I am sitting in my room watching the soft Monsoon rain out my front door and loving every minute. Ahhh India, what a sweet place.

Independence Day

Somehow I thought this would be louder, bigger, and more outwardly celebrated. I am finding it however way more inspiring that it is quiet in Mysore today on India's Independence Day. I am also exploring a bit of my own inner Independence, I can hear Manorama in my ear saying,"whatever that means." This is my first time experiencing the endless practice cycle. I have really never known past the forth week of practice at the Shala, and I am totally getting the built in rest days. My practice time gets earlier and earlier, and after I re register it is surely to be predawn.

There are more days behind me on this leg of the journey than lie ahead. I have no idea how this time will come to be shaped and manifest in my life and teaching, but I do feel different already because of it.

Things that I am inspired by:
Mike, my husband, check out his blog
The beauty of India
The other (hopelessly) devoted students who like me traveled so far and risked so much to be here
Uncertainty, "is it raining, or is that just the palm tress rattling?"

Walk of Shame

In this whole time I have not gotten yelled at once. Everyday in the Shala you will hear the yells. "No, you first!" when someone is coming into the Shala out of turn. Today someone somewhere in the room was catching their big toes instead of the sides of their feet, "Catch your feet, catch your feet!" The there is the ever popular, "Sit down!" this is when someone is trying to do dropbacks, and they didn't know they weren't allowed.

My morning started crummy. I should not check my email first thing in the morning, no matter how much I want to hear from my husband. As I walked to the Shala my mind was racing, and I contemplated going back home and stewing there. As I made it into the lobby to my surprise there were no students waiting. Then I heard it, "One more!" I looked around and then went into the room. Making your way through the Shala is kind of like making your way through series of land mines, arms and legs are flying from every direction it is best to move quickly and decisively. Just when I went to lay my mat down all the way across the room I heard, "What is your time?!" and just like that I was sent back to the lobby. Just because I am feeling a little sensitive today I started to cry a little.

This is what I am now referring to as the new "Walk of Shame." Like in college, but without the messy mascara.

At the end of practice, another day, another set of dropbacks, Sharath saw me move my right foot a tiny bit and when I came up like he was the Meryl Streep character in the Devil Wears Prada. He softly said, "don't move." For the next two dropbacks I swear I didn't move even an
inch.

It's Thursday and I am exhausted from the routine. I just got back from a special lunch for Mary from Yoga Sutra Philly, and now I am officially "taking rest."

"Keil Envy"

I am suffering from a rather serious case of what I am referring to as, "Keil envy." In the last 24 hours I have received so many messages from people back home who are working with one of the best yoga teachers I have ever met. I am very happy and humbled to say that he has been a great influence on my practice, and in turn my life. He is probably the biggest reason that I am here in India (for the third time in less than two years) and thus the Keil himself is why I am now suffering from Keil envy. There must be a lesson here.

Here are some highlights that you all wrote me that have me living vicariously through you:

"I am flying high!"
"both of us are good and sore."
"something stirred of how good it was to see him, made me happy"
"I was so wiped out by the end, and definitely fell flat on my butt in karandavasana"
"David is like a velvet hammer. I miss your "are you KIDDING me??!!" looks (pre-mayurasana) that always help me through mysore week!"

Missing David Keil very much, but very much so missing all of you!

Me, Junita, and the Shala

It dosen't get better than this!

The Experience IS the Transformation

I have received loads of emails/messages from home. It f eels like they are pouring in from students/friends/family that are all reporting about their own journey with Ashtanga Yoga. The teacher who has opened so many doors for me with regards to this practice is in my home town, Philadelphia. I am missing him and the transformation that comes from the experience of working with him. He is a wonderful teacher.

I have been thinking a lot about the role of the teacher, and what it means to teach, and how so often a good teacher may not answer your question, but will invite you to examine the question and give you the space to expand into the answer for yourself.

Here in Mysore there in no shortage of wonderful teachers. As always the best teacher starts from within. Sitting in Sanskrit today as everyone in level 2 was struggling away Lakshimish just casually said, “Effort may fade, but never fail to make the effort.” I think I’ll sit with that for awhile.

The sky is getting dark and I am about to head out to chant, it is sure to be a rainy rickshaw ride.

Jai to all of my beloved teachers, and Thank You.

Ok, Ok

I know that I have taken a few days off from writing, but I have had some things on my mind that I don't think were blog appropriate. The end of last week was really hard. I wasn't sleeping because I was feeling very vulnerable about my place at home. It felt as if I was unaware of changes that I would otherwise be made aware of. Anyway, you gotta get over all that. I am here so I need to fully commit to being here and as my friend Mary told me, "don't worry, Guruji will take care of everything."

I believe.

Saturday was an off day from asana, but my turbo Sanskrit class met and it feels like there should be a level between one and two. I think I need a level one and half. I am managing, while struggling and learning a whole bunch.

Sunday I had another Sanskrit lesson, I know turbo charged, and then conference. What an experience. Listening to Sharath speak about yoga, and so skillfully answer or not answer questions humbles and awes me. I will be forever grateful for that experience. I made the choice to not take notes and I am still processing the gems. More on that later.

Big News. Just as I wrote an email to my teacher back home saying that I think Sharath had forgotten about me. Today I am starting my back bends and I hear from across the room "Krounchasana, you do krounchasana." He didn't forget about me at all! So, I received another pose and a new start time 7am!

I am very happy, and very full from a North Indian Thali.

Love, Love

The Reminder

I have been staring at the computer screen for to long. I am trying to come up with something meaningful and profound to say and it feels like I got nothing. I think the enormity of this experience is finally hitting me. I think that is the wave that has crashed into me and pulled me back out far away from shore.

I have been thinking a bit about what I sometimes refer to as the personal and universal experience that is inherit in a led vinyasa class, like the ones I teach at Wake Up Yoga. The same is true here. There is this overarching universal experience. We are all here practicing in the Ashtanga Vinyasa Tradition. We have all traveled from far away to drink from the source. So, what separates us? It seems that it is the personal intention that creates such uniqueness here.

In Teacher Training we spend so much time emphasising the question, "What is your intention?" By knowing your intention dichotomies disappear and as a result self confidence grows. I think this helps when trying to relax into an experience. I should remind myself of this everyday.

Release Me

It feels like I hit my first wall here. I am for the first time since my arrival really looking forward to Saturday as a day off. I am also struggling today with the intensiveness of the experience. My body hurts, my mind is totally full, and I still have to finish Sanskrit homework and go to class. I woke up this morning, and it felt like I dragged myself to practice, and then half way through a practice that I can best describe as limp, I thought what the **** am I doing here. I didn't want to do drop backs again today and I thought that I would just skip them, but I don't know how or where the energy came from I completed them and retired to the ladies changing room for closings and savasana.

