Many years ago I came across an intriguing quote from the great woman saint of India, Ananda Moyi Ma. Commenting on Hatha Yoga, she described it as “doing by force.” At first I was quite taken aback, and definitely puzzled. Her description seemed to have very little to do with what I had presumed about Hatha Yoga — especially from the perspective … Read More
Recently while I was talking with Gyandev McCord, the Director of Ananda Yoga Worldwide, we came upon the question, “What will be the next big trend in yoga in the West?” Without hesitation, Gyandev looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Surely meditation is involved. It’s even starting to follow yoga into the corporate world. I … Read More
First, I’ll discuss some factors that should influence which warm-ups you choose, and how many you do. Time of Year Different seasons of the year have different effects on us. Let’s look, for example, at the choice of a pranayama technique for your initial centering. In the summer-time you might want to focus more on cooling pranayamas, such as sitali … Read More
How can a yoga teacher help overweight students feel safe and accepted? How can he or she help overweight students to adapt an asana if needed, and still maintain good alignment and safety? This guide is unique. Written for yoga teachers, but also useful for overweight students of yoga, it can help you find the answers to these questions. Please … Read More
From the Kay Erdwinn’s Post Teaching Yoga for Round Bodies Downward-Facing Dog is hard for most beginners no matter what their size. Because of having greater weight, the fat student may prefer a wider stance in both hands and feet for better balance. The dolphin variation, where the forearms, not the hands, bear weight, can be used if the person … Read More
Question: We’ve been told not to stretch ligaments, lest we compromise their vital skeletal support function. Haven’t you said that sometimes it is desirable to stretch them? Craig: This is tricky. We have to remember that as flexibility increases, stability decreases — the two are in a direct inverse relationship. Over-stretching and creating a joint that moves too much — … Read More
Over the past few years, I’ve seen remarkable growth in the number of people who practice and teach Ananda Yoga®. It’s truly wonderful to see so many people taking to Ananda Yoga with such enthusiasm. Why has this happened? Certainly the “yoga boom” is one big reason. With hatha yoga nearly everywhere — gyms, churches, businesses, hospitals, the media — … Read More
I had no students for the first week I taught at the studio I rented, so I would teach myself a class. I felt the Masters supporting me, and their presence was so strong that I felt I was right where I needed to be. I also felt I was being tested a little, as in, “Let’s see how dedicated … Read More
(This article is mentioned in Susan Brochin’s “Teaching Yoga in a Public School.”) The way I got started at the yoga club was when my mom started taking yoga classes. As soon as I told her that there was one at school, she started encouraging me to go. Finally, after about two or three weeks of her encouraging me, I had … Read More
From the Kay Erdwinn’s Post Teaching Yoga for Round Bodies This asana is usually not harder for fat people than for anyone else. However, there are a couple of items to keep in mind. One, usually the hardest part of the asana is lying prone with the head on the ground. It’s hard for a fat person to breathe that … Read More
