This September will mark the first official National Yoga Month designated by the Department of Health & Human Services. National Yoga Month was developed to raise awareness of yoga's health benefits and provide people with guidance and tools to improve their well-being.

Organizers are calling on the yoga community, particularly yoga teachers and studios, to help through hosting events and offering free classes and donation classes that help support the cause. See www.yogamonth.org for more information.

Are any of you planning to participate?

Posted by Erica Rodefer on June 29, 2009 11:09 AM Permalink Comments (1)

Deepening your practice doesn't always mean getting your body into a deeper asana. In fact, sometimes you'll get more out of sitting down with a book and deepening your knowledge of the practice.

But there are so many important yoga books filled with philosophy, history, anatomy, and spirituality that it can seem like an impossible task to just pick one up and start studying. For many yoga students, it's even more difficult to stay motivated to keep reading when the books get too esoteric or life gets in the way. If either of these scenarios for yoga study sounds like you, you might consider joining a yoga book club. Sometimes a little extra support from friends is all you need. You could get together a group of friends once a week to discuss the texts or write your thoughts through an online community group like the YJ Community Yoga Study Group.


Image from Namaste Book Club

Or you could read along with a new blog called the Namaste Book Club where you can now vote for the first book the club will read together. You can even follow the club leaders' tweets on Twitter for constant reminders (that you should get away from your computer and crack open a book, perhaps?)

Have any of you ever participated in a yoga book club? What are some books you think should be first on the list?

Posted by Erica Rodefer on June 25, 2009 9:32 AM Permalink Comments (1)

Leslie Kaminoff, who has been attending the conference, just posted the following to his e_sutra listserve about Guruji. We also offer loving thoughts to his family and students throughout the world:

"I just got word from India that Sri K. Pattabhi Jois passed away this morning in Mysore after a year of declining health. He was just shy of his 94th birthday.

I was just speaking about his condition with Doug Swenson, Gary Kraftsow and others at Yoga Journal NYC on Saturday night.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to all my friends who's lives have been so deeply transformed by their association with Guruji."

Posted by Valerie Reiss on May 18, 2009 12:24 PM Permalink Comments (1)

Upon waking for the last day of the conference, we learned that Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, 93, has passed. The official announcement is posted here, and you can find up-to-the-minute memorial posts and reactions from students worldwide here via twitter.

What are some of your best memories with him? Please share them below in the comments field.

 

Posted by Andrea Kowalski on May 18, 2009 11:58 AM Permalink Comments (37)

images courtesy of Marcus Simpson

Posted by Andrea Kowalski on May 18, 2009 11:11 AM Permalink Comments (0)

 

images courtesy of Marcus Simpson

 

Posted by Andrea Kowalski on May 18, 2009 3:12 AM Permalink Comments (0)

In his keynote speech Sunday night, Sri Dharma Mittra stressed the importance of ahimsa in the yogic lifestyle.

Most of us extend compassion to our friends, family, and pets, he said, but what about the animals we eat? Dharma warned that eating a diet that contains animal flesh will cause the mind to be unsettled, making meditation more difficult.

 

Lucky for all of the NY conference attendees, vegetarian and vegan eateries are plentiful in the city. Of course, we had to test out a few.

Our favorites on this trip include Candle 79 on the Upper East Side, Zen Palate in the Theater District, and Lula's Sweet Apothecary in the East Village.

Want to take Dharma's advice but need a little help taking the first steps toward going veg? Get a free vegetarian starter kit.

What are your favorite ahimsic eating establishments in NYC?

Posted by Andrea Kowalski on May 18, 2009 1:54 AM Permalink Comments (0)