Regress/Progress

Someone with a child told me that is how children make their strides. They seem to take a few steps back before they launch themselves forward. So, I am working on this visualization of me in a sling shot and right now I am being pulled WAY back. Back so far that it is totally uncomfortable and I'll wait to be released.

Rama Rama

I am missing my husband today, so I have gone through my photos and found one from our last trip. I really miss him. Today I feel that my brain might explode right now. I went to take my first harmonium lesson and it was a real trip. Aunti Ji is about 75 years old and she is one intense teacher. When I asked her how often students come to take lessons she said without hesitation, "every day." So, I am embarking on this journey for the remainder of my time here. Just as my brain was nearly full, I went to Sanskrit and whoa, overload. The homework, how I forgot about the volume of homework. I think with the amped up study regimen, time will fly.

Practice was great! Finally, my time was moved up and now I am starting at 7:30 shala time (7:15am.) I am very happy about this. Again Pasasana was more than passable. After my third back bend I could feel Sharath standing on my mat so without any drama I simply came to standing. I know the cure for not being able to do drop backs. Have Sharath standing there watching every single one, waiting to do the assisted back bends with you. Oh Dear!!

Now I am sitting in Anu's Bamboo hut, in the company of other yogi's from all over the globe enjoying the breeze and the sound of the palm trees rattling. Life is Good.

You win some, you lose some

I finally lost the battle with my trusty alarm clock. Last week it petered out on me, but by the grace of the god powering all things technical it came back to life. It was the birds of South India that provided me with a wake up call this morning. As I turned to see what time it was it came into sharp focus that my alarm clock had officially passed away. Above is my new alarm clock courtesy of Loyal World.

I walked to the Shala this morning feeling great. My Sanskrit class started yesterday, and I already feel that level 2 is going to be a real challenge. We learnt "personal terminations," which someone had to explain to me that was the Indian way of saying personal endings. Lakshimsh laid those out as foundation and then gave us at least 25 verbs that need to be memorized by Tuesday. I forgot how serious he is when it comes to homework and showing up properly prepared. At Jayashree's there are rules written and hung on her wall the first one states:

"Be sincere and regular."

I love that rule.

Practice was strong, very energized. As I bent down to practice Pasasana, I tried to put into practice surrender and non-attachment. Viola there is was on the left then the right. Here is the real lesson, Sharath was in the office speaking with another student. What's that expression about the tree in the forest falling? It still for me was a really powerful moment.

It has been raining less and slowly heating up. I am heading to chanting this evening, and I made an appointment with the famous Auntie-Ji for a harmonium lesson tomorrow. I am excited to add that to my study here.

Surrender is Now

I took off yesterday from blogging, it was after all a Moon Day and after nearly two weeks here I wanted a day to climb in rather than expand out. Yesterday was totally the tipping point for surrender. I have finally come to grips with several things:

#1. bucket baths are not so bad

#2. it is ok if I never move past Pasasana

#3. mosquito bites while annoying will not kill me

#4. while some in India experience diarrhea, I on the other hand spend more time constipated (this is good to note if you are on the Wake Up Yoga pilgrimage)

#5. here, no matter how many times you have made this journey, is not HOME

#6. Laundry takes a very long time to dry during Monsoon season

#7. I have no control over what happens at home

I gave myself two weeks to really get into the experience here. Starting tomorrow I go from wading in the yoga to the full submerge, as Mike would say, "just dunk it."

Thanks for all compassion about my neck pain. It is feeling much better and I am excited to get back to the Shala for tomorrow's led class. Hopefully soon I'll have some postings about classes/workshops/Sanskrit meetings for the fall. Until then if you or a yoga studio you frequent would like to schedule a workshop please send me an email yoga@jillmanning.com

Namo Namah

or as Ali G says, "respect!"

Masala Magic

It's the Thursday before a moon day therefore we practice as if it was Friday today. Very Indian logic. I woke up early for practice and as soon as I stepped out of bed onto the cold marble floor I felt it. A massive kink in the left side of my neck from sleeping funny. As I slowly got dressed I contemplated skipping practice this morning. I couldn't turn my head at all to the left and dipping my head back was completely out of the question. I got dressed anyway and went out the door.

All you can do, is all you can do.

As practice started even raising my arms over head was incredibly painful. I manged to crawl around on my mat and not make too much of a scene. I was glad when it was over. Stopped and had a coffee and then it was on to the cooking lesson.

I must say it wasn't the most stress free cooking lesson. There was a lot of information, and a lot of people so at times it felt chaotic. I was reminded how India food fits so perfectly in the science of yoga. Every spice and herb has specific healing properties in addition to the flavor for the dish. We made dahl (now I feel I totally get it), and cabbage, and spinach, and of coarse chapatis. Which are easier and harder than I thought they would be. After the lesson my friend Tomas and I took a long walk. I mean a really long walk, and now I am so tired. Tomorrow and Saturday are days off and many people have left Gokulam. It is quiet, and that it good.

"You have 10 new messages"

Something told me to check my voice mail this morning. I left an out going message that states that I am out of the country until the 20th of September, so if you really need me email me. Mike while he is on the road has been calling me everyday and leaving me messages. I listened to my husbands voice over Skpe for 10 lovely messages. It was the best!

Definitely settling into a routine. Even the rain seems predictable (kind of.) My alarm clock seems to be playing with me one minute it is working and the next it seems to be broken. Right now it is working. I enjoyed practice this morning and I like have time to tinker with poses and transitions. Pasasana is coming right along and maybe Monday I'll get to add another. I am not getting my hopes up. Friday is a new moon, so tomorrow will be a led practice at 6am. Showing up to the Shala early is very important. One thing I know I am good at is being early. For the most part in India being early isn't helpful, but on the mornings of led practice it is the key to sanity.

After practice I found Lakshmish and firmed up that Sanskrit Level II is beginning on Tuesday. We meet three times a week for the month of August. I am very eager to begin studying with him again. I still haven't decided about harmonium. The best part about this trip is that there isn't this mad dash to get everything started. There is time to contemplate what you want to study and with whom.

I am getting ready to go have lunch with a friend then I'll be off to chanting. Tomorrow I am taking a cooking lesson with Anu. I know a lot of foodies so stay tuned for tomorrows blog with loads of pictures and information about some South Indian delights.

Hari Om

The Juice

Here is the routine so far:

Wake

Practice

Eat

Bucket Bath

Read/Write/Study

Clean Room

Eat

Return Email

Chanting at Jayashree’s

Chat and Chai

Bed

The schedule will vary slightly next week Sanskrit starts at the Shala. Chanting last night was intense Sutra after Sutra, one Pada after the next. The energy in the room combined with the vibration from chanting is so powerful. Jayashree is a master teacher. When ever I sit with an exceptional teacher I wait for the gem. I think I started focus on this when I would go to Joan White’s class at home in Philadelphia. No matter how frustrating her class could be. There was always a point, a nugget, a gem that I would catch and ruminate on it for days. I know that there is always at least one. When you sit with Manorama she has at least 108.

