
Banned condom add

The shekin ashram
Holiday section The Shekin ashram The Shekin ashram is a living working ashram on the side of Glastonbury’s Chalice hill, with a choice of places to stay within the confines of the Ashram from a yurt, rooms within the house or in the cabin outside. The people inside are ethical, they live by the ethos of an ashram so smoking, shooting/smoking or taking drugs isn’t allowed there, along with meat eating and alcohol it means that along with their ethical guidelines you can be on retreat from the world outside. With weekend retreats, B&B, a low cost (£50 per week) karma yoga retreat programme or the brilliant Reiki courses there is something always to go down for, if it’s the Tor at night with the panoramic views and stillness inside it causes, the one lane high grown sides of the country roads, the smell of the grasses warmed by the sun, to the bookshops in the town for things that are above your head and out of your life so far, the sumptuous food of the Mochaberry café with it’s fair-trade coffee and ecstatic cakes of thick proportions that make the ones in London scrawny half the size and grossly adding to the gross profits for businesses! Adding to that the almost erotic chickpea pate on walnut bread, and with the executive breakfast at a giggle (you will have to see!). The courtyards with Star child incense makers and the oddly still Goddess temple (the only one in England). The Speaking Tree bookshop for books you really want and rabbit holes for ones that’ll last years at cheaper prices, Little India for furniture from there and the enlightenment shop for the yoga supplies (from net pots to mats and clothes). After that the Abbey area isn’t much or at all in mind. For here regardless to the fact the square everything is built around contains it! As the first place of Christianity on our island, probably joining an already vibrant spiritual centre here eradicated as the Christians delved lower to become higher, King Henry the 8^th deemed even higher and crushed the Abbey, with it’s own P.R on the Abbey being the burial place of King Author due to a very tall man being “found there”, but it being pure P.R it worked for the centre to get into knowledge and history, to the earthquake that eradicated the chapel on the Tor leaving a nipple like effect to the already breast like Tor that trusts itself to the sky from far away is the very first thing you actually feel and see. Inis Witrin is what it was called… The Isle of glass, the fields all around the Tor being flood planes, a sea of glass as far as the eye could see so as if the very sandstone hills floated in the sky, mythologies abound of even St Bridgit coming and staying at the Isle, but with everything the Christians drained it and things are returned, now the most Christian of Christian are now lost here in the Pagan spirit and the flooded fields. The Chalice Well for the Christians is a place that Joseph of Anathema placed a phial of Jesus’ blood hence the iron blood like taste, but also of another clear spring across the road a probable change from the red and white water celebrating the spirit of female and male energies and Deities of this very land. To the surrounding area of the Zodiac, land forms roads and areas that have originally formed a Zodiac for 7 miles around Glastonbury! (Matching the other Spar town spring water abound 17 mile Zodiac of the Kingston-Upon-Thames one!) So a stay in the sumptuous Glastonbury Shekin ashram, with its dark nights and sylvan delightful days of a small town, of the special build-your-own-weekend picking up to 3 therapies for your own weekend, to do your yoga and retreat, to do a course then stay on for your own special time, even to donate work and time to do Karma yoga their to work and help out for free B+B. To drink everyday at the spring water that people travel from miles around, to relax and not worry in the ashram for the food is amazing! Raw and some cooked food (one lady worried about a drop in Calories and if she’d survive rushed to McDonalds on the way there, but asked for all of the recipes upon leaving!) Of the yoga practice, meditation and chanting, of the sauna times, the food! The walks, the different views of and from the Tor. The town and the water, the books and incense bought and the feeling of the off world place that Glastonbury is and staying at the Shekin Ashram having a sense you’re apart of it all another world not of your own! This has a definite sense of being off-world as if when you return you feel as if you never left be it years or weeks. Like an eternal feeling of a friend of Élan and the group up at the ashram and real spiritual home. www.shekinashram.org ____________________________________________________________________________________________

The shekin ashram

Holiday section

The Shekin ashram

The Shekin ashram is a living working ashram on the side of Glastonbury’s Chalice hill, with a choice of places to stay within the confines of the Ashram from a yurt, rooms within the house or in the cabin outside. The people inside are ethical, they live by the ethos of an ashram so smoking, shooting/smoking or taking drugs isn’t allowed there, along with meat eating and alcohol it means that along with their ethical guidelines you can be on retreat from the world outside. With weekend retreats, B&B, a low cost (£50 per week) karma yoga retreat programme or the brilliant Reiki courses there is something always to go down for, if it’s the Tor at night with the panoramic views and stillness inside it causes, the one lane high grown sides of the country roads, the smell of the grasses warmed by the sun, to the bookshops in the town for things that are above your head and out of your life so far, the sumptuous food of the Mochaberry café with it’s fair-trade coffee and ecstatic cakes of thick proportions that make the ones in London scrawny half the size and grossly adding to the gross profits for businesses! Adding to that the almost erotic chickpea pate on walnut bread, and with the executive breakfast at a giggle (you will have to see!).

The courtyards with Star child incense makers and the oddly still Goddess temple (the only one in England). The Speaking Tree bookshop for books you really want and rabbit holes for ones that’ll last years at cheaper prices, Little India for furniture from there and the enlightenment shop for the yoga supplies (from net pots to mats and clothes). After that the Abbey area isn’t much or at all in mind. For here regardless to the fact the square everything is built around contains it! As the first place of Christianity on our island, probably joining an already vibrant spiritual centre here eradicated as the Christians delved lower to become higher, King Henry the 8^th deemed even higher and crushed the Abbey, with it’s own P.R on the Abbey being the burial place of King Author due to a very tall man being “found there”, but it being pure P.R it worked for the centre to get into knowledge and history, to the earthquake that eradicated the chapel on the Tor leaving a nipple like effect to the already breast like Tor that trusts itself to the sky from far away is the very first thing you actually feel and see.

Inis Witrin is what it was called… The Isle of glass, the fields all around the Tor being flood planes, a sea of glass as far as the eye could see so as if the very sandstone hills floated in the sky, mythologies abound of even St Bridgit coming and staying at the Isle, but with everything the Christians drained it and things are returned, now the most Christian of Christian are now lost here in the Pagan spirit and the flooded fields. The Chalice Well for the Christians is a place that Joseph of Anathema placed a phial of Jesus’ blood hence the iron blood like taste, but also of another clear spring across the road a probable change from the red and white water celebrating the spirit of female and male energies and Deities of this very land. To the surrounding area of the Zodiac, land forms roads and areas that have originally formed a Zodiac for 7 miles around Glastonbury! (Matching the other Spar town spring water abound 17 mile Zodiac of the Kingston-Upon-Thames one!)

So a stay in the sumptuous Glastonbury Shekin ashram, with its dark nights and sylvan delightful days of a small town, of the special build-your-own-weekend picking up to 3 therapies for your own weekend, to do your yoga and retreat, to do a course then stay on for your own special time, even to donate work and time to do Karma yoga their to work and help out for free B+B. To drink everyday at the spring water that people travel from miles around, to relax and not worry in the ashram for the food is amazing! Raw and some cooked food (one lady worried about a drop in Calories and if she’d survive rushed to McDonalds on the way there, but asked for all of the recipes upon leaving!) Of the yoga practice, meditation and chanting, of the sauna times, the food! The walks, the different views of and from the Tor. The town and the water, the books and incense bought and the feeling of the off world place that Glastonbury is and staying at the Shekin Ashram having a sense you’re apart of it all another world not of your own! This has a definite sense of being off-world as if when you return you feel as if you never left be it years or weeks. Like an eternal feeling of a friend of Élan and the group up at the ashram and real spiritual home.

www.shekinashram.org

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Okel Tor Mine
The Okel Tor Mine “Retreat! Retreat!” you can almost hear everyone’s bodies and minds call, “ I just want to go away and do my yoga!” but then end up going off to party or some exhausting holiday that needs time to get over! What happened to holidays like the Victorian rest cures, time spent in quiet times in the country away from the hustle of their modern life! (Forget drinking loads of milk in low lit rooms!) Going away to the Okel Tor mine is the very spirit of what they wanted to achieve, they could recharge and bring your mind and focus back from the outside world to where it all began….. to you! IMAGINE being 10 minutes from a town not sold out which has it’s own store/post office but when 10 minutes away you wouldn’t be seen, touched and talked to unless listening to the quiet talk of the canoeists down in the river, or the car or chatter of the people in the other cottage going past. IMAGINE the look of the river rolling around the bend, the birds, the wind, no sound of the cars, trains, ignored children, shouting insipid people who seem to make the very air dense of normality in our every day lives, to the point of not really hearing them anymore for how much you have to screen out, what if you didn’t have to hear them at all for a couple of weeks? The Tamar Valley unspoilt and relatively undiscovered West Countries beautiful treasure, the Bodmin and Dartmoor Moor, cycling and walking, half an hour from the sea at Plymouth , local houses of interest, but if needed! The cottages are perfectly small, preferable to the Academic there to finish their work, the newly weds…., and for the people who just want to get back to the immensely inspiring place ever……themselves! Local produce in abundance, car free as it’s walk-able and trainable to all places needed if needed. Two cottages exist in this place of beauty IMAGINE hazy rain in the mitts of summer as you sit with your feet up on the veranda drinking fresh coffee and a hot croissant as the day begins! Or the other cottage where a log burning stove to keep you warm as the fog rolls in, to be alone but able to be around others in a 10 minute walk. Surrounded by the most beautiful scenery even from your very bed and living room watching the expanse of countryside rolling away, Getting up in the morning opening the window and from your bed watching the rain and river valley wide from your sleep warm pillow. Practicing your yoga out on decking, or on the stone floor, sleeping in fresh cotton/linen, relaxing to a salt bath as the night cools the earth in the Smithy and the under floor heating and a veranda! To the gorgeously hot shower and private garden and decking. To muddy paddle everyday! Well why not you’re not that person you were back at home! Well elements of that person! To read and loose a whole day doing so, looking up as a shadow comes over the page as the sun went down, you reach and turn on the light and return back to the place. To see your sylvan lover notice you are up sitting on the window Sill, ruffling his feathers and puffing up his red breast, and as you have your breakfast on the decking or inside open a window and receive a visit from a testosterone filled Robin. Who on your arrival jumps like a bullet from hell onto the table and you scream and fall off the chair scaring you both from the table! Then after a cultured relationship being busted stroking Mispickel the dog and feeling like a creature slut! Being used to both arrivals of the gentle swaying walk of Mispickel and the robin’s sudden appearance and bolting can be the only stress here. A place to heal and get back to being you again, to love if you bring someone or for yourself can be done here, everything is in these very cottages, all that you need, the rest you bring, the main thing is “if needed”, all else is “if needed”, the tours, the sea, even the woodland walk outside is a must and the tin mine a bit further along is all “if needed”, or a walk down to buy the local shortbread to have coffee with on the decking and feed the two who may come (as Mispickel is trained not to come inside), because this is the very place, where the place is all that’s needed, there’s no one else there 2 cottages with preffereable's to each, veranda or decking? Bath or shower room? That might change with the seasons, under floor heating or night storage? Your own secluded garden, open plan living room with kitchen and dining area looking out to the myriad of colours of the changing light and seasons outside and to the hills and beyond. A good 5 hours from Paddington to Plymouth, seeing the brown cliffs and tunnels heading its way down towards Cornwell then jump on the local train and your there! (Making sure you tell the driver on the local train where you need to get off and wave to get on!) Yep the initial boredom sets in, then that slides away to a place of your own company of if you’re lucky and it’s needed an intimacy shared with another in such a place, who needs Paris! Who needs to IMAGINE just get there and experience it! Like sitting on the couch and watching the water swirling around the corner and the trees like waves rippling in the breeze, saying hello or nodding with a smile to local people because you WANT to! The haunting beauty of the pitch blackness that the cottages having to have outside lights, it almost feels like the scenery has gone away as you can see hardly a thing, easily imagine how a century ago they could conjure horrors in the night in fiction! With the Friendly and personable owners Greg and Nick who will help to all that they can do and live nearby renovating another cottage for himself, the kind of people you would let in for tea regardless if so 21^st-century-hassled, they seem the kind of people needed to have around “if needed”. Then the smells come back or are experienced for the first time, the deep smell of the side of the valley wood the hundreds or fauna making the very soil, the smell of country wet soil the different trees, bushes and plants releasing the moist smells, the feel of the stone floor that has grain to it from the slate stone to feel the texture beneath your feet, being in a 200 year old building, the texture and feeling of your inner life’s reaction to that, the change of the light from a cloudy misty rain, to the bursting rays of light in beams and columns that bless the land around, the brown snaking river, the cool or warm spots as you take a walk, the lists of colours changing and calling, the myriad smells mighty and subtle that come calling that you never knew were there, the brush of leaves, the felt grainy stone walls the walk in the rain in sandals! The sounds of the robins proclaiming you their territory, the hooting owls at night the faint squeak of the bats the rapping woodpeckers and the cockerel crows somewhere, the flock of playing crows and the chatter of the magpies. Even the smell of the freshly brewing coffee is different here due to the fact we aren’t the same here, we have less layers and less electro pollution in waves cutting into our bodies, in places like this is where things can truly heal as the body has its own magnetic level uninterrupted to heal and reboot! WWW.Tinmine.com

