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

Alison Rose Gray 1952-2018

Photo of Alison smiling, standing arms and legs spread, on the beach.

Walking out of the Manning Great Lakes Memorial chapel yesterday, I overheard a couple talking. He said, 'We used to go to weddings.' I completely got him. The service that I had just attended was the fifth funeral in the last year, with nary a wedding in sight.

Alison Rose Gray was one of my first students when I began teaching in the Yoga Shed eight years ago. She loved yoga and would often enrol friends in coming along with her. There was a long period where I didn't see Ali, even though she lived at Manning Point, on Mitchells Island. She may have been busy looking after her aged mother, or just dealing with life.

I learned more about Ali at her service than I ever did from her attendance in my classes. I feel sad that I didn't befriend her. She had a tough early life and then had a sudden spiritual epiphany. This led Ali to stop drinking and dedicate herself to a life of service. Person after person at her funeral eulogised Ali for the kindnesses she bestowed on them. At the same time, she had demons. Ali wrote a prayer in her journal, 'I want to be more God and less me.'

I was happy to see Ali back on the mat when we returned to classes after the summer break. But she was unwell and halfway through that first class, she had to leave. No one knew how very sick Ali was at first. After weeks and weeks of pain, Ali was finally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This is a particularly wicked disease, with the highest mortality rate compared with all other cancers. Ali's diagnosis came too late for her to undergo treatment.

There are things to learn from each person's death and from attending funeral services, too. As a palliative care volunteer for these last three years, my patients have taught me that the Grim Reaper isn't necessarily grim. The last patient I visited until her death reminds me a little of Ali. They were both free spirits. This patient had famously said, 'I didn't know dying could be fun.' It made all the difference that she was surrounded by loving friends as well as a community that she had cultivated and contributed to for decades.

Ali's service reminded me of how worthwhile a life of service can be.  But being of service is elevated to another level when we understand that the Other is the same as us.

So, I dedicate my favourite yoga aphorism to Alison Rose Gray.

When I don't know who I am, I serve you.

When I know who I am, I am you.

 

 

 

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Alison Rose Gray 1952-2018

Walking out of the Manning Great Lakes Memorial chapel yesterday, I overheard a couple talking. He said, ‘We used to go to weddings.’ I completely got him. The service that I had just attended was the fifth funeral in the last year, with nary a wedding in sight.

Alison Rose Gray was one of my first students when I began teaching in the Yoga Shed eight years ago. She loved yoga and would often enrol friends in coming along with her. […]

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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.