Talk about a fierce pose.I landed on Matthew Sweeney's website today (he's the one on the left). It's filled with fascinating insights and a very contemporary take on Ashtanga yoga. Purists might have think he is being heretical, but he has studied extensively in Mysore (he's rocking Advanced B currently) and he is respectful of the traditional approach while being clear and sensible about the challenges many students face today.
Here are a few abbreviated points that interested me which you can read further on his site and in the Musings section:
* He has developed five vinyasa sequences that emphasize different parts of the practice (Moon, Lion, Bound, Flying and Fifth) and offers alternatives to the standard series
* Astanga as we practice it today is about 35 years old
* Mysore instructors should have an active practice and at a minimum, should be doing full intermediate currently (or in the past)
* As a teacher and practitioner, he likes having an adjustment-free day once a week to help encourage practitioners to figure out the difficult poses themselves
* Self-practice is very important
* Regretting a missed practice is a form of ahimsa
The Yoga Peeps interview is also recommended listening for all ashtangis. It's a bit long and the interviewer is not very polished, but it's worth hearing. It's even provided new inspiration for my practice.