The Okel Tor Mine

The Okel Tor Mine

“Retreat! Retreat!” you can almost hear everyone’s bodies and minds call, “ I just want to go away and do my yoga!” but then end up going off to party or some exhausting holiday that needs time to get over! What happened to holidays like the Victorian rest cures, time spent in quiet times in the country away from the hustle of their modern life! (Forget drinking loads of milk in low lit rooms!) Going away to the Okel Tor mine is the very spirit of what they wanted to achieve, they could recharge and bring your mind and focus back from the outside world to where it all began….. to you! IMAGINE being 10 minutes from a town not sold out which has it’s own store/post office but when 10 minutes away you wouldn’t be seen, touched and talked to unless listening to the quiet talk of the canoeists down in the river, or the car or chatter of the people in the other cottage going past. IMAGINE the look of the river rolling around the bend, the birds, the wind, no sound of the cars, trains, ignored children, shouting insipid people who seem to make the very air dense of normality in our every day lives, to the point of not really hearing them anymore for how much you have to screen out, what if you didn’t have to hear them at all for a couple of weeks?

The Tamar Valley unspoilt and relatively undiscovered West Countries beautiful treasure, the Bodmin and Dartmoor Moor, cycling and walking, half an hour from the sea at Plymouth , local houses of interest, but if needed! The cottages are perfectly small, preferable to the Academic there to finish their work, the newly weds…., and for the people who just want to get back to the immensely inspiring place ever……themselves!

Local produce in abundance, car free as it’s walk-able and trainable to all places needed if needed.

Two cottages exist in this place of beauty IMAGINE hazy rain in the mitts of summer as you sit with your feet up on the veranda drinking fresh coffee and a hot croissant as the day begins! Or the other cottage where a log burning stove to keep you warm as the fog rolls in, to be alone but able to be around others in a 10 minute walk. Surrounded by the most beautiful scenery even from your very bed and living room watching the expanse of countryside rolling away, Getting up in the morning opening the window and from your bed watching the rain and river valley wide from your sleep warm pillow.

Practicing your yoga out on decking, or on the stone floor, sleeping in fresh cotton/linen, relaxing to a salt bath as the night cools the earth in the Smithy and the under floor heating and a veranda! To the gorgeously hot shower and private garden and decking. To muddy paddle everyday! Well why not you’re not that person you were back at home! Well elements of that person! To read and loose a whole day doing so, looking up as a shadow comes over the page as the sun went down, you reach and turn on the light and return back to the place.

To see your sylvan lover notice you are up sitting on the window Sill, ruffling his feathers and puffing up his red breast, and as you have your breakfast on the decking or inside open a window and receive a visit from a testosterone filled Robin. Who on your arrival jumps like a bullet from hell onto the table and you scream and fall off the chair scaring you both from the table! Then after a cultured relationship being busted stroking Mispickel the dog and feeling like a creature slut! Being used to both arrivals of the gentle swaying walk of Mispickel and the robin’s sudden appearance and bolting can be the only stress here.

A place to heal and get back to being you again, to love if you bring someone or for yourself can be done here, everything is in these very cottages, all that you need, the rest you bring, the main thing is “if needed”, all else is “if needed”, the tours, the sea, even the woodland walk outside is a must and the tin mine a bit further along is all “if needed”, or a walk down to buy the local shortbread to have coffee with on the decking and feed the two who may come (as Mispickel is trained not to come inside), because this is the very place, where the place is all that’s needed, there’s no one else there 2 cottages with preffereable's to each, veranda or decking? Bath or shower room? That might change with the seasons, under floor heating or night storage? Your own secluded garden, open plan living room with kitchen and dining area looking out to the myriad of colours of the changing light and seasons outside and to the hills and beyond.

A good 5 hours from Paddington to Plymouth, seeing the brown cliffs and tunnels heading its way down towards Cornwell then jump on the local train and your there! (Making sure you tell the driver on the local train where you need to get off and wave to get on!) Yep the initial boredom sets in, then that slides away to a place of your own company of if you’re lucky and it’s needed an intimacy shared with another in such a place, who needs Paris! Who needs to IMAGINE just get there and experience it! Like sitting on the couch and watching the water swirling around the corner and the trees like waves rippling in the breeze, saying hello or nodding with a smile to local people because you WANT to! The haunting beauty of the pitch blackness that the cottages having to have outside lights, it almost feels like the scenery has gone away as you can see hardly a thing, easily imagine how a century ago they could conjure horrors in the night in fiction!

With the Friendly and personable owners Greg and Nick who will help to all that they can do and live nearby renovating another cottage for himself, the kind of people you would let in for tea regardless if so 21^st-century-hassled, they seem the kind of people needed to have around “if needed”.

Then the smells come back or are experienced for the first time, the deep smell of the side of the valley wood the hundreds or fauna making the very soil, the smell of country wet soil the different trees, bushes and plants releasing the moist smells, the feel of the stone floor that has grain to it from the slate stone to feel the texture beneath your feet, being in a 200 year old building, the texture and feeling of your inner life’s reaction to that, the change of the light from a cloudy misty rain, to the bursting rays of light in beams and columns that bless the land around, the brown snaking river, the cool or warm spots as you take a walk, the lists of colours changing and calling, the myriad smells mighty and subtle that come calling that you never knew were there, the brush of leaves, the felt grainy stone walls the walk in the rain in sandals! The sounds of the robins proclaiming you their territory, the hooting owls at night the faint squeak of the bats the rapping woodpeckers and the cockerel crows somewhere, the flock of playing crows and the chatter of the magpies. Even the smell of the freshly brewing coffee is different here due to the fact we aren’t the same here, we have less layers and less electro pollution in waves cutting into our bodies, in places like this is where things can truly heal as the body has its own magnetic level uninterrupted to heal and reboot!

WWW.Tinmine.com

The Riad-Morrocco
The Riad The restoration of this riad had us tread the subtle line between old and new, between European and North African perspectives. Whilst we wanted to remain respectful of the local architecture and decorative arts we also hoped to bring the building into the XXI century and make it a place where we could recognise our personal taste and honour our own European tradition. http://www.riadalmassarah.com/ ________________________________________________________________________________________

The Riad-Morrocco

The Riad

The restoration of this riad had us tread the subtle line between old and new, between European and North African perspectives. Whilst we wanted to remain respectful of the local architecture and decorative arts we also hoped to bring the building into the XXI century and make it a place where we could recognise our personal taste and honour our own European tradition.

http://www.riadalmassarah.com/

________________________________________________________________________________________

Masterji's Bangalore India
FPYK is proud to make available a range of primary yoga subjects. These classes can be chosen "off the menu" according to your interest. For example, you can just choose asana class daily or go to for the entire menu if you are selecting a more complete program. Yogasana - Mysore and FPYK Style Pranayama and Mudra Mantra and Japa Yoga Philosophy, Psychology and Lifestyle Teaching Techniques and Methodology You may begin any program at any time. Please let us know in advance, if you anticipate coming for the residential study programs. Prior notice pf your arrival will help us to plan for your stay. Reservation of a space for residential study is possible by depositing the prescribed fee. Who can join classes at FPYK? Every one can take classes at FPYK. All levels of experience from raw beginners to more advanced practitioners are catered for. Everyone will work accordingly to their own level and ability. Everyone will stretch, strengthen, regulate their breath and relax. As we keep class sizes reasonably small, it is a good idea to advice us before you arrive, so as we can reserve a space for you. When can I begin? You can begin anytime you like even if your just coming for a casual drop-in class. If you have a little or no experience, remember that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step – it is like to take it slowly if you need. Your personalized program can continue anytime you return to the FPYK studio. The students can come for one class, one week, one month, several months or entire year – at their convenience. What if I do not have the energy for the intense yoga practice? Take it slowly! Gradually, your energy levels and capacity will improve. Your program will be constructed according to your ability. If you have a strong practice history, by all means, work hard and apply yourself and experience considerable refinement in the way, you practice yoga. If you need to take it easier relax, and take your time with the teachings. Everyone learns in different ways at different rates. This is why it is important to develop a relationship with the "Master teacher" who can understand your needs, aspirations, difficulties and goals. Such a teacher will guide you to a higher level of understanding and self knowledge. Master Ji has worked with students all over the world for decades and understands well these needs, aspirations and difficulties that students can experience. There is no difficulty or restriction to come and take the classes anytime you feel and like, you can straight away come to the class and attend. The classes are very much open to all types of students. All students practice together in the FPYK studio and receive individual attention from the teacher. Class sizes are maintained at a manageable level so as to provide students ample contact with the teacher. *Programs are taught traditionally and progressively - step by step -* according to the requirements, capacity and enthusiasm of the students. www.yogamasterji.com/**

Masterji's Bangalore India

FPYK is proud to make available a range of primary yoga subjects. These classes can be chosen "off the menu" according to your interest. For example, you can just choose asana class daily or go to for the entire menu if you are selecting a more complete program.

