Yesterday, I received an email from a kind lady asking me to teach Gentle Yoga at her institute. There was just one small request: "I would prefer not to use the name Ashtanga Yoga.”​ Sigh. We've still got that reputation. Ashtanga can't be gentle, right!​ That's funny, and sad. ​And I still love to stay in this practice, and this practice only. So, I said no to her. ​​ Again, I thought, there's a lot of work to do. I want people to know this precious practice with all it's qualities and...

There's a difference between discipline and self-punishment ​ How about just skipping the difficult postures and doing the nice ones? Or why not go a bit further and just do the ones you absolutely love? The asanas that always make you feel just splendid. ​ Many of us, and especially those who started practicing Ashtanga yoga in the early 2000s or before, were raised to do every single posture on every given practice day. That's 5-6 days a week. ​ Everything else felt like a cheat. There...

To this day, when mentioning Ashtanga Yoga I hear people say: oh, that's the difficult and intense form of yoga. The physically demanding...