Home Vedic Venue eMagazine Current FAQs Contact Us Links

Jyotish Star of the Month

An Interview with Mas Vidal

By Karyn Chabot
Interview Date: 9/20/2015

Karyn Chabot: What brought you to the field of yoga, did your family practice yoga as well?

Mas Vidal: A family friend introduced me to Hatha Yoga but ultimately it was my search for God that led me to my Guru Paramahansa Yogananda. I was the farthest person from yoga, Indian traditions etc. -- my lifestyle was very different than it is now. Basically, my karma from my previous birth gradually re-awakened in my consciousness which lead me to begin making choices so that I could continue my path towards self realization.

Karyn: Is your wife also a yoga teacher?

Mas: Yes�she is also a teacher and we share a deep interest and commitment towards Vedic culture and lifestyle.

Karyn: Do you have children who are following in your footsteps?

Mas: No, I do not have any children at this time.

Karyn: How long have you been practicing yoga?

Mas: I have been practicing yoga of some sort since 1993

Karyn: We know that you are a spiritual teacher as well, what is the methodology and the path that you teach and who inspired you or mentored you?

Mas: Yes, I feel called to inspire people to live simply, meditate and integrate yoga into their lives. My method is focused on understanding the person through intuitive glimpses, I feel that through insightful questions, inference and intuition I am able to understand a person and their intentions. I really aim to discover the cause of disease, disorder and suffering in a person. At the very core the same

emotions like anger, fear etc�are usually to blame however I try to give each person exercises and suggestions that they would realistically implement into their life. My Guru (Yogananda) has been my greatest inspiration and I consider David Frawley (Vamadeva) more of a teacher-mentor. I have aligned with Vamadeva�s approach and views to the Vedas and this has strongly influenced my interest and work in Yoga, Ayurveda and Jyotish.

Karyn: Are there books that you recommend for the beginning student of yoga? Have you written books or produced videos and/or do you plan to in the future?

Mas: To recommend books to read would really depend on many factors (age, level of practice, interests etc. -- so I would say this is a very general question. If someone is more on the therapeutic level then I communicate with them on that level, if someone is of a spiritual nature and perhaps seems ripe for expanding their awareness then I light their fire with inspiring quotes, stories and encourage them to read books of that nature.

I have just completed my first book titled Sun, Moon & Earth: The Sacred Relationship of Yoga and Ayurveda which should release in early 2016. My Optimum Yoga DVD�s series came out many years ago and I have many hours of video material on my website that includes both lecture and practicum as part of a 200 Hour Yoga & Ayurveda Online program.

Karyn: What in your Jyotish chart shows that you would be a yoga instructor and spiritual teacher?

Mas: I would say that for me having the moon in the sign of Cancer is the primary thrust for being into Yoga. I know and feel myself to be a Bhakti Yogi, or one drawn to yoga through love and devotion for God. Bhakti is what fuels my heart, inspires me each day to practice yoga, whatever it may be it is always the nectar of devotion that brings me to the mat for asana, to my cushion for pranayama, chanting and meditation and to try and to share greater compassion with all living things. Without devotion in our sadhana things become intellectual, sterile, dry and lack vision. I appreciate the approach that Jyotish takes in considering the moon�s placement and its nakshatra because it tells us how important this planet is in influencing human potential. If the moon is well placed -- like in its own sign it shines bright to illuminate the path towards

enlightenment. Although, when the moon is weak or debilitated, emotions become the obstacles to achieving success in our lives. I have also noticed that when the moons energies are not well balanced in a person�s life it becomes a struggle between the head, hands and heart.

Karyn: Can you describe your style of delivering challenging Jyotish news to a client?

Mas: To me anything that appears challenging in a chart represents an opportunity to improve our life, to change our habits and outlook on life. I remind the client or student that God gave us the power of choice and nothing appears by coincidence. When challenges are in the horizon then I encourage people to take the attitude of a warrior or virabhdra. We must fight, create discipline over our senses, rely more on buddhi or power of discrimination to guide us through and do our best and the rest we must surrender to god and guru. I never make predictions and avoid making any negative statements and I use challenging Jyotish news as a way to increase their practice of yoga (raja, karma, bhakti or jnana). I always share Swami Sri Yukteswar words �Make the spiritual effort now, and everything in the future will change.�

Karyn: How do you feel about Yoga Alliance?

