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 For the last six months, I’ve been reporting for San Francisco Magazine and Yoga Journal on sustainable living. I’ve spoken with so many environmental architects, scientists, and activists, I can hardly remember a time when I took flippant road trips to clear my head, and I didn’t know what peak oil meant. It has been humbling learning from the people trying to re-balance our earth, but one of the most inspirational parts of the reporting has been realizing that yogis &mdash with our extra-sensitivity to toxic environments &mdash seem to be at the forefront of the green movement, especially those in the Bay Area. Take Ashtanga instructor David Lurey. This past week I visited him at his San Francisco studio, and he seemed to know as much about sustainable architecture as any of the professional experts I've spoken with have. While giving me a tour of his backyard studio (converted from an old shed), Lurey showed me how he used non-toxic paint, bamboo flooring, recycled blue jean insulation, bamboo window shades, double-paned windows (for optimal insulation), a radiant heating system, and light dimmers to make a low-impact and chemical free teaching space. Lurey was also up to date on some of the environmental myths about green architecture: one of them being that you need to buy expensive solar panels to make a significant impact on a building's carbon footprint. Lurey knew that installing proper insulation and sealing leaking ducts can reduce a building’s energy use by more than 50 percent, more than a lot of solar systems. He also knew that most of the electricity we Californians waste comes from leaving appliances — computers, cell phones, TV’s, toasters — plugged in while they’re not on. (That problem can be avoided by buying a smart power strip.) “People look to yogis as examples of a healthy life,” Lurey told me, “so I think we can really be leaders of environmental change.” After meeting Lurey, and other Bay Area yogis like him, I'm beginning to really believe that. To learn more about how you can make your studio or home eco-friendly, check out the Green Yoga Association, yet another Bay Area phenomenon.
 As I posted a couple of weeks ago, the go-to place for lovely "yoga-inspired" jewelry--Satya--has a sample sale every December.
And here it is, fresh off the pixelated presses:
November 30th - December 2nd, 2007
Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday
10 a.m - 6 p.m.
Location: 95 Christopher Street, Apt #1C.
(Bleecker Street) New York, NY 10014
Time: Friday - Sunday 10am - 6pm
Yippee. See you there. Share tales of what you score (er, consciously acquire)!
The holiday season has officially arrived and in the coming weeks there are so many great activities to choose from that I thought I’d keep you up to date and let you choose from this embarrassment of riches.
Krishna Das is coming to town, gracing Yogaworks on Larchmont with his awesome voice and Kirtan leadership from Friday Nov. 30th through Sunday Dec. 2nd. The weekend program also includes a three-hour workshop on Sunday, complete with musical accompaniment, stories about his Guru (Neem Karoli Baba), readings, teachings and intimate discussions.
Dave Stringer, with his more modern Kirtan arrangements/inspirations (sometimes even with a pop music twist), will be at the Goldenbridge on December 8th -- sure to be a fun way to spend a Saturday night.
And for those interested in meditation, don’t miss Sylvia Boorstein’s December 9th workshop at Loyola Marymount University sponsored by Insight L.A. The afternoon of mindfulness practice and teachings will be from Sylvia’s new book “Happiness is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life.”
Finally, on Saturday December 8th you can help celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar’s 89th birthday at the Iyengar Institute with a “movie night”. The evening will feature excerpts from different historical periods in Guruji’s life, commentary and, of course the master performing asana.
Tis the season. So Enjoy.
With the eloquent Karen Macklin on a four-week yoga retreat in Mexico — poor girl — you're stuck with me for the month. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to make my blogging debut with the topic on all of our minds today: food. For the next 24 hours, and really during the whole holiday season, we'll likely throw restraint to the wind and stuff ourselves with foods we swore off last New Years. I certainly will, and it might as well be seen as part of the spiritual path. (Like Jack Kornfield says: "Everything in moderation, including moderation.") But while we're indulging, we can maintain some compassion for the earth by shopping wisely. And because it's not always intuitive which food choices have the best impact on the environment — do you buy the organic pears from South America, or the local, conventional ones? — earlier this week, I asked the famous Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: What are the top three most important things to keep in mind for eating with optimum ahimsa toward the planet? What he said might surprise you.
