breathing and presence in each moment. And honestly, it’s really hard sometimes. Sometimes I don’t want to practice, sometimes I feel doubt, and yes, sometimes I feel pain. Then I hear Sharath’s words: ‘place a picture of Guruji where ever you practice and he will be there’ and I practice anyway, with Guruji’s eyes smiling at me from his photo.

On my first trip to Mysore I met Guruji. He touched my heart, changed my practice and changed my life with only a few words. I’m so grateful for the moments I had with Guruji. And the teachings I’ve received from Sharath are priceless, I hear his voice when I practice, I remember his encouragement, I see his smile.

In the grand scheme of things, our daily asana practices are the steps along the journey of Self-discovery that is Yoga. Asthanga Yoga is a journey inward, a journey to reveal your true Self. Along this journey, we will feel pain, we will experience doubt, frustration, and we might even cry. We will also find stillness, release anger, grow and evolve in ways we never dreamed possible. But we will only reap the benefits of this practice if we actually do it, if we actually practice.

And then, in the midst of those feelings of doubt and frustration, when we’re able to roll out our mat and practice anyway; the benefits of the practice are able to fill our heart, to fill our life!

And so, I practice. Even on the days I have doubt. And especially on the days when I just don’t want to. I roll out my mat, and light a candle beside Guruji’s picture and I practice. I see Guruji’s smile, I remember his words and I see the joy in his eyes and along with Sharath’s teachings woven into the fabric of my practice, I am able to continue a daily practice. I’m able to continue along this path of Self-discovery.



* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

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The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method

Ashtanga Yoga: A Moving Meditation

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Rolling out your yoga mat is not always easy. Life is filled with thousands of distractions and responsibilities. As if that wasn’t enough, the mind has this amazing ability to create even more ridiculous distractions on top of all the real world worries of life. Given this, the idea of ‘quieting the mind’ can sometimes seem impossible! Despite all the distractions that manifest in life, the Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery.

The practice of Ashtanga Yoga combines three elements; three focal points known as the Tristhana Method. This three-pronged method allows the mind to be focused in the present moment and creates internal space for the body to be grounded. In the Ashtanga Yoga Method, the breath, the gaze and the postures are intricately woven together throughout the entire practice, leading students on this path of self-discovery by turning the senses inward.

Ujjayi Pranayama (breath), Asanas (postures and bandhas) and Dristi (gazing point) actively draw the senses inward allowing practitioners to move through the Asthanga series with complete awareness and presence, transforming the physical asana practice into a moving meditation.

The Tristhana method sets Asthanga Yoga apart from other systems of yoga. This focused energy is the gateway to the spiritual side of yoga. It is the doorway to Self-discovery!! By calming the mind through the Tristhana method, we are able to truly explore the layers of the Self without the delusions and distractions of the mind.

When you roll your mat out today, release your self-expectations, release you self-judgements. Dive in to the essence of the Tristhana method; continually drawing your mind and your senses back to the breath, the gaze and the postures. Continually drawing your mind back to the Tristhana method and the present moment. Continually reconnecting to your Self.


Contact Jessica to Book Today
Contact Jessica to Book Today

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment. And then, allowing them to move on to the next moment without attachment to what has come before or what may be coming next.

“Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice, the rest is just bending.” One of Guruji’s famous quotes. A student who first hears this from their teacher might be confused, frustrated or just roll their eyes. It is hard to imagine a practice that is so physically demanding can be simplified into ‘a breath practice’. It is a practice in controlling the breath. A practice in presence. A practice in being able to keep your breath steady, even and regulated no matter what position your body may be in.

That is why we do all the crazy asanas!! That is why we try to bind our hands in Marichyasana D, pull our feet behind our heads in Supta Kurmasana, and grab our heals in Kapotasana.

We put ourselves in challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations on our yoga mats so we can practice breathing. Practice detachment. Practice presence in each moment. And, so we can develop the discernment to maneuver through these challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations on our yoga mats with poise, grace, ease and hopefully without causing ourselves pain.

