Lightness of being.
Clarity of mind.
Compassionate Heart.
Equanimity in the midst of chaos and confusion.
Yoga = Union.
Unity of the individual self with the universal Self.
In a very hectic world out there yoga quietens the mind and we regain equilibrium. We connect with the ocean of stillness that is always there but covered up by the busy mind chattering. Yoga brings well being to the body, on a physical and mental plain. We all know that stress on a constant level is harmful to wellbeing and peace of mind, by stepping on the yoga mat and or meditation, we connect with the breath and we help lower the stress level and help the body to self regulate again.
Making a conscious decision to be here NOW, to fully live and enjoy the present moment. Everyday is new, it has never happened before. No projections into the future and no comparison to the past.
Take time out if you can. It doesn’t have to be long. It can be 10 min of sitting every day to tune in and familiarize yourself with the mind and how it works. Meditation makes it easier to ride the waves of life with equanimity and not end up in the strike zone of ones thoughts, feelings and projections.
From time to time immerse yourself in nature, to be reminded of our true source. Everything is connected, it is all One. Our true nature is that of love and joy for no reason. The realization that there is nothing to improve and nowhere to go, born in perfection we only need to let go of what we do not need.
“In the past all of life was based on trees. Their flowers gave us nourishment, their leaves and fibers clothed us and provided us with shelter. We took refuge in their branches for protection from wild animals. We used wood for heat, and for canes to bear our weight when we grew old, and to make weapons to defend ourselves. We were very close to trees.
Today, surrounded by sophisticated machinery and high-performance computers in our ultra-modern offices, it is easy to forget our ties with nature.”
The practice - Ashtanga Yoga
To some it seems crazy to step on the mat 6 days a week, and to get up before dawn to sit with the rising sun… So very grateful that the practice found me, all these years ago.
Changing the perspective every once in a while is helpful. Do not get stuck in your ways and mind. Balance come natural when there are no thoughts and only breath. Give it a try it, inhale up and keep breathing!
Ashtanga Yoga comes from Mysore, India, where Sri Patthabi Jois founded the Ashtanga Yoga Research Center. You start by learning Primary Series, followed by Intermediate, than possibly Third & Fourth, depending where the practice takes you. The Bandhas (internal locks), Drishti (focus point for the eyes) and Breath, help the mind / senses to focus inward and quieten down.
Having a set sequence makes it easy to just step on the mat and do the practice. Mysore Style means move in your own time and breath. The wonderful thing about this practice is, once you have learned it you can practice it everywhere.
“In Indian thought, the study of the mind is not subjective but objective: brahmavidya, “the science of reality”, which has been called “the study of the mind by mind to go beyond the mind”. It’s method is meditation, which in the Gita we can see presented in general terms long before it developed into different schools. I would not hesitate to call meditation one of the most important human discoveries, an evolutionary development as important as speech or writing.”
Teachers
Since 2000 Cathrin has been practicing yoga and Ashtanga Yoga found her in 2003 in Goa, on her first trip to India. Many more followed since than. She has been practicing with Nancy Gilgoff (www.ashtangamaui.com/) since 2006 and is going to Maui regularly to study with her.
In Nancy’s Mysore Week in Berlin Cathrin is assisting her and has her blessing to teach Ashtanga Yoga. After practicing for a long time its time to give back and share this wonderful method with others.
Cathrin has taken part in numerous Teacher Trainings for the Primary and Second Series with Nancy Gilgoff and Manju P. Jois and is authorized by Manju P. Jois to teach those. She has also done a Teacher Training with Andrea Lutz (www.ashtangastudio.de) at her studio in Berlin.
Apart from Asana, Meditation and Pranayama are a big part of Cathrin’s daily practice. To deepen those she regularly takes part in retreats (in India, Spain, Turkey, Australia) with her teacher Clive Sheridan (His workshops can be found here, and his book “Free From Me”, can be found here.)
She has studied the Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Upanishads with the OCHS Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and taken an online course (Coursera.org) in Yoga and Physiology with NYU. Did a Pranayama Level 1 course with Eddie Stern & Robert Moses with the Yoga Education Collective. Is currently doing a Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training in Madrid with The Natural Yogi. And is continuously reading and immersing in Indian Philosophy and traveling to India to dive deeper.
“You only have a right to the action itself and never to the fruits of that action. Do not make the rewards of action your motive and do not develop any attachment for avoiding action.
Situated in yoga, perform your duties whilst giving up all attachments, Dhanamjaya. Remain equal in success and failure for such equanimity is what is meant by yoga.”
Since 2013 Berlin is home and Cathrin is teaching yoga classes, online or in person.