To Do Yoga Assists Or Not? #Yoga #MeToo #YogaAssists

My teacher,  Manju Jois, doing assist.

By Allen Barkus


To Assist or Not? To me one of the best things in a yoga class is getting a great assist helping me to go deeper into my asana/pose. Unfortunately whether to give assists or not has become a big issue to studios and teachers in classes largely due to the pervasive culture of abuse that we live in. Even in the yoga community there are accusations of abuse, something I find very disturbing.

How Studios and Teachers deal with the Assist Issue- Some studios and gyms have no touching policies and some distribute cards or have other ways for students to give permission to get assists. My approach has become much more personal asking individually if there are any things I need to know about their specific issues that day that could include stomach issues, back issues, strains and menstrual; whatever they wish to share for me to adjust their practice to their individual needs.

Self Empowerment-  One of the things I have also found disturbing is people do not always speak up, giving others power over them. I've heard people say "it was ok because" who the person was. In one case a woman told me a well known yoga guru did a very invasive assist but it was ok since he knew what he was doing.

It is Okay to Say No- I honestly expect in most cases people don't know when they are being too intrusive and they may assume it is okay if someone does not speak up. Some are even naturally affectionate like Joe Biden.
I think it is best to address the issue as quickly as possible with the person in private, ideally say no when happening.

By Allen Barkus. Allen has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. His initial teacher training was with David Swenson and has been the student of Manju Jois since 2004. Manju, along with his father, introduced Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga to America in 1975. His studies focus on Healing Therapy. He is available in Philadelphia for private lessons and clinics and travels around the world teaching clinics. www.AshtangabyAllen.com

Every-Body Can Benefit From Yoga By Allen Barkus, www.AshtangabyAllen.com #Yoga #yogaForAllBodies #Ashtanga #AshtangaYoga

Every-Body can benefit from yoga -As a yoga teacher one of the most common things I hear is I can't do yoga "because I am not flexible". In fact some of the more advanced yogis I've met could not touch their feet when they started. I have even had students that were obese, with accompanying physical issues including back and joint problems, that are now fit and back to their normal active lives. One of those people is a doctor who had a series of injuries leading to weight gain, balance and other issues; demonstrating that anyone can be vulnerable to these type issues.

Body Acceptance -  I think people have always been more judgemental on themselves, sensitive to things most other people do not really care about. Therefore we have a multi-billion dollar plastic and cosmetic surgery industry largely playing on people's insecurities.

Big is Beautiful- Yes our bodies in all shapes and sizes are beautiful and a miracle that we exist and function. I once dated a doctor newly finishing her medical education and she found it frightening how many things could go wrong with our bodies, even the slightest imbalances could make us sick or kill us. What I find very disappointing is that our current generation may be the first not to outlive our parents due to lifestyle including drug abuse and obesity.  

  Lack of Exercise and Bad Diets- The shift to sedentary lifestyles in our society and acceptance of fast, engineered, foods has helped to cause health issues. Fortunately food-wise we are seeing  trend towards better affordable healthier options at places like Aldi and real-food alternatives to McDonalds.  I personally do not believe in diets since they are typically not sustainable long-term, rather making simple alternatives that can include smaller portions and ways to reduce fat and sugars with natural alternatives. I am personally using stevia in my coffee at home, using applesauce and bananas to reduce fat in baking, and gave up meat while continuing to eat seafood. You just have to find what works for you.

 As for exercise..Yes any-body can benefit from yoga or just take a walk, use stairs at work or when shopping, and/or park your car a little further than usual. It all adds up.


By Allen Barkus. Allen has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. His initial teacher training was with David Swenson and has been the student of Manju Jois since 2004. Manju, along with his father, introduced Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga to America in 1975. His studies focus on Healing Therapy. He is available in Philadelphia for private lessons and clinics and travels around the world teaching clinics. www.AshtangabyAllen.com

Is Ashtanga The Most Misunderstood Yoga Practice? #Yoga #Ashtanga #AshtangaYoga

By Allen Barkus


Is Ashtanga Yoga

misunderstood? When the word Ashtanga is introduced to yoga most people only picture in their minds people doing a very physically challenging practice, more like gymnastics. 

 I've actually taught Ashtanga to all types of people 15-85 including with/recovering from different types of cancer, obese (one person lost 70 pounds in 8 months, no other lifestyle changes), recovering from injuries and surgeries,children and even a woman with emphysema and COPD. Yes I've also taught athletes including a teen at the University of Pennsylvania, a baseball player and a marathon runner.

I teach the traditional practice as taught by Manju Jois, who brought Ashtanga/vinyasa yoga to America in 1975 along with his father. Since 2004 he has been my exclusive teacher for advanced studies into the intermediate practice. The greatest influence Manju has had on me is what the practice in intended for, healing of both the mind and body.

What is Ashtanga Yoga? Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of healing in the Hindu tradition: Asta=Eight

Anga=Limbs

Yoga=Union

"The Eight Limbs of Yoga"

The author of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali, described yoga as eight limbs of a tree: Yama, ethical disciplines; Niyama, self observation; Asana, posture; Pranayama, breath control; sense withdraw; Dharma, meditation; and Samadi, a state of joy and peace. Therefore possibly one of the greatest misconceptions of yoga is that it is purely a physical practice.

The physical practice was first recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, taught to Pattabhi Jois by T Krishnamacharya. This system links the asanas with vinyasas (connecting movements), with pranayama (breath), drishti (visual focal points) and bandas (internal energy locks)

By Allen Barkus. Allen has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. His initial teacher training was with David Swenson and has been the student of Manju Jois since 2004. Manju, along with his father, introduced Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga to America in 1975. His studies focus on Healing Therapy. He is available in Philadelphia for private lessons and clinics and travels around the world teaching clinics. www.AshtangabyAllen.com