A book that is filled with poems, thoughts, and essays that celebrate Hatha yoga and the quest for self-knowledge. All writings are drawn from David's ongoing Ashtanga journal.

Forward to book by editor Joy Marzec

I have one memory from the first mysore class I took with David. I was laying down in Savasana and I heard really strange music. I looked up and David was playing an odd instrument. I liked the music. I was able to settle into my pose more, and then after a few minutes David started to sing. I thought his voice was beautiful, and like a flash of lighting one thought blasted through my mind, “I’ve found my teacher.” 

August 2014 was the start of my 11th year studying under certified Ashtanga teacher David Garrigues. Everyday, Sunday to Friday at 6am, David and I drop into our roles of teacher and student. The secrets he has unselfishly taught me and the yoga I have discovered would not have happened, and continue to happen, if he did not patiently hold my hand through each step of my wild yogic journey. At 9am our relationship dynamic switches and we are back to our roles as life partners.

Being David’s partner means that I have the unique opportunity to witness David’s passion for hatha yoga and specifically his lineage of Ashtanga. Besides discovering yoga through his practice, he also explores ideas, concepts, struggles and teaching methods through his writings. His writings range from published articles, journal entries, poetry, yantra drawings, or even quick notes written on the back of envelopes or napkins. David is always thinking about the practice and it’s inevitable that during the day I will pick up one of his notebooks to either gain insight or inspiration for my own practice.

A few years ago I decided that compiling all of this writing into a book would be an amazing resource for his students, and so I have chosen some of my favorite articles, drawings, quotes and entries from his journals that have helped me along my path in the hopes that it will help other practitioners.

I have also compiled this book as a tribute to David. I suppose it’s a love letter to the teacher who has unselfishly taught me over the past 11 years and continues to have patience and a deep care for my practice. When I was 22 I asked David what he thought life was about and he said, “I believe it’s about sticking to something no matter what, even when it’s bad. You stick to it and play it all the way through to the end.”

Sample Pages