You know that episode where you introduce your guest and you do it all wrong? And then he has to stop you -very politely- to make corrections? Well, this is one of those episodes...
But the good thing is Matthew Sweeney is a really cool guy, he was not disappointed and he wanted to correct things because he has two partners on the beautiful yoga place they share in Ubud, in paradise Bali, and so he told me.
And I left it on the podcast because I think it is good that you hear the spontaneity of how it all went.
I met Matthew through a photograph. And it is not as woo-woo as it sounds...
We were in Mysore, it was 2008, and one night, during one of those frequent electric cuts, my friend Martina and I started looking at his book "Ashtanga Yoga As It Is".
We looked specifically at the advanced postures, like, pick any of the photos in the sample page below... like really, ANY...
Then we would look at each other, Martina and I, over the flickering candle light and go:
"Noooooo... That is impossible!"
What I love about Matthew is that he works very hard at the practice, at teaching it and at keeping it real.
He has "beef" with the usual teacher trainings when they are impersonal and the teacher does not get to know the students (think those courses that teach more than a hundred at the time).
He also does not believe that one system can be good for "everyone", because he has seen the results...
People leave the practice when it is too rigid, when it won't adjust to the issues and the lifestyles and DNA of each individual person.
And that is sad.
He is also adamant about getting to know personally the people who will go in the world and teach what he teaches.
His teacher trainings have many levels, but they are not there to annoy anyone, but rather to build a solid relationship, to do it right.
And, because his practice is so extensive and has happened over such a long period of time, he has created his own sequences, which you can download (see about Matthew section at the bottom of the email)
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
- The restaurant he is opening in Bali, at the yoga retreat, and what they will serve (hint: I love dosas)
- His experience with Pattabhi Jois (who received him before he even got out of the taxi cab)
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Matthew's teaching space in Bali |
- The differences between the approaches of Iyengar and Jois
- What happens we you practice yoga and you want to be "honest" about it
- Matthew's personal definition of yoga today... which has to do with what is happening to you now
- How the issues of food and sex need to be resolved for a proper asana and yoga practice in full to work
- The different levels of kindness
- How he has become "uncool" (in certain areas) in front of his 16 year-old daughter
- How we was inspired to create the posters that eventually became books by Darma Mitra
- Matthew's big beef with most yoga teacher trainings
- How the "moon sequence" that he developed, helps bring some balance (satvic energy) to the extreme (rajasic) practices some of us do
- How he teaches pranayama and when
- What is the one thing that took him a long time to understand
ABOUT MATHEW
Workshops and Retreats 2015 and 2016
Newsletter sign-up for updates from Matthew
DVDs books and posters (available for instant download as well)
TRANSCRIPT
Claudia Altucher: Hello and welcome to the Yoga Podcast. I am thrilled today to have Matthew Sweeney with me. Matthew is the director of the Yoga Shala Bali in Ubud. He is a yoga teacher, a Star Wars fan, and a twice black belt in martial arts. Matthew has explored and practiced four, or even five I think, of the Ashtanga Yoga series of Sri Jois, who is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga, as well as the teachings of Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, among many other teachers and trains of thoughts.
He started teaching yoga in 1996; at first Ashtanga Yoga, but as he went on he received thousands of students with unique challenges and he developed his own sequences. He is the author of two books, Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, and Vinyasa Krama, in which he explores the sequences –
Matthew Sweeney: I’m sorry. We might need to interrupt that because I think a couple of things are incorrect there. I might need to revisit.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, please, please correct. Tell me.
Matthew Sweeney: Okay, just the start because I’m not the director of the Shala Bali here. There are three shareholders, so if the other shareholders heard that they would probably be a bit upset with me. So maybe we restart that one. And the other one is – I remember this, I’ve just got to think about it – the year that I started. I started teaching in 1992.
Claudia Altucher: In 1992. Would you mind if we leave this like this because I think it’s spontaneous and it’s good and then your partners hear how loyal you are, which is a great thing. I’m sorry about this, that I didn’t have it right.
Matthew Sweeney: No, no. It’s not a problem, it’s just I don’t want to get in trouble.
Claudia Altucher: Of course. I understand. And it’s good to know you started in 1992, then. I had that – I didn’t get that right so I’m glad you told me. But I do know, and this perhaps you also have some DVD’s that can be downloaded with two sequences, Vinyasa Unlocked and the Moon Sequence. Is that right?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s correct.
Claudia Altucher: Yes, and many posters of sequences that are quite impressive.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes.
Claudia Altucher: So I didn’t quite get the bio right, but Matthew is here to help which is a great thing. So Matthew, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming in.
Matthew Sweeney: No, thanks for having me.
Claudia Altucher: So it’s 6:00 p.m. there in Bali?
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, that’s right.
Claudia Altucher: What did you do today?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, today we rode around looking for furniture and bits of – tables and chairs for a little Indian Dosa restaurant that we’re starting to create.
Claudia Altucher: Nice. Is that together with –
Matthew Sweeney: A little Indian restaurant called Dosa Corner.
Claudia Altucher: Very nice. I love Dosa’s.
Matthew Sweeney: Yes, I know. So do I. I love South Indian food, so yeah we thought we’d – there’s not good South Indian so much here in Bali so we thought we’d make a good little sort of, yeah, chi shop and Tiffin.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, how nice. So this is in – this retreat where you’re teaching, which you share with other partners, and it looks amazing in the photographs. It looks really nice overlooking rice fields and –
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah.
Claudia Altucher: That looks really, really nice.
Matthew Sweeney: Yeah, it’s lovely.
Claudia Altucher: And let me ask you, so what’s the weather like there?
Matthew Sweeney: Ah, well hot and – hot and humid pretty much all year around, though at the moment it’s nice because it’s raining almost every afternoon so it cools off.
Claudia Altucher: That’s good. When was the last time you saw the snow?
Matthew Sweeney: [Laughs] That’s an odd question. Oh, a long time ago. I think the last time I really saw snow was probably in Germany in 1993 or ’94.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, because in all your pictures you look like there’s always sunshine around you and you inspire me because I thought if I follow Matthew’s teaching I’ll probably never see snow again, which –
Matthew Sweeney: I mean I have to say, I’ve actually been talking to my partner, Lauren, about this. She really wants to have a white Christmas somewhere so we’ll probably go and do the snow in one or two – well, not this Christmas but maybe the Christmas after that.
Claudia Altucher: Oh, okay. Well, you know –
Matthew Sweeney: It’s not that I’m against the snow, it’s just that I love _____ -
Claudia Altucher: Warm weather.
Matthew Sweeney: And warm weather.
Claudia Altucher: Yeah, me too.
Matthew Sweeney: I like the snow. I like the snow for one week of the year, but that’s all.
Claudia Altucher: We’re exactly the same. We have a nor’easter coming in here in New York, so it’s going to start snowing any time, so it’s a lot of fun. And I have some good news for you. You’re a big Star Wars fan and I understand this weekend the first trailer or the new movie is coming out.
Matthew Sweeney: Oh, yeah. I heard some rumors of this, so yeah, I’m very curious. I loved the first three movies and the following three, they were okay. They just scratched the Star Wars funny bone. So yeah, we’ll see what the next are load are like.
Claudia Altucher: That’s how you started into yoga, right, martial arts and Star Wars? What was it about martial arts that got you thinking along these lines?
Matthew Sweeney: Oh well, I love – I guess I love Bruce Lee and all of that kind of stuff. I grew up wanting to be, I don’t know –