House of Ashtanga

17/09/2026

There is a lot of letting go in this practice. It’s fair to argue that the whole thing is about letting go. In this sense the practice is more of a subtractive process rather than additive. I remember 20 years ago I had the words of Nisargadatta pinned on my bedroom wall “give up all and you gain all.” In Guy Donahaye’s Guy Donahaye wonderful book “Guruji” there are countless records by some of the earliest students who recall the key precept of letting go. It is clear in today’s modern world of yoga, achievements, asana collecting and the colossal mountain of BS social media that this has disappeared almost entirely

But who is going to give up? This is where a little bit of faith and trust comes in. Faith is a funny word. It either means you are religious or you’re a massive George Michael fan. Maybe both? Oh boy, what fate! I’m neither, but I do know that if this ‘giving up’ resonates then the word faith will have an altogether fresh meaning. Along with faith can be a healthy sprinkle of futility to move the process along. If you know, you know

There is a strange brand of courage that is involved with all of this. It’s not the epic warrior masculine type of courage. It is more of a feminine bravery - bold. It is an openness to surrender, to be vulnerable, authentic, sincere and honest. That takes some cojones. You may notice that some of the elements of the 1st two limbs of ashtanga yoga are starting to make sense

At some point we may find ourselves holding our hands up and saying ”ah, f**kit”

The beautiful grace of futility

Notice how I haven’t once mentioned anything about asana? This is yoga

11/09/2026

Prana assist from Lotus the cat! This is Bahya Uddiyana, which is different to (true) Uddiyana Bandha. Bahya Uddiyana (seen here) is only done on external breath retention (external kumbhaka) and hence, during pranayama, nauli kriya, etc

Pranayama is to be done in seated in lotus. This might mean sitting for 20-40 minutes in padmasana. This is one of, but not the only, reason why pranayama is taught after completing the 2nd series. I also prefer some establishment in 2nd series before pranayama is attempted. And it is started gently. Intuition and ‘feel’ (or ‘taste’) on behalf of the presiding tutor is, at this point, incredibly helpful. I have seen, not only in myself, but in others, the problems that arise when this is started too soon. Impatience can ruin this path

There may be resistance or frustration with regard to this notion. If so, then check that out. Look at it. Where is that resistance coming from? Is it genuine? Authentic?

If you’re working through the series and really on this path, then just enjoy the journey. You should relish in these periods of working-thru and discovery, because you won’t get them back again. Soon enough they will be long gone. You may even look back wistfully at those moments of exploration, waving them sadly goodbye. So, don’t miss them! Enjoy it. Impatience means that you will miss them even as they happen! Insights happen along the way, all of which have deep value. So, dive deep into them and put them in the ashtanga bank

06/09/2026

The next time you step onto the mat, before you begin practice, notice that there is a sense that nothing needs to happen. It may be quite subtle. You can fall back into that sense, or feeling. Notice that nothing is really being asked of you. Nothing is required to in order to make this more of what this already is. Notice that you cannot ‘do more’ of already this. Practice may or may not arise. Nothing changed

This is the basis of intentionless practice. It is feeling in to that neutral space. Spaciousness, prior to any action

From that borderless, seamless field, Śūnyatā, practice can then happen in true authenticity; lighter and freer than before

29/08/2026

Saturday vibes…. Things kinda escalated in the editing studio. But this is pretty close to what it looks like from here 🤩

On patrol: 🫡

27/08/2026

Back in the heady days of Netscape Navigator when I was just starting my yoga practice I was in unfathomable pain - there is no way I could ever fully explain or measure the extent of it. Like Bane from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ my practice was born in the dark!

There was no social media, no proper internet, teachers were thin on the ground as I struggled to tutor myself. Any help seemed 7000 miles away. Sweat, blood and tears were a daily ritual

The only resource I found was an online EZboard forum dedicated to ashtanga yoga. Around 2008 that forum shut down as people migrated to Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. EZboard did shift to Yuku and eventually Tapatalk where you can still find the archived posts from that original board. Some going as far back as 2001

That original EZboard kept me in the game. I digested everything I could find. It kept me connected, informed and gave me a lifeline. The stories about Lino Miele and the crucible of pain that he experienced seemed to mirror my ordeal.

But out of everything that I read there was one message, one slogan that stood out. It became a battlecry for me:

“What’s the alternative?”

Show me the alternative? I had tried everything to fix this sorry body and nothing worked, so I was at rock bottom. There was nowhere else to move. I was trapped. Again:

“What’s the alternative?”

This stuck with me and has done ever since. There is no alternative. You do the practice. You do the series. You continue. However you can. It might not look or feel pretty. It might be modified

But, you show up

I will show you what the alternative looks like:

It looks like pain, forever. It feels like psychological suffering. It is regret, sorrow. It looks like not moving or engaging. It looks like falling into a continuous pattern of poor health. It looks like not meeting THIS head on and facing it. It looks like not opening up your arms and welcoming vulnerability. It looks like not opening up your heart and expanding your horizons, not meeting beautiful people, not exploring the planet, not being part of a community of wonderful yogis, not being curiously, passionately in love with life.

Nope. Not for me!

18/08/2026

One of the best things about my teacher, Nancy Gilgoff, was a total absence of the notion of improving. Throughout all the years of working with her there was never the suggestion that anyone had to get better at yoga, to progress, to break down a pose, “getting” the asana, to do drills (for what?), to succeed!

Think about how silly this sentence is: “I’m going to do better yoga”

No intention to excel. No mastery. No intention to be the triumphant one

The practice was just laid bare and there you have it - “here’s the practice”

When I assisted her in workshops and teacher trainings, the only trace of intention was the simple words she would whisper to me when discussing a student: “there is some healing to happen here”

In that, the sting, the weight and the heaviness of a practice just evaporates and we are left in an open, playful field

No goal. No end-game

We just show up, we turn up. Or better said: this (whatever is happening) simply shows up like ‘this’. It just turns up this way

This taps into the very core essence of what yoga is pointing towards. And yet, almost no one is sharing the practice from this positionless position

For me, this is the foundation from which all teaching or sharing springs from. The core message, thus, is that this is it already. What happens thereafter is just an expression or celebration. Its home

14/08/2026

Channeling some raw Maui humidity tonight - incredible energy 🙏

02/08/2026

31/07/2026

Björk said something similar once. When I say love I don’t mean that kind of personal love that happens between people, things, objects. It is something prior to that in which all of the aforementioned appears to arise. It is fundamental. And within it anything can appear to happen. Because of that, it is unconditional. The only unconditional love there is. It is not conditional upon anyone practicing yoga…. or not. If there is any teaching happening here, then this is the only yoga I teach. And it is a silent message. It is done already. It is the home that never left. In that, any sense of “you” can dissolve. It is still ok to use the word “you” though 😉

To quote Rumi - “when I say the word you I mean a hundred universes”

Maybe not from the sources
You have poured yours
Maybe not from the directions
You are staring at

Twist your head around
It’s all around you
All is full of love
All around you

29/07/2026

❤️ love ❤️