1.) Eat less meat. Eliminating industrial meat — meaning, for the most part, non-organic — from your diet has as big an impact on your carbon footprint as trading in your SUV for a sedan.
2.) Stop buying processed food. It takes ten calories of fossil fuel to produce one calorie of processed food.
3.) Shop at the farmer's market or join a CSA. Because they have to travel, imported foods pump much more C02 into the atmosphere.
In the Bay Area we're practically surrounded by organic, locally-grown, non-processed, delicious food. Let's eat, drink, and be merry with a conscience. Happy Thanksgiving.
Jaimal Yogis is a freelance writer living in San Francisco.
Though the origins of Thanksgiving are murky at best, politically indefensible at worst, and dietarily overstuffing at medium, it's a nice moment to remember gratitude. Remember that?
Here's my list of things I'm thankful for this year, as an NYC yogini/health-striving gal:
1) Being Cancer-Free. This time three years ago I was bald, chemo'd, and in a kind of frozen zone. Now my hair is big once again, my veins are running clearer, and I can feel the warmth returning to my life. Yay. This subversive cross stitch, BTW, made my day.
2) Whole Foods Whole Body Store. I know, WF is the new Starbucks, it's gobbling the-little fish food stores in its Jaws-like maw. But damn it's like delicious soul-porn standing in that store sniffing Zum soap, checking out new yoga mats, and dreaming of a bathroom big enough to hold all the giant-tubbed fantasies this place provokes.
3) Cheap Tui Na Massage. The savvy girls around here skip Bliss and go straight for the dollar-a-minute Tui--Chinese massage places that require no appointment or huge budget. My work-area fave: Asia Tui Na Massage on 28th near Park. Ask for Mai. But really they're all good.
4) Living in This Yoga-Rich City.
I love this city when I'm not hating it, and a lot of that has to do with the absurd riches of everything except trees: Indian food, bra shops, movies you can't see in a mall, and, of course, yoga. I love that I can do Kundalini or Integral or Kripalu or Bikram or Anusara or whatever my body needs that day.
5) Hi-Vibe. This amazing little raw food haven has everything from divine shea butter to anti-oxidant-rich goji berries. But mainly stands as a reminder of the optimal health we can strive for, even here.
6) My Man. He doesn't do yoga (but he's open--still need to sign him up for a beginner course). And he has a habit of eye-rolling when things like The Secret come up, but he constantly surprises me with his willingness to grow and change and listen and talk and do my dishes.
7) Rice, the Restaurant. I eat here way too often, but the black beans with brown rice and lovely clean vibe gets me through all the psycho stress of producing content that helps people relax.
8) Subways. Not driving. 'Nuff said.
9) Oko and Flurt. Ok, it's not exactly fro-yo weather anymore, but I still adore this low-fat-ish probiotic-y frozen treat.
10) Dharma Mittra's "Psychic Development & Meditation" Classes. The yoga master may be a little extreme for some tastes (he loves to lecture about all the "corpses"-a.k.a. meat--in your fridge), but he can bring a room together, remind me that I'm a soul first, do-er second, and do a little chakra-cleansing in the process.
So, what are you, dear yogi, grateful for right now?
It’s underground. It’s rough. It’s roving. That’s how Marc Holzman characterizes his Guerilla Yoga – donation only mixed-level Anusara classes that take place wherever he can find a space big enough to accommodate his loyal students.
It started as a solution for wayward yoga orphans abandoned when two local studios ceased to be. (First Ross Rayburn’s Yoga Inside Out merged with Bala Yoga and then the latter closed too). “I thought just because the studios no longer existed didn’t mean the community had to disband,’ says Holzman, who is the kind of guy you want to hang out with, like a hip, gay Uncle.
So he borrowed the donation-only model of Bryan Kest, his first yoga teacher, who has been teaching such classes in Santa Monica for years. He got a couple of friends to join him – Tiffany Fraser and Acro Yogi Huck Hirsch – and created a teacher collective without the hassles that come with running a yoga studio. Students need only to log-on to the website to find out where and when.
