Copy the teacher! Copy the teacher!

Copy the teacher! Copy the teacher!

My teacher, Dharma is a master at the Head Balance pose or Headstand. You might have seen him in pictures balancing with no hands? Dharma tells this great story about practicing with his Guru and doing his best to copy his teacher during one of the practices.
We are following in the footsteps of the master teachers who have come before us. Think of how incredible it is that we don’t have to search in the darkness alone for the light. There’s others who have come before us who are a little farther down the path. All we have to do is follow in their footsteps. So grateful for Dharma and all my wonderful teachers. I am doing my best to follow in your footsteps. Copy the teacher! Copy the teacher! Copy the teacher!

Hip Opening Workshop in Shenzhen!

Hip Opening Workshop in Shenzhen!

Hip Opening Workshop! Why do we open the hips in yoga? Some of the reasons you might want to have a full range of motion at your hip joint:
1. To protect the low back and the knees and prevent injuries.
2. To find balance.
3. To prepare the body to sit for pranayama and meditation.
4. To cleanse and release tension from the body and sub-conscious layer of the mind.
What a fun workshop — exploring a little deeper with this wonderful group of curious practitioners. Grateful to be here and grateful to be able to share these teachings and honor my teachers

Finishing up day 4 at Yonion Festival!

Finishing up day 4 at Yonion Festival!

We finished up a beautiful 4 days here at the Yonion Festival! I had a lot of fun. I met a lot of new students. I made some new friends. And I got to connect with some old friends who I haven’t seen in years. Grateful to everyone involved who made the festival such a huge success. Grateful for the experience. I’m so glad they invited me to teach this year. It was such a pleasure being here.

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Yonion Festival — Day 4!

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Yonion Festival — Day 4!

Yonion Festival — Day 4! My last class at the festival. What a fun day!I taught a Shiva Power Class/Backbending Workshop. We had a thunderstorm in the middle of the class. We were dry under the tent but the power to the sound system had to be cut and it poured rain. It was so loud.
Part of our yoga practice is going with the flow. We shifted to a much more workshop style class. My translator and I tried to be as loud as we could but it was still hard for the students to hear us. I ended up gathering everyone close to the stage. We demonstrated a few things to work on and then I sent them back out to their mats to practice. We did this a few times and it was actually quite a fun way to present to such a big group. Sometimes you get these wonderful spontaneous moments from just accepting things as they are unfolding. My teacher Dharma always used to remind us — Everything is happening the way it is supposed to be. What’s that famous quote — Yoga is not about stopping the waves but learning how to surf.

One of the greatest - Tymi Howard

One of the greatest - Tymi Howard

There’s some great teachers here at the Yonion Festival this year! I’m honored to be teaching alongside some of the best in the world. One of the teachers here is Tymi Howard. So nice of Tymi to come to my Shiva Power class today. Tymi has a big following all over the world, and especially here in China. She owns Guruv Yoga in Orlando, Florida too. I have been collaborating with her at her studio for the past year but we had never met and we finally got to connect in person here in China. Small world. This year she invited me to teach a small part of one of her Teacher Training programs too, which was a lot of fun. She has a wonderful community in Orlando. I’m excited to be heading back to Orlando in June to teach some classes and workshops at her studio again too. Love this girl! And I love this picture.

Where is your journey taking you next?

Where is your journey taking you next?

I’m off to the Yonion Festival! Excited to be teaching at this festival in Xiamen for the first time. This is one of China’s largest yoga festivals. I’m honored to be presenting with some of the world’s leading international teachers, including my friends @tymihoward @diceyoga and @yogawithbriohny I’m in Brussels now. Waiting on my flight to Beijing. Where is your journey taking you next? If you show up with an open mind and an open heart the possibilities are endless. Enjoy the ride and breathe into every moment. The thought of all the travel I’m doing this year and being away from home for so long - several months on this current trip - made me very nervous at first and definitely took me out of my comfort zone. I’m loving being challenged like this, though and being forced to give up control. It’s such a beautiful practice. Let it go. What are you holding on to? Let it go. Trust. Have faith. The Universe has a plan for you. Just keep taking steps forward. Breathe. It’s not supposed to feel comfortable. Are you really nervous? Or are you excited and you’ve forgotten how amazing it feels to be excited, vulnerable and alive! Namaste, my friends. Thank you to all of you who I’ve met so far on this path who have inspired me to get out of my comfort zone. We are walking this path together.

