AshtangaNews Workshops Retreats - Ashtanga Yoga Matters (as taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois)

Fortunately, the Wizard of the (whiz kid sister to the ) was able to help us. The two main changes are:
NOTE: A student should by no means visit AYRI in Mysore for the sole purpose of getting authorized. Their visit should primarily be for their own education of the lineage to further their own practice under correct guidance of Pattabhi Jois.

NOTE: AUTHORIZATION SHOULD NOT BE REQUESTED BUT GIVEN. The decision to give authorization or certification to teach is by no means solely dependent on the number of times a student has visited Mysore. It is based upon Guruji and Sharath s evaluation of the person, his/her commitment and full respect of the lineage of the practice.

Authorization is given with the trust that an AYRI student will teach as he/she has been taught in Mysore by Guruji and Sharath.
Posted by tracy on April 13, 2007 @ 9:26 am We re happy to present these photos of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois new shala in Islamorada, Florida courtesy of Erin and Govinda Kai (via Flickr).

Now you can find it. Sign to the Shala from Govinda Kai
All our best to Guruji. - Govinda Kai
All our good wishes to Guruji.

Thank you to and for sharing photos with us.
(Choose either link above to see more photos of Islamorada.)
If you have photos or thoughts about your visit to Islamorada, let us know with the Comments section or by emailing info(at) asthanganews (dot)com.

Posted by philippe on March 19, 2007 @ 12:18 pm [Update as of March 30: Terri Smith is offering an Ashtanga workshop in Islamorada March 27-April 6. Please read her comment below or get contact information here: (on Ashtanga.com).

Thank you, Terri. -Ed.]
A friend just told me that she received an email that the upcoming workshop in Florida had been cancelled.

I just took a look at the site and there was a message:
Due to health complications, Pattabhi Jois has been advised not to travel at the present time.
He is fine and resting in Mysore. Full refunds will be given.

Hopefully it s not serious. Our thoughts are with Guruji and his family.
We ll let you know more if we hear anything.

Our beloved Guruji has been transferred to a regular ward and out of ICU, and is expected to recover.
Sharath and Saraswati are needed in Mysore to care for Guruji. We should not question their decision to stay.

The new AYI shala here in Islamorada awaits Guruji’s blessing before it can host classes.
As I am currently the only authorized teacher down here, I am doing my best to teach as I was taught.
If I do well, all grace is to my Guru.

Any mistakes are my own.
If you are among the Ashtangis stranded in Islamorada, please stop by Paradise Yoga at mm 82. I’d love to meet you.

Practice times are posted on . Big thanks to Audra (studio owner) for the invaluable help she has given our community.
Posted by philippe on February 12, 2007 @ 9:34 pm From the number of searches related to Pattabhi Jois new shala in Islamorada, Florida, it seems that there is great interest in the Grand Opening at the end of March.

The first week of practice is sold out.
I have comments
about Islamorada.
(courtesy )
Posted by tracy on November 19, 2006 @ 2:28 pm for Pattabhi Jois new shala in the Florida Keys is now open.

Dates for the inaugural workshops are March 25-29 and April 1-6, 2007 with a grand opening party on March 25.
No practice on Moon Day, April 2
photo from
For more about the workshop, check out our prior post, or go to directly to , which has accomodations and other information (including the option to pay using ).
With all this excitement about Ashtanga with Sri K.

Pattabhi Jois and family in the U.S., you probably haven t had time to find out about Islamorada, the Florida Keys location of the new shala.

For information about Islamorada, stay right here.
Anne s beach, ocean side of the shala
from
In Spanish it is pronounced Ees la more eh dah, but if you want to fit in with the locals, pronounce it eye la more ah dah. -
Islamorada is about a 2-hour drive from Miami International Airport.

It is one of the , located between well-known Key Largo and Key West. It actually consists of several keys (islands):
Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key and Craig Keys.
The Sri K.

Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute USA is on Upper Matecumbe Key. Here it is on .
It s a trick question: Key Largo of course.

