Sunday, August 31, 2008
Mark Whitwell
This past weekend we had an excellent opportunity to study with Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto.
We have had the good fortune of being able to study the ideas and concepts of Yoga with a variety of teachers from all walks of life and, quite literally, from all corners of the globe.
Some experiences are very informative, some bland, some completely distasteful.
The trick is to evaluate what is relevant to us and what is not.
This is a tricky situation. Sometimes the very work we need to do is the work we least want to do. Or for some of us, we are stern task masters that keep taking the joy out of learning and focus on the strict discipline.
Our workshop with Mark was a breath of fresh air. It felt as though we were given the gift of Yoga all over again.
Mark has some simple but profound concepts and principles that he put forth in his classes.
Things like " Do your Yoga, not just any popular American brand of Yoga, but your Yoga"
Or "Yoga is Strength / Receiving, the union of Masculine and Feminine"
Or "Yoga is your direct participation in life as Life"
He reminded us that Yoga is not about attaining some pose or some distant point or goal. It is about receiving the experience we have right now.
What we have been practicing and studying over the years, and what we have taught for that matter, continues to evolve. The time that we spent connecting with the beautiful power of our breath, while peeling away all the rest of the unnecessary baggage, has been one of the most joyful experiences.
What is absolutely fascinating is that we can never know exactly how this will affect or change our future. It makes life magical and wondrous.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your own experience of personal practice. Not one of us will ever fit into a system. The joy comes our of that direct experience.
"Do Your Yoga"
Thank you Mark!
We have had the good fortune of being able to study the ideas and concepts of Yoga with a variety of teachers from all walks of life and, quite literally, from all corners of the globe.
Some experiences are very informative, some bland, some completely distasteful.
The trick is to evaluate what is relevant to us and what is not.
This is a tricky situation. Sometimes the very work we need to do is the work we least want to do. Or for some of us, we are stern task masters that keep taking the joy out of learning and focus on the strict discipline.
Our workshop with Mark was a breath of fresh air. It felt as though we were given the gift of Yoga all over again.
Mark has some simple but profound concepts and principles that he put forth in his classes.
Things like " Do your Yoga, not just any popular American brand of Yoga, but your Yoga"
Or "Yoga is Strength / Receiving, the union of Masculine and Feminine"
Or "Yoga is your direct participation in life as Life"
He reminded us that Yoga is not about attaining some pose or some distant point or goal. It is about receiving the experience we have right now.
What we have been practicing and studying over the years, and what we have taught for that matter, continues to evolve. The time that we spent connecting with the beautiful power of our breath, while peeling away all the rest of the unnecessary baggage, has been one of the most joyful experiences.
What is absolutely fascinating is that we can never know exactly how this will affect or change our future. It makes life magical and wondrous.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your own experience of personal practice. Not one of us will ever fit into a system. The joy comes our of that direct experience.
"Do Your Yoga"
Thank you Mark!
Labels: Mark Whitwell
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