Tag Archives: yoga

NOV 1, CHARITY YOGA CLASS IN MILAN – DON’T MISS IT!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Are you in Milano tomorrow, Saturday  Nov 1st? Than don’t miss the charity yoga class in favour of Yoga Gives Back – a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds … Continue reading →

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BACK TO BASICS: WHAT IS ASHTANGA YOGA?

Posted on October 2, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano –   “Whether you do your first downward dog at 14 or 44, it’s not your history but your presence on your mat that counts.” – K. Pattabhi Jois   ‘What is … Continue reading →

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WHY AND WHAT OF ASHTANGA YOGA OPENING AND CLOSING MANTRAS

Posted on September 15, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Ashtanga Yoga asana practice traditionally starts with an opening chant and ends with a closing one.  The chants (also known as mantras or invocations) are offered in Sanskrit, as this is … Continue reading →

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KINO MACGREGOR ABOUT YOGA AND DETERMINATION

Posted on September 8, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – “If you have a dream in life, noone else can realize it for you. You have to work for it everyday.” ~ Kino MacGregor Just back from Bologna where I spent … Continue reading →

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HOW DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO LIVE IN THE HERE AND NOW?

Posted on August 18, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Sunday, August 10 – It’s almost dark in beautiful Santorini (Greece), last halt of this 2 weeks vacations around the gorgeous Cyclades island group, and it’s high time for me to … Continue reading →

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THINGS CHANGE… IN MYSORE AS WELL

Posted on June 26, 2014 by

Yes, apparently things change everywhere! In a previous post, I reported how ashtanga yoga sequence and the way of teaching it has changed overtime (read here the recount by Nancy Gilgoff about the way she firstly learned ashtanga in 1973) but … Continue reading →

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TAKEAWAYS… FROM ASHTANGA YOGA WORKSHOP WITH DAVID SWENSON

Posted on June 11, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Intense! This is the way I would describe my 8 days workshop with David Swenson and Shelley Washington here in Milan, Italy. Though it was over last Friday, I can’t stop … Continue reading →

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MEETING WITH ANDREA BONI ON A FOGGY WINTER MORNING

Posted on May 15, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry Muriel Rukeyser Milano, North of Italy – 8 o’clock on a winter morning, first daylight on a suburban city park. With Andrea*, we’ve been waiting for this … Continue reading →

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THE THOUSAND BENEFITS OF UJJAYI BREATH

Posted on May 1, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – In a previous article I mentioned that what makes yoga so effective – compared to gymnastics and sports in general – is the combination of asanas (postures) with breath and bandhas. … Continue reading →

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KEEP CALM AND HOLD UDDIYANA BANDHA

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – In a previous blogpost, ‘In search of mula bandha‘, I mentioned that out of 3+1 yogic locks, the most important ones when practicing asanas are Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha. The … Continue reading →

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IS YOGA PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL OR RELIGIOUS? RECOUNTED BY EDDIE STERN

Posted on April 13, 2014 by

– scorrere giù per la versione in italiano – Eddie Stern was in Milan this week-end and I couldn’t miss the chance to practice with him and to attend one of his lectures yesterday afternoon. The subject was Samkhya philosophy … Continue reading →

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IN SEARCH OF MULA BANDHA

Posted on April 8, 2014 by

– scorrete giù per la versione in italiano –   Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between yoga and gymnastic? Gymnastic, as well as sport in general, is a great way to keep fit though, whenever you try yoga, … Continue reading →

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5 TOP REMEDIES FOR BODY PAIN

Posted on April 2, 2014 by

Ouch! A hand glides on the yoga mat and your wrist goes off, you get off balance in sun salutation and your shoulder undergoes an uneven stretch or you are almost there in full lotus pose when you feel a … Continue reading →

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PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS – GUEST BLOGPOST BY SUNIL SHARMA

Posted on March 19, 2014 by

Patanjali talking about health and wellness in his Yoga Sutras about 2000 years ago. Surprising? Last week I hosted on my blog a guestpost by Sunil Sharma* – my yoga philosophy, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation teacher at Tattvaa Yogashala … Continue reading →

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MYSORE STYLE: BENEFITS OF ASHTANGA YOGA SELF-PRACTICE

Posted on February 25, 2014 by

Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style (aka self-practice) or led class? I still remember the evening when I first did an attempt of moving from an Ashtanga Yoga led class to a Mysore class: I was feeling tense, nervous about the idea … Continue reading →

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HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN YOGA – DO’s AND DON’Ts

Posted on February 16, 2014 by

There are times in the life of a yoga practitioner when there is a feeling that practice is not improving… or not quickly enough! Sometime I have yoga students asking why they can’t advance faster in mastering a certain posture, … Continue reading →

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ARE YOU A PURE ASHTANGI?