Mas: Like much of how yoga is treated in America, Yoga Alliance (YA) is a thriving business. They collect loads of money from struggling yoga aspirants and really do nothing except pretend that they are the authority on yoga. I know these are strong words but I have said long ago they should change their name to �Asana Alliance� so not to confuse people with the broader more sacred term �Yoga�.

In certain ways the YA is helping to create some standards for how asana yoga is being taught and are encouraging people to follow and adhere to them as a governing body. However I think their standards need improvement. Years ago I almost decided to start my own alliance that would be based on Yoga and Ayurveda, as in my view yoga should include lifestyle reformation (Ayurveda and Yama-Niyama) as a requirement to becoming a �teacher� and I would include meditation in the standard because its shocking to me how many people in the Vedic traditions do not meditate and especially asana yogis. I also see this much with Ayurvedic practitioners and Jyotish practitioners.

Karyn: Do you predict Yoga will be state regulated and if so, how do you feel about that?

Mas: I do not think that yoga will ever be state regulated and besides the last people we want involved and tampering with yoga is our American government officials. If yoga becomes state regulated I feel that all government officials should be required to practice yoga as part of their work as public servants.

Karyn: When did you know you wanted to be a yoga teacher and what inspired that moment?

Mas: I never wanted to be a yoga teacher because I always looked at my yoga teacher as my Guru and someone who was a representative of the Supreme light of God and it is a high title to hold. I held being a yoga teacher which such high stature I never considered myself a good enough representative of yoga. After years of studying my Guru�s teachings through the Self Realization Fellowship lessons, retreats and guidance from my counselor Swami Bhaktananda, I realized that I knew much more about yoga than most of the asana teachers that I was meeting. Asana teachers basically memorized

various structured sets of postures but never did much studying of how the scientific methods of yoga could be integrated into our modern lives or how yoga can be used to go beyond the mind and senses. At that point I had somewhat of an epiphany, �hey I can teach this postural stuff, it feels good and certainly improves the quality of meditation.

Karyn: If there was one message you wanted your students to embrace, what would it be?

Mas: Do your best to practice yoga and live Ayurveda and let the Divine take care of the rest.

Karyn: How have you seen doshic pacifying asanas remedy an imbalance, for example?

Mas: Well, yes, very often, in general I often see asanas increase jatharagni (metabolic strength) for everyone and thus improve digestion all around. Asana also helps to reduce vata or nerve, muscle and bone strength and stability. Asana really helps to bridge the mind-body relationship that is a common disconnect these days.

Karyn: We know you love yoga and teaching, but do you love running the school and your business as well?

Mas: Not really. The daily responsibilities of a running yoga as a business are very difficult in a very competitive business market. The other main issue is that I have never really seen yoga as a business so it�s difficult to integrate business type practices into an ancient tradition that has always been more of a religious service to humanity. I have been spending most of my time on my own specific work and have been able to reduce my responsibilities to the Dancing Shiva organization to a minimum so I can focus more on healing and helping people with yoga and Ayurveda.

Karyn: Can you offer any advice based on your own experience with your work with your company Dancing Shiva Yoga and Ayurveda, to aspiring yoga studio owners for balancing their personal life with business?

Mas: The best advice I would give is to never forget that your sadhana is the priority and if your business takes over your life then you will lose enjoyment for why you came into the business of yoga in the first place. When I had to sacrifice much of my own personal practice, study and writing time for paying the bills that when everything changed and I knew that I would not last just teaching yoga and running a center for the sake of having a �business�.

Karyn: Please share your views on online education verses in-person education in the Vedic sciences with regard to the ancient tradition of transference from the guru to the student in person.

