A Mindful Approach to Ashtanga Yoga - Scott Johnson, 'The Chai Sessions'
What is a mindful approach to Ashtanga yoga? Scott Johnson joined me for a chat to explore this ahead of his upcoming visit to Merchant City Yoga on Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th February.
This is Scott's third time on The Chai Sessions! I think at this point he needs no introduction but for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, Scott is the director and co-founder of Stillpoint Yoga London. He is invited to teach yoga all around the world and has his own podcast, Stillpoints.
I'm delighted to welcome him back to MCY again in February for what will be his sixth time teaching here in Glasgow at the studio!
We begin our chat by considering what it is to practise Ashtanga yoga with mindful awareness. Developing a quality of noticing and being aware of what you're doing rather than pushing through the practice.
Scott says,
"The system of Ashtanga yoga is beautiful.
It's very progressive but in it's nature it is about the present moment.
It's about this one breath, what you notice in this one breath and
what you do in relationship to noticing what you're noticing in that one breath."
What comes up for you in practice? How do you experience that? Then, how do you react?
Scott touches on counting the Ashtanga practice too and asks, "What is it that we're counting? We're counting a breath, but we're counting a breath awareness."
When Scott applied a mindful approach to his practice and teaching he says, "Nothing changed but everything changed. Ekam became ekam with an openness and a quality of attention."
A mindful approach is about helping people find their own intelligence around practice. Giving them back autonomy.
"The mindful approach, the way that I teach, is trying to get people to sense and see the openness they have. The way they can find a bit more lightness, the way that they see themselves and they move - using the breath, using sensation and learning to trust what they feel."
We could've talked for hours on this subject! I hope you enjoy listening in.
Listen below or look for 'The Chai Sessions' on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. You can also watch our chat on Youtube.
Scott will be here at Merchant City Yoga on Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th February sharing THREE Morning Mysore Sessions and THREE Weekend Workshops. Find out more about his visit and book your place to join us HERE.
Judi x
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‘The Chai Sessions’
Anyone who has been to Merchant City Yoga on a Sunday knows how much I love catching up with everyone over a cup of my freshly brewed spiced chai. These Sunday chai sessions really bring everyone together, a true celebration of friendship, community and connection.
I want to try and capture some of that magic and share it with you at home. So I've invited some familiar and new faces from our MCY family to chat with me over a cuppa. I'm affectionately calling them 'The Chai Sessions'.