November 2008 Archives

It wasn't long ago that a mention of Tantra would evoke gasps and giggles from everyone in a room, including the yogis. My own introduction to Tantra, or what was labeled then as "Tantra", was at a yoga school in Southern Thailand where all of the asana instructors read from a script, and all of the dharma talks were about sex. But today, the study of Tantra—as a yogic path, not a means to getting it on—has become widespread and well-respected. And this renaissance is a direct result of the teachings of people like Tantra scholar Paul Muller-Ortega.

Last weekend, I attended a workshop with Paul at Yoga Tree Hayes. He has spent a good deal of his life immersed in spiritual studies, and has focused in more recent years on Hindu Tantra. In class, we chanted the Tantric version of the Gayatri, meditated, and listed to Paul talk about various Tantric principles, like staying open to the mutability of your identity, and spending time in meditation to learn what's really going on inside, and beyond, yourself.

Paul also talked about how we are experiencing a new age of consciousness education right now, and I believe that to be true: I think there is a reason that mind-expanding practices like yoga (and, specifically, Tantra) have become so popular lately. People in the West are starting to more fully investigate themselves, their bodies, and human consciousness. And because Tantra incorporates, rather than restrains the use of, everything that is human—from the intellect to the body and the senses—people in the West seem particularly drawn to it.

Want to know more about the local Tantra scene? Check out the blogs I've written in the past year that have a Tantra bent:

John Friend Talks in San Francisco

The Samavesha Experience

Stacey Rosenberg Teachers Anusara on the Beach

Chris Tompkins' Tantra Studies Class at Rudramandir

Shiva Rea Raises Money for Book on Tantra

Also, Yoga Kula is an Anusara-only yoga school, which has roots in Tantra.

And here's a recent post by LA blogger Stacie Stukin on her White Tantra experience.

Have you been touched by the Tantra bug? Tell us about your experience.

Today I am grateful for....

1) Kula Yoga Project's 7:45 am classes
2) The vegan pumpkin scone I had recently at the Jivamukti Cafe
3) That a new Lululemon is opening on Friday, November 30th in the Flatiron District right near my office (or, um, maybe that is something for the non-grateful, too tempting column).
4) The MELT class Monday nights at the Breathing Project. Hard to describe, wonderfully relaxing to the entire nervous system
5) Souen on 13th Street
6) The Girlie Girl Army newsletters--full of vegan recipes, NYC sample sale info, charity info, and other hip-but-spiritual pointers
7) The Dharma Punx meditation and darshan I went to the other night
8) Organique, an all-organic deli on 23rd street
9) Meditating on the subway
10) You, for reading.

What are you grateful for today?

Mani Niall is known in L.A. as the namesake of Mani's Bakery -- the wholesome cafe that uses natural ingredients and specializes in pastry that is gluten-free, low-fat, and sugar-free. While he no longer owns the bakery, his cookbook from that time Sweet & Natural Baking: Sugar-Free, Flavorfull Desserts from Mani's Bakery is a staple in my library and highly coveted since it's out print. Lucky for us, Mani hasn't abandoned his mission to develop healthful, satisfying desserts and continues to bake and publish.

His latest book Sweet! could not have come at a better time, especially for bakers looking for something a little different (and more mindful) for the holiday table. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the cookbook this week at Niall's L.A. book signing, where samples of his sweet treats were served. Did I mention the Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche was not too shabby and unbelievably rich and moist?

Sweet! is a great primer for anyone interested in baking with specialty sugars that offer a lot more than just sweetness. And Niall does a really good job of breaking down the flavors and characteristics of different sugars including ethnic varieties like Jaggery (from India), Panela (from Mexico and South America) as well as raw sugars like evaporated cane juice and sucanat. Then there are my favorites: the moist brown sugars like muscovado and demerara.

If you thought there was only one kind of white and brown sugar in the world (and generally the brown sugar you buy in the market is just white sugar with food coloring) and if you didn't know that most conventional white sugars aren't vegetarian-friendly because they are processed using bovine bones, then this is the book for you. It will definitely make everything a bit more sweet.

Any favorite sugars or recipes you love? Share the wealth, please.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and always has been. That's not because of the food or the season or even the two days off from work. I love Thanksgiving for two simple reasons: it's nondenominational and it's about being grateful.

