September 2007 Archives

Next weekend an amazing group of mindfulness teachers, thinkers, writers and researchers are gathering October 5-7 at UCLA for the Mindfulness and Psychotherapy: Cultivating Well-Being In the Present Moment conference.

I’ve already signed up and look forward to Saturday’s keynote address by Thich Nhat Hanh (walking meditation, silence and box lunch included), a Q&A with Jack Kornfield, and chanting by the nuns and monks of Plum Village and Deer Park monasteries.

There’s also an array of workshops and speakers that will surely enhance any level of meditation practice. I’m fairly new to meditation and have been fascinated by the work of neuroscientists, like conference presenter Sara Lazar, PhD (also a yogi), who conducts double-blind, clinical studies proving that meditation is more than just a stress reducer; it can change the brain much like asana can change the body.

In fact, Lazar’s most recent study – one of the first to look at ordinary westerners who meditate and not Buddhist monks who meditate all day – found evidence that daily meditation thickens the part of the brain responsible for decision making, attention and memory and it can even slow the natural thinning of the brain that occurs with age.

Even if you can’t make it, a look at the program line-up will give you a google primer to start your own educational discovery on the role of meditation in emotional well being. And I’ll report back next week to tell you what I learned.

Every day it seems the yoga community develops a greater connection to activism and social change. From Seane Corn's important work with women in India to the local Power to the Peaceful event that takes place annually in San Francisco, there are an increasing amount of opportunities with which you can get your yoga on—and do a bit of world good at the same time. Now, there's the Global Mala Project.

The purpose of Global Mala is to bring together the global yoga community in the name of peace and seva (selfless service). It is a benefit and was held last weekend, on UN International Peace Day, which doubled as Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) and also fell in the middle of the month of Ramadan. More than 300 events in 35 countries took place, and I went to the one that happened here in the Castro at Yoga Flow.

So, what happens when a bunch of yogis get together to do 54 sun salutations in a close-windowed room in the middle of a bumping nightlife spot? Well, for one, the room gets pretty hot and stinky! But it was also a lot of fun. And though I am not a huge fan of doing excessive repetitions of sun salutations, it always feels good to practice for a cause.

The evening also included a meditation sit, a session of chanting the Tantric version of the Gayatri Mantra, talks from representatives of the benefit's three receiving charities (Trees for Life, Glide Church, and AIDS Project East Bay), beautiful music by David Lurey and friends, and a great talk by meditation teacher Christopher Tompkins about connecting with ourselves in order to better connect with others.

But a surprise teleconference with Ram Das, who appeared live to both LA and San Francisco via modern technology, was the highlight of the evening. While his image was clearly projected onto the studio wall, we only caught about every third word that he said due to sound issues. When he realized this, he just looked into the camera, smiled, and started saying: "One, one, one, one, one."

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GET TICKETS TO SEE DEVA ON SEP. 29! Mantra superstars Deva Premal and Miten are making a rare appearance at the Sonoma County Day School to benefit the Sonoma Ashram. I'm going! For tix, visit www.YogaMates.com.

Instead of jaunting to your usual Saturday yoga class next weekend, you can grab your mat and hit the Here Comes the Sun yoga festival in Central Park.

Held at Rumsey Playfield from 11am to 4pm, there will be an array of overlapping classes to choose from—everything from Sarah Ivanhoe's "Detox Flow" classes to yoga for better sleep, to a meditation session with Alan Finger.

After you’re yoga’d out, you can munch on “tastings” supplied by the likes of Quaker Oats and um, the Almond Board of California (who knew?) and get mini-makeovers at L’Oreal’s “Goddess of Beauty and Light” area (seriously). And at 3 pm, you can rock out to a Joan Osborne mini-concert (she's pictured at right). I saw her in Prospect Park this summer, and man alive, she has a lovely voice. I really shouldn’t have held that one awful song against her (“And if God was one of ussss…”).

The incredibly random assortment of sponsors attests to yoga’s ubiquity in this city—and advertiser friendliness. There are the usual suspects like Josie’s restaurants, Satya Jewelry, and Yoga Works, but it’s also backed by The New York Post (?!), Lean Cuisine, and Sealy mattresses.

Yogis (and Pilatis—is that a word yet?) of all levels and preferences will be served—a beginner area is on hand as well as massage, facial care, and some vigorous sounding vinyasa classes.

