EVERYTHING IS CHANGE: SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWS

Logistics for Friday, October 20: they are re-doing the floors on the first floor, and so the building entrance on Hoyt Street, the bike locker-room, and the downstairs common room will be closed.

You will have to enter the studio on 13th, through the lobby where Barista coffeeshop is located. If you do not or cannot get to your mat, I will provide a loaner. Here's Barista on Google Map.

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Swenson in September! The David Swenson workshop in September was incredible. I am standoffish about yoga workshops, by virtue of attending dozens, and yet I found David inspiring and revelatory, on many levels.

He taught and cued physical postures with a spare economy of words, and introduced maximally useful variations that belied decades of practice, and made it apparent that he has taught hundreds, if not thousands, of people. 

He was also genuinely enthusiastic and passionate about yoga, and Ashtanga specifically. It was contagious. This is a guy whose internal joy radiated outward.

Finally, he was so clearly inspired by and loving toward Pattabhi Jois. Stories, jokes, and anecdotes about Guruji informed and influenced almost every aspect of his teaching.

I've written many times before that, as the workshop host, I often get very rewarding moments during the car rides to and from the studio, as well as during the dinners and the coffees between sessions.

What struck me about David was that "off-stage" he was exactly the person he was "on-stage" during the workshop, just toned down a few notches. He was not adopting a different persona --- he was just as enthusiastic, positive, warm and welcoming.

It was also great to talk about and catch up on our mutual friends in the Ashtanga community, many of whom span the globe. If you practice Ashtanga, you are part of a community, and David really brought that point ---we're part of a community that spans 40 years and the globe.

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The Annual Holiday Member Sale will run December 1–15 --- unlimited yoga, plus free mat storage at the studio, yours for the princely sum of $1,499 ... Cash or check only. Save $120!

If I'm yet again writing about the Annual Member Sale, that means the Portland Ashtanga Yoga anniversary is around the corner --- as of January, I've offered daily morning Mysore under that name for the last eight years, and for 11 years total in Portland.

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Give your friends, family, co-workers, and arch-nemesis the gift of Ashtanga Yoga! They might just fall in love with Ashtanga; at the very least they'll walk out with their own Ashtanga Yoga practice, as well as respect and understanding for what you do every morning. This promotion is good for $29 off the Intro, taking it to $120 from $149. The Intro to Ashtanga Yoga series is 6 classes over 2 weeks, generally 6:30–7:15 a.m. They can enroll at this link--- enter the code: strong&flexible

If you don't have an arch-nemesis, find one. 

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Led or guided Ashtanga classes are such a powerful experience --- they improve your pacing and focus, they offer relief from the routine of a Mysore practice, and you can take practice as a collective. We'll hold a three-class trial run of the 6-7:30 a.m. time slot. There is no Mysore class following, and all levels are welcome. Free for current members, drop-in fee for visitors.

"Last Friday" Led Primary upcoming dates:
October 27
November 24 (the day after Thanksgiving!)
December 29

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Have you noticed that sometimes the moon days don't line up with your calendar? I got this explanation from JoisYoga.com:

Why do Jois Moon Days Sometimes Seem a Day Early?
We use an Indian astrology system of calculation (rather than a simple astronomy calculation). In this system, it is the period of time prior to the point the moon becomes exactly new/full that is considered the ‘moon day’ (called a tithi in Indian Astrology). Furthermore, in this system, the day is considered to begin at sunrise rather than mid-night.

Our moon days come from the following online source: www.mypanchang.com.

Further explanation: In India, where yoga comes from, the term ‘moon day’ is a loose translation of the Sanskrit term ‘tithi,’ and would be more accurately translated as ‘lunar phase’ rather than ‘moon day.’ Each tithi is the time period it takes for the the moon to traverse 12 degrees in the sky, thus making 30 tithis (or lunar phases) per lunar cycle. These tithis begin at varying times of day, and actually vary in duration from approximately 19 to 26 hours. What loosely gets termed the full and new ‘moon days’ – from our teacher’s (Sharath Jois’) perspective – are actually the 15th and the 30th tithis of this Indian Astrology (Jyotish) system.

LINK: http://joisyoga.com/practice/moon-days/

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