October 2008 Archives

Last weekend, Yoga Tree Castro hosted a two-night benefit for an exciting new literary project in the yoga world: a book that, if completed, will reveal incredible never-before-read information about yoga.

The proposed 600-page project is called the Tantric Studies Reader, and it's being put together by renown Sanskrit and Yogic scholars. These scholars estimate that only 4% of the hundreds of key texts on yoga and Tantra have yet been translated. There are thousands more, unknown to the Western world, written on palm leaves (like the one pictured here) in libraries in India and Nepal. This project is all about getting a hold of these manuscripts, translating them, and making them available to the yoga community at large.

This is awesome news for the yoga community because it means we will get to understand a lot more about practices like mantra, darshana, asana, pranayama, and meditation. But the academics working on the project, specifically the main editor, Columbia University professor Somadeva Vasudeva, need more funding to see the book to completion.

Local interest is building, especially because the Bay Area's own Sanskrit and Tantric scholars Christopher Tompkins and Harish Wallis are also involved. And now, teachers like Janet Stone and Shiva Rea (right) have jumped on board to help. They both held benefit events this past weekend at Yoga Tree Castro.

I went to Shiva Rea's event—in which Chris Tompkins was also teaching; it was a huge gathering on Saturday night around a colorful yantra in the middle of the studio. Chris did a lecture on Tantric art and Shiva Rea led the group in a spontaneous flow movement massive trance dance. Janet held an event the night before and, between the two events, more than $2000 was raised for this groundbreaking yogic text.

The teachers and scholars are putting out a plea for help with their work. If this work excites you, there are lots of ways to get involved.

+ Read more about the project, and donate if you can.

+ purchase any of the spiritual art
or any of the DVDs on the Foundation for Yoga site; through November, all proceeds will go to the project.

+ Read more about the importance of Tantra in the history of yoga.

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Photo of Shiva Rea by Lisa Johnston

Over 10 years ago Los Angeles yoga teacher Hillary Rubin was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. At around the same time she started practicing Anusara yoga. It was a hectic time in her life -- she was living in New York, working at Prada, living a hard-core urban lifestyle and as a result her health began to suffer.

"I was a hard-ass New Yorker," she once told me. "But yoga softened me. It was like a training school and the M.S. was an invitation that was asking me to participate more fully in my life, in my healing and embrace the disease as a teacher."

In 2002, she moved to Los Angeles and became a certified Anusara teacher at City Yoga. For the most part, she's been able to control her disease through yoga, diet, meditation and she says, "paying attention and taking good care of myself."

Now, she's taken her personal experience and developed a practice for those facing the challenge of autoimmune disease. Her first DVD is called Yoga Foundations and you can learn more about it at I Am Not a
Mess.

It looks like zombie yoga won't be happening again this year, but you can still get your yoga on this Halloween. A couple of cool-sounding events; let me know if you hear of more and I'll post 'em.

Halloween Midnight Yoga Fest at Laughing Lotus
It's a deluxe version of the studio's usual Friday evening Midnight Yoga. Show up at 9pm for free tarot readings, parade viewing (they're right off the Sixth Avenue parade route) and treats. At 10pm you can show off your tricks in a vinyasa class with live musicians.
To sign up or get more info: laughinglotus.com

Halloween Open Mic Kirtan at Integral Yoga
Yeah, you read that right. For this new event you can "Dress as your favorite singer/songwriter and come out to lead a chant." The event starts at 8pm and a $5 suggested donation includes refreshments.
Here's more info.

UPDATE:
Here's another event:
Punk Rock Yoga at East West Yoga
Kick some asana with this lively class on Halloween.
Friday, October 31, 8:30 – 9:45 pm. $19

And in case you're feeling nostalgic or missed it, here's some pretty great video of zombie yoga from 2007:

New York filmmaker Kate Churchill had been practicing yoga for seven years when she decided to make a movie about it. The premise: Introduce a skeptical young guy to yoga and prove that yoga can transform him. The result is Enlighten Up!, which makes a quick San Francisco premiere this week at the Roxie, as part of the SF Doc Fest before its national run starts in March.

