Why We Think It's Important to Keep Practicing Ashtanga Yoga and Why We Hope You Keep Practicing Too Dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practice is a powerful journey worth pursuing, even decades after your first class. Reflecting on more than 25 years of practice, we've discovered profound reasons to stay committed, which we captured in a recent series on why we are still practicing Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga is a lifelong commitment. Practicing Ashtanga Yoga for over 25 years has taught us patience, hu...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
We are, by nature, discriminating beings. We develop taste — for art, food, fashion, architecture. We learn to tell what is real from what is imitation, what is durable from what is fleeting. We become connoisseurs of culture, cuisine, aesthetics. So what happens when that same discriminating capacity is turned inward? This is what yogic philosophy demands. It says: if you can be discerning with worldly things, how much more precious — how much more urgent — is it to become a connoisseur of cons...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 9 min
In the sacred journey of yoga, the figure of the guru—the teacher, the revealer—is not merely someone who instructs us in techniques. The guru is the light that removes darkness, the presence that dispels confusion, and the voice that calls us back to the Self. The Sanskrit word guru itself is formed from gu, meaning darkness, and ru, meaning remover. The guru is not the source of light—but the one who points us toward it, until we recognize it within. Grace, or kṛpā, is not a transaction. It’s ...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 41 min
Many of us come to yoga seeking relief. Relief from pain, from restlessness, from uncertainty. And sometimes we find it. But over time, what we discover is more lasting than relief. We discover presence. We discover steadiness. We discover a kind of joy that doesn’t have to shout. It only has to be. So we practice. Not to get rid of pain, but to know it. To meet it with clarity and care. And in that meeting, we find something remarkable: joy is still possible. It is a joy that knows sorrow. A ha...
May 16, 2025•51 min
In the closing prayer of the Ashtanga practice, we chant: svasti prajābhyaḥ pari-pālayantāṁ, nyāyena mārgena mahīṁ mahīśāḥ, gobrāhmaṇebhyaḥ śubham astu nityaṁ, lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu. These ancient words are an offering — a prayer for all beings to be protected, for the rulers of the earth to walk the path of righteousness, for all sacred beings to be blessed, and for every living soul across all worlds to experience happiness and freedom. The final invocation, Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ, ...
May 02, 2025•1 hr
As we go deeper on the spiritual path—whether through yoga, meditation, or self-inquiry—we often discover a paradox: We feel more peace… but we also feel more pain. The highs become transcendent. The lows, unbearable. We start to feel everything more intensely. This intensity is not a mistake. It is the heart of the path. The Buddha says: you have felt more grief than the ocean holds water. This isn’t just poetry. It’s a spiritual earthquake. This is not to depress us, but to awaken us—to stir o...
Apr 25, 2025•48 min
Sometimes we may not understand why it is necessary to engage in strong practice. This talk dives into how the effects we put into asana practice cultivate a powerful internal fire of purification. This was a talk given after a 4 day immersion with Kino and Tim in Bangkok. Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day free trial at omstars.com . Limited time Offer: Sign up for an Omstars+ membership and Get my FREE course: Ashtanga Mechanics. Sign up Here ! ...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Kino and Tim discuss how to honor the lineage in the absence of our teachers. They further dive into the definition of what constitutes merit in the practice of Yoga. Ending with a Q&A that captures the spirit of the conclusion of their first week of teaching in Bali Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day free trial at omstars.com . Limited time Offer: Sign up for an Omstars+ membership and Get my FREE course: Ashtanga Mechanics. Sign up Here ! St...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr 43 min
Why yoga? Anyone who has practiced for a decade, two decades, or even a lifetime knows that the answer to this question is anything but simple—or perhaps so simple that words fail to capture it. Some truths can only be understood through embodied knowledge, a form of wisdom that arises not from intellectual effort but from deep receptivity. Yoga is a path of insight, not just the accumulation of facts or information, though it does not reject them. It is a path of Vijñāna—a deeper knowing, an aw...
Feb 21, 2025•40 min
Join Kino and Tim as they explore Tristhana, the foundational framework of Ashtanga Yoga that unites breath, body, and mind. Whether you are new to the practice or have been teaching for years, this episode offers a deeper look at how these three elements work together to cultivate presence, focus, and transformation. Breath serves as the bridge between body and mind, asana creates embodiment and healing, and focused awareness sharpens the mind, leading to profound inner growth. Through years of...
