Podcasts about gregor maehle

Gregor Maehle, author of Bhakti The Yoga of Love, returns to talk with J about transforming human love into divine love. They discuss why Bhakti has become more important, the Hatha Tatva Kaumudi, agency and an attitude of giving, reclaiming God, intrinsic and transcendent divinity, sidetracking into Gnana Yoga, divine revelation, absolute vs relative evil, homeostasis and collective effort, practicalities of prayer and meditation, being of service to a higher agenda, reaching across chasms of division, and aligning with infinite love, wisdom and beauty.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.    

Helena first stepped onto the Ashtanga mat when she was 19 years old. Coming out of her rebellious teen years, filled with drug abusing and running away from home. She was instantly bewitched by the method and has been practicing asana along with self-inquiry, ever since. In 2008, after 6 years of daily practice and studying Ayurveda to become a therapist, Helena made her first trip to KPJAYI in Mysore, India, and also spent time in Kerala to further her studies in Ayurveda. In 2010, after a one month training with Sharath Jois, (director of KPJAYI in Mysore) she was granted Authorisation Level 1 and received Level 2 in 2014. While practicing and teaching in Brazil, Helena learned from many famous teachers including Fabio Sayão, Matthew Vollmer, and Osnir Cugenotta. For almost a decade she taught daily Mysore in São Paulo, offering classes in many different centers before founding her own Yoga Shala, Ashtanga Pitanga, where she directed and taught the Mysore program for 2 years. A huge shift in her life happened when she moved to London in 2016, where she ran the Mysore Program at Triyoga Chelsea for the next two years. She began teaching internationally in other countries like Portugal, France, Germany and Purple Valley, Goa (while assisting Mark Robberds - listen to our episode #57 with Mark Robberds HERE). Helena continued to deepen her yoga studies with an intensive period of study with Gregor Maehle and Monica Gauci. In 2019, she gave birth to her beautiful little boy Leornado and they decided to move to Valencia, Spain, with her partner. She's now living in Palma de Mallorca, and has opened up EARTH YOGA in Santa Catalina. LAST WEEK TO JOIN THIS FREE MASTERCLASS: ⁠3 Sneaky Mistakes That Kill Productivity & Tank Profits⁠ ⁠Join Time Genius Before Friday - Learn more⁠ - ⁠harmonyslater.com/time-genius⁠ >>> ⁠Work 1:1 with Harmony - Apply Here⁠⁠harmonyslater.com/coaching ⁠ Come practice with Harmony + Russell in person in Cleveland, OH Nov.3-6, 2023 - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠harmonyslater.com/events Cleveland, OH: November 3 - 6, 2023 - ⁠⁠FIND OUT MORE + REGISTER⁠⁠ LEARN MORE ABOUT HELENA ROSENTHAL INSTAGRAM I WEBSITE I MUSIC ON SPOTIFY - helenarosenthal.com A big heart of thanks to our friends, family, and students from around the world, who've generously supported this podcast through your comments, sharing, and financial donations. If you've enjoyed today's podcast, please consider supporting our future episodes by making a donation. Every little bit goes a long way and we are immensely grateful for any and all of your support. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠   Make A Donation ⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠harmonyslater.com/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!  ❤  Give us a 5★ rating! Opening and closing music by Nick Evans from his album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Purchase your own copy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Gregor Maehle (www.8limbs.com | @gregor.maehle) Yoga is for the mind, not the body | Yoga is the Vedic system of psychology | Treating trauma via breath and body | A healing modality | Importance of yoga philosophy | Using yoga to prove your validity | Include self-love and self-esteem in yoga | Spiritual bypassing | Acknowledging your own shadow | Making your mind sattvic | Pranayama | Being in service of the divine This episode is sponsored by Momence, the booking system we've been using for the last year and highly recommend. Momence is a booking system for online, in-person and hybrid classes and events with packages to fit self-employed teachers to multi-site studios. With Momence, you can: · Manage your class and workshop schedule Organize your appointment types and availability Create marketing and win-back campaigns Organize your on-demand videos and courses See exactly how your business is doing through insightful reporting. Have customers self-check-in via kiosks Sell products and services with a fully integrated point of sale With live support by chat, phone and email Momence is easy to use for yourself and your customers. 2 MONTHS FREE TRAIL:  click on the link for more information  https://momence.com/lp/keen-on-yoga or book a demo and quote “Keen on Yoga” ********************************************************* Donate: https://keenonyoga.com/donate/ Instagram Keen on Yoga: https://www.instagram.com/keen_on_yoga/ Instagram Adam Keen: https://www.instagram.com/adam_keen_ashtanga/ Website: https://keenonyoga.com/ MEMBERSHIP: https://keenonyoga.com/membership/  Exclusive content, yoga & lifestyle tips, live Zoom meet-ups & more. €10 per month, cancel at any time. Gregor is the international author of eight textbooks covering all eight limbs of yoga. His latest publication is How to Find Your Life's Divine Purpose – Brain Software For a New Civilization. He is a mystic and a profuse blog writer covering topics on yoga and beyond. He travels the globe educating with passion, humour, insight and wisdom. Today he teaches an anatomically sophisticated interpretation of traditional vinyasa yoga, integrated into the practice of the higher limbs in the spirit of Patanjali and T. Krishnamacharya. His zany sense of humour, his manifold personal experiences, and his vast knowledge of scripture, Indian philosophies and yogic techniques combine to make his teachings applicable, relevant and easily accessible to all his students. Apart from offering Teacher Trainings online and face-to-face in Byron Bay, Bali Europe and Mexico, Gregor also teaches workshops in various locations around the world. 

