Healing at Balinese Temples with the Gods of the 9 Directions

THE GODS OF THE NINE DIRECTIONS | What I’m about to share is powerful knowledge that Mama Ati (our priestess and host of Yogatrotter Academy) has been asking me to study, chant, and write about for years. She learned this from one of her gurus, Shri Aji Siwa Ambara. Recently, she’s been sharing the mantras with special groups of our students, to be chanted in the morning ritual at her retreat center in the sacred mountains of Sidemen. It’s a powerful tool for healing through devotion.

In Bali, the gods and goddesses of the nine directions have the power to cure us of dis-ease. From the eight cardinal directions (plus the center of the universe), we can pray to the energy of each god/goddess pair associated with that direction, and through the power of their particular “weapon,” they may grant healing for specific organs within our bodies. As an act of devotion to these gods, you can visit their temples, which, if visited in directional order, form a circle around the eastern half of Bali. Even if you can’t visit their temples, chanting to each god and goddess is an act of worship that can be done from anywhere to call upon their healing powers. The flowers are also placed in the daily offerings to represent the colors of the nine directions.

Here’s how it’s done:

PUJA DEWATA NAWA SANGA (ritual of the gods in the 9 directions)

“Om” three times

EAST – TO HEAL THE HEART

–Visit Lempuyang Temple in East Bali (Karangasem).
-Visualize the power of the vajra (lighting bolt weapon).
–Chant to the god Iswara and goddess of fertility and love, Uma:

”Om Iswara Dewa, Uma Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

SOUTHEAST – TO HEAL THE LUNGS 

-Visit Goa Lawah Temple, the “bat cave temple” in Klungkung.
-Visualize the power of dupa (incense).
-Chant to the supreme god Maheswara and goddess of abundance, Shri:

”Om Mahesora, Shri Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

SOUTH – TO HEAL THE LIVER

-Visit Andakasa Temple in Manggis.
-Visualize the power of gada (mace).
-Chant to the creator god Brahma and goddess of knowledge and arts, Saraswati:

“Om Brahma Dewa, Saraswati Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

SOUTHWEST – TO HEAL THE STOMACH/DIGESTION

-Visit Uluwatu Temple on the cliffs of the Bukit.
-Visualize the power of a moksala (a double-sided, five-pronged staff).
-Chant to the, god of storms, Rudra and goddess of rituals and tradition, Santani:

”Om Rudra Dewa, Santani Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

WEST – TO HEAL THE KIDNEYS

-Visit Batukaru Temple at the base of Mount Batukaru.
-Visualize the power of a nagapasa (a dragon-headed arrow).
-Chant to the god of power, Mahadewa, and goddess of beauty, Sanchi:

“Om Mahadewa, Sanchi Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

NORTHWEST – TO HEAL THE PANCREAS

-Visit Puncak Mangu Temple near the center of the island.
-Visualize the power of an angkus (a bull-hook or elephant goad).
-Chant to the god of plants, Sangkara, and warrior goddess Rodri, also called Rudrani:

“Om Sangkara Dewa, Rodri Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

NORTH – TO HEAL THE GALL BLADDER

-Visit Ulun Danu Temple near Mount Batur
-Visualize the power of a chakra (spinning wheel of energy).
-Chant to the protector god, Wisnu (Vishnu), and goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi:

“Om Wisnu Dewa, Lakshmi Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

NORTHEAST – TO HEAL THE THROAT

-Visit Besakih Temple on Mount Agung.
-Visualize the power of a trisula (trident).
-Chant to the joyful manifestation of Shiva, Shambhu, and divine feminine goddess, Mahadewi:

“Om Shambhu Dewa, Mahadewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

CENTER – TO HEAL ALL CELLS IN THE BODY

-Visit Pusering Jagat Temple in Ubud.
-Visualize the power of a padma (lotus flower).
-Chant to the destroyer deity, Siwa (Shiva) and beloved mother goddess Parvati:

”Om Siwa Dewa, Parwati Dewi
Namo Dewa, Namo Dewi
Lokeswara Ya Namaha”

Chanting to all nine gods and goddesses is a powerful practice to include in your daily rituals. You can chant along here:

To learn more about the gods and goddesses of Bali and how they relate to yoga, join us for The Gods of Yoga retreat at Mama Ati’s retreat center, and take part in these rituals yourself in Bali.

HOW TO CHOOSE A 200HR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING – A Comprehensive Guide From a Full-Time Teacher Trainer

After attending many YTTs myself as a student, and leading more than forty 200hr courses for multiple schools around the world, I’m feeling contemplative, and I want to share my thoughts on this whole YTT thing, and the factors that I think are worth considering if you’re thinking about joining one.

WHY DO SO MANY YOGA STUDIOS OFFER YTT?

I recently spoke to a yoga teacher here in Bali who may have to close her studio. From an ethical yogic perspective, she is doing everything right: her studio encourages diversity of body types, age, and ethnicity, she charges less than the average rate for classes with exchange opportunities and a sliding scale, and she hasn’t bowed to the pressures of the “yoga industrial complex” by catering only to power yoga. She provides honest, heart-centered yoga, with honest, heart-centered marketing (oh, the lies and manipulation I’ve seen in yoga marketing!), and she can’t afford the rent.  It’s the kind of place we should all want to survive.

I can’t help but think that back in the day in India, she’d be one of those spiritual leaders that the community provides for–feeding and housing her as an honor, or like Krishnamacharya, sponsored by the maharajah to teach for a living. We don’t have a system like that in the modern world. What we have is the yoga teacher training.  

For better or for worse, in our modern “Yoga-Alliance-registered” world, there just aren’t that many options for systematically deepening your yoga knowledge outside of the 200hr YTT format. For teachers and students alike, these courses are a blissfull opportunity to dive into yoga philosophy and discuss the subject we’re most passionate about. These courses, and the money and energy exchange that goes along with them, is what allows most of our yoga studios and teachers to keep their heads above water. We all love yoga and recognize its value in our lives, and in a time when fewer people find themselves in church on Sundays, more and more are finding their spiritual connection on the yoga mat. There is so much value in this. So YTTs have become the life-blood of the yoga world.

TO TEACH OR NOT TO TEACH?

About half of the students who join my YTTs say that they’re doing it to deepen their own practice, and they have no intention of becoming teachers themselves. I’ve heard people snark, “EVERYONE’S done a 200hr,” and that’s exactly why–whether you actually want to become a yoga teacher, or simply want to inform your own practice, you’ll find what you’re seeking at a YTT, and it’s one of the few formats available to do it. Unless you have the means to commit to an ashram in India for a year (and if you do, I’d encourage you to pay them more than you would a western YTT!), you’ll probably end up in something called a “200-hour”–and in fact, even IN India, most yoga schools and ashrams acquiesce to this format.  Many of those students who initially don’t plan to teach, find themselves feeling capable, knowledgeable, and filled with the desire to share the practice with others after they graduate, and many go on to teach anyway, whether through volunteering or as a side-gig.

I want to be honest here: it’s difficult to make a living as a yoga teacher. I know very few people who do it full-time as their sole source of income, and those who do, do what I do: lead teacher trainings and retreats, teach in corporate wellness programs, and/or take high-end private clients. If you plan to teach drop-in classes at a studio, consider it part-time gig work. Your body and mind will burn out if you take on too many classes a week. And as with my friend I mentioned above, the studio will likely be struggling to pay you a livable wage while keeping costs reasonable for students.

But it CAN be done, and depending on your level of freedom (and, to be honest, your marketing skills), you might be able to create a career for yourself that gives back to the world while filling your own soul. And either way–whether you’re planning a career change or not–you should ABSOLUTELY do a YTT if you love yoga. Regardless of your reason for doing it, you’re likely to find it a transformational experience for body, mind, and spirit, and that’s because of the philosophy of yoga.

Potential students often ask me if they’re “ready” to do a YTT, thinking that they need to be a certain level of fit or flexible to attend. In reality, your readiness for a YTT has far more to do with your openness to the PHILOSOPHY behind the practice than whether or not you can get your foot behind your head. The students who have the hardest time at teacher training are those who go into it thinking it’s just going to be about fitness–that it’s the same as doing a Pilates or personal training course. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

So what matters when choosing a YTT?

DOES IT HAVE TO BE YOGA ALLIANCE REGISTERED?

When considering joining a YTT, you’ll hear a lot of “RYS”-this and “Yoga Alliance”-that. You might wonder if it’s necessary for the school you attend to be registered with the Yoga Alliance. Before either praising or condemning the Yoga Alliance, it’s important to understand what it actually is.

YA’s Role for Individual Teachers

There’s a difference between certification (becoming qualified to teach through the guidance of a trainer) and registration (paying annual dues to an arbitrary organization). For individual yoga teachers, the Yoga Alliance is nothing more than a voluntary paid directory. It’s NOT an accrediting agency for teachers.

Whether the yoga teacher training school you attend is YA-registered or not, the certificate you receive from that school upon graduation CERTIFIES YOU TO TEACH, without any “Yoga Alliance” involvement whatsoever. There doesn’t actually exist an accrediting agency for yoga, because the subject, its meaning, and its various lineages are so vast and varied. So the Yoga Alliance is just a voluntary, paid, directory listing for yoga teachers. 99% of yoga studios, insurance companies, and clients around the world will be perfectly satisfied to accept your school-issued certification as proof of your qualification, without requiring you to be part of the Yoga Alliance’s directory.

That means that once you’ve graduated from ANY YTT, you’re already a yoga teacher (and let’s keep this on the down-low, but plenty of people teach yoga without ever having done a YTT at all.) However, if your SCHOOL chose to register themselves as a 200hr program with the Yoga Alliance, you’ll then have the additional option of registering yourself as a Yoga Alliance-registered TEACHER after you graduate, which entails paying their annual dues to be listed in their directory. It also comes with some perks, like bulk discounts on yoga mats and clothing, and free online courses for continuing education.

This difference is why you sometimes see yoga teachers calling themselves RYT-200 (a Yoga Alliance designation meaning REGISTERED Yoga Teacher) versus CYT-200 (a generic term that simply means Certified Yoga Teacher). Functionally, they’re exactly the same. The RYT just pays yearly dues.

YA’s Role for Yoga Schools

Where the Yoga Alliance pulls its weight is for yoga SCHOOLS, not for individual teachers. For yoga teacher training schools, the Yoga Alliance outlines a list of “standards” for teacher training courses that schools can voluntarily choose to accept and pay heaps of money for, to be registered as an RYS-200 (Registered Yoga School at the 200hr level). For schools, it’s like a voluntary, self-accreditation process, an agreement to pay the fees in order to be acknowledged as meeting certain standards. When a school decides to register, they’re basically paying for a “stamp of approval” that says, “yes, we agree to meet these minimum standards in our program.” Again, none of this is legally binding–no government requires only YA-registered schools to train teachers, and it’s all entirely voluntary. For yoga schools, being registered with the Yoga Alliance is just good marketing. It’s something that students look for in schools, so that upon graduation, they’ll have to option to register or not.

Here are the Yoga Alliance’s standards for 200hr Teacher Training Programs:

So if you choose to do a teacher training with a Yoga Alliance-registered school (RYS), you can expect the education to meet at least these requirements. If you choose a school that’s NOT registered, they can teach anything, for any amount of hours.

Arguments For and Against The Yoga Alliance

When we view yoga in the context of its Indian and Hindu source, it’s easy to argue against the Yoga Alliance. Why should a US-based company have any say in standards over a timeless Indian philosophy? Many would argue that the whole concept is colonialist in nature–exerting western control over a living culture. As someone who has spent the last ten years living in Asia and studying eastern philosophies, I tend to agree with this opinion. When I think of many of my best yoga and meditation teachers around the world, from Japan, to Bali, to India, some barely know what the Yoga Alliance is, let alone value registering. Knowing what I know now, it would be easy to look down my nose at the Yoga Alliance.

And simultaneously: from the perspective of me fifteen years ago, a casual yoga attendee who had never left the US and had no idea of yoga’s roots (I just liked how savasana made me feel!)–I’m so GRATEFUL that the above Yoga Alliance standards existed in the US! Look at how many hours are spent on philosophy! For a culture that is already accused of appropriating yoga from its source, it’s bad enough as-is, and I can’t imagine how much worse it would be in the US without the YA ensuring that at least that many hours are spent discussing history and philosophy in their registered yoga schools.

