It's a tough time right now for the economy, and I have some sad news. Due to budgetary constraints in the new year, Samadhi & the City is being discontinued.
I have so loved writing this column every week for the last year and a half. And I've also loved hearing your thoughts about my posts and your practices, whether you commented here on the site or sent me personal emails. Together, we've looked at just about every aspect of the local yoga scene, from new yoga studios, movies, and books to exciting events, kirtans, cooking classes, and even the presidential election.
While I am sad that I'll no longer be writing Samadhi & The City, I plan to continue writing about yoga. Check out my Web site to see what I am up to: www.kmacklin.com.
Perhaps you already have your sparkly dancing shoes picked out for New Year's Eve, or you're planning to spend the first hours of 2009 in another city (or country) altogether. But if you're still pondering your options for welcoming in the new year locally, you might want to consider doing something mellow and mindful. The winter season is a good time of the year to be quiet and go inside, and the new year is the perfect time to be contemplative about the past, future, and, most importantly, the present.
Here are some local yoga and meditation events to look into on December 31. If you know of any others, please let us know!
Where: Laughing Lotus
When: 10pm-midnight
What: New Year's Eve Midnight Yoga with Kate (celebrating yoga, music, and community)
How Much: $25
Where: Integral Yoga
When: 8:30pm
What: New Year's Eve Interfaith Service and Peace Chanting
How Much: See website for details.
Where: Being Yoga
When: 10pm-midnight
What: New Year's Eve Yoga in Burlingame
How Much: See website for details.
Where: Yoga Tree Castro
When: 6:30pm-8:30pm
What: Yoga For the New Year with Janet Stone (and kora master Daniel Berkman)
How Much: $35
Where: Yoga Tree Castro
When: 10:30pm-12:30am
What: New Year's Eve Kirtan and Revival with Rusty Wells (an evening of candlelit with special musical guests)
How Much: $25
Where: Spirit Rock
When: 8:00 pm - 1:00 am
What: Another Year? We Just Had One: A New Year's Eve costume-friendly meditation and celebration hosted by Wes Nisker and Nina Wise with drumming led by master percussionist Barbara Borden and dance music by 5Rhythms DJ diva Davida Taurek.
How Much: $50 - $80, sliding scale, plus a donation to the teacher
It's a funny thing to be darting around looking for holiday presents, and simultaneously holding tight to your last paycheck (that is, if you are lucky enough to still be getting one). But if there is anything a slow economy teaches us, it is to buy locally and mindfully.
If you are still looking for some last minute holiday prezzies, check out these inexpensive yoga-themed gifts that can all be bought online (meaning: no gas needed). And feel free to write in and suggest some ideas of your own!
+ The beautiful Yoga Studio on Divisadero is now officially a YogaWorks studio. Give a friend a gift certificate for classes there to see what it's like under new ownership.
+ Books are personally one of my favorite gifts to give and receive. Check out local yoga teacher Sarah Power's new book Insight Yoga, or any of the yoga books at local bookstore Green Apple (type in "yoga" in the search box).
+ If your friends like to watch more than read, hook them up with any of the great yoga DVDs put out by San Francisco company Pranamaya.
+ A gift certificate for a massage at International Orange is a great gift at any time of the year, but it's best during the winter months when we all feel cold and sluggish. A massage at IO includes free use of the steam room, too. Ahhhh.
+ Everyone is always up for some new yoga gear. Of course, it's hard to tell if your new girlfriend or boyfriend's booty is a size small or medium. Buy them a gift card at lululemon and let them go crazy.
+ Giggle Fish puts out the cutest eye pillows, which are made locally and smell yummy. Small, inexpensive, and perfectly portable.
+ Grab a new mat bag for that special friend whose old mat looks like a pack of hungry puppies went at it. Oonasera is a Bay Area company that makes yoga mat bags in original designs.
I met my ex-boyfriend at the yoga studio. When we first started dating, he was doing a lot of yoga. I thought, "Cool, I am dating a yogi!" Then, surf season started.
His practice dwindled down to the few stretches that he would do on my living room floor to release the muscles in his back, tight from all of the paddling. I tried, fruitlessly, to get him back to yoga class. He kept telling me that, during surf season, surfing was his yoga. I was perplexed at the time. Now I get it.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend and fellow Yoga Journal contributor Jaimal Yogis sent me an advance copy of his new book Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen Out at Sea. It's the perfect read for those who love the ocean as much as their yoga mats, or for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual practice that is surfing.
In his funny and poignant coming of age memoir, Jaimal (at left) tells tales of his teenage journey to live and surf in Hawaii, his later short-lived stint as a monk in Berkeley, and his eventual decision to pursue a degree in Journalism at Columbia. Through it all, he keeps returning to the ocean, and drawing comparisons between Zen meditation and surfing, the waves of the mind and the waves of the ocean.
There are many beautiful passages, but here is one of my favorites:
" . . . it seemed to me that what the mind brought forth while surfing a wave was as close as I'd come to Zen. The great ancestor Sengcan described the Zen mind by saying that the subject disappears without objects, objects vanish without a subject . . . Riding a wave, this happened naturally. The wave demanded such hyperfocus, there wasn't room for judging. On a steep, hollow wave, there wasn't even time to differentiate between one's body and the wave. There was only this and this. Just power and presence."
Saltwater Buddha is out in May 2009 (but is available for discounted pre-order now at Amazon).
There's a widespread perception in our culture that yoga is for those who are physically fit. I often have friends or family members say to me. "I don't do yoga because I am not flexible" or "maybe I'll try it when I lose weight/heal from my injury/stop feeling depressed." And those are all able-bodied people. People with physical disabilities or serious chronic health conditions often think that doing yoga is about as likely for them as snagging a spot on the US Olympic gymnastics team.
We all know that yoga can be modified for "stiff" people or newbies, but JoAnn Lyons has proven that it can be modified for anyone. JoAnn teaches these two classes weekly at Piedmont Yoga Studio:
+ Yoga for People with Disabilities (Thursdays, 3-4:30 pm)
+ Yoga for People with Special Needs (Saturday, 3-4:30 pm)
The first class is for people with all kinds of physical disabilities, from quadriplegia to cerebral palsy. The second class is for people who have lesser disabilities, like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, MS, or scleroderma. You can also come to the Special Needs class if you are nursing a bad injury, and don't want to give up your practice. Both classes are sliding scale, funded in part by the California Yoga Teachers Association's Yoga Dana Foundation.
Recently, I went to assist in one of JoAnn's class and I saw people doing the most incredible things! With a team of staff and volunteer assistants—and a range of props that include a headstander (see student Ramona up top), a yoga sling, cushion wedges, beanbags, and bolsters—JoAnn swiftly directs students into a wide variety of postures, modifying each one for each student's separate needs.
Know someone who thinks they'll never do yoga because of a physical limitation? Suffering from an injury yourself? I highly encourage you to check out the classes. And if you are interested in being an assistant in one of these classes, contact JoAnn to find out about her special teacher training workshop in May.
San Francisco: Paul Muller-Ortega and the Tantra Renaissance
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:
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:
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.
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!
San Francisco: Yoga Philosophy Course at CIIS Takes Off!
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.
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.
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.
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.
*** 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.
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!
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.
Despite the fact that this initiative is being sponsored by all of the major yoga mags and some of the big studios—and being supported, in some way, by celebrities like Sting, Madonna, and Tiger Woods whose photos are on the Yoga Month website—I have seen little about it in the general (or even not so general) media. But, come on. This is a big deal. There are only 12 months out of the year, and it's been declared that one of them is ours! (OK, so when I checked, I learned that it is also National Food Safety Month, National Sewing Month, National Preparedness Month, and National Chicken Month . . . but that's beside the point.)
According to the Yoga Health Alliance, which brings us Yoga Month, 20 million adults practice yoga in the US, and 250+ million adults practice yoga worldwide. And while the feds aren't about to give us a day off from work or school to celebrate the undeniable impact yoga has had, there's a lot we can do locally to promo our practices. This Saturday is a good place to start. All proceeds from the event benefit health education for children. Here's what you get for an all-day pass (which is $125, but is being offered at a special low price of $39 on some days this week):
+ All day classes with teachers like Leslie Howard, Hemalayaa, Scott Blossom, Dr. Timothy McCall, Katchie Ananda, and Headstand's Katherine Priore (read my recent blog about Headstand) + Benefit concert featuring Suzanne Sterling, Wade Imre Morissette, DJ Dragonfly and MC Yogi (read our NY blogger's recent post about MC Yogi)
And even if you can't go, write in and tell us how you celebrated, or plan to celebrate, Yoga Month!
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By the way, one of Stacey Rosenberg's students posted some awesome photos from last weekend's beach cleanup. Thanks so much, Ginger! Check them out here, and please send your own photos in at any time!
San Francisco: Attention Surfers and Beach Lovers!
Yogis are beach people. While most of us don't practice on the beach—at least not on any kind of regular basis—we find ourselves there for beach burns, surfing adventures, and mellow walks in rolled up pants along the edge of the water. There's something about the ocean that simply feels yogic and inspires a meditative mood.
If you are a yogi who loves the beach, this weekend is a great time to show it. Saturday is California Coastal Cleanup Day and there will be beach cleanup spots all along Ocean Beach. What's even better is that Anusara yoga teacher Stacey Rosenberg is offering a pre-cleanup all-levels class, from 8am-9am, on the beach at the entrance near Fulton Street and the Great Highway.
The class is free, and the cleanup starts right afterwards at 9am and goes till noon. Breakfast will be provided by various sponsors, including Whole Foods, and there's an added incentive for getting up so early: Those who come to Stacey's class will be entered in a raffle to win class passes from Yoga Tree, a Yoga Journal magazine subscription, and Prana and Jade yoga mats.
The California Coastal Commission will supply everything you need for the post-yoga beach cleanup—all you need to bring is a mat, some warm clothes to practice in, and a reusable cup for coffee or tea. Last year more than 60,000 people came out to Coastal Cleanup Day, and disposed of or recycled more than 900,000 lbs of trash. It really does make a difference!
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Also, this week: Check out Yoga Journal's new online community, where you can create a profile, meet other YJ members, or even start your own blog! If you want to "friend me" on the site, my username is KarenYoga :)
If you love yoga and baseball (or know someone who does), you've got to join this eBay auction. Annie Appleby, the founder of the Burlingame-based yoga clothing company YogaForce, has teamed up with Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. Together, along with corporate sponsors, they are auctioning a package on eBay that includes a one night stay at the new Intercontinental San Francisco (plus private yoga instruction with Appleby), a gift basket of Johnson & Johnson skin care products, and a special tapered YogaForce Mat (shown below) signed by Selig. The value: more than $1,000.
So how did Appleby, a San Francisco native whose yoga clothing designs have been sold by some of the country's top boutiques and seen in high profile movies and TV shows (like Sex and The City), get involved with Stand Up To Cancer? The answer is simple: Appleby is a skin cancer survivor. And so is Selig. (Appleby regularly auctions YogaForce yoga mats signed by big celebrities to benefit cancer-fighting organizations.)
This eBay auction is a part of a two week fund-raising effort by Stand Up To Cancer that started with a telethon last Friday night, which ran on all the major TV networks and raised more than a hundred million dollars. (Involved, says Appleby, was "every movie star on the planet" and BOTH presidential hopefuls.) All proceeds from the auction are tax-deductible and will benefit the nonprofit.
The bidding starts today and goes until September 15. To find out more about Appleby's clothing line or her other auctions, check out the YogaForce site. And if you want to meet Appleby in person, she's teaching a yoga class at this weekend's Sunday Streets event, from 10:30-11:15am at Ferry Park.
It's a big time for celebration in the yoga community as this week marks the birthday of our favorite elephant-headed boy, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. (If you feel like you're bumping into a lot of walls these days, it's a good time to have a private conversation with him.) But this week also marks the start of the new nationally recognized Yoga Month .
Yoga Month is a new initiative that has been deemed a National Health Observance by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion within the Department of Health and Human Services. Translation: It's totally legit. There are lots of ways to celebrate, including a San Francisco Yoga Health Festival at the Herbst International Exhibit Hall coming up on September 27. The festival includes a full day of classes and lectures by fabulous local yogis like Timothy McCall, Scott Blossom, and Katchie Ananda. The classes are very reasonable—at the moment, it's only $88 for a whole-day pass and $25 for individual classes. You should go if you can—I'll be there to blog about it, too.
The festival's not for a few more weeks, but there's another great way to celebrate this auspicious month: Do yoga at Power to the Peaceful. The music festival, which happens this weekend, features Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ziggy Marley, and a whole line-up of others. There are ample opps to do some yoga, too, from the free morning yoga sessions on Saturday to the all-day Yoga Jam that happens on Sunday. See the full yoga schedule here .
So, go and get your Ganesh on. And then report back and let us know it was!
San Francisco: Yoga in the Streets (And the Controversy That Surrounds It)
Dreaming of a friendlier, greener, and more-connected city, Mayor Gavin Newsom is piloting a program this Sunday, from 9am-1pm, called Sunday Streets. From Bayview to Chinatown, a 4.5 mile stretch along the Embarcadero will be off limits to cars (yay!) and open to the public, offering a huge array of fun, physical things to do like roller skating, dance lessons, Tai Chi, Chinese cultural crafts, running drills, hula hoop contests, and yoga classes. The yoga classes will be happening at Ferry Park and at the Bayview Opera House Stage. Check out the full schedule here.
Newsom is modeling Sunday Streets after a model in Bogota, Columbia, that draws 1.5 million people a year. When I was living in Guatemala City, there was a similar deal on Sundays, and it was pretty much the only time people came out onto the streets because the city was otherwise so dangerous. I loved those Sundays, watching everyone come out with their kids and honeys to rollerblade and bike and eat ice cream.
Newsom's main goal is to get the streets car-free and exercise friendly for a day, but he is also hoping people who think of Bayview merely as a dodgy pocket of the city will see it in a new light. I am excited by the idea of Sunday Streets, especially because yoga is featuring so prominently on the bill. It's just proof that yoga has become an integral part of the fabric of the city.
The folks in Bayview are also excited about the event, according to local media, but there's been a bit of uproar amongst the Pier 39 merchants who fear that the street closure is going to kill their end-of-summer business. There has been some protesting and even some talk of potential suing. Both SF Gate and ABC printed pieces about the debacle. I understand their concerns, but at the same time, I love the Sunday Streets model. It has the potential to really bring the city together. Lots of people also rallied in favor of it. Here's a Kron 4 clip of enthusiastic skaters rallying for the cause.