Gregor is the international author of eight textbooks covering all eight limbs of yoga. He is a mystic and a profuse blog writer covering topics on yoga and beyond. He travels the globe educating with passion, humour, insight and wisdom. Gregor Maehle began his practice of Raja Yoga in 1978 and added Hatha Yoga a few years later. In the mid-1980s he commenced annual travels to India, where he studied with various yogic and tantric masters, traditional Indian sadhus and ascetics. After practising with BKS Iyengar he spent fourteen months in Mysuru, and in 1997 was authorised to teach Ashtanga Yoga by K. Pattabhi Jois. In India Gregor also received eight months of mostly one-on-one instruction in scripture and the higher limbs of Yoga through B.N.S. Iyengar, a student of T. Krishnamacharya. He also studied Sanskrit under Professor Narayanachar and Dr Chandrasekhar. He lived for several years as a recluse, studying Sanskrit and yogic scripture and practising yogic techniques. This is the third time Gregor joins Adam, this time talking about his latest book How To Find Your Life's Diving Purpose.  Including the talking points below. Human aspects of the divine Bhakti yoga within asana Surrendering to the diving through practice, asana, pranayama, meditation Is concentration devotion? Co-creating with the divine what aspect you were here to express Importance of your Swah dharma - your own dharma Pancha kosha - teaching of the 5 layers, cleansing of impact of past traumas on your body, breath and mind Objective and objectless samadhi Shiva pure consciousness, eternal awareness Shakti female aspect of the divine What is your role in the play & how far can you go with your gift? Life is the child of the divine The divine is here and now How you act in this world matters Everything you see is the crystallised body of God Indigenous practices, walkabouts Vijnanamaya kasha Your duty in society, giving to the world Self love as a pure spiritual state Accepting that state within you We are all children of the divine   Find Gregor: Instagram: @gregor.maehle Website: https://8limbs.com/about/gregor-maehle/ If you enjoy the Keen on Yoga Podcast and would like to support us you can share this post, give us a review on Apple or Spotify or make a donation .  We appreciate your help to us keep creating free content for all.      

