Wiki wiki in the nonvirtual world

Wendy Spies, author of one of our most popular posts – Ashtanga During Pregnancy: One Ashtangi’s Experience – recently started a wiki about yoga.

(Yes, that’s a link to Wikipedia, which you can reach easiest by typing “wiki wiki” into Google, which is kind of funny if you’ve taken an interisland flight out of Honolulu.)

The logo on Ompedia says it all.

Back to Wendy’s project, it’s called Ompedia. The idea is that people – like us – contribute to it. So, take a look, write something and let’s see if we can help Ompedia gain some traction. There isn’t going to be much there unless you put it there.

Sunrise in Hawaii
from YogaSurf

For something sort of funny, check out the Shhhh link on Ompedia. The other pages (so far) on Ompedia are:

• Blogs: a place to list blogs of interest (or comment on the blogs listed).
• Discussions: answer some questions about yoga, like “Why do you practice?” I think this could be the most interesting section.
• History
• People: teachers, but could be any people.
• Postures
• Research: have you done any or know of any good yoga-related research?
• Travel: talk about your travel experiences related to yoga, maybe typical retreat locations

The thing about a wiki is that the contributors determine the structure. Maybe there is a page you think is missing? You can add it. And even though Wendy’s made suggestions as to what each page should cover, what it actually covers depends on what you, the writers, write on there.

So rather than wading through a million responses on EZBoard (which is great for public discussion), on Ompedia, all the information about a subject would be in one spot.

Bhavani Maki of Ashtanga Yoga Kauai
She also studies Sanskrit.

Another thing is that with Ompedia (or any wiki, for that matter) you can see the changes that have been made to that page using the History tab. Say, you make a change and then it disappears. You can see what replaced it and when. You can even register, so people can see what you’ve said and contact you (if you and they like).

I think what differentiates Ompedia from Wikipedia is that Ompedia is more personal and opinion-oriented while Wikipedia tends to be more Encyclopia Britannica-like.

But neither Ompedia or Wikipedia would be useful without contributions from readers like you.

This makes me feel that I should write a page about how to use a wiki on Ompedia…

Arjuna demonstrates Vishwamitrasana from the 3rd series.

This is the only site we know of that has a systematic listing of photos of the 3rd and 4th series. Note that Arjuna says:

However, because I only did the primary and intermediate series under Pattabhis guidance, when I practice the advanced series I use the counting and method I have learned from some senior students of Pattabhi Jois.

The official site AYRI.org has photos of the Primary Series, but they are all on one page so:

• You cannot link to a unique posture directly to illustrate a posture name
• No transitions are shown

Vasisthasana

Arjuna has also posted PDF files with these photos by section, along with other useful information, like suggested adjustments (also with photos).

Warning: don’t try those advanced series at at home. There’s a reason why this stuff is only taught under the close supervision of an authorized teacher.

Arjuna leaves us with an interesting thought:

The “most traditional” form of Ashtanga Yoga still differs quite a bit from teacher to teacher.
Maybe Ashtanga Yoga is like yeast. If you put a bit of curd in milk, the yeast will transform the milk into curd. You can take your curd to any country, put it into milk and it will happen. – But the curd will always taste a bit different. The yeast is the same, but the milk changes. Likewise, Ashtanga Yoga has a different flavour everywhere, but it is still Ashtanga Yoga.

The writer, Elastigirl, from Santa Barbara, California, has done an great job of providing photos and written guidance through the sequence. With quality this high, I hope Elastigirl continues for the rest of the Series!

I think Yogabeans could be an important resource for Ashtangis everywhere, and especially those Ashtangis who also happen to be plastic action figures. I applaud Elastigirl’s inclusiveness.

Yogabeans starts right at the beginning
Sir Rascus of Lego Knights Kingdom in Samasthiti

Here is a small sample of Yogabeans, including quotes lifted from the site:

“Rascus has his visor up, all four corners of his big, flat feet grounded into the floor, and he seems pretty confident that he’s the best looking guy in the shala this morning.”

“…Now, keep your focus inward. In this position your drishti, or point of focus, should be your third eye. That’s in the middle of your forehead. Nightcrawler, I know you’re a mutant, do you have an extra eyeball anywhere on your body?”

Marge Simpson teaching triangle to the Hulk, Batman and a Power Ranger

Elastigirl

Thank you, Elastigirl!

