Customer Reviews

Ashtanga, NY - A Yoga Documentary

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My daughter Wini who practices Ashtanga yoga gave me this DVD to watch. She wanted me to understand exactly what it was that has challenged and inspired her so much for the past few years. Last night I watched the DVD. And I must say that I do now understand.

This is a short documentary, only 41 minutes. And yet, it managed to captivate the essence of what the practice of Ashtanga yoga is. It was shot in September of 2001, during a period of time that Sri K Pattabhi Jois, the 86-year old Indian yoga teacher affectionately know as Guruji, came to New York to hold a large group class for devotees. Every day that month, 250 of his followers practiced yoga at dawn under his watchful eye in a huge room at Chelsea piers. Yes, there were some celebrities there, namely Willem Dafoe, Gwyneth Paltrow and Beastie Boy Mike D, but I only recognized Willem Dafoe who made a comment at the beginning about his need to practice yoga to be able better function in the stimulating atmosphere of New York City.

The practice of Ashtanga yoga is intense. It requires almost daily attendance as well as extremely demanding physical exercises. But whoever practices it seems to come away with a cult-like devotion to it and a feeling of camaraderie with the people who practice it alongside each of them even if they do not know their names or who they are, and a sense of spirituality and well being.

During the period of time this documentary was being made, New York experienced the horrible attacks on 9/11. I remember the feeling of living in New York at the time. I remember the deep sense of sadness and mourning. This comes across quite clearly during a ceremony held by the yoga teacher. And the DVD certainly depicted how the devotees' practice of yoga helped the get through this terrible time.

I was fascinated throughout at this very thoughtful and reverent documentary. And although I knew that my own daughter was not in this particular film, I thought a lot of the yoga students looked a lot like her. It was probably because all of them had lithe, lean and flexible bodies.

Before I saw this film I thought I understood what Ashtanga yoga was about. But seeing it with my own eyes certainly deepened my own understanding.

Recommended.

The brilliant pacing and sophisticated filming of this documentary only allow the humanity of the characters to come through all the more clearly and touchingly. The potential of community action (here, through the lens of a New York yoga studio and the visit of a master yoga teacher) to guide people through even the most devastating of events comes through as a major lesson of this important documentary. I recommend it to everyone, even or especially those who are not yoga practitioners. Great work!

This documentary does a great job in telling the story of the effects Ashtanga (both physically and psychologically) on various practioners. Some you may recognize like William DeFoe and Gwenth Paltrow, but there are others whose stories are equally as interesting. The DVD also provides interviews with Sri K Pattabi Jois and Sharath. The yoga demos are awesome, and the interviews are sincere and warm. If you are a fan of ashtanga then this is a great DVD to watch.

Ashtanga yoga is one of the most physically demanding styles of yoga; it is a precursor to the American "power" yoga which is so popular today. In 2001, the world's most revered ashtanga teacher, Pattabhi Jois, travelled to New York with his family to teach an intensive workshop to hundreds of New Yorkers, including actors Willem Dafoe and Gwyneth Paltrow. This fascinating documentary includes interviews with Dafoe and Paltrow, clips of Jois teaching, amazing demonstrations of yoga asanas (postures) by Jois' son, and glimpses into Jois' family life. All of this is set against the backdrop of the events of September 11th, which took place mid-workshop with obviously profound implications. An engrossing, moving film.

This is a lovely film. The filmmakers started to make a film about an elderly yoga teacher's visit to New York, where he would teach a workshop to hundreds of appreciative yoga students. Halfway through the month-long workshop the terrorist attack of 9/11 occured. The teacher's response to this terrible event - and the response of NY's yoga community, becomes the story.

What really sets the film apart is the total absence of New-Age Yoga Journal BS. Here is a real, living community of individuals just doing their practice, living their lives, and thinking critically, and supporting each other in a time of crisis.

Celebrity commentary and appearances of Paltrow, Beastie Boy Mike D, and Willem Dafoe, who has a particularily amazing yoga practice.

You won't walk away with the specifics of Ashtanga, but rather, a deeper appreciation of the physical practice as well as a spiritual understanding of how the lives of people who practice Ashtanga have been transformed. There was very little talk about what Ashtanga really is, so if you're looking to find out more about it, you won't find it on this video.

This documentary provides a glimpse into the world of Pattabhi Jois ("Guruji"), his lifelong commitment to teaching Ashtanga, and his trip to New York for a month-long yoga workshop with members of his family.

There a few celebrity appearances and a LOT of "how I feel" from "normal" people whose lives have changed because of Ashtanga. Although I could relate to these people, it began to get tiring after awhile.

What was refreshing was how Ashtanga and Guruji helped people in the classes to cope with the Sept. 11 attacks, including the ritual they conducted to honor those who perished in and affected by the attacks, that as one person said was thousands of years old and not something that was specially planned for the tragedy.

I've been practicing Ashtanga for 6 months and after watching this video, I suddenly felt connected to something that was older and so much larger than what I do on my sticky mat every week.

An inspirational account of Sri. KP Jois's, (and family) visit to NYC for a month-long workshop. During this historic 2001 teaching visit, 9/11 occurred and we are given a very intimate view of lower Manhattan and the Ashtanga yoga community dealing with this horrific tragedy.
Lovely on so many levels. Not a slick high-budget film, but rather a cinema verite offering us very personal accounts of how the practice has changed lives, and how we coped with indescribable tragedy.
Beautiful evocative music by Jason Crigler.

I was there and witness these things. It is a simple yet wonderful depiction of what happened. Whenever I need a lift or a reminder of what my practice is, I put on this video.

the film portrays Guruji's month long workshop in NYC. Right in the middle of it was Sept 11th. The film touches that pretty deeply and this gives an emotional component to it that wouldn't have been there if the workshop had taken place at any other time. some of the interviews are a little trite and pretentious, but it gives a nice up close look at Pattabhi Jois, Sharath, and the rest of his family. It also does some justice to the benifits of Ashtanga yoga. It's worth watching. I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'll watch again and again.

This movie really touched me. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it because I don't know much about Ashtanga yoga. Not only do you get a glimpse of one of the greatest gurus of our time at work, but you hear how this practice affects those who do it on many levels. It shows not only the physical side of yoga, but the community of yoga. I've seen it 4 times, and am still moved when I watch it.