Ash Hope is a Brisbane-based Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher and a student of Nancy Gilgoff. Her fascination about the body’s self-healing abilities led her to study CranioSacral therapy with the Upledger Institute in Singapore. Ash explores the practice of meditation in the Zen tradition and teaches traditional Mysore style classes in her  shala in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane.

Show notes

• Spiritual longing: From Eastern Germany to India
• Discovering Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga system after an injuiry
• On synergetic relationship of Primary and Intermediate series
• Weekly sequencing - thoughts on rotation of series
• Meeting Nancy Gilgoff
• Evolution of Pattabhi Jois' teaching approach
• On old-school Advanced A series, teaching methodology
• Ashtanga pranayama
• Meditation practice
• Mixing practices from different schools

Visit https://www.ashtangayogacentre.com.au/ to find out more about Ash and her teaching schedule.

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Phil Mistlberger is an explorer of world's philosophic and esoteric traditions, transpersonal therapist, international seminar and workshop facilitator, and author with over thirty years of experience. Phil has written 7 books looking from different angles on wide variety of teachings and teachers. He has co-founded and founded schools and communities of inner work like Samurai Brotherhood, and traveled around the world to study and teach numerous courses and workshops.

Show notes

• Spiritual experiences and Perennial philosophy
• Moving from one tradition to another
• 21st century destructed mind's dark night of the soul problem
• 3 Dangerous Magi
• On Aleister Crowley
• Studying with Osho
• Benefits of releasing generational rage and guilt
• On addiction, ethics and generational context
• Premature teaching
• On conditioned culture, autonomy and reality tunnels
• Encounter work and men groups

Visit http://www.ptmistlberger.com/ to find more about his work.

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.

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Thomas Van Breda is a scholar of religion specialising in the western esoteric tradition. He joins us to discuss notorious occultist Aleister Crowley and his contribution to the evolution of modern yoga. In 1901, Crowley travelled to Sri Lanka and studied what seems to be a mixture of Ashtanga and Shaivite Yoga. When he returned to the UK and started teaching. Is it possible that he was one of the first western yoga teachers ever? Or did his bombastic and strange personality only obscure these teachings?

Show Notes

•  We discuss the occult and rejected knowledge systems
• Crowley’s problematic personality
• How Crowley saw enlightenment and how he claimed to have attained it
• We respond to Mark Singleton’s 2010 book “Yoga Body: the Origins of Modern Posture Practice” that claims Crowley was a “black magician” who  obscured the message of yoga
• How Crowley taught asana before Krishnamacharya, the old school way
• Crowley’s experiments and achieving dhyana and samadhi states

Crowley's "Eight Lectures on Yoga" PDF: http://www.metaphysicspirit.com/books/Eight%20Lectures%20on%20Yoga.pdf

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.

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Maggi Nimmo is an artist, healer and yogi based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

She teaches physical Asana, Pranayama, Self-Awareness, Samatha techniques and further meditations.

She also specialises in acute and chronic pain management and includes her client’s emotional, physical and spiritual health and well-being as part of her solutions. She’s trained in The Bowen Technique, Sacro-Cranial Technique, Remedial Massage, Foot Realignment, Homoeopathy and Spiritual Counselling.

Show Notes

• Maggi’s artworks especially sacred symbols and geometry 
• What kingons and vedic concepts of gunas have in common
• Pattabhi Jois and Bikram back in the day
• A non dual experience slipping into a river
• How the warrior poses are the same as walking
• 70s Hairstyles and the subtle body
• How “The body accepts whatever practice you choose”
• Different catagories of healing
• The wisdom of working with the moon
• Pranic and apanic breathing and moon days
• Ashtanga and aging

http://magginimmo.com/

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While his words are often like poetry and his photos stun you with their raw aesthetics, it is that space beyond the form and beyond the mind that Ty invites us to discover and out which his reflections are generously springing from. He is the wizard of most intricate thought castles, the faqir juggling heavy philosophical constructs with lightness and innocence of a child, while his fascination for exploring the ways of embodiment of the creative principle that animates all life is like a magnet that draws you deeper into inquiry in your own practice. We are absolutely delighted to have Ty on our show.

Show notes

• First spiritual experiences, communion with the nature and longing for the sense of connection
• Intellectual intoxication, vinyasas of thought and postures of mind
• Somatic exploration of breath waves
• Terror of letting go of the sense of the self and the brilliance of Ashtanga Vinyasa
• Clinging to a particular idea of what your practice should be
• Asana as embodying the form that supports the liberated movement of creative energy
• Fatherhood and daily practice
• Mixing traditions, following your heart, exploring synchronicities
• Year-long online immersion course "Into the Depth"

Visit Yoga Workshop Online to find out about online classes, workshops and immersions offered by Ty. Also, check his website https://tylandrum.com/ to discover more about his teaching schedule, as well as some beautiful writing.

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.

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Mumbai-based yoga practitioner and teacher, Deepa Rao shares her experience on Yoga and Meditation with us.