What do you think about Sunday Streets? Will you be there this weekend?
We often talk about yoga's roots in India, and we chant in Sanskrit, but how much do we know really about the land from which our practice comes? I visited India in 1996, before I even discovered yoga, and was amazed by the deep magic of the country . . . and the incredible poverty. How could a place that birthed such a rich spiritual practice be mired in such economic despair?
I know that India has changed over the years, but there are still too many people living in extremely poor conditions, part of which is a result of the caste system—which was denounced during the '40s but still influences Indian society today. A man named Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who was a contemporary of Ghandi's, played an instrumental role in trying to change India's caste system (he was born an "untouchable"), eventually converting, himself, from Hinduism to Buddhism, leaving the caste altogether.
Inspired by Dr. Ambedkar, there's now a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization called Jai Bhim International dedicated to providing Indian youth with the tools they need to live a fulfilling life free from the caste system. It's having its first fundraiser, an alcohol-free dance party, called Barefoot Bhangra, this Saturday night from 7pm-10pm at the San Francisco Buddhist Center in the Mission. It's part of a series of three, so if you miss this one, there are two more scheduled: September 20 and October 18. The requested donation is $5-$10.
Check out Jai Bhim International's website for more info. The website is fairly comprehensive and gives a lot of interesting info on the caste system.
Anyone out there been to India? Have any thoughts on the remnants of the caste system and its historical connection to Hinduism, Buddhism, or even yoga? Please share! And let us know if you go to Barefoot Bhangra!
I left San Francisco in January of 2006 to teach journalism in Guatemala City. I came home nearly a year later, happy to return to our beautiful city, my wonderful friends, breathably clean air … and $18 yoga classes. What?
I thought: Stay calm. Be present. Breathe deeply.
But, $18?
Yoga class prices had skyrocketed. And they haven't come down since. There's no easy way around it. The teachers need to make money and the owners do, too, since their rents keep going up. But some students just can't afford it. Even with class passes, yoga classes can cost a student $50+ a week, which is $200 month, which is … well, a lot.
This is why I love the idea of donation-based yoga. You pay what you can when you can and, more often than not, everybody wins. People who have more, pay more. People who have less, pay less. If all or part of your income is freelance (like mine), you might pay $10 for a class one week, and $20 the next. It just works out.
There was a time when donation-based yoga was only in small pockets of the city, but the trend has hit its stride. The Sun Room at Mission Yoga (pictured above) is actually ALL donation-based, and its studio manager, Eben Ostergaard, said that the model works really well. While teachers have to do more legwork to promote themselves, those with a steady student base can actually make more money than they otherwise would. Teachers also have more autonomy and independence. Yoga to the People in Berkeley is another donation-based studio, and there are lots of other pay-what-you-can classes throughout the Bay Area. Below are a few on my radar. Please write in and share others that you know about!
Where: The Sun Room at Mission Yoga (3rd Floor)
Location: The Mission
Classes: All labeled "Sun Room" on the schedule
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Hatha, Vinyasa, AcroYoga, Naked Men's Yoga * Read my blog on Jeremy Simon's AcroYoga class here.
Where: Yoga to the People
Location: Berkeley
Classes: All of them!
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Hatha and Candle-lit
Where: Grace Cathedral and James Howell Studio
Location: Nob Hill and Noe Valley
Teacher: Jamie Lindsay
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Intro Flow/Iyengar-based and Kundalini Flow * Read my recent blog on Jaime here.
Where: The Mindful Body
Location: Pacific Heights
Teacher: Sean Feit
Time: Tuesdays, 7:30-9pm
Type of Yoga: Pranayama and Meditation
Read last year's blog on Sean here.
Where: Rudramandir
Location: Berkeley
Teacher: Christopher Tompkins
Time: Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30pm, Oct. 1 through Nov. 12
Type of Yoga: Tantrik Yoga Philosophy * Read my recent blog on Christopher's class here.
Where: Piedmont Yoga Studio
Location: Piedmont
Teacher: Yolanda Vazquez.
Time: Wednesdays, 12pm-1pm
Type of Yoga: Yoga for a Cause (proceeds are donated to a number of different charitable
organizations)
Everyone knows that yoga's a great way for kids to get exercise and stay limber. But can it also be useful in teaching young people discipline, respect, and stress-management? Can it even transform an entire school environment? Thanks to San Francisco yogi Katherine Priore, we are about to find out.
A yoga teacher and former inner city school teacher, Katherine is a graduate of the program at Yoga Ed., which develops educational curriculum for teaching yoga to kids. Recently, she started her own nonprofit organization called Headstand, which assists schools in implementing Yoga Ed. curriculum. In September, the Headstand program starts its first program at KIPP Summit Academy, a middle school in San Lorenzo.
Here's what's really cool: This is not just a gym class. It's school-wide programming that teaches asana, pranayama, and yogic philosophy to help students gain concentration and confidence, and teachers manage their classrooms and job-related stress.
The yoga world is hip to doubters, so it's no surprise that Katherine linked up with a bona fide Stanford researcher named Nick Haisman, who will be evaluating the program for at least one year to monitor its effects on discipline, academic achievement, and general school culture. The hope is that the program will fare well, which would pave the way to expand it to more schools in the Bay Area and beyond.
The Bay Area is starting to rally around this program, which has local yoga teacher Dina Amsterdam and YJ writer Nora Isaacs on its board. You can get involved, too. Here are a few ways:
+ Volunteer at KIPP! Headstand is looking for yogis and all kinds of teachers to assist in classes.
+ Donate. Headstand is supported right now entirely by individual donors. Anything you can donate will help the program to succeed.
+ Go out to Cell Space on Friday night at 8pm to see live music and aerial dance—Katherine will be at the event to talk about Headstand.
I can't go Thursday night because I am taking drum lessons (more about that in a later post), but I ordered an advance copy of the film to check it out. The documentary is about an hour and focuses on Swami Satchidinanda's life, mainly the ways in which he brought certain elements of yoga—like asana, meditation, health, and stress management—to the West back in the '60s, and how he established the Integral Yoga centers around the country.
The movie is full of interviews by interfaith preachers who knew the the swami (who was a huge supporter of the interfaith movement); people from the Satchidinanda ashram, Yogaville, in Virgina; Drs. Dean Ornish and Mehmet Oz; as well as a tiger trainer named Bhagavan Antle. (The footage of the tigers is amazing.) Living Yoga is less about Satchidinanda's life (it gives very little personal biography on him) than it is about the ways in which he influenced the spread of yoga to the Western world, which were many. One of the best pieces of footage shows him delivering a speech at Woodstock to an audience of thousands.
For those of you who came of age in the '90s (like I did), the suffix "palooza" may bring to mind images of Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, and (my personal favorite) The Smashing Pumpkins. Lollapalooza was kind of like our Woodstock; even though it didn't have a political bent, it was our day to let loose and rock out. In a way, that is also what Yogapalooza is about—minus the music.
Yogapalooza is a full day of yoga in Golden Gate Park this Sunday. The entire event, which was spearheaded by Yoga Bear, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people with cancer, benefits nonprofit organizations aimed at helping cancer patients and survivors. The orgs that will benefit are:
Classes happen all day with a long list of teachers. To see the full schedule and the exact location in the park, check out the Yogapalooza site. There's also a silent auction that includes lululemon goods, Berkeley Ironworks climbing classes, and a one-year subscription to Yoga Journal. Sweet!
Sure, you won't get to peep Cat Power or Jeff Tweedy on the main stage (they're playing at Lollapalooza this year in Chicago), but you will get to do one of your favorite things all day long and for a great cause. And if you are wondering about the name of the event, the actual meaning of the word "lollapalooza" is a "remarkable or extraordinary thing". So the naming of Yogapalooza seems right in line.
If you go to Yogapalooza, please comment below and let us know how it was. (And if you want us to post your pictures, say so in a comment, and I will let you know how to get them to me!)
I'm not a morning person. I can get up on my own by 8 or so, but when the alarm goes off earlier than that, I always gaze at it with the same look of surprise. (Again? Really?) I've never met a snooze button I didn't like.
At the same time, I know that most yogic texts and teachers agree that it's good to practice in the morning. And now that we're in the full swing of summer (meaning: more light and warmth), it's a little easier to get up earlier. If you like the idea of rising with the sun, check out Jamie Lindsay's sunrise classes at James Howell Studio, Mondays-Thursdays from 6-8am. (You can leave before the end of class if you need to.)
Jamie's Kundalini Vinyasa Flow Yoga classes focus on concentration and energy balancing.They begin with the Dance of Shiva (an intricate mind-body practice created by Andrey Lappa), and include a comprehensive asana practice, purification practices, pranayama, and meditation.
Jamie is a huge proponent of practicing in the morning. Here's what he says about it:
* practicing in the morning is akin to preventative medicine, while practicing at the end of the day is like treating ourselves after we are already ill (i.e. tired, stressed, or sore from a full day's work)
* the world is quieter at sunrise, so getting in touch with the energetic body is easier
* the mind is at its quietest, which makes meditation easier and more spontaneous
If you want to practice in the morning, but have a codependent relationship with your snooze button (like I do), Jamie offers the following tips.
• Go to bed earlier. Plain and simple.
• Change your schedule in one fell swoop. Don't practice some mornings and some evenings; it's better for your body to have consistency in your practice, and it's easier to get up early if you do it every day.
• Don't eat after dark. This gives you enough time to digest before your new earlier bedtime.
Jamie's classes build on each other, but if you can't go to all of them, check out his blog, on which he posts that day's sequences so that you can practice them at home.
Do you practice in the morning or evening? Do you notice a difference between the two? Comment below and let us know!
San Francisco: A New Tantrik Yoga Course (to make you love your mind)!
For several years, I listened to yoga teachers tell me where my problems were. Ego was a problem. Desire: also a big problem. And Mind, well, don't get me started on Mind. If my life was a train wreck, Mind was the track it was on. As a writer and academic, this view of mind being "bad" tortured me. Was I really going to have to discount this large part of me if I wanted to continue on my yogic path?
Then, last year, I did the Samavesha course at Yoga Tree (a multidisciplinary introduction to Tantrik yoga). Here, the Tantrik scholars said that things like ego, desire, and, even mind could be vehicles—as opposed to obstacles—to one's highest self. Wow. That made so much sense. Some of my deepest connections with the divine have come through things of the mind, particularly words. Stories, poems, philosophy, Bob Dylan song lyrics. I felt like I could really get down with this Tantra stuff.
Since then, my practice has really opened up to include everything: mind, body, emotions, scholarly interests, and cravings for Nutella. (Should I be admitting that here?) So, I was very excited when I found out that one of the Samavesha scholars, Christopher Tompkins, is doing a 16-week Wednesday night series at Rudramandir on the 2,500 year history of yoga, with a special emphasis on the role of Tantra. I went to the first class this past week.
I love listening to Chris talk, because he is so passionate about darshana (yogic philosophy) and truly believes that one cannot leave the mind out of the path to transformation. He says that darshana and sadhana (practice) are inextricably linked like heat and fire, and that words, themselves, can bring one to experience divinity. I love that!
Tompkins, who is a founder of The Foundation for Yoga, and is currently doing a Ph.D. on the Tantrik Origins of Yoga at UC Berkeley (where he also teaches), knows his stuff. The class at Rudramandir is mainly lecture with some practice, and will cover everything from the Upanishads to the Sutras, culminating in a five-week series on the essence of Tantrik Yoga. It's donation-based, and open to anyone on a drop-in basis.
As city creatures, we're all quite used to practicing yoga in climate-controlled rooms that are off limits to bugs (and sometimes don't even have windows). It could be pouring outside, or even snowing for that matter—we'd still be oblivious to it all as we do downward dog on dry mats and meditate under a sort of fluorescent mood lighting that fluctuates depending on how one operates the dimmer switch. And yet there is something about yoga that just screams (or maybe chants?) nature. So what to do?
If you're a yogi who wants to get in touch with nature this summer, don't settle for another yoga retreat to a "rustic" cabin, complete with a hot tub, spa, and fancy food. (Though that kind of retreat is sometimes necessary.) Instead, dig up your trusty sleeping bag and favorite backpack, and set out on a trail to the Gold Lakes Basin in the Northern Sierras with yoga teacher Elizabeth Rosser and wilderness expert Aaron Jessup.
Being outside is such an important part of being connected to the human spirit, and we are so deprived of that connection in our daily lives! The backpacking yoga trip goes from July 26-31, and includes a night at the Sierra Hot Springs. There's hiking and yoga every day, and some swimming, too. All you need is your own basic camping equipment (tent, pack, and sleeping bag).
This sounds so cool to me. I love doing yoga in nature. My three favorite places have all been waterfalls: in Mexico, northern Thailand, and South Africa (that's where I am in the pic).
What about you? Have you done yoga out in any beautiful natural places? Do you know of any other summer opportunities to do yoga in the great outdoors? Write in and tell us about it!
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?
San Francisco: Bikram, Yoga Chains, and Chakra Panties
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!
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
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.
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
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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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.
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.
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!
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!
Because of its spiritual nature, yoga doesn't seem a natural match for the fast-paced and electronic world of the web—at least not upon first glance. But the invent of the Internet has brought with it a million and one new ways to form community among people far and wide. When looked at that way, yoga and the Internet have a lot more in common than one might have thought.
In San Francisco, lots of yoga teachers are using the Internet not only to advertise, but to further develop community or sangha. For instance, Jamie Lindsay has a regular blog in which he details the sequences that he taught in class that week and shares other local yoga info; Deborah Burkman sends out weekly emails that discuss what anatomical or yogic principle she intends to focus in her Hatha class that coming week; and Bill McCully often sends inquisitive emails out to his students to gather their impressions of a previous class.
And local websites are also getting hip to yoga. On both Yelp and Citysearch, you can find a plethora of San Francisco and Bay Area yoga studio listings, complete with ratings and reader reviews. If you are looking to connect with other local yogis, Tribe.net has several great yoga groups you can join including SFYoga. And then, of course, there is Yoga Journal's website, which, by the way, was just nominated for a Webby! (You can vote for us here!)
Do you know of any other San Francisco online communities or listings you'd like to share? If so, please post a comment below and let us know about them!
Confession: When I was in high school, I was on a sort of cheer squad. We weren't very sophisticated but we did know how to move (Brooklyn in the house!). One summer, we scored some acrobatics training and learned to climb on each other and make pyramids and stuff. I weighed in at about 97 pounds (still do . . . ) and was always the one being thrown around.