Feb 14, 2025•46 min
Astrology is more than just predictions. Join Kino and Gahl for a conversation about spirituality, past lives, and how astrology can help guide us along our journey Gahl Sasson makes Kabbalah, astrology and psychology engaging, illuminating, and fun. His book, A Wish Can Change Your Life , (published by Simon & Schuster and co-written with Steve Weinstein), blends wisdom and metaphors from cultures across history and the entire world into an innovative blueprint for personal transformation a...
Feb 07, 2025•39 min
With set sequences, rules, and repetitions, Ashtanga is often seen as a devotion to discipline. But if you look closely, it is a delicate orchestration where breath, movement, and focus unite to reveal the clarity within. In today’s episode, we reflect on the purpose behind the method, exploring how every inhale, every exhale, and every asana carries intention. Ashtanga challenges us to set aside rebellion, ego, and the need to control, humbling us and inviting trust in the wisdom of the practic...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman join us to share timeless insights exploring how impermanence and interconnectedness form the foundation of a meaningful life. With wisdom rooted in years of spiritual practice, they reflect on the paradox of happiness – not as something to chase but as a natural state revealed through presence and self-awareness. Our conversation invites us to look beyond rigid structures and external validations, embracing tools like meditation and community to uncover the essen...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 15 min
The lineage of Ashtanga has always been a living tradition carried forward by devoted practitioners. But what happens when the Guru who once held the lineage are no longer present? Without an Acharya to guide us, the responsibility shifts to each of us – to show up, to practice, and to nurture the teachings within ourselves. And it’s not about perfection or mastery. It’s about presence. The simple act of stepping onto the mat, even amidst doubt or difficulty, keeps the fire of the tradition aliv...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Ashtanga Yoga is more than a personal ritual - it’s a living tradition carried forward by generations of teachers and students. Those who came before us made sacrifices to do so and as yogis, we share a responsibility in keeping the lineage alive. So in this episode, we explore what it means to honor our teachers. Not through idolization, but by asking: How do we sustain a lineage that has given us so much, even amidst personal loss and change? What can we learn from those who sacrificed everyth...
Dec 19, 2024•33 min
Ashtanga Yoga reminds us that practice is not about perfection, it’s about presence. And while this truth features throughout life’s ups and downs, let’s take a moment to reflect on this through the lens of accessibility. There is, after all, great power in offering adaptations that make the practice available to all bodies and abilities… And what does it mean to stay connected to practice through aging, injury, or self-doubt anyway? How can accessibility deepen - not dilute - our connection to ...
Dec 12, 2024•43 min
While our practice connects us to a lineage of timeless teachings, its essence is deeply personal and woven into our breath, our movement, and our awareness. It’s here within this space that we begin to understand the true source of the practice - our being - and the resilience it cultivates both on and off the mat. Yet, the journey is not always easy. Life’s challenges whether physical, emotional, or circumstantial often test our dedication to this presence. And so, this episode explores the hi...
Dec 05, 2024•56 min
As we honor the life and teachings of Sharath Jois, we are reminded of the deep roots and enduring spirit of the Mysore yoga tradition. This episode invites us to reflect on the profound relationship between teacher and student – a connection built on humility, surrender, and a flow of wisdom passed through generations. Grief, like yoga, requires us to sit with discomfort, to embrace impermanence, and to find strength within ourselves and our communities. Through this shared loss, this memorial ...
Nov 28, 2024•37 min
As Lebanon endures yet another wave of conflict, Hala speaks candidly about the heartbreak of leaving her homeland to protect her young son while holding fast to her role as a guide and healer for her community. Her journey reminds us that yoga is a practice far beyond the mat – it’s a call to connect, to serve, and to hold space even in the most difficult of times. In this conversation, Hala opens a window into the life of Lebanon’s vibrant, yet fragile, yoga community. She describes the ongoin...
Nov 07, 2024•51 min
Yoga is an invitation to meet ourselves just as we are, embracing both the ease of sukha and the discomfort of dukkha with presence and patience. It’s a practice that calls us to observe the fluctuations of the mind – our desire for comfort, our resistance to pain – and, through each cycle of breath, to cultivate a quiet resilience that meets both without reaction. Much like life’s trials, yoga also asks us not to escape struggle but to soften into it; to find calm not by denying difficulty but ...
