Ashtanga Yogi Community

Dear David,
Thank you so much for coming to Kripalu with Danny and David.  Words can hardly express the gratitude I feel in my heart to have been lucky enough to listen and learn from your experience and insight along with Danny and David.  Thank goodness you came out from the Maui jungle to share your knowledge, history, and passion for yoga.  Your two students, now shining lights in the yoga world, David and Danny also shared so much.  I think my cells will be processing all the information for months to come as I go about my life and incorporate yoga into my daily routine.  You also gave me the confidence to check in with my body and get really honest with myself about pain so that I can maintain a healthy yoga practice for life avoiding burn out or injury due to pushing or force.  You encouraged me to find the strength in myself (in addition to David & Danny) to pull back if I need to or modify according to my own body.  This would not be possible if I had not learned  from you the importance of prana, breath, bundhas, and concentration-the most important is what's invisible, so that my body can heal and open up over time. 
See you soon!
Caroline

Dear David,
My epiphany...
How could so many of us have it wrong ?  Could it be that we were ALL just taught wrong?
We all see the form and the strength and have been taught to focus on the outer alignment . All of the workshops and teachers focus on advancing your postures, not your prana.   We are believing that the more advanced postures bring some kind of secret, and try to perfect the posture like we see it.   We desire to understand, but keep searching in the wrong place, led by teachers who are doing the same thing.  The search never ends because the information is never clear.
After over 20 years of workshops, study and practice, I feel like I am also guilty of teaching wrong knowledge.  It makes me cry to think that I may have hurt someone by my own ignorance.  You not only have lit my candle, but blown my mind to realize that I made it too hard on myself and others.  You have given me the missing puzzle pieces and my search is over.  I only hope I can convey your message to others.
Hope to see you at the Mela,
L
P.S. Jalandara Bandha was never a focus point for me, I never understood it.  My neck has been stiff for a year, and it feels better already.  Too many injuries later, I thank you!
Happy Travels

Dear Lucas,
I am sorry that I am unable advise you on this.  Maybe one of the other readers of this forum will write in.
Aloha,
David

Hi David.

Thank you for 5 very inspiring days!
It was a great experience practicing with you.
I am so glad that you have managed to remove all these false Myths around Ashtanga.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.

Aloha to you and thank you,
Michael

Dear David,
 Just wanted to let you know: These days in Eindhoven studying and practicing with you were a little breakthrough for me (well, let΄s say a big one). I have felt for a long time already that the way Ashtanga Yoga is practised in Europe nowadays is just wrong. There is no point in this (perverted) boot camp style. This is not leading anywhere. What you have taught us is a much wider view and it makes a lot more sense to see Ashtanga Yoga as a healing and meditation system than as a circus art (well, I was far from that already anyway). 
As I said, I want to make this new view part of my own practice and of my teaching.
Take care,
Thomas

Feedback from questionnaire on final day of Bali Yoga Retreat.
34 students from 11 countries.
 
Love and Generosity in the Form of Feedback:  David Williams
 
What worked well?
• David’s life story is so entertaining! Laid back style and joyful energy. Teaching by breath count. Gentle approach to Ashtanga.
• His energy, laid back perspective, and sharing how his view of yoga has changed thorough out the years.
• His philosophy ensures how everyone can do yoga fully, regardless of flexibility. Very funny and open.
• Approach to asana as not being fixated on the precise form, instead focus on moola and breathing. Feeling the prana. Great story telling as teaching.
• His talk was a breakthrough for me on the concept of ashtanga yoga. Now I found I can modify asanas for ashtanga depending on the abilities of students. His talk on mula banda and how to apply it in asanas was very good as well.
I• enjoyed everything about David’s teachings. His character, his understanding of yoga including the simplicity. The idea of feeling good as opposed to feeling bad, the focus on why to have a daily practice, etc. Also his stories.
• Relaxed attitude, and energy, palpable stories
• Everything is great except he repeated himself a fair amount in lectures. I liked what he had to say.
• Caring, open attitude about yoga, genuine concern for students and the practice of ashtanga.
• Light hearted “don’t take yourself so seriously” style; respect and compassion for the body came across to me, introducing bandhas from one point of view.
• I definitely enjoyed his class. Very interesting and enjoyable.
• His obvious love of life and joyful spirit was inspiring and educational. He has such a nice laidback style of teaching and was unpretentious and down to earth! It was refreshing to hear his message.
• Very experienced and well known in the yoga world but such a humble person. His experiences and love for yoga is really inspiring for me to practice yoga more regularly. • He is also a very good storyteller!
• David was a pure joy. His stories were enjoyable, his classes were informative, and he is so cute and funny.
• I loved his openness and joy and passion for yoga, for wanting everyone to feel this.
David’s total lack of ego, and openness. He has transformed my ideas about ashtanga.
What would you like more of?
• Would like more time generally with David, maybe some more asana or Mysore style stuff would have been good.
• More discussion of application of philosophy.
• His thinking, background and philosophy of yoga and what he does.
• Would have liked more hands on/partner work on asana in morning sessions, maybe practice instructing vinyasa.
• More time with David.
• More time with David.
• His story past 1975. I just wanted more of him.
• More asana practices with him
• I loved hearing his autobiography and would have liked to hear part 2.
• More work on postures.
• I really like DW. You should have him again for your next TT with MORE ASANA PRACTICES.
What could be improved?
• More written info on vinyasa yoga.
• Nothing at all – what a fantastic teacher!
• More time and second series.

Hi David,

Can I ask you something? I have spoken to a few teachers about this,
but I did not get any straightforward answer. My question concerns
the last 3 limbs of ashtanga yoga... (concentration, meditation, and
samadhi)... If you practice only asana and pranayama, will you be able
to "acquire" those last 3 limbs automatically or are some other practices
(like zen for example) necessary?

Thank you for answer,

Robert

Dear Bryan,
I can give you some general advice, but I can't teach you yoga over the internet.  I can say this, though.  From the information that you have given me in your question, you should not be doing headstand or anything else that is hurting yourself.  Go back to the basics in your practice and do things that make you feel good and increase your prana.  Yoga is about increasing prana.  Nothing decreases prana more than pain and injury.
Aloha,
David