Recently I published a blog on the mantra “saha navavatu” — an expression of respect and commitment on the path to learning and the foundation for the communication of my approach to teaching. I share this humbly and with the hope that it will promote good will for our work together. And I share this as a means to emphasize that Ashtanga Nashville promotes a consent-based environment for the practice of yoga.

Accept/Protect us both together. 

• This is a partnership, not a dictatorship. We’re entering into this quest for yoga in a mutually beneficial and supportive manner. There is no room for power dynamics, except to empower you to stand on your own and gain clarity around that standing.

Nourish us both together. 

• We are inclusive — ALL are welcome. Acceptance, compassion, and loving kindness for one’s self as well as those we’re practicing alongside are key to sustaining this partnership, and these traits are ultimately what will lift us all up.

• This is intended to be a sacred space wherein we are free to explore what’s happening within ourselves without fear of being judged, scrutinized, or criticized. We do this by not taking ourselves too seriously and through acknowledging one another, celebrating our differences, accepting our ups and our downs, and welcoming the laughter and/or tears that sometimes come as the process transforms us.

May we work together with great energy.

• “Great energy” is supportive, positive, devoted, disciplined, freely given, and focused such that it draws us into our senses and creates tapas — suprasensory consciousness/awakeness. In that spirit, practitioners are empowered to:

• speak up, ask questions, and/or say “no,” — especially when something introduces feelings of discomfort, uncertainty, or otherwise does not agree with their view of their own path;

• take control of their own practice — it is YOUR practice, and I encourage assumption of responsibility and initiative with regard to development of it;

• learn from others — I don’t consider myself the end-all-be-all, and I encourage you to explore learning from other teachers.

May our knowledge and strength increase.

• Many of us totally dig the posturing, and that’s great — let’s run with it! But yoga is so much more than posturing. Let’s also remain open to the other seven limbs (ethics, self care, breath, inward sensory exploration, concentration, meditation, and consciousness) and open to the possibility that our interests may shift.

• We will tailor the method to suit the individual, not the other way around. The postures are not molds that you’re to be shoehorned into. When you work with me, we’ll approach each new thing from the perspective of your growth and what will work best to support the development of your practice.

May we not resent one another. 

• Permission and consent are the norm in our practice together. I will offer guidance and adjustments, but you are welcome to decline either. It is your choice, and it’s my intention to empower you to communicate your needs.

• There are no rules, only guidelines. In Ashtanga we’ve been given a structure through which we can develop our respective practices. The structure is not meant to confine us, and it is not useful to apply it strictly and without consideration for our natural differences and limitations.

Peace, peace, peace.

• Purposeful patience is celebrated because this is a long-haul endeavor from doing to being. It comes down to good will, faith, and collaborative effort to cultivate the conditions for you to have a direct experience of something beyond the normal material-based clinging and attachment to bodies, things and experiences that are in constant flux and lacking lasting substance. Practice has the potential to loosen the grip of these forces that typically drive our actions and connect us with our spiritual reality. It’s an experience worth waiting for.