Closed for the Holidays

Yay, Narin and I are taking a week off. All Life is Yoga will be closed from Dec. 24th-Jan 1st. Thank you for being a part of this sweet community. 2016 is an important year and I'm super excited for it's beautiful unfoldment.

Happy New Year!

Words Came Down in Torrents

Infinity put on a finite soul,All ocean lived within a wandering drop, A time-made body housed the Illimitable. To live this Mystery out our souls came here. - Savitri , Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo describes the writing of Savitri as words came down in torrents.  When his scribe was asked how he kept up with 724 pages of poetry coming down so quickly, the scribe explained that one word was expressed every few minutes. What felt like streams of intense energy flowing through Sri Aurobindo was apparently not so in real time.

I love this story. Unobstructed inspiration and beauty came through Sri Aurobindo. He is one of the greatest poets, yogis, activists, philosophers and saints this world has had the blessing to know. India's Independence Day was gifted to Sri Aurobindo on his birthday, August 15th. Purna Yoga is Sri Aurobindo's Yoga. He left his body in 1950 and his work is still ahead of it's time. I hope our consciousness catches up with his vision soon...

Don't Have a Cow

In the Yoga Sutras, Patajali explains that the underlying obstacle to our progress in yoga is Avidya – Ignorance. There are many different forms of ignorance.  One of them being the ignorance that leads to mistaking pleasure and pain.  What we consider pleasure may very well be causing pain and vice versa. For instance, you choose to eat a beautiful, big, red apple. It’s crispy, it’s juicy, it’s delicious!  You’re proud.  You’ve done something healthy for yourself. You’ve chosen fruit over Twizzlers as your snack. However, your apple is not organic, it has wax on it, was produced with herbicides and pesticides from a factory in China.  It’s actually causing your body harm.  The pleasure you received eating it veils the inherent pain during assimilation.  Because we may be ignorant of food production and lack the sensitivity to recognize how toxins feel in our body, we experience suffering.

Conversely, you come to my yoga class and complain about how painful Gomukhasana is.  How much it hurts your shoulders, how you dread doing it.  What you experience as pain is really the body freeing tension, releasing old energy.  Underneath the surface sensation of pain, the body is feeling pleasure, joy and new sense of mobility in the shoulders.  In our ignorance, we label bliss as pain.

The practice of yoga cultivates discernment, hopefully, if that is the intention (we can just as easily cultivate more ignorance while doing yoga if there is no clarity behind our actions). We learn to distinguish what is real from unreal, Self from non-Self, permanent from impermanent and pleasure from pain.  The surface senses can be deceptive and to follow them is to be guided by five wild horses without a charioteer.  They will lead you astray.  The work in yoga is to tame the senses and listen for inner truth. Then, act on that truth.

Today’s take away: eat local, organic food, know your farmers, never, ever complain and do more yoga (Purna Yoga that is).

Gomukhasana – Cow Face Pose 

1. Move the upper arm shoulder blade away from the spine, up and into the body. 2. Move the bottom arm shoulder blade towards the spine, down and into the body. 3. Lift the pit of the abdomen and sternum 4. Exhale into the resistance, smile and then change sides

Practice with intelligence, practice often

**If your hands do not clasp, use a belt.  The tension between the two arms is what helps create the opening. Props are not a crutch.  Performance vs. efficacy.

Some people grumble that roses have thorns...

...I am thankful that thorns have roses.  -A. Karr

This is the first full fall I’ve spent in Atlanta since I moved back 4 ½ years ago.  Every year I anticipate being in Chicago for September, Washington in October, Florida and North Carolina in November studying or assisting with Aadil. I’m so grateful to have those opportunities to learn from my teacher and I’m so glad to have this time instead decided to stay home, transition the business and enjoy the season.

The studio reached 95% of its goal for rentals this month, four weeks after making the decision to change the structure of the business!! Not bad, huh? I am very thankful for all the support - the emails, phone calls, flowers, cards, fruit baskets, gifts, love notes, hugs (lots of hugs) and thank you, Rusty, for beautifying our front entrance.  I’m especially grateful to Helme and Narin, who have been insightful, generous sounding boards through the process. Thank you!

How Teachable are You?

