Another Interview with R. Sharath
Just in case you haven’t seen this, No Sleep Til Mysore, a popular Ashtangi blog, recently published translated portions of an interview with R. Sharath from the Times of India.
Seat of Wisdom
from Govinda Kai
In the article, Sharath says that he plans to “always stay in Mysore” and that
Yoga is an integral part of my life and it takes up 85 percent of my time. I love every moment of it and feel blessed because not everyone finds their vocation in life and not everyone is privileged enough to make their passion their primary activity in life.
He intends to build a yoga retreat center in the near future.
I have also started a charitable trust in the name of my grandfather and we are involved in assisting the local community in various causes such as providing artificial limbs to handicapped and helping mentally-challenged children.
He also says that Pattabhis Jois and his family travel 4 months of the year to “spread the message of yoga”. They stay with Sting in London and with Mike D. of the Beastie Boys in New York. The only person to ever get a private lesson from Sharath was Madonna (and that was only for the free t-shirts she gave him). Hmmm.
I couldn’t find the full article online. According to No Sleep Til Mysore, it seems that the article may have only been published in India. Thank you for the translation!
[If you want to read more about Sharath and his thoughts on yoga, we recently highlighted an interview with him published by Lime. -Ed.]
, Sri K. Pattabhis Jois discusses in great depth the benefits of Ashtanga in general as well as the benefits of each asana. For example, for 
susan said,
June 12, 2006 at 9:45 pm
How about the latest study noted in Yoga Journal, that states that even yogis participating in “vinyasa style” yoga are only getting a mild aerobic workout.
Likening it two taking something like 3 light aerobics classes a week. They can’t be talking about ashtanga vinyasa yoga….
I have seen ashtanga yogis, and I have seen aerobics enthusiasts.
No comparison, ashtangis win hands down in my non scientific/medical opinion.
Jody said,
June 13, 2006 at 11:51 am
When I first read Yoga Mala I was skeptical about some of the claims that were made, specifically about UTTHITA PARSVAKONASANA and its firming abilities. After a years study and an actual focus on this asana I can tell you it really does work. The problem, I think, with the general conception of yoga is that its passive, and it can be, a vinyasa can contain very little effort if you want it to. I think you have to actually engage your entire body to see the benefits.
tracy said,
June 15, 2006 at 12:52 pm
If anybody has the link to the YogaJournal article Susan mentioned, can you send it on? I can’t find it. Thank you!
I think one thing to remember when comparing Ashtangis (or other yoga practitioners) to other exercisers is that yogis tend to adopt a healthier lifestyle concurrent with practice, which can make a big difference. I’m thinking primarily about diet here, but other lifestyle differences could lead to Susan’s astute observation!
tracy said,
June 15, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Jody,
I incorporated your thought, “a vinyasa can contain very little effort if you want it to”, into my practice yesterday and it helped. Thank you.
According to “Yoga Mala”, the benefits of Utthita Parshvakonasana are:
“Utthita Parshvakonasana purifies the ribs and lower abdomen, dissolves the bad fat at the waist, and softens the limbs so that subsequent asanas can be more easily practiced.”
I wonder where the “good” fat is?
cheers,
t
Handy Bendy Gandhi said,
June 16, 2006 at 5:22 am
“Good fat” is everywhere in our bodies. For example, each nerve fibre is encased in an insulating sheath of fatty tissue. If we didn’t have this good fat, our brains would short-circuit! As a second example, the delicate kidneys are encased in a protective capsule of fat. Without this casing, our kidneys would be easily damaged and we would pee blood!
tracy said,
June 16, 2006 at 9:06 am
Ah right, “myelinization”. One of my favorite things. I totally forgot about that. Thank you!