Lineage and Authority in Ashtanga Yoga
Michael Joel Hall discusses the complexities of lineage and authority within the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.
Optimize Student Growth with CRM Tools – Here’s How!
Ever wondered how to take your students’ engagement to the next level?
Pratyahara via Digital Detox: Unlock Clarity!
Feeling drained in our hyper-connected world?
Ashtanga: Healthy Ambition for Collaboration Instead of Competition
Is your competition truly ‘friendly,’ or is it just burning you out?
5 Ways Radical Candor Makes Better Yoga Teachers
Embracing Radical Candor in yoga instruction—balancing direct feedback with genuine care—can enhance teaching beyond standard adjustments: Visit michaeljoelhall.com/coaching to book…
Stress and Autoimmune Disease: The Documented Link
A 2018 study of over 100,000 people found that stress-related disorders significantly increased the risk of autoimmune disease, underscoring the value of stress-reducing practices.
Is Two Teachers One Too Many?
This is a video about the Ashtanga Yoga Dilemma: Is Two Teachers One Too Many?
Stretching vs. Owning
There is a difference between reaching for a position and owning it. The reach is what most yoga gives you. The ownership is what the practice eventually demands. The practitioner who confuses the two will arrive at intermediate series with hamstrings that touch the floor in paschimottanasana and a hip that cannot lift the leg…
“Open Your Knee” Is a Cue That Costs Money
The straight knee cannot rotate. The screw-home mechanism — the asymmetry between the medial and lateral femoral condyles — locks the joint at full extension by design. Telling a student in Trikonasana to “open the knee” while the leg is straight is mechanically the same as telling them to slowly damage their medial collateral ligament.…
Never Say Never
A 72-year-old future doctor reminded me that practice isn’t about being ready—it’s about showing up, again, on purpose.