I signed up for my first 200hr YTT in the US thinking it was just about getting fit, and the course opened my eyes to how much deeper yoga actually is, which set me on this journey of traveling the world to dive into the origins. But if you had thrown 20-year-old me into my current ashram in Bali with my current teachers, I a). wouldn’t have been able to understand a word, because I didn’t yet speak the language, and b). even if I did, it would have all gone over my head. The lessons would have meant nothing to me within the context of how yoga had thus far been presented to me in the west–almost like we’re using the same word to talk about two completely different things.

It seems to me that the Yoga Alliance and western yoga schools sometimes act as the translator straddling those two worlds, or the stepping stones to the deeper practice. Studies have shown that with continued practice, the vast majority of yoga students change their initial reason for practicing (most often from the physical benefits, to the deeper spiritual and emotional effects). So if you were introduced to yoga as hot yoga, power yoga, goat yoga, beer yoga, whatever yoga–celebrate that it got you through the door! If you keep practicing, you’re likely to want to go deeper.

My lineage of yoga teaches us to “meet people where they are.” For people who were not raised in yoga culture, those Yoga Alliance standards can offer a good start. So if a school you’re considering isn’t registered, it could be because it’s taught by long-time spiritual masters who don’t want to kowtow to an arbitrary US organization (good!)… OR it could be because it’s taught by a colonialist secular teacher who wants to whitewash the practice and strip it of its philosophy (bad.) At least the RYS designation gives you some idea of what to expect.

IS 200 HOURS ENOUGH?

The question may arise then, is 200 hours really enough?

In one sense, of course it’s not. The depth and breadth of yoga requires a lifetime of study, and I know very few yoga teachers who simply stop learning after their 200hr. Teaching and studying yoga has been my full time career for ten years, and I still feel that I’ve barely scratched the surface.

But committing to 200 hours is certainly a start. And so much of the learning comes from EXPERIENCE. This experience starts with one’s own personal practice, but I also insist that my graduates start teaching right away if they plan to teach, to put into practice what they’ve learned and discover what more there is to explore. You simply don’t know what you don’t know, so you have to start somewhere. I once took a 500 hour course, in which some of the students had joined directly from their 200hr without teaching in between, and the gaps in knowledge were painfully obvious. We learn by doing, and we spread the peace of the practice by sharing it with others.

There’s a Hindu story of a Vedic sage named Bharadvaja who spent lifetime after lifetime immersing himself in the study of the Vedas. On his deathbed at the end of his third lifetime, the god Shiva came to him and told him to stop wasting his time, that he could spend a thousand more lifetimes studying and be no closer to spiritual perfection than he was at that moment. Instead, Shiva told him it was time to teach others.

HOW ABOUT THE LENGTH? INTENSIVE (ONE MONTH) OR EXTENDED (6+ MONTHS)?

So those “200 hours” of study can be approached in a number of ways. There are year-long courses where students gather once a month, there are one-month residential courses, there are weekend modular courses–that 200 hours can be spread out or condensed in various formats.

The first YTT I attended as a student in the US was on weekends spread out over six months. It was something I did in addition to my everyday life, as one would take a cooking or pottery class. It was absolutely lovely. I was able to study during the week, integrate what I learned, and rest. But I was also distracted by my job and my house and my relationships, and learning yoga was not my top priority or focus during that whole six-month period. The information felt more conceptual than practical, because I had these long gaps in between learning sessions. This probably had more to do with my own faltering motivation and personal attention span, so it’s useful to know yourself and for how long you can stay focused.

It wasn’t until I took my first one-month immersive YTT overseas that I realized how much deeper it was possible to go. To be held in a container with like-minded people for an extended period of time in which the ONLY thing to focus on is yoga, self-healing, and growth, is an unspeakably powerful experience that I wish everyone in the world could have.

The shortest course that I ever taught was for a school in the US that crammed 200 hours (or rather, 180 in-person hours) into 15 days. While there are lots of wonderful things about that school, this course format was a nightmare. They were twelve hour days with no days off, and the students were exhausted and retained very little information. Nearly everyone had a breakdown at some point. The school did it this way because, as you may be aware, the average PTO for US companies is two weeks. It is not enough time.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can take a month away from your daily life to commit to your personal growth and healing–perhaps you’re a student on summer holiday, or you’re between careers–I highly recommend seeking out an intensive course. But be sure it’s one in which there are evenings and some full days off to rest and integrate the knowledge. In my experience, between 22 and 28 days strikes the right balance of immersion and rest.

WHAT ABOUT ONLINE COURSES?

Ugh. I know that the pandemic made online 200hr courses necessary. And I’m grateful to the Yoga Alliance for allowing this, as it helped many yoga schools survive. I KNOW that the online format made certification a possibility for so many more people, and that should be a good thing. But having taught both in-person and online, I mostly just feel sad that the online format exists. I feel sad that people may choose it, thinking it’s the same as in-person, not realizing what they’re missing. It’s apples to oranges; so much is missed. Yoga is a practice of connection, heart-to-heart, teacher-to-student, friend-to-friend, soul-to-body. It’s physical, it’s personal, it’s emotional. It’s about seeing our interwoven natures, our interconnectedness. Learning to teach requires intimate observation and connection to others and their bodies. It’s just so incredibly hard to replicate through screens.

I struggle to even give recommendations for online courses, because I feel so strongly that this should be shared in person. But if you absolutely know you will NEVER have the ability to attend a course in-person, these are my suggestions: choose an online course that is mostly “live” calls, keep your camera on the entire time, and have a friend or two join the course with you. Invite those friends over to do the live calls TOGETHER, in the same room, every time. Practice what you learn with one another. Observe each others breath and postures. Make sure your teachers are available and open to one-on-one calls and to answering every one of your questions.

But really, if you’re going to commit the time and energy to learning this at all, you owe it to yourself to do an in-person course.

(Note: I feel entirely differently about “continuing education courses,” like 30 and 50 hour refinement courses which can absolutely be done online, but those initial 200 hours are just so, so crucial).

WHAT ABOUT THE COST?

The going rate for a 200hr YTT in the USA is around $4000. It’s a lot of money, but it breaks down to around $20 per credit hour (which is equivalent to most cities’ drop-in class rate for regular asana classes–and think of how much more you get from a 200hr program, plus certification to boot.) As I mentioned at the beginning with the example of my studio-owner friend, if you’re seeking out the YTT at your local home studio, recognize that the cost of the course may be the very thing that keeps your studio alive. When you see the relatively high cost of YTTs, you might get the impression that studio owners are rolling in cash, but I can assure you, I haven’t met one yet who is. I know for a fact that when you sign up for a YTT, your teachers are likely jumping for joy, because you’ve allowed them to continue doing what they love for a little longer. I literally do a happy dance every time someone applies for a course.

Most yoga teachers would truly LOVE to be able to offer these programs for free, but they also need to make rent. And even so, many still offer scholarships and/or work exchange experiences to help you cover costs. Also, don’t be afraid to seek out scholarships elsewhere! For example, my school just became eligible for the government’s military spouse education scholarship, which is a totally niche thing–what’s your niche thing that might have a scholarship program attached to it?

OK, WHAT ABOUT THE COSTS FOR IMMERSIVE, DESTINATION YTTs?

If you’re seeking to travel for your TT, I would firstly recommend courses in countries and cultures that are steeped in yoga philosophy. Look first towards India, Bali, or Nepal for the Hindu yogic culture, or secondarily in places rife with Buddhist philosophy like Thailand or Sri Lanka. Both philosophies will contribute to deepening your experience of connection to what you’re learning. Yes, it’s lovely to do a retreat on the beach in Hawaii or Costa Rica, but those locations won’t fundamentally connect you to the cultures that brought yoga to the world. In Bali, we can learn about an asana, then walk next door to visit the temple of the god for whom that pose is named.

But just because a YTT takes place in a traditional culture, doesn’t automatically make it high-quality. The yoga industry is just as fraught with scams and capitalism in India (which is simultaneously the home of traditional yoga, and of performative “Asana Competitions” and “yoga for weight-loss”) as it is in the west. You can find yoga schools that span the quality spectrum in every culture and country. Getting recommendations from students who have already attended the course can be invaluable in choosing a school.

It’s also worthwhile to assess your current knowledge level and comfort traveling to decide WHERE in the world is a good fit. Do you already know a lot of Sanskrit yoga terms (or speak some Hindi?) Have you spent time in developing countries? If not, attending a YTT in an ashram with only Indian students may mean that the teachings will go over your head. That might be a better option for a level 2 (300hr) training, once you’ve already dipped your toes into the philosophy. Finding teachers and schools that bridge the gap between YOUR native culture and the culture from which yoga was born might strike the right balance for a 200hr YTT, so I tend to recommend courses that offer a diverse cast of teachers.

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE DIFFERENCES IN PRICE?

While the price of YTT is somewhat standardized in the west, when seeking destination YTTs, you’re likely to notice a vast range of prices. Here are three important factors to consider when assessing the “bang for your buck.”

1. What’s included in the costs?

If considering a “destination” YTT, note that some schools cost more because they include room and board, food, cultural experiences, and tours, as well as course manuals, yoga props, tuition, and certification. And on the other hand, some are dirt-cheap because you’ll have to find your own housing, commute to the yoga studio, bring your own props, and pay for your course materials separately. I taught for a school once that didn’t even provide drinking water (ugh).

In Bali, I’ve led both all-inclusive YTTs (where students all live on-site at the retreat center) and bare-bones commuter courses (where students stay wherever and drive or walk to the yoga shala), and from experiencing both, I have a clear preference. In my opinion, especially if it’s a country you’re not familiar with, the all-inclusive format is safer and more effective by leaps and bounds. With the commuter trainings, the energy is scattered; we regularly had to deal with motorbike accidents, food poisoning, hungover students, and so many other dramas while trying to teach and learn.

Compare that to the immersive experience of all living on-site, sharing healthy meals together, and focusing entirely on yoga–not what’s going on at the bar down the road or if it’s time to pay for your hotel room. Once paid, you don’t have to touch money during the entirety of the course. So if you really want to be immersed in the experience, I recommend seeking a school that includes room and food, because it takes all of the unknown factors and decision-making away, so that you can fully focus on learning. These courses often cost the same as a non-inclusive course in the US, so you get much more for your money, with the only added expense being travel.

2. How many students will be in the group with you?

The class size is one of the most important factors in determining the value of your education and experience.

For a few years I taught for one of the largest yoga schools in Bali, where we had more than thirty students every month (hence how I very quickly taught more than 600 yogis to become teachers!) It was an incredible experience, and I made so many beautiful connections. But while their marketing was on-point, because of the huge class sizes, the quality of the training was not. They could offer the course cheaply, because there was such a massive number of students, but the students absolutely suffered for it.

Mats were placed inches apart and filled the shala wall-to-wall. No one got individual attention. The loudest students were catered to, the shy ones lost in the shadows. When students from that era reach out to me now for recommendations, they often have to re-introduce themselves, because I may have barely met them during the YTT. When they experienced emotional upheaval during the course from all the healing work being done, there was inadequate support available for them, because there were simply too many people for the teachers to attend to.

But even for practical purposes, it just doesn’t work logistically, for things like practicums and assessments. How can thirty students teach a one-hour yoga class in order to be assessed as an effective teacher? They can’t, or that would take THIRTY HOURS. Whenever I’ve taught for large schools such as this, the assessment process goes one of two ways: the students are asked to teach five poses in front of their teacher, or they’re asked to teach a short 10-minute snippet of a class. They graduate without having ever taught a full yoga class. How can we confidently send them out into the world as teachers when they haven’t actually taught?

If you truly want to learn, seek a school that keeps their groups small. Yes, it may be more expensive, but the face-time you’ll have with your teachers will be an invaluable part of not only developing your own yoga teaching skills, but also your own personal spiritual growth, even long after the course ends. When these close bonds are formed with your teachers and classmates, they often last for life–I lived with one of my 500hr classmates for years after the course, and am the godmother of her child! My co-teacher for Yogatrotter’s Bali YTTs was initially one of my teachers, and I’ve had countless incredible opportunities arise from these deep connections.

