I just got an email from yoga journal that is about standing poses. In it, it shared the video of John Friend teaching the standing poses… it’s really beautiful…. I love the love and meaning that John gives to the practice. 
Beautiful energy and how he paints each pose.
He’s funny too! Just delightful!
www.yogajournal.com/video/112?utm_source=MyYogaJournal&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=myj_361
The amazing thing, the class is over 800 people!
PS. I gotta transcribe this!
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I remember back in Aug 2007, I wrote a post on my blog on my Cowface ( Gomukhasana ). It was one of those poses that I can never bind by myself. Now after 2 years, I can bind both sides on my own… well, hooking on to the fingers for a start. It’s still not easy for me as I still have to wiggle and adjust but I could do the binding on my own without help from anyone or towel. I used to think will I be able to do the binding, EVER? Well, this proves that with practice anything is possible!
Today I went for a “refresher” Ashtanga class. It’s been a long time since I did Ashtanga yoga. I used to go for Ashtanga at least once every two weeks two years back but now it has dwindled to an occasional one every now and then.
I am always in awe of Ashtanga practitioners. It takes such dedication and discipline to be able to practice every single day ( except on full moon days ) on your own early in the morning if possible. And to remember all the poses in the series? Wow… I cannot even remember past the 2nd pose after the sun salutations. Yeah, I am that forgetful. So it just shows that I need to go for more ashtanga classes to train the mind. Maybe even Mysore so that I get to train my brain.
I think yoga chants are beautiful to listen to.
Especially when the person chanting has a beautiful voice. It is soothing, calming and captivating.
When you chant at the beginning of a yoga practice, you are setting the intention of your practice. I always feel calm and at peace when I do a chant at the beginning of my practice.
In the studio where I practice (very commercialized), most teachers do not do any chants. Probably due to the fact that some students there are not comfortable with the chants. They are of other religious groups that may deem yoga and the chanting inappropriate for their followers.
Here’s a wonderful story that my yogi friend shared with all of us in our facebook community. I think its a reminder to all of us of what yoga is about as well as what life is about. Enjoy and tell me what you think!
This is taken as is from what my friend wrote :
