by Gregor Maehle | Aug 4, 2018 | Ashtanga MeToo, Teaching
Today I want to honor the woman who blew the whistle on sexual abuse in Ashtanga-culture, Anneke Lucas. As Beryl Bender Birch recently said in a podcast even back in the 1980’s everybody knew about Jois’ actions. While everybody knew and few confronted Jois, it took...
by Gregor Maehle | Jul 19, 2018 | Ashtanga MeToo, Teaching
Why do I keep posting about this subject? As far as I know only about half a dozen Ashtanga teachers have come out with apologies about their past actions and concrete support for the assaulted women. To me it looks as if 99% of Ashtanga teachers and this includes...
by Gregor Maehle | Jul 7, 2018 | Ashtanga Yoga, Teaching
One of the last times that I sat in K. Pattabhi Jois’ afternoon student meeting (called “conference”) I looked at a photo of Ramana Maharishi that was hanging on the wall. I asked Jois, “how come Ramana is considered spiritually liberated but he hasn’t done any asanas...
by Gregor Maehle | Jun 23, 2018 | Ashtanga Yoga, Teaching
When I first visited KP Jois house in late 1995 I did so with the desire to study classical Ashtanga Yoga. I interviewed him closely what sort of yoga he was teaching and he affirmed that it was indeed Patanjali’s yoga. That made me sign up with him. In the following...
by Gregor Maehle | Jun 9, 2018 | Ashtanga Yoga, Teaching
Since Matthew Remski’s article and his interview with Karen Rain the Ashtanga world is trying to come to terms with K Pattabhi Jois’ history of sexual abuse and assault. I think this is an important process, which need not be hurried and in which context a lot of...
by Gregor Maehle | May 31, 2018 | Ashtanga MeToo, Teaching
My respect and gratitude to Mary Taylor who is coming out in support of Karen Rain in her latest blog article. Mary powerfully writes, “I see this as a time when the ashtanga lineage has an opportunity to evolve into one that is founded in truth rather than avoidance...
