Mysore – Yoga Chikitsa

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016

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?

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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June 20, 2016June 20, 2016

What’s the deal with the drishti (dṛṣṭi)?

by: Jessica Lynne Trese

We hear it a lot from our teachers: ‘gaze hear, gaze there.’

But why?

Our yoga practice is meant to focus the mind, while healing the body and increasing our overall vital energy.

A combined concentration on these three practices opens the doorway to a moving meditation and allows our yoga practice to transform into a comprehensive healing system.

The poses are there for the health of the body. The breath allows us to connect to and increase our vital energy. And the dṛṣṭi (gazing point) is how we focus the mind.

Wherever your gaze goes, so does your mind. So, if your gaze is dancing all around the room, watching other practitioners, and/or watching yourself in the mirror; then your mind is also bouncing around, unfocused and distracted.

Give your mind the gift of focus and keep your gaze steady. When the suggested gaze is not possible, keep your gaze focused close by, either on your own mat or somewhere on your body.

focused gaze = focused mind

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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February 13, 2016February 13, 2016

Returning the Mat

by: Jessica Lynne Trese

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).

It 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.

I 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

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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December 12, 2015February 12, 2016

Yoga Doesn’t Really Mean Union

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

Yoga is often times defined as union. To me, this is not completely accurate.

Students always hear, yoga means uniting our body, mind and soul. Which sounds awesome! But, I feel this definition is missing something.

I interpret yoga to mean RE-UNION. Yoga is a tool to help students return to place of inner peace through connection, a place we have been before, the place from which we came but have since forgotten. Yoga opens the door to once again, reside in complete unity within our own divine Self.

So, I like to define yoga as REUNION, returning to the place of complete connection, which life has led us to forget about.

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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September 6, 2015February 12, 2016

Ashtanga Opening Mantra

By: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

“Samasthiti.”

At this sound, we all join together. Wherever we each were in the practice, now we are all here together, at the top of our mats. Uniting our energy together through sound, the vibration of ‘om’ moves through the room, moves though our hearts.

The Ashtanga opening mantra is a call to practice. A recognition of the teachers who have come before us and an acknowledgment of the work we are here to do on our mat. This practice is not merely yoga poses. We are here to overcome the cycles of physical and mental suffering in our lives. Our goal is to no longer be bound by the poison this suffering flushes into our hearts.

And with time, devotion and consistent practice, we will start to experience peace. We will start to find the neutral ground which allows us to be fully present in each moment of our lives. And in those moments of pure connection, we are able to connect to the Divine in every thing.

This mantra is a reminder of why we’re practicing.

So, next time your teacher calls “samasthiti” let your chant be a vow to yourself, a reminder to connect to the Divine, and a reminder that the practice is much more than simple (and not-so-simple) yoga poses.

Om
Vandē gurūṇāṃ caraṇāravindē
Sandarśitasvātmasukāvabōdhē |
Niḥśrēyasē jāṅgalikāyamānē
Saṃsārahālāhalamōhaśāntyai ||

Ābāhu puruṣākāraṃ
Śaṅkhacakrāsidhāriṇam |
Sahasraśirasaṃ śvētaṃ
Praṇamāmi patañjalim ||
Om

Translation

om
I bow to the lotus feet of the Supreme Guru
which awaken insight into the happiness of pure Being,
which are the refuge, the jungle physician,
which eliminate the delusion caused by the poisonous herb of Samsara (conditioned existence).

I prostrate before the sage Patanjali
who has thousands of radiant, white heads (as the divine serpent, Ananta)
and who has, as far as his arms, assumed the form of a man
holding a conch shell (divine sound), a wheel (discus of light or infinite time) and a sword (discrimination).
om

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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July 18, 2015August 19, 2016

Some Truth About Ashtanga Yoga

By: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)

Sometimes Ashtanga Yoga can get a bad reputation in the yoga community. It’s called the ‘fitness yoga’ and all the students are closed-minded because they practice the same ‘routine’ everyday. And Ashtangis are known for being a little over the top with our adherence to ‘the rules of Ashtanga.’

Is Ashtanga Yoga ‘fitness yoga?’

No, not the way most people think of fitness routines. Our asana practice (postures) is meant to heat up the body, to cleanse, purify and enliven the physical body from the inside out.

A more fitting description would be ‘body healing yoga’ because we find balance, ease and health throughout the physical body from the physical asana practice.

Are we closed-minded because we practice the same ‘routine’ everyday?

Not even close! We open our minds, and hearts up to the subtle nuances of in-depth study. Ashtanga Yoga is used as a tool to turn inward and by taking the same ‘route’ inward each day we can start to notice the more subtle changes in the body. We can start to notice the more subtle changes in our hearts.

Taking a different route inward everyday you can miss the subtle changes in YOU!

Are we over the top in following ‘the rules of Ashtanga’?

Not really. Yes, there are some rules/guidelines that we stick to. Ashtanga Yoga is a tool for Self-transformation, and the rules/guidelines show us how to use this tool.

Simply by surrendering to the ‘rules’ of Ashtanga Yoga our transformation begins. The ‘rules’ show us what to do and when we let the mind surrender to this method, it can finally rest and stop trying to control every single thing. Then we can start to truly experience the present moment; the moment is no longer colored by the mind’s wish to have it be something else. Presence and stillness can reside within the mind.

All those who practice the Ashtanga Yoga method for a long time, without break and with devotion have experienced the way the practice allows the light in our hearts to shine. Illuminating the present moment with acceptance, peace, gratitude and joy.

And the most amazing part of this practice is the Ashtanga Yoga Community. Our community spans the globe, and no matter how far one of us travels, if we find another Ashtanga student, we will have found a piece of our heart. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we can speak to each other through the language of our practice. A global community of people, each one dedicated to working on being the best version of their own Self as possible.

* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

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December 15, 2012November 4, 2013

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, openly sharing his energy and his knowledge with hundreds of students each day. I remember when I went to the office to register for the first time, I was speechless. It was an incredible experience to simply be in his presence. His eyes were so filled with kindness, love, knowledge and compassion; and he touched my heart with his smile.

Each day, I practiced with Sharath, allowing myself to experience this beautiful practice from the source. I felt great. I was really connecting to the Ashtanga Yoga method, yet nearing the end of my first month in Mysore, I was unsure if I would be able to commit solely to Ashtanga Yoga upon my return to the States. I just wasn’t sure.

One day, waiting in the lobby for Sanskrit class to begin, I was sitting on the bench as Sharath was walking with Guruji to the front stage. When they passed the door, Guruji looked at me with his kind soulful eyes and he points to me and says ‘You, you come back, you take practice.’

I was left speechless once again! With my mouth agape I gasped ‘ok’ and frantically shook my head. It was in that moment that my committed relationship with Ashtanga Yoga was really born. I was in for the long haul. I already felt amazing physically, and knew the practice had healed countless students through the years, and those seven words from Guruji sealed the deal. This would be my practice. I would commit.

I’m still practicing Ashtanga Yoga, 4 years later, 6 days a week. There are days when I don’t want to, and there are days when I doubt the practice. It’s on those days when I hear Guruji’s words clearly in my heart. ‘…you take practice.’