yoga travel

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Finding ways to stay positive.

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Finding ways to stay positive.

We talked a lot about the mind's "negativity bias" in my recent training in the Netherlands. I wanted to write a little about it here. We did a lot of work playing with opposites as well. The yogis call this Pratipakshabhavanam. When you have a negative thought, take a moment and hold the exact opposite thought in your mind. Notice what happens. Stay present. Sit with both thoughts for a moment. How does the first thought feel in your body? How does the opposite thought feel in your body? Go back and forth. When you do this you will recalibrate and might break a pattern or get out of a rut or groove that your mind is stuck in. Try holding both thoughts at the same time. What if both thoughts were equally true?

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Arm Balance and Hip Opening Workshops!

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Arm Balance and Hip Opening Workshops!

Thank you to everyone who came to my classes this week and my Arm Balancing and Hip Opening Workshops this weekend at Pure Yoga in New York! It was really fun to share these teachings with you. It’s been a long journey!

Bye for now, Mysore.

Bye for now, Mysore.

Leaving India today and on my way to Toronto, with a short stop in New Jersey. I had a wonderful time in Mysore this last week. It was great to see some old friends and reconnect. The last time I was here was in 2009. So many things are the same. Lots of familiar faces and familiar places. And lots of changes too.

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Yoga doesn’t ask you to believe in anything.

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Yoga doesn’t ask you to believe in anything.

So many symbols in yoga to help us better understand some of the complicated philosophy. Yoga doesn’t ask you to believe in anything. You have to take your own journey. No one can take it for you. The teacher can point you in the right direction but it’s up to you to walk the path. Think of yoga as the place where science and spirituality meet. Here’s some pictures from our light ceremony on the first night of the retreat. The candle represents you and your inner light. Samkhya philosophy teaches us that we are on a journey in yoga from darkness to the light, from Tamas to Sattva. Tantra philosophy teaches us that the microcosm is the same as the macrocosm. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. Change your behavior on your yoga mat and you will change your behavior off your yoga mat. Change your relationship to that challenging pose that makes you feel uncomfortable and you will change your relationship to that challenging person or situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. You can change your relationship to the world in one second. The mind is constantly falling down, constantly complaining. Life is filled with many more lows than highs. Yoga teaches us to practice gratitude. Shift your perspective. Lift yourself up. Right now, think of how incredible it is to be right here and right now. Breathe into this moment. You don’t get this moment again. Better enjoy it before it’s gone.

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Shiva Meditation in Chiang Mai

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Shiva Meditation in Chiang Mai

Deep relaxation with Shiva Meditation! Pranayama, yoga nidra and seated concentration. Concentration, meditation, and Samadhi are hard. Most of us need to work on the lower limbs to prepare the body to sit, prepare the mind to concentrate, and learn to turn inward and let go of the outer world. If you are not sure of what direction to take in your life? If you are not sure what intention to set and use in your practice? If you are not sure about your purpose? Start to do some more investigation and get to know yourself a little better. Start practicing! Get on your mat and the answers will come. A good practice is also to look at the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga and think of how you could practice each one a little more than you are doing right now. Could you be a little more kind? Could you tell the truth more? Could you stop stealing on a more subtle level? Could you clean up things in your life a little more? Practice more gratitude? Could you work a little harder and go deeper into the fire? Could you study the mind a little more? Could you let go of something you’ve been holding onto? How could you deepen your asana practice this year? Maybe it’s time to introduce a pranayama or a pratyahara practice too? How could you simplify your life? The yamas and niyamas are very helpful at reducing conflict and eliminating distractions. The asana practice will help you to find more comfort in your body, cleanse and release tension, and help train your mind to focus. Pranayama will purify the energetic body and make the mind clear and sharp. How will you take your yoga off the mat this year? My teacher, Mr. Ramaswami used to say that eventually you have to take your yoga off the mat because one or two hours of practice a day will never compete with 22 hrs of living in chaos. Yoga is not asking us to be perfect, just to move forward one step at a time. Put in the effort and don’t worry about the results. Just show up and do the work.

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Chiang Mai Retreat - Day 3

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Chiang Mai Retreat - Day 3

Day 3 on our yoga retreat to Thailand! Another strong Shiva Power class to start the day! Lots of deep twisting, and some work on Mayurasana, the Peacock Pose. The Peacock represents Sattva, a state of balance and equilibrium, illumination, a state where the light can move through you. When you check in at the end of your practice, hopefully you are closer to a place of balance than when you checked in at the beginning of your practice. Maybe your body is a little more open and a little more relaxed, your breath is flowing a little more evenly, and your mind is a little quieter. You might even feel a little more calm and a little more at peace. You might even experience a deeper connection to your Self. During the practice, though, as you work on finding balance you might not feel balanced at all. The practice is supposed to take you out of your comfort zone. You’re supposed to feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, and your “stuff” is supposed to come to the surface. That’s the point. That’s the cleansing part of the practice. Yoga then asks you to shift your perspective. Sit in the fire. But try to stay calm in the middle of all that intensity. Walk to the center of your wheel. Stop asking the wheel to slow down. Stop asking the world to change for you. Change your relationship to the world. Change your relationship to the movement of the wheel. Move from Tamas, through Rajas to Sattva, and experience the true nature of your self.

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Core workshop in Chiang Mai

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Core workshop in Chiang Mai

Core strength Workshop! Here’s some pics of the students on our retreat exploring the function of each core muscle. One of the great things about understanding anatomy is that you can understand the purpose of each Asana a little better. The body is amazing at getting the job done. The problem is that we all have some muscles that aren’t doing enough and some muscles that are doing way too much. When we break it down and get really specific we can see clearly which muscles we need to strengthen and which muscles we need to stretch. We can start to undo some of the physical patterns that are leading to imbalances in our body, that might be causing pain, and that could lead to injury. Anatomy literally means to cut the body into pieces, so that by understanding the microcosm we can understand the whole body, the macrocosm a little better.