Right now, there are at least three weekly classes and they take place either at the Hollywood Dance Center (an old-fashioned dance studio replete with well worn wood floors and hip hop classes in the next room) or at the Woman’s Club of Hollywood (the building is a historic landmark and has been home to this group of ladies since the late 1940s). Both have ample parking and offer-up an inspired spaces for no frills classes.
One recent Sunday morning at the Hollywood Dance Center, about 40 people showed up for Holzman’s 9:15 a.m. class including a few moms with kids, a photographer from one of the local yoga magazines and everyone was happy to give urdhva kukktuasana a whirl. Those in town for the holiday shouldn’t miss Fraser’s two hour Thanksgiving day class and be sure to check the website for future updates.
I met Scott Blossom back in September when I took his 7-day Samavesha immersion course. I became so intrigued with the type of yoga he is doing—an energy-based asana practice that is more about moving prana than moving your knee exactly over your ankle—that I have done little else since. Scott's also an ayurvedic practitioner, and when I found out that his teacher, Dr. Robert Svoboda, was going to be joining him for a day-and-a-half workshop at One Yoga Center in Santa Cruz, I jumped at the opportunity to go.
 The Nov. 9-10 workshop was called Sthiram Sukham Asanam: Living in Rhythm With Our Prana, and was mainly about how to align your energies (sthiram, the stable, and sukham, the relaxed) with themselves and also with the energies of the universe.
Scott led the yoga sessions, and Robert led inspired discussions about everything from Saturn to sanskrit to female health to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (the philosophy of which, he says, accounts for a whole bunch of our problems in our society).
I liked Robert immediately. He is not only brilliant—a scholar in ayurveda (the Indian health system connected with yoga) and astrology—but he also has a terrific, dry wit. He talks about the conservation of energy in our own bodies, calling different actions efficient or expensive. My favorite of his adages was: "Crisis is a bad time to freak out."
Both Robert and Scott talked about how, in the West, we tend towards overactive asana practices, but they only serve to deplete us and create instability of the nervous system. The idea, they say, is not to sweat profusely, but to practice balance. If you are already practicing balance, that's great. But don't become complacent. Another gem Robert threw us:: "Let's not dislocate our shoulders as we pat ourselves on the back."
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Missed it? Scott and Robert will be doing another tag-team effort at CIIS in December. I'll be out of town, sadly, but if you attend, let us know it goes!
 The weather is finally snapping like it should. Which of course has me accelerating ahead into a holidaze. Mental gift and wish lists are being made. Travel plans being plotted. And I’m already scheming which beautiful piece of Satya Jewelry will go to which recipient (including me, of course).
Normally I can afford only a rare piece of this “yoga-inspired” jewelry—a lotus ring here, a sparkly pendant there. But Satya’s annual sample sale (read: insane, yet friendly cluster-f#$%) allows for an abundance of riches to rain on many income brackets.
Though I just called today and was told by a nice woman that they haven’t set a date yet for the sale, she did say it would probably be happening either the last week in November or the first in December. And she said to make sure I was on their email list (I am, natch) and that there would be a week’s notice.
So, all of you yoginis who like your baubles to reflect your practice and hold some meaning, sign up now so you’ll know the second they set off the starting om. Click here and scroll down.
And definitely go here or visit one of their three Manhattan locations (the Nolita outpost is connected to the Golden Bridge studio for a two-fer experience) if you haven’t checked out their lovely, eclectically spiritual trinkets—Buddha pendants, om bracelets, garnet earrings, tree of life necklaces. Each one comes with a description of the symbol and materials. For example, a lovely pair of earrings is explained thus: “Invoking the energy of the cosmos, these cherry quartz drops help to provide clarity to our thoughts, while the pure silver beads cool and calm the mind.”
It might be a whole lot of brilliant marketing, but I really do like the idea of wearing reminders to stay peaceful and in my heart. And Satya nails the organic-yet-elegant vibe in such gorgeous ways. If you won’t be in NYC during the soon-to-be-announced sale, they often have a mini sample sale of their website.
Plus, a percentage of sales goes to children’s yoga endeavors through the Satya Foundation.
What's your favorite piece of Satya?
The World Festival of Sacred Music is seeking applications for performers, venues and presenters to participate in this coalition of arts, faith and music scheduled for September 20-October 4, 2008 here in Los Angeles.
