June 2008 Archives

My library is filled with books I've picked up at garage sales, thrift shops and used book stores because I love finding rare, out-of-print editions.

Of course, I have a yoga section and over the years some of my favorite finds are Yoga for Americans originally published in 1948 by Indra Devi (one of the first female yoga teachers, who was a student of Krishnamacharya and had a celebrity following among starlets like Gloria Swanson) and Swami Vishnu-devananda's The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga from 1959 which is a yoga primer from the Swami Sivananda lineage.

And one of the best places to find books is the Bodhi Tree Used Book Annex, right behind The Bodhi Tree bookstore, which has been a metaphysical mecca here in Los Angeles since 1970, with readings, events, free tea and a wide selection of books and a knowledgeable sales team.

The used shop is jam-packed with books at a fraction of the new price and while books in the yoga section seem to go fast, the cookbook section never seems to disappoint. Most of the titles are vegetarian and the selection is satsifying for all palettes -- everything from Deborah Madison, to the Moosewood series, Tassajara, Madhur Jaffrey, and vegan choices abound.

I refer to these books often, as reference, as entertainment and of course, to cook. I wonder: any books that have particular significance in your library?

I was never taught to cook. My parents are great, but their favorite room was certainly not the kitchen. And it never became mine.

This is an embarrassing thing to admit in a room full of ayurvedic yogis who buy organic produce every week from the local market and spend hours sautéing and braising and heaven-knows-what until they wind up with incredibly tasty dishes fit for vegetarian royalty. But not me. I try—don't get me wrong. I buy the veggies. I own the wok. I throw the veggies into the wok. But fit for royalty? I don't think so.
So, when I saw that the San Francisco YOGASTUDIO was doing an ayurvedic cooking course, I jumped on it.

It was a blast. The teachers are Jeremy Moran (above right), a yoga teacher and chef, and Abbie Scianamblo (below left), a cerified ayurvedic practitioner who owns an organic olive oil company. Jeremy leads the cooking lesson (we cooked three courses together) and Abbie talks about ayurveda and how certain foods can either pacify or aggravate the various doshas.

The class took place in this lovely apartment that is upstairs from the studio. It has a huge dining room, and nice-sized kitchen, where we each had our own cutting board and chopped and chatted around a long prepping station set up in the center of the room. (There's me, below, chopping a lovely seasonal nectarine.)

We started with a fruit salad, moved onto a quinoa version of kichari with avocado mousse, and finished with an artichoke heart salad. What I loved most about the class was that we actually got to prepare food, and then eat what we had prepared. Jeremy taught us some very useful knife techniques, and had us do everything from removing the hearts from the artichokes (very hard work!) to plating (arranging food decoratively before serving it).

During dinner, Abbie spoke about food sadhana and how to practice eating yogically. She says that 75 percent of ayurveda is not what you eat but when and how you eat it. I love getting more in touch with what I put into my body, so this class was great. And the good news is that this course happens several times a year, so if you missed this one, you can sign up for the next one. Anyone out there have any thoughts about food, eating, and yoga?

*****

Photos by Sarah Peet

Brooklyn-based multi-media artist and yogi Shana Dressler is removing obstacles all the time. Right now she has the help of the subject of her latest photo exhibition, website, and book--Ganesh, the Hindu deity who blasts barriers. All those elements are part of Discovering Ganesh, a sweeping, ongoing project produced by her company, Swimming Elephant Productions.

Her outrageously beautiful photos of Ganesh show the elephant in many guises--from a sign selling cell phones to glorious temples. Most were taken at the Ganesh Chaturthi, a 10-day festival in India of epic proportions.

To catch a pre-glimpse of her exhibit, Discovering Ganesh, before it goes on tour in September 2009, check out her fundraiser this Thursday, June 26.

Discovering Ganesh's mission is not only to celebrate Indian art and spirituality, but to support an organization called Scojo Foundation that gives rural Indians access to affordable eyeglasses. This might sound like a small obstacle, but it's not: "For India's working poor who work with their hands--embroiderers, weavers, tailors, mechanics and barbers--the loss of sight means the loss of their jobs and income for their families," writes Shana.