3. Who are the teachers, and are they being compensated fairly for their work and experience?

This is a big one when it comes to spending your money ethically. The average monthly wage in Indonesia is around $700 USD, and in India, it’s around $400. I’ve worked for (and resigned from) schools that exploited this by paying different rates for their western and local teachers in order to keep their costs down. Most Indian and Balinese yoga teachers are raised in the culture from which yoga emerged. Their insight and teachings are invaluable in a yoga setting.

Just like clothing manufactured in sweat-shops, if the cost is too low, the chance is high that someone is being exploited. If everyone is being paid fairly–from the venue, to the teachers, to the staff, to the taxes of the host country (you’d be surprised how many yoga schools are illegal)–then you as the student will also pay a fair price. This is what the energy exchange is all about–ensuring that all involved are cared for every step of the way.

HOW TO FIND YOUR TEACHERS

My best teachers have always come from word-of-mouth, recommended by my existing teachers or like-minded friends. I found many of my teachers by first reading their books or their spiritual writing–if their words deeply resonate with me, I know their courses will too.

I’ve come to learn that flashy marketing, Instagram fame, and advertisements are all a better indicator of business acumen than of quality teaching, and may also indicate large and unmanageable class sizes. But it doesn’t mean that the internet isn’t a worthy place to find connection. As always, just like how meeting someone online lacks the chemistry of seeing them in-person, there are teachers whose energy might really vibe with you from the moment you step into their classroom. To this day, 80% of my YTT students are still people who have attended my classes in person. But if a teacher isn’t local to your area, you can likely get a sense of this if they have yoga class videos available online.

And the willingness for personal connection should absolutely be a top priority. Most teachers will love for you to reach out and share your story, and to connect heart-to-heart, so don’t hesitate to contact those you feel drawn to. Heartfelt messages and consultation calls will tell you a lot about someone’s energy.

I often find that the groups of souls that gather for YTT seem to be divinely guided here, and that the right people gather at the exact right time. So when the universe seems to be laying the path at your feet, nudging you towards the teachers who make your soul sing, you should probably listen.

Om Aim Saraswatyi Namaha

– Megan

If you feel called, join us in Bali (there’s only one room left for November!) or Connecticut <3

The Story of Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) – Arjuna and the Bhagavad Gita

We now enter the era of adulthood for Lord Krishna, culminating in the epic battle of Kurukshetra, which is a war between two sets of Krishna’s cousins.

A variation of bow pose, dhanurasana

 

One set of cousins are the 5 Pandava brothers, the “good guys” in this story–the most famous of which is Arjuna, the great archer. It’s said that our bow pose in yoga is representative of Arjuna’s bow that he takes with him into the battle. Arjuna’s elder brother Yudishthira is a man of perfect dharma and righteousness, and he is the rightful king of Kurukshetra. So the 5 Pandava brothers, with Arjuna and Yudishthira included, represent the side of “good” in the war of Kurukshetra.

 

Statue of Krishna (standing) and Arjuna (the archer) in Bali

 

On the other side of the battle are the 100 Kaurava brothers, the leader of whom is Duryodhana, a man of great evil. Throughout their lives, the Kaurava brothers continually tried to usurp power from their cousins, the Pandavas, through cruelty and trickery. Even the story of their birth is straight out of a horror movie: their mother, Gandhari (who lived her life blind-folded in allegiance to her blind husband), had received a boon (a granted wish) from the sage Vyasa that she would give birth to 100 sons. But when she became pregnant with her first child, the pregnancy lasted two years. In a moment of frustration and grief, after two years of pregnancy, she pounded on her own belly, which induced contractions, and she “birthed” instead a huge grotesque hunk of flesh. She called on the sage Vyasa to explain why his boon had failed, and he told her to separate the flesh into 100 jars, add ghee, and wait another two years. The contents of the jars turned into black goo.

 

The birth of Duryodhana

 

After two years, the first of the jars broke open, and Duryhodana was born from it. It’s said that wolves howled and swarms of bats took to the sky and great storm clouds darkened the sun–all omens of a great evil being born into the world.

 

Gandhari and her 100 sons

 

It really can’t be overstated how cruel the Kauravas were to the 5 Pandava brothers throughout their lives. They tried everything from poisoning the Pandavas, to burning down their home, to stealing and publicly stripping their wife. By winning a wager through cheating and trickery, the Kauravas succeeded in exiling the Pandavas for 13 years, with the promise that rule of their kingdom would be restored to them upon their return.

 

The Pandavas are forced into exile in the forest

 

But the Kauravas were evil, so…

 

When the Pandavas returned, the Kauravas refused to give up the kingdom without a fight. The Pandavas could see the devastation and unhappiness their people had suffered from being under the reign of such evil during their exile. In fact, it was predestined that if the Kauravas were to win the war, the world would be cast into an age of unprecedented darkness.

 

So the Pandavas were left with no choice but to fight.

 

Each of the five Pandava brothers was the son of a different god, and as such, each one was blessed with great powers. Arjuna was the son of the god Indra, who was the god of lightning and king of the heavens, and so Arjuna was the greatest archer in the world, with his arrows flying like lightning through the air. The godly Pandava brothers were of the warrior caste (ksathriya), and had trained their whole lives in their particular skills, and they managed to build an army of dharmic men to help them fight this battle of good versus evil.

 

 

I mentioned that Krishna (who is the god Vishnu in avataric form) was also a cousin to both the Pandavas and Kauravas. Krishna, in this story, IS the concept of god–the universe, the divine, Source, everything. He knows that the Pandavas must win the battle, but being the cousin of both, he had to appear impartial. So he offered both the evil Duryodhana and the righteous Arjuna the same deal: you can choose between having either me, Krishna, on your side—or, my entire army.

 

Duryodhana, not recognizing Krishna as the power of god, gleefully chose the army, while Arjuna recognized that, with god on their side, they could never fail, and he chose Krishna. So Krishna became Arjuna’s charioteer, to drive him into battle.

 

 

Here begins the story of the Bhagavad Gita.

 

The Pandavas were good men, and for good men, war is never welcomed. So as the armies stood facing one another, about to charge into battle, Arjuna looked out over the sea of his evil cousins and felt disheartened.

 

He asked Krishna to drive him between the armies, so that he could take a closer look. The Bhagavad Gita tells the story of their ensuing conversation, in which Arjuna tells Krishna he doesn’t want to fight, and Krishna (god) explains to Arjuna the nature of life, death, and rebirth–what karma means, and what it means to do our duty, our dharma, while on earth.

 

Krishna drives Arjuna between the armies

 

It may seem surprising that a philosophy which emphasizes ahimsa, or non-harming, would have as one of its holy books a text encouraging a compassionate warrior to go to battle. Many modern commentators have speculated that the war is a metaphor for our internal battles, and the importance of standing up to all the challenges we regularly face. In the modern day, we can definitely use this story to symbolize our own struggles, but the Kurukshetra war was a very real war. And while, despite many years of continual study and reflection on this text, I would never claim to be an expert in its message, one lesson that I always take away from the Gita is the ability to zoom out and see the bigger cosmic picture.

 

Krishna reveals his true image (as god/the universe/everything) to Arjuna

 

The Gita is the text in which we learn the details of reincarnation, and what it means for us to learn our life lessons and follow our life path in each cycle. Each life in which we “do our best” brings us closer to unification with the divine, to transcend this samsaric wheel. For Arjuna, his whole life’s purpose revolved around the battle–it was what he had unwittingly trained for his whole life, it was why his father was Indra, it was why he had been forced to endure all the traumas the Kauravas dished out–and the world’s fate was in his hands. So although the prospect of fighting was terrible, it was his dharma as a warrior, and the bigger picture was all “for the best.”

 

In fact, in India, the lessons of the Gita are often summed up by the Gita Saar (the “essence of the Gita”), saying that:

“Whatever has happened has happened for good. Whatever is happening, is happening for good. And whatever will happen, will be for good also.”

 

Though it can be really  hard to see this when we’re in the midst of challenges, I always see it so clearly in retrospect. It reminds me a lot of the quote often (mis?)-attributed to John Lennon, “It will all be okay in the end, and if it’s not yet okay, then it’s not yet the end.”

 

It’s a reminder to keep moving forward, to keep our heads up, to have faith that the universe has got our backs.

 

Rising into Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

 

There’s obviously a lifetime’s worth of study that can be done on the Bhagavad Gita, but for our purposes, I want to bring it back to bow pose, or dhanurasana. Dhanus means “bow,” with dhanudhara meaning “archer” in Sanskrit, so “bow pose” is a pretty direct translation of dhanurasana. I find this pose to be one of our more difficult back-bends, as it’s one of those in which we’re fighting against gravity in order to rise up, and balancing somewhat awkwardly on the belly.

 

In this pose, it helps me to remember Arjuna, hanging in the balance between dharma and desire, directed by Krishna to rise up and fight. We take a deep breath and rise up in this pose, just as Arjuna lifted his bow-and-arrow to begin (and ultimately win) his own battle.

 

Energetically, back-bends, which seek to open the chest and expand the space that the lungs have to fill, are traditionally done with the inhale, and therefore stimulate our bodies’ sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response). When we first wake up in the morning, we tend to naturally take a backbend to energize ourselves and wake ourselves up (think of stretching your arms overhead in bed)–this is the energetic power of our back-bends when done with an inhale, to make ourselves feel more alert and alive.

 

We can do this purposefully through yoga poses like bow pose, whenever we’re feeling down, disheartened, or discouraged, like Arjuna. Rising into bow prepares you to face whatever battles lie before you.

THE STORY OF CHILD’S POSE AND COW-FACE POSE | Lord Krishna and His Cows

BALASANA AND GOMUKHASANA | Child’s/Balarama’s Pose and Cow-Face Pose

Gomukhasana, aka Cow-Face Pose (don’t worry, that sunburn is healed by now, lol)

Sorry for the delay in posting another story! I’ve been sick and also my cat has gone missing, so needless to say I’ve been feeling very down–but I woke up today remembering someone who always makes me feel better: Krishna, the joyful, playful, rascally, trickster of a god, another avatar of Vishnu.

Sri Krishna

There are a few poses named after stories of Lord Krishna, and they involve these other lovely, sacred beings:

Cows <3

If you’ve ever wondered why cows are honored in India, these stories might give you an idea.

Continuing from my last story, after the time-frame of the Ramayana, Vishnu returned to earth in the form of Krishna, on the eve of another great battle that I’ll talk about another day (spoiler: it’s the story told in the Mahabharata/Bhagavad Gita).

What stands out about Krishna is that, throughout his life on earth, he was so light-hearted, so silly, so fun, that people and gods alike often didn’t realize he was a god. When you see images of Krishna, he’s surrounded by peacock feathers (pretty, frivolous things), he’s playing music, he’s dancing, he’s hangin’ with the ladies, he’s in the mix with the common folk–he’s generally having a ball. Krishna shows us how to enjoy the game of life (lila).

Krishna with the gopis (milk-maids)

“Go” means cow in Sanskrit, and from the time Krishna was a baby, he loved his family’s cows. In his youth, Krishna was called “Gopala,” which means “protector of cows,” and later “Govinda,” the “herder of cows.”

As a toddler, Krishna was a lovable rascal–constantly getting into trouble, but making everyone laugh. The cow-milkers, called “gopis” or milk-maids in Krishna’s childhood town, absolutely adored him and his prankster nature. Everyone knew how much Krishna loved to eat butter, and he’d often sneak into the gopi’s homes to steal butter for his less fortunate friends, but the gopis secretly delighted in his visits, feeling honored that he would choose their homes to enter. To this day, Sri Krishna is sometimes referred to as Makhan Chor, or the butter thief. It’s believed that, by making himself punishable, he made himself approachable as a god to humans.

