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Articles by Kathleen:
Why Yoga Can Help You Lose Weight!
The Magic of Ashtanga Yoga - This article was originally printed in the Kansas City Wellness Magazine.
Ashtanga Yoga Compared to Other Styles of Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga: A Journey of Self Discovery
"I dwell in possibilities." Emily Dickinson
Yoga is such a profound and personal experience that putting it into words doesn't seem to give it the justice it deserves. Therefore, I hope you will come experience a class first-hand and see for yourself the incredible healing powers yoga has to offer. I took my first yoga class in 1995 while living in San Diego. I was a Personal Trainer at the time and had spent the previous fifteen years running and lifting weights so I went to yoga to stretch and relax. I was pleasantly surprised and EXTREMELY humbled to discover how absolutely physically challenging yoga could be! All my years of repetitive motion from running and lifting had created so many imbalances in my body and I realized in that moment that my "fit-self", wasn't quite so fit after all!
As an Exercise Physiologist, I view Ashtanga yoga as the MOST effective form of exercise and physical therapy that I have ever experienced. After moving to Kansas City, I quit gyms and fitness centers completely in 1999 and have never felt happier and healthier in my life! On the physical level, Ashtanga yoga is cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training all rolled into an hour and a half experience.
Ashtanga yoga can replace your current exercise routine, especially if you are bored with the Kansas City health clubs and personal trainers. Or, it can enhance your current fitness program(s) or sport of choice by increasing your performance and keeping you from getting injured. Ashtanga yoga is unique to other styles of yoga, because of the continual flow of movement (vinyasa) and it uses your body weight as resistance. You will become VERY strong throughout your entire being, using muscles you didn't even know you had. You will get strong FAST with a regular practice, however, the flexibility can take months, years and even a lifetime to realign your body, depending on your exercise and life history. In our culture, the fitness industry really promotes muscular strength and downplays flexibility, which is sad because a lifetime of strength and cardiovascular training without sufficient stretching isn't going to lead to a very comfortable and healthy lifestyle as we age. There is a Zen proverb that states, "To be truly hard and strong, one must be pliable and soft" which is certainly something to think about. What does the word "strong" mean to you? Does it mean big, bulky muscles and abs of steel? Or does it mean internal strength, with the fortitude to live your life to the fullest, without fear?
Yoga is also a lifelong process of SELF-discovery. If you can check your ego at the door and realize that very few people come to yoga already "good", you will have a more enjoyable experience. Frankly, I was quite terrible when i began yoga, but I was so amazed by the students around me and especially by the way I felt at the end of the class that I didn't care about my perceived lack of ability. After all, if we were proficient at yoga right away, there wouldn't be much room to grow, and without growth, what would be the point?
Yoga intentionally brings all your imbalances and "stuff" to the surface on all levels; physically, mentally and emotionally. The poses can be viewed as metaphors for your life. They are going to show you where you are weak, where you are strong, where you tend to give up readily, and where you persevere with will from the depths of your being. Yoga cultivates authentic power, power from your soul, not external power, which is from the ego. Yoga reminds you that you are much MORE than a physical being by showing you that you are MORE than what your body looks like, the job you have, the car you drive and the relationship you may or may not have. Yoga liberates you from false perceptions you have of yourself, that little self-critical voice that began in childhood. It helps you to remember who you are at the core of your being, unconditional love and light, and helps you to release the emotions of the ego; fear, insecurity and anger.
By now you are probably thinking, "So how can yoga have such a profound experience on your body and your life? " Good question. The answer is all in the BREATH. The breath is the heart and magic of the Ashtanga practice and is what makes yoga, yoga. The word yoga is derived from the sanskrit word, "yug", which means, "to yoke" or "union". On the surface the union is between breath and the posture. Behind the scenes of your physical body is the union between the individual self and your Higher SELF. As my teacher Tim Miller says, "Every time you breathe, you are doing a dance with SPIRIT." Simply stated, your breath is the bridge between your body, mind and spirit.
Ashtanga yoga uses a style of breathing called, "ujjayi" breath, which is performed with the lips sealed, while making an audible "HAH" sound through the back of the throat, which produces an ocean-like sound. This sound acts as an internal mantra throughout the practice and is a tool for mindfulness, training the mind to be in the present moment. Ujjayi breath also cultivates INTERNAL heat, along with the continuous flowing (vinyasa) movement. This internal heat helps purify the physical body and also acts as a spiritual fire, which helps lift the veil of illusion (maya) of the mind, allowing you to connect more fully to your divine essence. This process of "lifting the veil", is the recognition that we are spiritual beings first, having a physical experience and not physical beings having an occasional spiritual experience.
In essence, we are all ONE in Spirit, connected thru Divine Mind, without separation.
As the Course in Miracles says, "There is only ONE of us here."
So much for not being able to describe yoga in words! I know I sound like a cheerleader for Ashtanga yoga and that's because I believe in it with all my heart. It has changed my life in SO many positive and unexpected ways and has helped me to rediscover a part of myself I had lost touch with over the years of my life. I will admit that Ashtanga yoga is the most physically challenging experience I have encountered to date, however it is also the MOST fulfilling which is truly invaluable.
I hope you will come join me on this incredible journey of self discovery!
Love and Light,
Kathleen Kastner,
Exercise Physiologist M.S.
Owner of Maya Yoga
Kansas City, Missouri
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