Connect & Protect with Marque Garaux
Halfway through this episode Russell exclaims, “Goodness, you are just a really nice, wholesome person, Marque!”
And, our guest today well and truly is! You’ll find him somewhere in the woods, far away from the hustle of city life, enjoying a solitary life near lake Erie in Ohio.
As it turns out, it’s near what must be God’s country, I’m sure. Where if you bathe in snow, drink fresh spring water, sleep on top of a coffin, and eat grilled beef liver (but only once a month), you might too become a master of the esoteric arts of ancient yoga.
There is something just marvelously endearing about Garaux’s pursuit of perfection.
He’s so understanding and patient with himself (and with us) that he makes the whole journey seem worth it. Like moving out there to Conneaut or Sandusky or Huron or where ever the hell he is in Ohio and just setting up shop in an abandoned barn and really DIGGING into the practice and purity just might be the thing we’ve been missing.
We ‘re sitting here with our pistachio paté, and our cell phones, and our online classes complaining about never having enough time to practice… What if we just moved. And, then let the vibration of our gravitational pull, the detritus of our labour— the very amrita bindu itself would draw students to us. But, not because we wanted them, but because we didn’t necessarily want them.
This seems to be the charm that Marque brings to our community. He’s dug a well in time and space out there on Lake Erie and his tapas is bending us all, devas and asuras alike, towards him, like the way a planet rolls towards the sun: like a marble.
Marque Garaux, is a retired U.S Marine Veteran, long time rock climber and overall outdoor enthusiast
Marque discovered Ashtanga Yoga while seeking different ways to alleviate his lower back pain. After noticing an almost immediate physical change, Marque then slowly began to see other positive changes happening in his life as well. With no Ashtanga teachers in the area, he found himself with no choice but to get up early and practice on his own before work everyday. During this time Marque also attended a 200 teacher training and several Ashtanga workshops and intensives to deepen his understanding of this beautiful system.
In the fall of 2014 Marque decided to follow in the footsteps of the teachers that he most respected and applied for study at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI). Marque was accepted and spent the first 2 months of 2015 in Mysore, India learning under the guidance of R. Sharath Jois. Marque has practiced with Sharath during multipe US tours and has also returned to India each year since and has practiced with both Sharath and Saraswathi. Marque received the blessing (Level 2 Authorization) from Sharath on December 12th, 2017 during his morning practice.
Marque is the owner of Great Lakes Ashtanga Yoga which is located on 8 wooded acres in Geneva, Ohio. He offers a traditional Mysore program, private lessons and workshops.
At Great Lakes Ashtanga Yoga we believe that the most direct road to transformation is to align your thoughts, your words, and your actions.
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The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Click Here.
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