The last day was very profound. We had our final session in the afternoon. We completed our study of the finishing poses. We all had a chance to work together and practice adjusting technique. Tim held our graduation ceremony. The outpour of emotion and thankfulness that everyone expressed was so heartfelt and sincere. We closed with a good chalisa session.
To fully complete the closing we went down to Moonlight beach for a going away party. The locals had made these three huge bonfires a a Brazilian drumming troupe jammed out until late. It was a lot of fun and Tim was as gracious as ever. This group was so much fun to be with. I genuinely feel that not one person was there to receive a certificate. Everyone was there to explore the yoga and it’s many facets with each other. As I listened to everyones stories I quickly realized I wasn’t the only one who was having a really challenging and yet rewarding time. There also was this great feeling and understanding that as Tim shared his love of the yoga with us it is time for us to do the same with others. In this respect I want pay homage to the great guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, for sharing with Tim and now with us. I feel honored to have been touched so deeply by this tradition. Namaste!

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

Today was our last day of Mysore practice for the training. I think everyone is feeling a sense of relief that we have made it. Yet, time with Tim is so precious that knowing it is coming to a close also has me feeling so thankful to have had this time. Without the loving support of my wife and family immersions like this would not be possible. For this I am very appreciative.
Today’s early morning Pranayama practice was the real deal. Tim had done such a good job of starting us very slow and easy and then ramping it up to today. Tim is a Pranayama master. Beyond even his extensive knowledge of asana practice, Tim’s understanding of the breath is remarkable. Today was a reminder of my first days trying to keep up with him. He has been practicing this for so long, he makes it seem like a walk in the park. I hung in there but when we got close to the end I had to gasp a few times. Something about the challenge and intensity of control over the diaphragm and our immediate tendency toward panic in an uncomfortable situation brings about a sense of relief and relaxation when practice is complete. This is yet another reason why I love Ashtanga yoga so much. So much complexity!! Sometimes people say “doesn’t it get boring to do the same sequence every day?” How we move into a pose can be so different one day to the next. The consistency of the sequencing allows for steadiness especially when our minds can be so shaky. This training has reminded me how interesting and fascinating the yoga practice is!!!!
This evening I had the opportunity to assist Tim in his Intro to 2nd series class. It was so much fun and I watched him demonstrate for the students. Tim goes off!!!! He fully busts it out. So he has this incredible talent that he backs up with deep devotion all the while remaining humble. I honestly cannot say enough good about him. He is a true yogi and an honest teacher. I was thinking back to last Friday, a week ago, and how much I was struggling with pain. Now a week later, still pain, but not as much struggle. Guruji would call the soreness of practice sweet pain. I am so relieved to have made that transition.
In closing, Buddha says it best, “may all beings be happy!”

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

On the great battle field Arjuna struggled. Krishna encouraged. A metaphor for the internal struggle we all face. Advice for one who perseveres on the path. Move into union! Move into yoga!
After practice this morning someone came out and said, I feel like I sweated so much it was like in was in the ocean. I think of the story with Krishna and Arjuna as like a surfboard on the wave. Arjuna is the surfer, Krishna the vehicle, the board, and the ocean and waves as the great battle field of Kurukshetra. We are experience this balancing act in all that we do, whether on the mat or off. Sometimes we just need a little help to get started. Once off and riding the real fun begins.

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

We are getting so close to the end. I am so looking forward to getting back home!!!!! Yet also don’t want this training to end.
Opening the heart is such a profound experience. There are so many books and manuals available these days to help guide us along this process. I am finding that it is so different for each person though. My own personal experience is that of continuous navigation. The deep work that comes along with this process is so freeing and yet terrifying at the same time. It seems to be this continuous sense of wanting to hold on and yet feeling so much lighter when the grip softens. I can definitely say, better to dive in then sit on the shore and wonder what diving in would be like!

