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| Hard to miss a moon day in Greece |
Nice to see this piece from Tim Miller this week on his workshop at Porta Pandana, Athens as well as his visit to Santorini.
The best way for us to show our support for Greece is to continue visiting and who doesn't want to visit Greece!
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| http://timmiller.typepad.com/blog/2015/09/tuesday-september-29threflections-on-greece.html |
"I’m happy to say that Ashtanga Yoga is alive and well in Greece. I met many dedicated and enthusiastic practitioners who were very happy to have me in Athens. I found the Greek people to be very warm, appreciative, generous, and down to earth. In spite of their current economic struggles, their spirit is strong and they are very proud of their heritage. I feel blessed to have spent some time in “the Cradle of Western Civilisation.” Tim Miller
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| My earlier blog post on Santorini |
Tim isn't the only one continuing to Support Greece by offering workshops, Nancy Gilgoff I saw is coming to Athens soon, 17th-18th Oct.
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| Nancy Gilgoff. Porta Pandana, Athens, Greece |
Chuck Miller may be in Paros as I write ( checked he's in Paros from Oct 8 2015) giving a week long intensive, he was there last year i remember so perhaps you can catch him in Paros in 2016
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| Chuck Miller https://www.facebook.com/Taos.Center - No doubt Chuck will be back in Paros next year |
David Williams continues to come to Crete regularly,
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| David Williams at Yoga Rocks |
David Swenson was in Athens in May 2015 at Eleftheria's Om studio, Athens as was Eddie and Jocelyne Stern in June.
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| beautiful page, On studio, Athens. In English and Greek |
And of course there is Manju, Greece seems to be a home from home for Manju, he comes every year. I was lucky enough to spend time with him in 2013 and 2014 in crete at Kristina's shala,
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| My Manju resource page |
This year Manju was in Athens ( so sad I missed it) and also in wonderful Thessaloniki at my dear friend Natasha Symeonidou's shala ( Natasha speaks excellent English so email her at her website if you want to go practice in Thessaloniki http://www.ashtangayogathessaloniki.com).
No doubt Manju will be returning to Greece next year, I hope I can see him there again then.
Manju has this special quality, you respect him immensely as a teacher from the moment he strolls into the shala. Standing apprehensively at the top of your mat you hear him joke disarmingly behind you "Never fear, Guru's here". There is the firm but gentle support of his assists, the warmth and humour and yet a seriousness about the practice. There are the stories he shares so openly.... and his wonderful cooking... you come away feeling that he is as much a friend as teacher. Rather than disciples, devotees, Manju makes friends at his workshops, he comes to share his practice with you.
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| Manju giving an adjustment demo on me on his 2013 TT course in Rethymno, Crete. |
Greece is important of course for European Ashtanga, Derek Ireland and his then partner Radha set up The Practice Place in Agios Pavlos, Crete in 91. The Practice place is now called Yogaplus and Radha still teaches there.
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| The Practice place. See my Interview with Kristina on the early days of Ashtanga in Greece and Europe. |
Many of the early American teachers/practitioners, friends of Derek's came to visit and give workshops in crete and greece and of course so many of the senior European teachers learned from and/or were introduced to or practiced with Derek back then, John Scott, Gingi Lee, Alexander Medin, Lis Lark, Brian Cooper, Mathew Vollmer, Michaela Clarke, Annie Pace, Jocelyn Stern, Petri Raisanen, Joseph Dunham, Ginny Dean, Hemish Hendry and many many more.
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| Derek Ireland, Crete |
Kristina continues Derek's teaching in Athens and Crete teaching the practice just as Derek taught back in those early days.
Keep an eye on Ashtanga.com to check out who's teaching in Greece next year, those teachers who come back again and again and those who are perhaps looking to support Greece by offering a workshop there for the first time
| Chuck Miller | Paros Island, Greece | October 8-12, 2015 |
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| Nancy Gilgoff | Athens, Greece | October 17-18, 2015 |
And of course consider Kristina's summer shala in Rethymno, go for a week, a month or even three as I was so lucky to be able to do last year. Or if you don't get into the Mysore Shala perhaps or don't qualify, Rethymno with Kristina might be just the place to work on your practice (and oh will you work), hope to see you there.
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| Hoping Kristina doesn't mind me sharing this pic but I sent her the shirt from Japan, arrived last week. http://www.yogapractice.gr/teaching |
Lots of Ashtanga in Greece, this list of teachers feels like my extended Greek family,
I'm not Greek you say?
We're all Greek.
(see below)
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| Stumbled upon this house in rural Japan, last week, Shiga station, Lake Biwa, Shiga, just down the road from a furniture warehouse called Parthanon. |