Yogasana - Mysore and FPYK Style
Pranayama and Mudra
Mantra and Japa
Yoga Philosophy, Psychology and Lifestyle
Teaching Techniques and Methodology

You may begin any program at any time. Please let us know in advance, if you anticipate coming for the residential study programs. Prior notice pf your arrival will help us to plan for your stay. Reservation of a space for residential study is possible by depositing the prescribed fee.

Who can join classes at FPYK?

Every one can take classes at FPYK. All levels of experience from raw beginners to more advanced practitioners are catered for. Everyone will work accordingly to their own level and ability. Everyone will stretch, strengthen, regulate their breath and relax.
As we keep class sizes reasonably small, it is a good idea to advice us before you arrive, so as we can reserve a space for you.

When can I begin?

You can begin anytime you like even if your just coming for a casual drop-in class. If you have a little or no experience, remember that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step – it is like to take it slowly if you need. Your personalized program can continue anytime you return to the FPYK studio. The students can come for one class, one week, one month, several months or entire year – at their convenience.

What if I do not have the energy for the intense yoga practice?

Take it slowly! Gradually, your energy levels and capacity will improve. Your program will be constructed according to your ability. If you have a strong practice history, by all means, work hard and apply yourself and experience considerable refinement in the way, you practice yoga. If you need to take it easier relax, and take your time with the teachings.

Everyone learns in different ways at different rates. This is why it is important to develop a relationship with the "Master teacher" who can understand your needs, aspirations, difficulties and goals. Such a teacher will guide you to a higher level of understanding and self knowledge. Master Ji has worked with students all over the world for decades and understands well these needs, aspirations and difficulties that students can experience.

There is no difficulty or restriction to come and take the classes anytime you feel and like, you can straight away come to the class and attend. The classes are very much open to all types of students.

All students practice together in the FPYK studio and receive individual attention from the teacher.
Class sizes are maintained at a manageable level so as to provide students ample contact with the teacher.

Programs are taught traditionally and progressively - step by step - according to the requirements, capacity and enthusiasm of the students.

www.yogamasterji.com/

Samye Ling -Scotland
Samye Ling is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery 15 miles from Lockabey in the middle of the boarder country, with no real shops or pavements or lights after dark for miles around, it is perfect for retreat while being within the community. It is also a living, working Monastery for the Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns, some of them from Tibet and actually making the journey that the Dali Lama had made to escape death and persecution. The Samye Ling are apart of the lineage of the Black hats (along with the Samye Zong temple in Waterloo) other lineages are more towards making teachers or something else, Samye Ling is towards healing and therapeutic healing through Buddhism, the gossip/myth of even curing things as serious as Schizophrenia. There are many different ways to stay here, from large dormitories to smaller ones, single rooms and camping areas, with the food 3 times a day, vegetarian and some vegan and some even wheat free, the food is good and filling and still has a comforting feel to it. Along with the different types of sleeping areas you can have, there is also a deeper exploration of the area around by picking up a rental car in Lockabey, that saves the drive in the local bus, the only thing to take you out there and back! There are local areas to see all in short drivable areas, like the grey mares tail, a very high falling waterfall that falls from a loch on the top, and Merlin’s cave and spring to down the road to the stone circle and up the road to the observatory, always avoiding the logging trucks that blast along the side of the road and ditch jumping will be your chief aim the country side code saving your life, and at night seeing the trucks coming like a U.F.O blazing lights and very fast! The monastery is smoke free, meat free and drug free and if the back of the temple isn’t booked with courses, meetings or awful B.W.Y weekends etc it is a place for your yoga and others who are meditating and doing Tai Chi. If you want to do Karma Yoga helping out in the kitchen or the food growing allotments or anywhere you can volunteer, and that’s a good idea as you meet the people from lay to monk who are there, and have some fun interaction while you are there, also it tests you about what nuns and monks are like, we always think of Christians versions, these aren’t like that at all, they aren’t like the one god religions mourning their faith, this is a very different kettle of fish, then expand on the difference? The difference from a kettle of fish to an ornate 1^st century bowl of semi precious stones! The monastery was started in the 1940’s with a collection of houses donated to the refugees of the Chinese invasion who luckily escaped as millions were butchered and monastery’s were burnt, they have started to build their own temple and square built courtyard monastery almost Tibetan style, so to go there and contribute to them and other lay people, to have their place to live and grow in a fellow community feels like a contribution, every time I have gone there, it has lead to friends I still know and in contact for years after. There is fairy hill opposite people have left things on the altar of Buddha even a ticket from the Empire State Building, there is the plantations of fir trees in clumps all around to investigate, the gorge to a refreshing swim in around the corner and up the dirt track ( this is Scotland not a heated swimming pool) Also to study there too, Tibetan Buddhism being a preferable one in my eye’s due to the integrating into the shamanic practices of the time and that includes deities wrathful and protecting, it is Buddhism without the level Atheism that makes devotional people feel cold and run!, The bombastic afternoon prayers and rituals are amazing, as is starting the day around 6am for Tara prayers, breakfast and then meditation for an hour. The Scottish hills and rivers the country all around, the dappy sheep and the sheep electric fencing usually noticed once you get your leg over to climb into the field! The rooms are comfortable but loud music or something without headphones isn’t allowed, mobile phones have on and off reception, this is a monastery using your common sense on these things, like not walking around in Speedos, or dressing like a hooker, that’s respectful not because they are restrictive in their dress, the monks at Samye Ling and the nuns further up the road at Purelands, although now more mixed and integrated, Purelands is a old retreat place just up the road from Samye Ling it has a haunting stillness there, from the 3 years retreats it has been used for, if there are seminars or booked out courses you could be having rooms there, the whole area makes you feel that you’re not in your usual place so regardless you are recharged after 3 days, not to cut short your week there though, because once recharged you need to feel yourself outside your life away from electro-pollution filling our air with mobiles, WiFi, and remote controls, radio and T.V signals, the chemical pollution of our air, the job and family and basic life stress and after a while you feel like you are getting down to your real skin and self. It feels good to travel there and special time to be taken with that, rather than flying in and hopping on a train, its better to take the train rather than AB you go A to B and when you get there it’s a different feel to your very self, you have settled, calmed even got bored and are ready to start, that’s why you feel better already, early trains are better then you can arrive at 3 ish to catch the school bus going out (If you have a shaven head and wearing red you might get some Buddha jokes or taunts by the kids!) the buses should be confirmed and there are no buses on Sunday so be aware not to arrive or leave on that day unless you are renting a car or have friends at Samye Ling that will drive you, or know someone who is in the town then or is going in, the monks you see in Lockabey are scarce, so relying on meeting one might not work less you are using the secret, but thumbing a lift does work but there might be hours between cars and a 15 mile hike in between! Showers are great I remember the smell of scolding hot water and the warning of it being hot, great on a grey day or Scottish cold, the darkness where you can see all of the stars, hence the reason to know where you are when looking up at the myriad of stars or you could get very cold as you fall in a river, it gets very dark there, the monastery closes by 10 it has a feel of 1am at 9pm, the sleep is so deep, the food being very good and pretty much mixed but more canteen than Al La Carte , and another thing that is quite a shock is the birds are so tame, they are not like our city dwelling ones which you would think would be more tame, they come right up to you , it al most feels like an idyllic place where humans and nature works together, including the blanket of midges that ascend to keep you warm…then after a pint of blood lost you think again! If you like and need you can get a talk with Lama Yeshe or one of the other Lama’s to talk about spiritual things, people come from the country wide and more for an appointment. If you want go see the Tibetan Doctor, or even to the Robes Department who have made traditional Tibetan wear of silks for the very Dali Lama, and most of all the robes of nuns and monks there and the shop, from the R.O.K.P.A shop of clothes made in Tibet, to the shop to by basics foods and spiritual things, mala’s, incense, photo’s, icons, T-shirts, the sets of chenrezi prayers written in Tibetan Sanskrit and OM Mani Padme Hung bumper stickers and more. The Tibetan tea rooms for great coffee, tea and internet if needed so you can be informed but not inundated! Hot times in the summer or freezing winter the place is the same the light changes that’s all, if you are a 21 century bunny who can’t adapt to the climate and who can’t deal with life off of concrete, or dirt getting on your Calvin’s or Harvey Nichols, there is no elite here even the famous who come here (and there are lots) aren’t famous here. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery not a fashion accessory which makes it a profound experience being there as much as upon return, like the ones they saved from crack addiction or something else who have healed their lives with the help of Lama Yeshe and the monastery. On the downside occasionally you run into the awful “chalice chasers” (almost expected because of our shallow society as almost a balance for it being a monastery) the women and men “after” a nun or monk they have picked, fawning over the celibate, even the yellow and burgundy robed monks and nuns meaning they are lifelong vowed! Beyond that it is a place to practice yoga and expand while you relax, doing nothing if you need to and lots if you don’t, if you’d like to further your knowledge take a week/end course running there and stay longer after, they do get very busy there to stay on when the rest have gone can feel great. You can come and heal or mourn things in your life gone and not speak to anyone, it’s usually respected due to everyone needing to get different boundary lines from each other, a lay person, monk, a person healing their addictions or scars, it’s a place of personal space, in a place of it’s own personal space 15 miles from the nearest town, in the beautiful boarder country, a place for anyone needing to get back to their own skin and self outside the city and their lives. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Samye Ling -Scotland

Samye Ling is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery 15 miles from Lockabey in the middle of the boarder country, with no real shops or pavements or lights after dark for miles around, it is perfect for retreat while being within the community. It is also a living, working Monastery for the Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns, some of them from Tibet and actually making the journey that the Dali Lama had made to escape death and persecution. The Samye Ling are apart of the lineage of the Black hats (along with the Samye Zong temple in Waterloo) other lineages are more towards making teachers or something else, Samye Ling is towards healing and therapeutic healing through Buddhism, the gossip/myth of even curing things as serious as Schizophrenia.