Jayashree related the idea of practice like learning to swim. She said with the cutest hand gesture and head bob that when learning to swim we all swallow a little water. I think that I swallowed a little less water in Pasasana this morning. As I began to move into the pose I could feel Sharath’s eyes on me and when I turned to do the right said there he was watching me. I bound on the left and the right and he made his way over to me and just said “better.” I’ll take that. My husband asked for a picture of this mythic asana so that he could “see” the story better. Above is a picture of my teacher in a perfect Pasasana.

Oh what a pitiful Pasasana you have

It is the beginning of week two, and yes one week makes a huge difference. I am sleeping through the night and practicing each morning, chanting each night, and no longer in a state of panic about being here.

I think that I am figuring out that traveling to India no matter how many times you’ve done it, no matter how familiar the destination it is a shock to every system in the body. Thinking that you can just pick up where you left of is just silly.

Silly Jilly

Conference last night was so nice. All the students came to the Shala and sat waiting for Sharath. Sharth took a seat at the edge of the stage and we all sat in silence for a bit then he chanted and began to speak about yoga. What a great teacher. This is my first time really having an opportunity to work with Sharath. He is giving me poses, and dropping me back everyday. He is teaching me. I didn’t bring a notebook which I will surely do next Sunday so when I came home I just jotted this in my journal.

Yoga must be connected to Shastra (spiritual text)

Proper breathing (in asana) is breath through the nose

Focus

Repetition

Faith

Surrender

The point that which you focus, the dot, the dot is your soul. Focus on that union.

Sharath after back bending told me he’d help me with Pasasana tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Monsoon Madness

I have never in my life seen such rain. It comes down from out of nowhere hard and fast with a sound quite like a train. And just as quickly as it arrives it ends leaving nothing but blue sky. It is a great metaphor, "nothing remains the same" no matter how rainy. I am really growing into being here and very grateful that I have this time and space to practice and grow.

Today was another led class. Here is the rhythm, Monday through Thursday is a Mysore Practice and Friday and Sunday the class is led. Sharath's led nearly killed me so I took comfort that Sarasvati would be leading my group this morning. Just as I sat down on my mat Sharath came blasting out of the office and heralded, "Samasthitih." I literally looked at the girl next to me and said, "oh shit." Thankfully Sharath just led the chant and then Sarasvati took over. She leads like Guruji with some serious quickness to her count.

This afternoon there is conference with Sharath. I haven't been to a conference since my first visit when Guruji was still so vital and present. I have no idea what to expect, but I'll be sure to write about it tomorrow. Tomorrow I am starting Intermediate with the addition of Pasasana, of all the 2nd series poses I have to work with this is my least confident. Who knows just having Sharath standing in front of my might change everything. Let's hope.

Chamundi Charm

Finally I slept through the night. This is a good thing because today is Saturday and there is no practice so getting up at 2:30 am would have really been bad. I got up and went to have some breakfast and coffee and what used to be Shakti. It is not there same there. Junita still lives there and it is always so great to see her. When I came through the gate she did this little happy prance dance and thrilled me, but also broke my heart because I would love to remove her from this place and bring her home. After breakfast I decided to go with a group to Chamundi Hill. This is the third time that I have climbed this monster of a hill.

Trip #1 http://jillmanning.blogspot.com/2006/11/chamundi-hill.html

Trip #2 http://jillmanning.blogspot.com/2007/09/seeing-rama-in-drama.html

This is trip number three. I am in a strange place here in Mysore. I have been here before, but not so many times that I have like "Mysore Peeps" connections. I guess that is what it feels like when I hang out with Michael from last years Sanskrit class. We know each other from here and now we are here together again, so there is none of that weird first time getting to know someone. I am shocked that I am not sorer from led class yesterday, and I am looking forward to getting back to practice tomorrow. The practice here anchors you, so that you don't get caught up in the drama of it all. I just had a lovely lunch/dinner. They tend to bleed together. I am looking forward to a semi hot shower and another full night’s sleep. Hari OM

Love, Love

First led class. It was a doozy. No, it was a Doozy with a capital D. The second group was to begin at 6am which is really like 5:45am and I know from times past you better get there early or you'll have to practice in the lobby or even worse the changing room. I think I arrived on the steps at about 5:15am. I was the first one there. Our group was not quite that big we utilized only the lobby no need for the changing room. Talk about mat to mat it was the biggest group I have ever practiced with.

The chant was amazing.

When you practice alone or in some very small groups being in the company of so many people, for me is "the juice." Sharath was brutal this morning. The count was so slow. If students came up from caturanga before the count (which happened more I thought it would) we had to hover and wait, and wait before coming up. I think we were in headstand for at least three minutes before we came down half way and then back up. I am going to be sore tomorrow. I don't even want to talk about Utplutih.

Tomorrow is a day off and I have no idea what I will do. Maybe laundry? When I first arrived on Monday morning I doubted everything. My decision to come here by myself, my decision to stay for so long, I couldn't remember what exactly I was here for. Now, I remember I am here to study and rest. I am here to work on the practice of yoga inside of its homeland. I am here to play with effort and surrender. As Mike's mom says, I am here to rearrange the furniture of my mind.

Power Restored

I can't believe how many power outages there have been since my arrival. I count at least four a day. But, nothing feels better than when your battery on your computer is just about to die and the power kicks back on. Somehow it feel just perfectly cosmic. Just got back from having lunch with two lovely ladies. We decided to walk home and for my second time this trip waked into a Monsoon rain. When you only bring two pairs of pants one needs to be dry at all times.

I rode that practice high all day yesterday. In the evening I went to Jayashree's for chanting. It is a great group and some tough chanting. I think that Ashtangi's get a bad rap when it comes to the more meditative practices. Here Jayashree's small room is full of yoga students chanting their hearts out and swaying with the divine. It is so nice. We worked on a favorite chant of mine and Jayashree went word by word over its meaning.

I am still not sleeping all the way through the night. I woke up at 2:30am and have been up ever since. My practice this morning felt tired, heavy, and sluggish. Those words are just qualities and I try not to give each practice like a thumbs up or down, but to dive into the feeling. I think a full night sleep would really help.

The sound outside my window soft South Indian rain. It's so sweet.

"Crying?"

Here it is the blog with pictures. Are you ready? So, it is day three here and it is getting better, much better. I can’t emphasize enough the sad feeling I had in my heart and in the pit of my stomach upon my arrival. Really it feels like the first time. The only difference it wasn’t that India knocked me on my butt. What knocked me down like the biggest wave at the Jersey shore was my own lack of confidence in myself. And with the jet lag fading and the yoga practice grounding me I am happy to say that I feel “the point” of my being here is coming into focus.

