Tuesday February 28th

The big news this week is the first ever Ashtanga Yoga Confluence happening this weekend at the Catamaran Hotel in Pacific Beach. The tribe has already started to gather—my regular classes are starting to swell a bit with the new arrivals from various parts of the country. Most of these folks I have met at some point, either through their attendance at a workshop I taught in their area or their participation in a teacher -training course or retreat. It feels a bit like a family reunion—nieces and nephews and cousins all coming together for a big celebration. My fellow teachers at the Confluence are like brothers and sisters that I rarely get a chance to spend time with. The last time we all got together was for Guruji’s memorial in 2009. The Confluence will be a different kind of Guruji memorial—a joyful celebration of Pattabhi Jois’ life and legacy.

Just to set the record straight, I have had very little to do with the organization of this event. Jenny Barrett and Deb Ifill, two of my students, came to me a year ago with the idea of creating this event. I told them I would be happy to participate as a teacher, and volunteered to reach out to some of my old friends in the ashtanga community to see if they had any interest in being part of this event. We decided to keep it relatively small and intimate the first time around, to select just a handful of the top ashtanga teachers in the world to be the main presenters. The first people I thought of were Richard, David, Nancy, and Eddie. I figured if I contacted them directly there would be a better chance to secure their participation since I have known each of them for at least twenty years. Everyone was remarkably open to the idea. The challenge that remained was getting all of these teachers with very busy travel schedules in the same place on the same weekend. With a little rearranging of schedules we came up with a weekend that worked for everyone. Aside from having a little input regarding the actual content of the classes offered during the Confluence, my work was done.

Jenny and Deb took on my wife, Carol, who has vast experience and expertise organizing events, as a partner. They have all spent countless hours taking care of the seemingly endless details attendant to the Confluence. As we come down to the wire they are all a little stressed, but it appears that everything is under control. David and Shelley and Eddie are scheduled to arrive tomorrow evening, and Richard and Mary and Nancy on Thursday, along with Johnny, Noah, and Leigha. I get the glamorous job of shuttling some of the teachers from the airport to the Catamaran. It is exciting for me to be able to spend some time with my colleagues who I love, admire, and respect so much, and to see so many old friends who are coming from near and far to participate as students. When we first began to plan this we had no idea how many people would sign up for the Confluence—the last I checked we had 500 people on the waiting list!

Pattabhi Jois was a very magnetic being. One of the meanings of Guru is “heavy”--as in heavy enough in his presence to draw others into his sphere of influence. Nancy, David, Richard, Eddie, and myself were all drawn into Guruji’s energy field and stuck around long enough to absorb some of his essence and acquire a little magnetism of our own. We are all very different as people and teachers, and all alike in our love and gratitude for Guruji and ashtanga yoga, and in our desire to faithfully transmit the essence of Guruji’s teaching for the purpose of helping others to achieve good health , self-knowledge, and happiness. The teacher student relationship is a symbiotic one. The good teacher brings out the best in the student, and the good student brings forth the best from the teacher. The Confluence is an opportunity for many tributaries to come together—teachers and students—to create one mighty river of Yoga, and, in doing so, to create a great ripple in the ethers that will have a far-reaching impact. I’m sure that Guruji will be watching from above, and smiling.

Comments

[Susan Robbins]

Tim,

Have a wonderful weekend celebration of life and love and yoga with all who have gathered in beautiful San Diego. Sending blessings from the snow-covered North!

Susan

[Debwill61]

My heart is full and I am so excited. This really means so much to US, Ashtangis that is. We are blessed to be able to participate in this extraordinary event. Last time I experienced anything close this this was the Ashtanga intensive at the Yoga Journal Conferece some years back. Pivotal for me personally to be in the presence of highly esteemed teachers. xoxo

[J. Gregory Sweitzer]

I am curious why Manju Jois is not a participant, with him living so close in Encinitas. This was my first thought when first reading about the Confluence a few weeks ago. All best!

[Kali Porter]

Tim,
It has been quite some time since you have seen or heard of Sandy Harrington. She has continued to live in the forests of Hawai'i growing her own food, generating barely enough energy for one lightbulb, and catching rainwater for other necessities. And yet, she has continued and maintained the practice that Guruji himself taught her; namely, the first, second, third, and fourth series.
Sandy is now 60 years old, and she needs our help. On the other hand, the Ashtanga world needs to benefit from the great wisdom she has to share.

Sandy is the Mother of Asthanga!

She is the tributary that will move this spiritual practice into the next century. It is not for fame, nor monetary gain that continued her practice. She is a phenomena in today's world - a pure and spiritual being.
Can we raise some money that will allow her to fly to your shala where she can teach, practice, and create new flowering buds of ashtanga?

How many of uscan say we've lived our lives devoted solely to ashtanga? And can truely say - "that is all we lived for"? Sandy can say this......................I have seen it since I first met her 35 years ago.

She's not asking for money. She wants serious students who will agree to commit their lives to learning this practice and transmitting it to forward.

That is all and all is coming!
Let's help Sandy come to Encinitas. How can we accomplish this?