Tittibasana (Firefly Pose)

Tittibasana (Firefly Pose)

Demonstrating one of the variations of Tittibasana (Firefly Pose) in my Arm Balance Workshop at Pano Skylos! Thank you for coming, everyone. It was a fun day and a great weekend. I think we connected the dots today and made sense of a lot of things. The arm balance poses are advanced warmup poses. Each arm balance is either plank or low plank + one of the standing warmup poses. If you can hold plank and low plank and your hips are open enough you will be able to do many of the arm balance poses in yoga.

Virabhadrasana. The Hero’s pose.

Virabhadrasana. The Hero’s pose.

Move through your life like a hero. Stay calm. Stay grounded. Breathe. Be vulnerable. Open your heart. The strongest people you will ever meet are also the most vulnerable. Courage is not avoiding the fire. Courage is standing in the fire and breathing into the discomfort of the unknown. A hero is strong but not wild and not out of control. Strength isn’t demonstrated by losing your temper, and giving in to your emotions. A bully is not strong but incredibly weak. Strength is demonstrated from restraint. Stand your ground. Find stillness. It is easy to be tossed and turned and pushed around by all of life’s challenges. Stay focused. Stay on your path. Concentrate. The battle is not with anyone else it is with yourself. The battle is between you and your mind. Who is in charge? Who is driving your car? Is it you or the mind? Each time you win this internal battle between you and your mind you increase your will power. Each time you lose this battle with the mind, the distractions, the patterns you are caught up in become stronger and have more power over you. ✨✨✨
Move through your life like a hero.

Visiting Sister Irene in Amorgos.

Visiting Sister Irene in Amorgos.

After a long detour where we made a wrong turn and ended up taking a beautiful winding road across the island we finally got back on the main road and headed to see Irene at another monastery. Sister Irene is such a special woman. I love visiting her when I come to Amorgos. She has put so much energy and so much love into taking care of her monastery. It’s beautiful!

Following the journey!

Following the journey!

Woke up early today to go to the port. Headed back to Athens for a weekend of teaching at Siddhi Yoga Shala and Pano Skylos. One of the great things about getting up so early to catch the ferry this morning was seeing the incredible sky before the morning sunrise. Wow! There’s been so many breathtaking moments this week. I am sad to leave Amorgos. But I am excited about the next adventure. The journey continues. Where is your journey taking you next?

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis!

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis!

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis! Athens is such a beautiful city. I’ve spent the last two days walking around and exploring little, narrow cobblestone streets, cute cafes — with incredibly fresh food, and checking out some of the beautiful architecture and historic buildings here. The city has a really nice vibe. I’m so glad I’ll be back next week and get to do a little more sight seeing. I’m teaching classes and workshops next weekend at Panos Skylos and Upward Dog Yoga! Excited to practice with you again Athens Yogis.

Celebration dinner!

Celebration dinner!

Celebration dinner on Saturday night at Mako Restaurant! So good. Love this restaurant. Good food and great company. It always feels so good when we complete one of these training programs but also a little sad that it is over. Make sure you are breathing into every moment. Soak it up! This is your life. It’s happening right here and right now.

Separation exists in the mind.

Separation exists in the mind.


Hanging out in Bali after a photo shoot with some new friends. Yoga allows each of us to experience our true nature. Who are you at the center of your Self?
You are the experience of awareness experiencing itself. You are not the witness, but the experience of witnessing. You are not the lover, but the experience of loving. You are not compassionate, but the experience of compassion. You are not kind, but the experience of kindness.
Expansive. Beyond time and space. You are everywhere and nowhere. You are pure love. Separation exists only in your mind, and because of your ego.
Imagine, for moment, it’s as if there’s no you and no me. Just for a moment, there’s no separation.
We are travelers on a journey —home, to experience who we really are, underneath all the layers of who we thought we were.

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If you can control your breath...

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If you can control your breath...

One of the things I love about teaching with a translator is how it slows everything down.
Slowly moving with the breath is really where it’s at in a flowing practice. If you can control your breath, you can control your mind.
Let the breath lead the movement and let the breath wrap around the movement. The breath starts and then the movement starts. The movement finishes and then the breath finishes. This way there’s always going to be pauses. There’s always going to be control. Who’s driving your car? You are. Enjoy the dance between the movement and the stillness. Holding these opposites at the same time is the paradox that allows us to have a deeper, transformational experience. Concentrate but also surrender.
Practicing a slow flow that is connected to the breath will help you stay calm and keep you out of the default network of your brain - where it will be hard for you to not react and get caught up in everything that is coming up for you and just trying to process. Think of the four parts of the breath. There’s a little moment of stillness where the inhale meets the exhale, and another little moment of stillness where the exhale meets the inhale.
I love flowing with my students! I always practice a little bit with my students in every class. I find it helps me to connect with the group energy. I also think it reminds the students that I’m just walking the path with them. I’m not on a pedestal. I don’t want to be on a pedestal. We are all just walking home together.