I knew nothing about yoga or Eastern philosophy, but I did love the gymnastics we mixed in with hip-hop moves during our half-time dances, and I think learning ease and lightness in my body really helped when I got into yoga. I hung up my pom-poms ages ago (thankfully), but lately I have been having the urge to again be thrown around.
So, I got really excited when I found out that there is a weekly beginner's AcroYoga class at the Mission Yoga Sun Room (held Fridays until April 23, when it changes to Wednesdays). I went last week and had so much fun. We started with some warm-up asana, simple partner poses, and assisted handstands. But the real fun was when we got to take each other into Folded Leaf and Front Bird. Folded Leaf is when you drape your body over your partner's legs and hang there to establish balance (me, above); Front Bird is when you push against each other's hands and fly like Superman (another student, left). In the midst of all this, we all gave each other some nice shoulder rubs.
I am one of those students who takes my yoga very seriously (and I think that's important in terms of dedication and proper practice), but to feel this kind of playful freedom with asana was exciting and empowering. The teacher, Jeremy Simon, gave great instruction and kept things specific, safe, and also really fun. I only got to fly once, and I am definitely going back for more.
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Whenever I see modern dance, I can always spot the yoga inside the dance. I'll nudge the friend sitting next to me and say, "Did you see that? That was scorpion pose!" Or dolphin pose. Or some variation of downward facing dog. Depending on the friend, they'll either say, "Yeah! Sweet!" or "Shhhh!" Still, I can't help but get excited when I see yoga on stage.
Enter: Tripsichore. I have only seen this London-based yoga dance company perform once before, when they came, in 2002, to the Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason. Led by choreographer Edward Clark, Tripsichore's sequences and movements are not just yoga-influenced, they are yoga-based. It's amazing to watch the intersection of the dancers' bodies as they tell a non-traditional story with the shapes of traditional asana.
Tripsichore is performing its show Merely Total Risk at Yoga Tree Castro on Saturday night, at 8pm. The show is about the creation of the universe, and also about one's personal experience with mortality.
Want a taste? The above is a clip from the other show that Tripsichore is currently touring, Insects.
Want to learn from the yogacrobats, themselves? Take one of the company's workshops this weekend: "Tripsichore Sun Salutations & Beyond" (on Saturday) or The Tripsichore 12-year Course Condensed Into One Workshop" (on Sunday) at Yoga Tree Stanyan. Or, if you can't make the training, check out the company's DVD.
With the change of seasons, I have been feeling a little under the weather lately. So last Sunday night, I went on a search for that perfect relaxing restorative class. I fell upon this tiny tucked away yoga studio in the inner Richmond called Bend. Located in one room on the second floor of what seems like an office building, Bend is a tiny little peaceful studio with a warm local feeling. There were about 8 of us taking the class and we were at a cozy maximum.
The class I went to is called Candlelight Yoga and the room has lit candles all along the sides. The blinds were drawn but, due to the longer hours these days, light sneaked in anyway to our 6pm class. (I think that the candlelight effect, as pretty as it was, would be stronger in the 9pm classes).
With soft tunes in the background varying from Iron and Wine to Indian chanting songs, David led us through a deeply restorative practice, really allowing us to sink into the four or five postures that we practiced, which included supported child's pose, one armed frog pose, and a supported back bend. Because there were so few students, a lot of individual attention was given. The teacher was able to give us all adjustments, put sand bags on us, and adjust our props. We hardly did anything ourselves: talk about relaxation!
I found the class to be a great and gentle class for anyone feeling like their body or mind needs a rest; it's also a good way to end the night or weekend, especially with all the amazing Clement Street restaurants nearby for a light post-yoga dinner.
When I was in Thailand a couple of years ago, I discovered the Thai Massage. If you've never had one, it's a type of massage during which you get stretched and bended into bliss—kind of like doing yoga asana, but you don't actually have to do anything. Since I've come home, I've been wanting to find a place to get Thai massage but it seems to be one of the rarer forms of massage practiced at most yoga studios. International Orange, however, offers a few variations of Thai massage and they also do something called a Thai Fusion massage, which incorporates the best of all worlds: the stretching motions of Thai massage, the smooth rubbing motions of Swedish, and the pressure point techniques of Shiatsu. I went for one last week with massage therapist and yoga teacher Christy Swenson.
Christy used Shiatsu compression and Swedish sweeping motions (along with signature aromatherapy oils) on my back and did Thai on my legs. While I was being massaged, I was positioned in various yoga poses, like Dhanurasana, Vrksasana, and half of Gomukhasana. She also did yoga while massaging me, literally climbing up onto the table and working on my back while she was in down dog! The massage was an hour and then she sent me home with a card that had a special mantra she wrote down for me, along with a couple of recommended yoga poses.
The benefits lasted well into the following week. I didn't only feel looser, but I actually felt my circulation working better than it normally does. International Orange also offers a 90-minute straight-up floor Thai massage, if you're more of a traditionalist. And the sauna there is also pretty sweet.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the roof on my building has stopped leaking rain into my living room. All of that can mean only one thing: It's springtime! And, according to the yogic tradition, that's the best time to clean up one's act. So I decided to do a cleanse.
The only other time I've "cleansed" was last year when I did the master cleanse (you know—10 days of nothing but lemonade, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper). It was cool in a meditative way, but my body didn't really enjoy the starvation aspect. When I learned that Scott Blossom was doing a one-week ayurvedic cleanse at Yoga Tree Hayes that involved food, I was eager to take part.
I am now on day five of the cleanse, which is intended to balance our doshas, or vital energies. Everyone is eating a dish called Khichari, which is basically mung beans and a whole grain (rice, barley, millet, or quinoa, depending on your dominant dosha) mixed with various vegetables and Indian spices.
Don't know what a dosha is? Ayurveda is a huge health science, but in short it tells us that there are three doshas in every body which can be identified by both positive qualities (when they are in the right proportion) and negative qualities (when they dominate). For instance, vata brings creativity and nervousness, pitta can be identified by motivation and temper, and kapha suggests both steadiness and sluggishness. The idea of this cleanse is to bring your doshas into greater balance. (To determine your own dosha, you can fill out Yoga Journal's dosha questionnaire.)
Scott is a yoga teacher and a doctor in ayurveda (as well as Chinese medicine), so he has vast knowledge about cleansing the body. By midweek, many of us were not feeling so great because of all of the toxins or ama that's been stirred up, but Scott's been great about helping us to understand what's going on and how to work through it. We have also been meeting in the mornings to chant, do a digestion-based practice, and ask questions.
The cleanse ends this weekend with a "purgative" dose of castor oil (whoa!) followed by a day of fasting and meditation. It has been such a great experience to cook fresh food all week, limit my Internet browsing (required for the cleanse), and increase my knowledge tenfold of the Rainbow Grocery herb aisle. I am, however, starting to salivate just a little at the thought of Thai food, raisin bread … and chocolate.
Anyone else doing a spring cleanse? Let us know how it's going!
The Piedmont Yoga Studio (which was founded, in part, by Rodney Yee and has birthed some of the Bay Area's best teachers) turned 21 this past weekend and celebrated its anniversary with a number of events to benefit the studio, including a very interesting lecture called Why Yoga Works. The panelists were local teachers Judith Lasater, Tony Briggs, and Yoko Yoshikawa and the talk was moderated by another PYS founder, Richard Rosen.
So, why does yoga work? The articulate guest speakers spoke a bit about how yoga focuses the mind, relieves the body of stress, and digs below the surface emotionally. But, in general, they also seemed to struggle somewhat with the question. And upon reflection, so did I. After all, this is a question we all get asked from time to time by people who don't practice: Why does yoga work? But how can we answer that question without defining what exactly we're talking about. Asana? Pranayama? Yamas and niyamas? Kriyas? Mantra? Sure, all of these things "work," but they work differently.
The discussion meandered somewhat until Richard asked a great question: What exactly does it mean for yoga to "work"? What is the goal we are trying to accomplish with our practices? How do we know when we are "successful"?
We could ask 100 practitioners why yoga works and get 100 different answers. One person might say, "I feel calmer after a yoga class, so it works"; another person might say, "My injury doesn't hurt anymore, so it works!"; and yet a third person might say, "Yoga helps me feel closer to God, so it works." See the problem? Perhaps the question really is: "Why does yoga work for you?"
All of this difficulty speaking about yoga's ultimate benefits got me thinking of my own troubles defining yoga to friends and relatives who don't practice.
So, it's exercise, they say?
Well, not exactly. It's breathing?
Well, yes, but there's more. Is it praying?
Well, in a way, but … (Sigh.)
If only they just tried it, they could tell ME why it works!
In the end, even the panelists agreed that there was a certain mystery to yoga, that its powers couldn't be completely explained by simple terms and definitions. I wonder if anyone out there, teachers or students, have thoughts about the question of "why yoga works"? Or maybe just share with us why yoga works for you?
Ever feel guilty when you practice yoga? Sometimes I do. Like everyone else, I enjoy having my special yoga clothes and practicing at the beautiful yoga studios in my safe and beautiful city. But deep inside I am always acutely aware of the disparity between my life and the lives of those who are less fortunate—those who live in impoverished countries and are unable to even get food on the table or feel safe in their homes, let alone have a guided asana practice. I often wish there were more opportunities to combine my yoga practice with doing seva (service) abroad. If this is something you've thought about, too, you might want to consider Metta Journeys.
Founded by three local Bay Area yoga teachers—Sarah Powers, Chandra Easton, and Janice Gates—and two yogis (financially savvy Jo Ousterhout and travel expert Deepak Patel), Metta Journeys is a new program that brings yoga practitioners to less fortunate parts of the world in the name of global awareness and humanitarian service. It's holding its inaugural trip from May 3-10, when its teachers will take a maximum of 20 students to Rwanda in partnership with Women for Women International (an organization that I am a proud member of!), which helps women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives (especially important work in Rwanda because so many women were left widows after the massacres of the early '90s).
The trip costs about $5800 (plus the plane ticket), so it's not an easy getaway for those who are strapped. But for those who are short on time, not too short on funds, and really wanting to make a difference, it's a luxury yoga vacation, international adventure, and major charitable endeavor all rolled into one. The price includes intimate yoga instruction, accommodations at Kigali's only 5-star hotel, personal translators, gorilla trekking, and, of course, the opportunity to connect with Rwandan women and hear about their struggles. Each person who attends will not only be paired up with a "sister" who they will sponsor for one year (like I was when I joined Women for Women International), but they will actually get to meet their sister, which I think is just really cool.
The teachers (who are not getting any financial renumeration for this trip) are also planning to go about a week early to give yoga and mindful meditation instruction to the brave Rwandan women involved in the program.
Got back problems? Join the club. The cause might be the way you sit or stand or sleep. Or it could even be your yoga practice. But what if you learned that it's not the muscles in your back that are responsible for your pain, but the underlying connective tissue? And why does it even make a difference?
Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet the brilliant yoga anatomist Paul Grilley while taking his class on connective tissue at the YOGASTUDIO in Larkspur (he also did a class on bones, but it sold out before I could get in). At the workshop, I learned that the majority of the stiffness we feel in our bodies comes not from these "tight muscles" that we always talk about, but from tight underlying connective tissue, which results not only from natural things like aging, but also from contraction that happens when there are emotional and energetic blocks.
Active asana (or Yang Yoga) is helpful in building muscle, but when you want that tightness in your connective tissue to release (think: lower back and IT bands), you have to hold poses for longer periods of time. This is why Paul is such a big proponent of the more restorative Yin Yoga.
The info-filled workshop was not my first experience with Paul's teachings on anatomy and yoga. I was first introduced to Paul through his yoga DVD (with local company Pranamaya) called Anatomy for Yoga, which I highly recommend. In it, he explains why your bone structure makes a huge difference in regard to what your practice looks like. For instance, people literally have differently shaped hip sockets, which either permit or limit external rotation at the hip joint. (See the bone slide show on Paul's website for more on this.) And you thought you were just "stiff"!
Getting our muscles confused with our connective tissue, and our so-called "stiffness" confused with our actual structural limitations is not only hard on our ego ("Why can't I just do this already?") but also hard on our bodies (injury—ouch!) I think these teachings should be mandatory for anyone practicing yoga—and, even more so, for those teaching it.
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PS: FREE YOGA FOR LEAP YEAR! Thanks to a partnership with Lululemon, yoga classes are free all day on 2/29 at any Yoga Tree location.
We spend a lot of time during our Hatha yoga practice quieting our minds, but the tradition of yoga is actually quite steeped in academia: The creators of yoga were intellects and scientists who dedicated their lives to investigating the human body, brain, and connection to the spiritual realm. That tradition continues today—some of the top yoga teachers are some of the brightest minds around. So, why is it that there are four- to fourteen-year study programs in the US to earn degrees for everything under the sun, but only 200- and 500-hour certifications in yoga?
This is a question that has been posed by local practitioner and yoga teacher Eric Shaw, who is currently completing a PhD in Humanities (with emphasis on Asian Studies, Hindu Philosphy, and Religion) at CIIS. Shaw teaches asana to make a living but, like many asana teachers, he is also a scholar at heart. And while he calls his degree-in-progress at CIIS a "de facto PhD in Yoga" (because of where the academic emphasis is placed), he dreams of seeing a bona fide PhD program in Yoga at CIIS in the future.
Shaw's idea for the program would include courses in everything from Sanskrit to scriptural studies to asana, yoga therapy, and even marketing and graphic design (as practical skills for starting yoga teachers). He sees this degree not only as a way to deepen one's understanding of the subject, but also as an advanced professional degree for yoga teachers—"an MBA in yoga" that would lend "a certain legitimacy to yoga and bring it up to a higher professional level."
Shaw has already approached the director of public programs at CIIS with his idea, and has been communicating with prominent yoga scholars about it, including Ian Whicher and Paul Muller-Ortega, both of whom he thinks would be perfect as starting faculty.
Currently, says Shaw, the only other American degree program in Yoga is at the small International Vedic Hindu University in Orlando. He says that San Francisco (and more specifically CIIS) would be the perfect place to do a Yoga PhD, and I agree. Shaw admits his idea is just a seed at the moment, and much is needed (support, funding, etc.) to make it grow. But I think we certainly have the interest and the minds here to make it happen here in San Francisco.
What do you think of a degree program in yoga? Would you attend?
Have you been attending the same studio, or class, for a long time? Starting to get to know the people there? Even starting to feel part of a sort of community?
