johannkotzeyoga

Video of Johann Kotze on his yoga practice

J Kotze — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:04:32 +0000

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I was interested in self-realisation before I started yoga, or even before I knew the word. When I taught myself yoga, from a book, much of what interested me became an actual practice. Practice as opposed to theory. What appealed to me most about the yoga in the book was its overlap of philosophy with a physical practice and spirituality. Or sacredness. This physicality was focussed on health, not winning, a gymnastics without the sport, and the absurd notion that there can only be one winner. It’s self-knowledge wasn’t the disaster of intellectual existentialism, and was untainted by the dogma of religion.

And yet the physical pleasure of asana and breathing provide profound meditation, to illuminate my Western world of material reality, sport and intellectual pursuits, and anchor that in a holistic background.

Sound of Yoga: Mantra Monk Music

J Kotze — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 08:04:00 +0000

The music video clips below are of three diverse music genres, fused into one… Iron Monk Mantra Blues… chant/overtone voice with slide guitar, keyboard, and singing bowl. Iron Monk is the working title for the sound of the 1st video, which is new music for my Ambient Hypnosis Music label. I am working these sounds into a new set for live performance for my NADA Yoga Music Project. The 2020 plan is to continue with more Sound & Yoga events – link for live dates.

Vibratory frequencies… sound activates, or tunes the chakras… to higher geometries… now those words may appear as esoteric fluff, yet they are simply pointing to how the BodyMind may be attuned to non-physical plains… yoga… music… sound… breath… timespace… The Way… of All That Is…

A blend of blues with mantra. Kundalini chant with electric guitar… chase the devils away… Mojo Rises…

Straight forward OM to Shiva… Creator… Creation… Consciousness.

Yours in Love & Light, in Yoga & Sound,
Johann, Cape Town
22 January 2020.

Relaxed Yoga – pragmatic, happy living, if you will

J Kotze — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:26:21 +0000

For me yoga has a big chill-out appeal… consciously, in the BodyMind. My classes have a distinct motivation to restore, the body and mind. At the Ananda Kutir Ashram, based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda, there was a course stretching over several years in remedial yoga. We had therapeutic yoga decades before the hype around yin yoga, and because Sivananda hatha yoga always has a core component of deep relaxation and /or Nidra.

Yoga carries a deep obligation to create restful care for its practitioners. In the same hatha practice we were taught deep awareness of the Vedas, and Self-realisation. In such Yoga relaxing is is not only “doing nothing”, but being at ease in the BodyMind (the ancient yogic metaphysical self) in the world. Or how we are in life. Being relaxed, in life is functional as well as liberating. Pragmatic, happy living, if you will

We also learned the wonderful remedial yoga of B.K.S. Desikichar, son of Krishnamacharya, and father of modern yoga. Such a privilege. With deep gratitude to Swami Parvathi and Mother Yogesh, Swami Venkatsendanda and Swami Sivananda.

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For me yoga always has a big chillout appeal… consciously, in the BodyMind. #johannkotzeyoga #yinyoga #restorativeyoga

A post shared by Johann Kotze Music & Yoga (@johannkotzemusicandyoga) on Nov 26, 2019 at 11:31pm PST