THE SYL BLOG: Yoga, contemplative practice, people and community.
These are what we are passionate about, that move us, that keep us doing what we are doing and that makes SYL what it is. Our blog is a reflection of how we share here at SYL. It’s about the people we meet, who we invite to teach and what we see as important in directing our awareness, to see how we ultimately move in the world. What is a yoga shala if not somewhere you can let go from the world, find a part of you that can be nurtured and then work on that in daily life. Our articles reflect this.
Hopefully some of these words resonate.
How do you inspire others?
The world is changing and it can be hard to feel inspired. This month Scott shares what inspiration means to him and how this has changed over the years, and offers 5 ways to stay inspired yourself when helping others.
Mindfulness
How do you move in life?
As Scott shares an intimate moment of panic with his son, and a moment of clarity about his grandfather, he reflects on how an embodied yoga practice, together with a compassionate outlook, can form a highly contemplative approach to changing our lives.
Will this new word change how you relate to others?
Through contemplative practices such as yoga and mindfulness, and the concept of ‘sonder’, Scott explores how we can begin to discover the deep relationships we have with others, and ultimately ourselves.
Becoming the love we seek
As Stillpoint Yoga London moves into its 10th year, founder Scott Johnson reflects on how the vision became a reality, the importance of a quiet space, and how we might each become the love we seek through a disciplined yet compassionate yoga and mindfulness practice.
Combining mindfulness and yoga can change everything
Scott considers the relationship between yoga and mindfulness, and shares how cultivating moment to moment awareness completely changed his long term yoga practice.
You Need To Be A Reactor
Scott gives an account of the first UK public screening of Ian McKenzie’s documentary “Reactor”, hosted by SYL, with Michael Stone who features in the film giving a talk and Q&A at the end.
Community
How conversations move us
As SYL launches the new Stillpoints podcast, Scott shares how yoga and other contemplative practices come alive through deep interactions between people over many years.
Teaching Ashtanga yoga: 10 years of reflection
As SYL turns 10, co-founder Scott Johnson shares 10 things he’s learned over the last 10 years of teaching yoga, accepting the changes, growing a community, being ever present and continuing to dance!
Empowerment as a way forward in Ashtanga yoga
Scott reflects on how 2018 was a seminal year for Ashtanga yoga. He considers how Ashtanga can be a force for change, empowering us to move forward and creating ripples as it finds a new voice.
Coming together: Nurturing a yoga community
This month’s blog post tells the story of how the SYL community evolved out of a shared experience of grief.
Navigating both a yoga practice and a family
Scott explores how being a father and wanting the best for his family helps him to observe and trust in himself and mimics the growth of his personal spiritual practice. Seeing that this is the hope we perhaps want for our own practice and the world.
Practice
Falling into yoga, falling into life
In this month’s post, Scott explores what happens when we fall deep into a yoga or contemplative practice – how we can fall into our breath, away from our identity, and into present moment awareness. As we lean into the space that’s created, can we find a new way of seeing ourselves and the world?
How do you understand yoga in your life?
Scott contemplates our connection with our yoga practice, sharing how we might begin to understand yoga, how he sees yoga as intimacy and as relationship, and why it’s important to practise gratitude in our lives.
Are you aware of the intention behind your yoga practice?
Scott considers the intentions we have around our yoga practice and whether these change over time, and shares why he sees yoga as a formal contemplative practice.
Listen without prejudice
Yoga begins with listening. This month, Scott explains why listening to others is at the core of why we practise yoga, and how we can navigate the differences in our own viewpoints with love and compassion for others.
Have you noticed how far you’ve come?
This month Scott invites you to imagine if any part of your life had been different; he explores how skilfully reflecting on the past and stopping to smell the roses in the present moment keeps you on a path to the future.
Interviews
Continuing the research to keep ashtanga yoga alive
Scott interviews Anthony ‘Prem’ Carlisi about the early days of ashtanga yoga, practising with Guruji, how the practice has changed over the years, dealing with grief and a commitment to keeping the ashtanga research alive.
Deepening your practice – a teacher’s perspective
We talk to Kia Naddermier of Mysore Yoga Paris about her experiences of teaching Ashtanga yoga, and the effects of the 2015 Paris attacks.