Letting Life Lead Me in the Right Direction

I feel a bit sad that I haven't been able to update my blog since August. I have so much to share, like an interview that I did with BNS Iyengar while I was in Mysore, but I haven't been able to even finish writing about my experiences with surfing and teaching yoga in Sri Lanka. I have tried, believe me, but the last months have been quite busy.

My Life in Arugam Bay - Learning to Enjoy Each Moment to the Fullest

A few days after I arrived in Arugam Bay I met a super nice dude from France, David, while I was renting a board to go surfing. We immediately became surf buddies and everyday for almost fifteen days until he had to leave we shared a tuk-tuk to go surfing together.

Finding a Destination and Dealing with the Unknown

I've been living for the past four months in Arugam Bay, a popular surf destination in Sri Lanka. Now I feel it's time to hit the road again, but before telling you about all the cool things that I've been doing here let me tell you how it all started.

Yoga in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

(Updated 24/03/2018) Are you interested in practicing yoga in Arugam Bay, one of the most popular surf destinations in Sri Lanka, to complement your days and to improve your surfing skills? Well, starting June 2014 you'll be able to enhance your surfing experience in Arugam Bay by practicing yoga at the Green Room Cabanas.

Sivananda Yoga Opening and Closing Prayers: Free PDF Download

If you've ever been to a yoga class at one of the Sivananda Ashrams or Centers around the world you probably remember the opening and closing prayers that the teachers chant at the start and at the end of each yoga class.

I have tried to find these Sanskrit prayers' texts or lyrics online without success. So I decided to write them down and include them here for anybody interested in learning them.

What it Takes to Follow the Path of The Heart

To do what we would really love to do or what we believe we are meant to do is what I call To Follow The Path of The Heart. To Follow The Path of The Heart is a great journey where the rewards can be immeasurable but where the setbacks can be intimidating.

Study Vedanta at Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh, India

For a long time I wanted to study vedanta at Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh, at least for the short term courses which they call Camps. The timing was never right before but finally last March I had the opportunity to do so. I had to book like six months in advanced because their Camps are usually very popular among local people.

I'm Nothing Special, I'm Just Another Guy With an Average Story

Back in my home country, among my friends and family, some people might see me as if I was somebody special because I'm the guy who did it, who gave up a really good life in order to follow his dreams. Perhaps, and most likely, many others see me as an immature guy who instead of pursuing an MBA, instead of getting married, settling down and building a future and a family decided to backpack in India for no good reason.

How Not to Practice Ahimsa, Non Violence

Devprayag Temple

During our last stop before coming back to Rishikesh, after a nice long road trip that I did with some friends from the Swami Rama Ashram, we decided to have our lunch at the temple in Devprayag, the town where the rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet to form the river Ganges and where we had just taken a nice cold bath. We sat in a portico just outside the temple where some locals where resting and opened our bags with the sandwiches and fruits that we had brought with us.

Vinay Kumar: Prana Vashya Yoga Master in Mysore [Interview]

I had heard so much about Vinay Kumar, and his Prana Vashya yoga method, that I was really excited to meet him for an interview. Almost all the people that I've met in Mysore have practiced with Vinay at one point in time and they all have nothing but positive comments about him. "He is a master yoga teacher," people like to say.

Interview with MV Chidananda, Ashtanga Yoga Teacher in Mysore, India

MV Chidananda is one of the most popular ashtanga yoga teachers in Mysore. He taught for several years at the Mysore Mandala Yogashala in Lakshmipuram, one of the oldest yoga schools in Mysore, and currently, he teaches at his own yoga shala in Gokulam, the Sachidananda Ashtanga Yoga Shala.

A Lesson on Trust and Surrender - It is Never in Our Hands

Doing a road trip on a motorcycle around Cambodia was not only an amazing experience but also a big lesson. I did not only feel a sense of freedom, joy and adventure while riding the motorcycle but I also had a sense of vulnerability which naturally led me to practice trust and surrender.

How to Make Stress Your Allied to Handle Life Challenges

I just watched a very interesting TED talk by Psychologist Kelly McGonigal which I think I must share with you all right away. It gives the answer to the question "How to make stress your allied to handle life challenges?" Basically what Kelly says is that our beliefs about stress can change the way our bodies respond to stress so instead of seeing stress as something harmful we can view it as a positive mechanism from our bodies to prepare us to handle a challenge.

A Motorcycle Road Trip in Cambodia

Imagine, 1,250 Km (776.7 miles) in ten days by motorcycle around Cambodia. Really an unforgettable experience, another one of the highlights of my life. After six months of Ashtanga Yoga practice in Mysore I thought about using my recently learned motorcycle skills and do a solo road trip around India but my friend Ashka suggested that I travel instead to Cambodia, a country that I had never visited before, and rent together a motorcycle to travel all around the country. How to say no to such a great idea?

The coolest thing that I learned in Mysore

The coolest thing that I learned in Mysore has actually nothing to do with yoga, although perhaps in a way it does. It's something that I had not planned to learn at all. I might have daydreamed about it on some occasions but the possibility seem so remote that I had not made any plans or any efforts in that direction.

The Value of a Teacher: Why You Need to Find a Teacher Today

Although Mysore might have not felt to me as the most "spiritual" place in India, as I wrote before in Yoga in Mysore - It's Madness!, there was one thing that got me really inspired during my six months stay in this wonderful city.

Yoga in Mysore, It's Madness!

My thoughts about yoga in Mysore? It's madness! I came to Mysore to practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga but the funny thing is that after all the time that I've spent in India learning about yoga this was the first time that I felt that I wasn't doing yoga anymore, yet I was practicing Ashtanga Yoga six days a week for two and a half hours.

Best Schools and Ashtanga Yoga Teachers in Mysore

If you are searching for the best yoga school in Mysore then I think you'll find this blog very helpful. It includes a list of some of Mysore's best ashtanga yoga teachers, with students reviews, a brief description of their schools, and also a lot of tips to help you plan your next trip.

Interview with Vijay Kumar, Ashtanga Yoga Teacher in Mysore, India

"Although Vijay is very young he already has an extensive teaching experience. He is an amazing ashtanga yoga teacher and a beautiful soul," my friend Dario wrote me on Facebook. With only 26 years Vijay Kumar is probably one of the youngest ashtanga yoga teachers in Mysore yet he continues to become more and more popular among western students.