May 2008 Archives

Let me just say that I am a huge fan of Krishnamacharya's. Huge. Because his whole M.O. was always to give each student exactly what he or she needed at that time in his or her life. He was both BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois' teacher, but his original teachings were very different than what those guys wound up spreading (Iyengar yoga and Astanga) because he taught individuality of practice, as opposed to a set series of poses or rules for all. Krishnamacharya prescribed something different for everyone: an energetic asana practice for the young, a meditative practice for the older, a strength-building practice for the weak. He taught yoga as a way of healing the body, and is, in many ways, the big daddy-o of Western yoga.

If you want to know more about him, visit the Healing Foundation in San Francisco, which is the only local yoga school solely dedicated to Krishnamacharya and his son, TKV Desikachar. Now is the perfect time because the foundation just moved into a beautiful new home in the Marina, at 3620 Buchanan Street (between Bay Street and Northpoint), and is having an open house with food and chanting this Thursday evening, May 29, from 6-9pm.

I'll be out of town this Thursday but I hope someone out there will check out the open house and report back. I am curious to see the new center, which is a sweet little converted greenhouse.

And if you are sitting there, scratching your head and saying Krishna-who?, have a look at The Heart of Yoga, one of my all-time favorite yoga books. It tells all about Krishnamacharya, and has some awesome photos of the master hanging out in headstands well into his golden years.

As New Yorkers, we already have a naturally smaller environmental footprint than, say, people almost anywhere else. We live bunched on top of each other, we take public transportation, we have smaller spaces to heat and cool, our residential recycling program is decent, etc.

Well, if you've been looking to step it up a notch, check out the new guidebook, Greenopia New York City--tagline: "Eat, Shop, Live Green." I picked up the plump Zagat's style book at Whole Foods Body the other day, and I'm impressed. There are ratings of eco dry-cleaners, spas, restaurants, retailers, grocers, architects, pet stuff, and more. Most of the categories have a "leaf" rating based on how well a particular place meets the rather scrupulous green criteria for each section.

I don't know about you, but this is the kind of information I obsess over and am so glad to have some help with. For example, ABC Carpet & Home's skin care section gets 4 leaves and the Body Shop gets 1 leaf. Having read the labels at both places, that makes sense to me. There's also info on Farmer's Markets and CSA's; green day trips, and a chart for choosing seasonal, local produce.

The book is printed on glossy recycled paper with organic soy ink, of course. There's not much in the way of yoga, but it does include things like Jivamukti's cafe and shop, Lululemon, Integral Yoga's Apothecary, and the Brooklyn-based Omala yoga clothing store. In the next edition, I'd love to see eco ratings for studios.

To go totally tree-free, check out Greenopia.com (there are also guides to L.A. and S.F.). The site is filled with lots more content and other ways to treat the planet, the city, and your body just a little more kindly.

Summer begins and workshops are abundant. So if you can't get out of town, no worries. There's plenty going on right here in L.A. to help you rejuvenate and learn something new.

Vinyasa Flow Intensive with Vinnie Marino at YogaWorks
June 16 - June 20
Mon-Fri 7:00 - 9:00am
$185 by 6/2; $210 after 6/2

This intensive will take you deeper into your practice. And the intimate setting will give you an opportunity to explore variations not usually offered in Marino's crowded, drop-in classes. As always, Vinnie's eclectic music will set the mood for an energizing and inspiring practice.

Family Yoga with Gurmukh at Goldenbridge
June 15, July 13, September 21, October 19
Sundays 11:30 - 1:00 pm
Cost: $16/per class - kids under 16 are free!

This once-a-month class is designed for the whole family. Play, Dance, meditate and gather with your children (all ages welcome). Bring everyone - dads, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, & uncles.

Explore the Chakras with Ashley Turner at Exhale
June 14 and 15
Saturday and Sunday
12:30 PM - 3:45 PM
cost: $35 each day

The Chakra System is an ancient map detailing the 7 primary energy centers and the 5 elements that comprise the body-mind-spirit. If you always wondered what the Chakras are, this class is for you. Beginners, therapists, teachers, bodyworkers are all welcome.

Intro to Shadow Yoga with Matt Pesendian at Golden Monkey Healing
June 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28
Thursdays and Saturdays
8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
$100 per series (a bargain!)

Pesendian just moved back to Los Angeles from Santa Barbara and he's eager to expose more Los Angeles yogis to Shadow Yoga. Developed by Natanaga Zhander, Shadow Yoga is rooted in classical hatha yoga but incorporates elements of Indian cultural dance, martial arts and Ayurvedic and Siddha systems of medicine. To sign up, email matt@goldenmonkeyhealing.com.