Nick Rosen, the star of the film, is a NY journalist in his early 30s. He has an attorney dad and a shamanic healer mom, and seems caught between practical and mystical callings. He says, "I don't expect any earth-shattering changes" at the start of the film, and he spends the rest of the film trying not to be moved by yoga (while the filmmaker tries to make a yogi out of him).

Churchill manages to get all of the big guns in the film: Baron Baptiste, Rodney Yee, Cyndi Lee, Judith Lasater, Dharma Mittra, David Life and Sharon Gannon, Pattabhi Jois, and even Mr. Iyengar, himself. She takes Rosen to India and back to try every type of yoga from kundalini to Bikram to "Yoga for Regular Guys" (invented by a wrestler who says "T and A" is more important than "Namaste").

So, does Nick get enlightened in the end? The answer to that question may depend not only on his perspective, but on your own.

+ See the movie at the Roxie on Saturday, October 25, or Tuesday, October 28. Rosen and Churchill will be at the screenings to answer questions afterward. (Get tix soon as they are selling out!)

+ See Churchill at the Apple Store on Friday, October 24, at 6pm, where she will be showing clips from the movie and giving a talk.

+ Click here to read my recent blog about Yoga in the Movies.

+ Let us know what you think about Enlighten Up!

I'm always searching for yoga music and while my itunes yoga folder continues to grow, I'm pretty picky about what I add. Sometimes I find sacred music can either be too earnest, too hip (hop) or not that inspiring. Thanks to a recent NPR story (and my husband who sent me the link), I discovered Niyaz, a trio whose musical and cultural roots have taken them from Iran, to India to Los Angeles.

Their blend of Sufi mysticism (and Rumi poetry too) with trance electronica is sophisticated, meaningful and groovy in all the right ways. Check out their My Space page and hear for yourself. And if you have any yoga tunes that you'd like to share, go ahead and post them here. Playlists are welcome too.

The election: It's got to be discussed, even here in a blog about yoga. San Franciscans, like most people throughout the country, can't stop talking about it. And yogis are hardly the exception.

During this past month, there have been several local political fund-raising yoga events. Two nights ago, while gathering with some fellow practitioners to chant, the conversation inevitably turned towards the election. I have personally watched three of the four debates with fellow yogis. And last week, another yogi sent me the below political video put together by the Bay Area's own MC Yogi.

With all these yogis so impassioned about the election, it seems like a good time to raise the question about the place of politics in yoga—or even yoga in politics. To start a dialogue, I called MC Yogi and asked about his motivation for making this video, and his thoughts about the intersection between yoga and politics.

The owner of Yoga Toes Studio in Point Reyes, as well as an acclaimed yoga hip-hop artist, MC Yogi said that his teachers—Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David Life—taught him that it is yogic to engage politically and speak one's truth. He talked about the yogic reasons that he supports Barack Obama, citing specifically the Chicago senator's take on the environment and his message of uniting people as opposed to dividing them. He compared Senator Obama to the Indian spiritual and political leader, Gandhi.

"Gandhi was really the synthesis of how we can use our internal practices to engage in the external world in a way that we can lessen the suffering," he said. "Obama embodies that. His message is a message of hope."

Which of the candidates do you think is more in line with yogic ideals? And what place do you think politics should have in yoga? Please write in and share your thoughts.

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P.S. The last day to register is October 20, and the last day to get an absentee ballot is October 28. You can also vote early at City Hall (I voted last week!). Click here for answers to all voting questions.

I'm willing to bet that New Yorkers rent more mats per capita than any other place. That's mainly because though the tubular tote or mat poking out of a bag says "I take care of myself in a cool way," it's also one more thing to schlep around town. Which is why I've been intrigued lately by the ways around this.

Myself, I recently bought a super lightweight, eco Hugger Mugger mat to carry to classes, while my heavy jute/rubber thing is retired for home practice only. But even that seems like a pain sometimes. Some other options:

1) Yogitoes nubby/absorbent towels are suddenly everywhere, covering nasty rental mats across the city. Stacie, my fellow blogger in L.A. recently posted about the founder, who created these when a rental mat "smelled like wet dog." Gaiam also appears to carry a version.

2)I haven't given Yoga Paws a try yet, but they make loads of sense and fit in a smallish handbag. They're just little sticky coverings for your "paws," a.k.a. hands and feet.