This with Humphrey Bogart set in the Florida Keys will put you in the right mood.
According to , temperatures in March range from 68-79°F (20-26°C). Tourist season runs from December through May so prices will still be high during the March workshop.

(Also, summer is hurricane season, so phew, it s not in the summer.)
What can I do on Islamorada besides practice Ashtanga yoga?

Sport fishing.

Islamorada is the sportfishing capital of the world, according to the (and pretty much all websites about Islamorada). Although this activity may be inconsistent with the (non-violence and a respect for all life, one the Yamas, the first limb of Ashtanga Yoga).

Bowl!

The new shala is conveniently located near the , a (not a place to dive or snorkel). It has 12 lanes!

Eat Key Lime pie.

There really is a difference between a and a regular lime. According to in the New York Times, the has some of the best (along with a real key lime tree). Key Lime is the official state pie of Florida, and it s vegeterian.

Founders Park Beach, on the bay side of the new shala, from

Swim with the dolphins. I am pretty sure it will be possible to and this could be the experience of a lifetime. Those of you who want to swim with dolphin might try (a marine park) in Islamorada.

Dive, snorkel, kayak. Just take a look at the photos in this post! And if you want more photos, the are stunning.

But you don t care about any of that. You just want to practice Ashtanga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois!

However, if you do want to share anything you know about Islamorada, please add it in the Comments section. Thanks!
What am I?

from
Posted by philippe on November 7, 2006 @ 11:44 pm The rumours have been flying around for months, but now it s official: Pattabhi Jois is opening a new shala on American soil, in the South of Florida, called the Ashtanga Yoga Institute USA. :
My beloved students,
For the last 30 years I have been visiting the United States to spread my teachings. With great pleasure, I am proud to announce the opening of my new yoga center in Florida.

I would like to invite each and every one of you to join myself, my daughter Saraswathi and my grandson Sharath for the grand opening party on March 24th, followed by a 2-week workshop. This will be our only visit to the United States in 2007. I look forward to seeing you there!

Love, Guruji
Second week (5 days): April 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 (April 2nd moon day holiday)
Fees: 5-day workshop $200, single class $50
Apparently it was financed by a very dedicated student of his.
Islamorada, at the very tip of the Eastern Coast of the USA
Islamorada purple island is part of the Florida Keys about 2 hours drive from Miami Airport - so a little bit easier to get to for most students than Mysore. The climate should as close to Southern Indian as you can get in the continental US, and from the photos it looks like paradise (you know, the lying on the beach kind of paradise).

Someone should alert their tourist board that they are about to receive a lot more attention in the years to come!
From the way it has been presented though, it does not look as if AYIU will be a replacement for going to Mysore, especially for teaching authorization puposes (part of the are 4 trips to AYRI). It seems to be more of a replacement of the annual multi-city World Tour for now.

At least in 2007, the World Tour will take place at AYIU.
Perhaps in the future, the Jois family will decide to teach Mysore-Style classes in Islamorada. In any case, this is a big milestone in the development of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and we welcome it wholeheartedly!

Posted by tracy on October 9, 2006 @ 5:06 pm the best way i can describe the panic i felt is that it was literally as if i had unwittingly followed a group of strangers who jumped from a cliff into a frigid a mountain lake. i only realize upon entry that there were no near banks to which i could easily swim. i would have to be patient and calm, have faith in humanity, and believe that i could make it to the shore and that it would be an experience worth having.

That was from who wrote an account of the (eh?) available at Tim Miller s retreat at ,
In 2007, will teach at Mount Shasta on the following dates:
In mid-September, and Mae Yoshikawa taught at .
Govinda - who it appears has been very busy - sent us a quick note about it.

Photos were from the 4th annual Tokyo Yoga Fest held in September of each year. This year was September 17-19. The conference is growing in stature with students coming to the event from all over Japan.

The event is held at the Akasaka Prince hotel in Tokyo and uses the entire conference room building (6 floors of conference space). The largest classes hold over 250 students. A joyful event!