Requirements for the progress of a student of yoga (and life):

1. The urge to grow (Sincerity)
2. The willingness to change (Humility)
3. Appropriate and truthful guidance (Discernment)
4. Consistent effort (Integrity)
5. Patience (Detachment and Serenity)

Ayurvedic Turmeric Drink Recipe

Turmeric Drink:

• 1 cup organic cow, goat, soy, nut or rice milk
• 1 teaspoon organic turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon organic cardamon powder
• 1 finely crushed pepper corn (piperine helps the body assimilate curcumin, which is the healing agent in turmeric)
• pinch of saffron, crushed
• 1 teaspoon honey (unpasteurized, unheated, unprocessed)--optional

1. Bring to boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently (heat activates the turmeric). Remove from heat until drinkable and then add honey (if using)

*remember to never heat honey or it becomes toxic

NOTE: Turmeric helps with inflammation and reduces scar tissue in the brain. Turmeric reduces Alzheimer's. When toxins build up in the brain, it begins to scar and connections and synapses begin to fail and no longer link.

Swing Like Duke Ellington

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana to Adho Mukha Svanasana

Next to being upside down, backbends are the greatest boon in the physical practice of yoga.  They are energizing, improve posture, stretch lung tissue, thereby increasing breath capacity, they move you out of the past and into the now and cultivate joy! Here is a quick video to teach you the essential actions for efficacy and safety when practicing at home. Practice with intelligence, practice often.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfDUi9dJtG0[/embed]

Studio's New Direction

You may have noticed that the studio schedule has significantly changed. I have removed most of the classes on the schedule. Canceling the majority of the classes was a precipitous move on my part. I acknowledge the potential for upset. My intention was not to create disarray and chaos and I realize that may have been one result. I apologize if that has been the case for you. What I have learned about myself is that I do not enjoy running a yoga studio. I love teaching yoga. Love it! And will continue to do so. Running this business is not fulfilling me. In fact, it is blocking me from a deeper pursuit of my life dreams.

I've been considering this for at least a year now. The last several months have been very difficult. I'm run down, wound up and not very pleasant to be around these days.

One reason this decision has been difficult is that I care so much about all the students and this community. It is important to me to hold a space for Purna Yoga in Atlanta.

Here is the new direction for the Studio:

Narin and I will continue to teach our classes on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition, I will be leasing studio time out to other yoga instructors, dancers, Pilates instructors, meditation circles, acting teachers, photographers, etc. I will also have space in the back room for massage, Thai Yoga and Reiki therapists.

This allows me to continue doing what I love doing. Also, this allows you to continue taking these exceptional classes. In addition, it is an economically sustainable model for me as a business owner.

I'm excited about this new direction. I appreciate your support and patience.

Click here to learn more about studio rental.

Practice with Intelligence, Practice Often.

I'm pretty sure this is how the sages did it. Go to the woods and hug a tree. These next few weeks are the most stunning time of year in Georgia.

The purpose of standing postures is to strengthen your legs. Develop the quality of Earth in them. The stronger your legs, the more fluid the spine and the more calm the nervous system. Here's some simple instructions to get started with a grounding and energizing standing posture.

Parivrrtta Hasta Padangusthasana 1. Exhaling, root the four corners of your foot and the bones of your leg towards the ground. 2. Inhaling, recoil the arch, contract your quadriceps and lift the pit of the abdomen. 3. Exhaling, twist your spine. 4. Inhaling, smile in your heart! 5. Repeat.

Do the Math: Good Health is a Triple Equilibrium

by Rutu Chaudhari

When it comes to health, as the Mother says, "the combinations are innumerable." The mental, vital and physical conditions must all be addressed because what shows up on the surface as an ailment is always an indication of a much deeper discord.

Yoga is an exploration, discovery and fulfillment of your dharma, your true purpose. That’s why I do yoga. I want to live authentically. That’s why I teach yoga. Imagine a community of people that are all doing what they love, sharing their art in the world, resonating gratitude and being of value - whose yoga practice serves to increases their productivity rather than act as a means to release the stress of a life without purpose.

Sure, it starts with unwinding the perceived stress we carry. We have stress because we ignore and numb the inner voice of truth, and when we ignore long enough, “problems” start to arise. What manifests on the surface as pain, injury or disease is the psychic expressing, through the many different sheaths of our being: the mental, vital and ultimately, the physical, this is not why you were born. Find yourself! That inner voice of purpose doesn’t go away and thank god it doesn’t! The soul’s voice is soft and strong, guiding us towards a life of joy.  We just have to get quiet enough to listen and courageous enough to act on the truth we hear.

I’m ok with you coming to the studio to stretch your hamstrings, but this is not a gymnastics class.  If you’re interested in true yoga, you’re invested in living your dharma.  All life is yoga!

Rutu Chaudhari is a certified Purna Yoga teacher who holds a 2,000-hour certification. Rutu assists teacher trainings, yoga workshops and conferences with Aadil Palkhivala.  She is the Director of the College of Purna Yoga in Atlanta and conducts teacher trainings at her thriving studio, All Life is Yoga.

