Magic and the Mysore Yoga Tradition with Andrew Eppler
Merry Christmas! For this year-end special we have a little present for you all. Some Magic!
We would like to introduce you to an incredibly interesting practitioner and teacher, Andrew Eppler. At one time, he was a kind of young-prince in the Ashtanga Yoga culture. Introduced to the practice by the late Cliff Barber as a 14 year old. He was Guy Donahaye’s first Ashtanga teacher in Oxford when he was assisting Danny Paradise, as a 19 year old.
Andrew has given us all an incredible gift. He has made and produced the documentary film: The Mysore Yoga Traditions. This film is a deep dive into the myriad practices and teachers, who are alive, available, and relevant in Mysore today.
“Tradition” is a funny word. It comes from the Latin Tradere: to hold on to. And so, quite literally means attachment.
But it begs the question: How can we have a system to reproduce enlightenment without being attached to certain things?
Does enlightenment arise spontaneously? Or do we need to cultivate and nurture the conditions to support this arousal?
“Yoga was a great protection. Travelling the world and living out of a suitcase, doing magic tricks on the street, with no shoes and a top hat, practicing and teaching yoga, and giving bodywork, doing whatever I needed to make it from place to place, until I knew I could stay travelling forever, but chose to go home and put down roots.”
Andrew Eppler began practicing yoga with his father, Ray Eppler, at age 14. Cliff Barber was their first teacher. Three years later, Andrew began travelling the world, studying with many teachers including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Mr. BNS Iyengar, Cliff Barber, David Williams and Danny Paradise.
In 1992, Andrew lived with David Williams for several weeks, and continued to visit and practice with him over the next 18 years. Enjoying a friendship forged in yoga, trust and admiration. David's views on yoga were very influential for Andrew.
Andrew continued to journey to Mysore to study pranayama, philosophy, and mudras with Sri BNS Iyengar. The ascetic lifestyle and unconventional views of Cliff Barber, which included living outdoors, going barefoot, practising in nature, and cooking on an open fire, have also been one of the main influences in Andrew’s understanding of yoga.
And then there was Danny Paradise, who convinced Andrew to travel to India for the first time at the age of 18, opening Andrew's eyes to a new way of seeing the world. He stoked the fire of Andrew’s strong nomadic tendencies: "I think through his guidance, perhaps more than anyone else, I came to see myself as a citizen of the world."
Andrew also studied magic and enjoys diving into anything that seems to be impossible. He is well known as The Yogi Magician. He’s the owner and director of Ashtanga Yoga Studio in Oklahoma, founded in 1999.
Join the Mysore Yoga Conference with Andrew and many other teachers online: February 8-18, 2022
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANDREW
INSTAGRAM I WEBSITE I MYSORE YOGA TRADITIONS DOCUMENTARY
Mysore Yoga Conference I Teacher Training
Listen Now…
The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.”
Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Click Here.
To purchase your own copy - Click Here.
