This is Matthew Sweeney. Impressive ha? Standing on his hands on a graveyard? He is even more impressive when you read this booklet "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is", which I reviewed here.
I first got hold of it in 2008 during my first trip to India. My friend Martina and I looked at the pictures by candlelight (due to the frequent electricity cuts), and we would look at a photo, say, of Marichasana E, and then look at each other while in disbelief whispering "Noooo, that is impossible".
Yes there is such a thing as "Marichasana E", and even F, G and H. You probably don't want to know. D, from the primary series is hard enough isn't it? As a newbie to the Mysore and Ashtanga scene back then in 08, the book was a revelation.
Matthew has not only studied with The Jois's family in Mysore, he is also a proponent of Vinyasa Krama and has developed two routines which he is attempting to trademark in a way, they are called the Moon and the Lion sequences. These two sequences are an alternative to the Ashtanga series, and include some poses that sometimes I wish I got to practice but never do, because of the Ashtanga rigidity.
Here is how he is getting to "authorize" people to teach the sequences he developed:
I am all for people who break through the starving yogi archetype to accept the flow of money as a good energy to come into our lives.
Here is a married couple -Fran and Kathy-, two of Matthew students and yoga teachers in their own right, giving a video introduction of the Lion Series. There are many other videos on their website.
One thing I like about Matthew is that when he goes on the road he teaches Mysore style in the morning, so Ashtangis can do their own practice and then on the afternoons (or mornings) he does what I have come to call "Vipassana without Goenka", meaning the same system of meditation where you sit and observe the breath but without the never-ending tape-recorded speeches that Goenka gives when you attend one of the Vipassana retreats and can get a little annoying, especially when he says "maaayyyy weeeeeeee allllll beeeee atttt ppeeaaaaceeeee", 20 times, very slowly.
I was hoping to find something just like that, Mysore style in the morning and meditation Vipassana style (rather than people's own versions of meditation) and maybe other sequences in the afternoon. I like the rawness of Vipassana, as in "just sit and pay attention to your breath" coupled with the intense Mysore practice and would not mind learning about the sequences he developed.
Mathew seems to be doing just this, which makes for an ideal workshop. I heard about this by reading Patrick's very honest accounts (like this one called "The Mess") of one of Matthew's latest workshops.
Matthew is teaching 3 teacher trainings in the upcoming months as well as a variety of workshops, and I am flirting with the idea of going to one of them, I really want to meet him and practice with him as I have only heard wonderful things about the man.
RELATED:
Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, by Sweeney, book review with photos.
I first got hold of it in 2008 during my first trip to India. My friend Martina and I looked at the pictures by candlelight (due to the frequent electricity cuts), and we would look at a photo, say, of Marichasana E, and then look at each other while in disbelief whispering "Noooo, that is impossible".
Yes there is such a thing as "Marichasana E", and even F, G and H. You probably don't want to know. D, from the primary series is hard enough isn't it? As a newbie to the Mysore and Ashtanga scene back then in 08, the book was a revelation.
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| Matthew in Laghu Vajrasana B?, ouch |
Here is how he is getting to "authorize" people to teach the sequences he developed:
"My intention for all of the 1 Month Programs I will be conducting in future is to offer an individual and filtered teacher training for those wanting to gain my approval to teach the Moon Sequence, the Lion Sequence and beyond. As I thoroughly enjoy teaching these sequences, I am happy to invite students into teacher training. However, if you are teaching Chandra Krama or any of my sequences without my approval you will be asked to cease doing so during this training process." - That comes from hereGood for Matthew! I am glad he is figuring out the business of yoga, and for someone who has put so much energy and love into his profession I am glad he can create a business and live from yoga.
I am all for people who break through the starving yogi archetype to accept the flow of money as a good energy to come into our lives.
Here is a married couple -Fran and Kathy-, two of Matthew students and yoga teachers in their own right, giving a video introduction of the Lion Series. There are many other videos on their website.
One thing I like about Matthew is that when he goes on the road he teaches Mysore style in the morning, so Ashtangis can do their own practice and then on the afternoons (or mornings) he does what I have come to call "Vipassana without Goenka", meaning the same system of meditation where you sit and observe the breath but without the never-ending tape-recorded speeches that Goenka gives when you attend one of the Vipassana retreats and can get a little annoying, especially when he says "maaayyyy weeeeeeee allllll beeeee atttt ppeeaaaaceeeee", 20 times, very slowly.
I was hoping to find something just like that, Mysore style in the morning and meditation Vipassana style (rather than people's own versions of meditation) and maybe other sequences in the afternoon. I like the rawness of Vipassana, as in "just sit and pay attention to your breath" coupled with the intense Mysore practice and would not mind learning about the sequences he developed.
Mathew seems to be doing just this, which makes for an ideal workshop. I heard about this by reading Patrick's very honest accounts (like this one called "The Mess") of one of Matthew's latest workshops.
Matthew is teaching 3 teacher trainings in the upcoming months as well as a variety of workshops, and I am flirting with the idea of going to one of them, I really want to meet him and practice with him as I have only heard wonderful things about the man.
RELATED:
Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, by Sweeney, book review with photos.
Nice post, Claudia. It's funny that you are writing about Sweeney today; I was also just re-reading Astanga Yoga As It Is this morning.
ReplyDelete"I am flirting with the idea of going to one of them..."
Don't flirt (remember Brahmacharya...), just go! :-) He's a great teacher.
I have all of Matthew Sweeney's books and I love his Vinyasa Krama sequences, but does he really need to trademark them? Just one other thing - is there any need to perform a yoga pose on top of someone's grave? Hmmmmmm. Didn't mean to come across negative - just a few thoughts in my head.
ReplyDeleteha ha ha, don't flirt, yeah, good advice! I remember you went to one of his too... just recalled... :-)
ReplyDeleteDarren, I hear you, he did not trademark them as far as I know, that was just one way to write it for me, but I dont think he did that, he is just authorizing people to teach the system he develped. Any yoga teacher in the world that makes money seems to be doing that. I think it is a great thing, as I believe yoga teachers should make money too...
ReplyDeleteMatthew has been putting effort into yoga for, what? 30 years... me thinks it is a very good thing for him to be compensated and I hope he does.
As per the picture in the cementery, why not? I find it very beautiful, I do pictures like that too, I like them.