It’s like the Oregon Country Fair, but with yoga, in Manhattan, and totally commercial! Am I bad for being skeptical? Well, even if it’s very L’Oreal’s Because-I’m-Worth-Itasana, it’ll probably be a lovely day in the park, Brooklynite Joan Osborne is bound to be amazing, and hey, how often do you get to do yoga with masses of New Yorkers? Sounds like the perfect girl-date, really. It’s $25 in advance, and $30 day-of.

For more info go here.

Oh and also, next weekend I’m planning to check out a cool event co-hosted by the Breathing Project and the “Bodies... the Exhibition.” You’ll get a yoga anatomy-oriented tour around the exhibit (it’s the one where they’ve plasticized the inside and outside of real bodies so you can see everything). I’ll post on that next week. It’s Saturday at 1 pm. More here.

Thanks and have a fab week—and let me know about anything coming up that you’re psyched about yoga-wise in da city. Namaste.

This weekend marks the Global Mala ritual to celebrate world peace . Lucky for us, the hub of the international effort is right here in Los Angeles at the convention center.

Similar gatherings are taking place all over the world, and funds will be raised for organizations like Trees for the Future, War Child, and YouthAIDS. The event is organized around the Vedic astrological sacred cycle of 108 and on Saturday, you'll have an opportunity to complete 108 Surya Namaskars, chant 108 OMs, practice Laughing Yoga with Yogi Ramesh, take a class from Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, and Gurmukh, chant with Jai Uttal and Wah! as well as see a screening of Jeremy Piven’s documentary
"Journey of a Lifetime" about his trip to India.

Here's the full schedule of Saturday's events, but please visit the Global Mala website for updates and details.

10:15 AM: Sri Chakra Puja Blessing with Sri Karunamaya Baba
11:00 AM: Gayatri Chanting with Saul David Raye & Friends
11:30 AM: Meditation and Satsang with Paramahamsa Nithyananda
12:30 PM: Inhale Kirtan with Sreemati, Suzanne Sterling, The Wild Lotus Band, Laughing Yoga

2:15 PM: Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
3:30 PM: Kirtan Music with Joey Lugassy & Daphne Tse
4:00 PM: Yoga Mala, 108 Surya Namaskars with Core Yoga Teachers and Kirtan hosted by Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Krishna Kaur Khalsa & special guests
with kirtan with Donna De Lory, Girish, Wah!, and Govindas & Radha

6:30 PM: Jeremy Piven intro Journey of a Lifetime with Shiva Rea and Bob Wisdom
7:00 PM: Sheila Chandra
7:40 PM: Kirtan Mala with Jai Uttal and the Global Mala Kirtan Members
8:40 PM: Agape International Choir opening for RISE! Paradigm Shifting Speaker, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Founder and Spiritual Director for Agape International Spiritual Center
9:30 PM: Yoga Trance Dance ignited by Shiva Rea with DJ Cheb I Sabbah and master drummers, hosted by Bob Wisdom and Craig Kohland
11:00 PM: Closing with 108 OM Chant, Kirtan with Wah!, Joey Lugassy and the Global Mala Project Kirtan Members

While practicing the rich tradition of yoga here in San Francisco, it's easy to forget that there are so many poor people in the very land that yoga came from. Swamini Lalitananda, an incredibly energetic 70-year-old Indian scholar and yogini, has devoted her life to helping some of them. She spends six months a year in India (mainly Bangalore) running residential establishments and orphanages for the poor; she spends the other six months of the year traveling all around the US to raise money for her mission. Last Sunday evening, I went to a mediation and satsang at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center to hear her speak and to donate to the cause.

This was not my first experience with the Swamini. We met when I visited the Grass Valley Yoga Farm ashram several weeks ago. The first time I spoke to her, she told me about her life as a university professor, yoga teacher, and meditation instructor. When I asked her about her family, she said, "You are my family. Everyone is my family." I learned that's what it means to be a swami—to renounce all of your material and personal attachments and devote your life to a higher purpose.

On Sunday, Swamini led a chanting session (she's got a great vocal range) and gave a dharma talk that focused on the Vedas. She also talked about why we often say shanti three times when we chant: once for peace inside, once for peace for our loved ones and community, and once for peace in nature.

But the thing she stressed the most was the importance of charity. Starting with nothing, the Swamini and another Sivananda disciple named Sro Omananda Swamiji created five establishments that house 300 women and children in India. The children need lots of stuff. Their education is taken very seriously, and in addition to the basics, they also need money for things like notebooks, bus passes, and uniforms.