There are many different ways to stay here, from large dormitories to smaller ones, single rooms and camping areas, with the food 3 times a day, vegetarian and some vegan and some even wheat free, the food is good and filling and still has a comforting feel to it. Along with the different types of sleeping areas you can have, there is also a deeper exploration of the area around by picking up a rental car in Lockabey, that saves the drive in the local bus, the only thing to take you out there and back! There are local areas to see all in short drivable areas, like the grey mares tail, a very high falling waterfall that falls from a loch on the top, and Merlin’s cave and spring to down the road to the stone circle and up the road to the observatory, always avoiding the logging trucks that blast along the side of the road and ditch jumping will be your chief aim the country side code saving your life, and at night seeing the trucks coming like a U.F.O blazing lights and very fast!

The monastery is smoke free, meat free and drug free and if the back of the temple isn’t booked with courses, meetings or awful B.W.Y weekends etc it is a place for your yoga and others who are meditating and doing Tai Chi. If you want to do Karma Yoga helping out in the kitchen or the food growing allotments or anywhere you can volunteer, and that’s a good idea as you meet the people from lay to monk who are there, and have some fun interaction while you are there, also it tests you about what nuns and monks are like, we always think of Christians versions, these aren’t like that at all, they aren’t like the one god religions mourning their faith, this is a very different kettle of fish, then expand on the difference? The difference from a kettle of fish to an ornate 1^st century bowl of semi precious stones!

The monastery was started in the 1940’s with a collection of houses donated to the refugees of the Chinese invasion who luckily escaped as millions were butchered and monastery’s were burnt, they have started to build their own temple and square built courtyard monastery almost Tibetan style, so to go there and contribute to them and other lay people, to have their place to live and grow in a fellow community feels like a contribution, every time I have gone there, it has lead to friends I still know and in contact for years after.

There is fairy hill opposite people have left things on the altar of Buddha even a ticket from the Empire State Building, there is the plantations of fir trees in clumps all around to investigate, the gorge to a refreshing swim in around the corner and up the dirt track ( this is Scotland not a heated swimming pool) Also to study there too, Tibetan Buddhism being a preferable one in my eye’s due to the integrating into the shamanic practices of the time and that includes deities wrathful and protecting, it is Buddhism without the level Atheism that makes devotional people feel cold and run!, The bombastic afternoon prayers and rituals are amazing, as is starting the day around 6am for Tara prayers, breakfast and then meditation for an hour. The Scottish hills and rivers the country all around, the dappy sheep and the sheep electric fencing usually noticed once you get your leg over to climb into the field!

The rooms are comfortable but loud music or something without headphones isn’t allowed, mobile phones have on and off reception, this is a monastery using your common sense on these things, like not walking around in Speedos, or dressing like a hooker, that’s respectful not because they are restrictive in their dress, the monks at Samye Ling and the nuns further up the road at Purelands, although now more mixed and integrated, Purelands is a old retreat place just up the road from Samye Ling it has a haunting stillness there, from the 3 years retreats it has been used for, if there are seminars or booked out courses you could be having rooms there, the whole area makes you feel that you’re not in your usual place so regardless you are recharged after 3 days, not to cut short your week there though, because once recharged you need to feel yourself outside your life away from electro-pollution filling our air with mobiles, WiFi, and remote controls, radio and T.V signals, the chemical pollution of our air, the job and family and basic life stress and after a while you feel like you are getting down to your real skin and self.

It feels good to travel there and special time to be taken with that, rather than flying in and hopping on a train, its better to take the train rather than AB you go A to B and when you get there it’s a different feel to your very self, you have settled, calmed even got bored and are ready to start, that’s why you feel better already, early trains are better then you can arrive at 3 ish to catch the school bus going out (If you have a shaven head and wearing red you might get some Buddha jokes or taunts by the kids!) the buses should be confirmed and there are no buses on Sunday so be aware not to arrive or leave on that day unless you are renting a car or have friends at Samye Ling that will drive you, or know someone who is in the town then or is going in, the monks you see in Lockabey are scarce, so relying on meeting one might not work less you are using the secret, but thumbing a lift does work but there might be hours between cars and a 15 mile hike in between!

Showers are great I remember the smell of scolding hot water and the warning of it being hot, great on a grey day or Scottish cold, the darkness where you can see all of the stars, hence the reason to know where you are when looking up at the myriad of stars or you could get very cold as you fall in a river, it gets very dark there, the monastery closes by 10 it has a feel of 1am at 9pm, the sleep is so deep, the food being very good and pretty much mixed but more canteen than Al La Carte , and another thing that is quite a shock is the birds are so tame, they are not like our city dwelling ones which you would think would be more tame, they come right up to you , it al most feels like an idyllic place where humans and nature works together, including the blanket of midges that ascend to keep you warm…then after a pint of blood lost you think again!

If you like and need you can get a talk with Lama Yeshe or one of the other Lama’s to talk about spiritual things, people come from the country wide and more for an appointment. If you want go see the Tibetan Doctor, or even to the Robes Department who have made traditional Tibetan wear of silks for the very Dali Lama, and most of all the robes of nuns and monks there and the shop, from the R.O.K.P.A shop of clothes made in Tibet, to the shop to by basics foods and spiritual things, mala’s, incense, photo’s, icons, T-shirts, the sets of chenrezi prayers written in Tibetan Sanskrit and OM Mani Padme Hung bumper stickers and more. The Tibetan tea rooms for great coffee, tea and internet if needed so you can be informed but not inundated!

Hot times in the summer or freezing winter the place is the same the light changes that’s all, if you are a 21 century bunny who can’t adapt to the climate and who can’t deal with life off of concrete, or dirt getting on your Calvin’s or Harvey Nichols, there is no elite here even the famous who come here (and there are lots) aren’t famous here. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery not a fashion accessory which makes it a profound experience being there as much as upon return, like the ones they saved from crack addiction or something else who have healed their lives with the help of Lama Yeshe and the monastery. On the downside occasionally you run into the awful “chalice chasers” (almost expected because of our shallow society as almost a balance for it being a monastery) the women and men “after” a nun or monk they have picked, fawning over the celibate, even the yellow and burgundy robed monks and nuns meaning they are lifelong vowed!

Beyond that it is a place to practice yoga and expand while you relax, doing nothing if you need to and lots if you don’t, if you’d like to further your knowledge take a week/end course running there and stay longer after, they do get very busy there to stay on when the rest have gone can feel great. You can come and heal or mourn things in your life gone and not speak to anyone, it’s usually respected due to everyone needing to get different boundary lines from each other, a lay person, monk, a person healing their addictions or scars, it’s a place of personal space, in a place of it’s own personal space 15 miles from the nearest town, in the beautiful boarder country, a place for anyone needing to get back to their own skin and self outside the city and their lives.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Camps heath barn
http://www.campsheathbarn.co.uk/ The recently converted barn provides a charming mix of traditional and modern, with spacious accommodation in three self-contained annexes and the main barn. These are furnished and equipped to please the most discerning visitor. Situated in a nature reserve, they have secure and private patio garden areas. Deep in the heart of rural Suffolk, the barn annexes provide easy access to the beautiful North Suffolk coast with its excellent beaches, heathlands and big skies. Go walking, bird watching or visit historic houses. Or you could try seal spotting, fishing for crabs and sailing. Back on land, how about a round of golf? Maybe a trip to a local maritime or transport museum? Then there's riding, of course. Or just relax and soak up the slower pace of life - after all, it is a holiday. Holiday accommodation is available for weekly lets and last-minute short stays.

Camps heath barn

http://www.campsheathbarn.co.uk/

The recently converted barn provides a charming mix of traditional and modern, with spacious accommodation in three self-contained annexes and the main barn. These are furnished and equipped to please the most discerning visitor. Situated in a nature reserve, they have secure and private patio garden areas.

Deep in the heart of rural Suffolk, the barn annexes provide easy access to the beautiful North Suffolk coast with its excellent beaches, heathlands and big skies. Go walking, bird watching or visit historic houses. Or you could try seal spotting, fishing for crabs and sailing. Back on land, how about a round of golf? Maybe a trip to a local maritime or transport museum? Then there's riding, of course. Or just relax and soak up the slower pace of life - after all, it is a holiday.

Holiday accommodation is available for weekly lets and last-minute short stays.

Yoga reviews by Ilke (formerly known a blue shirt, now blue shirt thumper).
How to become a yoga tourist. I sometimes travel for work but also do quite a bit of travelling to catch up with family and friends in Germany (where I’m from), and other places in the UK and Europe. To keep up with my practice when away and to make the most of my work-related trips, I now try to attend Ashtanga yoga classes wherever my travel destination takes me. James asked me to review these places for you so voila, here you are – a brief (subjective) summary of my straying experiences. When I can’t find an Ashtanga Yoga class I usually try out some other form of yoga, the closest being what people refer to as Power yoga but I have also tried Iyengar and Bikram yoga. I can really recommend seeking out other classes when travelling as you get a new adjustment experience (needless to say that James is obviously the best) and you get to know new places – the classes have always taken me to areas in cities I wouldn’t have visited otherwise and people in these yoga places have always been warm and welcoming. If you feel motivated to give it go, try the link below to start your search for yoga classes around the UK (and the rest of the world). The last resort is always Google. www.yogafinder.com/index.html UK Sheffield, UK Type of Yoga: Ashtanga Link: www.yogashalasheffield.com/ As it says on their website, “Yoga Shala is the new and only dedicated Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga space in Sheffield hosted by Pete Gill”. I attended an intermediate level class taught by Pete which I really enjoyed – good adjustment and excellent tips on how to work on postures. No binding but splits (if I remember correctly). Close to a very good Turkish restaurant (Zeugma, 146 London Road SheffieldS2 4LT – tried and tested by myself) and not far from Glossop Road where you find lots of restaurants, bars etc.

Yoga reviews by Ilke (formerly known a blue shirt, now blue shirt thumper).

How to become a yoga tourist.

I sometimes travel for work but also do quite a bit of travelling to catch up with family and friends in Germany (where I’m from), and other places in the UK and Europe. To keep up with my practice when away and to make the most of my work-related trips, I now try to attend Ashtanga yoga classes wherever my travel destination takes me. James asked me to review these places for you so voila, here you are – a brief (subjective) summary of my straying experiences.