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

I was walking down the beach the other day just below Swami’s and I met this guy named Yogi Shane playing the harmonium. I walked over and listened to him bust out the most radical devotional songs……super classic. Because we had the morning off with no class, today I went down there again. He told me he had begun burying his body in the sand while in a yoga pose. I had to admit that it was a really unique idea. I gave it a try and he dug a deep enough hole so that I could sit in baddha konasana(feet together and knees toward the ground.) He then filled in the hole and packed the sand down. Really strong so that basically I couldn’t move at all. It was so awesome and intense at the same time. A dog ran up and started to lick my face and ears and I fully cracked up. Nothing I could do about out it. In Buddha meditation there is what is called adithan. Which means fierce sitting or sitting with no movement or with strong determination. This seemed to be following a similar thought current. A strange sense of anxiety cropped up but the process of staying present was so amazing. It took me about 10 minutes to dig myself out. I then went and jumped in the 68 degree water, (which is a heck of a lot colder than Florida) and seriously woke the senses. It was freakin’ awesome!!! We all just spent 5 hours in Yoga sutra study with Tim. The yoga sutras create an opportunity for deep introspection. So in many senses they are very challenging. Tim presents them in such a clear and concise fashion, with humor, and sincere insight. Being Tuesday, Hanuman day, we had an epic Hanuman chalisa session! The combination of the harmonium and the devotion behind the delivery is creating an interesting space for me. It is really growing on me.
One of the sutras that stood out for me today was to the effect of; when there is contentment there is no need to seek happiness. So simple right?? Yet how often are we in a place of contentment? True contentment!! Since most often we are in the place of seeking happiness through an event or experience. So to experience Santosha(contentment) the need to seek drops away. The sutras then point out; well, how to experience santosha when there is suffering? This seems to be the challenge. Hence the practice.

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

I find it very interesting that a yoga posture can be considered a gateway. A position of the body can serve as a porthole to another dimension. I suppose that dimension will differ for each individual and how we move ourselves into that dimension seems to be why practice is needed.
Our entrance from one moment to the next is marked by passage. Time according to nature is our usual method of measuring this movement. Either through our observation of the Earth’s rotation in relation to the sun or in the time it takes for a flower to bloom. One way or another the passing of time continues. In yoga practice we have what are called “gateway” postures. These poses are often very difficult for the beginner and require years of practice to achieve mastery in. These “gateway” poses are often very appealing to the eye because of the artistic lines of geometry that they create. When the yogi begins to enter into this “gate”, an incredible sense of possibility is facilitated. What we choose to do once we enter is also an interesting issue. Do we use this to enhance our ego or do we direct our attention toward greater levels of compassion for all beings? I think that if we can learn apply to proper level of commitment balanced with ease and steadiness we can enter into infinite possibility. Perhaps to try to put it more simply, yoga opens us up to our true reality.
On a lighter note. Tomorrow is full moon. I can’t express enough bow thankful I am for this. To have a day off from practice is such a blessing and to some maybe it is in disguise. Moon day give two days a month to reflect and rejuvenate. Tomorrow happens to be full moon. Typically during this time we are a little headstrong. Even more reason to relax.
It also give some time to do laundry. Right now I am watching the coin machine spin. The yoga practice is so amazing!!!!!!

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

This photo is taken from Swami’s beach looking up toward the SRF shala. Today was the beginning of the turning point. Yesterday I went to the chiropractor who discovered I had two ribs out and she managed to get them back in. I was able to smile again and breath so much easier. I still have some residual soreness but I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be back in alignment. That was over two weeks of excruciating pain!!!! Thank the heavens for chiropractors who know what they are doing. It is amazing how impossible it is to feel positive when our health is out of alignment. Which I think is further testament to the reality that our health is of the most utmost importance. It is is such a delicate balance to maintain health but it needs to be at the top of our priority. Without health one cannot focus on achieving enlightenment. There may be exception to this. Sometimes people that face severe illness come into an enlightened state by acknowledging that death is a part of the process and it is only a gateway into the next adventure. When this is the case there is nothing to fear.
Beyond such discussion, I went for a walk on the beach and met these two yogis playing harmonium and singing kirtan on the beach. Classic characters full of enthusiasm. One of them I hope to get to come to Florida to offer a workshop. We shall see. The waves were going off and although I am not ready to paddle is was great to watch everyone having so much fun.
I got to the studio at 1pm and everyone could see I was smiling again and it felt so good to be feeling back toward normal. Tim is as awesome as ever. We did a Kapotasana warm up which I observed for the most part and got a chance to help with a few adjustments. Super fun and learning some really effective assists. Because today is Saturday it is also Hanuman day so we sang the Hanuman chalisa again which I am loving. Myself and one other student are learning to play the chalisa on the harmonium so Tim is teaching us. The chalisa is so powerful. It has the power to melt even the hardest of hearts. After the session tonight I had the chance to eat some food with a group of yogis who have been at this for 20-30 years. Amazing conversation and insight. It is really inspiring to be surrounded by Ashtangis who have so much enthusiasm this far along the path. It is like climbing a mountain and the road is still really long up ahead and someone else is on the way back down and you ask them how much further and they say well it actually doesn’t end but how about I turn around and walk with you so we can enjoy a part of the journey together. This is so refreshing and inspiring. Just to have a discipline that is so engaging that each day it is as fresh and new as day 1. The depth just gets deeper. The yoga is never ending. It is not like a book, you pick it up read it and put it on the shelf. Yoga is like writing a book that has no beginning or end. You just keep writing because the moment is forever presenting itself.
I think all in all it was a day of releasing some garbage and ready to move forward. Jai!!!