Yogis call communities sanghas , which tend to take form particularly when a much loved and respected teacher is at the helm. So, it's not surprising to see the sangha that has been showing up for longtime Mindful Body teacher Yolanda Bain, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
I took classes with Yolanda, who is also know by her friends and students as "Yo," in the early 2000s when my practice was fairly new. She always had such a graceful and assured presence, and was a pleasure to be around. When I found out about her diagnosis, I felt a big lump in my throat. It's so hard to hear about things like cancer happening to beautiful people, especially healthy and strong yogis. About two weeks ago, I heard that Yolanda was teaching a sort of "last class for now" as a send-off into her surgery and recovery, and I went to take the class.
I knew Yolanda had been teaching at Mindful Body for a while, but it was still amazing to witness the overflow of students who came to show support and love. The feeling of community was palpable, and the event was a testament to the timelessness of the sangha, a much needed structure of life even (or especially!) here and now, where we often lead very fragmented and individual lives.
Yolanda is now home from the hospital and, according to her husband Matt, recovering well! She started a blog (see the bottom of her webpage for the link) so that her students and friends can know how she is doing. In addition, Mindful Body is having a benefit for her Saturday (Feb. 16) that consists of a 6:30pm yoga class led by Maile Sivert and a party that starts at about 7:45pm with live music, chair massage, and a silent auction. The benefit (donations will be accepted) is to raise money for Yolanda's medical expenses and time away from teaching, though Maile says it's also "intended to be a spirit gathering of our extended yoga sangha". It's still too soon for Yolanda to be out and partying, but she and Matt say they'll be there in spirit.
Most people love to get adjusted in yoga class. It feels so good to be able to access a space in your body that you couldn't before, and sometimes that just can't happen until a teacher touches you with his or her knowing hands. It seems so simple—a small twist here or turn there—but there is actually a lot behind the art of adjusting, from deciding who to adjust to when and how. As part of the teacher training program at Yoga Loft, Iyengar-based teacher Anne Saliou gave a workshop last weekend that was all about adjusting, and I went to check it out.
While we tend to think about adjustments as being hands-on gestures, Anne says there are actually three types of touch—physical, psychological, and spiritual. And when a teacher does use physical touch, there is a specific process that comes along with it. Physical adjustments, says Anne, should start with observation, then vocal direction, and then the application of a teacher's hands.
I am intrigued, both as a student and a recent grad of a teacher training program, about this process of adjusting. I have often wondered why teachers adjust the people they do, and don't adjust others. Anne says the first students to adjust are the ones who might injure themselves. After that, it's whomever it will help the most. That's not necessarily new students, who can easily get overwhelmed by too much adjusting.
In the workshop, we practiced a lot of deeper adjustments to do in standing poses like Parivrtta Trikonasana and Parsvottanasana, using straps to pull the hips back to align them. We also used our hands and knees to help other students open their shoulders in Urdhva Dhanurasana. We even practiced some adjustments on our own to see how they felt in our bodies before we tried them on others.
I sometimes take classes with teachers who will use soft touch—like using their fingers to show where lines of prana should be running down the spine—but, according to Anne, who gave me some great adjustments on Saturday, touch in yoga should always be fairly firm, directed, and about alignment. Anything else, she says, is not appropriate for the classroom.
Does anyone have any thoughts about adjustments in the classroom and what kinds of adjustments are your favorite (or least favorite) to receive as a student?
I have been to enough kirtan events to know what to expect: beautiful, ecstatic Indian chants that propel me into joyful meditative states and celebrate Hanuman, Kali, and Ganesh. But there is something about David Newman's music that feels just a bit different. Though David, who is also known by his spiritual name Durga Das, has a deep sense of tradition in his music, there is also something thoughtful, poetic, personal, and almost romantic about his songs. The music feels like a combination of prayer and soft, percussive modern rock. David is young, but his spirit feels older, and he comes from the same lineage as Ram Das, Bhagavan Das, and Krishna Das, all of whom followed the great Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba. During his kirtan here in San Francisco this past weekend, he gave out chant sheets (which was great because it prevented me from making up words to songs I didn't know!) and, along with his two amazing co-musicians, led the group in chants like Gung Ganapataye Namo Namah and Hare Krishna. He also talked a little bit about the universality of yoga and chanting. "There's a transmission that happens through kirtan that doesn't belong to Hindus or Indians," he said. "It belongs to the human heart."
The real icing on the cake was David's amazing rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa, which is just a masterful piece of music. To hear more of David's music, check out his website. You won't be able to get it out of your head.
San Francisco: YJ Conference Recap and Decompression
Wow. The YJ conference ended a few days ago and I am still recovering. It's been good to catch up on some sleep, but I do miss the good energy and yogic comradery that felt so palpable during those four days. Interestingly enough, the things I most took away from the conference had to do with healing and therapeutics, specifically Saul David Raye's Thai massage techniques and Gary Kraftsow's Viniyoga prescription for lower back injury. I think these things spoke to me the most because, at this point in my practice, I am less interested in being taught new traditions and techniques of asana as I am in learning how to move through injury. Maybe it has to do with finally having a more established personal practice; or maybe it has to do with getting older!
But I loved the conference, and could never help but marvel at all of the superstar power gliding from floor to floor and classroom to classroom. And what a testament to the yoga scene here in the Bay Area that so many of the presenters were locally based: Jason Crandell, Scott Blossom, Timothy McCall, Charu Rachlis—the list goes on and on.
If you didn't have a chance to read my blogs during the conference (and really, who had time to read anything?), you can click on any of the links below to see where I spent my days.
And please send in your own thoughts about the conference. We'd love to hear what you loved, what you learned, and what you'd love to learn in the future.
San Francisco: YJ Conference (Gary Kraftsow and Dean Ornish)
If you're reading this, you likely already know that yoga is medicine: for the body, the mind, and the soul. You know it, your teachers know it, the ancient sages definitely knew it (that's why they invented it in the first place!) But the Western medical industry at large has been slow to warm up to the idea. So yogis have started realizing that, if we want the rest of the world to believe how good this stuff really is for you, we better find some Western ways of proving it.
That's what a lot of today's offerings, at the final day of the YJ conference, were about. The theme of the day was Yoga as Medicine, and I took Gary Kraftsow's day-long workshop entitled Viniyoga Therapy: Back Care. Gary (pictured above), who founded the American Viniyoga Institute, is an important figure in the yoga-as-medicine world. Over the last several years, he has conducted studies in conjunction with the National Institute of Health that have proven, through scientific method, that yoga is beneficial in healing the body. This is a big deal because it means that the Western world is starting to take seriously the practice we cherish so much.
Gary talked a lot about basic principles of therapeutics, which is his area of expertise, and offered us three different therapeutic series' for lower back and sacrum, hips, and upper back and neck. He stressed the importance of dynamic, repetitive movement as a treatment for muscular injuries as opposed to long holds in a pose because: 1) contracting and releasing a muscle helps bring circulation to the area, which is essential in its healing and 2) repetitive movement helps train the body to create new patterns. Gary also strongly stressed that poses are meant to be adapted in different ways for different purposes for different people. If you've been trying to access a pose a particular way for years and it's just not happening, he said, you might want to try another approach.
In the middle of my day with Gary, there was a lunchtime talk being given by Dr. Dean Ornish (pictured left) who is, among other things, the director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. A huge proponent of natural health, Ornish has also taken on the task of getting natural healing modalities, like yoga and diet changes, to be taken more seriously by the Western medical world. (He says Medicaid will soon be covering yoga as a result of his efforts!) Ornish's speech was short but captivating, and his message was clear: No matter what genetic condition we have been handed down, we can change the way it is expressed by watching our diet, and doing yoga and meditation. Ornish also did a book signing today, as did Dr. Timothy McCall, the author of the best-selling book for which the conference was named: Yoga as Medicine.
It's so great that the wider world is finally recognizing what we know to be true. I like to imagine a day where people of all walks of life are doing asana and eating ayurvedically after being diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease—as opposed to downing a bunch of pills with a Coke and a Big Mac. (Hey, I can dream, right?)
San Francisco: YJ Conference (Ana Forrest, Saul David Raye, and Dr. Manoj Chalam)
Today was my best day at the YJ conference so far. I was immersed in three of my favorite components of yoga: inversions, massage, and philosophical discussion.
The first two hours of the day were spent sweating my butt off. I have always wanted to take a class with the famed Ana Forrest, and she is a force to be reckoned with. She's so strong and powerful, it's hard not to get inspired. The practice was built around what Ana calls "gravity surfing." It's a fierce, yang practice filled with numerous handstands, forearm balances, and arm balances. We partnered up a great deal and Ana's entourage of assistants (all equally buff) were awesome in performing demonstrations and helping the students get deeper into poses.
Next stop: partner Thai massage with Saul David Raye. I find partner classes to be a little strange at first. We had to select massage mates, which is always a weird thing when you don't know anyone in the room. My partner and I talked for just a moment before I realized who he was—the former publisher of Yoga Journal, John Abbott! I was a little nervous at first, but you kind of have to let that go when a stranger is standing on your butt with their knees. John and I gave each other approximately 45-minute massages, and we had a great time, and Saul was an effective and compassionate teacher, giving specific instructions in a grounded, loving way.
I finished off my day with Dr. Manoj Chalam's lecture on Hindu deities. A sacred art dealer, Manoj (pictured left) talked to us about who the different Hindu gods are, and the meanings behind their poses in various statues. He covered both maha deities (great deities like Shiva) and upa deities (deities who are closer to the people, like Hanuman and Ganesh). I learned some interesting things. My favorite was this: Ganesh uses a mouse as transportation because the mouse (and its scurrying) symbolizes the mind; when Ganesh sits on it, he quiets it. So, when we meditate on Ganesh, it's like he is sitting on our mind's fluctuations and bringing them to a stop.
San Francisco: YJ Conference (Seane Corn, Tias Little, and Michael Franti)
I started off day two of the YJ conference with Seane Corn and 200 other women in one of the grand ballrooms at the Hyatt Regency. This is the second time I have taken a class with Seane and she always gives me something to think about. The class, which was called Yogini, was about how women can be better connected to our power.
Seane began by talking about how her perspective as a woman keeps changing as she ages. Now 41, she talked about how, despite the bodily and emotional discomforts she sometimes feels with the aging process, she cares a lot less about what other people think than she used to. I can relate to what she is putting out there; I think younger women tend to be so affected (and hindered) by what they perceive the world's view of them to be. I am 32 and can finally say that I have moments where I let the outside world's criticisms roll over me—but I still give outside voices too much attention. Here's to maturity!
Seane says that one of the biggest problems we face as a society is personal self-doubt and insecurity, with which I completely concur. When we, specifically women, don't have faith in ourselves, we don't act. And when we don't act, things don't get done. So, how to engage with our own power? She suggests these starting points: Forgiveness of others. Radical self-acceptance. A commitment to self-examination.
If Seane's class opened my mind, Tias Little's backbending workshop, Freeing the Bird of Prana, opened my body. Whew! Backbending is not my forte and we moved through it pretty intensely. We worked the hamstrings and opened the shoulders first so that tightness in those areas would not affect our backbends, and then we moved into the back. Tias gives meticulous and precise anatomical instruction, and through his teaching made clear all of the impediments to backbending, such as tight quads and lack of space between the sacral and lumbar vertebrae.
Tias taught with two assistants (one of whom is his wife, Surya) and I received lots of great adjustments—I appreciated that, as sometimes the classes at conferences can feel impersonal. I also liked Tias' sense of humor. For instance, he admitted great enjoyment in saying "Now, bring your fingers to the top of the crack of your buttocks." A little comic relief when you're backbending for two hours (and near collapsing) is always welcome.
I finished my day by listening to Michael Franti's lunchtime talk about Power to the Peaceful, in which he made clear the connection, for him, between yoga and social action. During his talk, Michael told a story about a butterfly. On my walk home, I came into contact with this beautiful creature. Coincidence? I think not.
San Francisco: YJ Conference (Rod Stryker and Michael Franti)
I just got home from the first day of my first Yoga Journal conference. Whew! If you attended any of the events today, you know the buzz of excitement in the air. I'll be posting a blog every night about the conference—PLEASE write in and share your own stories!
So, this morning I scraped in just 10 minutes before my first class (yeah, I admit, I couldn't find the hotel at first—a little embarrassing!). Despite the crowds, registration went pretty quickly and I arrived at Rod Stryker's day-long course, Tantra Yoga: Asana, Bandha, and Beyond, only a few minutes late. Rod's practice, which is also known as ParaYoga, is a combination of three aspects of yogic tradition: ayurveda, classical yoga, and Tantra. We focused mostly on Tantra, but Rod was great at pointing out the places where Tantra and classical yoga (derived from Patanjali's sutras and that sort of thing) differed. For instance, in Tantra, moksha (spiritual liberation) and bhoga (delight from worldly pleasures) are not seen as mutually exclusive, whereas in classical yoga, it is generally deemed that you must limit bhoga (like, say, sex and chocolate) to reach moksha.
I love philosophical discussions about yoga and we had a lot of them aboutthe different tantric paths, the use of bandhas, and the acceptance of desire. We also practiced some asana, and Rod held us in some poses—like dhanurasana—for long periods of time to generate heat and prana. We closed meditatively with a mantra called Maya Mitron Jaya, which Rod said was good for eradicating fear.
After a long day spent with the brilliant Mr. Stryker (and also socializing with all of the familiar faces at the conference), I was truly beat. I had a ticket to see Michael Franti's benefit concert for YouthAIDS, but I had to drag myself there. I am so glad I did. I'd never seen him play live before. Wow. That someone can sing about peace and war and love and justice with such gentle passion and strength moved me to shake my tired booty—and, at times, shed a few tears. Michael's guitarist was equally talented, and Jenny Sauer-Klein and Jason Nemer did AcroYoga for the crowd. It was such a phenomenal show. Did anyone else attend?
Off to rest in preparation for day two. Please let us know how your time at YJSF 2008 is going!
If you practice yoga in the city, chances are that you have been to one of the Yoga Tree locations. But did you know that there is another Yoga Tree location outside the city ... in Glen Ellen, Sonoma? It's actually not a studio but a beautiful country home (complete with a yoga room with hard wood floors, amazing views, and a hot tub!) that belongs to Yoga Tree owners Tim and Tara Dale. Aptly called Tara Bella Villa, it's become a prime spot for retreats with Yoga Tree teachers. Last weekend, I went up there for one of Chrisandra Fox's monthly one-day retreats.
I have been practicing with Chrisandra since about 2002 and she has always been one of my favorite teachers. It's clear that she has a beautiful asana practice (she's often modeled for Yoga Journal spreads), but what I truly love about her is her unwavering encouragement for her students (each of whom she always give loads of personal attention) and her unique way of transforming complex philosophical concepts into succinct and unforgettable phrases, some of which have stayed with me for years.
