Standing, close your eyes and place your hands in prayer. You focus on your breathing and begin chanting the opening mantra. A melody of peace gently emerges and resonates in your heart. Little by little you perceive that there is nothing outside that can disturb this quiet. Simply stay in the present moment, in the wonder of the here and now. Yoga is much more than a physical practice. It becomes prayer, celebration of the divine, discipline to concentrate the mind. Last year I was lucky enough to be able to practice in a shala immersed in the jungle at the Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center near Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali, where Prem and Radha Carlisi take care of each student with love and dedication every day. They guide you with great wisdom towards the discovery and development of this truly unique and extraordinary style of yoga. For Bloom as you are, we exclusively publish the interview with Radha, a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper into all those aspects of Yoga linked to the female world and learn to take care of ourselves through this fabulous age-old discipline.
How did you know about yoga and why did you decide to practice it?
From my childhood in California I’ve some memories of my grandma watching a woman named Lilias, doing yoga on tv. And then remember seeing my grandma do a headstand! So when I was a sophomore in college, in 1990, I was 20 years old, one day I went looking in the “yellow pages” of the phone book, for the word “yoga”. I don’t know why I did this, because I knew no one doing yoga at the time. There I found the number of a place called Yoga Works and I decided to go. I did a led Ashtanga Yoga class with my first teacher ever, Chuck Miller, and it was great. I remember when I walked out of the class, I told Chuck, “ I think I am going to be a yoga teacher one day”! He probably thought I was naive to say this after one class! So that was the beginning. I then officially started teaching after 5 years, in 1995. So now I’ve been practicing and teaching for 35 years.
Which were the most significant changes that you saw in your life thanks to yoga?
It was something that I enjoyed, and I could feel the physical difference in my body. I knew it was good for me although I wasn’t sure why, so I decided to go ahead and delve deeper. I was very young, and not living a crazy lifestyle anyway, I was quite conservative. I wasn’t into drugs or alcohol, so I never got into these things probably because I started yoga so young. The yoga practice shaped who I am in a natural and gradual way, little by little. I became more conscious and aware, In a way I didn’t have prior to doing yoga. It helped me to choose everything in my life: the relation with myself, people, everything. I feel it was my dharma to find this path.
Ashtanga yoga is a very intense practice. Sometimes it can be more relaxing, other times very demanding. Which is the purpose of Ashtanga Yoga for you?
It’s going to be different for everyone, but hopefully when one practices appropriately for themselves, it creates an intuition with self, as well as a stability, a resilience, a softening, and most importantly, a joy! These elements bring a spiritual aspect to what appears on the outside to be just a physical acrobatic practice.
Who do you recognize as your teachers, and which are the most important teachings that you have learned from them?
Chuck Miller was my first teacher and after 5 years I went to India to study with his original teacher, Pattabhi Jois. Between 1995 and 2007, I made many 3 month trips to Mysore to study with Guruji (as Pattabhi Jois was called) and Sharath, his nephew. When I came back to California, I continued my training with Maty Ezraty. I also did many memorable workshops with Richard Freeman, Tim Miller, Dona Holleman, Gabriella Giubilaro, all amazing teachers. I was super blessed! What I most learned from them in terms of becoming a teacher, is to get to know your students and to acknowledge them, where they are at. It’s much more important than just adjusting them in the asanas.
The evolution of Ashtanga yoga with all the series and so on has been created by an Indian man. Do you think that it is correct to follow the same method nowadays with our bodies that are completely different? Especially for women…
It’s an interesting observation. Many people don’t know that the practice was originally intended for Indian boys so they could use their energy. I was told, it wasn’t really created for the western bodies. I believe we need to approach yoga differently. When you do any type of Vinyasa, (and Ashtanga is the mother of all Vinyasa), it should be in accordance with how you feel that day, your age, your energy level, with hormones, etc… Many people now don’t pay attention to these things. They just think they need to move on to the next asana, the next thing. I think it’s more important to be aware and realize that maybe you’re tired today , and it’s okay if you don’t practice the whole series or perhaps, do less vinyasa. If you want to practice with awareness and consciousness, it is important to listen to the needs of the body deeply, not just what the mind wants to do.
What should women’s practice look like?
There are many things to consider. When women have their menstrual cycle, it is best not to practice for 2 to 3 days, or only do Surya Namaskar A and B and some standing poses. Some women feel better when they move, so I think it’s ok to do a gentle practice on these days and to include more meditation and restorative poses. Regarding pregnancy I personally have not had any children, but Guruji had said that women should not practice for the first three months and I think that’s a good idea. Also after the age of 35 and especially 38-40, hormones change a lot for women. It’s a really important time for women to pay attention to how they feel because they may have difficulties in perimenopause and menopause. It doesn’t matter what type of yoga you do, if you are doing yoga in a way that increases cortisol, you’ll have dysregulated hormones. High cortisol affects the brain, how you sleep, how you eat, etc. I love studying women’s health and lifestyle practices. As women we can use this information to inform how we practice. We should practice yoga to benefit from it. I love sharing this with other women, in my Ayurvedic lifestyle based, consultations.
Sometimes we don’t recognize how isn’t as beneficial practice is without this awareness and love for ourselves.
It’s a process and it takes time and patience. For example, if you are in your late forties, or fifties, and you think that you need to grab your ankles in the backbends, it could be dangerous. You can get plenty from even just doing a simple primary series’s practice. I did learn Advanced A Series(3rd), after doing primary and intermediate only, for the first 10 years, and I did 3rd regularly, for 12 years until I was 42. Now, I don’t do it anymore and I’m totally okay with that. I personally feel I don’t need it anymore at my age. I’m content with primary and intermediate. Another important aspect to consider is your diet. If you don’t sleep and you feel more agitated and you feel less joyful, then there’s something in your practice that isn’t working.If you practice in a way that is beneficial for your body, you should feel good and full of energy.
How can we change these bad habits?
One key is learning how to use the tools we have in yoga and Ayurvedic lifestyle philosophy to support your individual health. One person needs one type of diet, another person needs another type. We can’t all do the same thing. We must discover what we need by learning from these philosophies and then listening to ourselves intuitively. If you really learn to listen to your body and become aware, you will get there on your own to understand what you need. Listening may mean that you have to change something in your life, and it may be very challenging. For example, if you are going to a yoga class and your teacher says you need to do drop backs, but you don’t feel well today because maybe you feel pain somewhere, or you don’t feel ready, it is important to share this feeling with your teacher and to be completely honest with yourself. It’s so important to trust in yourself. If you become aware of your needs, you can change your life a lot and yoga can help you in that process.
How is Ashtanga and Ayurveda related?
Ashtanga is a discipline and part of your daily routine. It’s meant to help purify the body and the mind in the energy of Tapas. It creates focus and structure. When we are consistent with the practice and do it according to our own individual needs, we reap the benefits of these things. After all, focus and foundation are the keys to a healthy lifestyle. Like Ayurveda, which is an individualized system of health and wellness, it also requires us to be consistent with a daily routine. This takes focus, and helps create structure. For example, around our diet, our sleep, our digestion, even our ability to handle stress. When we practice Ashtanga and Ayurvedic principles together, we get the added benefits of 2 systems that actually are separate processes, but like a good relationship, they go hand in hand and compliment one another.
Which advice would you like to share with the readers of Bloom as you are about yoga? Why should we practice yoga?
It’s a choice that can lead you to know yourself better, who you are inside, get to know your intuition better, to be more aware, get to understand what your body needs. If you practice consistently, all these things naturally unfold to you.
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