Every now and then it's important to remember that giving is an essential part of yoga. To find out more about Swamini Lalitananda's mission and to donate, visit www.atma-vidya.org

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GET TICKETS TO SEE DEVA ON SEP. 29! Mantra superstars Deva Premal and Miten are making a rare appearance at the Sonoma County Day School to benefit the Sonoma Ashram. I'm going! For tix, visit www.YogaMates.com.

In light of war raging in our name, a day of peace seems both insignificant and like a breath of gentle air.

The United Nation’s International Day of Peace Vigil on September 21st, is a 24-hour-period meant to "demonstrate the power of prayer and other spiritual practices in promoting peace and preventing violent conflict," according to the IDPV website. "These worldwide spiritual observances will also help raise public awareness of the International Day of Peace and directly support the establishment of a global ceasefire."

The idea is that groups around the world pledge to contribute to peace and non-violence in some way for 24 hours, or whatever time they can give that day. The site has a list of pledged events for 2007: There’s a presentation in Cameroon on Mother Theresa; a "snapshot for love and peace photography competition" in Hong Kong; and a day of prayer and fasting in Jakarta. Plus dozens of others.

If you're in NYC you can honor the event at a three-day festival sponsored by Jivamukti Yoga School. Sharon Gannon and David Life are proposing that people go vegan for the day—to be peaceful to animals and raise awareness of the fact that the process of raising, killing, and shipping animals to eat is a huge contributor to global warming. You’d be in stylish company—Sting, Trudie Styler, Christy Turlington, and others have already committed to forgo creatures and their biproducts.

To further support this mission, Jiva will host a yoga class, celebration, and dinner (vegan, of course) on the 21st, Russell Simmons and Julia Butterfly Hill will help host); a "Dance of Liberation" is on the 22nd and there's an "It's Easy to Be Vegan" brunch on the 23rd.

If you can't make it over to Union Square, you can go vegan with your own posse—or self—or check out any on the non-yogic peace events throughout the city to show your dedication to ahimsa.

Shanti, shanti, shanti.

I love Yoga and I love wine. So when I saw a flyer for David Romanelli’s Yoga + Wine workshop at Exhale in Santa Monica, I had to sign up.

It’s true that some yogis are more ascetic than others. I happen to be one who enjoys gathering friends together for great food and wine. And as David pointed out last Saturday, the intention of Yoga + Wine is not drinking to “catch a buzz” rather, it’s about spending time with those you love, creating ritual and savoring delicious flavors in an effort to honor and appreciate the small moments that make up our lives.

He even quoted Jim Morrison who said, "We are looking for ritual to join our fragments,” and then he played the Doors “L.A. Woman” (and among others, Guns and Roses, Jimi Hendrix, Bonnie Raitt) while we all flowed during his vigorous vinyasa class.

The asana part of our day done, we sat relaxed on our mats ready to taste Sicilian wines from the Feudo Arancio vineyard. With a small glass of white Grillo (fragrant with green tea, green pepper and jasmine) and another of red Nero d’Avola (flavors of sour black cherries, blueberries and nuts), we tasted while nibbling on dried figs, apricots accompanied by two cheeses: a soft, mild tallegio and a tangy, hard provolone.

The wines weren’t the best I’ve ever had but they were a drinkable reminder that wine, music and friends are simple gifts. And it sure was a nice way to spend an afternoon. Stop by David’s website, for more information about upcoming Yoga + Wine workshops and to hear his playlists, too.

At a foggy Speedway Meadow last Saturday morning, a couple of hours before Michael Franti's Power to the Peaceful concert began, scores of yogis gathered for a free community Yoga Jam. Some were sitting on yoga mats and some on the grass, some wearing yoga clothes, others jeans and even pajamas. The crowd was a mix of yoga teachers, locals, and some hippie teenagers thrown in for good measure. As the scent of the fresh morning intermingled with the faint whiff of a joint being smoked in the distance, I wondered just how this thing was going to go down. But by the end of the two hours, the entire stagefront lawn was buzzing with wild and freaky yoga energy.

The 9am session, led by Maya Yoga founders Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini, was a great warm-up. The couple took us through a seated meditation, a series of sun salutations, and a number of standing poses to heat us up. The weather was bleak, but no one seemed to notice. Throughout the practice, Nicki reminded us of the reason that we had come here in the first place: to support this annual concert for peace. "Yoga is conscious action," she said. "Make this practice a form of activism."