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First Shiva Power class in Chiang Mai!

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First Shiva Power class in Chiang Mai!

Shiva Power class! Here’s some pictures from our first morning practice together in Chiang Mai! After this class I felt like we had really arrived. I remember my teacher, Mr. Ramaswami teaching us the yoga sutras in my teacher training program with him. So clear! So easy to understand. And I’ll never forget him saying that if you understand the first 4 sutras then you understand the whole book. The rest of the book just elaborates on these first four sutras. Sutra 1.1. Now, time for yoga instruction. Sutra 1.2. Yoga is the practice of quieting the distractions of the mind. Sutra 1.3 Then, (when the mind is quiet) you experience the true nature of your self. Sutra 1.4 The rest of the time you are caught up in the distractions of your mind (and you never get to know your self). So simple! So clear. So easy to understand. Now, we know the goal. And the rest of the book systematically breaks down how to quiet the mind, how to reach the goal. The students were so focused and dedicated on this retreat. It was a lot of fun to hold the space for them and share the teachings. Really, they did a great job holding the space for themselves. My job was easy. Thank you to everyone for your hard work this past week and for going into the fire with me!

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First Workshop in Jiaxing

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First Workshop in Jiaxing

Just before Christmas I taught my first workshop in the city of Jiaxing! What a great group of students at YogaWorks! Thank you to Michelle for inviting me to come and teach your students. Thank you to Skye for doing such a great job translating. And thank you to everyone who came to practice with me! We had a deep hip opening workshop and the studio was packed. I loved digging into these practices with you all and helping you find more range of motion at your hip joint. December turned out to be all about the hips! Why do we want to open the hips? To stretch and strengthen the muscles of the upper legs and pelvic region, to protect the knees and the lower back, to increase blood flow to the pelvic region, to connect the upper and lower body, to keep energy flowing smoothly to the lower extremities, to find balance and prevent injuries, to prepare the body to sit for deeper pranayama and meditation practices, and to release tension from the body, which allows us to release tension from the mind. Are your hips tight? In which direction of movement? How is this affecting your body? What are you holding onto? Do you know how to open up, which muscles need to be stretched and which muscles need to get stronger? Do you know the poses that will help you? Do you know how to protect your knees and your lower back? Look forward to seeing you at a future workshop. And hope to see you all again soon in Jiaxing! You did a great job YogaWorks yogis! Very auspicious! I practiced for years in Santa Monica with my teacher @anniecarpentersmartflow at another studio called YogaWorks. Namaste.

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Deep back bending workshop at Sunya Yoga!

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Deep back bending workshop at Sunya Yoga!

Why do we backbend in yoga? To provide nutrients to the spinal discs, to strengthen the back of the leg muscles, buttocks, spinal erectors, and mid back muscles, and to stretch the hip flexors, core muscles and chest, and the shoulders in either flexion or extension.

Sunya Yoga in Shenzhen!

Sunya Yoga in Shenzhen!

My student, KiKi owns the studio Sunya Yoga in Shenzhen! I had so much fun teaching at her studio last weekend. We had a really fun Shiva Power master class on Saturday morning. I led a Deep Back Bending workshop on Sunday morning. Thank you to everyone who came to practice with me. The students were so open hearted and very receptive and I think this had a lot to do with KiKi and the energy she is putting out into the world.

A Very Special Vegetarian Restaurant!

A Very Special Vegetarian Restaurant!

A week ago the producer from Yoga Journal took me to this really special vegetarian restaurant in Guangzhou after we finished our first day of shooting. Such a cool place. The menu was designed with Chinese medicine in mind. The food changes on the menu each month with the change of the season. Each course the waiter brought to us he took the time to explain all of the ingredients, where they were from, why they were chosen and how they will affect our body.

The Botanical Garden in Guangzhou.

The Botanical Garden in Guangzhou.

I got to shoot last week with Yoga Journal China at the Botanical Garden in Guangzhou. Here’s some pics from the shoot. Yoga Journal China wanted to do a profile video with me. The theme of our shoot is the connection between hiking and nature, and yoga.

Stay open under challenging circumstances.

Stay open under challenging circumstances.

The practice asks us to go into the fire, to choose to attempt something challenging, to get out of our comfort zone, to experience the sensation, the pain, the suffering of change that leads to growth and transformation. Breathe into the challenge you are experiencing. Shift your perspective.

Wonderful week in Shanghai at Space!

Wonderful week in Shanghai at Space!

hank you to all the students who came to practice with me this past week. You really went into the fire! I enjoyed sharing these teachings with you. My teachers would be very proud of you. Some great conversations and questions after class. Thank you for being so curious and for doing the deeper work. It’s easy to get distracted by the fancy Asanas or the superficial shape of the body. If you are only focused on the physical you are missing what the technology of yoga can really provide — peace of mind.

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Handstand Workshop in Beijing!

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Handstand Workshop in Beijing!

We’ve got a Core Strength Workshop coming up this weekend at Space in Shanghai! If you want to be able to do arm balance poses and handstands you need to have a strong core, and this doesn’t just mean the superficial abdominal muscles. Join me this weekend and learn about the function of all the core muscles on the front, back, and sides of the trunk. We touched on a little of this work in the Handstand Workshop. We even did 108 Yogi Bicycles! A very auspicious number! Thank you to everyone who came out to practice and went deep with me in this Handstand Workshop! Hope to see you in class or at a future workshop!

Call 310.800.8614
mail@garthhewittyoga.com