Initiated in 1999 by his Holiness the Dalai Lama to mark the millennium with a message of peace, cultural understanding and spirituality, the 15 day, 40 event multidisciplinary festival takes place in venues large and small, sacred and secular, public and private all in attempt to cross religious, neighborhood, and cultural boundaries.
Over the years, the festival has grown to encompass everything from gospel, to aboriginal didgeridoo, Buddhist chanting, Latin American folklorico dance and kirtan.
In fact, during the last festival Jai Uttal performed at the Goldenbridge and members of the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Hollywood presented more devotional chanting accompanied by harmonium, tablas, cymbals and bells.
Anyone interested in applying should attend one of three community meetings being held in December. There, you’ll meet fellow artists, presenters and learn about the guidelines for the Application process.
Here are the details:
RSVP: Call 310-825-0507 or email info@festivalofsacredmusic.org
Mon, Dec 3 (6-8pm) UCLA Glorya Kaufman Hall
Wed, Dec 5 (6-8pm) Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
Thurs, Dec 6 (6-8pm) St. James Presbyterian Church
photo credit: Jorge Vismara
You haven't heard the Hari Krishna mantra until you have heard it sung by Krishna Das. And you haven't REALLY heard it sung by Krishna Das unless you have heard him sing it live. KD—as his devotees and friends call him—is no stranger to San Francisco, but, with the upcoming New Moon on November 9, he'll kick off an unusual full Bay Area tour, in which he'll hit everywhere, from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. He's basically leaving you with no excuse not to see—or hear—him.
So, what are KD's kirtans and workshops like? I have never been to one, but the various teachers who are hosting them have told me that it's a little hard to put into words. The kirtans are primarily call and response chanting with KD and his brilliant musical co-conspirators, and are said to be magical, transcendent experiences. "It's a big sing-a-long," says Susannah Bruder, the owner of Yoga Sita, who is hosting a KD kirtan on November 9-10 at Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church. "It's really beautiful and fun, but it's also just a heart opening experience." She adds that the 2-3 hour kirtans almost always sell out (even with nearly 1000 tickets available for the SF shows!).
At kirtan, KD intersperses the chants with stories of his travels in India and his spiritual teacher Neem Karoli Baba (aka Maharaj-ji). But if you want to delve more deeply into the spiritual underpinnings of the kirtan practice and learn more about KD's path, it's better to attend a workshop. They are smaller and more personal, and have more of a dharma talk feel.
"In the kirtan, you chant with him and different things come up on the spiritual path," says Tania Varela-Ibarra, who's hosting a KD workshop at the Mission's Yoga Sangha. "In the workshop, you can address those different things."
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To see a full list of Bay Area KD events, which are also taking place at Thousand Oaks Baptist Church (Berkeley), The Glaser Center (Santa Rosa), Grass Valley Veterans Hall (Grass Valley), The Ballroom Embassy Suites Hotel (San Rafael), and Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building (Santa Cruz), visit KD's tour page.
For most of us busy-as-bees New Yorkers, squeezing in a regular yoga class can be as much of a skill as hailing a taxi in the rain—at 5:30 on a Tuesday during a cab strike.
This is why the goddess invented lunchtime yoga. So that in between meetings and assignments and conference calls we can get our stretch and move and breathe on. Yoga studios all over have started to catch on to this phenom—one owner says these are some of her most popular classes. The extra good news is that many of these shortened sessions are cheaper than full-length classes.
So you don't have to, here's a roundup of quickie lunchtime yoga classes—you can always eat your actual meal al desko when you get back.
Breathing Project
This Lunchtime Flow yoga is a "gentle, yet invigorating, one-hour yoga class focusing on balancing stretching with strengthening," according to the Chelsea studio's website. Every Wednesday at 12:30, $10. Click here for more info:
Yoga Sutra
This studio at 42nd and 5th offers a 45-minute Vinyasa class open to all levels—perfect for
Vinyasa, open to all levels. At 12:15, Monday through Friday. They've also got an hour-long Ashtanga class and an upcoming lunchtime Iyengar sesh. Click here for more info.