I think of Thanksgiving as a simultaneously fun and contemplative affair, just like yoga, so I thought I would poke around to see what like-minded folks will be doing for the holiday this year. If you don't yet have plans, explore these yogic options:

+ Do the Thanksgiving Renewal Retreat with Chrisandra Fox and chef Meredith Klein at Tara Bella Villa in Sonoma this weekend.
+ Take part in the San Francisco Bay Area Vegetarians Thanksgiving potluck dinner.
+ Attend Joe Naudzunas' 18th annual Thanksgiving Day class at Iyengar Institute, which emphasizes digestion.
+ Join the Integral Yogis for a Thanksgiving celebration and potluck.

Are you eating a turkey or Tofurky this year? Do you do a metta practice on Thanksgiving? Do you do a cleanse afterward? Write in and let us know how the holiday and your yoga practice do or don't intersect.

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P.S. For more thoughts about gratitude or yogic cooking ideas for Thanksgiving, check out YJ's new Community feature. Use the search to find a specific topic (like "gratitude") or go to one of the specific groups (like Yoga and Food). If you join, make sure to "friend" me; my username is karenyoga.

Maybe you're participating in Buy Nothing Day next week, a day that takes a stance against the rampant consumerism that has become the holidays (this year they're proposing extending that to the entire season). Or not. Either way, you'll probably need to buy gifts for family, friends, colleagues, and others—in an economic mind-set that is decidedly chilly. Here are some NYC-based gift possibilities for the yogis in your life, for under $100.

1) Yoga-inspired jewelry from the Satya sample sale. You'll find lovely trinkets at up to 80% off retail—as in charm necklaces for $35 and earrings for $20 and more. Friday December 12th, 13th, and 14th at the 253 Centre Street store. And if you miss the sale (or can't deal with the sale's many opportunities to practice patience), you can drop by a Satya store for affordable, not-on-sale goodies—and get free henna painting and Tarot readings each Thursday eve in December. Contact them for schedule.

2) A Lululemon scuba hoodie. With a new store opening in the Flatiron District any moment now (they were wildly sweeping and polishing when I walked by today), you'll have a fresh shot at well-stocked merch. And those sweatshirts are just about the comfiest thing I own. About $85.

3) Wendyloo ‘s hand-printed yoga mat bags (at right) made at a women's collective in Brooklyn, are functional and beautiful. $78 at Local Labels.com, a business co-owned by a dear friend that's dedicated to keeping NYC-based manufacturing alive.

4) A donation in someone's name to Bent on Learning, a charity that teaches yoga and meditation to kids in NYC public schools. They work with students throughout the city and have impressive roster of involved yogis. For more info: bentonlearning.org

5) Along the same lines you can pop into ABC Home (after checking out their gorgeous new window displays) and donate through Gifts of Compassion, a program that gets money to charities that do everything from save the planet to help moms and kids in Tibet to buy glasses for children in developing nations. You'll get a card for your recipient in a lovely sari fabric bag explaining the donation. They've also got lots gifts in their Mission Market—like gorgeous beaded animals—whose proceeds support needy populations around the world. For more: ABChome.com

Last weekend I signed up to join 478 Kundalini yogis for a one day White Tantric meditation workshop. It was a leap of faith for me and the other White Tantric virgins who, wore all white, covered our heads and gathered in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom on the UCLA campus. Sure there were many who had been there and done that, but for us novices, we had a case of the unknown jitters. (Yes that's me on the right with my lovely partner Regina Gelfo).

The White Trantric tradition was initiated in Los Angeles by Yogi Bhajan in 1970 and ever since, it's taught annually all over the world. Since Yogi Bhajan died in 2004, the wisdom (and the kriyas) are passed via a video-taped series of six to eight meditations lasting anywhere from 11 to 62 minutes. We were lucky enough to have Satsimran Kaur as our facilitator who worked with Yogi Bhajan for many years and helped him prepare the White Trantric tradition for dissemination after his passing.

The purpose: balance the chakras, create an energy force (of 478 chanting, doing asana, meditating and mudra making yogis) to cut through the blocks of the subconscious and release the burdens that plague the mind. Satsimran put it another way. "Kundalini yoga is like liquid plummer. You pour it down the drain and eventually it works. White Tantric is like the roto-rooter guy. He's able to get the job done right away and go were no one else can go."

I was also relieved that Satsimran set an important ground rule, "Don't take it so seriously," she said, "Enjoy and have some fun."

White Tantric requires participants to work in pairs and while some arrived with partners, others, like me, had to find someone (a stranger) to share this intimate experience. Lucky for me, the minute I walked in the room the lovely Regina Gelfo asked me to be her partner.

Gelfo and a group of her friends came from San Francisco to attend the workshop, as did folks from New York, Spain, England, Colorado, Germany and Hawaii. It was the biggest White Tantric gathering in Los Angeles history and the results were sweet. The day's course was called "Renew to be New" and when it was all done, we did feel renewed. Not because we were all serious and yogi-like but because we shared an awesome experience that shifted our minds and calmed our spirits.