Baby Krishna the butter thief

In a similar story, the child Krishna was out playing with his brother, Balarama, and some friends. Balarama suddenly came running to their mother, accusing Krishna of eating mud. Their mother was horrified, and Krishna tried to play innocent. But when his mother opened Krishna’s mouth to see if there was mud inside, instead, she saw the entire universe there within his throat. She was stunned by the sudden realization of her son’s divinity, and both she and Balarama cowered in fear. On seeing this, Krishna decided, kindly, to return the “veil of motherly love” to his mother’s eyes, so that she would once again only be able to see him as her son, and not as god.

The Universe in Krishna’s Mouth

But Balarama had the strength to serve Krishna as both brother and god. It’s believed to be this moment that gave child’s pose, balasana, its name. Bālā is the Sanskrit word for a very young boy child, but bala (without the extended A’s) means “strength,” and is the root word of Balarama’s name. Different traditions write and say the pose name differently, but either way, it’s generally regarded as referring to Balarama as a young boy hiding from the universe in Krishna’s mouth.

Balasana, aka child’s pose or “Balarama’s Pose”

As a teenager, Krishna continued working the cow-fields with the other boys, and he would play music on his flute for his cows and his friends. It’s said that his family raised 900,000 cows, and that Krishna knew every single one of them by face and name. If one cow would go missing he would venture out until he could guide it home safely with his music. The gopis (milk-maids) fell more and more in love with him, and to this day, they’re upheld as examples of perfect devotees of god. So Krishna spent his youth socializing as friends with all the cow-herders and cow-milkers of Vrindavan.

Seeing how Krishna acted–like a common cow-herder, joking and playing music and dancing–the god Brahma became suspicious about whether Krishna actually was god, or just a poor cow-hand. So the four-headed god Brahma decided to test him. One day, while Krishna was relaxing with his back turned, Brahma flew in and stole all of the cows and cow-herders from Krishna’s pasture and hid them in a cave. Then, he returned to the field to watch Krishna inevitably lose his cool when he noticed his beloved cows were missing.

Brahma hides the cows and herders in a cave

Instead, when Brahma returned to the pasture, all of the cows and gopis and cow-herds were still there, as if nothing had happened. Brahma went back to the cave, and they were there as well. How could they be in two places at once?

It turns out that Krishna had been one step ahead the whole time. Secretly aware of Brahma’s plan, Krishna had duplicated himself many times over, taking on the face of the cows and the workers–and it was these duplicate Krishnas that Brahma had hidden away in the cave, while the original cows remained unharmed in the field.

Krishna duplicating himself

If you look at the yoga pose, gomukhasana, you may see the shape of the cow’s face within it–the knees like a cow’s lips, the arms like its ears (one up, one down). “Go” means “cow” and “Mukha” means face. But this pose is also often related to this story of Krishna taking on the faces of his cows in order to outsmart Brahma. The hands clasped behind the back represent Brahma hiding the cows behind Krishna’s back, the twisted up legs represent the old switcheroo, and all the while, Krishna is straight-faced and open-hearted, with nothing to hide, unaffected by the trickery of life.

Cow-Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

This pose reminds us (and me, right now, sick and sad about my cat) to remain light and open-hearted like Krishna as we face life’s challenges. This light-heartedness is encompassed in the Sanskrit word “lila”–the play of life. When we can see beyond the veil of “maya,” the illusion that clouds our ability to see the ultimate reality of the universe (that we are all divinely interconnected beings), life becomes light and playful. It’s all just a game. We’re all just here to play.

Alright. I’m going to go out and joyfully look for my cat now, as if I’m Krishna guiding a cow home. Send me luck!

————

Most of these stories of Krishna’s youth come from the Vishnu Purana, with some also appearing in the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata itself. Please do share versions you’ve heard! And for those wondering, I’ve spent the last 12 years teaching yoga, 9 of those while living in Asia, with the last 6 in Bali studying the Hindu epics with my priestess for the purpose of connecting with the spiritual depths of the practice, and teaching fellow yoga teachers how to weave these stories into their classes.

THE STORY OF HANUMANASANA | Front Splits and the Ramayana

SPLITS, KNEELING POSE, & LOW-LUNGE | The Epic Ramayana

I want to share perhaps the most famous of the Hindu epics today, called the Ramayana, my favorite story of all time. Over the past few posts, I’ve given some background on who Vishnu is, our preserver deity, as well as the snake that is his resting place (resting Vishnu pose), and the eagle god who offers him safe carriage (eagle pose). I mentioned that Vishnu, as the protector, is the god who comes down in avataric form to help us restore dharma here on earth.

One of his best-known avatars is our beloved lord Rama. But this story isn’t about Rama alone, but rather Rama and his faithful servant, the monkey god, Hanuman, and there are at least three poses named after this tale. I’ll jump right in.

Rama and Hanuman

Prince Rama was destined to rule the kingdom of Ayodhya. But his jealous step-mother wanted her son to be king instead, and through some back-handedness, she succeeded in banishing Rama into the forest for 14 years. So unjust was this banishment, that Rama’s wife, princess Sita, and his dear brother, Lakshmana, begged to accompany him in his exile, unable to bear life without his presence, and knowing that Rama was the true dharmic king.

Rama and Sita

Rama and Sita are said to have the most pure and beautiful love–they are the god Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi, after all–and Lakshmana the most loyal brother and friend. So although they had to give up their riches to live in the forest, they eventually found peace, wandering from ashram to ashram to learn from the great sages and ascetics who resided there, camping wherever their hearts desired. Sita in particular had a great talent for communicating with animals, and would speak to the birds and deer and rabbits along the way.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana

What they didn’t know, was that the demon-king Ravana had taken notice of Sita and fallen in love with her. While our heroes settled into their ashram, Ravana was devising a plan to kidnap the princess.

Observing Sita’s deep love of animals, the evil Ravana commanded one of his demon henchmen to take the form of a spectacular golden deer, and sent him into the forest. When Sita spotted the beautiful creature, she begged Rama to go and catch it for her. Rama asked his brother, Lakshmana, to care for Sita in his absence, and went out in the woods to capture the golden deer.

Sita spots the golden deer

As soon as Rama had caught up with the deer, miles from the ashram, the deer transformed back into its demon form and let out a cry–one that sounded EXACTLY like Rama’s own voice.

I just love this image by artist Sonali Zohra

From back at the ashram, Sita and Lakshmana heard Rama’s cries of pain, and Sita begged her brother-in-law to go and save her husband. She was so insistent, that Lakshmana eventually agreed, but not before drawing a protective circle in the dirt around her, promising that as long as she stays within the circle, no harm will come to her. Then Lakshmana dashed off into the forest to save his brother.

Lakshmana’s protective circle

Sita waited within her magic circle for what felt like ages. Eventually, an old beggar man approached her, begging for just a small bit of rice to ease his pangs of hunger. Sita’s kindness was her most powerful attribute, and she couldn’t turn the beggar away.

Sita leaves her circle

The moment she stepped out of her circle to help him, the old man transformed into the demon king Ravana, grabbed Sita, and swept her away.

Ravana flew into the air with Sita in his arms, as she tried desperately to escape his grasp. For miles they flew, until an eagle being named Jatayu (cousin of Garuda) saw them, and tried to fight Ravana to free the princess. But the eagle was struck down. Sita continued to fight with Ravana, as he flew her further and further away. At one point, she called down to some monkeys she saw in the trees, and, hoping to give Rama some clue of her whereabouts, she tossed her jewelry down to them.

Sita dropping jewelry to the monkeys

And so Ravana succeeded in kidnapping princess Sita, carrying her across the sea to his demon kingdom of Lanka.

When Rama and Lakshmana arrived back at their camp, Sita was gone.

They set off desperately into the woods to find Sita, but there was no sign of her. When they found the dying eagle, Jatayu, all he could tell them was that a demon had her, and had headed south. Rama spent years searching the woods for his wife. But no matter where he and Lakshmana looked, they couldn’t find her. His desperation increased by the day. She was gone.

Then, one day, in the final year of Rama’s exile, Rama and Lakshmana saw some monkeys carrying the princess’s jewelry. When questioned, the monkeys brought Rama and Lakshmana to meet their monkey rulers–creatures called vanaras, monkey-like beings with incredible gifts. This is when Rama first met Hanuman.

Sri Hanuman

To know Hanuman is to know loyalty, courage, and kindness. Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. He is the son of an apsara (similar to an angel) named Anjana, and of the wind-god, Vayu, and as such, he has great powers and abilities–for example, he has the power to travel on the wind, leaping great distances as if carried by the breeze. But when Hanuman was a child, so carefree and silly and monkey-like was he, that he one day mistook the sun for a mango, and when he leapt up to take a bite, he got so close to succeeding that that sun-god, Surya, struck him down and cursed him with short-term memory.

Baby Hanuman

So Hanuman never remembered that he was divine, the son of the wind. For most of his life, he doubted himself, considering himself a simple, silly monkey.

Until Rama arrived.

When Hanuman looked upon Rama, he immediately recognized him as God. Unlike anyone else, Hanuman could see that Rama was Vishnu, and he knelt down before him and vowed, with complete certainty in himself, that he would rescue the princess Sita.

Hanuman in Vajrasana (or Virasana)

Which brings us to our first pose: hero’s pose, Hanuman kneeling before Lord Rama in absolute devotion.

Variations of this kneeling pose are called virasana (which translates to hero’s pose) and vajrasana. A vajra is a weapon (like the one laid in front of Hanuman above) said to have magical powers that make it harder than diamond. Hanuman is famously called Bajranga Bali, aka Vajra-anga-bali, which means “one whose limbs (anga) are like a vajra”–an honorific name exalting Hanuman’s incredible strength.

Vajrasana

There’s a great anecdote in the sage Tulsidas’ version of the Ramayana, where Rama looks upon Hanuman and is confused by his strange appearance. Rama asks Hanuman, “what are you? Are you monkey, or are you man?” and Hanuman responds, “When I forget who I am, I serve you. When I remember who I am, I am you.” This pose represents that idea for me: when we are in our human (monkey) form, we serve god. And when we remember our true nature–when we remember who we really are–we see the divinity within ourselves as well.

So Hanuman had complete faith in himself to serve Rama, and to return princess Sita to him. The story continues that Hanuman climbed to the top of a mountain, and though he had no idea where he was going, he took a giant, split-legged leap of faith straight across the Indian Ocean.

Hanuman’s leap

As the son of the wind, he was carried exactly where he needed to go, from India to Lanka, and due solely to his faith, was able to locate Sita under a tree outside Ravana’s harem.

So Hanumanasana is exactly that–Hanuman’s leap of faith across the sea to find Sita.

Hanumanasana

Hanuman managed to relay the message to Sita that Rama had never stopped searching for her, and now that Hanuman had found her, he promised they’d return with an entire army of monkeys to rescue her. And for good measure, Hanuman decided to do a bit of destruction on his own before returning to Rama: he set his own tail on fire and ran rampant through the kingdom, burning down as many buildings as he could along his way.

And so Hanuman kept his promise: he taught his vanara army to build a bridge all the way across the sea so that Rama could lead the monkeys into battle against the demons. An epic fight ensued, and ultimately, the demons were defeated.

Just for fun, this is the full statue behind me in those pics in Bali, depicting the monkey army overtaking one of the demons, Ravana’s brother, Kumbhakarana, in the battle of Lanka

Hanuman had completed his task: Ravana was killed, the demon kingdom was destroyed, and Sita was returned home to her beloved. Rama was finally crowned the rightful King of Ayodhya.

Tulsidas’ Ramayana goes on to tell of a moment when King Rama and Ma Sita wanted to thank Hanuman for his devotion. In their palace, they gave him gold and jewels and pearls as a symbol of their gratitude. But seeming to revert to his monkey nature, Hanuman instead started chewing on the pearls, as if trying to crack them open. The king’s ministers were horrified and scolded Hanuman. But when Sita asked him what he was doing, Hanuman said: “while these are beautiful gifts, I’m afraid they have no value to me, unless somehow inside is hidden the name of my Lord Rama.”

Those gathered in assembly laughed at this, and one minister joked to Hanuman: “if you’ll only wear that which contains Rama inside, how can you wear your own fur?”

Hanuman, famously, knelt down in front of his lord’s throne and split open his own chest to show them that there, within his own heart, were the names of Rama and Sita, forever etched upon his soul.