You could follow and use the Wayback Machine to calculate how much Ashtanga has grown in Japan.
Instead, I ll be happy just seeing Govinda s photos of all these enthusiastic Ashtangis in Japan. Govinda published two photo sets on Flickr form Yoga Fest Tokyo 2006:

, Yoga Fest, Tokyo, Japan September 2006, and

also taught at the event.

Thank you, Govinda!
Upward Dog, Mae Govinda s Class
Dersy Beach, Agonda, Goa
by
A new generation of pilgrims, including Ashtangis, have been hitting India s hippie trail according to a . (Thanks for the tip, Bala.

)
The article - an entertaining read - explains how this enclave was a destination for the Haight-Ashbury crowd in the sixties and has become a destination for the yogaphiles and Burning Man groupies of today.
Foreigners have flocked to tiny Goa — whose statewide population of 1.4 million is about one-tenth that of Mumbai, 300 miles north — ever since the Portuguese established a Spice Route colony there in the 1500 s.

kindly indicates Goa s location
for curious Ashtangis, Burners Hippies
Talking of yogaphiles, Goa also happens to have one of the foremost centers of Ashtanga yoga at the . The NY Times specifically mentions the Purple Valley:
Come daylight, Goa s dedication to partying is matched by its dedication to the healing arts, the yang to the night s yin. At Purple Valley yoga center, rejuvenation might take the form of Ashtanga poses or vinyasa flow exercises, two of the daily courses offered.

The leading name on Goa s yoga circuit, the center has brought in pretzel-limbed luminaries from the globe s four corners, including the sometime teacher of Madonna and Sting, Danny Paradise.
, I highlighted a yogini s diary and photos of her visit to Lino Miele s Ashtanga yoga retreat in Ca Le Suore, Italy.
With , I ll share the directions for how to get there that Lori provided (which she got from her friend, Paola).

Thanks again to Lori!
The nearest airport is Ancona, Italy, and start there. Most importantly, don t forget:

Find people on the plane to Ancona [who are going to Ca Le Suore]; maybe go around with your yoga mat exposed to be spotted, and

You will probably have time to get an ice cream in Fano while waiting for the bus to Acqualagna.

If you are planning to visit other parts of Italy, you might want to see where Ca Le Suore and Ancona are relative to the rest of the country.
Ancona, Italy relative to the rest of Italy
When you get to Ancona airport you have to take a bus to go to Falconara railway Station (Stazione Falconara). You can buy a bus ticket at the news agent at the airport (easy to spot).

The ticket costs about 2.50 Euros. It s a short trip (about 10 minutes, I think) so keep an eye for the Stazione (ask the bus driver to be sure where to get out).

When you are at the Stazione you need a train ticket to Fano. It s about 30 minute journey (costs about 10 euros), keep an eye for the stop (you might be tempted to look at the lovely seaside ).
When you get to Fano, you have to find the bus station (in fact it s not a station but a very basic bus stand where many buses stop).

You have to ask because it s a 10 minutes walk from the railway station. Basically, when you leave the railway stazione behind you, you walk straight ahead (maybe keep asking every now and then) until you find the Roman arch , then turn right and you will find it (basically it s square). You have to buy a bus ticket in a bar/newsagent, ask for a ticket to Acqualagna (if you can t pronounce it, write down on paper biglietto per Acqualagna and show it).

I think the bus to Acqualagna is at about 6 pm or so, so you have plenty of time to go to buy an ice cream.
(When I got to Fano with my new mates it was about 3 pm and we decided not to wait for the bus and take a taxi, which cost 60 Euro but we shared in 3; the bus costs about 6 Euros so go for it if you are alone.)
So, to summarize: 1) by bus from the airport to Falconara railway station (write down: biglietto per il bus per Stazione Falconara); 2) by train from Falconara to Fano (biglietto per Fano); 3) by bus from Fano to Acqualagna (biglietto per il bus per Acqualagna).

When you are in Acqualagna you should really phone Rossana or someone who can take you to Ca Le Suore (please ask Rossana for her mobile phone number, they normally do this service, the place is tricky to find, hidden in the hills nice though).
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