At 10am, Shiva Rea danced onto the scene. "I think we're here to breathe change," she said, redirecting the now voluminous group into the shape of a mandala. Shiva's yoga was more of a dance, during which we shot arrows of peace into the center of the mandala, and then out toward the community and the world. Her one-hour practice, accompanied by an electric soundtrack, ended in an ecstatic dance of joy where even the most resistant two-left-footers got into the groove beside Michael Franti, himself.

At one point, Shiva joked that if she had been in her hometown of LA leading an outdoor class in such gray weather, everyone would be complaining about the cold. We all laughed. Who needs sunshine when you've got yoga?

I’m here to do yoga in the air. Unnata Aerial Yoga, held on the fringes of gentrified Williamsburg inside a gigantic warehouse space, is more Ringling than Om. The home of S.LA.M. (STREB LABORATORY for ACTION MECHANICS)—it's got 25-foot ceilings, a trapeze, super-thick gym mats, and primary colors. Holy after-school gymnastics flashbacks, dude.

I have no idea what to expect, but the teacher, Unnata creator Michelle Dortignac, is enthusiastic and gentle. It’s a mite distracting to be practicing next to the trapeze class; people are flying through the air and being yelled at: “Legs out! Grab it! Let go!” then smacking down hard on the red mat. And in a different class on the other side of us, women are shimmying up about 10 yards of fabric and dangling in dancerly formations. I remember stored away wisdom: “the best place to meditate is in a train station”—or, um, a circus?

Thankfully, we have nothing to do with the terrifying trapeze, but rather "silks," loops of poly-blend fabric hanging from a rig mechanically lowered from the ceiling. The bottom of each loop is about three feet from the floor.

After some warm-up poses and brief instruction, half of us grab a loop. We place the fabric over the fronts of our shoulders and under our shoulder blades and lean back. Pop! went my spine—no need for the chiropractor this week. Then we switched—while the other half of us hung and swung, my group did asanas.
Then back to the loops for side stretches; standing on it like a hammock, sliding backwards into a supported Shoulderstand and doing sit-ups; and hanging upside-down in Baddha Konasana, which was remarkably less disturbing than I anticipated. Eventually we slip into a “Grab it!”-inflected Savasana. I feel very opened—it was amazing to get gravity to do so much of the stretching—even if some of it felt hugely awkward as a first-timer.

Afterward I chat with Michelle, an Om-certified yoga teacher. She created this “Frankenstein of a class” in
2002 after merging her loves of yoga, dance, and the circus act called Tissu/Silks. Though I’m not sure I’ll be racing back—I couldn’t quite click with the silks—a fellow new student buys a 10-pack of classes, saying this was some of the best stretching she’s ever had. For those of you who want to give it a twirl, here are the deets. And Michelle is planning to hold classes in Manhattan soon—I'm curious to see how the form will evolve without those hollering trapezers.

Like most of us, Arthur Klein woke up on the morning of September 11th, 2001 to the horror of the collapsing Twin Towers. Klein, who lives in Santa Monica but grew up in New York, was particularly shaken since he remembered watching the buildings being constructed in high school and had friends who worked there. The only thing he could think to do that day was go to a yoga class.

"I didn’t know what was next," he recalls. "But somehow I thought yoga would be a good way to regain a sense of peace and understanding of the world."

Before then, his yoga practice was limited to gym yoga. A filmmaker, Klein soon realized that some of the most renowned yoga teachers in the country were right in his Santa Monica back yard so he started to take his practice seriously and make a documentary. What came from all those hours of footage is a self-funded film called Y Yoga featuring interviews with teachers like Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Bryan Kest, Hala Khouri, Diamond Dallas Page (who went to Iraq to teach the troops yoga with one of Klein’s cameras), and many more.

On September 16th, there's a free screening of Y Yoga at the Hill Street Center in Santa Monica accompanied by a yoga class taught by Jasmine Lieb. Klein will also be there to answer questions. With the sixth anniversary of 9/11 right around the corner, check out the trailer and think, why yoga?

Yoga can be a great workout, but we all know that it's so much more; if we didn't, we'd be running or playing soccer instead. The stress relief and strong quadriceps that come with a good asana routine are encouraging, but the possibility of self-investigation, devotion, and powerful meditation is what reels most of us in. If you are a practitioner who wants to move into a deeper energetic place with your practice, or to simply prepare your body better for meditation, the Tantric tradition has a lot to offer.