Lovers of technical yoga talk rejoice! In this extraordinarily geeky interview Gregor sheds light on nuances of pranayama and meditation practices described in great detail in his books. We also talk about his most recent book about the Map of Transformative States and get a glimpse into the upcoming work with a fascinating discussion on mudras. This is a great interview for everyone going deeper into the higher limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.Show notesOn Stanislav Grof and Aldous HuxleyChakras and brain circuitsOn Nadi Shodhana and types of visualisationsIsta Devata visualisation in KumbhakaSurya vs Chandra BhedanaOn relationship with the spirit worldOn Basti kriyaKundalini rising techniques and EgoMudras!Things to consider when sequencing different practicesTo find out more about Gregor's teaching, learning materials, courses and in-depth blog article visit https://8limbs.com/Check out new books by Gregor Maehle: CHAKRAS, DRUGS AND EVOLUTION: A Map of Transformative States“How To Find Your Life's Divine Purpose: Brain software for a new civilization”Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.Feel grateful and would like to support us? Thank you!Here is our PAYPAL or  PATREON account for contributions.

In this episode, Miriam and Adam hear from Gregor Maehle, yoga teacher and scholar, about laughing at your own authority, listening to the mystery, spirituality as a community practice, and more. Gregor Maehle began his yogic practices 40 years ago. Together with his wife, Monica, in 1996 he founded 8 Limbs in Perth, Australia.Gregor's internationally acclaimed textbook series consisting of Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, Ashtanga Yoga: The Intermediate Series,Pranayama: The Breath of Yoga, Yoga Meditation: Through Mantra, Chakras and Kundalini to Spiritual Freedom, Samadhi The Great Freedom and How to Find Your Life's Divine Purpose – have sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into eight foreign languages. Today Gregor teaches an anatomically sophisticated interpretation of traditional vinyasa yoga, integrated into the practice of the higher limbs in the spirit of Patanjali and T. Krishnamacharya. His zany sense of humour, his manifold personal experiences, and his vast and deep knowledge of scripture, Indian philosophies and yogic techniques combine to make his teachings applicable, relevant and easily accessible to all his students. He offers workshops, retreats and teacher trainings worldwide. You can find him and his wife, Dr. Monica Gauci, their writing and events, here: https://chintamaniyoga.com www.facebook.com/gregor.maehle The Beyond Listening Podcast is brought to you by We are Open Circle, a social impact organization that helps change-makers, community groups, and organizations evolve and thrive with integrity. Our Beyond Listening Program was designed to transform the way teams work with complexity, rapid change, and the wisdom of diversity, in a world that demands constant collective adaptation. Sign up for our newsletter for more Beyond Listening Podcasts, and view our upcoming trainings.

Gregor Maele, author of How to Find Your Life's Divine Purpose, talks with J about belief systems and realizing a purposeful life. They discuss pros and cons of experiencing the entirety of everything at once, perceptual filters and the process of enculturation that cut us off from sacred knowledge, infinite human capacity for bullshitting ourselves, how we know what we know and how we know if were wrong, the happy side effect of feeling freer from a fear of death, and individual and collective purpose in finding peace with nature.   To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.   Check out J's other podcast… J. BROWN YOGA THOUGHTS.  

We are very happy to present to you this interview with Gregor Maehle that was recorded around a year ago. Gregor’s path is a remarkable example of limitless determination to find the Truth. While not attempting to gain popularity and fame his ideas and views can be polarising, provoking and challenging. He dismisses authorities, hierarchies, guru worship and other unhealthy group dynamics. By doing so he is not only living out authentically one of the fundamental yogic attitudes of willing to know, rather than to believe, but also plays an extremely important social role that is becoming more and more scarce in today’s poisoned with political correctness world – by not sweetening up his words, pointing out things that are broken, views that are wrong and actions that are unethical he invites all of us to question our assumptions of reality, so that we can finally wake up from our ignorant slumber and experience the true joy of being.It is in sincere gratitude for his guidance on the path of Yoga that we release this interview.Show notesFirst glimpses of infinityDoer mentality, surrendering and graceWhat led Gregor to the practice of the 8-limbed YogaImmersing into teachings today vs in old timesTibetian Ngöndro, Six Yogas of Naropa, DzogchenPurification practices within the Ashtanga Yoga tradition and the mechanisms behind themWhy your meditation doesn’t workHappiness and robotic conditioningGregor’s spiritual practice and the sense of freedomBreath wavesExperience of Cosmic intelligence on different levelsThe differences and similarities of different spiritual pathsSvadharmaGregor’s observation of the modern Yoga landscapeTo find out more about Gregor’s teaching, learning materials, courses and in-depth blog article visit https://8limbs.com/Check out new book by Gregor Maehle: “How To Find Your Life’s Divine Purpose: Brain software for a new civilization”Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.Feel grateful and would like to support us? Thank you!Here is our PAYPAL or PATREON account for contributions.

