DC Yoga Podcast - Doug Keller Part 1

DC Yoga Podcast Episode 39a- Participating in the World instead of Renouncing it - Studying Philosophy at Georgetown and Fordham - Meditation as the introduction to yoga - Learning from Swami Muktananda - The connection between flexible hamstrings and spirituality - Unlocking prana through asana - Living in an Ashram in India for 7 years...starting in the kitchen - Ego stretching and getting out of the intellectual mind - Relationship between temperament and environment - The balance between Grace and Effort - The surprise of and attachment to profound experiences - Being deconstructed physiologially - Leaving academia for a life of Experience - Self awareness to realize what you need to let go of - Tracing thoughts back to the wellspring - Finding the knots within - Working to make the ego transparent instead of discarding it entirely - Tantric yoga and gurus vs. Hatha yoga without - Recognizing truth you already know instead of adopting another's truth - Meister Eckhart - And finally...teaching asana. Bio: Doug Keller’s background reflects a lifelong commitment to studying, imbibing and sharing the vast field of knowledge and practice known as yoga. After receiving honors and graduate degrees in philosophy from the top Jesuit universities in the United States, Georgetown and Fordham Universities, and teaching philosophy at a college level for several years, he then pursued his ‘post-graduate’ education in the practical experience of yoga at the Siddha Meditation Ashram, Gurudev Siddha Peeth in India, for seven years. He spent a total of 14 years doing service, practicing, training in and teaching yoga in Siddha Meditation Ashrams worldwide. He received intensive training in the Iyengar system in New York City, mainly with senior certified Iyengar teacher Kevin Gardiner. He also practiced Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in India, and became one of the first certified Anusara Yoga teachers, producing three highly respected books on asana, pranayama and yoga philosophy. His further expansion in learning is reflected in his latest and most in-depth work, ‘Yoga as Therapy,’ which is truly one of the most comprehensive, innovative and useful treatments of the structural aspect of yoga therapy available. And for three years he was a regular columnist for Yoga+ Magazine (formerly Yoga International, published by the Himalayan Institute), writing the ‘Asana Solutions’ column that addresses specific therapeutic problems. He is at the highest level of certification with Yoga Alliance, ERYT500, and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. For more about Doug: http://www.doyoga.com/about-us.htm