Hanuman kneeling in Anjaneyasana

Low-lunge pose is called anjaneyasana in Sanskrit. Anjaneya means “son of Anjana,” aka Hanuman, so this pose is directly named after our monkey god, devoted servant and loyal friend of Ram, opening his heart.

Anjaneyasana, “Son of Anjana” Pose aka low-lunge

There is so, so much more I can say about this amazing story, and how taking these shapes of Hanuman in asana impacts our lives. But even in writing this, I’m struck with a strong desire to just chant the names:

Ram Ram Ram Sita Ram Ram Ram

Sita Ram Sita Ram Sita Ram Sita Ram

Jai Sita Ram Jai Jai Hanuman! Hanuman Bolo!

When we kneel in virasana, we’re Hanuman in devotion to god and recognition of the god within ourselves. When we bow into any version of Hanumanasana, we’re taking our own leap of faith across our own oceans. And when we open our hearts in a low-lunge, we are blissfully connecting to the divine within and around us.

It’s written right there on our hearts.

———–

Join us this October in Bali for a Gods of Yoga spiritual immersion, to learn the stories of the gods and how to weave them into your yoga classes, all while experience traditional ceremonies with a Balinese priestess in the sacred mountains.

THE STORY OF GARUDASANA | How Eagle Pose Got Its Name

GARUDASANA | Eagle Pose

Here’s another pose that I always looked at and wondered, how on earth does that look like an eagle? If the arms were outstretched, sure–but wrapped up like this? An eagle? And when have you ever seen an eagle cross its legs?

Garudasana, Eagle Pose

As it turns out, “Garuda” doesn’t translate to eagle from Sanskrit, but instead, is the name of a particular demigod, a partially anthropomorphic sun-bird ridden by the protector god Vishnu as he travels through the universe.

Vishnu riding Garuda

So why is that pose named after Garuda?

It all has to do with Garuda’s shape-shifting abilities.

The story has it that Garuda’s father, the sage Kashyapa had two wives: one, Garuda’s mother, Vinata, Mother of Birds, and the other, Kadru, Mother of Serpents (called “nagas”). The wives were jealous of one another and often sought to outdo the other. Pleased with his wives, Kashyapa offered them each one wish (to be granted a “boon”). Kadru went first, and she wished for a thousand sons. But Vinata was more clever–she wished for just two sons, but that they would be more powerful than Kadru’s thousand.

Kadru’s thousand serpents hatched first, while Vinata’s two eggs remained unbroken. Desperate for her sons to hatch, Vinata broke open the first egg, and her eagle son Aruna was born, but prematurely, and with depleted powers–he was destined to only be as bright as the morning sun, and went on to serve as the charioteer of the sun God, Surya. He made his mother promise not to break open her second egg until it was completely ready, so that his brother would have the chance to be born as resplendent and powerful as a thousand suns.

Art by Ketut Madra, an amazing Balinese artist

The birth of Vinata’s partially-formed son, along with Kadru’s perfectly formed thousand serpents, made Kadru feel powerful and superior. There was no way Vinata’s one remaining son would hatch as powerful as her serpents. So through trickery, she forced Vinata into slavery, to serve her and her thousand naga sons forever.

And then Garuda was born.

When Garuda burst forth from his shell, he shone as bright as a thousand noon-time suns–so bright and powerful, that the gods believed him to be the god of fire, and thought he would surely bring about the destruction of the universe. He was so bright that the gods had to shield their eyes and beg him to reduce himself in size, lest he blind the whole world. Immediately, his powers were so great, that he could shrink himself to the size of a small eagle, so that others could live in his presence, unafraid.

Garuda

When he saw that his mother had been enslaved by the nagas, Garuda sought a solution. What was it that the nagas most desperately wanted, and could he trade it for his mother’s freedom?

Kadru admitted that the nagas were seeking amrta, the nectar of immortal life, which was kept guarded by the most powerful gods, its care entrusted to the god Indra. If Garuda could steal the amrita from the gods, the nagas would free his mother. Though it seemed an impossible task, Garuda vowed to bring the amrita to the serpents.

This is where we see Garuda’s great powers. To guard the amrita, the gods had set up a sort of obstacle course, and to get through it, Garuda had to shape-shift.

First, there was a wall of fire that reached to the sky. Garuda made himself huge, so that he could suck as much water from the ocean as possible, and spit it out onto the fire. He passed the first obstacle.

Next, there was a spinning wheel, filled with knives and spikes, impossible to pass through. So Garuda shrunk himself in size, to the size of a tiny bird, wrapped his wings around himself and dove through the very eye of the torture wheel. He passed the second obstacle.

Lastly, there were two poisonous serpents guarding the amrita, so deadly, that a single look into their eyes would ensure one’s demise. So Garuda made himself huge again, and he flapped his wings, kicking up dust and blowing it into their eyes. He passed by them with ease, and stole the amrita.

A victorious Garuda. Art by C.M Vitankar

On his journey home, carrying the pot of amrita, Garuda was visited by a number of gods. First, Vishnu came to him to tell him how impressed he was with what he had done. Vishnu asked Garuda to become his mount (called a vahana), to carry him through the cosmos, and Garuda agreed.

A famous giant statue of Garuda carrying Vishnu, near where I live in Bali

Then, Indra came to him.

Indra begged Garuda not to give the amrita to the nagas, as it would only make them more powerful, cruel, and immortal. Garuda told Indra that he had to deliver the amrita in order to free his mother. But perhaps he could prevent them from actually drinking it. Together, they devised a plan.

When Garuda arrived with the amrita, the nagas were desperate to drink it. But Garuda reminded them that, before drinking such a sacred nectar, they must perform a ceremonial cleansing ritual, to ensure their purity before the drink. He set the pot down in front of them, officially delivering it and freeing his mother, and convinced the snakes to take their ritual bath. As soon as the serpents’ backs were turned, Indra swept in and stole back the amrita. In their rage and desperation to drink the nectar, the nagas licked at the ground, hoping to catch a single drop, but the remnants of the amrita did nothing but burn their tongues in half, causing all future serpents to have forked tongues.

So this pose.

Garudasana arms

It doesn’t look like an eagle.

But if we start in tadasana, spread out, big, and we then compress ourselves in, wrapping limb over limb, we embody the shape-shifting ability of Garuda–the ability to make ourselves small, then to burst back out into tadasana again, making ourselves large.

The story and the pose represent a metaphor for a concept that is central in yogic philosophy–that we are simultaneously human and vast divine beings, atman and brahman, mortal and eternal. We are big (tadasana), divine eternal souls, having a small (garudasana) temporary experience.

Just as Garuda burst forth from his shell, as bright as a thousand suns, so too is our eternal nature. And just as the gods had to beg him to reduce himself in size, so too are we in these temporary human bodies. But the power remains within us, if we simply remember our true nature.

Going from big to small

When I teach garudasana, I like to start from a wide stance, as if about to go into goddess pose, with the arms out wide and the legs outspread–to allow us to feel big, to take up space, to be resplendent and unabashed like a thousand suns. Then, shifting onto one foot, to wrap ourselves up into eagle pose, Garuda shrinking to survive amongst the mortals–only then, can we explode back out into our bigness, releasing the pose, to feel again our vast nature.

Give it a try sometime and see how the pose feels different after knowing the story 🙂

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This story mostly comes from the Mahabharata, with details in the Garuda Purana. If you want to learn more, and how to weave these stories into your own yoga classes, join us for The Gods of Yoga YTT immersion in Bali.

THE STORY OF ANANTASANA | How Resting Vishnu Pose Got Its Name

Vishnu and his avatars

 

But for today, to introduce Vishnu, here’s a somewhat unusual pose with a great story behind it. Not “Jane Fondasana,” but rather, Anantasana, the pose of the snake Ananta, or what’s colloquially called “Reclining Vishnu Pose.”

 

Anantasana or “Reclining Vishnu Pose”

 

Vishnu in the cosmos is depicted in this way: lying in rest on his thousand-headed snake, Ananta Sesha (or Adishesha), with his beloved wife, the goddess Lakshmi, at his feet. We’ll focus today on Ananta.

 

Vishnu lying on Ananta Shesha

 

Many of you are hopefully familiar with a pivotal text in yoga called the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, 196 aphorisms that describe the 8-limbed path of yoga. I’d be happy to make a post about these sutras in the future if you’re interested, but for now, just know that the philosophy of yoga is far greater than the poses we practice in modern studios. “Asana” is just one of those eight limbs (the others involve things like spiritual restraints and practices, energy work, and how to meditate for union with the divine.) And not only that, but when the sage Patanjali authored the Yoga Sutra ca. 400 AD, he wrote very little about how asana should look or be. The word “asana” itself in Sanskrit simply means “to take one’s seat,” so when asana was included as one of the eight limbs of yoga, it likely just referred to the act of sitting for meditation. It wasn’t until a few centuries later, in the tantra era, that specific yoga poses were described in detail by the tantric yogis, in texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samitha.

 

In fact, the ONLY thing that the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali say about asana is this: sthira sukham asanam (2.46), “be seated in a way that is stable and comfortable.” (For those of you following along with the Sanskrit: sukhasana is that same root word as sukham, aka “comfortable seated position.”)

 

A variation of sukhasana, comfortable seated pose

 

Ananta Shesha (the many-headed snake) is seen to be the physical embodiment of this sutra. In order to provide the perfect resting place for Lord Vishnu, Ananta must be both stable (sthira) and comfortable (sukha). In the same way, our yoga poses are meant to be sthira and sukha as well–to balance ease and effort. This sutra is often used as a marker for PROGRESS in modern asana: if you’re in side plank pose and your arm is shaking like crazy under the weight of your body, you haven’t yet achieved sthira and sukha, and should work on that pose until it’s stable and comfortable before moving on to a harder variation.

 

A stable, comfortable seat

 

Alright, so with that background in mind, here’s story time:

 

One day, Lord Vishnu was lying in rest on his snake Ananta Shesha, who was both stable and comfortable, while watching the god Shiva perform his dance of bliss. Vishnu was so affected by the power of Shiva’s dance that his body began to vibrate and grow heavier and heavier and larger and larger, and Ananta struggled to keep him afloat. When the dance had ended and Vishnu became light again, Ananta was amazed, and begged Vishnu to explain what had made him undergo such extreme changes. Vishnu explained that it was the power of yoga within the dance, and Ananta begged him to learn more. So Vishnu and Shiva decided to make Patanjali a great sage of yoga.

 

 

“Pata” means “falling” in Sanskrit, and “Anjali” is the mudra of prayer hands–the two words make up the name Patanjali. The story continues that an elderly yogini down on earth named Gonika had prayed her whole life for the gods to give her a child with whom she could share her knowledge of yoga. Childless in her old age, she continued to pray, kneeling down with her hands in prayer (anjali mudra), until one day, a tiny snake fell from the heavens and into her arms. As she looked down, it transformed into a half-human, half-snake, and she named him “Patanjali.” This was Ananta Shesha in avataric form, sent by Vishnu and Shiva to share the lessons of yoga with the world and help preserve dharma. She raised him as her child and taught him all she knew, and he went on to pen the Yoga Sutras.

 

A gorgeous depiction of Gonika and Patanjali by the artist @Saragrahi_art on IG

 

If you’ve ever chanted the Invocation to Patanjali, (“yogena chittasya….” etc.) the whole second verse (“abahu purushakaram…”)  describes the sage as being part snake, and statues of Patanjali frequently depict him as such.

A statue of Patanjali

 

So, anantasana or reclining Vishnu pose looks like Lord Vishnu in repose, with the foot that’s rising overhead representing the thousands of heads of Ananta. It’s an oddly difficult pose to balance in, giving us an opportunity to practice sthira sukham asanam like Ananta Shesha.

Anantasana

 

The pose can represent an openness and desire to learn the deeper philosophy of yoga, in the way Ananta did when he begged Vishnu for the chance to learn. It also evokes the sense of balance required of us in both yoga and the rest of our lives, to balance ease and effort, comfort and challenge, rest and work.

 

I know it’s not super commonly taught in flow classes, so if you haven’t tried it, give it a go! And see if you can find sthira sukham asanam (comfort and stability) within the pose.