Gregor has had a profound influence on the modern practice of Ashtanga yoga through his seminal book Ashtanga Yoga Practice in Theory, published at a time when most of us thought technique in yoga was just pushing as hard as we could against our limitations. His anatomical approach to the Ashtanga system has been indescribably beneficial, as has his attempts to frame the asana part of Ashtanga that we often take as the sum-total of our yoga practice, back within its original, broader context as only one of Patanjali’s eight limbs. Gregor lives a life of yoga in earnest. Having embarked on this path whilst still a teen in his native Germany, his inquiry led him to many years of study in various yogic traditions travelling widely throughout the subcontinent of India. He now lives in Australia with his wife and fellow teacher Monica Gauci with whom he has co-written many of his books.  

To us Monica is an embodiment of the yogic way of living. With around 40 years of spiritual practice she is also a Doctor of Chiropractic , Yoga Therapist and co-author of “Ashtanga Yoga, Practice and Philosophy” and “Ashtanga Yoga, The Intermediate Series“. Her passion for teaching yogic anatomy unlocks this uneasy subjects to many of her students. In intensive immersions that she offers together with her husband, Gregor Maehle, Monica is also teaching chanting. Her devotion and love for the practice helps students to tap into the world of infinite beauty the moment the first OM together is chanted. We are privileged and grateful to have her on our show. Show notesMonica’s first encounters with Samsara HalahalaGlimpse into the Essence and discovery of Hridaya, the spiritual heartMeditation practice, meeting Maharaji Prem RawatStarting on the path of YogaRole of meditation in allaying the fear of deathWork and discipline in a spiritual practiceSurrendering, synchronicity and serendipityTapping into emotional scars and working with samskaras through yoga practiceYoga as a form of psychotherapy?Role of ethics on and off the mat and thoughts on teaching itEmbracing humanity and finding refuge in practice---Check our website for more content: http://escaping-samsara.com/Enjoyed this podcast? Please, leave a review on Apple Podcasts/iTunesFeel grateful and would like to support us? Thank you! Here is our Patreon account for contributions.