The SAY Esalen Yoga Festival
June 8-13, 2008
Sunday through Friday
From $370-655

If you decide you want to take a road trip, why not trek up to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, to celebrate service, activism and yoga with Sharon Gannon, David Life, Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Katchie Ananda, Suzanne Sterling plus special guest John Robbins.

The organizers describe workshop as a playful, energy-filled week of deep yoga practice, conscious community, and intention setting as well as live, tribal music and chanting with Suzanne Sterling, Joey Lugassy and friends. Afternoon intensives include exploring the path of service with the founders of Off The Mat, Into The World™ or "Activists in Action" where vegetarianism, sustainability, and permaculture will be explored. Enjoy the hot springs, Esalen massage, and gourmet, vegetarian family style meals.

Feel free to comment about your summer school experience. We'd love to know how you did.

Inspired by Los Angeles yogi and best-selling author Kathy Freston, Oprah decided to go Vegan, at least for 21 days.

The daytime deity took on the three week detox challenge this week after Freston appeared on a makeover-themed Oprah episode and explained that eating consciously (ahimsa toward animals and the planet) is one important way to honor the mind, body and spirit.

Freston, who is promoting her new book Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness, also lent Oprah her chef Tal Ronnen, which certainly should make Oprah's efforts to wean herself of animal products (and caffeine, sugar, gluten and alcohol too) an easier task. Who wouldn't want their own Vegan personal chef, especially one who whips up strawberry, rhubarb wheat-free crepes?

Of course, Oprah is blogging about the whole experience and Ronnen is posting some swell recipes as well.

While the detox feels a little like a stunt (especially since the diet is being promoted mostly as a device to "take 10 years off your looks"), there's no doubt Freston is doing a stellar job of bringing the concept of conscious eating to a huge, mainstream audience.

Hey, if Oprah can help Freston's book soar to the number 1 spot on Amazon, there's no telling what she can do for Veganism.

With summer around the corner, it's no surprise that everyone is feeling green. Join in the celebration this weekend in the Mission, where you can experience the largest outdoor green event the city has ever had.

The annual Carnaval San Francisco, a festival and parade that showcases and celebrates all things Latin American and Caribbean, is introducing a new element to its festivities this year—the Green Zone (Zona Verde). Spanning 60,000 square feet, the Green Zone will have an Eco Village, which is all about sustainability, and a Holistic Health Pavilion, which focuses on things like yoga, massage, and acupuncture. There will be many demonstrations, as well as global healing ceremonies that include elements of Capoeira, Native American, Sufi, and Aztec dance. It should be a huge, and environmentally friendly, party—just what us yogis like!

The When: Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25, 10am-6pm (Grand parade on Sunday to leave from 24th and Bryant at 9:30am and head down Mission Street to the festival)

The Where: Harrison Street between 16th and 23rd streets

The Price: Nada!

Click here to find out more.

In addition to being a yogi, writer, New Yorker, crafty girl, and a spirit living in a material world, I'm a survivor of cancer. A kind of cancer that has no "cure." Meaning, in the three years since I was successfully treated with chemotherapy, I must regularly go in for various tests and proddings.

I'm down to an annual scan, which is a blessing, though I'm noticing that going so long in between ratchets up the anxiety to a whole new, triplex level of dread and fear. So, what's a good yogi to do? She breeeeeathes. When she remembers.

The other night when my doctor told me my CAT scan would be moved up a week due to some slightly disturbing blood results, I held it together at work long enough to find a pranayama and meditation class at Integral Yoga. It was only when I was sitting in the tiny room on the 4th floor with only two other students and the teacher, Gordon, that it occurred to me that if I was a normal NYer, I'd be at a bar now, two sake-tinis in.

But instead, I listened to Gordon's patient instructions to feel the breath moving across my upper lip, to expel all the "bad air" in a vigorous kapalabhati, to balance the hemispheres of the body with a slow, easy alternate nostril breathing.

And, amazingly, I felt better. Less crazed with fear, more aware of my body, with my breath to keep me going. I get my scan results tonight. My breath is going to be my BFF today as I pretend to be a functional employee. And hopefully I will have happy news to report. And if for some reason I don't--sake-tini, anyone?

UPDATE: Whew. All is clear and well.
Opportunities to breathe in the city abound. Here are some at Integral:

The class I went to, which seems to happen periodically: Meditation and Pranayama

My friend's sister, Carla Dharani Ardito, is teaching The Path of Breath on July 17

And in June is Yoga of Breath.