We practice this daily.

We practice this, so when we are in challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations in life we are able to access some of this same poise, grace, and ease we have cultivated on our yoga mats. So we are able to breathe and hopefully maintain a clear mind and compassionate heart.

Sometimes life is going to be uncomfortable, and even painful, just as our physical asana practice can be sometimes. That is unavoidable. The Ashtanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for us to practice the way we manage these situations, by practicing breathing in all of those crazy postures. The physical asanas are the tools we use to practice breathing.

Practice BREATHING each day!












* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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Surrendering to love

It seems simple enough. Giving yourself up to possibly the most powerful experience in life… Love.

BUT, it’s just not that easy.

It can be tough to move past the walls we’ve built, to move away from the pain, or hurt or fear. Sometimes it can be hard to let yourself experience love. To let yourself be vulnerable enough to really experience L-O-V-E. Life can leave its scars on us, scars we sometimes can’t even see. Scars that can keep us from following our heart, from taking that risk, from following that dream. But there is HOPE!

It is possible to move beyond the pain, it’s possible to open your heart again, no matter how closed off it might be.

It starts by surrendering. Letting go of expectations. Accepting each moment for all that it is, even when it’s not what you want it to be. Letting yourself be vulnerable. Letting yourself open. It will probably be hard at first; actually it will probably be REALLY hard at first. But one moment of surrendering can lead to another, and another, and then one day, another. And then, almost divinely, you find yourself experiencing love in each and every moment. Suddenly, love can fill your actions and fill your thoughts. You may find yourself looking up to the trees and experiencing love as the leaves dance and play in the breeze. You’ll start seeing love in the faces of strangers. Hearing it in the raindrops. You’ll feel love EVERYWHERE, and that is SUCH an amazing feeling!

Let yourself surrender to love, surrender to the rhythm of life.

About Jessica

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OUCH!!!! When your yoga practice HURTS!!!

It’s been about six months, and I have been experiencing a string of injuries and ongoing physical pain in my body, my yoga practice and in my daily life. Consisting of a hamstring injury, a low back injury, knee pain, and continual discomfort on the entire left side of my body, and you know what?!?! It SUCKS!!!!

Using yoga as a method to explore my body (and my life), I have continued my daily practice. It is through this practice that I have begun to do the seemingly impossible!!!! I am actually beginning to feel genuine gratitude for my injuries! That’s right, gratitude!!!

Yoga is a practice of Self-discovery, a practice of presence, a practice of accepting your Self for who you are in each moment, flaws and all. Teachers and practitioners alike will confirm, emotional pains and blockages can and DO manifest themselves physically (usually as pain or excessive tension) in our bodies, and the practice of yoga brings these up to the surface for us to experience and hopefully one day release. And this physical pain is giving me a beautiful opportunity to explore and release some of those blockages!

After all, it is only when the light shines on a dark room that we are finally able to see the room’s shadows.

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga gives students a unique experience – a ‘constant’ in our daily lives. By practicing the same poses day in and day out, we are able to actually feel and experience the subtle and sometimes dramatic changes in our body that happen day-to-day. This provides students with an opportunity to cultivate a sense of objectivity and non-attachment to these daily changes allowing us to clearly see the areas where we have the opportunity to evolve and grow. And that’s what it’s all about.

And so, I keep practicing. Every day. Opening myself up and accepting the challenges presented to me. Acknowledging the times when I close my heart off. Accepting that even though I practice the same poses each day, they’re not going to feel the same every day. This is why I practice. It is this objectivity, this path of Self-discovery that makes yoga what it is.

Ideally, our yoga practice would feel like a dream everyday but it doesn’t… The trick is to keep practicing. Some days it might just be Sun Salutations but keep practicing. The only way to continue along our path of Self-discovery through yoga is to continue it.

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