Last evening I went to Jayashree’s to do an epic chanting session and it was awesome. I went with a Finnish woman who has been so sweet to me. She is a long time student and an Authorized teacher. Really just a gift. In the last minutes of the chanting class it began to rain, no downpour, it was the biggest Monsoon rain I have ever seen. Our Rickshaw driver was supposed to come and pick us up, but he never showed. Another Rickshaw did arrive to pick up two other people and they were so nice and let me and my Finnish friend hop on in from the rain. So four Western adults were squeezed into this ride and the water was just flying around, huge puddles in the street. Cars were stuck, rickshaws couldn’t make it and all four of us were getting soaked. I really wished I had my camera. Next time.

Practice this morning was intense. I bought some fresh millet bread and home made peanut butter (110 Rs) so that I could have something in my stomach. It is so weird practicing that late in the morning and much sweatier. At the end of my drop backs Sharath came over to assist me with the deeper backbends and really just went for the ankle grabbing stage. I think as my fingers lightly touched my heels I whimpered a bit. After the forward bend squash Sharath smiled and said, “Crying?” It is going to be an intense practice with Sharath heading the Shala everyday.

After practice I asked Sharath if I could pay him the balance of my registration fee. He brought me into the office and smiled because I had the exact balance with my registration perfectly wrapped up to present to him. Then the exciting part happened! He looked at me and asked if I was doing Intermediate the last time I was here. I said no. Then he said (are you ready), “Monday you take Pasasana.” I feel great. I thought that I’d have to wait one month before that might (or might not) happen. So there you have it the longest post ever. I am going back to Jayashree’s tonight and most likely every night to bask in the vibration and memorize me some Yoga Sutra’s.

Practing for what?

So, I know the pictures where are they? I haven't had the chance to get my camera out and carry it with me. It has been a bumpy ride in my mind. I am dealing with loneliness I think for the very first time in my life. How do I turn loneliness into aloneness as a way of dating myself?

Practice this morning was great. I felt great in spite of all the other insecurities I have about everything else. It put the spotlight back on what I am here to do. The shala was so full. When I arrived at my given time 8am. I know, no dark predawn walks to the shala. I am really working on how I think this experience is supposed to be. I waited along with about thirty other Main Shala student for the call of "one more" for about another 45 minutes. I need to figure out a small breakfast to eat. Thank God I had a couple of cookies to bite on in my room otherwise I might have been forever known as "that girl" that passed out in the shala. As usual the first practice was a little fast. I'd love to say that I was one with the breath, and with an internal count like a metronome, but alsa I was not. I was however binding in every Marichasana nicely and dropping back and standing up with ease. When Sharath worked with me he just laughed a bit. At least he didn't reiterate the many mistakes making theme from last time.

Sanskrit level 2 doesn't begin until August which saddened me a bit, but I found out about some other juicy stuff in which to become immersed. In a couple of hours I am going to head over to Jayashree's for chanting the yoga sutra. I miss home. I miss the yoga community that I am so grateful to be a part of.

Practicing for what? Practice for Living.

Pictures and More Coming, I Promise

I have landed. I am right now in my room that will be home for the next seven weeks surrounded by the best sounds of South India, and experiencing the first power outage of the trip. Luckily, it is just after noon so that my biggest concern is finishing this post before my computer battery dies. My other big concern is falling into an afternoon nap. No napping is allowed at least until the end of the week. I am going to do a small practice just to get the plane out of my joints, register at the Shala which I am sure will provide good material for tomorrows post.

Traveling to Mysore:

Movie that was awful to watch 21

Movie that looked to awful to watch Fools Gold

Movie that was “ok, ok” Definitely,Maybe

Movie that had not one likable character in it, not ONE The Family Stone

I already failed at the no napping rule. I just woke up from an hour nap. I really needed it.

Happy Birthday Guru Ji

Ok, it's time!

Here we go. Here I go. This is my third trip to Mysore and I can't figure out why I am freaking out so much. This is me packing. This is me trying to fit 9 weeks of material into that smallish carry on bag. This is me freaking out!

Does anyone do yoga?

OM is nothing but music which is subtle and pure. OM cannot be chanted. Whatever we chant is linguistic OM. Can we keep the moon in our pocket? We can see it, we can point to it, but we cannot capture it. Similarly, the linguistic form of OM is a useful pointer, but the real OM we must experience.

Sri Brahmananda Sarasvati

Magic Men

Ahhh, India. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I ready (whatever that means)? Nearly. I have no idea how this trip will change me. I know it will impact who I am, how I teach, how I practice. What I don't know is how it will re frame what I think I know and what I thought I didn't. At practice this morning I felt myself annoyed with the chaos around me. Chaos, let me define this term. Chaos in practice is students adrift without the anchor of the method. Practice without seed, no breath, no energy connection, and no focus. No seed, no fruit, no Ashtanga Method as Guruji intended.

What to do?

Giving an adjustment in Marichasana C and or D

Step one hips

Step two binding

Step three twist

(I'm just saying)

Vibrate the heart, practice aaasana on the inside, stay engaged make sounds...Sanskrit Club tonight 7:30pm at Wake Up Yoga Fairmount!

Loafing

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loaf and invite my soul, I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass. My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air, Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same, I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, Hoping to cease not till death. Creeds and schools in abeyance, Retiring back awhile sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten, I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard, Nature without check with original energy.

Walt Whitman

The Juice

"One hears many things about Pattabhi Jois and the Ashtanga practice but after one engages The practice or is blessed to encounter Guruji, all the talk is nonsense. They are both experiential. It is futile as trying to tell someone what it is like to jump out of a perfectly good airplane."


Joseph Dunham

AKA My Scooby

As it gets closer and closer to departure, I am trying to brush up on my technical skills. I haven't posted with pictures for a very long time and I always need a little practice. Yesterday I posted my favorite picture of my husband from our Yoga/Mexico retreat this spring. I talk about her often in class, here she is my Angie dog!


July Updates:

Sanskrit Club this Friday July 11th 7:30 pm. Come practice your AAAA's, IIII's, and UUUU's

My final class before I become a full time student again is July 19th come and play

I am putting together some workshops that if you have a yoga studio you might just fall in love with! Check back for more details, topics to include, Sound and Silence, Intro into the Traditional/Current Ashtanga Yoga Method, Mysore Weeks, Life (and practice) is full of DropBacks, and vinyasa counting as an entry point for creative sequencing. Email if interested yoga@jillmanning.com

Mexico

It feels like the first time

As I flipped the calendar in my kitchen (http://www.phillypaws.org/) from June to July I had a mini panic attack. There it was staring at me, "Jill leaves for India!" In some ways I am very ready. I feel like I am teaching on fumes, like there is nothing left to say. My body hurts, it feels tight and tense, so practice is slow and sluggish. I need a boost, I need to relinquish the teacher role entirely and dive back into studentship. I can't seem to catch my breath when I ponder the other side. Leaving this life. Saying goodbye to my comfortable home and the love of my friends and family. My husband and I have been together for nearly 6 years and in that time we have not been away from each other for this long. Here it comes, the panic. Now I remind myself, "whole body relax, whole body relax."

