Yoga Ghost profile picture

Yoga Ghost

Self-realization is nothing more than the deepest possible understanding that there is no individual

About Me

OK more like Casper the friendly Yoga ghost. I could tell you the stories but that's not really interesting, everyone's got stories. Eternity is an instant, total surrender, then opening the heart in trust to the infinite given, Dancing for the pleasure of dancing, not the destination - the journey, staring wide eyed at the imposible wonder of the creation, psychedelic insight without the psychedelics. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga set everything back on track, Wu Wei - flowing effortlessly in trust. There are no mistakes, even the disorder is in order, come back to your breath, inhale the creation, breathe out gratitude. Even in my darkest moments, I was alive. All is God, from the personal to the impersonal awareness and back again. To become aware that one is thinking, that is to enter Brahman, fall back into awareness itself, focus on the source of the "I" thought. Every moment is a Holy moment. Only Love.CURRENT MOON lunar phases Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it.Taken from : http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com Thank you.Yoga and Vedanta, action and philosophy, Swami Dayananda Saraswathi honours Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore.If you prefer the lazy seekers route, maybe you'd like to see Tony Parsons get straight to the point. I hope you enjoy.

My Interests

Beginingless, and Endless Love, Eternal Joy and Gratitude to Ishwara for the infinite given from Quarks to Quasars. Surrendering to the totality right here right now. Jnana, Bhakti and Karma Yoga, depending on the moment. Advaita Vedanta. Puja. The end of aparent separation, daily Ashtanga Yoga practice, teaching the correct method according to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, AYRI Mysore South India, at Estudio De Yoga, Barcelona (It's what I do, so thankfully I'm interested in it), REIKI, The Enneagram, Eighties Anarcho Punk,Writing sappy folk songs (particularly with Colin Zak), Idlis, Dosas, South Indian Thali meals, The ENFIELD 500CC, South Indian Coffee, Vedic Chanting, Mangos, Chickoos, Papaya, Shilajit, SOMA, family and friends.

I'd like to meet:

No ideas

Music:

Can, Neu, Gong, Nico, Velvet Underground, Mazzy Star, Bert Jansch, Pentangle, Animal Collective, Slint, MC5, My Bloody Valentine, 13th Floor Elevators, Small Faces, The Kinks, Swervedriver, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Pantaleimon and Current 93, Pavement, Patti Smith, Brendan Benson, Matthew Jay, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, The Postal Service, CSS, PIL, Burning Spear, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, Matthew Dear, Guided By Voices, The Decemberists, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Tom Vek, Little Annie, White Stripes, REM, the Slits, Adam and the Antz, Gang of Four, Super Furry Animals, Cat Power, The Shins, God Speed You Black Emperor, Missy Elliot, Kathryn Williams, The Smiths, Underworld, Stone Roses, Geezers of Nazareth, Shack, The la's, Husker Du, Minutemen, Firehose, Sebadoh, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt, Sigur Ros, Alabama 3, Bonnie Prince Billy, Punjabi Hit Squad, DJ Cheb i Sabah, The Clash, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, John Martyn, Nick Drake, CRASS, Poison Girls, The Mob, Zounds, Rudimentary Peni, Flux of Pink Indians, Hariprasad Chourasiya, Syd Barrett, Neil Young, CSN, Joni Mitchel, Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno, Stars of the Lid, Mum, Isan, MORR Music, Minor Threat, Fugazi, bad Brains, Rites of Spring, The Nation of Ulysees, Lung Fish, Fidelity Jones, Bikini Kill, GVSB, The Make Up, The evens, Fire Party, Kraftwerk, Television, Prince, Four Tet, To Rococo Rot, Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Iron & Wine, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, The Mekons, Stereolab, Broadcast, LFO, Joanna Newsom, !!! , Aberfeldy, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Liz Phair, Benjy Feree, Shellac, Mule, William Elliot Whitmore, Antony and the Johnsons, Devo, X-Ray Spex, Spiritualised, Maha Vishnu Orchestra, Alice Coltrane, Kid Loco, Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Sonic Youth, Strokes, Kings of Leon, Shuggie Otis, Sly Stone, Os Mutantes, Au Pairs, Young Marble Giants, ESG, Talking Heads, Damien Jr Gong Marley, Earth Wind and Fire, Battles, Vedic Chanting. ..