Nancy Gilgoff at Purple Valley

Purple Valley Yoga Centre in Goa, India publishes a regular and essential email newsletter, the famous Noticeboard. It typically consists of more than 50 announcements (not all of them are related to Ashtanga yoga).

[Purple Valley has changed its website and the Noticeboard is no longer there, though you can sign up for an email newsletter. The photos on the new site are good. - Ed.]

Here are examples of some of the notices in the latest Noticeboard (no. 61):

NOTICE 9
Featured Pose: Savasana (Corpse Pose) Savasana is a pose of total relaxation making it one of the most challenging asanas.

NOTICE 62
New Ashtanga Yoga Classes in London with Robin Catto – please email robin@breatheonline.com for details or visit BreatheOnline

It’s always fun to read the Noticeboard and to find the gems hidden within it. I wonder when AshtangaNews.com will be announced?

We highlighted Purple Valley, the many Ashtanga teachers who conduct workshops there and Goa in another post here.

The beach near Purple Valley

premier online destination where the yoga culture can interact, explore, share ideas and create conscious relationships of all kinds, with other yoga-minded folks

The registration process feels a lot like a Match.com for yogis. They ask what kind of yoga you practice — including the Svroopa and Not Sure styles. You can also choose Alternative Interests and Diet — pollo vegetarian (?), and extend your profile with more in-depth questions (My sacred space is…).

After some surfing around, it looks like there about about a thousand members as of March 2006, with 250 associated with Ashtanga.

The forums are somewhat inactive at this point. As an Internet startup, it’s not MySpace (yet), but given the rapid growth in the Ashtangi population, maybe it will be.

Reading other yogis’ profiles is interesting and the YogaConnect profile is well thought out. It’s also free. A quick search of people in Tracy’s demographic resulted in many southern Californians, so if you’re in southern California, this site’s definitely for you right now.

Maybe a good way to meet someone who has no night life because they get up at 6:00 am for Mysore practice?

Write in and tell us about your yogic connections!

Find your Atman mate

I’ve been a subscriber to the Ashtanga.com newsletter ever since the first one in March 2002.

Every month the newsletter lists workshops, newly authorized teachers, new products like books and DVD, tidbits of the Ashtanga world – a typical example this month is Tim Miller’s move from Encinitas to Carlsbad after more than 20 years.

You can read the newsletter online or have it emailed to you each month.

Did you know that Sharath also teaches his own class in Mysore?

Sharath in Tokyo 2005.

Sharath’s website lists his workshop schedule, bio and contact information in India, along with some nice photos and some cool design. The photo galleries are still under construction.

It’s a sparse and really beautiful website.

I met Sharath briefly during Guruji’s 2002 World Tour in San Francisco, and I still feel all warm and happy when I see pictures or videos of Sharath – that’s just how he is. If I went to Mysore, I’d definitely want to visit his shala.

Any thoughts from Ashtangis who’ve been there?

Sri K. Pattabhis Jois’ Ashtanga Yoga Reseach Institute in Mysore, India is the official website of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Ashtanga vinyasa system.
This is the place to go first.

Sharath Rangaswamy, Pattabhis Jois’ grandson and the Assistant Director of AYRI, also has a website. Here you can find information about practicing with Sharath, his workshops and bio. I think it’s definitely one of the best looking websites about Ashtanga.

Ashtanga.com: the main resource for authorized and certified teachers and their classes and workshops. Also, has a good selection of articles plus has an online store with a well-picked selection of Ashtanga products.

Arjuna in Vasisthasana

For sets of photos of the Ashtanga series (1st through 4th), we like AshtangaYoga.info, the site of German teacher Arjuna.






ez-boards community: discussion forums about Ashtanga yoga. The most active topics are 99% Practice followed by Chit Chat Central. As of January 2006, the community statistics of these boards:
Total Visits : 4,968,978 (100,000/month)
Total Posts : 49,030 (800/month)
Avg Daily Visits : 4618
Avg Daily Posts : 66 (was 30 6 months ago)

Ashtangi.net features many, many blogs from Ashtanga students. In particular, many students practicing in Mysore, India write blogs here. Useful, if you’re thinking of going to Mysore.

I like the writings of a couple particularly thoughtful Ashtangis: Alan Little and Ross Settles. We’ve linked to other blogs we like on our blogroll (in the sidebar to the right).

For online groups, two Yahoo groups have very large membership, so that’s where we go: AshtangaYoga and Shala.

And, finally, there’s AshtangaNews.com!