so I want to shortly talk about yoga in the morning.

quit many allways say to me "next term I am gonna go for morning class" but then they cant really find the energy to show up..

here in Sweden of course it is harder to get up in the wintertime when it is really dark and cold.
so I want to give my advice to you all,

if you want to do morning yoga class, now is the time to start.

it becomes much easier if you take advantage of the many things you have right now to get your morning practice to be a routine in your life.
- you have brighter mornings wich means easier to get up
- you have the energy from the sun from summer period
- you might have the longing to really get your yoga practice going again after holidays etc.

to try to start later when autumn is here is almost certain to not work..

some of the old yogic texts states that the best time to start yoga practice is now around september. basicly we want to practice in the interchanges.
the change from summer to autumn, and during the day we want to practice when night becomes morning..

an real advantage with yoga in the morning is that you will energize yourself for the day ahead, you will probably make better decisions since you are a bit more mentally collected & calm.
even if you feel tired and stiff you should have quit som energy since you had a full nights rest.
and.. you havent had to much time to stimulate your mind before your morning practice.
just make sure you dont drink morning coffe before class ha ha.

also of course the fact that you have done your practice in the morning means that you have the whole day in front of you and plenty of time to do all the other things you need to do with work or family etc. and no stress of fidning the time for some exercise.

AUM Suraya namaha

so here are some more pictures from our shortert trip to north India and the "capitol of yoga" - Rishikeshif you want to see more picture you can look here 

1. one of my favourite ones, a Sadhu and a man in discussion, or maybe a devotee of this Baba?

2. from the big and famous Aarti of Niketan Parmarth Ashram

3. my "bath" in the holy ganges river..  

4. our favourite Sadhu with his dogs..

5. one of many monkeys running around, very cute young one with his mum on the bridge "Lakshma Juhla"

6. one of many pictures we were asked to take with the locals, this time I also gave them my camera  

6. a misty view over Lakshman & Ganges river    
7. Annika is trying to dry som clothes on the roof terass of our hotel

8. a nice and welccome breakfast, this one at a place called little budddha cafe. 

9. a man playing fluit for his Cobra - a snakecharmer

AUM Shanti, shanti, shantíi

after been home for 3 days after the yoga holiday me and Annika left for 16 days in India.
we knew it was monsoon season and quit hot, but I can honestly say I wont go there again in july ha ha.   

we stayed one night in Delhi before we left for 2 weeks in Rishikesh, wich lies just where the Himalaya starts.

Rishikesh is one of these holy sities, so there were no meat served anywhere, and no alcohol. great!
also this place is often called "the capitol of yoga" because of the many ashrams that lies here and also a lot of smaler yoga studios no a days.
but it is fairly commersial many places I think, wich is natural with all the attention this place has gotten.

actually all of us western people we stay just outside of the city in 2 small suburbs tha are called RamJuhla & LakshmanJuhla.
and it is here where most of the yoga places are, along the holy river of Ganges.

but never the less this is India, so even though it is a holy place I found it to be in many ways unholy sadly.
there are so much noice all the time from cars & motorcycles, especially motorbikes that refuce to stay away from the smaller streets and even the walking bridges so they use their horns more then needed, it is also very dirty here, you see people everywhere just trowint their garbage on the streets. and since now a famous place there are many individuals that wants to sell things on the streets, touristy crap and also poeple tat are just enoying and wants to get money out of you and gets angry when dont giving them.

not very peaceful and at least for me a lot of the spiritual expereince was not there.

then we were there just before a big "festival" so a lot of local tourists here and one ashram in the middle of the thing every night played out old texts super loud out in speakers, I can understand if doing a ceremony in hteir ashram every evening etc, but why put up megaphones on the outside facing the center areas and litterary hear a guy shout out for several ours until 11pm.

to be honest though we were not staying at a ashram, we decided to stay in a hotel and try some yoga classes around the area.

the heat and the humidity sadly lowered the whole experience for us though, it was to hot [one day 45 degrees celcius] and soke days so much rain, I have never seen that much I think ha ha

but never the less it is allwasy an expeeince to visit India, I would not go there fo relaxing hoidy, it is just more about all the impressions you get all the time.
you almost need a holiday after beeing there ha ha.