Go to itiny.org for more.

How do you use conscious breathing to stay sane? Or do you have any fave classes to share?

I saw Snatam Kaur play at Rudramandir this past weekend and it was really sweet. I had only heard her albums, but to see her live was a very different experience. The concert was at Rudramandir, THE spot for all things yoga in Berkeley, and the room was cozily packed with fellow yogis, a dash of deadheads, and happy hippies galore. Snatam is originally from California and went to high school in the Bay Area. She grew up in the Sikh tradition, as her parents were followers of Yogi Bhajan, the Kundalini master. Though she spent a few years of her adolescence outside of the tradition, she quickly returned and followed a path to teaching peace and singing really beautiful mantra. (She is also the "Peace Ambassador" of the Peace Cereals (a line of cereals she also helped create with her degree in biology of knowledge of natural health).

Snatam sang Friday night with her regular guitar player Guru Ganesha Singh and this amazing local drummer. She sang traditional Indian chants, and also songs in English. Snatam has such a powerful voice that I always imagined she would be older and larger than she is—but she is surprisingly petite and young and quite beautiful. It seems her whole family was in the audience that night, and she brought her mom and her dad up to stage; her mom sang with her and her dad (pictured with her, above) led a pranayama exercise.

Snatam looks pure and goddess-like in her Kundalini dress, wearing a white turban and long, flowy robes. But she has a sassy sense of humor on stage. She sang one song that starts with the line, "Make truth your horn," the horn being one of the emblems traditional yogis in India wear. To relate it to the audience present, she said, "Make truth your fancy yoga pants."

Find out more about this Mills College grad at her website and let us know if you saw her this past weekend, too!
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Photos by Pao Chiu

I stumbled upon YogiChocolate because who wouldn't be tempted by the words yoga and chocolate? I also thought it was an ingenious idea and a great resource. Basically, the Santa Monica based company offers a slew of mp3 audio-classes for download on a donation basis, which means you pay what you want.

The selection of teachers is international (Russia and Asia are in the house as are folks from all over the country like Gary Halperin, Desiree Bartlett, Gurutej, Aras Baskauskas and Bryan Kest). The type of practice available is varied (Power, Jivamukti, Kripalu to name a few), and there are even audio files with mediation and kirtan.

For me, YogiChocolate is a great way to augment my home practice and to make any vacation a retreat. Beach yoga, anyone?

Ever since the cyclone hit Burma last week, I have felt an uneasiness that I just can't shake. I have never been to Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar), but I met Burmese refugees when I was in Thailand, and I have friends who have lived there, or are there still. It is a militaristic state in which the residents live in fear of the junta, or armed forces, and suffer violations of their human rights on a daily basis. The cyclone that hit the poor country only served to make a very bad situation a whole lot worse.

As yogis who have ties both to the Buddhist community and to humanitarian causes in general, many of us have been asking the question: What can we do to help? I spoke to my friend Gregg Butensky, who is a long-time activist for the Burmese cause, a board member of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance, and a foster dad to a young woman whom he helped relocate to Thailand. He told me of the formation of a new coalition of local Burmese organizations (that includes member organizations as varied as the International Burmese Monks Organization and the Myanmar Taxi Driver Association) to assist those in need. While the coalition does not have a website yet, Gregg and some others did put up an emergency website this past week to help point people to places where they can offer donations.

Gregg says three of the best places to give to are right here in the Bay Area: Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA), Burmese American Women's Alliance (BAWA), and the Foundation for the People of Burma (FPB). You can also contribute to Avaaz (check out the YouTube video there).

There are also three local events happening this weekend that are focused on bringing awareness to the crisis. The biggest one is a Global Day of Action For Burma rally at the UN Plaza (Market Street between 7th & 8th Streets) in San Francisco on Saturday from 3-6pm, to urge the UN to protect the cyclone victims. Also, there is an American Jewish World Service event on Saturday evening in SF called Celebrating Voices for Change in Burma and a BADA fund-raiser this Sunday in Fremont.

I hope you will join me in sending blessings and much-needed funds to our brothers and sisters in Burma. Please let us know if you have found other ways to help.

Last night, over an AMAZING meal at Pure Food & Wine (vegan, raw, fancy, and deliriously delicious restaurant on Irving Place), some fellow Yoga Journalites (and non-NY-ers) asked me what I do to stay balanced in this crazy city of ours. It got me thinking.

Top 5 Quick Ways to Stay Balanced in NYC
1) Grab Nature When You Can: When walking, route yourself through parks, down the leafiest streets, near the biggest trees. And take in the smells, sights and sounds of plants and critters and the soft respite they offer.

