A university student center that incorporates both ancient design principles of Vedic architecture and environmentally friendly features will open its doors at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, on February 1. The $7.5 million Argiro Student Center boasts two dining halls, a banquet room, cafe, lounge, 300-seat auditorium, bookstore, mailroom, and offices for student-related activities. For more on the building and Vedic architecture, visit www.mum.edu.
. . . 2008 Bishnu Ghosh Cup, the Bikram yoga championship. This annual event will take place in Los Angeles at the LAX Westin on February 1-3. Regional finishers will compete for the U.S. title, and there will be an international competition on the last day. For more information, visit www.bikramyoga.com.
Financial powerhouse Dow Jones has launched dharma indexes "to track the stocks of companies that observe the values of dharma-based religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism," reports the Washington Post. "The principle of dharma contains precepts relevant to good conduct, but also the implicit requirement of mindfulness about the sources of wealth—and therefore responsible investing," said Nitesh Gor, chief executive of Dharma Investments, a firm that helped create the indexes. For more information, visit www.djindexes.com/mdsidx/index.cfm?event=showDharmaOverView, but know that the list of companies is not yet up on the website.
The Detour Yoga Bar hits store shelves today. The new energy bar, in two flavors called Blueberry Acai and Peach Mango, "includes lemon balm to help alleviate stress and promote a sense of calm while supporting strong, flexible muscle development with 11 grams of high-quality protein." Visit www.detourbar.com for a list of all ingredients. Is this something you would try? Do you eat energy bars? If so, before or after practicing yoga?
The Los Angeles Times recently ran a profile of yoga teacher and Yoga Journal calendar model Seane Corn. Why, you ask? Here's why: "Since 2005, she has raised an estimated $300,000 for YouthAIDS, a nonprofit health services organization that serves at-risk young people ages 15 to 24 in 70 countries . . . Last year she co-founded Off the Mat, Into the World, a fundraising and leadership training program designed to promote outreach and service efforts among individuals in the yoga community . . . She's also launched a yoga program at Children of the Night, a nonprofit shelter for adolescent prostitutes." Kudos, Seane!
Some of Mohandas Gandhi's ashes will be scattered in the Arabian Sea on January 30, the 60th anniversary of his death, reports the Associate Press. "A small steel urn of Gandhi's ashes — one of dozens dispersed across the country after his death — was sent to a Gandhi museum in Mumbai last year by an Indian businessman whose father, a close friend of Gandhi's, had preserved the ashes. Trustees had planned to display the nonviolence leader's ashes in a memorial in downtown Mumbai, but Gandhi's descendants requested the ashes be scattered at sea, said Dhirubhai Mehta, vice president of the Mahatma Gandhi Museum. 'No one knows for sure how many such urns there are elsewhere,' Mehta said. 'The ashes were sent to Gandhi's followers wherever they requested it.'" Would you have liked to have seen the urn go to a museum?
January 26, Yoga Day USA, is a good day to celebrate your practice. It's also a great day to get a friend more interested in yoga. Yoga Alliance created Yoga Day USA in 1999 to raise awareness about yoga's benefits by offering free or low cost workshops across the country. To find a Yoga Day USA workshop near you, visit www.yogadayusa.org/Locate.cfm.
I received this letter last night and thought it worth sharing.
An Open Letter from Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg
Dear Friends,
We are writing to ask your support for two beloved friends of ours, Stephen and Ondrea Levine. They are currently facing significant difficulty. After a life-time of giving, they are now at a time to receive from those of us whose lives have been touched by their presence and teaching.
Their greatest needs are financial. Ondrea has Leukemia and the costs of her insurance and treatment have used up their savings. Stephen's health is not good either, and he is too frail to travel or teach. When we heard about this, we felt moved to contribute to a fund set up for them, and to encourage others to do the same.
Stephen and Ondrea have been among our generation's most important teachers, demonstrating and encouraging others to embrace the power of love and generosity. For three years, they ran a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week free phone line for those dying or in need of support. When the phone bills got too high, they sold their house to keep the project going. For decades they regularly corresponded with thousands people who were seeking spiritual guidance, giving freely to those in need, many of whom were sick or in the final years of their life.
The circle has now come around, allowing us the opportunity to give to these two life-long givers. We hope to raise several hundred thousand dollars in small and large donations to help them through this time.
Caring for friends and teachers is an essential part of any spiritual life. As we age, spiritual friends are more important than ever. Stephen and Ondrea have been dear spiritual friends to us and to thousands of others through their books, workshops, and correspondence.
If you are one of these people and are moved to give, below are three ways to donate to the Levine Fund at Bread for the Journey. Bread for the Journey informs us that donations are tax deductible.
With gratitude and love,
Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Sharon Salzberg
Mail: Send to: Bread for the Journey, 267 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, California 94941. In the letter, please enclose a note indicating that your gift is for the Stephen and Ondrea Levine Fund and in the note section of your check write "Levine Fund." In honor of the immeasurable gifts Stephen and Ondrea have given to the family of the earth, Bread for the Journey has generously offered to manage the fund with 100% of your donation going to the Levine Fund.
Online: click here and designate the donation to the Levine Fund: http://www.justgive.org/giving/donate.jsp?charityId=3583&isRecurring.
Phone: call 415-383-4600 with a credit card number.
For questions and other means of giving, contact SorenGordhamer@gmail.com.
In order to attract more people to Buddhism in Japan, three monks regularly perform at a Tokyo jazz bar, reports the BBC. After chanting for 20 minutes, the monks sit down with the audience to chat and.... make balloon flowers. "Many Japanese don't want to come to temple," says one monk. "They think Buddhism is very difficult, and deep and serious, but Buddhism is much more than that - exciting, funny even. I want to spread this kind of teaching." But the performances have upset some Buddhists. What do you think?
Hong Kong-based Pure Yoga, in conjunction with Equinox fitness clubs, is planning on opening studios in the U.S., the first one in Manhattan, reports New York magazine: "The new club will be 'design and amenity driven,' which means the usual Equinox high-end gloss, five rooms simultaneously offering classes in different styles, and an emphasis on customer service, including the ability to book the exact floor space for your mat online." Has anyone had any previous experience with Pure Yoga?
According to Fox News, the world's two largest armies, China and India, exchanged training in kung fu and yoga in a mission codenamed "Hand in Hand." The Indian army instructors trained the Chinese soldiers in pranayama and various asanas, which were difficult at first for the Chinese soldiers, because, reportedly, they are not flexible. Chinese soldiers presented "Hard Qigong," a form of deep-breathing training that involves having bricks smashed on their heads with sledgehammers. Ouch!
If so, check out the new podcast Buddhist Geeks (www.fallingfruit.tv/buddhistgeeks/), a weekly web radio show intent on introducing spirituality to a younger audience via interviews with Buddhist teachers and scholars. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the show is hosted by 24-year-old Vince Horn, a Naropa University graduate, and Ryan Oelke, a late twenties graduate student and teacher at Naropa. Let me know what you think.
According to Reuters, recent studies conducted in Sweden and India show that yoga can reverse biochemical changes associated with high blood pressure, obesity, and high blood sugar. Waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides were significantly lower, and "good" HDL cholesterol levels were higher in the yoga group as compared to a control group, report researchers in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. Have you reversed a heart disease risk factor with yoga alone?
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