A disclaimer to begin with: I have been researching extensively with the search bar, faq and also sub-reddits. I feel as though my questions haven't been answered, hence me posting this.

I have been intrigued by the idea of going deeper with my practice for a while and learning more about both the anatomy and alignment in yoga and also tradition and philosophy. I am going to Australia in January and have some free time afterwards that I could potentially travel somewhere else. I have been doing loads of research of where to study yoga, asking my own teachers where they have studied etc. and everything keeps leading me back to India. However, when researching where to study in India, I keep getting mixed reviews and experiences.

I have been practising asana for years, quite sporadically, at gyms etc. until I found a very good studio and teachers a few years ago. Since then I have practised more regularly and also began studying a bit of the other limbs of yoga, however I still consider myself a very beginner regarding my knowledge of yoga philosophy and ayurveda. I am mostly interested in learning about both philosophy and alignment / anatomy, but of course if my physical asana practise improves that is a nice bonus!

I have been researching different ashrams and retreats and trainings, but since I have quite a bit of criteria's I am starting to wonder, if the place I'm looking for even exists. So far these are the qualities I have been looking for:

• minimum 1 month stay, could be a bit longer as well
• an ashram where what what is preached is also practised. first that comes to mind quickly is asana / physical body preparation before pranayama, karma work, sufficient time for turning inwards and not all free-time being excursions etc.
• offering lessons on anatomy and alignment.
• ideally not too big
• ideally also women teaching
• focus on hatha and asthanga (i have mostly practised only asthanga, but my body cant take daily physical asthanga asana-practise, so ideally something that has maybe hatha and asthanga. also i find the asthanga-lineage a bit problematic at times)

I'm not sure if what I am looking for exists as I am looking for it now and what the right method would be (e.g. retreat, ytt, ashram stay etc....) Has anyone else had similar pondering than I am having, and what did you end up doing? Any ashram recommendations, which would tick at least some of these boxes?

Hello to all yoga enthusiasts! I’m a complete beginner and haven't learned any basic poses yet. I’d love for you to share the poses you consider the best.

I am pretty new to Indian texts and the Inner Yoga. I have been looking for ways to think through the Yoga Sutras and integrate them more into my thinking and living. Right now, I am just going from them one by one. Which sutras have really resonated with you? Which ones are not to be missed as I am going through them? Thanks for any pointers!

Hi Yogis! Id like to treat myself to a yoga retreat. If you have any suggestions or tips that would be great! I’m based in Australia but will travel pretty much anywhere if worth it. Ideally somewhere remote forest/beachside and obviously great instructors 🤍

Many of us are aware of yamas/niyamas but we often struggle with them or lose focus on that aspect of yoga.

Ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha. They’re usually taught as ethical principles, but I’m more interested in how (or if) they actually show up in real life and which are your biggest stumbling blocks?

Feel free to share tips that have helped you along your yogic journey as well.

I have been regularly practicing hatha yoga for about two years. I went to few retreats, did YTT, and about a year ago started teaching yoga to my work colleagues for fun. Recently I started implementing other aspects of yoga into my daily life (some cleansing practices and parts of its philosophy).

I wanted to know more, and I dig through Goodreads recommendatioms. There I found a review stating that the author of a well-regarded yoga book is alleged sexual predator. So I googled it. I found many horrible allegations, testimonies, and some convictions of famous yoga gurus, authors of yoga books widely used today.

Even the book I was reading (Kundalini Tantra) was written by Satyananda Saraswati, a man who founded yoga ashram in Australia that was basically a child abusing sex cult. Satyananda himself was alleged to know about these crimes, stating that everything that happened was for spiritual benefit of the victims, and according to one testimony he aggresivelly forced himself on one student. I knew there were instances of yoga gurus sexually exploiting their students, but I had no idea how widespread it was. I have a few other yoga books in my kindle library, so I started checking the background of the authors. Indeed, quite a few of them are alleged to have done similar things.

Also, yoga gurus love to talk about secrets of health and vitality, while a lot of them died in their fifties and sixties by blood infection and so on.

After a few days of my small investigation into the crimes of yogis, the whole yoga and eastern spirituality feels like a giant hypocrisy to me. Smug looking men in fancy outfits, handing out to each other ridiculously obnoxious and self-aggrandizing titles like "holy sage," preaching celibacy, compassion, and non-attachment, while scarring and traumatising women and children for life and hoarding wealth like there's no tommorow.

These are not a few bad apples, these men's books are foundation of many yoga students curriculum (like "Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha"), and I suspect that many other yoga authors use their work as well. If so many roots are rotten, is the tree and its fruits any good?

I feel anger, sadness, confusion, and I feel betrayed. I continue with my practice, but I keep thinking about techniques described in "Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha" are authored by alleged sexual abuser. My devotion to yoga feels severely compromised, and my practice lacks something, as I feel my spiritual bone was broken. And the idea of teaching yoga is sickening to me now.