The event will also be filled with goodies--they'll feed you yummy vegetarian appetizers, mango cheesecake, and "crystal-infused," alcohol-free drinks. And you'll be able to enter raffles for things like gift certificates at East West, The Chopra Center, a 2008 Yoga Passbook, a Thai bodywork session and more. You'll also get to groove to "Indie-Hindi songstress" Falu. Yoga studios throughout the city are involved and helping out.

When: Thursday June 26, from 6:30 to 8:30
Where: East West Living @ 78 Fifth Avenue (at 14th Street), 2nd floor, Buzzer #2
Cost: By donation (suggested donation: $50)
More info and to sign up: discoveringganesh.com/scojofundraiser

And to see the stunning photos now: go to DiscoveringGanesh.com

To learn more about Scojo: www.scojofoundation.org

And what about you? Do you ever call on Ganesh to clear your path?

It was incredible to see so many people doing yoga in the middle of Times Square during the solstice yoga event. The first class had more than 350 people, with the rest in the 100-200 range. That's huge. Though lots of people signed up ahead, some joined right off the street--you could tell by their non-yoga outfits of dresses or chinos.

As guest speaker at the event, I gave the same talk three times (which I've posted after the jump, below). And people seemed to actually listen, which was cool and great fun.

Before my last talk of the day, the military recruiting station dead ahead of me started displaying giant video of swooping fighter jets and glamorized war scenes--behind the savasana-prone students. The anger I began to feel actually helped quell my nervousness and fuel me; I thought, Man, we need this. We need movement and spirit and love so badly, as counter to exactly THAT.

Many thanks to Gary and the Times Square Alliance, the yoga studios, sponsors (including Yoga Journal), and everyone else who made the day so smooth and organized and successful.

As requested by some lovely folks, here's the text of my speech/essay/guided meditation:

Kimberly Fowler has built a business on her no-nonsense approach to yoga specifically designed for athletes, who may not be interested in the spiritual side of the practice. She is the Yoga Nike spokesperson and her YAS studio -- which teaches a hybrid of yoga and spinning -- is a bustling hub in Venice.

So when I recently got a copy of her DVD Yoga for Athletes, which boasts "No Chanting. No Granola. No Sanskrit", I was skeptical. Didn't think it was my thing. But then I popped the sucker into my MAC and discovered a well-sequenced, well-considered and challenging class that focused on areas crucial to athletic performance -- the hips, the hamstrings, the core and the upper body. It was an efficient, tightly crafted hour and a great way to mix up my already eclectic practice.

Then another Fowler DVD arrived and this one was called Overcoming Obstacles: The Secret to Success. Again with a skeptical eye (oh no, not another wanna-be guru), I popped in the disc and learned that Fowler is someone who has overcome a myriad of obstacles -- poverty, alcoholic parents (and a dad who died homeless), a miraculous recovery from a harrowing climbing accident and brain cancer.

Even though Fowler claims she's more interested in the physical than the spiritual aspects of yoga, I think the focus, determination and self-awareness she touts are very yogic indeed. And like she says, "I'm not your guru...you are. "

Here's a clip from the DVD for your consideration. Curious to know your thoughts.

The city is alive and breathing with yoga right now. Here's a smattering of yoga stuff happening around town:

1) Tomorrow night, June 20, the new documentary, "Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda" will be premiering at Jivamukti. Before the movie, Krishna Das will do a 30-minute kirtan (chanting and jamming). After the film there will be a panel discussion with the two filmmakers, Sharon Gannon, David Life and Integral yoga's Swami Ramananda. The event will benefit the o-kill shelter Integral Yoga or Jivamukti

2) Times Square Yoga on the Solstice
In its second year, this metaphor-made-literal day of FREE yoga classes literally in the middle of Times Square is completely perspective-altering and amazing. And this year, yours truly (me) will be speaking in little 10-minute talks/guided meditations.

Time: Classes throughout Saturday. Check www.timessquarenyc.org for times.
Place: In Times Square, at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets
Cost: Free
To sign up: www.timessquarenyc.org

3) Pure Yoga Opening
The much ballyhooed Pure Yoga--what will be the city's largest studio--will be opening on June 25th. New York magazine has a great page of some of the instructors in their fave postures here (see image at right).

4) Krishna Das Concert. If a little 30-minute warm-up at the Living Yoga event isn't enough, you can see a full-length Krishna Das kirtan to shake your hare ramas at St. Paul's Church on Saturday. Go toKrishnaDas.com for info.