In questo episodio, Carolina intervista Ameriga Giannone, insegnante di yoga e imprenditrice siciliana con 'il virus' dei viaggi e dell’Oriente: ha studiato Lingue e Civiltà Orientali all’Università, ha un Master in Antropologia e uno di Yoga Studies. Il suo sogno era vivere in tutti i continenti, e l’ha realizzato molto giovane, trascorrendo 14 anni in giro per il mondo prima di decidere di rientrare nel il suo posto preferito, la Sicilia, a 32 anni. Assieme al suo business partner hanno creato Floripa Yoga & Kitesurf House che è un centro per vacanze yoga al mare in provincia di Ragusa, aperto da aprile a novembre (coronavirus permettendo). Al centro Floripa, Ameriga si da il turno con altre due insegnanti per offrire due classi di yoga al giorno e gestire i teacher training, mentre gli ospiti possono decidere se praticare, rilassarsi in spiaggia, imparare il kitesurf o praticare SUP Yoga. Durante i mesi in cui Floripa non è aperto, Ameriga viaggia per il mondo e passa spesso diversi mesi in India o studiando con i suoi maestri, insegnanti di fama internazionale. Tra di loro c’è Shiva Rea, Meghan Currie e Jo Phee, diversi insegnanti di Ashtanga come Nancy Gilgoff, Lino Miele e soprattutto Gregor Maehle. Ameriga si trovava proprio in Australia ad inizio marzo - dove ha assistito Gregor Maehle durante uno dei suoi training - quando ad un tratto ha scoperto che il suo volo era stato cancellato per via di un'emergenza sanitaria. Sentendo la famiglia e il medico, le è stato consigliato di rimanere in Australia finché la situazione non si fosse sbloccata. Per questo motivo, oggi Ameriga ci parla da Byron Bay dove, per rimanere vicina ai suoi allievi, ha iniziato ad insegnare su piattaforme digitali. Dopo alcune riflessioni, qualche perplessità, ma anche le possibilità nate dal 'trasferimento forzato' dello yoga online, Ameriga oggi ci aiuta a riflettere sulle conseguenze questo spostamento. Potete trovare Ameriga su: IG: @ameriga_yoga WEB: www.floripa.it

On the continued interview with Gregor Maehle, Gregor and Erin discuss Yogic meditation and why ethics are so important to a yogi’s practice to keep them on the path and the eight limbs in totality. We discuss how yoga is really the relationship with yourself and how the body is crystallized history of your past actions and thoughts. Check out ... Read More

On this special podcast Erin interviews long time yoga practitioner, author, and public figure, Gregor Maehle. Gregor and Erin talk about the physical aspect of yoga and flow into the mental and emotional aspects of how to heal the wounds that we have. Check out more from Gregor including retreats and trainings at www.8limbs.com Reach out Erin@ErinCoach.com

In today's episode, teacher and author Gregor Maehle discusses the corruption of authority in everything from religion to politics - and suggests that if yoga wants to help heal that problem, then it must become a vehicle for dismantling such hierarchical structures, including its own. Perhaps more than in any other podcast to date, this episode with Gregor really had us examining what we believe and why we believe it. Which may have been exactly the idea. In fact, I get the feeling Gregor is constantly doing the same, of himself. Though questioning is different than doubt. Because Gregor does not doubt Patanjali's yoga. Not at all. But instead, introduces the question - is it Patanjali's yoga that we are actually practicing? It's a question only we can answer for ourselves. The Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast is edited, hosted, and produced by Peg Mulqueen along Meghan Powell - a small but dedicated, mother/daughter team. But it would not be possible without friends like you who generously support. If you would like to make a donation, please visit ashtangadispatch.com Thank you. We appreciate your support.

In this installment of Yoga Living Project Austin Richman shares both a blog and podcast on the 4 phases of yoga history inspired by the writings of Gregor Maehle. If you have dipped your toes in the deep ends of Yoga philosophy and ever wondered how to make hay from any of it this little piece of info just might be the helpful hint you have been waiting for to help you to navigate the depths. We encourage you to listen and read as they both contain some different info so please enjoy and let us know what you think, in fact you will have the perfect opportunity this week as Austin will be holding a community satsang on February 28th at 7pm both at Cambio Yoga and on Facebook live. The event is donation based but watching online doesn't cost you anything, but only those in person will have their chance to speak, share and ask questions.

Gregor Maehle, founder of 8 Limbs Ashtanga Yoga, discusses the history of Patabhi Jois’ sexual assaults and the need for the Ashtanga tradition to evolve. He talks about the studies and motivations that led to his adoption of Ashtanga Yoga, direct experience of observing the abuse and attempting to raise concerns, the injuries that led to his separation, admitting complicity, deeper philosophical and evolutionary factors in the creation of stratified power structures, and how to sublimate and grow. This episode is brought to you by YogaAnatomy.net.   This episode is part of our premium podcast subscription. To subscribe and support the show… GET PREMIUM.  