3) Lululemon's "Supernatural" travel mat is uber-thin and made from natural rubber; it folds to about the size of a large, thicker manila envelope.

4) Gaiam's reversible travel mat is an interesting towel-mat hybrid, with sticky natural rubber on one side, microfiber towel on the other. And it weighs just a pound.

How are you solving the mat-schlep dilemma these days?

Have you ever thought about how sustainability applies to yoga? Not just the obvious things like loosing the plastic bags, buying the right PVC-free mat, or going to the farmer's market -- but how do your actions and deeds as a yogi affect the environment we all share?

Vidya Chaitanya addressed some of these questions and lots more at a workshop I was lucky enough to attend a couple weeks ago at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Marina Del Rey.

Chaitanya is not only the spiritual director of the Sivananda Center, she's also a practitioner and teacher of Permaculture. Devised during the 1970s in Australia, Permaculture is a design system based on ethics and principles which can be used to establish,manage and improve all efforts made by individuals, households and communities towards a sustainable future.

Next weekend the dialog continues at the Sivananda Center during a conference called Yoga and the Environment. Practice outside, learn about the perils and possibilities of peak oil, attend lectures and workshops about yoga and ecology, and discover how you can redesign your life and your community.

With all of the current mudslinging taking place these days on the nighttime reality shows known as the Presidential Debates and 7pm Evening News, it's not a bad time to invoke a little grace. If you feel like you need a little help locating grace at the moment, a new and local yoga apparel company is on a mission to help you find it.

The Mill Valley clothing company is called Zobha (which means "grace" in Sanskrit), and it is piloting a program called Circle of Grace this weekend at Napa yoga hotspot Ubuntu. In line with its mission to create yoga apparel that lends itself to gracefulness, Zobha has selected various yoga teachers from across the country whom they feel also exemplify that quality. Those teachers are part of the Circle of Grace, and will lead workshops in various locations throughout the year. Four of those teachers (including San Francisco's own Stephanie Snyder) will teach the first Circle of Grace workshop this Saturday and Sunday at Ubuntu.

Apart from the 2pm-5pm daily workshops, there will also be an opportunity at an evening reception Saturday night to meet the company's founder and designer, Jamie Hanna, and view the fall collection, which you can also check out online. Another cool thing of note is that for the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the company is donating all the proceeds from any purchase of a pink yoga top to breast cancer research.

Let us know if you make it up to Ubuntu this weekend, and, if not, what kinds of local things you do to cultivate grace in your life. And if you feel like you have a hold on grace, check back in next week when I talk politics with MC Yogi!

Lying in savasana last Saturday at a class in my Brooklyn hood, suddenly the "Yes We Can" Obama song came on. It's a beautiful tune. But my brain definitely blanched. Politics in yoga class?

"Sometimes it's a time to be internal, but now I think it's time for us to be external," said the teacher as we rose, adding, "Whoever you vote for, just be sure to vote." Pause. "Not that we have to worry in New York."

So. Obama fever is everywhere here, even in yogaland.

If you check out the Obama website, you'll find the Yoga Lovers for Obama Group (who knew?), whose members are holding two upcoming events in Brooklyn--both on Sunday, October 19th. One class is at 3pm teacher at Naomi Jaffe's home. The $20 fee goes to the campaign. It's the second one she's held.

The other class is taught by Tamara Malkin-Stuart at noon in Propect Park, exact spot TBD. It's called Practice for Change and is also a fundraiser.

And finally, Laughing Lotus is dedicating their October call for karmic service to supporting Obama. From their website: "With the change of season in the air we are reminded of the necessity of change in our own lives so we can grow and we wholeheartedly embrace Barack Obama and the huge change he represents for our country."

They add that he "embodies many values that yogis too embrace: compassion, honesty, and economic and social justice." And they list his most compassionate actions, encouraging people to "retain your equanimity amidst the madness, pray for change, and most of all, support your candidate in whatever way you can."

So. What do you think? Do yoga and politics mesh? Is yoga an inherently lefty practice?

I don't know about you, but the news coming out of Wall Street makes me nervous. It's not that I have so much at stake (certainly not like those financial titans with plummeting portfolios) but I expect to feel the stresses of the volatile markets as gas and food prices continue to go up, credit gets tighter and editorial budgets get smaller (after all I make my living as freelance writer).