And there's more, but will save some for next week. Know of any cool yoga happenings? Let me know or comment below.

Do you loathe the thought of yoga franchising? Get steamy when a studio gives more space to its clothing shop than its actual studio? Or not see either of those things as a problem at all? Whether you've pondered or praised the commercialization of yoga in Western society, you should see John Philip's documentary, Yoga, Inc. at it's SF premiere this weekend at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Philip's film asks the question: Have we lost the spirit of yoga by making it a business? He talks to a whole range of people in the yoga world, including Rodney Yee, Cyndi Lee, Trisha Lamb, Baron Baptiste, John Friend, and Yoga Journal's own John Abbot about how they perceive yoga's place in the capitalist world. Philip focuses a large part of the film on Bikram Choudhury's memorable and controversial decision to copyright his style of yoga, as well as the development of his World Yoga Competitions. The movie raises questions, as well, about the ethical implications of high priced asana, yoga chains, and the selling of various accoutrement like yoga shoes and chakra panties. But in the end, the filmmaker leaves the decision up to you.

It's a tricky question. To be honest, I am a bit of a purist when it comes to my own practice. I study the texts and the poses more than the fashion labels on my yoga outfits. I try to eat with an ayurvedic conscience, I like to chant, and I steer away from materialism. But I don't think every yogi needs to be like me, nor do I think my yoga is the only yoga there is.

And in the end, I think a little yoga is better than no yoga, and that commercialized yoga is better than no yoga at all. People in the West, and specifically in the US, like to buy stuff. It's something that seems intrinsic to our culture. It is almost our national religion—and that's not going to change overnight. So, I say, if people want to spend, why not spend on something that will improve their health, make them nicer to people around them, and, maybe, even bring them a little peace of mind?

Have thoughts about Bikram's enterprise, the commercialization of yoga, or chakra panties? Please share!

With gas and airline prices soaring and summer vacation on the brain, I've been trying to figure out ways to enjoy the summer while staying close to home.

So when I was invited to Spa Luce, which just opened at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, I booked a five-part ritual Japanese massage treatment that used Red Flower products, which not only smell great (I love the Spanish Gardenia) but meet discerning yogi, green standards. I was buffed and scrubbed and rubbed into a blissfully relaxing state and the only yoga pose I had to think about was savasana.

Spa Luce also uses Spa Ritual nail products, all which are vegan and free of scary chemicals like DBP, Toluene and Formaldhyde. I picked up a bottle called (and I blush) "Aroused" and it's a friendly shade of summer red, perfect for toe gazing during shoulder-stand.

Forgive me today as I digress from serious yoga talk but sometimes I find beauty talk almost as relaxing as a good gentle yoga class. I often wonder why and I think the answer lies in a Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt movie called “What Women Want.” Bear with me here, I know we haven’t gotten over Mel and his anti-semitic “sugar tits” rant. But there’s a brilliant scene in the movie. The premise is that Mel has a gift — he can hear women’s thoughts, the subtext, the ruminations, the real feelings, all of it. But when he goes to the beauty department at Bloomingdales in NYC he’s befuddled b/c all he can “hear” in the women’s heads is idle chatter about lipstick and moisturizer and eye liner.

Those conversations are like Zen. There is nothing else present. No future, no past, just make-up. Moisturizer. Nail polish. Even acne control. So pure. And perverse.

Perhaps I should not admit these things here but I wonder, do you have any guilty relaxing pleasures?

Yes, this is a picture of me and my dad. Yes, I am wearing a Smurf shirt and a denim beaded vest—and some pretty wicked braids, if I do say so myself. And yes, even though that photo was taken more than 25 years ago in Brooklyn, I do still own outfits that kind of look like that.

But more to the point: Father's Day is almost here and I have been thinking a lot about my dad, and the influence he's had on my life—and my yoga practice. It's not that my dad is a yogi or a "spiritual" guy. He's not. He's never been to India or even sat in meditation, and would way sooner be lifting weights in a gym than doing headstands on a hard wooden floor. But, early on, my dad taught me the importance of fitness and healthy diet. He also taught me how to stay calm in stressful situations, how to always be truthful, and how to treat people with kindness and respect. And when it comes down to it, that's all yoga.

So, I was thinking, what better gift to give a dad on Father's Day than yoga? My pops is all the way out on the East Coast, but if you're lucky enough to have a dad (or a dad-like person) who lives nearby, why not take him down-dogging this weekend? If he's never been before, not to worry: Below is a list of beginner classes that all take place on Sunday.