Show notes

• Deepa's first spiritual recollections
• Amulets, yantras and experience growing up in a Brahmin familiy
• Goenka's Vipassana, practice and studies, aleviation of the fear of darkness
• Equanimity and challenges of daily life
• The story behind Trivikramasana 
• How knowledge of mythology can help unravel deeper layers in your asana practice
• Using mantras, themes and affirmations in your practice
• On Ayurveda and diet, prana and apana vayu 
• Yoga in modern day India
• Practicing with an American yoga teacher in India

If you want to get in touch with Deepa - visit her Instagram account
https://instagram.com/therowdee

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.

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We are very happy to present to you this interview with Gregor Maehle that was recorded around a year ago. Gregor’s path is a remarkable example of limitless determination to find the Truth. While not attempting to gain popularity and fame his ideas and views can be polarising, provoking and challenging. He dismisses authorities, hierarchies, guru worship and other unhealthy group dynamics. By doing so he is not only living out authentically one of the fundamental yogic attitudes of willing to know, rather than to believe, but also plays an extremely important social role that is becoming more and more scarce in today’s poisoned with political correctness world – by not sweetening up his words, pointing out things that are broken, views that are wrong and actions that are unethical he invites all of us to question our assumptions of reality, so that we can finally wake up from our ignorant slumber and experience the true joy of being.

It is in sincere gratitude for his guidance on the path of Yoga that we release this interview.

Show notes

• First glimpses of infinity
• Doer mentality, surrendering and grace
• What led Gregor to the practice of the 8-limbed Yoga
• Immersing into teachings today vs in old times
• Tibetian Ngöndro, Six Yogas of Naropa, Dzogchen
• Purification practices within the Ashtanga Yoga tradition and the mechanisms behind them
• Why your meditation doesn’t work
• Happiness and robotic conditioning
• Gregor’s spiritual practice and the sense of freedom
• Breath waves
• Experience of Cosmic intelligence on different levels
• The differences and similarities of different spiritual paths
• Svadharma
• Gregor’s observation of the modern Yoga landscape

To find out more about Gregor’s teaching, learning materials, courses and in-depth blog article visit https://8limbs.com/

Check out new book by Gregor Maehle: “How To Find Your Life’s Divine Purpose: Brain software for a new civilization”

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com to discover more episodes.

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Buddhist teachings deep dive episode 2 with Leigh Brasington.  Buddhist suttas, stream entry, interpretations of the jhanas, Daniel M. Ingram, 32 body types contemplations and much more. If you think this description is geeky, check out the episode to see what geeky really means  🤓

Show notes

• Studying Buddhist suttas and commentaries, Visuddhimagga and Abhidhamma
• Stream entry, interpretation, importance and application of buddhist models
• Pulling out mile markers
• Long-term practice, improvement and reduction of dukha and unshakable peace
• On Daniel M. Ingram's sub-jhanas, excitement about and usefullness of experience
• Contemplation on 32 body types

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com for the full list of references from this interview.
You can find many more great references on Leigh's website.

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Leigh has been practicing meditation since 1985. He is the senior American student of the late Ven. Ayya Khema. He began teaching retreats in Europe and North America in 1997, and is the author of the book "Right Concentration - A Practical Guide to the Jhanas". This is first part of our in-depth exploration of different aspects of Buddhist teachings that Leigh generously took time and energy for.

Show notes

• The falling of the veil, spiritual hedonism and world trip
• The story of Theravada nun Ayya Khema
• Ways to look at Pratītyasamutpāda - dependent origination
• Five skandhas, Eckart Tolle and taking a nap 
• Emptiness or Śūnyatā, inherent existence and the deathless
• Immortality project
• Leighs process of studying the Suttas
• What are Jhanas or the stages of indestructible mind
• Morality, concentration, wisdom
• Jhanas as a spectrum of concentration states
• As you go deeper the space of observer gets smaller
• Don't get fooled by your concepts
• Leigh's and Nathan's take on the spiritual world of today
• How Buddhism translates into Western culture

Head over to www.escaping-samsara.com for the full list of references from this interview.
You can find many more great references on Leigh's website.

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Norway-born, Kathmandu-based KPJAYI authorised level 2 Ashtanga yoga teacher, co-founder of the first Ashtanga studio In Oslo, buddhist practitioner and scholar of Himalayan languages and Tibetan philology - Ellen Johannesen shares with us her fascinating life story as we change between buddhist and yogic perspectives exploring the path to liberation.

Show notes

• From contemporary dance to yoga
• Movement patterns, innate animal logic and asana
• The act of balancing or playing with the forces outside of you
• Yogic Yamas & Niyamas vs. Buddhist Paramis
• Regaining subtle body awareness through asana 
• Relocating to Nepal and studying Buddhism, Himalayan languages, Tibetan philology 
• How studying sutras and scriptures slowly changes you
• Dependent origination and breaking the pattern
• Practices aiming at removing samskaras
• Reconciling Yogic and Buddhist perspectives
• 100.000 prostrations in Bodh Gaya
• Making merit

If you ever in Nepal and want to practice with Ellen or just curious to find out more about her work - visit Ashtanga Nepal website.

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