Kate Taylor's Yoga Site

I have decided that I need to get back on my proverbial horse and start writing again. I have been home for over a month now and while my practice has been pretty good since I left Mysore, I have not been able to bring myself to sit down and write my blog. Not sure what is so different here but I have decided that I need to get over it.

This past weekend, Andrea Boyd came down from her studio in Charleston to teach a Jivamukti workshop at the Savannah Yoga Center. The workshop started with Andrea gathering the students around to chant some of the sutras and talk about "What is Yoga". So...what is Yoga, you may wonder? She talked about the varied definitions from "union" to "yoking", but her real message was that it is about "connection". Connection with each other and everything else on the planet. Connection of breath and movement. Connection with the true Self. At one point during the class she had the tightly packed in students reach their arms out to the side. Since there were so many of us, we were mat to mat and had no choice but to touch each other and connect as we stretched forward into one of the poses.

After the discussion she played the harmonium and led us in chanting a few sutras (yes, the same yoga sutras that I had been writing about in India). The way it works is that she explains what a single sutra means and then she leads the group in a call and response repetition of the sanskrit for a few rounds. She also led us in my favorite mantra - Lokha Samastah Sukhino Bhanvantu. I get really bummed out when a group does not chant with the teacher so I was happy to hear everybody really getting into it. I think the harmonium helps too. If you don't know what a harmonium is, here is a picture of Jennifer playing hers in India:

After the chanting we began the asana practice - which was also great! The sequence was very similar to Ashtanga in places but added a few creative touches and harder balancing poses than do in the primary series. Jivamukti also incorporates music into the asana pactice so that was fun and really got the class moving.

I loved the whole experience and find that the Jivamukti approach is a nice balance to the austerity of my regular Ashtanga practice. Sometimes it's nice to talk about the sutras and chant! I'm hoping to be able to go up to Charleston on occasion to give my practice a little boost when I get into a rut.