ascent nominated for 2009 utne independent press award!!
April 9th, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent, independent media
ascent is actually no stranger to the Utne awards (which honour and acknowledge the best of the independent media throughout North America), having won for Best Spiritual Coverage in 2003 and 2005. The 2009 winners will be announced in May and the whole list will be published in the July-August issue of Utne. Even though ascent no longer exists as a print publication, we will happily accept a posthumous award!
Read the full list of nominees here.
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online exclusive: sparrow on union organizers
April 3rd, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent
Sparrow, long-time ascent contributor and one of the world’s most original thinkers, opens up the idea of “union” beyond yoga…
My parents, now 90 and 85, remain committed to unions. My mother still belongs to the UFT (United Federation of Teachers).
The noblest American union was the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). They were strong a hundred years ago, until they were broken by the Palmer Raids at the beginning of World War I. (One of the reasons nations have wars is to silence unions.) The members of the IWW were “Wobblies,” an insult they adopted as their name. Wobblies believed in the One Big Union, which sounds like a metaphysical concept — and it is. Here are some lines from the Wobblies’ songbook, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent, expressing the theory. It’s from “Stand Up! Ye Workers” by Ethel Comer (to the tune of “Stand Up For Jesus”): read more…
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online exclusive: tias little on union & yoking
March 30th, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent
Our Union issue sneak peaks continue with Tias Little’s investigation into yoga and non-attachment… One critical reflection that must take place for any one on the path of yoga, one question that must arise in the course of one’s training is, “What am I yoking to?” Given that yoga means to join or to yoke in the way that a farmer would harness together a pair of horses or oxen to pull a cart and plough through a field, the caption “yoga” suggests a harnessing of separate things.
By way of connecting to the pulse of one’s own respiration, by connecting to the surge of sensation across the muscle fibers in asana, or by generating an emotive feeling from song or spiritual reflection, one builds a sense of connectivity. This connection, however, cannot be limited to one’s self. The aim of much of the yoga teachings is to resolve or exhaust self-centered inclination. For the student engaged in yogic discipline the question then must arise, “What am I yoking to? Who is the other in this dyad of yoking?” read more…
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online exclusive: illuminating union with sharon gannon
March 24th, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent
As we lead up to the release of ascent’s final issue, we have some exclusive pre-issue content to share. In this first post, long-time friend of ascent, Sharon Gannon, reflects on the ideal of union. Stay tuned for reflections from other ascent luminaries… The state of “yoga,” or union, is when the individual self reunites with the infinite undifferentiated eternal Self. Yoga has been described as samadhi or blissful ecstasy because it is such a relief to finally reconnect with your whole being after so many lifetimes of wandering in the illusionary world of disconnection. The methods of yoga help to bring together that which appears to be separate. Enlightenment is the goal of all yoga practices. Perceiving others and perceiving ourselves as separate from others is the biggest obstacle to enlightenment. For a yoga practice to work, it must address how to dissolve the others in our lives. Yoga teaches us that in truth there is only oneness; others are an illusionary projection coming from our own minds, from our own past karmas (actions). The practices help us to purify our karmas, which involve our relationships with others. In the ancient text, The Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali suggests a few practices that may help us dissolve otherness and bring us closer to union. Patanjali is speaking to those who are still seeing others but who are interested in dissolving the disconnection between self and other. He suggests that if we are still seeing others and not the divine oneness of being then, number one, don’t hurt them (ahimsa). Number two: don’t lie to them (satya). Number three: don’t steal from them (asteya). Number four: don’t manipulate them sexually (brahmacharya); and number five: don’t be so greedy, taking so much that you impoverish them (aparigrapha). He gives these directives in the second chapter, the chapter on practice and he refers to them as the five yamas (restrictions)—five ways to restrict your behavior in regards to the others you may encounter in your life. read more… If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
get ready for the montreal zen poetry festival!
February 26th, 2009 by ian Posted in ascent, the glass seed
The second biennial Montreal Zen Poetry Festival will soon be coming to the snowy city with its unique mix of poets, calligraphers, translators, publishers, and Zen monks. Guests will be arriving from across Canada and the United States with elegant and enlightening words for the weekend of March 6th to 8th.
The festival programme includes panel discussions, writing workshops, the Paul Hsiang Poetry lecture, Zen meditation, and of course, poetry readings from a lineup of poetic luminaries. This year the festival theme “forget the words!” is inspired by the ancient Chinese text, the Chuang Tzu, and seeks to explore the tense but intimate connection between words and Zen practice. Poet and festival guest, Chase Twitchell, explored this theme with festival organizer, Talya Rubin, in the recent ascent article forget the self.