 

<3

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If you want to learn more, there’s a Gods of Yoga spiritual immersion and continuing education course coming up in Bali! I’d love to have you there xo Megan

THE STORY OF ARDHA CHANDRASANA | HALF MOON POSE AND THE GOD GANESHA

ARDHA CHANDRASANA | How Half Moon Pose got its name

Half Moon Pose is one of those asanas I always looked at and thought, in what world does that look like a half moon?

So here’s the story that explains how THAT shape got THAT name.

Half Moon Pose

“Ardha” means “half,” and “Chandra” is the name of the moon god. It’s the story of Shiva and Parvati’s son, Ganesha, the elephant-headed god.

Lord Ganesha

Ganesha tends to resonate really strongly with yogis. He’s said to be the remover of obstacles, and we call on him whenever we help clearing our path.

You might wonder how the son of Shiva and Parvati came to have an elephant head. Remember how Daksha ended up with a goat’s head? Yeah, similar situation here.

The story has it that once, while Shiva was away meditating in the Himalayas, Parvati was home alone and wanted to take a long, luxurious bath. Because she was worried about intruders, she decided to create for herself a son and body guard, by taking the tumeric paste she was using as on her skin and shaping it like clay into the form of a boy. She named her son Ganesha, and asked him to keep watch outside her door, with strict orders to not let ANYONE enter.

Cue Shiva returning home from his meditation.

Shiva arrived home only to find a strange boy preventing him from entering his own home, and declaring battle when he tried. So Shiva fought the boy Ganesha, and chopped off his head.

When Parvati saw the carnage, she was furious, and told Shiva that he had just killed his own son. Shiva immediately set off to make things right by killing an elephant in the woods and giving the head to Ganesha, restoring him with the added powers of a rampaging elephant to destroy any obstacles in the path.

There’s also a sweet story about Ganesha and his brother, Kartikeya as children. They were in a competition to prove which of them loved their parents the most, and to prove their devotion, they decided to race around the world–whoever won would be crowned the most devoted child. Kartikeya was known for riding around on a peacock as his vehicle of choice, whereas Ganesha would balance on a mouse to travel, so it seemed obvious that Kartikeya would win. Kartikeya took off on his peacock at top speed to circumnavigate the globe, but Ganesha simply rode in a small circle on his mouse around the place where his parents sat. When they asked him why, he responded “Because YOU are my whole world.”

Ganesha and Kartikeya race “around the world”

Awwwww. He won.

So on to Half Moon Pose.

It’s often said about Ganesha that he not only destroys our obstacles, but also turns them into sweets. We lay our challenges and obstacles at his feet in the form of offerings: milk, ghee, candy, cakes. So the story has it that one year on his birthday, Ganesha had spent the evening gorging himself on our sufferings, freeing us of them. And that night, he was riding home, belly full of dessert, balancing on his mouse (Mooshak) as usual, a snake came across their path and scared the mouse.

As the mouse went running, Ganesha fell, and his belly broke open, the sweets flying everywhere. The moon god, Chandra, saw this happen and began to laugh at the sad state of Ganesha.

I don’t know who made this “fan art,” but I love it.

Desperate to not release the sweets, Ganesha tied the snake around his waist to hold them in, and reached down to pick up any sweets that had fallen. As the moon god continued to laugh, Ganesha became angry, and he broke off his tusk and hurled it up at the moon to punish him for his insolence.

This is the shape of half moon pose–one hand reaching to the ground to pick up sweets, the other reaching up to throw a tusk at the moon.

The story continues that the moon was extinguished and forced into hiding, casting the world into endlessly dark and dangerous nights. After a few days of this, Ganesh took pity on Chandra, and promised to restore his light to him as a compromise–but only to shine at full brightness once a month, on the full moon, and to be waxing and waning the rest of the time. In this way, the story is an origin tale of the phases of the moon. Hence the name, “half moon pose.”

Half Moon “Sugar Cane” variation, because Ganesha loves his sweets.

Taking the shape of Ganesha in this pose is a reminder of balance–not just the balance of compromise, as he had to learn how to do, but also, the balance between what we see as obstacles and what we see as sweets. Even the physical pose itself is a challenge, right? It’s difficult, it can get sweaty, and finding our balance can feel like an obstacle or a struggle. But in doing so, it strengthens our legs and our core and our ability to find stability and grounding. So even within the challenge, there’s an inherent sweetness, a silver lining. Maybe all of the obstacles we face in life are like that–just lessons that make us stronger. When we can transmute our own obstacles into sweets, like offerings for Ganesha, we relinquish the struggle in favor of greater ease.

Some mantras to call on the power of Ganesha:

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

Sharanam Ganesha

Hari Om Ganesha

“Gam” is the bija (seed) mantra for Ganesha, the one-syllable sound with the vibrational resonance to call in his energy. Ganapataye is another name for Ganesha, and I mentioned before “Namaha” is the devotional form of “namaste,” meaning “I bow to you. Sharanam means “refuge or shelter.” And “hari om” means “the remover.” So the above means something like “Om I bow to the energy of Ganesha, my refuge, Ganesha. The remover (of obstacles), Ganesha”

Here are some great modern versions of the mantra for your yoga practice:

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha– Edo & Jo

Hari Om Ganesha – Janet Stone and DJ Drez

Remember Jah – Satsang

THE STORY OF UTKATA KONASANA | The Pose of Goddess Kali

UTKATA KONASANA | How Goddess Pose got its name

While “utkata konasana” actually translates to “fierce angle pose” directly from the Sanskrit, we typically call it “goddess pose” or “goddess squat” in English, because of how closely it resembles depictions of the fierce goddess Kali. So today’s story is a bit of a continuation from yesterday’s post, in that it’s all about the other forms of the divine feminine goddess, Sati/Shakti.

When Sati reincarnated after her self-immolation, she was reborn as the goddess Parvati. Together, Shiva and Parvati represent the union of the divine masculine and the divine feminine energies that exist in us all. They have two children, Ganesha (the elephant-headed god–more on him another day), and Kartikeya (Skanda/Murugan).

Her sweet, loving, mothering nature earned the beautiful Parvati a number of other names–including Jagadambe, the mother of the universe. But the sweet softness isn’t the whole story.

When duty calls, Parvati transforms into her fierce warrioress forms.

In one such story, a buffalo demon named Mahishasura was terrorizing the gods, after being granted a wish that he could never be killed by man nor god.

Mahishasura had so doubted the powers of the feminine, that he hadn’t accounted for women and goddesses in his wish. As the increasingly desperate gods were clearly losing their battle with the demon, they called upon Parvati to help, gifting her with all of their best weapons. Through the strength of her love for others, Parvati transformed into the warrior goddess Durga, rode into battle on her lion, and defeated the demon.

Mahishasura is SHOOK

Which brings us to the story of Kali, and of goddess pose.

In this story, another demon, named Raktabija, decided to wage war with the gods. In commonly told versions of the story, Durga again went into battle to help, but when she sliced the demon in half, he multiplied and became two demons. In fact, whenever a single drop of Raktabija’s blood would hit the ground, new demons would spring from the spot. He was multiplying. Seeing this, Durga became enraged, and through her anger, she was transformed into an even fiercer form–the goddess Kali.

Ma Kali

Kali is sometimes translated as the “dark one,” as she turned dark with the power of death. When you see images of Kali, her tongue is usually out–in some tellings of this story, she began catching the droplets of demon blood on her tongue so they would never hit the ground and have the chance to multiply. In doing so, she became bloodthirsty, and with her sword, she slaughtered every single demon, wearing their skulls around her neck like a garland. She became so crazed with bloodlust that she started killing any wrong-doer, demon or not, and was unable to stop.

This is where her beloved Shiva stepped in. He knew that their love was more powerful even than the power of death. So Shiva went into the battlefield and laid himself at Kali’s feet. In her bloodlust, she stepped on his chest and raised her sword to kill him, but when she looked into his eyes, she recognized him as her husband, and transformed back into the sweet, loving form of Parvati.

When I hear these stories, I think of all the demons that we have to slay in our own lives. Though we do our best to be kind and caring to all like Parvati, there are moments that call for our strength and ferocity as well, to overcome that which is holding us back. It might be fear, anxiety, addiction, depression… When I think of how the buffalo demon doubted the power of the loving Parvati, I see a goddess who overcame what others thought of her in order to stand up in her full power.

These stories also bring to mind the intense powers that mothers often display when their children are in danger–like extreme strength to lift a car if their child is trapped beneath it. Where does that power come from? In the end, it’s the power of love. I find these depictions of the goddess to show the full nature of femininity that lives in us all–from the loving wife and mother, to the fierce warrioress rising up to slay demons.

The shape of utkata konasana is both powerful and feminine, reminiscent of how our ancestors gave birth, open hips and heart, unafraid. Similar to what I wrote about the warrior poses yesterday, Goddess un-does our self-protective, fearful patterns of posture. It allows us to face the world head-on, wide open, as powerful and courageous as Kali.

Goddess Pose with Kali Mudra

“Kali mudra” is attained when we clasp our hands together with the pointer fingers extended, representing Kali’s demon-slaying sword. It adds some more of her power to utkata konasana, and allows us to physically embody the ability to overcome adversity (demons) in our own lives.

In this pose, we take the shape of the mother of the universe, in all her ferocity and all of her tenderness.

Some mantras to invoke Kali energy, for the moments when you need to be fierce:

Jai Mata Kali, Jai Mata Durgay

Kali Durgay, Namoh Namah

Jai Jagadambe, Jai Ma Durga

“Jai” means victory or “hail to” and is used in a lot of mantras–it’s a general word of admiration for someone. “Mata” means mother, and Namo Namah is a phrase of worship. And Jagadambe means “mother of the universe.” So the above mantra means: Hail mother Kali, hail mother Durga, Kali Durga, I bow to you. Hail the mother of the universe, hail mother Durga”

Some powerful modern versions:

Kali Durga – Santocha

Ma Durga – Krishna Das

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If you want to learn more, join me in Bali for a deep-dive/spiritual immersion into the gods.

THE STORY OF VIRABHADRA | HOW THE WARRIOR POSES GOT THEIR NAME

THE STORY OF VIRABHADRASANA 1, 2, and 3 | The Warrior Poses

The “Virabhadra” of Virabhadrasana doesn’t actually translate to “warrior” from Sanskrit, but is rather the name of one very specific warrior, and the story behind him is super interesting. It’s another story about lord Shiva (I wrote about him and dancer’s pose yesterday). Here’s the version of the story I’ve been studying and teaching with my priestess in Bali.

Virabhadrasana I

In the Virabhadra story, Shiva was in love with Sati (a form of the goddess Parvati/Shakti–more on her tomorrow :).

Shiva and Sati

Sati was the daughter of a great king named Daksha. But King Daksha didn’t particularly like Shiva. In fact, he did everything in his power to keep his daughter, Sati, away from her beloved Shiva. Through some clever trickery, Sati and Shiva ended up getting married against her father’s wishes, but King Daksha was never happy with his son-in-law.

One day, while Shiva was sitting on top of Mount Kailash (his holy site in the Himalayas) in deep meditation, King Daksha threw a ceremony at his palace, and he invited all of the gods to benefit from the sacrifice (yajna)–except for Shiva.

Daksha’s Yajna (ceremonial sacrifice for the gods)

For Sati, this was the final straw. She went to her father’s ceremony and confronted him, asking him why her beloved Shiva had been excluded. In front of all the other gods, King Daksha insulted Shiva, telling Sati that he was unfit to be worshiped alongside the other gods.
 

This sent Sati into a rage, and right there in the middle of the sacrifice, she self-immolated, catching fire and falling to ash at her father’s feet.
 

Sati’s spontaneous combustion

Shiva and Sati’s love was so strong, that even from where he sat in meditation on top of Mount Kailash, Shiva could feel the death of his beloved, and he vowed to avenge her death. He instantly manifested a fierce warrior named Virabhadra to do his bidding and destroy Daksha’s yajna.