July News and Updates

I am teaching my regularly scheduled classes up to and including July 19th

I am teaching a special regularly priced class on the 4th of July at Wake Up Yoga (Fairmount) 9am

Sanskrit Play Friday July 12th 7:30pm Wake Up Yoga Free!

Costa Rica! http://www.wakeupyoga.com/CostaRicaRetreat.htm

Only a few spaces remain in the '08-'09 Teacher Training Program, if you are interested check out the link http://www.wakeupyoga.com/training.html


I'll be studying in India July19th-September 6th, and traveling through the 20th of September. I will be keeping a daily blog of my practice notes, connections, and observations.

The List Continues...

Flashlight with fresh batteries (for blackouts)

Extra batteries (batteries in India are well, Indian)

Book of Suduko (for endless hours of flying 1/2 way around the world)

Black and White speckled notebook (I find these to be the perfect journal/note taking book, the books from my previous two trips are filled with some good yoga teacher stuff)

Books to read fro pleasure and books to study

A good picture of my husband and dog

Mike comes home from Chicago today. Thank Ganesha

Shine On

I can't remember the last time that I slept in bed all alone. No husband, no dog. It reminded me of when I first left New York (nearly eight years ago) and moved into a studio apartment on the corner of 4th and South St, right above the Phila-deli.

It was quiet last night and kind of a welcome solitude, I had an exhausting day.

I got my computer back and I think it is all fixed up and ready for its trip to India. As I look at the days on the calendar, reality is setting in for the long and exciting trip.

Feels like the first time.

I am heading on a new adventure today. When Mike is away I like to stay busy in the daytime. I am going to a yoga class ( three hour yoga class) given by a local yoga teacher Kati Brennan at Blue Banyan Yoga in Mt. Airy.

Maybe I'll blog about it. I am working on launching a new web site. I hope to have it up with all my future information by September or so. For now my very basic, but lovingly built one will have to do....www.jillmanning.com

My Scooby

Tuesday afternoon my mother-in-law took our dog, Angie on vacation to her house. When Mike and I travel she goes to Mike's mom house sometimes for the weekend, and sometimes for significantly longer stretches of time. Over the past five years they have really bonded and often when Angie returns to our house she is a bit depressed.

I've really been missing her over just these few days. Our house feels empty. She is coming home just as Mike is heading to Chicago to visit his friend. It seems like there is so much coming and going around here.

Practice this week has been slow due to the pain in my left wrist. I am heading back to the mat this afternoon after some rest and, we'll see. I am trying to get some things going for the fall and hopefully I'll have some details soon. I am trying to come up with a new name for this blog. Something fresh for the third Mysore adventure.

First Trip---Curry Up!

Second Trip---Side Saddle Sari

Third Trip ?????

I welcome suggestions.

Postponing Preparations

I think that I should really being doing something to "get ready" for this trip. I sit here in my (husbands) home office in Philadelphia and can't think of one thing to "do." Although this is the third trip that I have made like this in less than two years I am more nervous and scared than ever.

It is the aloneness of it all. Me and Me, and of coarse about a hundred of Ashtangi's from around the globe.

Maybe I'll start the checklist here:

Things I have done:

Plane ticket booked

Visa secured (I bought a ten year, best advice I got)

Subs for all of my yoga classes at home

Ride from airport in Mysore

Housing secured in Mysore


Things I have yet to do:

Update my vaccinations

Malaria medication (yes, I take it...HEYAM DUKHAM ANAGATAM)

Get my laptop back from my brother in law, who is updating for me

Figure out what to bring for 9 weeks that will fit in a carry item

Mentally prepare for life without my husband and sweet dog

Put the YMCA membership on hold (I like to swim)

Put some work in place for my return

Anything else?

Much Needed Update

Posting everyday, or a least every so often has proven to be harder than I thought. Since I am having a tough time updating my web site I am taking this opportunity to do so in a blog form.

1. Sanskrit Club is meeting this Friday at Wake Up Yoga 7:15. If you have taken a level one in this subject anywhere you can attend. It's free! And Fun!

2. Teacher Training Applications are due today. There are ONLY 18 spots available and if you are still interested, and there is still space give a call to Wake Up and find out if this is the year to change your relationship with yoga and even change your life.

3. I am leaving for India on July 19th and will be back September 20. Come share practice and check back for upcoming events/happenings in the fall.

4. Costa Rica '09.....need I say more. Check the link: http://www.wakeupyoga.com/CostaRicaRetreat.htm


Poem that I have been contemplating

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

As the practice of Yoga wiggles its way in

How do these speak to your relationship to Yoga practice


In the Station of the Metro--Ezra Pound

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough

The Great Figure--William Carlos Williams

Among the rain
and lights
I saw a figure 5
in gold
on a red
fire truck
moving
tense
unheeded
to gong clangs
siren howls
and wheels rumbling
through the dark city.

Sanskrit Play Date! May16th 7:45pm

This Friday night at Wake Up Yoga (www.wakeupyoga.com) I am "leading" a Sanskrit play date. This is the first of three that I am leading until I head back to India (June 13 and July 11) we will practice chanting, sharpen our reading and writing skills, and I can promise have lots of fun building a community of sound and sound vibration. It's FREE, and at the Fairmount location. If you have questions please contact me at, yoga@jillmanning.com

Hari OM

I love spine, how about you?

Check out this great DVD!

Taking Rest

It has been too long! I know. The time came where I needed to unplug and fly away to Mexico. Seriously. My yoga teacher hosted a yoga rest stop in beautiful Trocones, Mexico. Mike and I went and it was perfect. Practice, the Pacific, and perfectly prepared guacamole. I'll post some pictures soon, it seems that my computer is also a little fried.

I am hoping to update my website some time this week with some exciting events (yoga in Costa Rica!) www.wakeupyoga.com, Full led primary classes on Sunday mornings
10am for the month of May, www.yogasquared.com. Sanskrit Club, D.C. workshop, etc. All before I fly back to the Mother Ship (July 19th).


Please email me for further information, or just to chat

Namo Namah

Cross Blogging

My sister, the food writer, featured me in her blog. Check it out:

http://www.phillymag.com/blogs/philly_dining/2008/04/09/the-usual/

It's confirmed, I am leaving for India on the 19th of July!!! If you are interested in practicing/studying with me here are some points of interest.


This Saturday there is a Teacher Training Information Session at Wake Up Yoga (Fairmount location) at 12pm, you can always come early at practice with me at 10am.

I am also putting together my first out of town workshop at Inspired Yoga in DC (www.inspiredyoga.com) June 21st and June 22nd.