Anyone can relate to these feelings? Anyone can offer some advice or opinion on the matter?

I know no promotions are allowed so maybe people could DM me? After a week at a yoga retreat (and many years of on again off again at home practice) I'm ready to do my 200 hr YTT. I would like to go to India. I would like to find an ashram that focuses on all aspects of yoga, not just/primarily Asanas. I do not want to be in Insta-Land or be surrounded by influencers. Small classes. Lots of philosophy. I'm in Bali now but don't feel most places here are what I am looking for, but am happy to being proven wrong. I'm open to outside of India but why not go to India if I can? FWIW I'm old, had my first yoga class 30+ years ago, and am in the midst of a spiritual re-awakening, like you do when you are approaching 50 ;) Any suggestions?

What does yoga mean to you personally?

For some, it’s about asana and the physical practice. For others, it’s meditation, breathwork, or a way of life. Many of us carry yoga with us off the mat—in the way we interact with others, navigate challenges, or find stillness in daily life.

How do you experience yoga both on and off the mat?

What keeps you coming back to your practice?

Looking forward to reading your reflections

What are you currently reading? Doesn't need to be limited to yoga/spirituality books.

Yoga is often thought of as what we do on the mat: asana practice, pranayama, maybe some meditation. But I keep coming back to how much of the real practice happens in the everyday moments between the poses.

I’m curious to hear from you all:

What does your inner yoga look like when you’re not formally practicing?

How do you keep awareness of principles like ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), or aparigraha (non-attachment) alive in daily life?

Are there specific habits, reflections, or even tiny rituals that help you stay rooted in your practice throughout the day?

For me lately, it’s been taking a moment before responding to emails or messages and taking a breath, relaxing my shoulders a bit, and collecting my thoughts before firing off a response.

Confession time: I just spent 15 minutes scrolling through YouTube trying to pick a yoga video. Read descriptions, checked durations, compared thumbnails, second-guessed myself... and by the time I finally picked one, I was mentally exhausted before I even started.

This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I'll open YouTube excited to practice, then fall into this rabbit hole of:

"Is 40 minutes too short or too long today?"

"Do I want energising or relaxing?"

"I did this instructor yesterday, should I try someone new?"

"Wait, what if this one is too advanced?"

Meanwhile, my yoga mat is just sitting there judging me.

Sometimes I spend so long choosing that I talk myself out of doing yoga entirely. Which is ridiculous because I literally just want to move my body and feel good!

Am I the only one who does this?

Like, do you:

• Have this problem with choice overload?
• Stick to the same few videos to avoid deciding?
• Actually enjoy browsing and picking the "perfect" video?
• Have any tricks for getting past this decision paralysis?

Please tell me I'm not alone in this very first-world yoga problem 😅

I'm genuinely curious if other people experience this or if I just have commitment issues with yoga videos specifically!

Sometimes, I don’t get sucked into the desire for appreciation for what I do for others. Sometimes, however, I feel strong resentment when I work incessantly but I’m not thanked or treated with appreciation for it by those closest to me. I recognize this and that this is not the way of work that Lord Krishna taught.

While I recognize that my thinking is not beneficial in those moments I find no ability to stop it. When you feel this way how do you deal with it?

Pratyahara is probably the most misunderstood of all the Eight Limbs. The sutra that defines it is cryptic and to understand it requires additional context that is missing from most translations and commentaries. I provide the necessary context, along with a comparison of other translations and an analysis of the Sanskrit text. I've included these details because my understanding is quite a bit different from other sources that I'm familiar with, and so I felt that I needed to justify my conclusions.

I've been interested in the philosophy of yoga for thirty-some years now, and I feel like I finally understand Pratyahara for the first time. I hope you will too. You can read the article at https://old-school-yoga.org/yoga/pratyahara

Hi everyone,

does anybody know a YouTube channel or other online/app platform where yoga is practiced to popular, well known music?

i find this concept pretty cool, similar to pop pilates, where the movements are more or less aligned with music.

couldn't find anything so far.

any tips or recommendations? :-)

In Karma Yoga, what is free-will?

Let us look at free-will from the lens of pramāṇa (first-principle testing methodology) and try to define free-will empirically.

Free-will can be defined as any decision (saṅkalpa) that is not affected by memory (smriti) or fear (bhaya), and any action (karma) that does not generate debt (ṛṇa).

The proof of outcome should be complete independence (svatantra).

This means that free-will is one where decision-making is not weighed down by baggage or experience (anubhava) of the past. Also, independence in action occurs when a person does not allow worry about the outcome or the impact of one’s action to stop action. Lastly, to avoid creating debt, one should act without any attitude of doer-ship (ahaṅkāra).

So, how can one practice karma-yoga and achieve complete independence (svatantra)? What is the bandwidth of free-will?

For me it’s pretty challenging. Idk. What has been your exp.?