The Recent History of the Living Yoga Tradition

Whilst in India, I was struck with how the cultural heritage and history of yoga and the lineage of yoga teaching is placed in high esteem amongst those teaching and practising yoga there.  This inspired me to write the following article, which aims to explain where the yoga we practice in the west largely comes

Slippery slope

Today I experienced a castor oil ‘bath’ (it’s actually more like a massage, just with a LOT of oil), which is a traditional weekly Ayurvedic home remedy often used by ashtanga yoga practitioners. Pattabhi Jois used to recommend that students have one every Saturday (the weekly rest day), the reason being that, as well as relieving

Institutionalised yoga?

I found out yesterday that I hadn’t got in to study at the Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPAYI) in February next year and, since I applied, I’ve found out that obtaining a place is as fraught and nigh impossible as getting hold of Glasto tickets… For those that don’t know, Pattabhi Jois is the

Mysore the social leveller

Just back from a great session of Mysore-style self-practice at my local yoga studio (the wonderful Stonemonkey) after a bit of time away from group classes and I was musing about why I love the Mysore approach so much. For those who don’t know, ashtanga yoga originated in the city of Mysore in India, and was