It also inspired tech-saavy Gelfo to make this impromptu Kundalini comic featuring her friend Jiwan Shakti. Are we having fun yet? Definitely. Sat Nam.

This weekend marks the 7th annual San Francisco Green Festival, and yoga is playing a special part. Not only will there be a yoga and movement room onsite at the festival, but on Friday, November 14 at 6pm, Yoga Journal is hosting a demo and discussion panel in the East Hall. Stephanie Snyder (left) will be performing a yoga asana demonstration to encourage non-yogi greenies to start practicing, and Baxter Bell will lead a discussion on yoga as sustainable health care.

So, what's yoga got to do with greenness? Everything. As Stephanie said, when we spoke on the phone about her demo, yoga is about being mindful and aware—and so is protecting the environment. "When people start doing yoga, they just naturally start making more conscious choices," she said. "You start to take care of your body and then, naturally, to take care of the world we live in."

Want to know what your yoga studio is doing for the planet? Ask. Most studios are taking baby steps, and even bigger steps, towards being environmentally conscious. Here are a few local ones that have the planet on their minds.

* Yoga Tree studios recycle and composts everything, even those little paper drinking cups. They also uses green products in the bathroom and changing areas.

* Laughing Lotus refrains from selling bottles of water to discourage the waste of plastic.

* Yoga Garden of San Francisco runs entirely on passive solar panels, is heated with super efficient solar-to-electric fans, and was actually built with recycled materials.

* Greenpath Yoga is participating in the Green Yoga Association's Green Studio Pilot Program. Through this one-year program, the studio is making changes to incorporate more sustainable and recyclable materials into its business operation, and is also helping to author the first Green Yoga Studio Handbook.

Check out this article on greening your yoga practice, and let us know how yoga and environmental consciousness intersect in your life!

Lately, I've been drinking lots of GT's Kombucha tea, without knowing too much about it except that it's fermented, it quenches my thirst and it tastes good (gingerade and guava goddess are my favorites). It's also supposed to have probiotic and immune-boosting properties. But it's not cheap (about $3.50 a bottle) so it's a yoga indulgence.

With the expense in mind, I considered fermenting my own at home but was a little scared because growing bacteria isn't really my forte. When I picked up the L.A. Times this morning, a very informative article about Kombucha confirmed my concerns. When good bacteria goes bad, home-brewed kombucha can, indeed, make you very sick.

The article also explained that the drink is originally a 2,000 year-old Chinese tonic and even though it's revered in many cultures to have healing properties, there are no human studies to back up the claims. But some lab studies suggest it can kill harmful bacteria, increase immune cell activity and help prevent liver toxicity.

Any Kombucha drinkers out there? Or any one with home-fermenting experience?

For vegetarians or clean-food loving omnivores, Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful. Especially when in the homes of folks who don't share your sensibilities. So if you can escape family obligations, don't have any, or can get the whole troupe away from the stove and into a restaurant, NYC has a cornucopia (seasonally-appropriate metaphor! yay) of T-day veggie options.

I was just clicking around and found this post from Super Vegan, from which I am now shamelessly borrowing--and updating for 2008.

Angelica Kitchen is having its Thanksgiving 5-course Prix Fixe again and it sounds delish. It's $50 and you need to reserve by November 24th. Here's the menu (PDF) 212-228-2909

The lovely Blossom is having a $58 veggie prix fixe. They say to reserve as soon as possible, or no less than 10 days before T-day.212-875-2600

Candle's Cafe 79 is having a four-course meal for $68 from 2pm to 9pm. They've started taking reservations and suggest you book now. (212) 472-0970

And finally, if you want to go the all-raw, vegan route, there's a feast at the divine Pure Food & Wine. $72 for a four-course prix fixe. 212-477-1010

If you decide to get out of town, Jivamukti's 15th annual Thanksgiving retreat at Ananda Ashram is an option. The retreat kicks off with a vegan meal, followed by yoga, chanting, meditation, and satsang.

And if you stay at home and actually, gasp, cook, this book looks great (really love her first one): The Healthy Hedonist Holidays.

If you are a vegetarian (or a turkey-compassionate omnivore), you can seal the deal by adopting a turkey through Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-a-Turkey project. You can even choose the bird you'll be saving from being dinner. I'm thinking Hannah (pictured) is pretty cute.

What are your holiday meal plans?

