Yoga with

Eve Grzybowski

I've been teaching yoga since 1980.  A lot of my identity is tied up with being a yoga teacher.  What does that mean?  What should that mean? On this site I explore my personal journey and provide commentary on the state of yoga in the twenty-first century. I invite you to have a look and see what may be here for you.

 
Photo by: Julie Slavin Photography, Old Bar

Eve Grzybowski - Home

Featured videos from my YouTube channel

I've been adding meditations, short instructional video and an ever-growing selection of complete yoga classes.  Click on any of these below videos to view them directly.  Or click on the button below to explore the entire channel.

Access all videos by clicking on any of these buttons. 

Current Post

Take Care: Pedestals Are for Statues Not People

 

Years ago I had osteoarthritis of both hips. I had hip replacement surgery in 2010 and have gone from strength to strength since then.

However the period when I was first diagnosed was hell for me. My ego felt crushed like a stepped-on grape. I was convinced that the orthopaedic surgeon's diagnosis spelled career suicide for me as a yoga teacher. The idea of my sporting artificial hips filled me with dread and resistance.

I certainly didn't want any yoga students to know I was less than perfect. I only wanted to present a healthy, ever-youthful image. That is what a yoga teacher is meant to be, isn't it? I had put myself on the pedestal and wasn't ready to step down.

Woody Allen told this story about one of his ex-wives. When they were courting and first married, he placed her on a pedestal. Then, when they divorced, he put her under the pedestal.

That's the trouble with setting yourself up to carry people's projections: they become burdensome and entrap you.

As my arthritis became worse, I couldn't carry anything heavy, like shopping bags. I definitely couldn't carry people's weighty projections.

I started to be more obviously dependent on others for assistance. This coincided with 'outing' myself. I even wrote articles for yoga magazine and journals about me, yoga and arthritis.

The truth is that we all are going to be sick from tlime to time. Maybe we'll even get a disease. Some of us will get to grow old. And one day each of us will die. There really is no escape.

That knowledge is a great platform to stand on. It's a firm one in the way a pedestal can't be because acknowledging our mortality is real.

Yoga isn't an insurance policy. It won't save us. But being constant in our practice is undoubtably fruitful. I can attest to a speedy and thorough rehabilitation post-surgery. This was due to the outstanding physical therapy I underwent. But I know that the mindset I have is something I cultivated in yoga.

Suffering an injury or medical condition is a hard way to learn that the pedestal isn't really all it's cracked up to be. I don't need to be under or above the pedestal. It's just fine to be human.

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Take Care: Pedestals Are for Statues Not People

Years ago I had osteoarthritis of both hips. I had hip replacement surgery in 2010 and have gone from strength to strength since then.

However the period when I was first diagnosed was hell for me. My ego felt crushed like a stepped-on grape. I was convinced that the orthopaedic surgeon’s diagnosis spelled career suicide for me as a yoga teacher. The idea of my sporting artificial hips filled me with dread and resistance.

I certainly didn’t want any yoga students to know I was less than perfect. I only wanted to present a healthy, ever-youthful image. […]

read more
Eve Grzybowski - Home

It's been out of print for 15 or more years but now it's back.  It's available as a paperback as well as a range of digital formats for different devices.  The design of this edition is modelled as closely as possible on the original release from 1997.

Electronic versions:

Paperback version:

(Note: Book retailers set their own prices that are all different and constantly change.  It's worth shopping around for the best price.)

Any bookshop, whether online or bricks and mortar, can order copies of Teach Yourself Yoga.  Just ask and quote ISBN: 978-0-6487945-0-9.

Please send me feedback about the book.  I'd love to hear about any errors or problems with eBooks on various devices.  And please review the book wherever you get it.  Reviews will help more people discover the book.

Eve Grzybowski - Home

Classes and Workshops

I'm currently teaching two weekly classes on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales where I live. I also lead workshops here and in other parts of Australia.

Eve Grzybowski - Home

Visit the Vault!

I've been regularly contributing to this blog since 2009.  There are now over 1250 posts about a very wide range of topics. Click here to explore.

Eve Grzybowski - Home

Yoga Resources

Books, videos, teachers, websites, places to buy really hot yoga clothes (kidding), and generally anything I find that I think others might find useful.

Eve Grzybowski - Home

A Bit About Eve

I've been teaching since I was 35. I'm now 76. In that time there have been a few changes. Click here if you want to find out a bit about my life.

Eve Grzybowski - Home

Shop

No, I'm not selling yoga mats or clothing.  I don't even have a t-shirt... yet.  But from time to time I find myself with something that someone may want.  Have a look, I'm never sure what you'll find.