And if you have a special yogic connection with your dad, write in and tell us about it!

Neighborhood: The Mission
Studio: Laughing Lotus
Class: Lotus Flow 1 with Katharine
Time: 9am-10:30am
More info: www.laughinglotus.com

Neighborhood: The Mission
Studio: Yoga Kula
Class: Introduction to Anusara with Jeanne Miernyk
Time: 1pm-3pm
More info: www.yogakula.com

Neighborhood: The Castro
Studio: Yoga Tree Castro
Class: Radiant Flow 1 with Janet Stone
Time: 6:15pm-7:45pm
More info: www.yogatreesf.com

Neighborhood: Portrero Hill
Studio: Yoga Sita
Class: Beginner yoga with Susannah
Time: 11am-12pm
More info: www.yogasitasf.com

Neighborhood: Hayes Valley/ Pan Handle
Studio: The Yoga Loft
Class: Vinyasa 1-2 with Jane Dobson
Time: 11am-12:30pm
More info: www.theloftsf.com

Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Studio: The Mindful Body
Class 1: Beginner yoga with Dee Benefield
Time: 9am-10:30am
Class 2: Beginner yoga with Renee Heidtman
Time: 11:30am-12:45pm
More info: www.themindfulbody.com

Neighborhood: Western Addition/Nopa
Studio: The YogaStudio
Class: Level 1 yoga with Jo Lewzey
Time:11:45am-1:15pm
More info: www.yogastudiomillvalley.com

Neighborhood: SOMA
Studio: It's Yoga
Time: 6pm-7pm
Class: Astanga beginners modified primary series with Joe
More info: www.itsyoga.com

It's not even officially summer, and already the city smells like a urinal and feels like a Bikram class. Which is why, apparently, I thought it would be a great idea to start a new Bikram practice. This morning.

The good news about doing yoga in a 400-degree room when it's 95 degrees outside is that when the door opens it feels like a Swiss Alps breeze. The bad news: So. Much. Sweat.

This all started with my friend Jenn contemplating the 30-Day challenge program that a bunch of the city's Bikram studios offer; it's uber-intense and usually cheaper than a regular monthly pass. A friend of her friend's recently finished and blogged about it. I thought it could be a good way to jumpstart my practice--seeing as lately I'm most familiar with Sitonmyasana. But semi-sanity prevailed, and we agreed to three classes a week for a month at the Park Slope Bikram studio.

The last time I did Bikram I vowed never again. It was right after 9/11, downtown, the air still filled with that smoke. The teacher was in full-on sargeant mode, yelling at one student not to look so glum. When she plowed ahead with the "spread your arms like an airplane" script for locust, the class plunged into shocked silence and I thought, "This ain't my kind of yoga."

But alas. I was still missing the love from this morning's teacher. And man, that place stunk like curdled cat litter cheese. But the heat, the sweat, the repetition. All so hard but ultimately good (I think). And at the very end of class when we were bathing in our savasana puddles, the instructor said, "Give yourselves a lot of credit. What you're doing by just being here is loving yourself." Either that, or the other thing. But I'll be back with that intention, yelling and all.

Here are guidelines for the Bikram 30-day challenge in NYC, which you can start any time--in case you want to beat the heat by putting it into perspective.

Are you a Bikram-ite? What do you like about it? Or not?

Yesterday, I waited all morning for a hug.

I went to go see Amma, the "hugging saint," who travels all over the world with the intention to hug as many hug-needy people as possible. But Amma, who has hugged more than 26 million people and often hugs for 20+ hours in a row, does more than hug. She puts her money where her hugs are. Over the years, she has raised millions of dollars for orphanages, health care, and emergency aid to survivors of tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters in India and elsewhere.

Some people wait more than five hours for a hug. I was lucky because I arrived early on a weekday morning. (Also, just like at the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you get special treatment if it's your first time.) I was probably among the first 50 people to get hugs. I watched as Amma embraced each person. It wasn't as I expected. She was often having discourse with one person while hugging another, and the environment was intense as the organizers were—understandably—focused on less spiritual endeavors such as nudging the hundreds of hug-waiters forward and wiping our faces free of sweat and makeup.