When I can’t find an Ashtanga Yoga class I usually try out some other form of yoga, the closest being what people refer to as Power yoga but I have also tried Iyengar and Bikram yoga. I can really recommend seeking out other classes when travelling as you get a new adjustment experience (needless to say that James is obviously the best) and you get to know new places – the classes have always taken me to areas in cities I wouldn’t have visited otherwise and people in these yoga places have always been warm and welcoming. If you feel motivated to give it go, try the link below to start your search for yoga classes around the UK (and the rest of the world). The last resort is always Google.

www.yogafinder.com/index.html UK

Sheffield,

Type of Yoga: Ashtanga

Link:

www.yogashalasheffield.com/

As it says on their website, “Yoga Shala is the new and only dedicated Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga space in

Sheffield hosted by Pete Gill”. I attended an intermediate level class taught by Pete which I really enjoyed – good adjustment and excellent tips on how to work on postures. No binding but splits (if I remember correctly). Close to a very good Turkish restaurant (Zeugma, 146 London Road
SheffieldS2 4LT – tried and tested by myself) and not far from Glossop Road where you find lots of restaurants, bars etc.


<v:imagedata src="file:///C:DOCUME~1User1LOCALS~1Tempmsohtml1 REST OF THE WORLD Hamburg, Germany Type of Yoga: Bikram Link: www.bikramaltona.de/ It’s a set sequence of 38 postures which are carried out in a heated room at 38 Celsius. If you are at primary series intermediate level the postures are actually not that hard but the heat makes it a challenge, it’s like doing yoga in a sauna (you are allowed to drink water all the way through). Because of the detox effect it feels like a real wellness experience. The yoga studio is located in Hamburg Altona, one of the hippest, high diversity areas in the city where a large proportion of the Turkish community lives. The Yoga place is, however, slightly out of the way. Drop-in classes are led. Discount for paying in batches of 10. Adjustment verbal rather than hands on. Staff are very friendly (and speak English). Frankfurt am Main, Germany Type of Yoga: Ashtanga and Power yoga Link: www.balanceyoga.de/index.html I went to a taught Power Vinyasa yoga class which was quite demanding - a good way of practising Vinyasas especially if your biceps and triceps are as limp as mine. Very friendly and enthusiastic yoga teacher who adjusted well. Nice modern yoga studio, located in a backyard just a few underground stops from the main station. Munich, Germany Type of Yoga: Iyengar and Ashtanga Link: www.airyoga.ch/muenchen.html Ashtanga classes are available but the time table changed when I got there so I ended up attending a taught Iyengar class. Begins with a relaxation so you are not very warm (but relaxed) when you start and postures are held for ages – I found it a good practice actually as it’s unexpectedly challenging for this reason. The teacher instructed people in German and English simultaneously as one person did not speak German (if that isn’t a great service?!). Adjustment seemed to be mainly verbal (the class was quite busy). A trial lesson is € 8, a single class € 18 and there are various offerings for series of classes (three for € 40, 10 for € 150) and subscriptions (on their website they only advertise batches and subscriptions but it’s possible to just attend a single drop-in class). The yoga studio is very pleasant (posh but friendly), located in the heart of Munich, at the Viktualienmarkt just a few minutes from Marienplatz. Stockholm, Sweden Type of Yoga: Ashtanga Link: www.ashtangayoga.se/ Just a 10-15 walk from the main station. Email them before you go, as you need a code to enter the building. I went to a primary series self-practice class (no binding and no splits). Gentle adjustment and you don’t need to speak any Swedish. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly teacher. To be continued with German Oomph.

<v:imagedata src="file:///C:DOCUME~1User1LOCALS~1Tempmsohtml1

REST OF THE WORLD

Hamburg, Germany

Type of Yoga: Bikram

Link: www.bikramaltona.de/

It’s a set sequence of 38 postures which are carried out in a heated room at 38 Celsius. If you are at primary series intermediate level the postures are actually not that hard but the heat makes it a challenge, it’s like doing yoga in a sauna (you are allowed to drink water all the way through). Because of the detox effect it feels like a real wellness experience. The yoga studio is located in Hamburg Altona, one of the hippest, high diversity areas in the city where a large proportion of the Turkish community lives. The Yoga place is, however, slightly out of the way. Drop-in classes are led. Discount for paying in batches of 10. Adjustment verbal rather than hands on. Staff are very friendly (and speak English).

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Type of Yoga: Ashtanga and Power yoga

Link: www.balanceyoga.de/index.html

I went to a taught Power Vinyasa yoga class which was quite demanding - a good way of practising Vinyasas especially if your biceps and triceps are as limp as mine. Very friendly and enthusiastic yoga teacher who adjusted well. Nice modern yoga studio, located in a backyard just a few underground stops from the main station.

Munich, Germany

Type of Yoga: Iyengar and Ashtanga

Link: www.airyoga.ch/muenchen.html

Ashtanga classes are available but the time table changed when I got there so I ended up attending a taught Iyengar class. Begins with a relaxation so you are not very warm (but relaxed) when you start and postures are held for ages – I found it a good practice actually as it’s unexpectedly challenging for this reason. The teacher instructed people in German and English simultaneously as one person did not speak German (if that isn’t a great service?!). Adjustment seemed to be mainly verbal (the class was quite busy). A trial lesson is € 8, a single class € 18 and there are various offerings for series of classes (three for € 40, 10 for € 150) and subscriptions (on their website they only advertise batches and subscriptions but it’s possible to just attend a single drop-in class). The yoga studio is very pleasant (posh but friendly), located in the heart of

Munich, at the Viktualienmarkt just a few minutes from Marienplatz.

Stockholm, Sweden

Type of Yoga: Ashtanga

Link: www.ashtangayoga.se/

Just a 10-15 walk from the main station. Email them before you go, as you need a code to enter the building. I went to a primary series self-practice class (no binding and no splits). Gentle adjustment and you don’t need to speak any Swedish. Relaxed atmosphere and friendly teacher.

To be continued with German Oomph.

Astanga yoga in Charlottesville, Virginia
I was at a University reunion this past weekend in Charlottesville Virginia, a place I doubt any of you will ever go to, but just in case, I selflessly went along to Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville to review for this website. Set in the sleepy neighbourhood of Belmont, the centre is based in a second floor loft. There is plenty of parking in their adjacent lot, and plants are growing in a happy fashion over the porch. Once inside, the whole open plan set up is welcoming and fresh, well organized, they have private mat storage as well as loaners and clean fluffy towels in a huge stack. I took one because everyone else was… little did I know how much I would need it. Karen was teaching the class I attended. I had tried to find a primary series class, but there wasn’t one when I could get there (although a great variety of classes are taught at various times of day and evening and if you need to get in touch with them, do, they are great at communicating with you). She was tiny, waif-like, but made reference to her children (hard to believe, she was surely only twelve herself). We got started and she took us on a wonderful journey where we referred to our chests as our “hearts” as she directed us into poses. I have never done half of the things she asked us to do, but she was great at explaining how we should get there “let your hearts face the rice paper wall…”. Within about five minutes, I was drenched in sweat. To be fair it was a hot weekend, I mean really hot (35 degrees with 100% humidity) but we seriously started to spritz. I watched one girl as she went through about fifteen towels… I was struggling to hang on to my ankle when told to and found myself blinded by the sweat running down my face as I attempted to keep up. Using the towel to wipe a clean grip was actually a fabulous way to buy a few seconds of respite I discovered. Karen was very focused, and practiced to a lovely soundtrack of slightly folksy alternative music, and turned out to be a little demon when it came to adjustments. She was so tiny it was hard to imagine the strength she has at her disposal to tweak your pose. She took no prisoners, and after a short while one student left the class (possibly to go and die quietly in the car park). Karen went to check on her and she excused her from the class… I did (I am proud to say) manage to get through everything she asked me to do without too much anguish, and I didn’t have to go and lie down in the car park or vomit in a bush, but I am embarrassed to admit that the girl next to me was pregnant and she seemed to get through it with less grunting than me. I highly recommend this little gem, tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains if you are on the East Coast of America and need a good dose of Ashtanga. www.ashtangacharlottesville.com/

Astanga yoga in Charlottesville, Virginia

I was at a University reunion this past weekend in Charlottesville Virginia, a place I doubt any of you will ever go to, but just in case, I selflessly went along to Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville to review for this website.

Set in the sleepy neighbourhood of Belmont, the centre is based in a second floor loft. There is plenty of parking in their adjacent lot, and plants are growing in a happy fashion over the porch. Once inside, the whole open plan set up is welcoming and fresh, well organized, they have private mat storage as well as loaners and clean fluffy towels in a huge stack. I took one because everyone else was… little did I know how much I would need it.

Karen was teaching the class I attended. I had tried to find a primary series class, but there wasn’t one when I could get there (although a great variety of classes are taught at various times of day and evening and if you need to get in touch with them, do, they are great at communicating with you). She was tiny, waif-like, but made reference to her children (hard to believe, she was surely only twelve herself). We got started and she took us on a wonderful journey where we referred to our chests as our “hearts” as she directed us into poses. I have never done half of the things she asked us to do, but she was great at explaining how we should get there “let your hearts face the rice paper wall…”. Within about five minutes, I was drenched in sweat. To be fair it was a hot weekend, I mean really hot (35 degrees with 100% humidity) but we seriously started to spritz. I watched one girl as she went through about fifteen towels… I was struggling to hang on to my ankle when told to and found myself blinded by the sweat running down my face as I attempted to keep up. Using the towel to wipe a clean grip was actually a fabulous way to buy a few seconds of respite I discovered.

Karen was very focused, and practiced to a lovely soundtrack of slightly folksy alternative music, and turned out to be a little demon when it came to adjustments. She was so tiny it was hard to imagine the strength she has at her disposal to tweak your pose. She took no prisoners, and after a short while one student left the class (possibly to go and die quietly in the car park). Karen went to check on her and she excused her from the class… I did (I am proud to say) manage to get through everything she asked me to do without too much anguish, and I didn’t have to go and lie down in the car park or vomit in a bush, but I am embarrassed to admit that the girl next to me was pregnant and she seemed to get through it with less grunting than me. I highly recommend this little gem, tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains if you are on the East Coast of America and need a good dose of Ashtanga.