Oct 31, 2024•24 min
Perfection is enchanting—but it promises an end destination that doesn’t exist. Yoga, if you listen carefully, asks us to turn inward, embracing tapas - disciplined effort - not as a demand for perfection but as a gentle guide through life's ups and downs. Let’s be humbled by the reminder that yoga is not a performance after all. It’s a daily ritual that meets us exactly where we are. It’s a letting go of comparisons, whether to others or our past selves. And through the heat of disciplined prac...
Sep 12, 2024•44 min
In a world where we often seek certainty, clear answers, and the comfort of knowing, yoga offers a humbling reminder: truth is rarely as simple as it seems. It’s in this awareness of our behavioral patterns we can take the opportunity to question our reality… Or maybe we don’t get a choice. It’s easy to assume that our view of the world is objective but by returning again and again to our mats, the spaciousness we create will show us that our minds are constantly filtering, predicting, and resha...
Sep 05, 2024•43 min
For many, the allure of yoga is wrapped in ideals of achievement – perfect poses, precise counts, and the polished image of a seasoned yogi. Yet, the heart of the practice invites us to embrace something far deeper. Being a student means showing up with an open mind, being willing to stumble, and finding peace in not knowing the big answers. It means recognizing that every teacher - no matter how experienced - is also a student on an endless path of discovery. Without a hierarchy to climb or a r...
Aug 29, 2024•19 min
Self study offers a bridge between practice and self-understanding, yet in a world where achievement is often measured by what we know or what we can do, Swadhyaya gently redirects us toward a more introspective path. Here, memorization becomes an act of devotion - a way to internalize the teachings, grounding our practice in respect and humility. But humility in yoga isn’t about diminishing ourselves; it’s about creating space to truly learn. When we approach the practice with an open heart, we...
Aug 22, 2024•51 min
Life has a way of challenging us - pushing us to the edge of our comfort zones - and it’s in those moments that we often find our true strength. Ashtanga yoga practice mirrors this perfectly, presenting us with both physical and emotional hurdles that test our discipline and resolve. It’s time to delve into the heart of what it means to engage with tapas and accept that it's not about forcing ourselves beyond our limits, but rather about embracing the challenges we encounter with a steady and ba...
Aug 15, 2024•44 min
From the first step onto the mat to the deeper journey inward, Ashtanga offers more than just physical transformation. It introduces us to the yamas, the ethical principles that lay the foundation for a truly holistic practice. These yamas - non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, ethical conduct, and non-attachment - invite us to reflect on our actions, thoughts, and interactions both on and off the mat. In this episode, we explore how these principles plant seeds of mindfulness, nurturing ou...
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 48 min
How often do we consider the profound impact of consistency in our yoga practice? Because it’s in moments of resistance and wavering minds that we can witness the full loving force of yoga. It is here where we receive an invitation. And every time we RSVP “yes”, we open up our capacity for growth… We start to see that Ashtanga invites us to move beyond the physical into a journey with spiritual essence and how each session on the mat becomes a mirror. And as reflections of our strengths and vuln...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Walk far enough down the yogic path and it will soon become clear that the guidance of a teacher and the support of our communities is invaluable. On Guru Purnima Day, we pause to reflect on the profound impact of our gurus and mentors who illuminate our journey. Yet, while this path is often illuminated by such wisdom, it is not without its challenges. Personal struggles—whether physical, emotional, or circumstantial—are intrinsic to the journey. These hurdles, when met with the right guidance,...
Jul 25, 2024•44 min
The truth is, we each have a library’s worth of past experiences and conditioning that can cloud our vision, trapping us in looping thoughts. And while that sounds uncomfortable, this is the instinctive reality of the human mind. Every day we face the urge to judge. Meanwhile, discernment (or Viveka) offers a different path. One of turning inward, reflecting deeply, and distinguishing between what is true and untrue, relevant and irrelevant. This process is slow and deliberate - deserving of pat...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 48 min
Meditation holds the promise of transformation, but its path is not always straightforward. For some, it is a retreat from the chaos of daily life–a space to recharge. For others, it is a crucible, challenging the mind and revealing its deepest patterns. No matter what experience we affix onto the practice, meditation invites us to sit with ourselves, observe the mind's incessant chatter, and confront the impermanence of our thoughts and emotions. This practice is not about escaping discomfort...
Jun 20, 2024•37 min