If you're looking for a soothing, free, mini-respite, check out Pulse Park, an interactive art project in Madison Square Park. You go up to one of two little podium-like stands, hold the handlebars inside and have your pulse taken. It then translates the beating of your heart into pulsing beams of light on the field in front of you. Your pulse will be integrated into 199 other people's in a shifting array of light. When you let go, your heart light will stay in a single beam for a moment. It's a pretty magical New York experience. And apparently the electricity for the whole thing is fueled by biodiesel.

Since it's really hard to explain, you can check it out for yourself from dusk-10pm until November 17th. As a yogi who thinks a lot about heart and breath, I found it especially revelatory to see my inside pumps momentarily translated into light--and then watch it commune with other people's. The artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, told New York magazine that he first had the idea for the piece after 9/11 when he wanted to create something uplifing. Pulse Park he said, "... is meant to bring everyone together, to allow people to express some sort of agency in a public space."

When you're there, remember to look up to see the park's other current exhibit--treehuts.

Yee. Times like this I really love New York.

Have you tried Pulse Park? What did you think?

Sure, you've got that Trikonasana down, and you're no longer tumbling out of headstand like an 8-year-old in gymnastics class, but do you really know what yoga is all about? Even though most yoga classes just focus on asana, due to time constraints, yogic philosophical discourse is a big part of the yogic tradition. From the yamas and niyamas to the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, there's a lot to learn.

Now, starting this winter, CIIS is offering a 150-hour certificate program in Yoga Philosophy. The program, which was just recently finalized, runs from February to May 2009 and involves teachers like Gary Kraftsow, Ian Whicher, Sally Kempton, Richard Rosen, and Patricia Sullivan. If you're a serious yoga student, understanding the depth of the yogic tradition can only enhance your practice; if you're a teacher of yoga, this course—a first of its kind—is practically a must.

Tonight (November 5) is the first open house; if you miss that, there are two more on December 8 and January 21. All open houses are from 7-9pm at the CIIS
Main Campus. Applications for the program are due by December 15, and the total for the course is $2000.

Anyone think they'll sign up?

For a whole lot of us the world looks a little bit shinier today. I was in Brooklyn at an election party watching the numbers, jumping for crazy joy in disbelief and then Mcain (belief crept in), then gorgeous speech (a delicious new shock) from Obama. Sitting next to a yoga teacher, we both talked about how smooth his movements are, how integrated he seems--no front, no obvious knot of tension--just elegance and grace. Pretty cool to have a president who looks like he could be a yogi. And then we heard the whoops--the streets filling with people banging actual pots, honking horns, and saying the name over and over like a mantra: Ohhhhbahhhhhmahhh. There were tears. Relief and yes, hope. A hope for humanity and peace--the best shot we've had in ages.

This post-election pre-amble is to say there's a way to extend your Obama-buzz. On Saturday night is the first Sulha Event for Peace. With incredibly diverse speakers and musicians from around the world, the evening is sponsored by Sulha, a non-profit organization "working to develop a culture of peaceful co-existence and equality amongst Israelis, Arabs, Jews and Muslims." Musicians like Karsh Kale, Parashakti, and Vishal Vaid will be gathering with speakers like Debra Winger and Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Think: incredibly multiculti with poetry and funky grooves for peace. It's produced by Fabian Alsultany, who does the GlobeSonic parties--happy, healthy groove events around the city. All the ingredients for a spiritual but grounded bash for a good cause.

Here are the deets:
DATE: SAT NOV 8, 2008
DOORS: 6PM
EVENT: 7PM -- 11PM
LOCATION: The Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew
ADDRESS: 263 West 86th Street

To get tix for $36, goto: ticketweb.com and enter code FACEBOOK

Otherwise they're $45 in advance | $50 Day of Show | $100 VIP

Questions? www.globesonic.com/sulhapeace Call: 866-468-7619 or Email: sulha@globesonic.com

Also Sulha means "meditate" and the project has been praised by the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu for its effective ideas in promoting peace in the Middle East.

Hopefully most of you have had a chance to join Yoga Journal's new Community feature and see what your fellow yogis are thinking, watching and reading. You can even start your own blog or join groups with those who have like-minded interests. Oh yeah, you can befriend me too. User name = sstukin.

Of course, the first group I joined was Yoga and Food, mostly because cooking has become a solace for me, on a par with my practice, but also something more tangible I can share with friends and family. Often, when I serve my culinary creations I also like to drink wine with my guests.

Imbibing can be a source of guilt for us yogis because some purists frown upon anything that may cloud awareness, but I was happy to see YJ community member Ms. Maui bring up the issue and inspire a string of comments to follow, including one from sironasky that said it all for me: In Vino Veritas.