The Point

I have been staring at the Air France website for days now. I have typed in the details over and over again, and have wished that the ticket would pop up at a greatly reduced price. No such luck. Flying to India is expensive. I have secured housing, and said it out loud, but I still can't seem to push the purchase button. I know that I have fears. I'll be all alone this time no Mike, no Amy, just me for 7weeks. Talk about going all the way with yourself. I'll be away from home for 9 weeks which seems totally nuts. I know it my heart that this feeds me, and creates a closeness between myself and the practice of yoga.

I picked up this card at Whole Food the other day, it made me think of Manorama. What did the card say, "In the long run, we only hit what we aim at." Thoreau

NBD (no big deal), NST (no small thing)

My plan was to write everyday that I was working with my teacher, but alas that was not the reality. Teacher Training is in its final, final stages and I am beginning to feel like an Indian icon, basically a lady with between 8and 12 arms. Working this weeks was very inspiring, and also very exhausting. It is no wonder that students take refuge in India to work on themselves in relation to the practice itself.

Spring is taking its time here in Philadelphia, and I am just fine with that. I also feel like I am not exactly ready to shed the winter and bust into spring, so I too am moving slowly.

Dve

I discovered inside of practice yesterday a switch. Second Series has moved from this huge head trip of a big deal to really no big deal. I hung out in asana's instead of rushing through them. It started to feel in many sections like a coming into myself.

After I landed successfully in Karandavasana for the second day in a row, I moved quietly on to my back bending section. For the first time in many, many months I have received a new pose, mayurasana. I didn't know anything about the vinyasa into and out of this pose not to mention any technique for making this incredibly challenging asana. No such luck yesterday, yes, it seems like a hit another bump in the road. Today is another practice.

Mike and I have taken up the practice of boycotting goods from China so far it hasn't been that tough. I got a new copybook yesterday, made in Vietnam.

Ekam

I have been working for the last two years in this mode...work with my teacher for a short, but intense period of time and then self practice. Long trips to India have also helped along the way, but it is a style that works for me. The excitement that fuels the practice on the first Mysore practice is wild. My plan was to go easy on myself and complete a full clean primary and build from there. Instead I completed primary and continued on to complete all of what I have been taught of second, all the way up to and including a pretty nice Karandavasana.....that's one long practice!


Who knows what day two will have in store, that wild energy it has been my experience, only last one practice.

Be Kind, Be Light, Be Love

Change is in the air. The Teacher Trainee’s have started teaching their first public classes this week it is such an interesting journey. I have many changes going on inside my own life trying to manage theses changes is proving harder than I expected. I think that I need to lighten up!

Mike and I had lunch with a friend yesterday that we haven’t seen since her wedding last July. I told her of my plans to return to India this July and she laughed and asked if there was anywhere else in the world to practice yoga. I get a hoot when I look at my passport and Indian stamps are the only that appear. For now I am really into going to the source, you know cutting out the middle man.

I hope to pick up writing daily this week, my teacher is in town and the spark from him to me is always reliable, humbling, but reliable.

Yoga, Ear Ache, and India Calling

It is really difficult to practice yoga with a massive ear ache. What is really hard is the heart ache of really wanting to practice and then the reality that sets in that practice could actually be damaging. With the help of a friend and a dreaded course of antibiotics I am finally beginning to hear the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life keeps shifting, om continues to cycle, and never is it so beautiful as in spring in Philadelphia.

India plans have been made and it seems I'll be journeying all on my own this time at least in the beginning before meeting up with the Wake Up Yoga group, I think there is still space if anyone out there is interested.

Namo Namah

Debut

I am teaching my first full led class this Sunday at Yoga Squared 10am. It is my full intention to keep it "Shala Style." See you there!

Spring

I love reading yoga blogs. Over the years I have found maybe two or three blogs that I have become obsessive about reading. The last time I was in Mysore I read this blog everyday and every time I saw the author in the Shala I felt a little weird, to never never have heard her voice, but totally heard her "voice." When my blog friends pause from writing I feel sad. I am committing to writing more regularly about practice, teaching, and life.

Tapas

Can you teach wisdom?

Can you teach passion?

The only way to teach these really big concepts is to embody them, much like I am learning about gratitude these above are actions, not ideas.


My fire passed on to you!


A workshop on the traditional Ashtanga Yoga Method

http://www.yogasquared.com/elementallove.html

The first Teacher Training Information Session:

March 28th 7:30pm

htt://www.wakeupyoga.com

A Mind of Winter

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Wallace Stevens

Elemental LOVE

March 14-16th 2008
Friday night 6-8pm
Saturday 1-5pm
Sunday 12-4pm

Tuition $108.00
Early Registration Price $90.00 (before March 7th)


Elemental Love
Insight into the Traditional Ashtanga Yoga Method

To register contact: Yoga Squared
1923 Chestnut street 3R, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103
phone: 215 496 9226

This workshop has been designed to bring a clear understanding along with awakened awareness towards the Ashtanga Yoga methodology as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Through the guidance of my teacher, David Keil, who has been authorized by Guru ji, and my two pilgrimages to Mysore (2006, 2007) I will lay proper and strong foundation on which the practitioner can confidently build a self-practice (Mysore Style) to continue their studies. Over the course of this weekend will we explore in depth the foundations of the practice. There will be plenty of practice! We will dissect and study the external postures, and begin to develop awareness of the more subtle aspects, the breath (prana), bandha (energy), and dristi (focus.) Some details that will be covered include the opening and closing mantra’s, some history on the origin of the practice, proper vinyasa counting up to and including Navasana, along with debunking some commonly held mythology. As always I’ll be sharing loads of stories, and my own personal tips and tricks.

This workshop is suitable for all levels. It may be just the beginning of your exploration of this system, or a space for the more experienced to clear up any confusion, and fall in love with the divine details. Jill will be teaching Mysore Style at Yoga Squared starting mid March on Wednesday and Friday mornings. If you would like to begin studying with her it is highly recommended that you attend this weekend!

Jill Manning has devoted herself to the study, practice and teaching of yoga since 2000. She received her initial certification from Integral Yoga Institute in New York City, but has gone on to study with many of the world’s most revered living yoga masters, including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, with whom she has spent eight weeks at his yoga shala during her 2006 and 2007 trips to Mysore, India. Jill’s other notable teachers and mentors include David Keil, Joan White and Rodney Yee.

A graduate of New York University, Jill has studied the intellectual aspects of yoga as well as the physical and spiritual ones. Her scholarly understanding of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Yoga Sutra’s, along with other Shastras, brings an important dimension to her own practice as well as her teaching style. During her weeks traveling throughout India, Jill immersed herself in the country’s culture (and the Great Ganga). She has studied Sanskrit with Manorama and with Sri Lakshmish Bhat of Mysore, India, to further round her understanding of the yoga tradition and to place an asana practice in a larger context for herself and her students.


What students have said!!!!