Dr. Richard Miller!

Dr. Richard Miller!

I’ve been practicing Yoga Nidra for over 12 years and teaching it for the past 10 yrs. I’ve been trained in 2 traditions and I found Richard’s knowledge incredible. He helped me connect the dots in a lot of areas and helped me understand what is happening neurologically in different parts of the practice. A few really profound moments where I was able to unlock and make sense of this ancient practice and increase my understanding. When knowledge turns to wisdom! His practice was very powerful as well and it really resonated with me. I’m definitely going to be doing a training with him down the road. Thank you @irestrichardmiller for a really wonderful weekend! Thank you @larrypayneyoga for hosting and all that you do to provide so many opportunities for us to continue to grow and learn. The never ending journey of learning! Feeling very grateful.

Remember "It's just the mind."

Remember "It's just the mind."

Last night my mind was very heavy. I was working on a technical problem with my computer and the cloud and on the phone with a support specialist. It was a long day too. I was getting tired and feeling overwhelmed with the situation. We kept trouble shooting the problem and couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
I could feel myself getting frustrated. I could feel the emotions coming up. I tried not to get attached to them. It was hard. I was agitated.
One of the things that helped me shift my perspective was remembering one day a few years ago, coming up the elevator to the Dharma Yoga Center during one of my trainings with my teacher, Dharma Mittra. I asked Dharma how he was doing and he surprised me when he said that his mind was very heavy that day and very sad. There was a pause and then he shrugged and laughed and said, “but it’s just the mind” and gave me a knowing look, and I understood a little better the concept we talk a lot about in yoga of shifting our perspective.
I always remembered that morning. And it helped a lot last night. I could feel myself getting caught up in my thoughts and the anger and frustration I was feeling. I kept telling myself — it’s just the mind. Let it go. It’s not you. It’s just the mind.
I went to bed and slept well last night and woke up feeling very light and energized. I remember thinking that It was so silly that my mind was so upset and agitated last night. And even sillier that I was getting agitated and upset too.
The mind is always going to be on the roller coaster. But it doesn’t mean that you have to be too. You’re not the thoughts. You’re not the emotions. You are the space between the thoughts. You are the witness of body and mind activities.

Congratulations to my student, Niya!

Congratulations to my student, Niya!

Congratulations to my student, Niya! Niya just completed her post training requirements and is now an official Shiva Yoga teacher and graduate of our 200hr Shiva Yoga Teacher Training program. Niya is the owner of Baja Soul Yoga in Cabo San Lucas. Baja Soul Yoga hosted our program last year. We have another 200hr program coming up at Baja Soul Yoga this summer from July 15- August 16! I’m also excited to be collaborating with Jackie & Jodie Anderson at Kula Yoga in Port Orange, Florida, who will be hosting our Shiva Yoga 300hr Teacher Training program this fall!

The "Tug of War" Practice

The "Tug of War" Practice

A week ago we wrapped up an incredible Shiva Yoga 50hr Intensive at Baja Soul Yoga in Cabo San Lucas! Here’s a few pics from our Backbending Workshop on the last day of the intensive.
It is so important to understand the relationship between the core muscles, and the spinal erectors and the other muscles that take the spine into extension when you are Backbending. One of my teachers used to say that in every backbend there is a little forward fold. When you engage your core while you are Backbending, your backbend actually gets bigger. You create more space. Your spine lengthens. You don’t put so much pressure on your lower back. And you get to stretch your hip flexors. It’s this relationship of opposites and finding the balance between them that can really take us deeper into the practice. Some teachers call these actions and counter actions. I call this the ‘tug of war’ principle. It is the dance that is happening between the agonist and the antagonist muscles all the time. Sometimes there is an equal fight, sometimes one side wins, but the other side doesn’t just drop the rope and give up. The antagonist is still fighting, just like the villain at the end of the movie, who rarely throws in the towel and goes quietly away.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!

Thank you for the birthday wishes!

I had a wonderful dinner last night at Gracias Madre. Lots of calls and texts from family and friends. Lots of emails and messages and posts on Facebook. Grateful for all of you who are a part of my life. It’s been a wonderful start to the year. I’m excited for the journey ahead. Lots of love to everyone. Thank you for your love, friendship, and kind words. And thank you for being a part of my life. I feel very blessed. Namaste.

Call 310.800.8614
mail@garthhewittyoga.com