The vinyasa count is originally an integral part of our practice and is a great tool to harness awareness to the present moment experience. Oftentimes practitioners find it daunting to learn it. I'd say, give it a go really (see my recommendations for starting below) applying the count changes your practice experience and presence with each in-and-exhale, provides a more spacious and fully embodied awareness of and absorption with the "now" and a visceral understanding of the cyclical nature of all things, and that the process of in and out is just as important as being "there".

A little interlude:
In this fast-paced high tech world where we find ourselves oftentimes cognitively overloaded with the top 5 things on this or that (on our news feeds) - next to the newest superfood to eat to prevent signs of ageing like wrinkles (what's wrong with ageing and wrinkles, I think it's great to be able to get older! Thumbs up for every birthday we can experience and every wrinkle of experience lived!!) and how we should look and be to be accepted by others. Most of us are easily sold on obtaining certain external (beauty) standards as collectively most of us don't feel worthy  of connectivity, and feel we are only worthy of connection conditionally, when we attained something, e.g. a certain beauty standard, or job, or even relationship -  rather than granting ourselves the greatest freedom there is, to be ourselves and feel worthy from within - short side note: Yoga will help you much with your feelings of self-worth! :)
Uhm - where was I ??? Vinyasa count!  The vinyasa count symbolized that there is nothing to obtain. Everything is cyclical in nature, and how we enter and exit, how we get into and out of situations  / interactions / poses.... bringing awareness to the process of transitions (entry - there - exit) can really be something magic and unraveling.

The mat is a true playground for us to explore how we enter and exit situations, joyful ones (your favourite pose), scary ones (bhujapidasana anyone in their first couple months?), ambivalent ones. In our practice, we can choose to being present in those transitions, and explore what qualities are brought out in us when we try to be really there with every in-and exhale.

The ashtanga vinyasa system invites us to use its inherent vinyasa count, thereby focusing the mind on each part of getting in and out of the state of the asana (when we hold the asana for about 5 breaths) instead of letting our mind entertain us with thoughts about the last asana, or what happened last night  (past) or may be what is still to come in the practice (or what to make for breakfast) (projecting in the future) - or whatever stories our mind wants to tell us.

Learning the asana count really opened a new dimension for practice for me, it is great tool to harness my mind in the present moment, while also helping me understand viscerally that everything is interconnected and cyclical, coming and going; something is created - expressed and then ceases again, then something new is created... On the practice gournd itself, every asana starts and finishes in samasthitih (while we move around our center, expand and retract, in-and exhale).  

The vinyasa count also is a means of pitch and rhythm in practice which parallels a manta, while linking breath, movement and mudra. A moving mala.
 
Gregor Maehle described vinyasa as this:
“Sequential movement that interlinks postures to form a continuous flow. It creates a movement meditation that reveals all forms as being impermanent and for this reason are not held on to.” 

In a nutshell the vinyasa count:

• Increases focus and present-moment awareness
• Facilitates meditative state
• Deeper understanding of asana
• Clear structure provides creativity and space within the structure

About two years ago we had our last vinyasa count workshop, I'd really like us to study it more and pick it up and make it part of practice. Hereby I wanted to come back to the vinyasa count as I find it a most wonderful tool for harnessing concentration on the present moment in practice (which trains the mind and makes it easier for the mind to find present moment focus outside of practice). To study it, like in the Mysore style, don't overwhelm yourself, take baby steps. Below is a video of me in Surya Namaskara A with the vinyasa count at each position (note that I don't stay in downdog for 5 breaths here. Also note, I made this video last April, and yes, I find it daunting to post videos of me, but hey: maybe it can help you understand the count!)

Familiarize yourself first with the count to 9, this will get your through Suryanamaskara A (see video) - practice this for one week whenever you practice your surya namaskara A - after one day you most likely have it!

Then familiarize yourself with the count to 17, will get you through Suryanamaskara B (I may post another video, lets see how I recover from this one) ​

In our practice, whenever I teach you a new asana I convey it in the count during class but I feel that oftentimes this integral aspect of the practice still gets lost in transmission.  So hereby I'd like to stimulate you to bring your awareness to this gem of mind harnessing.

Any comments / feedback are appreciated here or in class.

In the last weeks I was in India practicing under the guidance of the wonderful teacher Sharmila Desai in her beautiful and earthy shala Ashtanga Yoga Morjim. Taking this time, stepping out from daily responsibilities, not having plans for the day besides practice in the morning (the only similarity to my normal life, although I mostly practice alone at home), the calm and peaceful guidance of Sharmila, the healing power of all other practitioners breathing next to me, the sounds of abundant nature around, swimming in the Arabian Sea...was utterly sourcing and insightful for me: it allowed me to just be while not trying to be anywhere in particular - there was much time and space to let things unfold and to see a lot about the practice, and how much it has given to me and those around me.