Gregor Maehle began his yogic practices in the mid-1980s. He’s studied with various yogic and tantric masters, traditional Indian sadhus and ascetics. He spent fourteen months in Mysore, and in 1997 was authorised to teach Ashtanga Yoga by K. Pattabhi Jois. Since then he has branched out into researching the anatomical alignment of postures and […] The post LG33 – Gregor Maehle – From Disappointment to Samadhi appeared first on Ashtanga Yoga with Ryan Spielman.

We can do all the sitting in meditation we want, but it means NOTHING unless both nostrils are working together...  At the same time.   Did you know that?   [Click here to listen in ITunes]   This is one of the thousands of secrets I've learned from Gregor Maehle,    He is an amazing teacher.  One of the few practicing yogis living today that is willing to do all the research and write in plain English so we can all understand what yoga means.   On this episode 3, Gregor acts like a catalyst of understanding for all of us to really get it.    In this podcast:   You will hear within one hour, in a magical way,  how all branches of yoga come together to bring you into the mystical sacredness of this very moment   There is plenty of meditation out there, but nobody talks about how it connects to yoga, specifically.     Schools don't teach it... even the large and famous one...    Gregor Maehle The focus is so heavily on asana (poses) that people like me end up looking elsewhere, not in yoga itself.   I met Gregor because of his books and I am glad I did because once I started reading I could not put them down.   In fact, I have reviewed all of them here on the blog, and even created a book club around the one on Pranayama because I was surprised that someone could make yoga knowledge so accessible, clear and down to earth.   Every time I read a book by Gregor I feel the "slap in the wrist", as I have come to call it, but it is a tough-love kind of slap, the one that says:    "Don't just settle for asana! There is more to go into... like pranayama and meditation, and the mysteries beyond.   Which brings me to this podcast.   GREGOR SHINES LIGHT   Gregor wrote his fourth book completely dedicated to meditation.     To how meditation fits within the yoga tradition, as one of the eight limbs.   His point is that because schools all over the world either focus on the poses or on the meditation, there are non that actually teach "meditation as per yoga".   This causes people like me to start dabbling into Vipassana (which is great and they offer free courses but they neglect the body completely) or Shambhaa or Insight Meditation or all other denominations.   Why?   Because nobody teaches yoga-meditation.   And by that I mean, how did the yogi researches who have sat and practiced for 3, 4, 5 thousand years approach it?   How have they done it? What can we learn from them?   What happens exactly after asana?   What is it that moves the practice forward when we are "established in a practice of poses"?     Enter Gregor...   WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PODCAST     Why Gregor has "semi-retired" to a "somewhat secluded forest" location to intensify his practice - Below is a photo of the view into the forest of where he lives now view into the forest Where the confusion stems from: The actual yoga definition of "meditation" and how it differs from, say, Vipassana The fifth limb of yoga is withdrawing the senses... Is there a way to "DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT"? Gregor says yes there is something you can DO to effect the fifth limb of yoga, he describes what that is (including inversions) The fastest way to reach higher levels into the mystery suggested by Gregor, which point to uniting both the breathing techniques with focus on the chakras The reason why inversions have gotten negative publicity lately, and how to avoid troubles with it In all mystical traditions of humankind, it was always taught that true knowledge has a physical aspect. An insight from Gregor's latest visit to Japan Why it is important to "clear" your life, from emotional issues, to clarify money issues, sexual issues etc... Otherwise the "downward energy" will pull you down, and never let you uplift. The role of food and fasting, and how it needs to be done right if attempted at all, for example he goes: "whereas if you clean out the abdomen and you would fast for a while, you just would absolutely not care at all about any of those issues" How the above does NOT mean anyone should just go ahead and try fasting. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH CARE. And slowly...  There is no point in rushing just because we read a book Loved when he said: "The important thing is that you do have a spiritual practice and that you do have a spiritual realization, and then abundance – material abundance will come as a result of that, but don't start chasing material abundance, because material abundance will chase you if you stop giving out a lot.  