Rutu is a shining example of the discipline and love for yoga. She sincerely lives her yoga and her radiance and light shine from the inside out. Rutu offers an abounding knowledge of alignment and anatomy, meditation, practical application of yogic philosophy and nutrition and lifestyle from Ayurveda, Chinese and Western traditions. She is also a leading teacher of yoga therapeutics.

To subscribe to this blog so that you receive all future updates, please see the link on the right side of this page.

The Laws of Successful Business According to The Mother

by Rutu Chaudhari

As many of you know, the studio is going through some changes and the past several months have been challenging. I've done some serious soul-searching and made some hard decisions. When I first opened the studio, I read information The Mother wrote about business and management. I didn't entirely understand what she was talking about then. Now, four years into running a studio, it feels like lightbulbs are going off.

As with all of The Mother's writing, I will read this a year from now, ten years from now, and it will mean something very different than it does in this moment. Truth evolves as you do, and I'm so grateful for that and I'm grateful for this community. I can be candid and vulnerable and I feel supported.

1. Master Your Nature 2. Remember that the purpose of business is to increase splendor. 3. Reflect deeply on what you are creating in business and why you are creating it.  4. Strategize (maneuver your company through external forces) as a short-term approach to business. 5. Re-engineer(balance the internal forces of the company through alignment with external forces) as a mid-term approach to business. 6. Individualize (enhance the growth and welfare of the individual) as a long-term approach to business. 7. Focus on the long-term as well as the short-term. 8. Treat all with whom you interact as part of yourself and seek the best for all involved parties. 9. Seek beneath the surface to discover what humanity needs to grow. 10. Take time in introspection and receptive silence. 11. Coordinate around a central theme. 12. Know your customer directly.

"Progress lies in a normal but progressive equilibrium, periods of assimilation - reception, assimilation - and periods of expenditure, and knowing how to balance the two, and alternate them in a rhythm which is your personal one." - The Mother

Who Do You Listen to? Finding My Yoga Teacher Part III

by Rutu Chaudhari

Who do you listen to? Have you ever asked yourself that? Because the teachers/mentors/coaches you listen to effect how you progress in your craft.

We are influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, especially those we call teachers. I think it is one of the most important questions a student asks his/herself. How do I know that the person I am listening to is an appropriate guide for me? What qualities matter to me in the person I seek teachings from? Two qualities are worth consideration:

 1. Listen to people who have what you want.

 This one seems like a no brainer. If I want to be a great yoga teacher, obviously I want to study with the top teachers in the field. So what does a great teacher have that I want? When I first began studying with Aadil, his knowledge base is what struck me. It satisfied my mind so completely. He is brilliant. Along with a deep understanding of the yogic practices, anatomy and philosophy, he’s studied law, physics, naturopathy, Ayurveda, operatic singing, flower arrangement, he’s a lover of poetry, he’s a public speaker…There are many surface reasons that one would want to study with Aadil. He appeases the insatiable need of the mind to gather new information. That turned into an understanding that a good teacher is always learning, always studying.

As long as I’ve known Aadil, he is seeking out the best teachers in the field he is studying at the time. He always has mentors and he’s always a student. I’ve met teachers who stop studying after they receive their 200 hour certification, so it’s refreshing to work with someone that has that urge and willingness to a grow as a constant aspiration 35 years into teaching.

And that leads me to what this quality suggests. Integrity. If you want to be a good teacher, you must be a good student. Integrity. This has always been very important to me. I aspire for integrity in my teaching and life.

What is integrity?

Aadil describes integrity as alignment-an "alignment of my thoughts and beliefs with my words and actions." As a teacher it means that I only teach what I practice. And at our studio we teach that ‘all life is yoga’. To have integrity in yoga is to have integrity in life, in everything. This sort of alignment is the essence of why I do yoga. To be sincere, to be authentic is the aim of yoga. Fortunately I have teachers to support me along the way. Learning from teachers that have what you want only accelerates the process. It’s the fastest way to evolve.

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Check back soon for the next chapter of Rutu's journey.

Rutu Chaudhari is a certified Purna Yoga teacher who holds a 2,000-hour certification. Rutu assists teacher trainings, yoga workshops and conferences with Aadil Palkhivala.  She is the Director of the College of Purna Yoga in Atlanta and conducts teacher trainings at her thriving studio, All Life is Yoga.

Rutu is a shining example of the discipline and love for yoga. She sincerely lives her yoga and her radiance and light shine from the inside out. Rutu offers an abounding knowledge of alignment and anatomy, meditation, practical application of yogic philosophy and nutrition and lifestyle from Ayurveda, Chinese and Western traditions. She is also a leading teacher of yoga therapeutics.

To subscribe to this blog so that you receive all future updates, please see the link on the right side of this page.