this time we had some bad luck with getting colds etc probably because of the weather and AC in some places and the bacterias in the humid & warm air.

but we just enjoyed it in another way the most holidays to an asian hot country.
we did yoga in the morning most of the days, relaxed with a slow breakfast, lloked around in shops etc for a short while, then rested and stayed at the room mostly to avoid the heat around 12-16. we also had some lunch at this time if not breakfast was to late or to big he he.

then of to evening yoga class, some strolling around on the way back for a shower, then off to a relaxed dinner.
after a while at least in most places we ate, we realized we spent most time there waiting for the food, and when finally came we ate quit quickly, then paid and went back to the room al tired and ready to sleep more or less.

we found a place where they teached a nice calm sivananda inspired yoga so we went there quit many times, I enjoyed it.
that class had of any reason quit many japaneese participants.

we also found a yogi whom I had been recommended before, he was teaching at a hote we found out.
he had a bit more physica classes and a lot of technique, I think he adjusted everyone in each asana so this ment also we held the asanas quit long time.
but he was great, he had so much knowledge and where so positive and encoured everyone all the time.
after class he always had a shorter talk wich both me and Annica really enjoyed. you could sit there and listen to him for a long time it felt.

if we are lucky maybe we can get him to come to my studio, he is of to europe so maybe he wants to come here aswell to see Sweden?

we ended our journey with a night in Delhi again near the trainstation in the dirty backpacker area pahar ganj "main bazaar". and we did some last shopping there aswell.
so now we had bought some new things to have in our boutique in the studio aswell.

Namaskar

wow been a very long time since I have written my blog, it might be because I havent been home more then total 2 weeks in the last 2 months..

first of I arranged this years YogaHoliday to Crete Island for the third time, and it was very succesfull and I got so many nice comments and great feedback from many of the participants.

so I thought I would start my come back with some pics from that trip:

1. the students get some freshly squeezed orange juice before early morning class starts in the sunreise at 7am
 2.
2. this year Annika offered spa massage and she had a lot of work this week, and this was a very apprechiated extra on this trip.

 
3. one of the participants in savasana - final relaxation with a olive tree in the background.


4. on the way to the meditation in the sunset that we did one evening.    

you can see more pictures here

Hari Om

as here at home I have my animal family, my to angels Mimmi & Lillemor.

in Greece last year on that yoga holiday I did, we got a new family member "Fredrik" wich is a dog.
he arrived during my stay there and the first days he got to sleep next to me and then in the same small bed I had arranged for him but on the outside terass. I spent a lot of time with him and this year when I came back for this years annual yoga holiday I think he remembered me.
although I did meet him a few weeks ago very quickly when I attended my sister wedding.

now he is quit much bigger of course, but it felt like we connected very fast, and we really became soulmates and I can honestly say I miss him, and did get thoughts of taking him here, but I dont think he would like being indoors in a smaller place like this when he is used to run on the famliy ground around the olive trees, and getting the chance to chase the goats that comes to close ha ha.
but it made me open up though for in the future getting a bigger size dog perhaps..
he is so smart, and so humble but sometimes in a bit rough playful way as
many one-year-old dogs.

this year we got a new addition to the family, this is starting to be a tradition?
a new pet each year I come for my yogaholiday?they played and Fredrik was most of the time gentle to her : )
Michalis my brother came home with a deserted kitty, she was so small and tiny but after just a few days it felt she doubled in weight and self confidence and Fredrik the dog and "puma" started to really get along.

she to was a smart girl and quickly learned the routines at our house,
where to go to toilet, where to eat and where to feel safe to sleep etc.

