Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast

Kino MacGregor is one of the most celebrated Ashtanga yoga teachers in the world with over a million followers now on Instagram. And though it would be easy to chalk up her fame to a winning mixture of beauty, charm, and physical skill - you’d then be missing the REAL reason Kino is who she is and where she is. As the author of 4 books, including her most recent, The Yogi Assignment, a co-creater of Om Stars, an online channel for yogis, producer of six videos, and one of a select group of teachers certified to teach Ashtanga by Pattabhi Jois, Kino is like a true force of nature. Smart, driven, and incredibly disciplined, Kino’s success is by no accident. This isn’t the first time I’ve interviewed Kino, either. So I already know how smart and driven she is. And I’ll admit, she can also be somewhat guarded and perhaps with good reason. But not this time. In fact, in today’s episode of the Ashtanga Dispatch podcast, Kino opens up about her personal obstacles and struggles in both her practice and in her marriage. And in a rare, candid moment - Kino responds to the critics who say videos are no way to learn Ashtanga. Stay tuned after our interview for a very special offer from Kino to try out her new Om Stars channel, as well as exciting news from Ashtanga Dispatch. This episode of the Ashtanga Dispatch podcast was edited and produced by Chris Lucas - and hosted by me, Peg Mulqueen. Thank you to our good friends who support this podcast over at Patreon. If you’d like to join them, please visit patreon.com/asthangadispatch

3 Okt 201741min

Well, the irony for me is, the more I practice and the more I do these interviews, the more questions I end up having! And today’s episode with certified Ashtanga yoga teacher, Mark Darby - or Darby, as he tells me to call him - is no exception. Darby was first introduced to Ashtanga yoga with Pattabhi Jois - Guruji - in Mysore in 1979. You do the math - but lets just say Darby has been practicing and teaching for a very, very long time. Lucky for us, I got the chance to catch up with Darby for practice and this interview his very last week teaching morning Mysore in Montreal. If I had any questions prepared for our interview, they all went out the window. So if I sound a little tongue-tied at times, it’s only because I’m not sure I was able to form words around what I had just experienced in the practice room before the interview. He stops me in my very first sun salutation having me straighten my legs and fold over his fist. “Dantian” he tells me. Look for Dantian. But as I fold over Darby’s closed hand below my navel, something else catches my attention. It’s his feet. There are individual letters below each of his 10 toes: S-P-R-E-A-D-T-O-E-S He will tell me later, he’s thinking of having this tattooed on his two feet. Then I come to the floor and instead of binding in my seated postures to pull myself forward in the folds, Darby has me specifically not bind and push away instead. Curious yet? I hope so! Because I think you’re going to really have fun listening to this one. And afterwards, you can an take all your questions and YOU to Costa Rica to spend time with Darby where he and his wife Joanne, will continue to teach. Visit their website, sattvayogashala.com to start planning. This episode of the Ashtanga Dispatch podcast was edited and produced by Chris Lucas - and hosted by me, Peg Mulqueen. This show is made possible by each and every one of you listening right now. Ashtanga Dispatch wouldn’t be possible without YOU! And also our good friends who support us through Patreon.com. Thanks to their contributions, we are able to keep this podcast going - ad-free. If you’d like to join them in supporting the show, please visit patreon.com/ashtangadispatch. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you again in the fall with Kino MacGregor and Eddie Stern to start us off!

1 Sep 201757min

We’re in Mysore, India and waiting to be ushered into the shala for chanting class. It’s hot as hell standing outside that afternoon, That's when I first see her - Laruga Glaser. I’m a hot, sweaty mess - while she’s as stunning as every Instagram post I’ve seen of hers. And I’m in awe. Of course, not just she glows in a different way than I am at that moment … but also because it’s odd to see a teacher of her notoriety at chanting class. First of all, they are held in the heat of the afternoon but also, they’ve been there and done that a hundred times over. But there's Laruga, waiting in blazing hot sun for the door to open and class to start - just like all the rest of us. And that’s exactly why I love her. She’s real and relatable ad keeps the yoga the same way. Genuine and completely down-to-earth, I know then that Laruga Glaser would be just the kind of person you and I would enjoy getting to know better.

20 Jul 20171h 3min

As much as I hate to admit it, pain has a lot to teach us. Maybe that's why my next guest, Tim Feldmann, is such a great teacher - because he's certainly had his fair share to deal with. You see, Tim began practicing yoga after a terrible accident many years ago, left him nearly unable to walk again. Injuries sustained such as those may heal, but they don't always go away and instead, tend to reappear in various forms and struggles. These days, Tim is dealing with his wrist and at the time we talked, was still forced to wear the soft cast he'd been wearing even since the last time I'd seen him, many months before. In any case, Tim will tell you, pain is inevitable. For all of us. The Ashtanga Dispatch podcast is edited and produced by Chris Lucas and hosted by Peg Mulqueen.

7 Mai 201750min

Sharath Jois. Grandson of the legendary Sri K. Pattabhi Jois ... son of Saraswathi Jois ... director of the KPJAY Institute ... and the current holder of our lineage. And yet, if there's one thing I have learned as his student it's this: Sharath would not want this podcast to be about him. It's about the yoga. For Sharath, it's always about the yoga. "Yoga is the superstar. Not me." But he is pretty special. And about as generous, wise, devoted, and kind as ever a teacher should be. Or rather, a Guru. Because Sharath is much, much more than just a teacher. He's truly a living example of what this yoga means. ****** Finally, a thank you to all of you who are supporting our show through Patreon. Remember, this podcast was recorded in India - amidst blaring horns, generators, barking dogs, and a whole cacophony of other sounds. Because of YOU, we were able to upgrade our editing software which made all the difference! So THANK YOU! If you want to support the show, go to http://patreon.com/ashtangadispatch and get some early previews, access to our community slack channel and more!

20 Mar 201751min

Today is January 20, 2017 - Inauguration day. And while part of me is relieved to be out of the country at the moment, another part of me is disappointed not to be there with you. This election has been like no other I've ever been a part. We are a country divided and that's scary. And so to process some of this, I turned to Dr. Carol Horton, a former political science professor turned and yoga teacher. Carol has a strong voice and she’s not afraid to use it. But she also has a wise voice, a voice of compassion and reason. I began this conversation with Carol feeling hopeless - and I came away feeling inspired and hopeful. Give a listen and remember, we are all in this together. The Ashtanga Dispatch Podcast is edited and produced by Chris Lucas and hosted by me, Peg Mulqueen.

20 Jan 20171h 10min

I remember how I came to hear of Cathy Louise Broda of Purple Yoga in Hawaii. First, a listener from Chicago wrote me an email asking me to interview Cathy. She said she’d just gotten back from one of her retreats and was just really inspired. I didn’t know Cathy but I let the student know I’d certainly try. And I would’ve too if Cathy herself didn’t reach out to me before I even had a chance. Apparently she read a blog I wrote on my struggle with menopause and was so moved, she called Christine Hoar to get my information and next thing I know, I have an email from Cathy - just a few weeks after being asked to track her down. The universe is funny like that, right? Like just in case I didn’t get the message the first time …. Talking with Cathy helped. As did talking with other women, like Christine Hoar. And I hope this chats as helpful for many of you too!

31 Des 20161h 17min

A special gift from Harmony Slater and Ashtanga Dispatch: A Loving Kindness Meditation to begin the new year.

23 Des 201611min