One day after practice I came to reflect on how much has changed for the better in my life since I had started with this practice many years ago and how grateful I am for this practice and that I took and take it serious - this practice truly does transform and there is something to "tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam' - knowing / seeing your true nature.

In my past I was much driven to achieve outward goals and outward success leading to many titles and hard-to-achieve-trophies, I also could be found at any event and party (I know...if you didn't know me then this really does seem like I am writing about someone else....), didn't want to miss a thing and wanted to know (and liked by) everybody. I was pretty much all out there and my worst critic, I pushed my body and mind to perform at high stakes, analyze and rationalize (no pain no gain was something I ascribed too) while I had a rather poor relationship and understanding with and of myself and my true needs.

Lastly, not to forget, the observation of newcomers how powerful it is to learn the practice at one's own capacity and breath, all under one-on-one guidance with a teacher, herein really working together with a teacher. In our practice one learns the practice, step by step, with one-on-one guidance from a teacher while others do their practice in the same space.

One starts with the very basics....and slowly slowly practice reaches deeper levels and although still receiving guidance from the teacher, the practitioner also learns to be independent of the teacher. This requires a basic willingness to learn and be present rather than following a script and be led. It requires that the practitioner is doing her/his work, it makes the practitioner an agent rather than a follower.

This is very very powerful. We all have different bodies, minds, histories and needs - with a one fits all approach (which can be ascribed to frontal teaching, aka: led class) it's (more) difficult to scratch below the surface, cannot attend/start to understand their personal needs and really come to harness self-knowledge that comes from learning the tools and applying them yourself.  Everyone has a unique path, the same tools don't work for every path and may need to be adapted according;y.

Thus, the relationship between practitioner and student and the working together is very important for the process of yoga, to come to self-understanding and self-knowledge.  In some yoga studios (notice also how I call them studios and not schools) teachers don't even know the names of their students, the student's history (of possible illness and or injury), in most yoga studios there are 24/7 classes where different teachers teach their (led) classes and students attend to different classes / teachers ... so there is no way to really establish a student - teacher relationship, to know the students' needs. I am not saying that these classes are not beneficial, but it is inherently a very different way of teaching, being and learning. In our practice it is utmost important to see the person in front of us and to teach to the unique needs (and not to the ego) to who is in-front of us, this requires commitment of practitioners and teacher, of the practitioner to show up regularly and to do the work and of the teacher to be fully there with the practitioner and serve them as best as possible.

In modern society with all our convenient technologies, with our high standards of living and often-times exorbitant expectations on ourselves and the world around us, in this society where it is made easy for us to merely consume good and experiences and be out there with all senses, in this modern world it is utterly beneficial and powerful to take a little time every day to be and serve ourselves in the most basic yet powerful way. To be with our breath and listen inwards.

I often hear people say but how can I practice if I am restless or not calm already?
To start to practice one doesn't need to be in any particular way, one doesn't have to be calm, strong, flexible or young.
To start one simply has to make the choice to give some time back to oneself, to make that a frequent priority regardless of how one feels...
and the rest will come.

Most people start practice with an underlying sense of something in life being unfulfilled / some sort of disbalance / some sort of seeking for meaning and peace.
​
No one ever started practice feeling all zen.

A healthy and joyful new year to all.  May this year be filled with all the treasures of the heart you may wish for.

I will write more about my wonderful experience in Sharmila's shala soon. Yes, I highly recommend practice there. Sharmila is a wonderful teacher and cares, she allows you to just be you, and the school and her teaching reflect that all is already inside and complete.

In the past weeks we made our way through the names of the fundamental asanas! So... now it's time to get to the names of the primary series. Today we will start with the name of the first asana of the primary series. Excited? Alright! Here we go!  

HUZZAH!

All these words have popped up before in the fundamental asanas. I am sure you can actually puzzle this together yourself  - I believe in you!

Thus, before checking out the name.... go back to the fundamental asana names, I am sure you can easily puzzle this one together then! For checking whether you got it right, you can then (not before) scroll down below the photos.

Demonstrated above very purry and graciously, with correct drsti ;) -  Nick the Cat - as featured by this amazing calendar (and resource)   -and below  me at home practice.

What do you think about Nick? 
​I think he's got it all figured out!

Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

Utthita = extended
Hasta = hand
Padangustha = big toe
Asana = pose

2017 is approaching its last beautiful moments. What a year it has been already, also for us at the school! I love stepping into our space, every time. It's a pleasure to share practice with you - in fact you share practice with me!

This year has been special in many ways. I want to thank all of you for showing up for practice, for yourself.  It means a lot for me to witness - this unfolding. It warms my heart to see many of you roll out your mats, some of you daily, and some of you sometimes even just for the 25 minutes you have to then go about your day, or after your work-day.
It makes my heart smile to observe faces and hearts softening over time, witnessing you finding more steadiness and space within yourself (on and off the mat). Yes yes, we practice on the mat, but it's what this practice offers us outside the mat where the true magic resides and the effects of practice show most deeply. 
Who cares how far forward you can fold, or whether you can balance on your hands. A better approach to gauge progress in practice is by you coming to honor your inner compass, by you getting unstuck from not so beneficial patterns and repatterning to more life-supporting ones, you celebrating your own pace and learning to trust your very own stride. And what amazing strides you all have! (really!) 