“Hey Jill,
Your workshop was a real gift. You have a great grasp of the information and
a real gift at explaining complex theories in a very clear, understandable
way. I enjoyed the way that you broke the practice down both from the
theoretical standpoint, spiritual elements and the physical dimension. But
most importantly for me was the notion that you (I) have to do something
every day in terms of evolving your yoga practice. Even if it's not a full
Ashtanga practice or a full hour, do something. That resonated with me and
inspired me.”

Sara Lomax Reese

“Hey Jill!
I wanted to thank you for another wonderful experience! It was such a great weekend. I do have to say that I was extremely sore this morning when I got up, but I still went and practiced and it felt great. It was not a very smooth practice, but I made it through. It is a beautiful and intense practice and I feel very privileged to have learned the basics from you. You have such a respect for the practice and those that have taught you, and it really shines through in your teaching. Thank you!”

Kadie Cassidy DeVito

Meghajala

An assembly of clouds. What a nice image. I was thinkning in the last week or so that it would be nice if yoga teachers could come together and simply share, be together as if we were an asembly of clouds floating and forming together in the vast blue sky of yoga.

Does that sound corney?


If you are a yoga teacher living in the Philadelphia area and this sounds like something you've been longing for send me an email.

yoga@jillmanning.com


Namo Namah

Brand New Beginner Series at Wake Up Yoga

8 Tuesday Nights: 7:30 – 9 pm

March 11 - April 29

Fairmount Studio



Contribution: $108

(10% off first class card included at completion of the Beginners Series)

Pre-Registration Required …Spaces go quickly – enroll now!

2008-2009 Teacher Training

Information Sessions: ask questions of the teachers and former TTs; get an in-depth look at what the program offers, expects, and promises; find out the pre-requisites ... Discover if this is the program that your heart has been seeking!


Friday, March 28th 7:30pm

Saturday, April 12 Noon

Friday, May 9 7:30pm


Wake Up Yoga
2329 Parrish Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130

wakeupyoga.com

Come Away With Me

Taking the time to get away, and devote time to your practice is one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself. Check out the awesome events below.


A Pilgrimage to India: September 6 - 19, 2008

This trip is being scheduled, and in order to know the cost per person, we need to have a firm idea of who is taking this journey. If you've been yearning for an opportunity to travel to the Yoga Motherland, this may be the answer to your prayers. Jill Manning and I are collaborating to create a trip that offers time to practice yoga, reflect and relax, as well as see important landmarks and feed your spirit. Our working plan involves time spent at an Ayurveda Retreat Center in Kerala (the South), followed by a trip to the Taj Mahal, and then some time in Rishikesh, including a boat trip and camping out on the banks of the Ganges River. So, yes, it sounds dreamy. If you think you could realistically join us (which means taking 2 weeks off of work and spending around $2,000 plus airfare), please email me ASAP(Corina@WakeUpYoga.com). Jill and I feel confident we can make this manifest, and I've been corresponding with a very helpful woman in India. Our intention is to have the plans solidified (which includes deposits received) by February 15; if you're in, please contact me well in advance of that!



COSTA RICA YOGA RETREAT
(DURING THE FULL MOON)
IN THE OSA PENINSULA
March 6 - 14, 2009
led by Corina Benner & Jill Manning

You’ve been asking for this. You’ve been quietly yearning for this. By the time it rolls around you will really need this! Finally: the opportunity has arisen: enjoy a yoga retreat to one of the most magical places on Earth, offered by teachers you trust, knowing that the details will be worked out for you. Your only job for these 8days is to relax! Take a big breath in, and exhale audibly with a sigh. Yummmmmm!

Each morning you will have the opportunity to practice pranayama and yin and/or vinyasa yoga. Rise with the sun and greet the day high atop the trees on the outdoor yoga platform with the Pacific Ocean in full view. In the late afternoon another yoga class will round out the day, as the group’s energy determines whether the evening offering will be vigorous, balanced, or restorative, allowing the relaxation to sink deep into your entire being. On the eve of the full moon we will celebrate abundance and fulfillment with chanting, reflecting and laughter. Afternoons can be spent hiking in the pristine rainforest, chilling on the beach, and/or participating in one of the many tours they offer (of course, they come with an extra fee). As a group we will take a Corcovado Park Tour, and a Waterfall tour, and each participant will enjoy a one-hour bodywork treatment.


You have plenty of time to schedule for this, and plenty of time to begin saving your rupees to make it happen. Imagine yourself sipping on fresh mango juice, lounging by the pool, practicing yoga to a symphony of howler monkeys. It’s not too good to be true, and you truly deserve it. If you are an avid yoga practitioner but your partner is not, we may be able to offer a discounted, no-yoga price so your love can join you for what promises to be the retreat of a lifetime!


From $1,575 pp, double occupancy
(for an elevated tent with beds)
Additional Accommodations Include:
Bungalows ($1,815)
Haciendas ($1,675)
additonal charge for single occupancy
BOOK BY APRIL 15 AND SAVE $100!
Does not include airfare to Costa Rica

Mysore Morning

I will be teaching three Mysore Style classes at Yoga Squared over the next week.


Friday, January 11th 6:30-9am

Wednesday, January 16th 6:30-9am

Friday, January 18th 6:30-9am

"If we practice yoga without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood toward the Self."

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
sweet Guruji

Yoga Squared
1923 Chestnut street 3R, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103
phone: 215 496 9226 fax: 215 496 9227
info@yogasquared.com

Upcoming Workshop and Personal Resolution

December has been a very powerful month! Much change, quiet power, and hopefully some growth. The winter solstace week was packed with yogi's, energy, and intention. Here's what some have said,

"I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful workshop last week. I really appreciate both the physical and mental enlightenment I receive from your classes." L.W.

"I am excited to take all that I learned this past week and work with it in my practice! I am sure that writting all this in an email does not come across with half as much gratitude and excitement as I intended, but I hope you know that you are a great teacher and one that passes down the yogic tradition with such great passion and reverance. Thank you for a wonderful week! I hope you have a great holiday and I'll see you in the new year!!" K.C.D.

"As always, I feel so fortunate to be able to attend your classes and continue to learn from you...your method of teaching and the way you share your experiences with students is truly a gift in my mind." M.S.

My very first opportunity to share my growing passion for the Traditonal Ashtanga Yoga Method is this weekend. Come and share, grow, and deepen your relationship to yoga, and as always your self.


As for all the resolving that is flying in the air I am taking my cue for 2008 from the very soulful genius Walt Whitman. My resolution for 2008

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body..."
walt whitman

Stay Engaged Practice Yoga

Two Workshops:


The Rebirth of the Sun
Winter Solstice Morning Retreat Week
Monday – Friday
December 17-21
6-8 am
Tuition: $90Early Registration Incentive: $80 by 12/10/07

SOLD OUT!

