YM: Where did your yoga path begin?
CH: I have some early memories of being 3-4 years old of and staring at the wall in my room and watching it change colors and chanting OM to make my head and ears ring different ways. Later as a boy I would go around at my parent's dinner and cocktail parties and show people my uddiyana bundha with my breath held out to help spark up conversation. Later, as a competitive swimmer, we would stretch everyday before our workout. In college, I studied some Eastern philosophy and my first yoga class was at Walt and Magana Baptiste's studio in San Francisco (Baron's parents).
 
YM: What is Ashtanga Yoga?
CH: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a traditional style of hath yoga that is taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore South India www.ayri.org. It has it's roots in an ancient text called the Yoga Korunta. This text was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927. It is the source of most all vinyasa, power and flow style yoga styles that are present in the West today.
     Ashtanga Yoga is the 8 limbed path of conscious living and spiritual practice that guides one towards self knowledge, liberation and a cessation of personal suffering. It is presented in the Yoga Sutras which was complied by the great sage Patanjali around the time of Christ. Asana  (yoga postures) is the 3rd of these 8 limbs.
 
TM: What do you love about Ashtanga Yoga?
CH: There are several things that are unique to Ashtanga yoga that keep me coming back for more. I enjoy the internal and meditative qualities of the internal energy locks (bandhas) and gazing with the eyes (dristhi). The breath during Ashtanga yoga (ujayi pranayama) allows me to have direct experience with my body's subtle energy (prana). This breath, when linked with the movements of the asanas (vinyasas) enables one to direct prana towards the heart, throat and higher centers in the brain for a refined concious experience inside & out. There is an endless progression of challenges and humility in the different series' (primary, intermediate, advanced, etc.) and it being a daily practice, the asanas and method of Ashtanga yoga become a consistant and self revealing mirror or sounding board in which to witness the everchanging mind and body. Basically, when I practice, my body feels good and my mind is clearer. I am kinder to myself and others and I feel that I am growing.
       
YM: What is Greenpath Yoga?
CH: Greenpath Yoga is a means to get reconnected with one's own self, others and nature through the practice of yoga. Meditating through sunrise, practicing asana, studying traditional yogic texts, music & chanting, vedic fire ceremonies, environmental education and communion, creating community and making friends are all limbs of the tree of Greenpath Yoga. The term Greenpath was coined by my longtime mentor, Greensufi www.yoga4health.com
 
YM: Your studio was green before it was popular to do so!  Please tell us about the Green Yoga Association and why it is so important.
CH: By nature, yogis are environmentally concsious. At Greenpath, we opened just a few days after September 11, 2001 and we were one of the first to stand up and really put it out there that leaving a lighter footprint is simply the right thing to do. David Lurey & I helped Laura Cornell get the Green Yoga Association on its feet in it's infantcy. The organization grew from there and continues to demonstrate that is is possible to Green any business or organization. The traditional teachings of yoga are rooted in non-violence, honoring nature and conserving energy. This wisdom is eternal (sanatana dharma). A group such as the Green Yoga Association is significant today because we need role models and trailblaizers to bust our minds and actions out of the box in such a way that we become an example of the change that we wanted to see in the world. www.greenyoga.org
 
YM: What progress have you seen in the green/yoga movement over the past 10 years?
CH: We are increasingly taking these traditional teachings of yoga (non-violence, honoring nature and conserving energy) and using that wisdom to guide us in the marketplace (yoga mats, cars, construction materials and methods, alternative energy, organic clothing and food, etc.) This this is slowly getting the powers that be by the gonads and they are now reminding us that it is cool to be green.
 
YM: What are some of the most common mistakes that people make when trying to go green?
CH: People think that they have to green everything in their life and their world all at once. Start with small things like buying recycled paper products, using a thermos or mug instead of a paper or styrofoam cup. If you need to pay a tiny bit bit more for a product, go ahead, buy it, show the world you care and be the change.
 
YM: What does your daily practice look like?
CH: I wake up around 4:00am, do a little breathwork, sit for 30-60 minutes, then practice about an hour and a half or so of asana. Saturdays, Full and New Moon days I will not practice asana. On these days, I usually sit for longer periods of time.
 
YM: What are you ultimately trying to achieve by practicing yoga?
CH:I am working on ending my own personal suffering by realizing and identifying with my true nature. I am refining my practice and my methods of teaching so I can be an example and help others.
 
YM: What do you like to do when you are not (physically) practicing yoga?
CH: I enjoy teaching yoga to people who are whole heartedly and honestly wanting to learn and grow.
In my spare time I like to swim, surf, scuba dive, play music & chant with friends, travel, read yoga phiolosphy books, laugh, hear dharma talks, study astrology, eat healthy food and be with friends.
 
YM: Where do you like to travel?
CH: Recently the greatest hits are India, Brazil, Thailand and the Philippines. This Fall, I am heading out to Alaska and Europe for the first time.
 
YM: Thank you for joining us! Where can we find out more about your classes, workshops and retreats?
CH: www.greenpathyoga.org