I approached the scene like a journalist, the way I come into so many situations, observing and analyzing the people and the proceedings. But something in me changed when I saw an older woman nearby, quietly weeping as she waited. And an elderly man who could barely stand waiting in line for his hug. And then, I saw a woman, about my age, holding a postcard for Amma. Not realizing what it was at first, I glanced over, and saw the beginnings of a message of gratitude for what she was learning from her cancer. At that moment, I realized the sheer amount of suffering that existed in that room—in any room—and the potency of what Amma was doing by alleviating, or simply sharing in, people's grief.

My hug was sweet. She held me to her and said the words "my darling" in my ear. Then, I went to the upper level of the center for a little while to watch while she tirelessly hugged one person after the next.

* Amma is here at her center in Castro Valley until June 14, giving out hugs. Click here for her full schedule.
* Also, check out our New York blogger's experience with Amma last year.
* And, to know more, see the documentary on Amma, Darshan: The Embrace.

Most importantly, if you have seen Amma, please share your experiences with us by commenting below. We'd love to hear from you!

This month's Elle has a juicy article about the artist Vanessa Beecroft, and the piece opens as she drags the reluctant reporter to a Kundalini class taught by Tej Kaur at the Golden Bridge studio in Hollywood.

Beecroft has been called a controversial narcisist, even colonial for her naked performance driven pieces and her proclivity for airing eccentricities (or pathologies) like exercise bulimia. Her latest project, and the impetus for the article, is a film documenting her quest to adopt African twins despite her husband's objection to the whole charade.

It's always interesting to see how the mainstream media characterizes yoga and in this case, it becomes an esoteric, out-there practice -- one more controversial aspect of Beecroft's "art".

Here's an excerpt toward the end of the article where Beecroft explains she was drawn to yoga to help deal with the bad reviews of her movie and her disintegrating marriage:

Beecroft is doing her best to respond to this perceived injustice in a new way, with the help of daily euphoria-inducing Kundalini yoga at Golden Bridge. “I am trying not to react, to be still,” she says. “I am doing Kundalini with these Sikhs because I want to understand better what this story is telling me by these series of events that are pretty unfortunate.”

Whether Beecroft really wants to change remains to be seen. It’s ambiguous, as usual, whether the yoga is for her personal growth or for her art. The yoga class, she confesses, “is something a bit exotic” to make the domestic stasis bearable. The class, like Los Angeles itself, is also a productive place for a zeitgeist channeler like Beecroft to be as she untangles her concerns about Africa, the environment, and her relationship with her aging body (the sculptures that will be in her next performance reference aristocratic funereal forms). This is the studio to attend if you want to do Breath of Fire next to a star; here, the students have the accoutrements of urbane enlightenment down, little lambskins for their mats worn just enough and stealth-wealth waffle-weave T-shirts sewn on the bias.

I don't know about you, but I like my yoga accoutrements; I also like Breath of Fire and fashion. If that's urbane enlightenment, sign me up.

Though most of us think of yoga as a very physical practice, there's so much more to yogic tradition. One of these "mores" is yantra--a sacred geometrical symbol from the Tantrics of ancient India. They're used for meditation, and each one correlates to a planet or deity and a particular mantra, or sound.

If you followed that far, you might want to check out Sarah Tomlinson's yantra painting workshop this weekend at Jivamukti. It sounds very cool. You'll spend the day choosing, drawing, and painting your yantra--and then meditating on it.

Each symbol represents "a quality you would like to enhance within yourself," Sarah told me in an email. "i.e., devotion/courage/strength/passion etc." She'll also show you the matching mantra for your Tantra-inspired yantra (though you won't have to say that three times fast), to really drive home the quality you've chosen to focus on.

The idea is that meditating on these symbols will help you feel more centered and "awaken dormant energy." Sarah, who recently published the book, "Nine Designs For Inner Peace," calls it "visual yoga." She provides the paint and paper, you bring pencil, eraser, compass, ruler, and paintbrushes.

It sounds like a nice, crafty, yogic way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The Planet Yantra Painting Workshop is this Saturday June 7, from 10:00 am to 6:00pm, for $125. You'll need to pre-register: Jivamuktiyoga.com or call 212-353-0214 ext 0.

For more info on or to contact Sarah Tomlinson: Yantratecture.com

For more info on yantras: Sanatansociety.com

Do you have any experience with yantras?