www.ashtangacharlottesville.com/

Mysore-Naked Yogini
About some places to practice in Mysore, India Guruji's when Guruji was teaching and Sharath's: Almost 3 years ago I left to practice with Guruji for one month. I had no expectations and went with an open mind. This is very important to do. Everyone has a different experience there and I would say mine was pretty much middle of the road. Don't expect to read of a glorified experience of enlightenment and brotherly love amongst our fellow astangis. First I will tell of what I thought about the actual classes. My initial class in India was a talk through primary. Everyone waited outside for the gates to open with tired eyes, not really talking to anyone unless they already knew and approved of the person. After the gates opened there was an almost violent rush of people into the main shala room. People used elbows and knees to push there way through the crowd and threw their mats down. My thought at this time was that nobody seemed to be practicing yoga, or at least not yet. The room was over filled for what was about to go on. Luckily I have a pretty decent practice and can keep my limbs over my mat the entire time I'm on it if I have to. Other people had no consideration for the others next to them. Using wide, sweeping arm movements, feet and hands on the mats and in the faces of their peers next door. This also did not seem like yoga to me. Aren't you supposed to be aware and considerate of your neighbor? Later on I met some really nice girls at the Green Hotel, their first time to India as well. One of them, no names, had recounted her experience of the mornings class as she was kicked in the face with no apology. Now for the Mysore style classes. These were much better, less crowded, and if you're lucky to be next to a very nice blond girl from Italy who's practicing 3rd, it can be a bit fun! I enjoyed looking around the room at all the wonderful dedication and years of discipline surrounding me. People seemed to be in a better place mentally during these lessons. Now I felt as though I was really experiencing something good and ancient. The walls were sweating and the breathing was heavy. In the waiting room to get in, there was a type of hierarchy going on. If Sharath or Guruji knew who you were or recognized you then you would get in much quicker. This I know has been eliminated somewhat now by the new system put in place where the practitioner receives a card with their starting time on it and keeps it by their mat at all times. I have heard that people have been hurt and dropped on their heads by Guruji and Saraswati the most, but this was not my case. Saraswati was just fine for the back bend sequence and Guruji was the first person to get me to grab my ankles in back bend. That was just me, as I had personally met people injured severely, especially knees! I hate to say this but if you're not terribly flexible and/or don't have a pretty good practice think hard about going and what could potentially happen to your body. Sadly Guruji has for the most part retired. He is still in the class at times, and in a cute way, sleeping in a chair in front of the class:) The social scene is a bit odd. It's very cliquish! There are some nice loner types and there are those awful types who won't talk to you unless your somebody or in their inner circle. This was disturbing to me as this was also not yoga! There was a general air of competition, again not yoga. I just kept to myself and would then only speak with people who didn't seem so up their a___s, no time for other's petty insecurities. Other things are, the shopping is great. Fun to get clothes tailored, Sashenka's is really good, ask for Manju. You can find some really decent food places in Gokulum, just ask at the coconut stand, which I now consider the center of the universe. The natives are mostly friendly, especially in Gokulum. Loads of internet cafés and other places you can plug in if you brought your own. Lots of sight seeing in and around. Recommend Sravanabelgola, Somnathpura, and Bellacoupe. Tons of other temples all around, see any travel agent for directions. The nature preserve is really beautiful too, saw some wild elephants last time I was there. Rickshaw drivers will try to get you to go to the Kashmiri and other tourist traps and tell you "only looking" so you could just look and get some good, free tea or after a while get really sick of it and tell the driver you're getting out if he takes you there. The merchandise at these places is marked up 3 to 4 times higher than at other local shops, however you can sometimes find something really nice, so it's up to you to purchase. Lots of beggars. Don't give them money, there are programs in place to help them in every way. I have no money is "beda, beda...doru elah". Memorize this! Second time I went I practiced with Sharath. This was even better! Not so competitive and a genuine sense of comradeship. There was only one lead class a week with him which was really nice, although by this time I was so disgusted with the behavior at the talk through classes and had stopped going to them at the shala. So now Sharath and Saraswati are the main teacher's at the shala and so things are a bit different now. I've heard stories about how people paid and then were injured, others turned away simply because they weren't recognized, and no refunds ever! Other people I ran into at the pool seemed quite content with the new system. Most important is that you will not learn how to teach by attending class at the shala. You just practice, and like I said before, it is best to have an established practice before you go, however I did meet a couple people who started their learning in Mysore and loved it. If you want to go then go, just know that anything can happen and expect nothing. It is a great opportunity to be out of your element, get into your practice and perhaps discover something else about yourself and humanity. I didn't go to the shala last time I was in Mysore as I thought I'd try something different and went to practice with Shashadri at the Mysore Mandala. It was different and a whole new experience and will have to save it for the next review....

Mysore-Naked Yogini

About some places to practice in Mysore, India

Guruji's when Guruji was teaching and Sharath's:

Almost 3 years ago I left to practice with Guruji for one month. I had no expectations and went with an open mind. This is very important to do. Everyone has a different experience there and I would say mine was pretty much middle of the road. Don't expect to read of a glorified experience of enlightenment and brotherly love amongst our fellow astangis.
First I will tell of what I thought about the actual classes. My initial class in India was a talk through primary. Everyone waited outside for the gates to open with tired eyes, not really talking to anyone unless they already knew and approved of the person. After the gates opened there was an almost violent rush of people into the main shala room. People used elbows and knees to push there way through the crowd and threw their mats down. My thought at this time was that nobody seemed to be practicing yoga, or at least not yet. The room was over filled for what was about to go on. Luckily I have a pretty decent practice and can keep my limbs over my mat the entire time I'm on it if I have to. Other people had no consideration for the others next to them. Using wide, sweeping arm movements, feet and hands on the mats and in the faces of their peers next door. This also did not seem like yoga to me. Aren't you supposed to be aware and considerate of your neighbor? Later on I met some really nice girls at the Green Hotel, their first time to India as well. One of them, no names, had recounted her experience of the mornings class as she was kicked in the face with no apology.
Now for the Mysore style classes. These were much better, less crowded, and if you're lucky to be next to a very nice blond girl from Italy who's practicing 3rd, it can be a bit fun! I enjoyed looking around the room at all the wonderful dedication and years of discipline surrounding me. People seemed to be in a better place mentally during these lessons. Now I felt as though I was really experiencing something good and ancient. The walls were sweating and the breathing was heavy. In the waiting room to get in, there was a type of hierarchy going on. If Sharath or Guruji knew who you were or recognized you then you would get in much quicker. This I know has been eliminated somewhat now by the new system put in place where the practitioner receives a card with their starting time on it and keeps it by their mat at all times. I have heard that people have been hurt and dropped on their heads by Guruji and Saraswati the most, but this was not my case. Saraswati was just fine for the back bend sequence and Guruji was the first person to get me to grab my ankles in back bend. That was just me, as I had personally met people injured severely, especially knees! I hate to say this but if you're not terribly flexible and/or don't have a pretty good practice think hard about going and what could potentially happen to your body. Sadly Guruji has for the most part retired. He is still in the class at times, and in a cute way, sleeping in a chair in front of the class:)
The social scene is a bit odd. It's very cliquish! There are some nice loner types and there are those awful types who won't talk to you unless your somebody or in their inner circle. This was disturbing to me as this was also not yoga! There was a general air of competition, again not yoga. I just kept to myself and would then only speak with people who didn't seem so up their a___s, no time for other's petty insecurities.
Other things are, the shopping is great. Fun to get clothes tailored, Sashenka's is really good, ask for Manju. You can find some really decent food places in Gokulum, just ask at the coconut stand, which I now consider the center of the universe. The natives are mostly friendly, especially in Gokulum. Loads of internet cafés and other places you can plug in if you brought your own. Lots of sight seeing in and around. Recommend Sravanabelgola, Somnathpura, and Bellacoupe. Tons of other temples all around, see any travel agent for directions. The nature preserve is really beautiful too, saw some wild elephants last time I was there. Rickshaw drivers will try to get you to go to the Kashmiri and other tourist traps and tell you "only looking" so you could just look and get some good, free tea or after a while get really sick of it and tell the driver you're getting out if he takes you there. The merchandise at these places is marked up 3 to 4 times higher than at other local shops, however you can sometimes find something really nice, so it's up to you to purchase. Lots of beggars. Don't give them money, there are programs in place to help them in every way. I have no money is "beda, beda...doru elah". Memorize this!
Second time I went I practiced with Sharath. This was even better! Not so competitive and a genuine sense of comradeship. There was only one lead class a week with him which was really nice, although by this time I was so disgusted with the behavior at the talk through classes and had stopped going to them at the shala.
So now Sharath and Saraswati are the main teacher's at the shala and so things are a bit different now. I've heard stories about how people paid and then were injured, others turned away simply because they weren't recognized, and no refunds ever! Other people I ran into at the pool seemed quite content with the new system. Most important is that you will not learn how to teach by attending class at the shala. You just practice, and like I said before, it is best to have an established practice before you go, however I did meet a couple people who started their learning in Mysore and loved it. If you want to go then go, just know that anything can happen and expect nothing. It is a great opportunity to be out of your element, get into your practice and perhaps discover something else about yourself and humanity.
I didn't go to the shala last time I was in Mysore as I thought I'd try something different and went to practice with Shashadri at the Mysore Mandala. It was different and a whole new experience and will have to save it for the next review....