Then you will automatically receive." Gregor boldly says what is at the CORE OF HIS TEACHING: "The central tenets of yogic teaching since 6,000 years ago is that if you only practice asana, that is, posture, it is very, very unlikely that you succeed"     How to choose a teacher.  The very difficult question of finding someone who is REAL today...  And how Gregor talks about the only qualification for initiation...  And it is "self-initiation". Thank you Gregor! The one thing that took Gregor a long time to understand:  This surprised me as it applies not just to yoga but to everything.  And it has to do with "giving, everything, and doing things for others"     ABOUT GREGOR Gregor's School Gregor's Blog Chintamani Facebook Twitter LinkedIn     BOOKS (Highly recommended):   Yoga Meditation: Through Mantra, Chakras and Kundalini To Spiritual Freedom Pranayama: The Breath Of Yoga Ashtanga Yoga: The Intermediate Series Ashtanga Yoga: Practice And Philosophy   AMAZING RECENT ARTICLES:   The End Of The Guru: Part One and Part Two Here is my own related article: The Guru is Dead     TRANSCRIPT     Announcer:                 Welcome to The Yoga Podcast, keeping it real with your host, Claudia Azula Altucher.   Claudia Altucher:        Good morning.  Welcome to The Yoga Podcast.  I'm thrilled to have with me Gregor Maehle.  He is a practitioner of yoga and he has been practicing for over 35 years.  In the middle of the 1980s, he started traveling yearly to India, where he studied with various yogic and tantric masters.  Gregor has published four amazing books – two on yoga asana, the primary and the intermediate series of ashtanga yoga, one on pranayama, and one on meditation, and these books have been translated into many languages.  His teachings incorporate not just posture, but also, purification, pranayama, meditation, devotion, and yoga philosophy, and he offers workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings worldwide.  The main blog website is http://www.8limbs.com.                                       Gregor, welcome to the show.  I'm thrilled to have you.  Thanks for joining me.   Gregor Maehle:          Thanks for having me, Claudia.  It's a great pleasure.   Claudia Altucher:        That's great.  So it's 8:00 PM in Sydney, right?   Gregor Maehle:          That's right.  Yes, it is 8:00 PM here.   Claudia Altucher:        And what did you do today?   Gregor Maehle:          The day today was spent with practicing yoga and reading some yogic texts and doing heaps of meditation and doing a bit of gardening.   Claudia Altucher:        Oh, how nice.                                       [Laughter]   Gregor Maehle:          Yeah, I'm just after a tour.  I recently came back from Tokyo and I taught in Bali and on the Australian West Coast, so this is basically a bit of a holiday for me.   Claudia Altucher:        That's nice, and I saw some photographs in Facebook.  You get a large following of students in your workshops, about 60, 70 people?   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, that's correct, yeah.  Yes, that is correct.   Claudia Altucher:        Yeah, that was very interesting that you attract a large gathering.  I guess that's wonderful.  I saw that recently, you and your wife, Monica, bought some land and you are now living in a forest.   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, that's right.  Yeah, that might be part of why the phone connection is not that great because I'm not really inside of civilization, so yes, I do live in a rainforest on a mountaintop overlooking the Pacific Ocean.   Claudia Altucher:        That sounds wonderful, and do you find that the connection with nature at that level helps you with the practice?   Gregor Maehle:          Very much so, very much so, and I guess that is something that is often emphasized in the ancient yoga texts, that from a certain point onwards, it is suggested that the yogi move into nature to devote themselves more seriously to the so-called higher limbs of yoga.   Claudia Altucher:        Right.  Yes, and that's what I wanna talk about today, because, I mean, I am a big fan of your books, as you know.  I've reviewed them, I've talked about them, and they're very – they have a lot of the technique and you've done a lot of research around every one of them, so you talk about how different stages look at different parts of the practice, and you have this distilled knowledge of your lifetime work into them, and to me, it's like someone finally decided to write all of the secrets of yoga and put them in four-book form, which is a blessing to all of us.  But the one I want to focus is the latest one, called Yoga Meditation, and because I think there's a lot of confusion when it comes to meditation.  