2) Go for Softness: Someone once told me each city's energy is affected by the type of stone beneath it. NYC's granite is some hard-ass rock energy. Too much can rattle our nerves and ability to feel compassion. I do things like: take a restorative yoga class, duck into a Tui Na massage, get a facial, carry bottles of lavender and rescue remedy in my bag.

3) Eat Well: It's not hard to find delicious food here. But I usually feel better when it's of the non-pizza variety (though sometimes a drippy slice is just thing). When you feel off, go for the plants: stop into Bonobo's, Souen, City Bakery (past those cookies to the local veggies), Angelica's, Liquiteria (the green pressed juice is mana), Blossom. And Organique on 23rd is a great lunch spot for organic meats and veggies, when animal protein is what you need.

4) Take in Beauty: Depending on your perspective, NYC can look like Law & Order or Woody Allen's Manhattan. To make sure you catch the latter, get yourself to the water (it's easy to forget we're surrounded), preferably at sunset. Notice gargoyles. Go to Top of the Rock. Walk by Barney's windows. Stop by Alice in Wonderland. Have tea at the Morgan Library.

5) Get Out: You don't have to have a manse in the Hamptons to escape. Every sane NY-er knows she needs to leave at least once a month. Grab a train to Cold Spring and hike, take a ferry ride, day trip to Fire Island, walk on the Long Beach boardwalk, even spend a local, peaceful day at the New York Botanical Garden.

What's on your list? How do you stay sane and happy here?

I love the Ditty Bops. I love their vaudeville-meets-theater theatrics, their country-western twang thang, their soothing harmonies, their story telling skills and their lyrical fun. I also love that these Los Angeles gals -- Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett -- have figured out a way to meld their activism into their creative expression.

Last spring, they started an environmental non-profit called You and I Save the World, which helped San Francisco ban the plastic bag. And the year before, they promoted their second album "Moon Over the Freeway" on bike, pedaling rom Los Angeles to New York, while performing concerts along the way.

While I certainly haven't planned a cross country bike trip to promote Samadhi and the City, I have taken the Ditty's lead and pedal around my neighborhood a lot more lately. Soaring gas prices, my cute cruiser and the nice weather have been great incentives to get me out of my car and into the bike lane.

Check out the Ditty Bops new record, "Summer Rains", which they say was inspired by their sustainable L.A. lifestyle (no cars, only bikes, vegetarian and their former driveway has been converted into an edible, organic garden). And if you'd like to see them live, they'll be at McCabes at the beginning of June.

I first went to India when I was 22. I knew nothing about yoga, but I had a transformative experience nonetheless, complete with my first contact with saddhus, a visit to the temple where Buddha sat under the Boddhi tree, and a visit to the Ganges to see the bodies burning on the ghats. My trip felt deeply spiritual ... but, as a recent college grad in a tumultuous love affair with a guy I met while traveling, it also felt completely confusing, raw, and, at times, ridiculous.

So, when I heard about local writer and former Yoga Journal editor Anne Cushman's new book, Enlightenment For Idiots, I was excited to pick up a copy. The book, which she calls a cross between a spiritual journey and a dysfunctional romance, is about a San Franciscan writer and yogi who can't seem to practice in life what she practices on the mat. Her relationships are a mess, and she's financially broke and emotionally ungrounded. Finally, she gets an assignment to go to India and write a book called Enlightenment for Idiots, for which she must hit all the big and small ashrams throughout the country. Like the trip I took at 22, hers is a wild journey during which she tries to find deeper meaning while simultaneously dealing with a completely unenlightened romantic situation and uncertain future.

While there is satire in Anne's story, there is also insight—and a lot of research. She actually visited all of these places in 1998 when researching a prior nonfiction book on spiritual sites and centers in India, From Here To Nirvana, and used these experiences as the basis for her main character's travels.

Anne's main interest lies not in some arbitrary idea of enlightenment but rather in how modern day life (specifically romantic life) and yogic ideals intersect. Or how they don't. She says that many yogic practices were designed for Eastern celibate men—not single, Western women. She also says that our love lives are the most challenging places for us to act with mindfulness and employ yogic principles. As a Western yogini slowly navigating my way through a new relationship, I can relate!

Anne's book can be snagged on Amazon or on her website, www.enlightenmentforidiots.com , where you can also enter a contest for best yoga romance story.

Also, check out this video interview with Anne.

How does your relationship and yoga practice intersect?