Tuesday morning I got some perspective after attending Guru Singh's Kundalini class at Yoga West. Guru Singh, known as much for his yoga as for his lectures, just broke it down. He reminded us about the hype surrounding Y2K in 2000, all the anxiety after 9/11, SARS, Bird Flu -- you get the picture. Sometimes the fear that something bad is going to happen is greater than the threat. And even if the economy does melt down, he assured us, we're resourceful, strong and flexible.

All this uncertainty can cause the lower chakras to get out whack, he explained, triggering the cortisol-fueled anxiety producing fight or flight survival mode which causes us to hoard, favor greed, loose confidence, and ultimately operate from a base of fear. Not pretty. He led us in a set of lower chakra balancing poses and sent us on our way with a new point-of-view.

To hear it directly from the source (because I can't really do it justice), check-out Guru Singh's post about the financial state of affairs and if you like, download some podcasts and music too.

image courtesy: www.kundaliniyoga.org

Speeding home in a cab last night I glimpsed the shiny, new, colorful Lululemon Athletica store in SoHo. I've been waiting for a while for a full downtown outlet of the upscale yoga/work-out duds store for a while. It looks sufficiently yogini-in-a-Lulustore fun. Like the other three shops, this location will also have free community classes and events.

First one is Saturday, October 4 at 8:30 am—a "Physique 57 mat class" (er, anyone know what that is?) and the next is on Sunday at 9:30—a pun-y "willPower & Grace" class. (You can sign up for either by emailing soho-community@lululemon.com.) For those of us who sleep on weekends, on October 12, the store will start offering free, open-level yoga classes from 8pm to 9pm. Mats are provided and you need not RSVP.

And in case you want to get money from Lululemon instead of the other way around, looks like they're hiring through Craigslist, just in time for the vanishing of Wall Street (a.k.a. the perfect opportunity to breeeathe.). The listed job qualifications for "Educators" actually make it sound like a fun place to work (I say "actually" because I learned long ago that spiritual product does not automatically mean spiritual workplace).

Here are some of their cool pre-reqs: "You’re generous with authentic praise and know how to give solution based feedback" and "You’re dedicated to a healthy lifestyle (not to be confused with total obsession, unreasonable fixation, or aggregated dependence)."

You can get more info and sign up for event alerts for the new store here.

I grew up in a family that was, at best, Jewish-lite. We held Passover seders while chomping on Italian bread and ordered Chinese food on Hannukah. But there were little nuggets of spiritual reflection tossed into my nontraditional and secular spiritual life. And as I go deeper into my yoga practice, I see more and more crossover between my Jewish cultural upbringing and the Indian and Buddhist customs we yogis partake in—like finding joy in singing in a language I don't fully understand, considering charity a central part of my spiritual practice, and fasting to cleanse the body and soul.

I mention this because this week marks a special time in the Jewish calendar. It's the week between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. The main idea behind the week is forgiveness: asking for it and doling it out. It's also about making mental notes of what we'd like to change or usher in. All very yogic concepts.

This time of year is considered auspicious and meditative in other cultures, as well. Both the Muslim month of Ramadan (a time of forgiveness, prayer, and purification) and the Hindu holiday of Pitr-paksha (a two-week celebration of one's ancestors) just came to a close. It's also autumn, which means it's getting colder and darker: In short, a time to go inward.

Looking for some yogic ways to celebrate this time of year? Here are a few ideas:

+ Do the four-day Samavesha course or the AcroYoga intensive, both at Yoga Tree this weekend. Samavesha (which starts Thursday) is a meditative and introspective retreat-like workshop offered in the Tantrik lineage; AcroYoga is a fun and invigorating practice that teaches you to trust others to support you.

+ Spend Yom Kippur with one of the inclusive and progressive temples in the city, like Keneset Halev, which includes kirtan and meditation in its services. The services are held in Golden Gate park on October 8 and 9.

+ Take the Karma and Meditation workshop with Ravi Nathwani this Sunday at the Mindful Body.

And please write in and tell us what is the most auspicious or transforming time of year for you!