Mysore and more- John Mark
"Oh, and I want an article from you." "An article?" "Yeah, for the website." "Oh, right, OK. What about?" "India." "India! Isn't that rather a large topic to try and cover?" "Alright then. How about yoga in Mysore?" Well, that seemed like a much more reasonable request, and one I was somewhat more qualified to attempt. I'm now back in Mysore, for the third time, and my previous trips have been for 6 and 3 months respectively. By the end of this trip I'll have spent over a year here and will have studied with 4 different teachers (Ajay Kumar at Sthalam8, Sharath at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Patthabi Jois' shala), Venkatesh at the Atmavikasa Centre Of Yogic Sciences and Bharath Shetty at Yoga India, who's teacher training course I'm starting on Saturday). Now, there's a lot of information online about Mysore itself, as well as the different schools and the styles they teach, and I don't just want to rehash what you can find elsewhere, so, I'm going to paint a picture of Mysore as I've seen it, warts and all (is that a siren?). The majority of schools here teach Ashtanga Vinyasa, and if you're on this site that's probably where your interest lies, but some teachers follow their own system, or variations on systems (Venkatesh, Vinay, Bharath, Jayakumar), so you're not just limited to Ashtanga. However, for ashtangis, Mysore is the hometown of their guru, Shri K Pattabhi Jois, and many students return year on year to study at his shala. To start this process you need to complete and return a form online, informing the Institute when you plan to study, and then turn up to complete your registration at the shala, the week before. The (in)famous electronic money counter will receive your offering, oh wise yogi. I was there for a month in 2007. Until a few years ago, PJ taught from a small shala in Laxmipuram, and it is from this era that you see pictures of students crouched on a staircase in the dawn's semi-light, mats at the ready, but the family recently moved into a much bigger property in Gokulam to accommodate the huge numbers of students wanting to study with them. Gokulam is an affluent suburb of what is already, by Indian standards, a very wealthy city, and 'the main shala' itself certainly fits in to the area nicely. On registration you receive your 'start time', at which you must arrive to begin your practice. The shala can fit upwards of 80 students, and if you've got any issues with 'personal mat space', get over them. You may have 2" between mats, with a foot or so front to back, so garbhapindasana can be amusing during led class. Once students finish their practices, or are told to finish, they go into the changing areas to complete the finishing sequence, and the next student is called in from the entrance hall. Any of the teachers (Pattabhi, Sharath and Saraswati) may stick their heads through the large wooden doorframe and call an individual in, or the call of 'One more!' may just be heard. This can give an interesting insight into who thinks they're where in the main shala pecking order. You may see someone simply stroll straight in to practice, seemingly without acknowledging that there may have been 10 people already waiting. Senior student? Earlier 'start time'? Rude fucker? Your guess is as good as mine, but I found some very strange attitudes during my short time there. For example, a 'noob' putting their mat down for led class, to be told that they needed to move as they were in 'someone's spot'. In a shala that can feel like an aircraft hanger. Hmmmm. Yoga anyone? All first time students, no matter their experience, will practice primary, and you are stopped at whichever posture it is deemed you haven't 'mastered'. From this point on, that is the posture at which your practice will stop until you progress and are 'given' the next posture to work on. While I was there, Sharath (Pattabhi's grandson) was taking classes, as Pattabhi was unwell, and his led classes were an eye-opener. About as tough as I can imagine any class being, with a sometimes sadistically slow count. However, he always has a twinkle in his eye, and injects some humour now and again, barking out 'No cheating!' as people start to fall apart on the 5th navasana. Excellent for making you focus on your breath and try to ignore everything else, the count included! Anyway, a few egomaniacs aside, it's a very interesting place to practice, and while you may not get much in the way of personal attention/adjustment, practicing with that many dedicated people gave me an interesting new outlook on my practice. As I thought I was going to get stopped at marichasana d (correct), I tried to focus on each Vinyasa as well as the postures, and really lengthen my breath. With the numbers of students around, especially at peak times, Gokulam can feel like a bit of a yoga 'scene' and rather clique. Some are open and friendly, others more guarded until they know where you practice (not at AYRI? Oh dear), but there are plenty of places to hang out, always plenty of folk around, and like minds are never too far away. If you feel that following the lineage of Ashtanga is important, then your other option is BNS Iyengar (not to be confused with BKS), who also studied under Krishnamacharya (credited as the father of modern yoga). BNS teaches in a dusty old shala, once used by Krishnamacharya himself, and is worth a visit even if you don't end up practicing there. He's an interesting character, and teaches plenty of Indians, as well as the westerners. Unlike the Jois' shala, which is extremely rigid in its teaching, BNS adapts and extends the series to suite his student's needs. He also believes that once the first two series have been learnt, then more time should be devoted to more spiritual practices, such as pranayama. In early 2007, while I was practicing with Ajay Kumar in the mornings, I signed up for an afternoon back bending course with Venkatesh. It was his 2 week 'intensive' course, which was basically his month course shoehorned into 2 weeks (for more money bizarrely). On signing up for any of his courses you are given a long list of 'rules' which must be followed in and around the shala, going so far as stipulating where, and how, shoes must be left. This gives a good indication as to how he sees the student/teacher dynamic. Venkatesh is pretty much self taught, and teaches his own style, 'atma vikasa', which has won him many national yoga titles. His website confidently states he is an 'amazingly advanced practitioner' who is now 'among the most respected and renowned yoga teachers of the world', with a 'rare expertise in back bending asanas.' You are not to arrive too early for classes, and talking around the shala is frowned upon, but I got the impression that this was just fine with most of the students. There were 5 of us taking the 2 week course, but for the first 2 days there were also 6 other students coming to the end of another back bending course. We were mainly doing work on the floor, while they were using ropes and slings attached to the bars on the windows. Each group performed the exercise, as instructed by Venkatesh, and then held, while he counted. Now it certainly is intense work straight off the bat, and I was struggling as I have a tendency to overextend my lower back while not getting the stretch into the rest of the spine. Venkatesh picked up on my 'flexible' (a very yogic euphamism for painful) lower back, but continued to instruct me as part of the group.As questioning during class is discouraged (and disagreement is 'forbidden'), I thought I'd wait until after relaxation to have a few words to see what I could do to work my back differently.However, during the relaxation, and before the finishing prayers are said, venkatesh leaves, and the class is finished by one of his 'senior students'. If you want to speak to the man you need to make an appointment, and one girl was loudly 'Shhhhhh'd' as we left the shala as she tried to make a little class-related chat. It gave me more of a feeling of being in an ashram, and, I'd hazard a guess that many of his students are keen vipasana practitioners, but I found the experience to be completely free of joy, and Venkatesh's behaviour towards his students deliciously ironic, considering how insistent he is you respect his status as 'teacher'. I took a day off to rest, then returned for anther class of the same, and decided to leave it at that and chalk that one down to experience. I'm quite sure if you enjoy his style, his system will work well for you. I just like my yoga to be more 'fun' and my teacher to be more accessible. And so we come to Ajay Kumar, who I consider to be my teacher while here in Mysore, and with whom I practice daily. Ajay started practicing yoga at age 10 under the guidance of BNS Iyengar and in my eyes is close to being the perfect yoga teacher. His knowledge is encyclopaedic, his manner is warm, friendly and open and his classes are fun and educational. He is very 'hot' on alignment and his adjustments are superb, being both sensitive and powerful whilst implanting a picture in your mind of exactly what you should be aiming for. He takes real pleasure in actively helping his students to develop their practice, and maintains a fun, positive and focused atmosphere in his shala. Thursdays are 'vinyasa' class where bandha control and proper jump thought/back technique is practiced, as well as excellent exercises to build up appropriate strength. Brilliant, but not for the faint hearted! He runs two classes each morning (6 & 8.15am), and his shala (Sthalam8) is relatively small, fitting 12-15 students, so you're guaranteed plenty of attention. He also runs a month long teacher training course which, along with astanga theory and history, details correct entry, exit and alignment for each primary series posture, as well as his various adjustments for them. A superb course, and highly recommended even if you have no desire to teach. The other most popular shala here is the Mysore Mandala, where Sheshadri teaches Ashtanga. He was also a student of BNS Iyengar and is (in)famous for his extremely strong and dynamic adjustments. Again, many students love his style, but the number of injuries I have heard being caused by his seemingly insensitive adjusting would make me extremely wary of venturing into his classes. Mysore itself is a beautiful and fairly relaxed city (for India!), with plenty of non-yoga activities to keep you busy. It's famous for its 'handycrafts', silk and sandalwood, and if you like to shop there's plenty to keep you happy. The large number of western visitors, many of who stay for extended periods, means that it is much less stressful than many parts of the sub-continent, and if ashtanga is your bag, I'd highly recommend you paying a visit. You'll almost certainly find what you're looking for.

Mysore and more- John Mark

"Oh, and I want an article from you."
"An article?"
"Yeah, for the website."
"Oh, right, OK. What about?"
"India."
"India! Isn't that rather a large topic to try and cover?"
"Alright then. How about yoga in Mysore?"
Well, that seemed like a much more reasonable request, and one I was somewhat more qualified to attempt.

I'm now back in Mysore, for the third time, and my previous trips have been for 6 and 3 months respectively. By the end of this trip I'll have spent over a year here and will have studied with 4 different teachers (Ajay Kumar at Sthalam8, Sharath at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Patthabi Jois' shala), Venkatesh at the Atmavikasa Centre Of Yogic Sciences and Bharath Shetty at Yoga India, who's teacher training course I'm starting on Saturday).

Now, there's a lot of information online about Mysore itself, as well as the different schools and the styles they teach, and I don't just want to rehash what you can find elsewhere, so, I'm going to paint a picture of Mysore as I've seen it, warts and all (is that a siren?).

The majority of schools here teach Ashtanga Vinyasa, and if you're on this site that's probably where your interest lies, but some teachers follow their own system, or variations on systems (Venkatesh, Vinay, Bharath, Jayakumar), so you're not just limited to Ashtanga.

However, for ashtangis, Mysore is the hometown of their guru, Shri K Pattabhi Jois, and many students return year on year to study at his shala. To start this process you need to complete and return a form online, informing the Institute when you plan to study, and then turn up to complete your registration at the shala, the week before. The (in)famous electronic money counter will receive your offering, oh wise yogi. I was there for a month in 2007.

Until a few years ago, PJ taught from a small shala in Laxmipuram, and it is from this era that you see pictures of students crouched on a staircase in the dawn's semi-light, mats at the ready, but the family recently moved into a much bigger property in Gokulam to accommodate the huge numbers of students wanting to study with them. Gokulam is an affluent suburb of what is already, by Indian standards, a very wealthy city, and 'the main shala' itself certainly fits in to the area nicely. On registration you receive your 'start time', at which you must arrive to begin your practice. The shala can fit upwards of 80 students, and if you've got any issues with 'personal mat space', get over them. You may have 2" between mats, with a foot or so front to back, so garbhapindasana can be amusing during led class. Once students finish their practices, or are told to finish, they go into the changing areas to complete the finishing sequence, and the next student is called in from the entrance hall. Any of the teachers (Pattabhi, Sharath and Saraswati) may stick their heads through the large wooden doorframe and call an individual in, or the call of 'One more!' may just be heard.
This can give an interesting insight into who thinks they're where in the main shala pecking order. You may see someone simply stroll straight in to practice, seemingly without acknowledging that there may have been 10 people already waiting.
Senior student? Earlier 'start time'? Rude fucker?

Your guess is as good as mine, but I found some very strange attitudes during my short time there. For example, a 'noob' putting their mat down for led class, to be told that they needed to move as they were in 'someone's spot'. In a shala that can feel like an aircraft hanger. Hmmmm. Yoga anyone?

All first time students, no matter their experience, will practice primary, and you are stopped at whichever posture it is deemed you haven't 'mastered'. From this point on, that is the posture at which your practice will stop until you progress and are 'given' the next posture to work on.

While I was there, Sharath (Pattabhi's grandson) was taking classes, as Pattabhi was unwell, and his led classes were an eye-opener. About as tough as I can imagine any class being, with a sometimes sadistically slow count. However, he always has a twinkle in his eye, and injects some humour now and again, barking out 'No cheating!' as people start to fall apart on the 5th navasana. Excellent for making you focus on your breath and try to ignore everything else, the count included!

Anyway, a few egomaniacs aside, it's a very interesting place to practice, and while you may not get much in the way of personal attention/adjustment, practicing with that many dedicated people gave me an interesting new outlook on my practice. As I thought I was going to get stopped at marichasana d (correct), I tried to focus on each Vinyasa as well as the postures, and really lengthen my breath.

With the numbers of students around, especially at peak times, Gokulam can feel like a bit of a yoga 'scene' and rather clique. Some are open and friendly, others more guarded until they know where you practice (not at AYRI? Oh dear), but there are plenty of places to hang out, always plenty of folk around, and like minds are never too far away.