Annika & Emma came each day for some "kitty time" during their stay.

but... a cat is not as a dog, so since she is free to stay for now and as long as she wants, the most probable is that when getting bigger she will start to explore the sorrounding and most people here out in the landside are not as animal friendly, they dont see them as pets really so... crossing fingers she will learn quickly, but still she has already got a much better life for a while then lying in the garbage with no mother..

hm.. I just love animals : )

  
so I am back again in Sweden after the yoga holiday I arrange every year in crete, Greece.

there were 16 persons joining this year and 14 of them attended the yogaclasses.
each year feels a bit different depending on the people that are comming along and the way the group feels.
we did only one class on the beach and the rest by the pool, wich felt more natural this year for some reason.

as usual the first 2 days many were more energetci and neede/wanted to do things, but slowly everyone came in to a calmer state and started to just be, and the main focus of the days became the 2 yogaclasses and planning what to eat ha ha.

the breakfast as it has been every year was very apprechieated probably extra since they can eat at 09am at first after yoga morning session at 07 am.
although every morning before yogaclass my mum went up from bed to make freshly squeezed orange juice in smaller glasses for them to get the bloodsugar level a bit up as an energy kick.

it seamed afterwards that all of them where very pleased with this week, I got a lot of thanks and 2 wanted to book next years trip right away ha ha.

I think that there is a certain kind of person that comes to this kind of calm holiday.
so far after doing this 3 years in a row there has never been a problem in the group or something, all very kind & openminded people.

I have put up some pictures from the trip on my facebook so if you wanna see have a look
->  pictures [click on "pictures" to see]

I want to say thank you to all that attended this year for making this a veeeeery nice & pleasent yoga holiday.

see you next year when I will have 2 trips, one as now around midsummer, and a new one end of september/start of october..

AUM shanti

so today is sunday, for me just like any day it feels like now a days. 

I woke up, went out with the girls.
then off to my yogaclass at the gym, on the way there I got a call and talked to the european ashram I have contacted about a teacher course a Swami will have there in august.
so luckely I now have a spot at that 10day intensive course : )
so I have to look now for tickets etc to get there somehow ha ha

at the class today was only 12 participants, so it is slowly becomming less as usual when we come closer to the summer. next week is last time before summer break for my class there, I wont teach at the summer schedule there since I want to have a month off for holiday & to get some yoga inspiration for my self hopefully.

after class I went back home and ate a brunchtye of meal since no beakfast. then I semi watched the first of 3 soccer world cup games, that match was so sleepy that I ended up trimming my angels at the same time, they really needed it..
and now when summer, heat and theese nasty ticks come it is better to have their fur a bit shorter.

then just being at home relaxing and watching the much better second game of todays world cup.

at the same time finding some interesting info about this text that will be focused on at the course in august. read the blog before this one for example ha ha

so in less then 2 weeks I will go to Greece to arrange my yogaholiday there for the 14+2 persons how will attend this year, then probably home just for a day and then me & A will travel to India for 2,5weeks, the norht part.
so that is gonan be interesting for many reasons, weather [super hot & monsoon period], people [a huge festival so I hpe we will get rooms etc since millions of pilgrims will go to this holy cities to get water from ganges or something like that and of course to see if can find any good inspiring yoga & "theory" lectures there.

so I need to look all together for 6 airplane tickets now...
my bank account is so gonna be on minus using the bank credit, but in the end it will all be worth it - I just feel that in my stomach..
gonna try to onnect with some yoga connections & business connections in India t see if they can halp with findning accomondation etc. might be a good idea..

back to watching the 3-rd and best soccer world cup game today : )

I was searching around internet and found some about an old vedic text, one of the texts amongs 3 main ones about the principes of HathaYoga. 

this certain text/tradition/way emphasasis more towards the cleansing techniques "shatkarmas" or "kriyas" it seams.
and it is not the 8 steps as patanjalis "yogasutras"
[wich seams actually to be more of the mental aspects of older yoga compared to the more physical HathaYoga we in some kind of way do today]
but instead it follow 7 steps/limbs..
interesting.

anyway..
one of the cleansing methods under the tread "dhauti" - wich mainly focuses [with a few exceptions] on the digestive system.

one of the more unusual methods that I found was:

Bahiskrita dhauti
This is a very difficult practice unless you are an advanced hatha yogi. It involves standing navel deep in clean water, pushing the rectum out and washing it in the hands.

in one of the texts it says "It is not easily available even to the gods"...

strangely I couldn't find a picture of this?!?!
but maybe this sadhu has just done it, hi looks so proud ha ha