Tara Bella Villa is about an hour and 15 minutes away from the city, but the drive is easy and so worth it. We practiced yoga for a few hours in the morning and then had a divine lunch (prepared by chef extraordinaire Meredith Klein) that included lemon mousse-infused Israeli cous cous, a sweet beet and kale salad, gingerbread blondies (see bottom right pic), and homemade chai to die for. We intended to hot tub, as well, but we got so busy eating and chatting that ... we just never got around to it.
At the retreat, we focused on our sankalpas, which are sort of the yogic version of resolutions. Sankalpa roughly translates to "intention" or "affirmation" and Chrisandra talked about the obstacles (like physical ailments or idleness) to achieving our sankalpa and things that help us realize a sankalpa (including hatha yoga, meditation, and faith in the universe). We ended our asana session with a candle-gazing practice and journaling.
The whole day, which started at 10:30 and ended officially at 3pm (though several of us stayed later) was a welcome respite from city life and a meaningful way to approach 2008.
It's a new year and that's always a good time to evaluate where we are, who we are, and where and who we'd like to be. Feeling the desire to go inward before the count down, I ventured out to Spirit Rock last weekend to do a one-day retreat called Out With the Old. It was on the same day as my sister's birthday, so we went together to celebrate.
The retreat was led by two of Spirit Rock's highly regarded teachers, Nina Wise (who regularly contributes to Yoga Journal) and Wes Nisker. It was a combination of seated vipassana (or insight) meditation, poetry, and dharma talks.
If you've never been to Spirit Rock, it's a lovely place to spend some time. The meditation center is smack in the middle of a sprawling piece of wooded land. It was a gloomy day when we were there, so we didn't spend much time outside, but we were still in touch with nature: The surrounding trees were always visible and there were several deer who kept coming only feet from the windows of the meditation hall.
This retreat wasn't specifically centered on yoga (some of them are) but seated meditation is a great compliment to asana practice and Nina did lead us through a couple of short series of yoga postures just to get our blood moving.
Nina and Wes talked a lot about releasing judgment or goals from meditation. They also talked about the idea of stuff, and how the abundance of material things in our lives puts stress on us and even poses a threat to the planet. Inside this talk about stuff that we own was also a deeper message—about the stuff we carry with us. For me, the day held a lot of introspection, but was made lighter by the warm tone of the teachings and my sister's company.
At the end of the day, we did a ritual for the new year: We wrote down all that we wanted to leave behind, all that we wanted to welcome in, the people we wanted to forgive, and those we wanted to send love to. We then threw our lists into a giant metal bowl in the front of the room. Wes read a few anonymously (he said there was a lot of "more yoga!"), and then took them outside and lit fire to them. The group gathered around and watched as 2007 slowly went up in flames, and 2008 was slowly ignited.
New Year's Eve should be the most yogic holiday of them all: It's all about renewal and intention. But when we overload it with unreasonable expectations of once-in-a-lifetime parties, memorable events, and romantic encounters, we are often left disappointed. Maybe the party gets canceled. Or it's not particularly memorable. Or your date leaves in the middle—without letting you know. Then, when the clock strikes midnight, the only words we're muttering are: "More champagne anyone?"
Last year was the first year I took off my party shoes to roll out my yoga mat on NYE, and it was the best one I had yet! I went to hear Karma Moffett play Tibetan bowls at Yoga Tree Castro while Christopher Love led a beautiful evening of yoga. We were almost 100 in the room, but it didn't matter because it was a total bliss fest. If you are looking for a fun, spiritual, and alcohol-free way to start the year ahead, sign up for any one of these events and usher in a healthy and mindful 2008!
Where: Laughing Lotus
When: 10pm-midnight
What: New Year's Eve Midnight Yoga with Kate (celebrating yoga, music, and community)
How Much: $20
Sign Up: (415) 355–1600 or Laughing Lotus
Where: Yoga Kula (formerly Yoga Sangha)
When: 6:30pm-midnight
What: Indian buffet, kirtan with Benjy & Heather Wertheimer, and midnight yoga, intention ritual, and meditation led by Darcy Lyon and Richelle Donigan
How Much: $25 concert, $15 buffet. Yoga is free!
Sign Up: (510) 486-0264 or go to Yoga Kula
Where: The Yoga Studio
When: 7pm-beyond midnight
What: Bhakti Boombox New Years Yoga Jam (an Explosion of yoga, kirtan, and trance dance with M.C. Yogi, D.J. Tat Sat, kirtan artist Jaya Lakshmi, and percussionist Geoffrey Gordon)
How Much: $40 full evening, $60 trance dance only
Sign Up: (415) 292-5600 or The Yoga Studio
Where: Yoga Tree Hayes
When: 10:30pm-12:30am
What: New year's Eve Practice and Soiree with Chrisandra Fox (chanting, practicing, and snack-sharing with live music)
How Much: $25
Sign Up: (415) 626-9707 or Yoga Tree Hayes
Where: Yoga Tree Castro
When: 10:30pm-12:30am
What: New Year's Eve Yoga with Tibetan and Singing Bowls (a New Year's flow class to the vibrational sounds of Karma Moffett`s Tibetan Bell Experience)
How Much: $35
Sign Up: (415) 701-YOGA or Yoga Tree Castro
Where: Spirit Rock
When: 8:00 pm - 1:00 am
What: Another Year? We Just Had One: A New Year's Eve costume-friendly meditation and celebration hosted by Wes Nisker, Mark Coleman and Nina Wise with drumming led by master percussionist Barbara Borden and dance music by 5Rhythms DJ diva Davida Taurek.
How Much: $40 - $80, sliding scale, plus a donation to the teacher
Sign Up: Tel: (415) 488-0164 or Spirit Rock
I just got back on Friday from a 4-week yoga teacher training course in Baha, Mexico (a million thanks to Jaimal Yogis for covering for me!) and this whole week has felt a bit like slow motion. Not only have I had to adjust from living in a tent on a tropical beach to working in an office every day, but it's also just the season: Winter's here. Time to eat warmer foods, sleep longer hours—and, yes, move a little slower.
With that in mind, I went to a 3-hour workshop with yoga teacher Dina Amsterdam (pictured right) and devotional musician Mukund Subramanian at Yoga Tree Valencia this past weekend. Dina teaches a Yin style of yoga (in the tradition of her mentor Sarah Powers), in which deep, restorative poses are held for long periods of time to stimulate the nadis and allow fluids to move through your joints. On Sunday, we focused on opening the chakras. Starting at the root, we held specific poses that accessed each chakra (like a wide-legged supported Balasana to stimulate Muladhara, the root chakra, and a forward-folding Baddha Konasana with the forehead resting on a bolster to stimulate Ajna, the third eye chakra). As we held each pose, Dina talked about the different colors and qualities of the chakras, while Mukund played the Tambura and sang healing vibrational tones and chants.
Hearing Dina's descriptions of the different chakras while feeling them in my own body was helpful in understanding where I am open and where I am locked up, both physically and emotionally. The practice also just felt like deep rest. I did find my mind wandering a lot, but concentrating on the spinning colored energy circles along the Sushumna-nadi was helpful in staying focused.
If anyone else was at the workshop, please share your experiences! For a more yang approach to the days of winter, celebrate the solstice by doing 108 sun salutations at Yoga Sita or the Yoga Loft this Friday. And have wonderful holidays!
Surfers often sound like yogis in describing their art: "Then the world vanished," writes Steven Kotler in his surfing memoir West of Jesus. "There was no self, no other. For an instant, I didn't know where I ended and the wave began."
I've been surfing and practicing yoga for more than 10 years, and though I've met lots of yogis who want to learn to surf, and a few surfers who dabble in yoga, I've never had a yoga teacher who actually surfed. So I was really excited to discover Alex Martin's straight-forward Ashtanga class at Mollusk Surf Shop on 46th and Irving, just two blocks from Ocean Beach. I see Alex out surfing almost every week, and he is one of the best big wave riders in the area. (He has toured professionally, and was recently invited to the Mavericks contest.) But I didn't know he was a yoga teacher until I showed up for his by-donation class last night.
It was a humble affair. Squeezing our mats between Mollusk's organic-cotton tees and rare, artistic surfboards, there was only room for about 10 students, and we sometimes had to modify our poses for lack of space. But Alex taught the usually-strenuous Pattabhi Jois series at a very doable, even relaxing pace; there was something satisfyingly-1974 about chanting "Om" next to a rack of Michelle Junod longboards; and maybe it was just me, but there was also something comforting about knowing my instructor could balance both on his head and on fifty-foot wall of moving saltwater. (I'm not sure even Pattabhi could swing that balancing pose). Alex teaches every Wednesday night at Mollusk at 7 p.m. Bring your own mat, and a sweatshirt. It can be chilly out here.
I’ve been happily hitched for years now, but not so long ago, meeting potential girlfriends seemed difficult. Not because I was such an awful suitor (I hope), but because as my yoga practice developed, I lost interest in the bar and club scene. It seems like a lot of yogis go through introverted phases like this, which is why I’m glad that longtime yoga practitioner Michael Ellsberg has created a type of singles party that avoids the usual awkward conversation &mdash “so what you do?” &mdash and allows for a potentially more real exchange. It’s called eye-gazing &mdash Elle recently deemed it “New York’s hottest dating trend” &mdash and I attended the second eye-gazing party ever in San Francisco this past Monday.
There were about 50 stylish 20-to-30-somethings milling about the cozy loft on 10th Street near Mission when I arrived. We chatted casually, until Destin Gerek, a tantra teacher, asked the men and women to line up opposite each other while he explained the process. “Don’t worry,” he assured us, “you can blink &mdash it’s not a staring contest.” Other advice included choosing an eye to look into (trying to do both makes you cross-eyed), and refraining from those seductive eyebrow raises, which can be intimidating.
During the next hour &mdash including a break &mdash we sat cross-legged and spent two minutes each silently gazing into the eyes of 14 different people, an activity Ellsberg calls “meditation in relation”. The most interesting part of the experience was seeing how different each person’s gaze felt &mdash some were warm, others playful, and others more reserved. Afterward, I chatted with the other participants, and everyone reported similar stories: they’d felt strong connections with a few people, but not necessarily the people they’d thought they’d be attracted to at the start of the evening. “And that’s the cool thing about eye-gazing,” Ellsberg says, “you end up realizing that real chemistry is more than skin deep.”
The first two San Francisco eye-gazing parties have been so successful, Ellsberge says there will be at least one per month from now on. I’d recommend the experience to anyone. If eyes really are the windows to the soul, you never know who you’ll meet.
For the last six months, I’ve been reporting for San Francisco Magazine and Yoga Journal on sustainable living. I’ve spoken with so many environmental architects, scientists, and activists, I can hardly remember a time when I took flippant road trips to clear my head, and I didn’t know what peak oil meant. It has been humbling learning from the people trying to re-balance our earth, but one of the most inspirational parts of the reporting has been realizing that yogis &mdash with our extra-sensitivity to toxic environments &mdash seem to be at the forefront of the green movement, especially those in the Bay Area. Take Ashtanga instructor David Lurey. This past week I visited him at his San Francisco studio, and he seemed to know as much about sustainable architecture as any of the professional experts I've spoken with have. While giving me a tour of his backyard studio (converted from an old shed), Lurey showed me how he used non-toxic paint, bamboo flooring, recycled blue jean insulation, bamboo window shades, double-paned windows (for optimal insulation), a radiant heating system, and light dimmers to make a low-impact and chemical free teaching space. Lurey was also up to date on some of the environmental myths about green architecture: one of them being that you need to buy expensive solar panels to make a significant impact on a building's carbon footprint. Lurey knew that installing proper insulation and sealing leaking ducts can reduce a building’s energy use by more than 50 percent, more than a lot of solar systems. He also knew that most of the electricity we Californians waste comes from leaving appliances — computers, cell phones, TV’s, toasters — plugged in while they’re not on. (That problem can be avoided by buying a smart power strip.) “People look to yogis as examples of a healthy life,” Lurey told me, “so I think we can really be leaders of environmental change.” After meeting Lurey, and other Bay Area yogis like him, I'm beginning to really believe that. To learn more about how you can make your studio or home eco-friendly, check out the Green Yoga Association, yet another Bay Area phenomenon.
With the eloquent Karen Macklin on a four-week yoga retreat in Mexico — poor girl — you're stuck with me for the month. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to make my blogging debut with the topic on all of our minds today: food. For the next 24 hours, and really during the whole holiday season, we'll likely throw restraint to the wind and stuff ourselves with foods we swore off last New Years. I certainly will, and it might as well be seen as part of the spiritual path. (Like Jack Kornfield says: "Everything in moderation, including moderation.") But while we're indulging, we can maintain some compassion for the earth by shopping wisely. And because it's not always intuitive which food choices have the best impact on the environment — do you buy the organic pears from South America, or the local, conventional ones? — earlier this week, I asked the famous Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: What are the top three most important things to keep in mind for eating with optimum ahimsa toward the planet? What he said might surprise you.
1.) Eat less meat. Eliminating industrial meat — meaning, for the most part, non-organic — from your diet has as big an impact on your carbon footprint as trading in your SUV for a sedan.
2.) Stop buying processed food. It takes ten calories of fossil fuel to produce one calorie of processed food.
3.) Shop at the farmer's market or join a CSA. Because they have to travel, imported foods pump much more C02 into the atmosphere.
In the Bay Area we're practically surrounded by organic, locally-grown, non-processed, delicious food. Let's eat, drink, and be merry with a conscience. Happy Thanksgiving.
I met Scott Blossom back in September when I took his 7-day Samavesha immersion course. I became so intrigued with the type of yoga he is doing—an energy-based asana practice that is more about moving prana than moving your knee exactly over your ankle—that I have done little else since. Scott's also an ayurvedic practitioner, and when I found out that his teacher, Dr. Robert Svoboda, was going to be joining him for a day-and-a-half workshop at One Yoga Center in Santa Cruz, I jumped at the opportunity to go.
The Nov. 9-10 workshop was called Sthiram Sukham Asanam: Living in Rhythm With Our Prana, and was mainly about how to align your energies (sthiram, the stable, and sukham, the relaxed) with themselves and also with the energies of the universe.
Scott led the yoga sessions, and Robert led inspired discussions about everything from Saturn to sanskrit to female health to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (the philosophy of which, he says, accounts for a whole bunch of our problems in our society).