Hee that is in a towne in May loseth his spring. ~George Herbert

Yes, it certainly feels like I'm loseth-ing the beautiful day in towne in my gray cube. Which means my mind starts to stray over to thoughts of how I can play. Herewith, some yogic summercamp options from the two local-ish yoga retreat biggies, Kripalu and Omega (I'll cover more spots soon). I've picked the ones that are nearly guaranteed to be great.

1) Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
It's an abundance of Berkshire-based yoga riches at this retreat center.

- Shiva Rea and Andrew Harvey are teaching "On Fire: Heart Yoga" from May 23-26

- Restorative Yoga for Body & Mind with Sudha Carolyn Lundeen (a long-time Kripalu teacher), June 13-15

- Shakti Sadhana ("The Ultimate Women's Yoga Retreat") with Gurmukh and Shiva Rea, July 20-25

- NYC's own Elena Brower is teaching Yoga: The Art of Attention, August 8-10

2) Omega Institute
Total yummy grown-up summercamp vibe in the lush Hudson Valley. You can even camp if you want to.

- Kimberly Wilson's Hip, Tranquil Yoga Chick course, from June 1-6

- The Power of Practice with Beryl Bender Birch, June 20-27

- Seane Corn is teaching a vinyasa course, The Body & Beyond, July 11-13

Anything to add? What are your summer yoga plans?

This weekend, I plan to head out to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to catch the Tales of the Blue Lord show before it closes on May 12th. This intimate exhibit, with paintings, sculpture and religious icons from as early as the 11th century, explores the life and legend of Krishna -- the lotus-eyed Hindu deity who is both mighty (demon slayer), playful (flute player), and always adventurous.

Then next week, I'm looking forward to the opening of The Vision and Art of Shinjo Ito in Westwood. The founder of the Shinnyo-en stream of Buddhism, was one of Japan's most versatile modern religious artists -- a calligrapher, photographer, and his greatest milestone, the Great Parinirvana Image: a 16-foot long statue of Buddha Shakyamuni about to enter nirvana.

Throughout the month of May, there's also a slew of interesting events to accompany the Ito exhibit -- guided meditations, musical performances and on Sunday May 11th, a yoga class set to classical music.

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Now some YogaWorks news. The South Bay location has finally opened. And don't forget to take advantage of a mother's day promotion -- a free class for mom at any studio. Download the free class card from the homepage.

After practicing yoga for a while, people often get the urge to bring their practice to others. But not everyone wants to become a certified yoga instructor, or even charge for classes. Some just want to teach others who need yoga, but don't have access to it in one way or another.

Mark Lilly, a Portland writer and software engineer, started to feel this way when he started practicing yoga in 2001, and shortly afterward began volunteer-teaching yoga to homeless youth. He liked it so much that he founded Street Yoga, a program dedicated to bringing yoga classes to kids who live on the streets, in shelters, and in foster care.

The Portland-based nonprofit program has a mostly volunteer staff that goes around to places like homeless youth resource centers, drug treatment programs, runaway centers, and juvenile detention halls and teaches yoga to help kids keep warm, take care of their bodies, deal with the stress of being homeless, and feel a sense of community.

The program has been so successful, that the organization now does Street Yoga teacher trainings around the country. There is one happening in San Francisco next weekend, from May 9-11, at It's Yoga Kids Studio on Ruger Street. At the training you'll learn how to teach yoga to homeless youth. The program includes regular teacher training as well as role-playing, interpersonal exercises, talks about service, and training around boundaries. You don't need to be a yoga teacher to do this program—anyone can do it. At the moment, there are only a few slots left, so if you are interested in doing it, sign up right away.
And check out this awesome video Street Yoga has on You Tube!

Now that I have your attention.... I wandered into the Lincoln Square Lululemon last night, and while I was paying for my $83 hoodie (hey, it's purple! and fuzzy!), I noticed a sign-up sheet for a "Better Sex Through Yoga" class they'll be hosting at the store--free--on Sunday morning (May 4).

It's taught by Jacquie Noelle Greaux, a woman who wrote a book of the same name. All levels of yogis are welcome, and the class is 9:00am to 10:30 for all you earlier risers and/or Upper East Siders. You can RSVP in the store, by email (lincoln-square-community@lululemon.com), or just bring your sexy self to class.

Also, Satya Jewelry's sample sale begins today! It's from 10am to 6pm today, Saturday, and Sunday @ the Christopher Street store. Go and revel in spiritual ironies as you fight for your majorly discounted Buddhas and oms! (But seriously, really good stuff at fantastic prices.)

Know about anything yogic going on? Let us know.