Our school enjoys much good prana and would not be the same without each of you. My sincere thanks!
Highlights of this past year also include our annual school trip to Marcell's school to attend Susanna's study there in September (heads up & save the date: my teacher Susanna will come to us in Groningen (YES!) and teach us April 14 & 15 - a small shoutout is here already)! We also much enjoyed guest teachers offering special ashtanga studies for us again this year: Marcell from Bremen in April and Annette visiting us from Portugal just about a week ago.  

It is also very special to notice that more and more of you have been getting curious about our chanting and the philosophy of yoga! 

And of course, the culinary (often sweet) delights you share with each other (and me) after your practice. No doubt we could easily put together a 5 star vegan cookbook. May be a project for another year?  For now, we are still onto your  ashtanga stories through Rob and me interviewing you! You can already read about Luise and Toivo. Anne will be interviewed next! (If you haven't previously already signed up to participate in this project, you can still e-mail me to contribute. We would love for you to join!)

Heads-up: Sinterklaas will make an appearance to all you dedicated practitioners again this year, I told him to bring something useful and practical for all of you this year (so sorry no candy this year!!) and can't wait for him to show up :) If you recently moved, do share your postal address with me - then I can pass it along to SK...!

For me this year was also very special - and still is.  It taught me lots (again, and again) about the dynamic, ever changing nature, of life - and that there is much beauty in the unknown if we don't put a plan on it. I also ponder much about what is truly important in life.  One of the things that pops up is taking time and sharing time with dear folks.  The concept of time itself, mind blowing. 


2018 - Important Schedule Changes  Change is a sign that there is life, nothing is ever static. To serve you better, 2018 will come with changes. Teaching on both ends of the day is rather hard on me, while spreading teaching over both ends of the day does not allow for extended practice times on either end. Now, I have been sitting for some time pondering how to offer a better and more sustainable schedule to you, and realized it's time to change. 

As of January, I will teach extended morning hours and only one more evening class: Tuesday evening Mysore 17.30-19.30.  See the new schedule and descriptions here. 

I'm really excited to expand the morning hours, thereby offer teaching earlier than 7.30h and later than 9.15h.  Besides Tuesday evening there will be no more weekly evening class. The decision to let all other evening classes go wasn't an easy one, but it feels right. - I encourage all to join the morning classes as feasible (you can also come for your moon and yin / restorative practice in the morning). It's the best to practice in the morning.

As of 2018 we will also have a pranayama & moon sequence class every Wednesday 10.00-11.30 (and once a month on a Sunday). Fridays we have what I call a Mysore Plus class - where you can come start practice chanting 6.45-7.10, then at 7.15 we start practice in a led style with more technical explanations and attention to fine details, this led class then continues into a Mysore style class as of 8.00h (thus you can either start at 6.45, 7.15 or after 8.00). On Sundays we have a Mysore class, while once a month this will be a led moon sequence class.

I am sad we won't have our weekly Yin & Restorative class anymore. I really enjoy teaching this class and know how beneficial it is for all. There will be a Yin & Restorative Yoga Workshop about every 6 weeks on a Sunday; and you can join the Mysore classes for an individualized Yin & Restorative practice at any time.

I understand that these schedule changes may not work for all of you - I am sorry.  If that appears to be the case for you - before giving up, I want to ask you to give that shift to morning practice a chance! You may not feel that it's for you (yet) - but from what morning practitioners report (and my personal experience) it's the greatest present you can make for yourself and your day: giving space, time and care to yourself first. Your day unfolds differently having practiced first, in a more peaceful and calm manner, all along while you can excel at your other activities with great focus. Give it a try! You probably won't regret it. The practice is also intended to be a morning practice, the morning as an auspicious time of the day, planting the seeds for the day...

The choice to let most evening classes go wasn't easy, but this is a honest choice for myself. In case this affects you deeply, please come and talk to me.  I am here to help.

(The online schedule will shortly be updated for 2018.)

Then, I will try to rent out our beautiful school to other teachers  of body, mind and soul practices for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday evening  - and during the afternoons. If you know someone who may be interested, please pass the message along - thank you.

Lastly a poem from Rupi Kaur (and a tea cup my mom gave me to remind me of my Uckermark roots - thank you mom!)

And here we are already at the last of the fundamental poses: Parsvattonasana!!
Spend some time this and next week to review all the names of the fundamental poses!

Intense Side Stretch
Parsva = Side
Uttana - extended, intense
Asana = pose

Here, Marije is demonstrating the ekam position of parsvattonasana, just before dve (coming into the state of the asana). Marije Joosten is one of our practitioners. It's always a pleasure to see her at practice!