Movies:

Interview with Nisargadatta MaharajWaking Life - The Holy MomentWaking Life, The Fountain, Children of Men, A Scanner Darkly, The Big Lebowski, The Science of Dreams, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, Siddhartha, Darshan, 1 Giant Leap, I Heart Huckabees, Fierce Grace - Biopic of Ram Dass, The God's must be crazy, PI, Dogville, Water, DogTown and the Z-Boys, Rize, Whassup Rockers, Dreamland, Phone Booth, Bowling for Columbine, Simone, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Ashtanga Yoga New York, Peter Brooke's Mahabaratta, Buffalo 66, Brown Bunney, Drugstore Cowboy, Easy Rider, Ghost Dog- Way of the Samurai, Dead man, Ma Mere, Gummo, V for Vendetta, What the bleep do we know, The Yes Men,The last Temptation of Christ, Half Nelson. Alexis Kersey's New Company School.

Television:

Television sucks your soul dry baby.......

Books:

KA by Roberto Collaso, Be as you are - Ramana Maharshi, What's next after Now - Steven Harrison, The Myth of Mind - U.G. Krishnamurti, Spiritual Enlightenment- The Damndest Thing - Jed McKenna, The Holographic Universe - Steven Talbot, Wake Up and Roar - Papaji, DMT - The Spirit Molecule - Rick Strassman, Crazy Wisdom - Chogyam Trungpa, Cutting through Spiritual Materialism - Chogyam Trungpa, Advaita, the Buddha and the Unbroken Whole - Ramesh Balsakar, Wild Nights - David Deida, Shiboleth - My Revolting Life - Penny Rimbaud, The Magus - John Fowles, Siddartha, Steppenwolf, and Narziss and Goldmund - Herman Hesse, Island by Aldous Huxley, Dharma Bums - Kerouac, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance - Rober Prisig, Electric Cool Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe, Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins, A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole, Love in the Time of Collera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Aghora 1, 11, 111 - Robert Svobodha, Births, Marriages and Deaths - Colin Evans, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Avadhuta Gita - Dattatreya, The Impersonal Life, Yoga Mala - Pattabhi Jois, How to know God - the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Nathamuni's Yoga Rahasya, Healing With Wholefoods - Paul Pritchard, Namarupa Magazine, 45 - Bill Drumond, Bad Wisdom - Bill Drumond and Zodiac Mindwarp, Wall & Piece - Banksy.

Heroes:

The ghost of Ramana Maharshi, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath Rangaswamy, Saraswati Rangaswamy, Krishnamacharya, Swami Vagishananda, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Eva Luna, Mr Vadederajan, Ramesh Balsakar, Basquiat, Joe Strummer, Ken Kesey, Syd Barret, Penny Rimbaud, G Sus, David Deida, Ram Dass, Osho, Nisargadatta Maharj, Rosie Harness, Rolf Naujokat, Kirsten Berg, Eddie Stern, Noel, Ananta and Frenchie, Nathan Parker, Gangaji, Byron Katie, UG Krishnamurti, Bill Drumond, Mark Mob, Carol Evans, Dr Ian Judson at the Royal Marsden in London, Alison at Urban Healing in Brixton, Alex Grey, Adi Shankaracharya.Let me help you with and give credit to the source of some of these pictures : The collage "Angel" is by Gee Vaucher of Crass, as is the bit about music. In the about me section, a young Sri K.Pattabhi Jois is in Purnamatseyendrasana, and next to him Ramakrishna Paramamamsa is intoxicated with the Holy spirit, the exploding meditator was stolen unashamedly from Whiteheart's profile maybe he knows who painted it, it's the nearest i've come to a pictoral representation of how I feel. Then there's a video of Tony Parsons (www.theopensecret.com), then there's Nick Drake, the totally inspirational Patti Smith, couple of The Mob, Joni Mitchel, and Slint, then Speedo from Rocket from the Crypt, Crass live, Swami Vagishananda chanting and teaching. The Nation of Ulysees followed by Alabama3, then there's "Walls" music by Crass, video by I don't know but thanks all the same. All very close to my heart. At the bottom is Pattabhi Jois, Rolf Naujokat, Ramana Maharshi, the KLF, deoxy.org (The Deoxyribonucleic Hyperdimension) - the other portal of transcendence, Ram Dass, Penny Rimbaud (Penny's the naked guy on the toilet) and Gee Vaucher from Crass/ The Dial House Foundation. The big orange Peace art is from an eighties anarcho punk compilation album released by MDC. Peace! Thanks for visiting, it was a pleasure to have you over.FAIR USE NOTICE This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, spiritual, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

My Blog

Linga Represents The Formless Siva

Before I do my asana practice every morning I do a rudimentary Arathi / Puja to lord Shiva, followed by Pranayama, chanting slokas and sitting, these practices are an act of love for the existence tha...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:25:00 PST

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya - Teacher of Teachers.

I'll be leaving Barcelona at the end of June to return to Mysore to study at AYRI for six months, then God willing I'll be back in Barcelona to teach again. I was inspired to acknowlege more of the tr...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:13:00 PST

Photos of Ashtanga Workshop.

Hey folks, I did a workshop at Yoga Studio here in Barcelona a few weeks ago where i teach the morning Mysore class. I don't go in for workshops as a rule, they are a distraction from the system, a da...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:18:00 PST

Yoga: The Path of Purification

My friend and fellow Mysore Ashtanga Yoga practioner Govinda Kai wrote a really good article about the effects of a daily Ashtanga yoga practice on the body and mind. Now I have been teaching the same...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:19:00 PST

Satsang, in the tradition of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.

I have always felt a deep resonance with the loving gaze of Ramana Maharshi. In some quarters there is a mistrust of what is commonly termed "neo-advaita" amongst today’s spiritual seekers, Yogi...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:32:00 PST

Ghee: Better than Butter

Ghee: Better than ButterWhy cook with plain butter when you can reap the health benefits of its clarified form?By Karta Purkh Singh KhalsaYour yoga teacher says a little ghee will help loosen up tight...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:02:00 PST

Soft Focus - Ian Svenonius interviews Penny Rimbaud.

Internet TV channel Vice Broadcasting Sytem has a show called Soft Focus, where Ian Svenonius (of Washington D.C. punk soul polemicists, Nation of Ulysees and more recently, the Make Up) interviews va...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:29:00 PST

Prayer by Shankaracharya.

Prayer by ShankaracharyaTranslation & Commentary by Vimala Thakar(1)Pratah smarami hridi samsphura ta twamSatchitsukham paramahansa gatim turiyamYat swapna jagara sushupta mavaiti nityamTad brahma nis...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:35:00 PST

Eye of Spirit: An Integral Vision for a World Gone Slightly Mad, by Ken Wilber.

Here is an excerpt from The Eye of Spirit: An Integral Vision for a World Gone Slightly Mad, by Ken Wilber. This book introduces Ken's Integral Theory, but the great nondual section is the few pages o...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:56:00 PST

NAMARUPA Magazine, Issue 7 . Interview with Saraswathi Rangaswamy by me.

The new issue of the glorious Namarupa magazine is here. A swanky Beatles in India cover, an interview with Saraswathi Rangaswamy (Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' daughter) by me!!! (She gives some fascinating ...
Posted by Yoga Ghost on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:11:00 PST