This week at Yoga Tree Hayes, four highly respected teachers are leading a week-long workshop entitled The Samavesha Immersion: Fundamentals of Tantrik Yoga.. The course is led by yoga and Ayurveda educator Scott Blossom, Tibetan Buddhist scholar and yoga teacher Chandra Easton, and Sanskrit and Indian philosophy scholars Chris Tompkins and Chris Wallis. The diversity of teachers allows for a curriculum that covers both sadhana (the actual practice of tantra) and darshana (the study of its historical and philosophical underpinnings).

Samavesha means "immersion into the divine," and, at its heart, that is the goal of all Tantric practice. This course will focus on the various elements of Tantric yoga, including mantra, mudra, bandhas, pranayama, and meditation. There will be special emphasis on ancient Tantric yoga texts and Vinyasa Krama—the sequencing of a South Indian-influenced asana practice so that the body is energetically prepared for the true goal of meditation.

"Meditation is the natural outcome of proper asana practice," says Blossom. "When you don't sit to meditate at the end of the practice, it's like making this incredible cup of chai and not drinking it."

Blossom says that the more balanced your chakras and nadis, the deeper the state of meditation you can achieve, which means a clearer path to reaching the divine.

"When it's all humming together and there's harmony, there's something that begins to happen . . . an insight that transcends the physical body . . . it's so delicious that you want to remain."

The course runs from Sunday, September 9-Saturday, September 15. To find out fee and time info, go to the Yoga Tree website.

It’s back-to-school time, even if you haven’t bought a shiny new binder in decades. So those of you who have a little bird on your shoulder tweeting, “You should teach yoga,” well, now’s your chance. A lot of the deadlines for fall term courses have passed, but you can use this time to plot your next move. Here are a few of the city’s premier 200-hour certification programs that are registered with the Yoga Alliance. Go here to check out San Fran’s offerings.

Om Yoga “Weekend Warrior” Teacher Training
Dates: Spring term: January 11 , 2008 through April 20, 2008
Basic schedule: Every weekend
Application deadline: December 14, 2007
Styles taught: OM Yoga
Price: $3600
Teachers involved: Cyndi Lee, Joe Miller, Zack Kurland, Judith Hanson Lasater, Janice Clarfield
The deal: New Yorkers can get even busier with this four month training plus an independent, on-site study period that lasts between two weeks and three months. But they’ll be getting a rich foundation in this lively, Buddhist-influenced Vinyasa style, plus the basics in anatomy, alignment, pranayama, Sanskrit, and “voice awareness.”
Find out more: omyoga.com

Integral Yoga Institute-New York
Dates: There are four ways to train: Day, Sunday, Evening, or a program that combines the above. Evening: September 26, 2007 – February 2, 2008. Sunday: October 14, 2007 – May 17, 2008
Application deadline: Rolling
Styles taught: Integral Yoga
Price: $2700
Teachers involved: Kali Morse, Mitra Somerville, Rudra (Richard) Sisco, Chandra/Jo Sgammato, and more.
The deal: This 25-year-old program in the heart of the West Village has an emphasis on traditional yoga, with lessons in the basics of asana, pranayama, and meditation, but also includes yogic diet and nutrition; Raja Yoga (psychology of mind); Karma Yoga (selfless service); Bhakti Yoga (devotion); Jnana Yoga (self analysis); and Sanskrit. All of it is influenced by the teachings of late guru Swami Satchidananda.
Find out more: iyiny.org

Lotus College of Yoga at Laughing Lotus
Dates: Fall term: September 8th - December 16th (their spring schedule is not available yet)
Basic schedule: Saturdays and Sundays
Application deadline: It was August 3 for fall, call for spring deadline
Styles taught: Vinyasa
Price: $3,600
Teachers involved: Stacey Brass, Bryn Chrisman, Sarah Tomlinson, Nancy Elkes, Heather Heineman, Manorama, Heathyre Mabin, and Janine Kelly.
The deal: Jasmine Tarkeshi and Dana Flynn, co-founders of Laughing Lotus, offer a detailed course to teaching Vinyasa-style yoga. Classes, offered in their vibrantly painted and spirited studio near Chelsea, include the required basics plus “movement as medicine and prayer,” mantra, mudra, and “timeless yogic teachings lift the veil of the mind and liberates the Spirit to Freedom and Cosmic Oneness.” There’s also a focus on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, chanting, and group discussion.
Find out more: laughinglotus.com