Shiva summoning Virabhadra

In some tellings, Shiva summoned Virabhadra from one of his dreadlocks, throwing the lock of hair into the mountain where it snaked its way underground and into the palace, becoming Virabhadra and rising up in front of King Daksha’s throne with sword drawn, in the stance of Warrior 1:

Warrior 1

Then, in the stance of Warrior 2, Virabhadra chopped off King Daksha’s head:

Warrior 2

And in the stance of Warrior 3, he planted Daksha’s head on a stake in front of all the ceremony guests:

Warrior 3

Pretty metal, right?

But don’t worry–in the end, this is a story of love and forgiveness.

After an epic battle ensued, the goddess Sati reincarnated, determined to set things right. She calmed the warrior and called Shiva down from the mountain to make amends–after all, her father hadn’t killed her, she’d spontaneously combusted in rage. Her willingness to forgive her father assuaged Shiva, and he brought King Daksha back to life by replacing his head with the head of a goat.

Upon revival, Daksha (shockingly) bowed before Lord Shiva, saying that he had doubted the power of the love between Shiva and Sati, and now saw the truth of the depth of their union. He went on to worship Shiva as a supreme god for the rest of his life.

King Daksha receiving Shiva’s blessing

Crazy story, hey?

It’s often used as a metaphor for the killing of the ego–in this case, King Daksha representing our doubt in god/the universe (Shiva), and our tendency to put our own egos above our dharma. I know this is something I’ve noticed in my personal life recently; challenges that I saw as setbacks, changes that I fought kicking and screaming, ended up being exactly what I needed, and I now stand in a place where I can look back over the past few hard years and see that every step led me right to where I’m meant to be, as if the path had laid itself at my feet. So in the end, it’s a cautionary tale teaching us to trust in the divine/universe/nature/science/dharma, whatever you choose to call “that which is beyond us.”

Physically and energetically, something really cool happens when we take these shapes as the warrior poses in yoga. When we embody Virabhadra, we’re finding simultaneous strength and openness in our lower bodies, while also expanding and opening the solar plexus. Our solar plexus chakra (somewhere around the level of the lower ribs to the sternum) energetically is our power and confidence center. It’s one of the chakras for which we can feel the energy quite clearly. For example:

Have you ever been given the advice, before maybe a job interview or a public speaking opportunity, to stand like Wonder Woman? To puff out your chest, or to throw your arms out wide, or even to “man-spread” to feel more confident? If you try it right now–do a bit of a back-bend, lift your sternum, send your solar plexus forward etc.–you’ll instantly feel more confident. Isn’t Warrior II basically just extreme man-spreading?

“High Power” Body Language (courtesy of Amy Cuddy, Harvard University)

When we feel scared or out of control or tired, we tend to take the opposite position–hunched up, even in the fetal position. So when we then choose to “explode” open like the warrior, we’re embodying the opposite of fear and tiredness. We’re allowing ourselves to be more courageous and awake. The strength in these poses literally allows us to “stand up” for others and for what we believe in.

Call it stimulating the energy of the manipura chakra, or embodying the warrior Virabhadra in his quest to avenge the death of Shiva’s love–either way, our sympathetic nervous system is activated in the warrior series in a way that allows us to feel more confident, alive, and powerful–just like a Warrior 🙂

Om Namah Shivaya

If you’d like to learn more, join me in Bali for a spiritual immersion and continuing education course called the Gods of Yoga, where you’ll get to experience ceremonies for these deities first hand.

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((Note that this story has been written about many places in various forms (in the Mahabarata, the Kurma Purana, etc.) as well as re-told aurally, re-written by later sages, and represented in many art forms, often with their own local traditions, so there are a lot of versions.))

The Story of Natarajasana | How Dancer’s Pose Got Its Name

KING DANCER’S POSE (NATARAJASANA) | Shiva as the King Dancer

Shiva as Nataraja, for whom natarajasana (dancer’s pose) is named, is a form of the god Shiva as the cosmic dancer, who dances through the cycles of life, death, and re-birth.

Natarajasana (one variation)

There are many deities in Hinduism, but three important ones make up the “Hindu trinity” called the “trimurti”: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).

When you see images of Shiva, you’ll know it’s him because he has dreadlocks piled high on his head (called “jata”) typically with a crescent moon as adornment, with a stream of water representing the River Gangga flowing from it. He wears animal skins (usually tiger) and has a cobra around his neck or waist to show he’s overcome death, and he typically carries a trident, to destroy the three worlds (lokas). Oh, and he’s usually blue, a sign of his divinity.

Lord Shiva

This idea of “destruction” might make him sound like a bad guy, but instead, it’s an equanimous part of our nature. For one, think of all the bad things that we need to destroy in our lives: hatred, fear, self-doubt, judgment, etc. We can call upon the energy of Shiva to help us in this destruction. But even more so, just as natural as birth and death, beginnings and endings are a fact of life–and Shiva finds the joy in the cycles, dancing through them in what’s called the “dance of bliss” (ananda tandava).

You may have seen a statue like one of these at the front of some of your yoga studios:

That’s Shiva Nataraja, doing his dance of bliss. Shiva is considered the original yogi, the one who is said to have brought the practice of yoga to the world, so he’s a good choice in a yoga studio 🙂 The circle of fire around him represents the cycle of life, death, and re-birth (called samsara). He dances joyfully through it, unaffected by the endings and new beginnings, just as we can learn to do. In this depiction, he’s often dancing upon a small person, who represents ignorance and specifically the ignorance that causes our fear of death–this person is a metaphor for how “small” we make ourselves when we fail to recognize our divine and eternal nature.

One of my favorite teachers, Ram Dass, used Shiva as an example like this in “Be Here Now”:
“Singing and dancing and insurance, and savings accounts and jobs and responsibility…..

We get to choose. Will we bear the mundane struggles of life like a heavy burden, or treat them as just another joyful step in the dance?

So, when you take the physical shape called natarajasana or king dancer’s pose in yoga, you are embodying Shiva’s dance, this concept of joy through the cycles of endings and beginnings. Physically, it’s a pose that opens the heart, as well as the hip flexors of the raised leg, allowing us to emotionally open to those inevitable changes, while undoing stuck patterns (like sitting hunched over our computers, etc.) As a standing balance pose, it also takes courage–a very small way in which we show that we’ve overcome fear (the root of all fear being the fear of death). In this way, we embody Shiva’s dance of bliss whenever we take this pose.

If that resonates with you, you might use a Shiva mantra in your meditations, repeating the words (either through song, on japa mala beads, or just mentally as your point of focus in meditation):

Om Namah Shivaya

“Namah” comes from the same root word as “namaste,” but is a more formal/devotional form of the word, so this mantra simply means “Om (the sound of connection with the universe), I bow to Shiva.”

Here are some modern versions on Spotify that are really fun 🙂

Om Namah Shivaya – Deva Premal
Om Namah Shivaya – Jonah Kest
Angel’s Prayer – Ty Burhoe (longer version, mantra words here)

If you want to learn more, check out our Gods of Yoga philosophy course and spiritual immersion in Bali.

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Note: I don’t know anyone who thinks you need to fully convert to Hinduism to practice yoga, so please don’t feel that you are somehow dishonoring whatever your own faith, religion, or belief system is by taking the shape of the Hindu gods in asana. Rather, learning these stories and/or chanting these mantras provides a deeper cultural, historical, and (if you so choose) spiritual connection to the practice. Depending on your beliefs, it’s your choice how you choose to see the gods–as representations of our OWN divinity, as simple metaphors for various aspects of the human experience, or as similar to Catholic saints or angels, messengers and way-showers of the ultimate divine (God, Ishvara, Science, Nature, Universe etc.) In any way, knowing the stories can help connect mind, body, and spirit, while honoring the tradition from which the practice came.

Love all, serve all,

Megan

Insider Tips on the Best Yoga Retreats in Bali 2019-2020

Since I’ve been living in Bali for the past three years, as a yoga teacher trainer, I’ve gotten a pretty good beat on the yoga scene here. One of the most common questions I get asked is “What’s the best yoga retreat in Bali?”

So I decided to curate a list (sorted by next upcoming date) of the most amazing Bali yoga retreats I know of, all of which are hosted by outstanding yoga teachers I can personally vouch for. This is the ultimate insider info on yoga retreats in Bali, so clear your schedule:

1. Yuni Retreats’ “Live Fully” Yoga Retreat in Ubud, Bali

Next dates: September 8-15^th, 2019

Hosted by the mother-daughter duo Danielle & Robin, this yoga retreat in Ubud focuses on deep healing through a number of different modalities (including Tibetan sound bowl, reiki, and of course, yoga), all with an atmosphere of lightness and joy. You’ll get to explore stunning waterfalls, beautiful temples, and breathtaking beaches, all while finding inner peace and learning to “live fully.” Danielle and Robin are both incredibly inspirational women who I’m honored to call friends—I’ve personally experienced profound meditative states under the power of Danielle’s sound healing, and even had the chance to join for a few sessions during their last retreat, and I fully recommend them to anyone who wants a powerful Bali yoga retreat experience.

https://www.daniellebushell.com/yuni-retreat

2.  Samudra Retreats in Nusa Lembongan, Bali

Next dates: October 25-November 4th

Nusa Lembongan is a breathtaking Balinese island just off the coast—it has the crystal clear waters and white sand that we imagine when we think of Balinese paradise. Hollie and Vanessa, the creators of Samudra Retreats, are combining ocean therapy with holistic healing practices like reiki and meditation on this gorgeous little island. Vanessa is a reiki healer, and Hollie is a passionate surfer and diver, and the two combine their skills with their love of yoga to make this the perfect island yoga retreat. You’ll get to stay at a 5-star oceanfront villa, snorkel with the manta rays, and maybe even catch a few waves. I used to spend about half of every month on this beautiful island and became friends with Hollie there, and her sense of humor and passion is contagious—you’ll love spending time with her on this island paradise retreat.

https://www.samudraretreats.com/retreats

3. “The Gods of Yoga” Spiritual Immersion Advanced Yoga Retreat in Sidemen, Bali

Next dates: November 11-16, 2019
January (TBD), 2020

And of course, I have to include my own on the list. If you want to explore your spirituality on the Island of the Gods, and learn how Hinduism impacted our yoga practice (and how your favorite yoga poses got their names!) you have a few chances to join me coming up soon. Sidemen is a hidden gem in Bali—a sacred traditional village set in the sprawling rice-terraced hillside below Mt. Agung. Bunda Parvati, our priestess, and Wayan, our Balinese healer are amazing philosophers and spiritual teachers, and you’ll feel yourself deeply connected to the divine and accessing your yoga on a deep spiritual level.

www.yogatrotter.com/godsofyoga

4. Sweet Bali Retreat in Canggu, Bali

Next dates: January 11-18 (extendable to Jan 21), 2020

Gertrud is the epitome of health and wellness goals, with a doctorate in molecular genetics and biochemistry, and an inspiring history teaching yoga and movement all over the world. Along with her co-host, Annick, she is bringing her passion for health back to the beaches of northern Canggu this January, to help you connect with your healthy vibrant Self through the island’s energetic natural surroundings. These ladies will provide a profound yoga experience, healthy and picture-perfect meals, and the chance to explore the most scenic and powerful spots (think gorgeous sunrises and sunsets) in Bali. Gertrud is one of my favorite people ever, and I’ve had the pleasure of being her yoga student a number of times; her authenticity and passion are rare gems in this world—if you attend this yoga retreat in Bali, you’re sure to feel refreshed and reinvigorated, and like the healthiest version of you.

https://www.gowithgertrud.com/sweet-bali-retreat-journey-far-deep/

5. ReBirth Women’s Retreat in Canggu, Bali

Next dates: April 2-9, 2020

If you’re looking for a deeply transformational, heart-opening, all-women’s retreat to connect you with your divine feminine energy, these girls have got you covered. I’ve had the joy of teaching at the same yoga shala as Marta, and I know she and her co-host Ines have poured their heart and soul into this yoga retreat, to create an experience that is profoundly moving for all who attend. The retreat is held at one of the most beautiful beachfront venues in Canggu, with ocean views and a uniquely Bali vibe. Both Marta and Ines are medicine women with a passion for awakening humanity to its highest potential, and they will guide you through emotional and energetic work in some of Bali’s most sacred sites, with the help of local healers and wisdom-holders. Just being in Marta’s presence makes me feel empowered and inspired, so I can only imagine how much stronger that effect will be during a full week retreat.

https://www.inesgaya.com/rebirth-bali-2019-en/ 

6. Beach to Bliss Bali Retreat by Angeleaq Mind Body Balance, Ubud & Sanur, Bali

Next dates: August 2-9, 2020

This is the ultimate relaxation retreat to restore and re-energize the mind, body and soul in Bali. Hosted by sisters Leanne and Andrea, who are both incredibly talented yoga teachers (I should know–I was their teacher trainer 🙂 ) this retreat takes you from the sacred jungles and rice fields of Ubud, to the beautiful sleepy beachside of Sanur, allowing you to experience more of the Island of the Gods. This retreats focuses on peace and serenity, while practicing yoga each day and exploring cultural sites throughout Bali. The warmth and generosity of Andrea and Leanne is something to be treasured, and they’re the perfect duo to guide you to bliss in Bali.

https://www.facebook.com/AndreasBodySoulBalance/

Best Yoga Teacher Trainings in Bali, Hand-Picked by a Local Yogi

The decision to become a yoga teacher is an act of love, because you are choosing to share the beauty and peace of yoga with the world. With the history of the practice so interconnected with Hindu philosophy, there are no better options in the world than India or Bali to learn how to become a yoga teacher. After three years teaching for various Yoga Teacher Trainings in Bali, these are the ones I can recommend the most.