Yoga People
For those of you who work closer to Brooklyn Heights than Midtown Manhattan, this studio has a one-hour open Vinyasa class at lunch. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2pm. $14 (regular classes are $17). Click here for more info.
Laughing Lotus
Gaze at vibrant walls during lunch in Chelsea at this 60-minute "Flower Hour" open Vinyasa class. 12:30 to 1:30. Click here for more info.
Integral Yoga
Another 45-minute class for speedsters with tight schedules and/or watchful bosses. All weekdays at 12:15. These are classes with less instruction and "not for new beginners." Click here for more info.
Sonic Yoga
This Hell's Kitchen studio, voted #1 by City Search users, has a 60-minute "Flow 1" class at 12:30 weekdays. The site says the class "has a stilling quality that leaves you refreshed and restored." Click here for more info.
Levitate Yoga
Breathe off the stress at this "Quickie" class Monday through Saturday, 12:30 to 1:30. A calm hatha studio. Mixed levels. It's $12—classes here are usually $18. Click here for more info.
Om Yoga
Near Union Square? Rush into this one-hour "Express" class for all levels during weekdays. It's $12—classes here are usually $18. Click here for more info.
How do you get your midday yoga fix?
Back pain is an unfortunate part of my life and my yoga practice. While I've made great progress, there are days when I may have tweaked my neck during a sun salutation or long hours in the front of the computer make my back unhappy.
But Annie Carpenter and Sherry Brourman believe there’s a way to move through life and through your practice with an awareness that heals rather than hurts. They imparted these thoughts and many tips last weekend at a four hour YogaWorks workshop called “Happy, Healthy Back”.
In addition to being a yoga teacher, Brourman is a physical therapist and her yogi-friendly anatomy lesson was not only comprehensive, it also taught us how to distinguish between pain caused by discs versus those resulting from soft tissue injury. She also offered practical notions like encouraging us to pay special attention during transitional moments between poses because that’s the time when most injuries occur.
Carpenter, with her wicked sense of humor and nurturing energy, then showed us how to use those principles during an asana practice where she offered up pose prescriptions (for example, slow moving cobras for lumbar disc related pain) and introduced the idea of “containment” in our practice – striving not for perfection but rather an individualized symmetry.
I can’t disseminate all the nuggets I learned here, so I encourage you to attend their yoga classes and receive their expertise first hand. Your back will thank you.
 I met Bill McCully when I wandered into his Saturday morning yoga class at The Mindful Body earlier this year. I was wanting to go deeper with my practice and Bill's class spoke to me. It was a combination of asana, discussion, meditation, and chanting, and the space he held felt energetically alive. I started going regularly. Then, about two months ago, I signed up for a 10-week Personal Transformation workshop with him.
Truthfully, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure what kind of personal transformation I was working out. Everyone else in the group seemed to have pretty specific things they wanted to address: relationships, work situations, or other life changes. I knew I was moving through something in my life, but wasn't sure exactly what it was.
In the first class, Bill, who is also an authentic movement teacher, asked us to each spend 20 minutes in the five various "spaces" in the room which were designated for drawing, writing, making sound, moving, and witnessing. I didn't understand what to do. The idea of just going to a corner of the room and singing or randomly moving in front of all of these new people completely freaked me out. But, at the end of the class, I felt a lot of walls come down. I understood that there were more ways in which I could be understanding things.
Since then, we've used a whole variety of methods to get at what's happening inside: We've had deep discussions about our lives, drawn pictures of our obstacles, and even done tarot cards. The idea, says Bill, from a yogic standpoint, is to not rely entirely on asana to give us all of the information we need, but instead to "open up all the different ways that we can self reflect".
Bill is a truly supportive teacher. He even offers free private sessions for his yoga students if they want to come and talk about their practice. I so enjoy sharing space with him, and he is always eager to meet new students—if you are interested in embarking on a deeper investigation into your practice, do check out his weekly class.
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Liability insurance and benefits to support teachers and studios.
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Yoga Journal Presents:
Stay Inspired all year long with the 2008 Yoga Journal Wall Calendar only $13.95
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Prizes include a spa vacation in Vermont,
a stained-glass window depicting the seven energy centers of the body,
Yoga DVDs, a yoga vacation in San Francisco and more...
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