I liked Robert immediately. He is not only brilliant—a scholar in ayurveda (the Indian health system connected with yoga) and astrology—but he also has a terrific, dry wit. He talks about the conservation of energy in our own bodies, calling different actions efficient or expensive. My favorite of his adages was: "Crisis is a bad time to freak out."
Both Robert and Scott talked about how, in the West, we tend towards overactive asana practices, but they only serve to deplete us and create instability of the nervous system. The idea, they say, is not to sweat profusely, but to practice balance. If you are already practicing balance, that's great. But don't become complacent. Another gem Robert threw us:: "Let's not dislocate our shoulders as we pat ourselves on the back."
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Missed it? Scott and Robert will be doing another tag-team effort at CIIS in December. I'll be out of town, sadly, but if you attend, let us know it goes!
You haven't heard the Hari Krishna mantra until you have heard it sung by Krishna Das. And you haven't REALLY heard it sung by Krishna Das unless you have heard him sing it live. KD—as his devotees and friends call him—is no stranger to San Francisco, but, with the upcoming New Moon on November 9, he'll kick off an unusual full Bay Area tour, in which he'll hit everywhere, from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. He's basically leaving you with no excuse not to see—or hear—him.
So, what are KD's kirtans and workshops like? I have never been to one, but the various teachers who are hosting them have told me that it's a little hard to put into words. The kirtans are primarily call and response chanting with KD and his brilliant musical co-conspirators, and are said to be magical, transcendent experiences. "It's a big sing-a-long," says Susannah Bruder, the owner of Yoga Sita, who is hosting a KD kirtan on November 9-10 at Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church. "It's really beautiful and fun, but it's also just a heart opening experience." She adds that the 2-3 hour kirtans almost always sell out (even with nearly 1000 tickets available for the SF shows!).
At kirtan, KD intersperses the chants with stories of his travels in India and his spiritual teacher Neem Karoli Baba (aka Maharaj-ji). But if you want to delve more deeply into the spiritual underpinnings of the kirtan practice and learn more about KD's path, it's better to attend a workshop. They are smaller and more personal, and have more of a dharma talk feel.
"In the kirtan, you chant with him and different things come up on the spiritual path," says Tania Varela-Ibarra, who's hosting a KD workshop at the Mission's Yoga Sangha. "In the workshop, you can address those different things."
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To see a full list of Bay Area KD events, which are also taking place at Thousand Oaks Baptist Church (Berkeley), The Glaser Center (Santa Rosa), Grass Valley Veterans Hall (Grass Valley), The Ballroom Embassy Suites Hotel (San Rafael), and Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building (Santa Cruz), visit KD's tour page.
I met Bill McCully when I wandered into his Saturday morning yoga class at The Mindful Body earlier this year. I was wanting to go deeper with my practice and Bill's class spoke to me. It was a combination of asana, discussion, meditation, and chanting, and the space he held felt energetically alive. I started going regularly. Then, about two months ago, I signed up for a 10-week Personal Transformation workshop with him.
Truthfully, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure what kind of personal transformation I was working out. Everyone else in the group seemed to have pretty specific things they wanted to address: relationships, work situations, or other life changes. I knew I was moving through something in my life, but wasn't sure exactly what it was.
In the first class, Bill, who is also an authentic movement teacher, asked us to each spend 20 minutes in the five various "spaces" in the room which were designated for drawing, writing, making sound, moving, and witnessing. I didn't understand what to do. The idea of just going to a corner of the room and singing or randomly moving in front of all of these new people completely freaked me out. But, at the end of the class, I felt a lot of walls come down. I understood that there were more ways in which I could be understanding things.
Since then, we've used a whole variety of methods to get at what's happening inside: We've had deep discussions about our lives, drawn pictures of our obstacles, and even done tarot cards. The idea, says Bill, from a yogic standpoint, is to not rely entirely on asana to give us all of the information we need, but instead to "open up all the different ways that we can self reflect".
Bill is a truly supportive teacher. He even offers free private sessions for his yoga students if they want to come and talk about their practice. I so enjoy sharing space with him, and he is always eager to meet new students—if you are interested in embarking on a deeper investigation into your practice, do check out his weekly class.
Ever take an Anusara Yoga class? One thing you'll notice is that everyone is smiling—BIG. Frequently known as the "happy yoga," Anusara was developed in 1997 by John Friend as a heart-opening asana practice based on Tantric principles. This past Friday, the famed teacher himself came to give a talk called Tantra in the 21st Century at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco.
Dressed in a brightly colored button-down shirt, the happy yogi behind the "happy yoga" talked less about the physical practice of Anusara Yoga and more about Tantra, itself—its history and place in modern life. The youngest of the main yogic systems (Tantra, Vedanta, and Classical), Tantra centers around the belief that life is inherently good and that we are all an expression of the divine. Tantra yogis, John said, believe that the practice of yoga is more about being who you really are than attempting to dominate or control your natural personality, emotions, and desires. "Instead of stopping the mind," he said, in reference to classical yoga's philosophy, "we use all parts of the mind . . . Any emotion can be rerouted and re-channeled for the glorification of something grand."
The talk, which ended with a short meditation, was lively (even from the back where I was sitting—as you can see by the blurry photo!) and digestible. Though it really only scratched the surface of Tantra, it certainly left the audience with enough of a taste to want to inquire further.
Interested in knowing more? The Bay Area is filled with ways to dig deeper. To start, try taking some classes with San Francisco Yoga Tree Hayes' Anusara queen Stacey Rosenberg, or delve deeper into Tantric philosophy at the next two-day Samavesha course led by Scott Blossom, Chandra Easton, Chris Wallis, and Chris Tompkins at Rudramandir in Berkeley.
For the last five days, I have been waking up at 5am to study with Zhander Remete. I am completely delirious with all that I am learning, not to mention the new sleep schedule. And I still have four more days to go.
You may have heard of Zhander (also known as Shandor), an Australian-based Hungarian yogi who visits Mark Horner's Moksha Yoga Shala studio in Walnut Creek every year to teach an intensive workshop on one of his two main practices: Shadow Yoga or Nata Yoga. Zhander's more well-known asana-based practice of Shadow Yoga is deeply steeped in ancient traditions of yoga that are informed by Marmasthana, the Indian system that focuses on the body's 108 vital energy pockets (or marmas). Nata Yoga, which Zhander has started teaching in recent years, is also marma-focused, but is a series of karanas (as opposed to asanas) which are dance-like postures that combine simultaneous movement of hands, feet, and body.
This week, we are practicing Nata Yoga, which Zhander discovered when he saw the 108 karanas depicted on the walls of the South Indian Chidambaram temple and was taught how to perform them by a sadhu. The practice focuses on subtle movements—like flower-picking hand gestures—as opposed to gross movements, like the usual big bends and twists that most practices incorporate.
I had never before studied with Zhander, whose intense and sometimes intimidating energy has earned him a reputation of being the "bad boy" or "dark prince" of yoga in the past. He is certainly commanding, but there is a real loving quality in him, and his rarely matched knowledge of and commitment to the practice has inspired a multitude of followers. I feel like I am only retaining bits and pieces of this highly complex and esoteric practice, but it's still amazing. Zhander discourages us from taking notes, with the belief that that which we truly understand we will naturally remember. The writer in me wants to rebel, but I must admit that he's got a point.
The course ends on Sunday and I think I might miss the eat-before-sunset, in-bed-by-nine, pre-sunrise yogavan carpooling delirium, not to mention the complex teachings themselves. But Zhander will (hopefully!) be back next year. In the meantime, Mark Horner's Moksha Yoga Shala studio focuses entirely on the practice of Shadow Yoga and is a great place to absorb Zhander's teachings.
If you live in the Mission, you are in luck: You've got a brand new yoga studio in your 'hood. Laughing Lotus just celebrated its opening with a full weekend of ritual, music, and classes. I missed the opening evening with Bhagavan Das (Jeff Tweedy was playing in the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and that was hard to pass up) but I caught the tail end of the celebration Sunday evening with a Lotus Flow class that was taught by a cool teacher named Keith to the mantra rhythms of Sean Johnson's Wild Lotus Band quartet.
You may have heard of Laughing Lotus—it's a popular yoga studio in Manhattan that was opened about eight years ago by Jasmine Tarkeshi and Dana Flynn. The studio became successful and the two owners, who both grew up in the Bay Area, decided to finally return to open a second studio here in the Mission, where they both now live. (Laughing Lotus in Manhattan still thrives, too.)
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The venture took nine months to complete, says Jasmine, who, along with Dana and a dedicated group of Lotus teachers and local friends, designed and painted the space themselves. The studio is beautiful. The front space has a little sitting area with hot tea, and there is a hall with books and a large picture of Amma set on a shelf. The wood-floored studio space is painted orange, pink, and yellow, with borders of geometric flower shapes and beautiful paintings of different gods and goddesses on the walls. There is even a small garden out back.
The mission of Laughing Lotus, says Jasmine, is to "create sacred and ecstatic spaces for everyone to celebrate their lives," and to hold classes in which students can practice "poses in a way that the body allows." Each month there is a theme (this month it is Gods and Goddesses) and their classes combine mantra, meditation, asana, and philosophy. Another nice thing about Laughing Lotus is that many of their classes are only one hour long, which is great if you are short on time—or funds (those classes are only $11).
Let us know if you attended the opening ceremony or have had any experiences yet at the new studio!
Hearing a recorded version of Deva Premal sing the Gayatri Mantra has been known to bring me to tears. So you can just imagine what it was like to see her perform live this past weekend at Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa.
My relationship to Deva (or, rather, to her music) goes way back to when I first started practicing yoga around seven years ago. I'd be sweating bullets after muscling through my vinyasas and Utthita Trikonasanas and absolutely detestable Urdvha Dhanurasanas, and finally, it would be time for Savasana. My teacher would flip on the Deva CD Love Is Space and it was, quite literally, like I'd died and gone to heaven.
Watching Deva in concert is much the same, except that you get her live. She performed with three fabulous guest musicians and her partner, Miten, who brings humor, rock and roll, and even a little reggae to the proceedings. The show, which began with the whole room chanting OM, was more of a kirtan than a concert: Deva taught us the words to all of the mantras and then invited us to sing along. No one clapped in between songs, so entranced was the audience, and the musical group paused for long silences after every song to sit together in brief meditation on stage. In fact, the entire evening was like a meditation since the performers were so mindful about every note they played and motion they made.
I'll admit that a concert with Deva is also a bit of a scene with lots of men and women in flowy clothing and scarves, an extravagant feast of delish Indian chow, and little stands in the lobby selling carved silver and beaded jewelry. But never at a concert have I seen people so quietly and deeply moved by the music. There was even a lightness as scores of mood ring-wearing women lined up during intermission to gain admission into the hopelessly small two-stalled bathroom.
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Deva was only in town for one night for this benefit show for the Sonoma Ashram. If you missed her, check out her website to find out when she'll be back.
Every day it seems the yoga community develops a greater connection to activism and social change. From Seane Corn's important work with women in India to the local Power to the Peaceful event that takes place annually in San Francisco, there are an increasing amount of opportunities with which you can get your yoga on—and do a bit of world good at the same time. Now, there's the Global Mala Project.
The purpose of Global Mala is to bring together the global yoga community in the name of peace and seva (selfless service). It is a benefit and was held last weekend, on UN International Peace Day, which doubled as Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) and also fell in the middle of the month of Ramadan. More than 300 events in 35 countries took place, and I went to the one that happened here in the Castro at Yoga Flow.
So, what happens when a bunch of yogis get together to do 54 sun salutations in a close-windowed room in the middle of a bumping nightlife spot? Well, for one, the room gets pretty hot and stinky! But it was also a lot of fun. And though I am not a huge fan of doing excessive repetitions of sun salutations, it always feels good to practice for a cause.
The evening also included a meditation sit, a session of chanting the Tantric version of the Gayatri Mantra, talks from representatives of the benefit's three receiving charities (Trees for Life, Glide Church, and AIDS Project East Bay), beautiful music by David Lurey and friends, and a great talk by meditation teacher Christopher Tompkins about connecting with ourselves in order to better connect with others.
But a surprise teleconference with Ram Das, who appeared live to both LA and San Francisco via modern technology, was the highlight of the evening. While his image was clearly projected onto the studio wall, we only caught about every third word that he said due to sound issues. When he realized this, he just looked into the camera, smiled, and started saying: "One, one, one, one, one."
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GET TICKETS TO SEE DEVA ON SEP. 29! Mantra superstars Deva Premal and Miten are making a rare appearance at the Sonoma County Day School to benefit the Sonoma Ashram. I'm going! For tix, visit www.YogaMates.com.
While practicing the rich tradition of yoga here in San Francisco, it's easy to forget that there are so many poor people in the very land that yoga came from. Swamini Lalitananda, an incredibly energetic 70-year-old Indian scholar and yogini, has devoted her life to helping some of them. She spends six months a year in India (mainly Bangalore) running residential establishments and orphanages for the poor; she spends the other six months of the year traveling all around the US to raise money for her mission. Last Sunday evening, I went to a mediation and satsang at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center to hear her speak and to donate to the cause.
This was not my first experience with the Swamini. We met when I visited the Grass Valley Yoga Farm ashram several weeks ago. The first time I spoke to her, she told me about her life as a university professor, yoga teacher, and meditation instructor. When I asked her about her family, she said, "You are my family. Everyone is my family." I learned that's what it means to be a swami—to renounce all of your material and personal attachments and devote your life to a higher purpose.
On Sunday, Swamini led a chanting session (she's got a great vocal range) and gave a dharma talk that focused on the Vedas. She also talked about why we often say shanti three times when we chant: once for peace inside, once for peace for our loved ones and community, and once for peace in nature.
But the thing she stressed the most was the importance of charity. Starting with nothing, the Swamini and another Sivananda disciple named Sro Omananda Swamiji created five establishments that house 300 women and children in India. The children need lots of stuff. Their education is taken very seriously, and in addition to the basics, they also need money for things like notebooks, bus passes, and uniforms.
Every now and then it's important to remember that giving is an essential part of yoga. To find out more about Swamini Lalitananda's mission and to donate, visit www.atma-vidya.org
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GET TICKETS TO SEE DEVA ON SEP. 29! Mantra superstars Deva Premal and Miten are making a rare appearance at the Sonoma County Day School to benefit the Sonoma Ashram. I'm going! For tix, visit www.YogaMates.com.