If you are interested in hosting a week long morning retreat at your yoga studio contact me. Other themes have included Practice as Sadhna, Abhyasa and Vairagya; The two wings of yoga, and Tandava: Where Shiva meets Shakti.

The Earth is actually nearer to the sun in January than it is in June—by three million miles! In this week long morning retreat we will explore the light that is always present in each of us. Through movement (asana), simple cleansing (kriya) rituals, breath awareness (pranayama), and quiet sitting we will align with the quality of the solstice, as a time that humans have long recognized as a turning point, a day that celebrates the return of the sun. Our asana focus will utilize the contemplative and cleansing power of forward bends in combination with deep twists. Picking up suggestions from the “great vows” of yoga, the yama’s, and niyama’s, we will weave together the themes of greedlessness (aparigraha), cleanliness (shauca), and contentment (samtosha).

To register, please mail payment to: Wake Up Yoga, 2329 Parrish Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130. Or call: 215.235.1228 to use a credit card. Please include your name, phone number and email address. Thank You!


Foundation First, Insight into the Traditional Ashtanga Method
Friday-Sunday January 4th-6th
Yoga Squared
1923 Chestnut street 3R, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103 phone: 215 496 9226 fax: 215 496 9227 info@yogasquared.com


My intention in providing this workshop is to bring a clear understanding and awareness towards the Ashtanga methodology as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Through the guidance of my teacher, David Keil, who has been authorized by Guruji, and my two pilgrimages to Mysore (2006, 2007) I hope to lay a proper and strong foundation on which the practitioner can confidently build a self-practice and continue their studies (If there is interest and enthusiasm, I can offer a 2nd installment, with the option of an additional Mysore morning week.) Over the course of this weekend will we explore in depth the foundations of the practice. We will explore and study the external postures, and begin to develop awareness of the more subtle aspects, the breath (prana), bandha (energy), and dristi (focus.) The culmination of this transformative weekend will be a led (traditionally counted) practice of the asana’s we have covered. I hope to cover the opening and closing mantra’s, some history on the origin of the practice, debunk some commonly held mythology, share loads of stories, and my own personal tips and tricks.

This workshop is suitable for all levels. It may be just the beginning of your exploration of this system, or a space for the more experienced to clear up any confusion, and fall in love with the divine details.

Change is Coming!

I am revamping my blog, and will continue to write about all things yoga. I hope to highlight my favorite things about practicing yoga in this beautiful, and very conflicted city. What could be more interesting than exploring what yoga is in the home of the cheese steak?

Bombay, Good Bay

Mike and I are getting ready to leave this country that is beginning to feel like a second home for both of us. Mumbai is breathtaking! The last time I felt this in awe of a city was the first time I “discovered” New York.


I am excited to get back to the city that I love, and really jazzed to get to teaching. It’s funny being outside of Mysore how the practice of yoga redefines itself. The street side puja’s, the daily pilgrimages to Holy places, I have been practicing reading all the street signs (the Sanskrit alphabet is very similar to the Hindi alphabet) with every Indian who will indulge me. It tickles them, and thrills me.

I will be returning to teaching next week starting 5:45pm Tuesday, 16 October 2007 at Wake Up Yoga, and returning to my regularly scheduled 10am Saturday class 20 October 2007 again at Wake Up Yoga.

For those who want to begin a yoga practice I am teaching a Brand New Beginners series at Wake Up Yoga, space is limited so register early! Tuesday nights 6 November until 18 December.

If you are looking for a private or semi-private yoga session contact me via email, yoga@jillmanning.com.

Workshops coming soon, so keep checking my website http://www.jillmanning.com/

Many Blessings

See You Soon

After All We Are Indian’s

Mike and I have been on the road now for 7 days. Again, I am reminded how Mysore, well really Gokulam is like no other place I’ve been in India. It’s like Intro to India. Don’t get me wrong it is and will always been dear to my heart and it certainly is India, but if you’ve been there and only there I think you are missing the big picture.

We started as many journeys begin with a really long and beautiful but bumpy car ride. Exactly and approximately 8 hours. When you are on the road you eat lunch where the driver decides to eat lunch. Lunch usually is one thing, this time it happened to be Thali at a less than clean establishment. A world far from Green Leaf.

Arriving in Hospet it felt like these people had not seen a white person ever. The excitement and curiosity always thrills me. People will pinch your cheeks and tell you how beautiful you are. Everyone wants to know your name and give you a proper hand shake. When the cameras come out it gets wild, everyone wants their picture taken, and the children really want a “single,” a shot of just them, this request is almost impossible to grant, but I managed in some cases.

Mike and I spent the next days commuting to Hampi, the former seat of the largest Hindu Empire. It is best known for its surreal rock and bolder landscape. It is quite breathtaking, and possibly the hottest Mike and I have ever been. I’m finding it is not the place that I most remember it’s the people that I meet along the way. After a particularly hot and long day I exited a temple and this tribe of women called me over to just sit with them. They gave me cookies and we talked as best we could, I don’t think I ever smiled so much. Mike was wandering around in the distance and of course I was asked about my husband, and why don’t we have children. All the little girls then ran to retrieve my husband grabbing him by the hand calling him “husband” and declared that they were our children. I took some photo’s, gave my husband some cookies and we left.

We were told at the travel agency the car ride from Hospet to Goa was 4 hours. Around the 4th hour we were nearly half way there. It was a tough car ride. When we arrived in Goa I had enough of India. Little did I know Goa would become one of our all time India highlights. The weather is dreary, monsoon rains appear out of nowhere, and the regular India dirty becomes combined with mud and the sand makes for a new level of grime. At our hotel we are the ONLY Westerners. The hotel offers bus tours of Goa, and I really didn’t want to get on an Indian bus and be the only non-Indians. Well, it turned out to be the best bus tour ever. The whole trip was 6 hours. At first everyone kept to themselves. We were dropped off at a site and then told how many minutes before we needed to be back on the bus. The family behind us began to translate. After about two hours I felt like Mike and I were in their family. We began talking and joking and they had two daughter one 21, and one 16. Very Western. The 16 year old plans to go the college in the U.S. Where? Somewhere in Florida because that’s where the Backstreet Boys are from. Even the Indian’s whose English was just so-so begun to bond with us and us with them. The culmination of the trip was a boat cruise, again about three hundred passengers, 2 whiteys! The ship had its own “disco” for dancing. Ladies entered for free, for men 50 Rs. It was a blast; everyone knew all the Bolly Wood moves and lyrics. We danced with our new Indian family, even Mike.

As we exited the ‘”Paradise Cruise” I had expanded my vision on what it means to be Indian. When I complimented the 16 year old on her dancing, and that everyone knew all the moves she quickly replied, “After all we are Indians.”

Part two of Goa to come: How to Bargin, Indian Style. Plus Adventures in Mumbai.
I’ll be back teaching at Wake Up Yoga starting Tuesday October 16th at 5:45pm, I can’t wait to see you all!