Would you agree with that?   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, there is a great confusion, and part of that is that people generally take the Vedantic and Buddhist translation or meaning of the term "meditation."   Claudia Altucher:        Right, right.  You say in this book, for example, that you've watched in amazement, a little bit, that many students are, perhaps, get frustrated with teachers that teach only the asana, or the poses part, and then they start looking on their own for meditation techniques, and then they end up maybe doing Buddhist techniques.  And that described me.  That's what I did.  So for example, I went to a Vipassana, and it's not really the yoga tradition of meditation.   Gregor Maehle:          No, no, certainly not.  If you look at, for example, into the Yoga Sutra, which is the defining text of yoga, it's many thousand years old, and there in the Sutra 3.2, for example, the sage Patanjali says that meditation that is Dhyana in Sanskrit is defined as a permanent stream of awareness from the meditator towards the object of meditation and a permanent stream of information from the object back to the meditator, which is, of course, a quite different idea of what we have in Vipassana and in Buddhism.   Claudia Altucher:        Right.  So for example, in Vipassana, they just instruct you to watch the breath and then watch for sensations in the body, and so the idea is that all stuff – all conditioning stuff will come up and you won't – you will not react to it in the same way you did before and eventually will clear up, but what I found very interesting is that you say, "Yes, you may prevent yourself from overreacting in the future – " I'm paraphrasing – "to past reactions, but it will not take you deeper into meditation as the yoga tradition does."  Am I getting that right?   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, I guess the main thing of this – about this Vipassana definition would be, Vipassana is actually something that has developed out of Buddhism, and the main difference between the Buddhism and the Vedanta, which is the Indian or the Hindu equivalent of the Buddhism, and what we teach in yoga is that according to those so-called idealistic schools like the Buddhism and the Advaita Vedanta, the world is an illusion, whereas in yoga, the world is seen as real.  So the meditator has actually a keen interest in the world, which is, for us, much more interesting than, for example, our own conditioning.   Claudia Altucher:        Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I see.  And so this sort of concentration that you were describing or focusing on an object and receiving from the objet is actually more the way of yoga.  It's not so much observing sensations; it's concentrating on an object.   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, that's right.  So for example, we wouldn't really – I mean, you know, the yoga's very much interested in placing the body in, let's say, a perfect position, which the yogis would consider that either Padmasana, the lotus posture, or Siddhasana, a similar posture to that, would be perfect yoga positions for various reasons, but one of the reasons is that in those positions, the body can eventually become so light and effortless that we can completely go beyond the body.  That means leaving the body behind so that they can go deeper into the spiritual aspects of the meditation.   Claudia Altucher:        Now, what I've seen around from people who are interested in yoga, there's a lot of difficulty with – never mind the lotus, but just sitting down, there's a lot of curved spines, bad posture, and nevertheless, you recommend, you say, "Do not wait to start meditation.  Start trying it early on."  So for someone, say, who would like to perhaps get into your teachings, read, practice, that cannot sit in any of the four postures that you recommend, sort of like one is kneeling or the – the other one is a modified –   Gregor Maehle:          Just cut out.   Claudia Altucher:        Oh, I'm sorry.  Can you hear me now?   Gregor Maehle:          Yes, I can hear you.  Sorry about that.   Claudia Altucher:        Okay, so for someone who cannot sit easily, what would you recommend to get started with this –   Gregor Maehle:          Yes – yeah.  Okay, there's actually a so-called "meditation bench," which brings ___ in a similar position as the Virasana position, so – but you're basically sitting in a kneeling position, but you're not sitting on your heels, but your sit bones are slightly elevated.   Claudia Altucher:        I see.   Gregor Maehle:          So yeah, so that would be – the advantage of such a meditation bench is that your spine is still in the ideal double-S curve.   HERE IS THE FULL TRANSCRIPT