At a foggy Speedway Meadow last Saturday morning, a couple of hours before Michael Franti's Power to the Peaceful concert began, scores of yogis gathered for a free community Yoga Jam. Some were sitting on yoga mats and some on the grass, some wearing yoga clothes, others jeans and even pajamas. The crowd was a mix of yoga teachers, locals, and some hippie teenagers thrown in for good measure. As the scent of the fresh morning intermingled with the faint whiff of a joint being smoked in the distance, I wondered just how this thing was going to go down. But by the end of the two hours, the entire stagefront lawn was buzzing with wild and freaky yoga energy.
The 9am session, led by Maya Yoga founders Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini, was a great warm-up. The couple took us through a seated meditation, a series of sun salutations, and a number of standing poses to heat us up. The weather was bleak, but no one seemed to notice. Throughout the practice, Nicki reminded us of the reason that we had come here in the first place: to support this annual concert for peace. "Yoga is conscious action," she said. "Make this practice a form of activism."
At 10am, Shiva Rea danced onto the scene. "I think we're here to breathe change," she said, redirecting the now voluminous group into the shape of a mandala. Shiva's yoga was more of a dance, during which we shot arrows of peace into the center of the mandala, and then out toward the community and the world. Her one-hour practice, accompanied by an electric soundtrack, ended in an ecstatic dance of joy where even the most resistant two-left-footers got into the groove beside Michael Franti, himself.
At one point, Shiva joked that if she had been in her hometown of LA leading an outdoor class in such gray weather, everyone would be complaining about the cold. We all laughed. Who needs sunshine when you've got yoga?
Yoga can be a great workout, but we all know that it's so much more; if we didn't, we'd be running or playing soccer instead. The stress relief and strong quadriceps that come with a good asana routine are encouraging, but the possibility of self-investigation, devotion, and powerful meditation is what reels most of us in. If you are a practitioner who wants to move into a deeper energetic place with your practice, or to simply prepare your body better for meditation, the Tantric tradition has a lot to offer.
This week at Yoga Tree Hayes, four highly respected teachers are leading a week-long workshop entitled The Samavesha Immersion: Fundamentals of Tantrik Yoga.. The course is led by yoga and Ayurveda educator Scott Blossom, Tibetan Buddhist scholar and yoga teacher Chandra Easton, and Sanskrit and Indian philosophy scholars Chris Tompkins and Chris Wallis. The diversity of teachers allows for a curriculum that covers both sadhana (the actual practice of tantra) and darshana (the study of its historical and philosophical underpinnings).
Samavesha means "immersion into the divine," and, at its heart, that is the goal of all Tantric practice. This course will focus on the various elements of Tantric yoga, including mantra, mudra, bandhas, pranayama, and meditation. There will be special emphasis on ancient Tantric yoga texts and Vinyasa Krama—the sequencing of a South Indian-influenced asana practice so that the body is energetically prepared for the true goal of meditation.
"Meditation is the natural outcome of proper asana practice," says Blossom. "When you don't sit to meditate at the end of the practice, it's like making this incredible cup of chai and not drinking it."
Blossom says that the more balanced your chakras and nadis, the deeper the state of meditation you can achieve, which means a clearer path to reaching the divine.
"When it's all humming together and there's harmony, there's something that begins to happen . . . an insight that transcends the physical body . . . it's so delicious that you want to remain."
The course runs from Sunday, September 9-Saturday, September 15. To find out fee and time info, go to the Yoga Tree website.
On August 6, something very unexpected happened. I received an email that told me that the teacher I was planning to do a 200-hour teacher training with this coming October—an American man living in Singapore named Scott Orton—suddenly died. He was young and healthy and there was no explanation for his death. Though I had felt a connection with him, I knew little about his life, except that he had studied yoga at the Sivananda Yoga Farm. This past weekend, I decided to head up there.
Founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda, a direct disciple of Sivananda himself, the Yoga Farm is on a wide, sprawling piece of land in Grass Valley. Ashram living—and visiting—is regimented, but not rigid. The daily schedule (6am-10pm), consists of two simple asana classes, two meditation/satsang sessions that incorporate devotional chanting, a daily lecture on a particular topic, and two amazing vegetarian meals.
Swami Sita, the senior teacher at the ashram, is a devout practitioner and a strong presence there. She gave a couple of dharma talks that were quite captivating about positive thinking, devotion, and karma; she also talked to me personally about Scott, which was a blessing as it helped me to move on from a place of grieving to a place of understanding.
The place is magical, and what makes it so is not only the land and the gracious staff, but the other visitors. Some were studying to be Sivananda yogis, but many were just there to practice ashram living and retreat for a while from their regular lives. With all of the programs offered there, the nearby Yoga Farm functions as a retreat, a school, and a journey (both physical and spiritual) all at once. Next time you have a free weekend, I would strongly recommend visiting. Just make sure you leave the city by 1pm on a Friday to beat the crazy I-80 traffic.
It's easy to find yoga DVDs with names like "Yoga on the Go" or "Fifteen Minutes to Yoga Buns," complete with a picture of a hot, shirtless yogi on the front. (And I do appreciate the hot, shirtless yogi.) But who's documenting the real masters of our generation? An SF-based company called Pranamaya has taken on the task.
Pranamaya founders Mark Holmes and Ian Albert, who have been friends since the '80s when they met in high school, spent years working in the film industry while maintaining devoted yoga practices. Mark was a visual effects artist for Industrial Light & Sony Pictures, and Ian was a director and producer for a live public policy talk show that ran on PBS. A few years ago, they decided to pair their professional skills with their love of yoga and Pranamaya was born.
Since then, they have double-handedly produced 12 DVDs on some of the most exciting yogis of today. Their subjects—which include acclaimed yogis like Sarah Powers, Andrey Lappa, Edward Clark, Dharma Mittra, Paul Grilley and, most recently, Viniyoga founder Gary Kraftsow—are chosen, says Mark, for their "incredibly deep devotion to a true path of inquiry into yoga and how existence is informed and reflected by the practice."
The DVDs are simple, but polished, and packed with info you really can't get anywhere else. (Yes, the founders are my friends, but they truly do cool stuff.) Pranamaya is a real SF company, often using local yoga teachers—like Chandra Easton, Deb Burkman, and Chrisandra Fox—as students in their DVDs. The company, which operates out of Portrero Hill, has quickly made an international rep for itself, with thousands of DVDs sold and customers in such far-flung places as Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
But no matter what success the future may hold in store for Pranamaya, you won't be seeing them go mainstream anytime soon. Mark and Ian are more concerned with recording the esoteric practices of these yogis for posterity, so they can be passed down to the next generation—and shared with the current one, as well.
If you’ve been practicing yoga for a few years—or even a few months—you may have thought about becoming a teacher. Good news: You don’t have to spend a month in India (or even at Kripalu) to get your certification. This fall, there are three fabulous 200-hour Yoga Alliance-registered training programs right here in San Francisco. Here's the deal.
Yoga Tree Dates: 9/14/07-2/17/08 Basic schedule: Every weekend Styles taught: Hatha and Vinyasa Price: $2950 How long they’ve been doing it: 7 years How many students per training: appx. 40 Teachers involved: Darren Main, Stephanie Snyder, Jamie Lindsay, Elise Lorimer, Janet Stone, Darshana Weil, Chris Tompkins, Michael Watson The deal: If you’ve taken yoga classes in San Francisco, you’ve probably gone to a Yoga Tree studio. With locations in Hayes Valley, the Mission, the Castro, and the Haight, the Yoga Tree community is large, wide, and well reputed. YT representative Jeremy Simon says that the main focus of the TTC is to expose students to a large diversity of styles and teachers so that they can find their own voice as a teacher. The program also includes a lecture series with renown visiting guests and unlimited free and discount yoga classes, the guidance of a mentor, and lifelong relationship with the Yoga Tree family. Find out more: www.yogatreesf.com
Yoga Loft Dates: 9/15/07-2/23/08 Basic schedule: most Saturdays, 7 Sundays Style: no one particular style, though several of the teachers are Iyengar trained Price: $3400 How long they’ve been doing it: 5 years How many students per training: appx. 15-20 Teachers involved: Tony Briggs, Jason Crandell, Sabine Kuehner, Geoffrey Roniger, Anne Saliou, Patricia Sullivan The deal: This is the smallest program of the three, and focuses on individual attention for students. In addition to the regular curriculum, each student chooses a mentor to study with and assist in classes. A cool aspect of this training is that the Loft stays connected with students well after graduation and offers them subbing opportunities and jobs teaching community classes in the afternoon. Studio co-owner Meg Whitbread says that the program is a reflection of what the Loft, itself, aims to do: "To keep this practice as real as possible, so people can really see themselves, see their true nature." Find out more:www.theloftsf.com
Yoga Works Dates: 9/7/07-3/2/08 Basic Schedule: one three-day weekend every three weeks Style: Krishnamacharya lineage (Desikachar, Iyengar, and Astanga) with an emphasis on detailed alignment within a flow practice Price: $3200 How long they’ve been doing it: 17 years How many students per training: appx. 20 Teachers involved: Annie Carpenter & Julie Kleinman The deal: Yoga Works is known as one of the premier yoga schools in the country. Though they don't have a studio here, they have partnered with Sports Club LA to bring their training to the Bay Area. The director, Julie Kleinman, was a student of Eric Schiffman and Rod Stryker and says that the Yoga Works TTC can be set apart by its two decades of experience in training teachers, its particular method of intelligent and thoughtful sequencing, and its emphasis on the skillful instruction of asanai. Find out more:www.yogaworks.com
You may also want to check out an upcoming Anusara training at Yoga Tree, the Sivananda one-month training at the Grass Valley Yoga Farm, or the three-month immersion (not Yoga Alliance certified) at The Yoga Studio in Larkspur, all starting also in the fall. Of course, the best way to choose where you will study is to talk to the teachers who run the training and see if it is a good fit.
I am not a person who likes to pretend I am a monkey. Or a reptile. Not even on Halloween. But Cameron Shayne got me crawling around on all fours for three full hours this past Sunday—and loving it.
L.A.-based teacher Shayne is the founder of Budokon, a practice that melds together hatha yoga and martial arts with the theory that they are a more complete art form when blended together than when practiced separately.
The Castro's Yoga Flow hosted two workshops with Shayne this past weekend. The Art of Floating lent insight into the physical and philosophical tenants of the practice, which are core and upper body strength, controlled and precise movement, and personal empowerment. In Animal Awakening, we moved our way through human evolution, embodying single-celled organisms, lizards, four-legged mammals, and finally primates. Shayne's own physical imitation of these creatures is uncanny, and when you walk on four feet yourself, you begin to understand what your arms are really capable of.
The practice is lighthearted and fun, but also offers incredible strength training. It was a great introduction to martial arts and did wonders to inform my yoga practice. What I appreciated most is the way Shayne slows everything down. He says that speed covers up weakness, and he teaches you to move from one pose to the next with perfect deliberation, pointing out that asanas were not designed to be unconsciously bled together.
Shayne's both a yogi and a martial arts master. He's encouraging and kind—but not afraid to engage in conflict. "You don’t really know someone," he says, "until you have a fight with them."
There was some talk after class about the possibility of a local teacher training, but nothing yet planned. In the meantime, if you want to learn how to gracefully connect your backbends with some forceful kicks, take one of his donation-based classes next time you are down south. It'll be worth it.
I have practiced yoga in a lot of places, but never in a retail store—until last Saturday. Lululemon, the city's famous one-stop shop for yoga clothing, cleared the floor of their Marina store to make space for a charitable yoga class that was part of their new Practice for a Cause program. This class was being held to raise money for the Healing & Yoga Foundation of San Francisco.
One one level, it seems a little weird to be doing yoga while surrounded by a seemingly endless array of hot yoga shorts, low-waisted reversible pants, and brightly colored tank tops that cross in the front, cross in the back, and have new removable boob pads. On another level, practicing together is about community and meditation, not incense-burning or Shiva statues. The class energy was great, the students were excited about the cause, and if you're going to practice at a clothing store, it may as well be Lululemon.
Community outreach is a big part of Lululemon's operation. Lululemon community leader Elizabeth Brotz's entire job is to bring the yoga community together through recruiting store ambassadors (local teachers who represent the company like ambassador Deborah Burkman who taught this class), as well as product testers and fitness experts who provide feedback on new clothing designs. Lululemon gives Elizabeth $150 a month to donate to a charity; she developed these monthly charitable yoga classes to raise more. On Saturday, students donated $225 which, coupled with the monthly $150 from the store, resulted in a $375 donation to the Healing & Yoga Foundation.
Combining yoga with giving is a brilliant idea—in some ways, it's really the whole point. I took a class once with yoga teacher Patricia Walden in which she said that there were five words you need to know to lead a happy life: "Be good. Be of service." Mission accomplished.
And yeah . . . I did some shopping, too.
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Upcoming dates for more charitable yoga classes at Lululemon: August 25 (with Pete Chandonnet), September 22 (teacher TBA), and October 27 (with Les Leventhal). All classes are at the Union Square store at 8:30 AM.
There comes a time for most of us when we realize that all of this jumping around, backbending, and toe-touching is part of something bigger. The question is: what? If you are starting to get curious about what's beyond asana, you may want to take a class or workshop with Sean Feit.
A Buddhist meditation and yoga practitioner, Sean teaches a pranayama and meditation class at The Mindful Body on Tuesday nights, and also leads occasional workshops and kirtans. He often starts class with a short asana practice first, but it is in preparation for a deeper meditation practice during which he introduces the other limbs of yoga, including pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and dharana (concentration). This past Sunday, in a workshop called All Eight Limbs, Sean talked about everything from modern day spirituality to brahmacharya—the, um, touchy subject of celibacy.
I first learned about these concepts five years back when a teacher recommended The Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar (a great book, by the way), but I always wondered why no one was talking about it in my classes. I love the jumping around and the toe-touching as much as the next person, but it's also nice to be reminded where our Hatha practice could be leading us—if we want it to. Sean's intimate classes are the place to go to ask personal questions about your pranayama or meditation practice; he always has time to talk on and off the mat.
We've got so many amazing asana teachers demonstrating the perfect Urdhva Dhanurasana, but very few talking about samadahi. Of course, it's not like we can reach samadahi just by taking a class that addresses it (wouldn't that be nice?) but we can at least get a better idea of what's possible. "My hope in presenting these practices," says Sean, "is just to plant a seed."
Coming Up: Lululemon yoga benefit for the Healing Yoga Foundation of San Francisco on Saturday, July 28, 8:30am, at 1981 Union Street (Go, if you can!)
San Francisco: Iyengar, Enlightenment, and Happy Feet
Yogacharya, a week-long festival dedicated to BKS Iyengar, did not rake in the numbers the management was expecting this past week. But for students that was a real blessing, as we got to take intimate classes with some of the country's best teachers.