1. Pranaluz 300hr YTT

Next Dates: September 1 – October 6, 2019

I was lucky enough to be trained by two of the Pranaluz teachers, Analu and Jono, during my 300hr YTT, and their wealth of knowledge, deep personal spiritual experience, and unique Buddhist perspective is amazing to witness as a student. This is one of the most in-depth 300hr trainings I’ve seen, diving deep into anatomy and mind-body techniques, advanced yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, Tibetan dream yoga, contemplative science studies, and many more. Analu is also an amazingly talented leader of kirtan, and their YTT includes the beautiful practice of bhakti yoga and mantra chanting, and Jono is full of fascinating stories that will keep you hanging on his every word. I can’t recommend this training highly enough.

2. Samasti Yoga 200hr YTT

Next Dates: November 20 – December 18, 2019
December 22, 2019 – January 29, 2020
April 1 – 29, 2020

The Samasti team is one of my favorites in Canggu, with a gorgeous venue to match. Sean is an incredibly knowledgeable osteopath, who emphasizes teaching safely for longevity in his anatomy lessons, and Angela is a passionate asana teacher well-known for sparking inspiration in her students.

Between the deep spiritual philosophy lessons and the relaxed, homey feel of the venue, Samasti has created the perfect yoga teacher training to get to know yourself on a deeper level, and to learn to share the profound practice of yoga with others.

3. Zaz Yoga 200hr YTT

October 3-24, 2020

The Zaz Yoga teachers are incredibly soulful, passionate, and fun women who believe that to become an inspiring teacher, you must first develop a deep understanding of your own body, mind and soul. Their YTT gives you that space to experience and integrate yoga fully into your own life, so that you can most effectively share it with others.

I’ve had the joy of sharing many ecstatic dance sessions with Ella, one of the Zaz Teachers in Canggu, and can vouch for her unending passion and enthusiasm. Their venue, just a few steps from a beautiful secluded beach in north Canggu, is one of my favorite retreat spots in Bali, so you get to experience deep spiritual transformation in a beautiful setting in nature.

4. Yogatrotter Academy 200hr YTT

Next Dates: November 25 – December 18, 2019
February 1 – 29, 2019

Here’s one I can speak from the heart about, because it’s my own creation. After teaching for other yoga teacher trainings in Bali for almost three years, I noticed that the one thing that was missing from was the most obvious thing of all: a connection to BALI itself, and the incredibly deep spirituality and philosophy here that is so intertwined with the practice and history of yoga. My mission since then has been to share yoga in an authentic way that integrates and supports the local community, because I know first-hand how powerful Balinese ancestral wisdom is for connecting to the soul.

How to Practice Tapas (Spiritual Discipline) This Week

*** THIS COMES FROM THE LAST ROUND OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY CHALLENGES. IF YOU’D LIKE TO STAY CURRENT WITH THE YOGA PHILOSOPHY CHALLENGES, BE SURE TO SIGN UP HERE AND GET THEM STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX TO PARTICIPATE ***

Tapas means spiritual discipline, and it’s the third of Patanjali’s stated niyamas, yogic practices.

In the Hindu holy texts, “tapas” usually referred to long periods of time that the brahmins (priests) spent in constant meditation, usually as an appeal to a certain deity.

In our modern, western lives, the effects of meditation have been proven time and time again–from increasing grey matter in the brain, to acting as an anti-depressant, to improving concentration and creativity.

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say meditation is an emotional cure-all. But it can be so difficult to make ourselves actually sit down and do it.

This is your challenge for the week:

This week, for our tapas, I challenge myself and all of you to meditation for at least 10 minutes every day. Within a week, you’ll experience the profound calmness that comes with a well-disciplined mind.

If you like learning about yoga philosophy and want to become a yoga teacher, join me for a 200hr yoga teacher training in Bali in 2020!

The Sanskrit Name for “Cow-Face Pose” – The Story behind the Pose Name

Many yoga poses are named directly after deities in the Hindu pantheon, or are named for the shapes that the gods took in the epic Hindu stories. Our online course, Gods of Yoga, teaches you how to weave these stories into your yoga classes. Here’s the story of the Sanskrit name for “cow-face” pose: Gomukasana

Cow-Face Pose, or Gomukasana, is named after a story of Krishna – “Go” means “cow” in Sanskrit (“Muka,” of course, means face–as in downward facing dog, adho muka svanasana), and Krishna is often referred to as Govinda (cow herder) or Gopala (protector of the cows.)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When Krishna was growing up as a cow-herder in Vrindavan, his life was full of joy and music. He always acted so calm and cheerful, that the God Brahma started to wonder if perhaps Krishna had forgotten that he wasn’t a mere human. So Brahma one day decided to test him, to see if he remembered that he really was God, and to see if he was always able to keep his peaceful demeanor.

As a challenge, Brahma stole all of Krishna’s cows from his field, and hid them, along with all the other cowherders, in a cave.⠀⠀⠀⠀

When Brahma returned to the field to see Krishna’s reaction, he expected to see Krishna in a rage. Instead, Krishna was happily herding his cows—all of his cows, and all of the other cow-herders, were still there!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Confused, Brahma checked the cave—but the cows were there too, exactly where he’d hidden them. How could they be both places at once?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Legend has it that Krishna duplicated himself, and took the form of both the cows and the herders, so that when Brahma stole them, he actually just stole copies of Krishna, and the real cows remained at peace.

Gomukhasana, or cow-face pose, is named after this story. In cow-face pose, though the legs are in a twist, the upper body remains calm and open—the cow face is like Krishna’s poker face. This pose teaches us to remain light and joyful, even when the world seems twisted and chaotic.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

If you love hearing the mythology of the asana, join me November 11-16th in Bali for The Gods of Yoga teacher training course (50hrs of continuing education for yoga teachers), co-hosted by a Balinese priestess, to learn all these stories through ceremony and hands-on experience on the Island of the Gods.

How to Practice Santosha this week

*** This comes from the last round of Yoga Philosophy Challenges. If you’d like to stay current with the Yoga Philosophy Challenges, be sure to sign up here and get them straight to your inbox to participate ***

Santosha means contentment, and it’s the second niyama (yogic practice) according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

In “The Heart of Yoga,” Desikachar describes Santosha as “modesty, and being content with what we have […] instead of complaining about things that go wrong, we can accept what has happened and learn from them.”

Many of us may already have a practice of counting our blessings, but how many of us also count our disappointments as blessings?

It’s been proven that we can rewire our brains to change our outlook on life.

I’ve used this analogy many times before, but it works so perfectly: if you’ve ever been out on a beach cleanup or out on a mission to pick up litter, you’ll find A LOT of trash–and even when you stop “looking,” you’ll still find yourself noticing every little piece of trash around, possibly even for hours after the job is finished.

The same is true of complaints. If you are the kind of person who always has something to complain about it, it’s because you’re always looking for the negative. You can start looking for the positive instead.

Imagine if we tried looking for flowers instead of trash? (Metaphorically speaking, of course–you should still definitely clean the beaches <3 ).

This week, in the name of santosha, challenge yourself to write for 15 minutes each night about all the things you

‘re grateful for that day.

I say “15 minutes” rather than “list 5 things” because sometimes, forcing ourselves to sit down and write for longer than we normally

would allows us the time to really search for blessings. You may have listed all the obvious things in 5 minutes–now you have 10 more minutes to try to find the

positive even in the tiny, normal, or difficult moments of your day, to train your brain into seeing even those moments as blessings.

If you like learning about yoga philosophy and want to become a yoga teacher, join me for a 200hr yoga teacher training in Bali in 2020!

The Sanskrit Name for Side Plank | How Vasisthasana Got Its Name

So many yoga poses got their Sanskrit names from the stories of Gods and ancient sages. If you like learning these stories, sign up for our online course, The Gods of Yoga, to learn how to weave them into your teachings, class themes, and sacred intentions.

Here’s the story behind vasisthasana, side plank, is the story of the sage Vasistha.

Vasistha was a wise spiritual leader, and the teacher of Prince Rama (yes, that Rama–the brave a loving incarnation of the god Vishnu).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In his youth, Rama found himself feeling depressed and disillusioned with the world. To pull him out of his funk, his father enlisted the help of the great sage Vasistha. Vasistha quickly became a beloved guru to Ram, and taught him that the feeling of hopelessness or emptiness is what often leads one to their spiritual journey and to the realization of their dharma. This conversation is detailed in the book, the Yoga Vasistha.

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The pose vasisthasana goes from the closed-off, introverted plank, to a heart open side plank, illustrating the transformation from disillusionment to mukti (li

beration) that Vasistha taught Ram. As we open our arm up to the sky in side plank, we can feel the accompanying sense of opening our hearts to the world.⠀

If you love hearing the mythology of the asana, join me November 11-16th in Bali for The Gods of Yoga teacher training course (50hrs of continuing education for yoga teachers), co-hosted by a Balinese priestess, to learn all these stories through ceremony and hands-on experience on the Island of the Gods.⠀⠀

How Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Got Its Name

Have you ever wondered why the pose Garudasana (eagle pose) looks nothing like an eagle?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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It’s because Garuda doesn’t just mean eagle–it’s the name of a vast deity, the carrier of Lord Vishnu, with the torso of an eagle (head, body, and wings) and the legs of a man.⠀

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So why is this pose named after Garuda?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Imagine you start in tadasana–arms spread out to your sides like open eagle wings, legs standing strong like Garuda’s. To find garudasana, you then compress yourself in size, wrapping arm around arm, leg around leg.⠀⠀⠀⠀

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When Garuda was born, he emerged from a massive egg, and he was as radiant as a million suns–so brilliant, that he blinded anyone who looked upon him. So the gods begged him to reduce himself in size.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Later, when Garuda’s mother was kidnapped by serpents (nagas), they told Garuda they’d free her if he brought them the nectar of immortality (amrita). But to get the amrita, Garuda had to steal it. The amrita was stored behind an obstacle course of sorts, and to steal it, Garuda performed a number of incredible feats; one of them was to shrink himself in size to fit through a spiked ring, only to emerge as large and glorious as before.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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The next time you perform garudasana, imagine yourself as the epic being, Garuda, wrapping your wings around yourself in order to shrink in size–to live amongst the mortals, and to save the ones you love.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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We are all spiritual beings, larger than life–cosmic miracles experiencing a temporary human existence, shrunken in size. Never forget who you are.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Made out of love. ⠀

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If you love hearing the mythology of the asana, join me November 11-16th in Bali for The Gods of Yoga teacher training course (50hrs of continuing education for yoga teachers), co-hosted by a Balinese priestess, to learn all these stories through ceremony and hands-on experience on the Island of the Gods.⠀⠀