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

Above is a picture taken looking from the Self Realization Fellowship to the south. Paramahansa Yogananda was given this land on the ocean at one of the most beautiful vista points in Encinitas. The gardens here are spectacular and offer a quiet place to sit and meditate. The ocean is so calm right now and the sun so bright that the reef below is clearly visible. It is one of my favorite spots here in San Diego. If you ever have the chance to pick up a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi it is well worth reading. I personally feel that the tracks that Yogananda laid here in Encinitas is what helped pave the way for Encinitas to be the yoga capital of the world. No joke. The energy here is out of this world. I officially declare Encinitas to be one of my most favorite places ever!!
Today has been a day of learning that far exceeded my expectations of what I came here to do. I am finding that I had this mental projection prior to coming that included several topics. Such as learn more about second series. Learn new techniques for adjusting. Because I have come into injury, I have had to seek help. This process has led me be to several professionals in the healing profession crossing several modalities. Massage, thai massage, acrobatic or suspended traction bodywork, acupuncture, chiropractic and energy work. All of which has really opened my eyes to greater levels of potential within this field of yoga or moving toward oneness. I am really beginning to shift my understanding of what yoga really means to me. All of this has come through the experience of pain. I remember the first time one of my original teachers said “pain is a gift.” I just could not wrap my head around that. It seemed absurd. How could discomfort be something I would want. I am continuing to see more and more that pain is just our bodies talking to us, sending a message that more or less asks us to be present and truly listen. But oh so difficult right? Especially when we are in the thick of it. I have to say that I learned more about my body yesterday by listening than I ever have by expressing movement through desire. I am so extremely thankful to my teachers and Tim is orchestrating this in such fine form I am forever grateful. I think that to give credit to Yogananda I am missing an even more important link. The Native American people have laid these tracks. I have to acknowledge the people before us and I deeply want to return to this understanding and respect for the land. While our culture holds quite a bit of karmic sorrow for those before us that we tried to dominate, I think it is time we embrace the culture that was already living what we wanted. I truly believe we are in for a big surprise moving forward. In a very positive way!

Peace

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com

Day 4
My most difficult day yet. It is challenging for me to write this. Those of you that know me, know how much I love to be involved in the practice. Right now I am on the sidelines. I am injured and I have had to take the day off. This is so challenging for me. I know I will bounce back which gives me some respite. Yet this is such a humbling experience. In some ways I know this is good for me because it is reality and I need to face reality with courage and acceptance. All I can say is that the people I am surrounded by are so loving and supportive. Tim is being very understanding and for this I appreciate him even more. Of course, due to my nature, I would like to be writing and saying, “wow I moved forward in this incredible position that opened me up in ways I never thought possible.” However, instead I am just trying to manage pain and find the strength just to get in the room to sit and listen to the lectures. I attempted to practice and did one Surya Namaskar! Officially the shortest practice I have ever done. I am trying to see the good in this. If anything I have a new found respect for those with injuries who continue to practice even if it is modified and made its most simple of forms. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and just by writing somehow makes me feel a bit better. If anything I feel like letting go of my ego and my attachment to who I think I am might be what I am here for. As opposed to maybe I will grab my leg deeper in my backbend. After all of this I am still thankful to have this opportunity.

Todd McLaughlin
www.nativeyogacenter.com