I went down to Santa Clara for the festival on Sunday. My first class, in which I was one of 12 students, was Mystics on the Mat with Seane Corn. I found Seane to be a complete tour de force—both petite and powerful, spiritual, yet highly pragmatic. Well-known for the charitable work she does around the world, Seane spent the majority of class leading a discussion about spirit, service, empowerment, and what she calls the three levels of yoga: the physical/mental, the energetic/emotional, and the psychic/spiritual.
What I dig most about Seane, other than her hybrid of straight-talking New Yorker and soft yogi heart, are her views on spirituality. She doesn’t speak of intangible, spiritual goals. She says she is on a personal quest for empowerment, not enlightenment, and views ego as something to be dealt with, rather than destroyed. "In order to reach the light," she says, "you must understand the shadow."
My next class was with Glenn Black. In traditional Iyengar style, Glenn will hold you in a pose . . . forever. The asanas we practiced—like Baddha Konasana, Upavistha Konasana, or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana—didn’t seem difficult at first. But after a few minutes, agitation set in. People started to groan. Thankfully, Glenn calls upon a dry sense of humor to keep his students at it. "If you can stick your toe in your nose," he said, during one particularly difficult stretch, "you’ll find samadhi."
The last class of the day (and week) was with Viniyoga founder Gary Kraftsow, who focused on pranayama in the tradition of Krishnamacharya. Gary’s just a cool guy—he led a large class that felt more like an intimate family reunion. He talked about various techniques and ratios, and got me to personally connect with my breath more than I ever had before.
The conference was both inspiring and uplifting—good energy, great teachers, and lots of shoes abandoned in the halls by happy naked yoga feet.
As hard as it can be to select the right midweek yoga class, it's even harder to select a teacher training course. I've been looking at various programs for the last two months and am considering a well-reputed Sivananda training in Southern India. To further investigate, I decided to check out the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in San Francisco this past Sunday. They hold a monthly open house (it's free!) that includes a class and a yummy Indian home-cooked meal.
The center, now celebrating its 50th year, was first opened by one of the pioneers of yoga in the West, Swami Vishnu-devananda—a disciple of the Indian sage Swami Sivananda. The classes at the center are really small and ashram living is available. If you're serious about your practice, you can live in community with other yogis, meditating and practicing together, all while keeping a day job.
The basic class I took teaches the Sivananda-inspired series of 12 basic postures, all a variation of fundamental hatha postures. Designed to balance the chakras, the series starts with Sirsasana (Headstand) and works its way down in the body.
Sivananda yoga is the opposite of trendy: The series is always done in the same order, the students dress modestly, and the friendly teachers (mine was Shambhu) don't try to put their own stamp on the practice. To some San Francisco yogi-hipsters, this repetitive and lineage-based style may not feel stimulating. But for students who gravitate toward more devotional aspects of yoga, the dedication to tradition will be appreciated. And any student is sure to notice how many local teachers have been influenced by the principles of this practice.
Even if you're more concerned with your Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) (not practiced much at the center) than your spiritual awareness, the center is worth visiting, at least once. If it speaks to you and you decide to become an ashram resident, be prepared to do your karma yoga and help with the center upkeep, and to take a spiritual name—everyone I met there has one.
Anyone have experiences with Sivananda yoga, either here or in India? Please share!
You may be a pretty seasoned practitioner. But have you ever tried AcroYoga? What about viniyoga? Jivamukti, kundalini, or bare-all-stripped-down-totally-naked yoga? Every week, it seems, a new yoga trend takes root here in the Bay Area. It's incredible. Back in the day, if you were a yogi or yogini in San Francisco, you knew all the studios and the teachers. Now the amount of yoga available has become so overwhelming that people often find a single teacher or studio and practice there—and no where else.
Which is fine. I mean, routine is good, right?
But maybe you're just a little curious about what else is going on. You'd like to poke around a bit more, try out new yoga styles, check out new studios, learn more about kirtan, and perhaps even get a translation of what you've been chanting in your Thursday night class. Or maybe you simply want to know more about the local scene—without having to skip dinner with your spouse repeatedly or risk getting fired due to excessive yoga-hopping on lunch breaks.
Samadhi in the City is a place for us to share information about all of the rich, inspiring, and, occasionally, bizarre yogic offerings in San Francisco. I'll be blogging each Wednesday about cool classes and workshops around town, community events, yoga fashion, studios, retreats, visiting luminaries, and local gatherings. I'll also highlight innovative local teachers, share my experience with their classes, and ask you to share your own.
Barring India, the Bay Area really is the yoga capital of the world (or at least we'd like to think so) and even if you practice regularly, you know that it can be impossible to keep up with all of what’s going on. Of course, a blog is not a substitute for practice—unless you promise to read it while practicing Sirsasana. But whether you're a newbie or a seasoned practitioner, it's a great way to stay connected. Have specific things you'd like to see here? Let us know what you think!
Karen Macklin is a San Francisco-based writer, editor, and yogini who is originally from New York. She has written for more than a dozen publications nationally, including the New York Times, SF Weekly, FitYoga, and Tricycle magazine. Her creative works, which include plays and poetry, have been produced and published in the United States and Italy. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and spent 2006 teaching journalism at the university in Guatemala City on a State Department fellowship. She is currently the editorial director of Zest Books, and is co-author of Indie Girl, a book that advises teen girls about getting involved in the arts. Karen is also a registered yoga teacher.
Prizes include a spa vacation in Vermont,
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It's a tough time right now for the economy, and I have some sad news. Due to budgetary constraints in the new year, Samadhi & the City is being discontinued. 
Perhaps you already have your sparkly dancing shoes picked out for New Year's Eve, or you're planning to spend the first hours of 2009 in another city (or country) altogether. But if you're still pondering your options for welcoming in the new year locally, you might want to consider doing something mellow and mindful. The winter season is a good time of the year to be quiet and go inside, and the new year is the perfect time to be contemplative about the past, future, and, most importantly, the present. 
Where: 
It's a funny thing to be darting around looking for holiday presents, and simultaneously holding tight to your last paycheck (that is, if you are lucky enough to still be getting one). But if there is anything a slow economy teaches us, it is to buy locally and mindfully. 
I met my ex-boyfriend at the yoga studio. When we first started dating, he was doing a lot of yoga. I thought, "Cool, I am dating a yogi!" Then, surf season started. 
There's a widespread perception in our culture that yoga is for those who are physically fit. I often have friends or family members say to me. "I don't do yoga because I am not flexible" or "maybe I'll try it when I lose weight/heal from my injury/stop feeling depressed." And those are all able-bodied people. People with physical disabilities or serious chronic health conditions often think that doing yoga is about as likely for them as snagging a spot on the US Olympic gymnastics team. 
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 
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. 
This weekend marks the 7th annual 
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. 
Last weekend, 
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.
A few weeks ago, 
Yogis are beach people. While most of us don't practice on the beach—at least not on any kind of regular basis—we find ourselves there for beach burns, surfing adventures, and mellow walks in rolled up pants along the edge of the water. There's something about the ocean that simply feels yogic and inspires a meditative mood. 
It's a big time for celebration in the yoga community as this week marks the birthday of our favorite elephant-headed boy, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. (If you feel like you're bumping into a lot of walls these days, it's a good time to have a private conversation with him.) But this week also marks the start of the new nationally recognized 
We often talk about yoga's roots in India, and we chant in Sanskrit, but how much do we know really about the land from which our practice comes? I visited India in 1996, before I even discovered yoga, and was amazed by the deep magic of the country . . . and the incredible poverty. How could a place that birthed such a rich spiritual practice be mired in such economic despair?
I left San Francisco in January of 2006 to teach journalism in Guatemala City. I came home nearly a year later, happy to return to our beautiful city, my wonderful friends, breathably clean air … and $18 yoga classes. What? 
Everyone knows that yoga's a great way for kids to get exercise and stay limber. But can it also be useful in teaching young people discipline, respect, and stress-management? Can it even transform an entire school environment? Thanks to San Francisco yogi Katherine Priore, we are about to find out.
I'm not a morning person. I can get up on my own by 8 or so, but when the alarm goes off earlier than that, I always gaze at it with the same look of surprise. (Again? Really?) I've never met a snooze button I didn't like. 
As city creatures, we're all quite used to practicing yoga in climate-controlled rooms that are off limits to bugs (and sometimes don't even have windows). It could be pouring outside, or even snowing for that matter—we'd still be oblivious to it all as we do downward dog on dry mats and meditate under a sort of fluorescent mood lighting that fluctuates depending on how one operates the dimmer switch. And yet there is something about yoga that just screams (or maybe chants?) nature. So what to do?
I was never taught to cook. My parents are great, but their favorite room was certainly not the kitchen. And it never became mine. 
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. 
Yesterday, I waited all morning for a hug. 
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. 
I saw 
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.
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.
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. 
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the roof on my building has stopped leaking rain into my living room. All of that can mean only one thing: It's springtime! And, according to the yogic tradition, that's the best time to clean up one's act. So I decided to do a cleanse.
Ever feel guilty when you practice yoga? Sometimes I do. Like everyone else, I enjoy having my special yoga clothes and practicing at the beautiful yoga studios in my safe and beautiful city. But deep inside I am always acutely aware of the disparity between my life and the lives of those who are less fortunate—those who live in impoverished countries and are unable to even get food on the table or feel safe in their homes, let alone have a guided asana practice. I often wish there were more opportunities to combine my yoga practice with doing seva (service) abroad. If this is something you've thought about, too, you might want to consider 
Got back problems? Join the club. The cause might be the way you sit or stand or sleep. Or it could even be your yoga practice. But what if you learned that it's not the muscles in your back that are responsible for your pain, but the underlying connective tissue? And why does it even make a difference?
We spend a lot of time during our Hatha yoga practice quieting our minds, but the tradition of yoga is actually quite steeped in academia: The creators of yoga were intellects and scientists who dedicated their lives to investigating the human body, brain, and connection to the spiritual realm. That tradition continues today—some of the top yoga teachers are some of the brightest minds around. So, why is it that there are four- to fourteen-year study programs in the US to earn degrees for everything under the sun, but only 200- and 500-hour certifications in yoga?
Have you been attending the same studio, or class, for a long time? Starting to get to know the people there? Even starting to feel part of a sort of community? 
Most people love to get adjusted in yoga class. It feels so good to be able to access a space in your body that you couldn't before, and sometimes that just can't happen until a teacher touches you with his or her knowing hands. It seems so simple—a small twist here or turn there—but there is actually a lot behind the art of adjusting, from deciding who to adjust to when and how. As part of the teacher training program at 
I have been to enough 
David is young, but his spirit feels older, and he comes from the same lineage as Ram Das, Bhagavan Das, and Krishna Das, all of whom followed the great Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba. During his kirtan here in San Francisco this past weekend, he gave out chant sheets (which was great because it prevented me from making up words to songs I didn't know!) and, along with his two amazing co-musicians, led the group in chants like Gung Ganapataye Namo Namah and Hare Krishna. He also talked a little bit about the universality of yoga and chanting. "There's a transmission that happens through kirtan that doesn't belong to Hindus or Indians," he said. "It belongs to the human heart."
obstacles (like physical ailments or idleness) to achieving our sankalpa and things that help us realize a sankalpa (including hatha yoga, meditation, and faith in the universe). We ended our asana session with a candle-gazing practice and journaling. 
It's a new year and that's always a good time to evaluate where we are, who we are, and where and who we'd like to be. Feeling the desire to go inward before the count down, I ventured out to 
Surfers often sound like yogis in describing their art: "Then the world vanished," writes Steven Kotler in his surfing memoir West of Jesus. "There was no self, no other. For an instant, I didn't know where I ended and the wave began."
I’ve been happily hitched for years now, but not so long ago, meeting potential girlfriends seemed difficult. Not because I was such an awful suitor (I hope), but because as my yoga practice developed, I lost interest in the bar and club scene. It seems like a lot of yogis go through introverted phases like this, which is why I’m glad that longtime yoga practitioner Michael Ellsberg has created a type of singles party that avoids the usual awkward conversation &mdash “so what you do?” &mdash and allows for a potentially more real exchange. It’s called 
For the last six months, I’ve been reporting for 
The Nov. 9-10 workshop was called Sthiram Sukham Asanam: Living in Rhythm With Our Prana, and was mainly about how to align your energies (sthiram, the stable, and sukham, the relaxed) with themselves and also with the energies of the universe. 
I met Bill McCully when I wandered into his Saturday morning yoga class at 
Hearing a recorded version of Deva Premal sing the 
So, what happens when a bunch of yogis get together to do 54 sun salutations in a close-windowed room in the middle of a bumping nightlife spot? Well, for one, the room gets pretty hot and stinky! But it was also a lot of fun. And though I am not a huge fan of doing excessive repetitions of sun salutations, it always feels good to practice for a cause.
While practicing the rich tradition of yoga here in San Francisco, it's easy to forget that there are so many poor people in the very land that yoga came from. Swamini Lalitananda, an incredibly energetic 70-year-old Indian scholar and yogini, has devoted her life to helping some of them. She spends six months a year in India (mainly Bangalore) running residential establishments and orphanages for the poor; she spends the other six months of the year traveling all around the US to raise money for her mission. Last Sunday evening, I went to a mediation and satsang at the 
Yoga can be a great workout, but we all know that it's so much more; if we didn't, we'd be running or playing soccer instead. The stress relief and strong quadriceps that come with a good asana routine are encouraging, but the possibility of self-investigation, devotion, and powerful meditation is what reels most of us in. If you are a practitioner who wants to move into a deeper energetic place with your practice, or to simply prepare your body better for meditation, the Tantric tradition has a lot to offer.
I am not a person who likes to pretend I am a monkey. Or a reptile. Not even on Halloween. But Cameron Shayne got me crawling around on all fours for three full hours this past Sunday—and loving it.
There comes a time for most of us when we realize that all of this jumping around, backbending, and toe-touching is part of something bigger. The question is: what? If you are starting to get curious about what's beyond asana, you may want to take a class or workshop with Sean Feit.
Karen Macklin is a San Francisco-based writer, editor, and yogini who is originally from New York. She has written for more than a dozen publications nationally, including the New York Times, SF Weekly, FitYoga, and Tricycle magazine. Her creative works, which include plays and poetry, have been produced and published in the United States and Italy. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and spent 2006 teaching journalism at the university in Guatemala City on a State Department fellowship. She is currently the editorial director of Zest Books, and is co-author of Indie Girl, a book that advises teen girls about getting involved in the arts. Karen is also a registered yoga teacher.
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