Posted on February 9, 2014 by

Is your pedigree of unmixed origin? Is your ashtanga yoga practice free of any contamination? If the answer is yes, you’re highly likely a very traditional ashtangi. Nonetheless, is that useful for you? I know, I know, another controversial theme … Continue reading →

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YOGA PRACTICE AT HOME? 3 WAYS THAT WORK TO KEEP IT UP

Posted on January 26, 2014 by

I’ve previously written about how to build a home yoga practice, giving the hints and tips that helped me in setting it up (read it here: 7 ways to make your yoga practice at home easier). Nonetheless, there are times … Continue reading →

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3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE TAKING A YOGA TEACHER TRAINING COURSE

Posted on January 21, 2014 by

Assuming you’re a passionate yoga practitioner who is looking forward to deepen the personal practice or transforming a passion into a living, make sure to answer the following 3 questions before enrolling to whichever Yoga Teacher Training Course (TTC): 1/ … Continue reading →

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IMAGES OF YOGA, INSTANTS OF LIFE… IN RISHIKESH

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see   –   Henry David Thoreau For the past 3 months I’ve been writing about my intense time of Ashtanga Yoga studying at Tattvaa Yogashala in Rishikesh and regular … Continue reading →

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WHAT’S THE POINT OF CHANTING OM?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by

Whenever you are starting or ending your yoga session, most likely you will chant at least one Om. And if you are a traditional ashtangi, than you will definitely chant Om to open and close mantras both at the beginning … Continue reading →

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BACK TO THE PATH OF ACTION

Posted on December 23, 2013 by

“To attain the purpose of life, it is necessary to do one’s duty, whether one lives in the world or outside it. The path of renunciation and the path of action, though 2 diverse ways, are equally helpful for attaining … Continue reading →

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WHO ARE YOU? A VEDANTA APPROACH TO THE SELF

Posted on December 15, 2013 by

One day a boy of about 8 years old was wandering through the Himalayas when he met an old sage. ‘Who are you?’ he asked the boy. The little boy was Sri Shankaracharya, who according to the tradition mastered the … Continue reading →

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NANCY GILGOFF AND… ASHTANGA YOGA AS IT WAS

Posted on December 8, 2013 by

Lately I’ve been thinking and writing about learning and teaching Ashtanga yoga in the traditional way (adding one posture at a time, moving on the sequence overtime, as taught in Mysore tradition) versus the more unconventional way as taught at … Continue reading →

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PRANAYAMA YES OR PRANAYAMA NOT?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by

In the Ashtanga Yoga world the discussion about Pranayama is almost as big as the one on Adjustments: pranayama yes or pranayama not? And if yes, when? On the path of yoga you may have encountered 2 different approaches: “do … Continue reading →

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LEARNING ASHTANGA YOGA SECOND SERIES – THE UNCONVENTIONAL WAY

Posted on November 24, 2013 by

“Practice scales before trying to be a composer.  … Tradition can be a stumbling block if it is taken as the entirety of yoga. It is merely the wrapping in which it is presented… Now and than it is useful … Continue reading →

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FEARS IN YOGA – HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

Posted on November 18, 2013 by

Have you ever been on the yoga mat and felt fear? Fear of falling down, of injuring yourself in a specific posture, of dropping back? Well, I have… And as you progress in your asana practice, you will probably face … Continue reading →

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STIFF? HERE HOW TO STILL HAVE A GREAT YOGA PRACTICE

Posted on November 3, 2013 by

Is this one of those days when you get off the bed and you realize your body is not responding and you know already you will have a tough time on the yoga mat? Or is it one of those … Continue reading →

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WHY YOGA IS ALL ABOUT LETTING GO

Posted on October 20, 2013 by

This week has been my worst as well as my best week since I started the Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training at Tattva Yogashala. Why? On Wednesday, as the afternoon was passing by, I started feeling weird, small things getting on … Continue reading →

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ALL YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE TAKING AN ASHTANGA YOGA TEACHER TRAINING AT TATTVAA YOGASHALA

Posted on October 13, 2013 by

October 13, 2013 – Sunday, such a welcomed day! This is my very first day off from the Ashtanga Yoga Teaching Training Course since started on Friday, October 4th. After 7 days of asana practices in a row, the alarm … Continue reading →

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