If you feel that following the lineage of Ashtanga is important, then your other option is BNS Iyengar (not to be confused with BKS), who also studied under Krishnamacharya (credited as the father of modern yoga). BNS teaches in a dusty old shala, once used by Krishnamacharya himself, and is worth a visit even if you don't end up practicing there. He's an interesting character, and teaches plenty of Indians, as well as the westerners.
Unlike the Jois' shala, which is extremely rigid in its teaching, BNS adapts and extends the series to suite his student's needs. He also believes that once the first two series have been learnt, then more time should be devoted to more spiritual practices, such as pranayama.

In early 2007, while I was practicing with Ajay Kumar in the mornings, I signed up for an afternoon back bending course with Venkatesh. It was his 2 week 'intensive' course, which was basically his month course shoehorned into 2 weeks (for more money bizarrely). On signing up for any of his courses you are given a long list of 'rules' which must be followed in and around the shala, going so far as stipulating where, and how, shoes must be left. This gives a good indication as to how he sees the student/teacher dynamic.

Venkatesh is pretty much self taught, and teaches his own style, 'atma vikasa', which has won him many national yoga titles. His website confidently states he is an 'amazingly advanced practitioner' who is now 'among the most respected and renowned yoga teachers of the world', with a 'rare expertise in back bending asanas.'
You are not to arrive too early for classes, and talking around the shala is frowned upon, but I got the impression that this was just fine with most of the students.
There were 5 of us taking the 2 week course, but for the first 2 days there were also 6 other students coming to the end of another back bending course.
We were mainly doing work on the floor, while they were using ropes and slings attached to the bars on the windows. Each group performed the exercise, as instructed by Venkatesh, and then held, while he counted. Now it certainly is intense work straight off the bat, and I was struggling as I have a tendency to overextend my lower back while not getting the stretch into the rest of the spine.

Venkatesh picked up on my 'flexible' (a very yogic euphamism for painful) lower back, but continued to instruct me as part of the group.As questioning during class is discouraged (and disagreement is 'forbidden'), I thought I'd wait until after relaxation to have a few words to see what I could do to work my back differently.However, during the relaxation, and before the finishing prayers are said, venkatesh leaves, and the class is finished by one of his 'senior students'. If you want to speak to the man you need to make an appointment, and one girl was loudly 'Shhhhhh'd' as we left the shala as she tried to make a little class-related chat.

It gave me more of a feeling of being in an ashram, and, I'd hazard a guess that many of his students are keen vipasana practitioners, but I found the experience to be completely free of joy, and Venkatesh's behaviour towards his students deliciously ironic, considering how insistent he is you respect his status as 'teacher'.
I took a day off to rest, then returned for anther class of the same, and decided to leave it at that and chalk that one down to experience. I'm quite sure if you enjoy his style, his system will work well for you. I just like my yoga to be more 'fun' and my teacher to be more accessible.

And so we come to Ajay Kumar, who I consider to be my teacher while here in Mysore, and with whom I practice daily. Ajay started practicing yoga at age 10 under the guidance of BNS Iyengar and in my eyes is close to being the perfect yoga teacher.
His knowledge is encyclopaedic, his manner is warm, friendly and open and his classes are fun and educational. He is very 'hot' on alignment and his adjustments are superb, being both sensitive and powerful whilst implanting a picture in your mind of exactly what you should be aiming for. He takes real pleasure in actively helping his students to develop their practice, and maintains a fun, positive and focused atmosphere in his shala.

Thursdays are 'vinyasa' class where bandha control and proper jump thought/back technique is practiced, as well as excellent exercises to build up appropriate strength. Brilliant, but not for the faint hearted! He runs two classes each morning (6 & 8.15am), and his shala (Sthalam8) is relatively small, fitting 12-15 students, so you're guaranteed plenty of attention. He also runs a month long teacher training course which, along with astanga theory and history, details correct entry, exit and alignment for each primary series posture, as well as his various adjustments for them.
A superb course, and highly recommended even if you have no desire to teach.

The other most popular shala here is the Mysore Mandala, where Sheshadri teaches Ashtanga. He was also a student of BNS Iyengar and is (in)famous for his extremely strong and dynamic adjustments. Again, many students love his style, but the number of injuries I have heard being caused by his seemingly insensitive adjusting would make me extremely wary of venturing into his classes.

Mysore itself is a beautiful and fairly relaxed city (for India!), with plenty of non-yoga activities to keep you busy. It's famous for its 'handycrafts', silk and sandalwood, and if you like to shop there's plenty to keep you happy. The large number of western visitors, many of who stay for extended periods, means that it is much less stressful than many parts of the sub-continent, and if ashtanga is your bag, I'd highly recommend you paying a visit. You'll almost certainly find what you're looking for.

Goa- Hong Kong by Jo
Having been asked to write about my experiences of Yoga in Goa (India),Hong Kong, and Byron bay Australia.It really made my see how different they are.Goa a beautiful beach side haven on the west coast of India offers a wide range of Yoga with many schools, too many to mention.Of course India is the birth place of Yoga so there seems nothing more natural to be studying it here.There are both traditional Indian teachers and modern western styles to choose from .The season to be in Goa is from November to April .The weather is beautiful as is the scenery ,beeches ,palm trees,coconuts,mango groves etc.So to name a few schools I know of.There is Brahmani Yoga centre in Asagao.This seems to be one of the most popular run by westerners and offering all types of drop in classes and retreats.With the added luxury of an organic vegetarian restaurant next door.Its not cheep by Indian standards but if you are coming from Europe it is very affordable. A few beeches down the coast on Mandarem beech is the Ashyana retreat centre.The Australian school Yoga Arts who I did my 9 month teacher training with run a one month teacher training here every February.Just down on the same beech is Dunes another beech side resort where they have teachers from all over holding their retreats there.I will be running a Yoga holiday there myself in January.This is being organised by a wonderful company called Yoga on a shoe string .They organise retreats and Yoga holidays all over the world. Further down the coast in Arambol known for being less touristy and more Shanti ,You can find Sharats Himalayan Iyenga school.They run intensives and teacher trainings strictly sticking to the Iyenga style of practise.He is one of the old school Indian teachers here who has been teaching for many years both in Goa and in Daramsala. Just down the road off the main street is my own Yoga shalla Premananda Yoga.Set in a beautiful garden with a smooth earth floor grass walling so it very private ,a huge mango tree at the side of it that shades 2/3 of the garden the other 1/3 shaded by cloth..We run daily classes morning and evening including pranayama,meditation and different styles of asana to suite all types of student.Affordable to everyone at 100rps an hour. Moving on to Hong Kong,well the boom for yoga here is quite incredible,The company I work for is called Pure and in the 5 years since they opened they have grown to be the largest Yoga group in the world.In Hong Kong alone they have 5 large studios.As a full member of Pure you could literally take classes from 7am -10.30pm weekdays and 7-6 weekends.There are so many different styles to go to and great teachers from all around the world.It has been very exciting to be a part of it.There are quite a few other Yoga company's here in HK making it the epicentre of modern Yoga. Moving around the globe to Byron Bay Australia.This is where I did my 9 month teacher training with Yoga Arts.It is another beautiful beech side location in the subtropics of northern New South Wales.There are many Yoga schools here offering many styles of drop in classes ,retreats and Teacher trainings.I wanted to stay there and teach but it was really like trying to take coals to Newcastle in that every other person you meet is a Yoga teacher,So I moved up the coast to Brisbane the nearest city and found work there teaching at different sports clubs and health centres. Its been wonderful practising,teaching and studying in all these places with the different energy and styles.It's so beautiful to see how many people want to open themselves to the Devine with this wonderful science of Yoga. Best wishes to you all on your journey maybe see you on the mat some time feel free to contact me for any more information at jomcflow@yahoo.co.uk Ohm Shanti Jo

Goa- Hong Kong by Jo

Having been asked to write about my experiences of Yoga in Goa (India),Hong Kong, and Byron bay Australia.It really made my see how different they are.Goa a beautiful beach side haven on the west coast of India offers a wide range of Yoga with many schools, too many to mention.Of course India is the birth place of Yoga so there seems nothing more natural to be studying it here.There are both traditional Indian teachers and modern western styles to choose from .The season to be in Goa is from November to April .The weather is beautiful as is the scenery ,beeches ,palm trees,coconuts,mango groves etc.So to name a few schools I know of.There is Brahmani Yoga centre in Asagao.This seems to be one of the most popular run by westerners and offering all types of drop in classes and retreats.With the added luxury of an organic vegetarian restaurant next door.Its not cheep by Indian standards but if you
are coming from Europe it is very affordable.
A few beeches down the coast on Mandarem beech is the Ashyana retreat centre.The Australian school Yoga Arts who I did my 9 month teacher training with run a one month teacher training here every February.Just down on the same beech is Dunes another beech side resort where they have teachers from all over holding their retreats there.I will be running a Yoga holiday there myself in January.This is being organised by a wonderful company called Yoga on a shoe string .They organise retreats and Yoga holidays all over the world.
Further down the coast in Arambol known for being less touristy and more Shanti ,You can find Sharats Himalayan Iyenga school.They run intensives and teacher trainings strictly sticking to the Iyenga style of practise.He is one of the old school Indian teachers here who has been teaching for many years both in Goa and in Daramsala.
Just down the road off the main street is my own Yoga shalla Premananda Yoga.Set in a beautiful garden with a smooth earth floor grass walling so it very private ,a huge mango tree at the side of it that shades 2/3 of the garden the other 1/3 shaded by cloth..We run daily classes morning and evening including pranayama,meditation and different styles of asana to suite all types of student.Affordable to everyone at 100rps an hour.
Moving on to Hong Kong,well the boom for yoga here is quite incredible,The company I work for is called Pure and in the 5 years since they opened they have grown to be the largest Yoga group in the world.In Hong Kong alone they have 5 large studios.As a full member of Pure you could literally take classes from 7am -10.30pm weekdays and 7-6 weekends.There are so many different styles to go to and great teachers from all around the world.It has been very exciting to be a part of it.There are quite a few other Yoga company's here in HK making it the epicentre of modern Yoga.
Moving around the globe to Byron Bay Australia.This is where I did my 9 month teacher training with Yoga Arts.It is another beautiful beech side location in the subtropics of northern New South Wales.There are many Yoga schools here offering many styles of drop in classes ,retreats and Teacher trainings.I wanted to stay there and teach but it was really like trying to take coals to Newcastle in that every other person you meet is a Yoga teacher,So I moved up the coast to Brisbane the nearest city and found work there teaching at different sports clubs and health centres.
Its been wonderful practising,teaching and studying in all these places with the different energy and styles.It's so beautiful to see how many people want to open themselves to the Devine with this wonderful science of Yoga.
Best wishes to you all on your journey maybe see you on the mat some time feel free to contact me for any more information at jomcflow@yahoo.co.uk
Ohm Shanti
Jo