Mas: I feel that a certain amount of knowledge can be carried through an online structure although studies in any field should not be limited to just online. It�s a medium of learning we need to embrace for the dissemination of wisdom to the world. I endorse the combination of both online and some in person as this is excellent option for those in far away places and also very good for those individuals want life-style enhancement and for already seasoned practitioners who want some additional information-knowledge to expand their existing work.

Karyn: What is your ten year plan with your career? How will your business improve and how involved do you wish to be?

Mas: I stopped planning years ago because I feel that as long as I continue to do my best each day God will take care of the rest. I simply want to serve humanity the best that I can and want to continue my capacity to help others, more wisdom, out-reach and resources to reach more people and reduce suffering in the world. I am very content where I am today and will continue to work and strive to improve and see if this great Vedic wisdom can be shared in more practical ways.

Karyn: What will you be teaching at the Sedona Vedic Astrology conference at 7 Center Yoga Arts and the Poco Diablo Resort in November?

Mas: The main thing I am focusing on in the pre-conference Intensive at Seven centers is how yoga and Ayurveda can be practiced together to bring harmony and balance for our present day needs. I will demonstrate how postures, breathing, mantra and meditation can be used to experience a true transcendence and healing of mind-body-spirit. I am happy to do such a workshop for a conference that can get a bit heady and this will be a great way to connect the mind and body together.

I will also be doing an interesting class on the Yugas a subject that I have been fascinated with for some time.

I really enjoy discussing the Yugas because they can give us great perspective on the grander picture of life on earth and also to see the transient nature of life.

Karyn: Also would you tell us about the upcoming Bhakti trip to India in 2016?

Mas: This is an annual trip I do to bring students from all over the world to study Ayurveda in a very authentic environment and also learn much about the culture of India. Our groups get so much wisdom from these programs because of the vibration of being in India the land of devotion. This year we have expanded our bhakti pilgrimage to 7 days at an incredible eco-village that thrives on a Vedic ecology. Vedic ecology is a an important topic these days that I am promoting more in my courses and lectures and the increased interest in sustainable agriculture, organic farming and healthy lifestyle all tie in really nicely with the more ancient Vedic practices that were taking place during the golden years in ancient India.

Karyn: Getting to know you and understand what has inspired you towards great success has been a total joy and privilege for me! Thank you! You are doing amazing things for the world! I lived in Fairfield, IA for 2 years where the sustainable living off the grid culture is forefront, thousands of pundits raising the vibe and Vaastu homes galore! It might be a more affordable option for your trips with students, but there is nothing like the �real deal� in India. I look forward to meeting you in Sedona at the Jyotish conference!

Mas Vidal Biography

Mas Vidal is the Director and Founder of Dancing Shiva Yoga and Ayurveda (DSYA) in Los Angeles, California, the original center dedicated to the practice, education and lifestyle of the great Vedic sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda. Since its opening in 2001 the center Mas has been committed to teaching an integral form of yoga that combines the classical yoga system of Patanjali, integrated with Ayurveda�s science of Tri-dosha. Under Mas Vidal�s direction DSYA has been recognized internationally for developing a strong balance between the mind-body relationship and the spiritual principles emphasized in both yoga and ayurveda. Mas Vidal strongly encourages education in a practical sense and as a way of life in his dynamic yoga classes. The center is aligned with various notable institutions

of health and wellness, spirituality and higher learning throughout the United States, Europe and India and maintains interaction in the areas of consulting, research and providing educational materials.

Karyn Chabot's Biography:

Karyn Chabot, D.Ay, MS, LMT is a 1997 graduate from The Ayurvedic Institute, Universal Massage Therapeutics, has her bachelor's degree from Goddard College in Health & Wellness and her master's degree in Ayurveda. Karyn pioneered the hot stone massage movement in 1999 and is the owner of Sacred Stone School For Allied Massage & Ayurveda (SAMA) in Newport, RI.

Contact Information:
She may be reached by a visit to her website: www.sacredstonehealing.com or email Karyn [email protected] or call 877-832-1372.



Join Our Email List Email:

For Email Marketing you can trust