Organized by members of Enpuku-ji/Centre Zen de la Main, a small urban Zen temple in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau, the festival was launched in 2007 to introduce the larger community to the culture and practice of Zen Buddhism. The Zen Centre and ascent magazine have been close allies over the last ten years as two vital spiritual and cultural facets of Montreal. For more information on festival events, readers, and tickets please visit the Montreal Zen Poetry Festival website. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
yasodhara ashram wins environmental responsibility award
February 20th, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent, yasodhara ashram
Swami Radhananda, ascent magazine columnist and spiritual director of Yasodhara Ashram, accepted the 2009 Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award last week in Vancouver, BC. Before handing the award to Swami Radhananda, the presenter listed the ashram’s impressive environmental accomplishments: a multi-year program for upgrades and retrofits of buildings, and lighting, heating, and hot water systems, as well as a comprehensive sustainability program, ranging from menu planning, food ordering and housekeeping to solar and geothermal heating systems. In addition to these long-term goals, the ashram employs some simpler measures on a day-to-day basis: 25% of all produce is grown in the ashram’s organic garden and a large amount preserved for winter use; vinegar, borax and washing soda, and non-chlorine bleaches are used as household cleaning agents; drying racks are provided to reduce clothes dryer use; and paper products are recycled paper using vegetable ink. As she accepted the award, Swami Radhananda remarked, “We at the ashram take sustainability personally and seriously. Living in BC, we are privileged to have beauty all around us. We feel that maintaining it is our first responsibility to our guests.” If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
the yoga of the hands
February 12th, 2009 by chris Posted in the glass seed, timeless
Not all that long ago, everything we ate, wore or lived in was formed by human hands. The rise of the industrial age transformed our lives from hand-crafted to machine-made. Have we lost anything in the balance? I’ve noticed in the past decade a rise of artisan bread or pastries, artisan cheeses, small-batch coffee roasters….hand-crafted culture is making a come-back. Could it be that the bread I buy from a local artisanal bakery tastes of more than just flour, salt and water? Does the hand-woven hot pink scarf my son gave me for Christmas keep my neck warmer than one made by machines? When I was writing The Glass Seed I worked with my hands a lot, sewing a quilt, trimming a skirt with heritage buttons and making jewelry. Something drew me to these projects as I sorted out how I felt about my mother, her illness and my role as a woman in the culture. I found them meaningful and satisfying, an antidote and (yes, maybe even) a redemption for the struggle and suffering that can arise when any of us face loss. There’s a fair bit of talk in the yoga world about the three main bandhas, energy locks that exist in the body’s core. Less often discussed is the hasta bandha in the hands. This bandha draws up and makes use of the Earth’s energy. Am I making full use of my hands, both as I practice the asana and as I find my way through this life? If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
timeless classics: the yoga of healing
February 11th, 2009 by chris Posted in ascent, timeless
Swami Radhakrishnananda reflects on Swami Sivananda Radha’s The Yoga of Healing… There are many beautiful, healing practices in this little book by Swami Radha, who worked with each of them as she dealt with the physical restrictions of rheumatoid arthritis. These days I am drawn to the section called Thoughts on Gratitude. When I am open to feeling and expressing gratitude for my life as it is, for the many things that happen, there is a transformation that occurs. I can feel the devotion behind the gratitude. I know from this that the feeling of gratitude is an interaction between the body and the mind and both will benefit from it. Swami Radha goes on to make clear that expressing gratitude will balance the criticism we voice because of powerful emotions. And the part that is so good to remember is that “in the course of life there are many little miracles,” but we don’t pay attention and then take things for granted. This book is highly recommended because Swami Radha’s understanding of what will make us well, whole, healthy and happy is a rare insight in the field of health and healing. Any one of the practices described will bring a high degree of quality into your life. I know this from my own experience with these practices in dealing with Parkinson’s disease. I live with the disease very well as a result of the Yoga of Healing. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
swami lalitananda: live on the internet!
January 26th, 2009 by roseanne Posted in ascent, community, timeless
All listeners are encouraged to participate by calling in to the show toll free at 1-800-230-3062. Swami Lalitananda will be available for questions and comments regarding all aspects of yoga practice during her interview with host Dr. Melissa West.
The first three participants will receive a FREE copy of The Inner Life of Asanas and each additional caller will have the chance to purchase the book at a 25% discount.
Contact Talk Radio is an online radio station devoted to spiritual, psychic, holistic, and personal development. Returning to the Body Mind, hosted by Dr. Melissa West, is a show that ‘revisits the wisdom of the body as the seat of the soul.’
And just in case you can’t listen to this live internet radio appearance, you’ll have several opportunities to connect with Swami Lalitananda in Real Life this spring! She’ll be offering Hidden Language Hatha Yoga workshops in Toronto and New York. Stay tuned for details…
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reactions from our readers
January 22nd, 2009 by Vienna Posted in ascent
When the announcement was made last Wednesday that the magazine was closing Ian and I immediately began to receive the first reactions from our subscribers. Since we answer the phones and contact our readers directly we were flooded with words of support and disappointment that, in it’s print form, ascent magazine will be no more. After weeks of preparation for the closure our primary concern has been raising the funds to print our final issue, and in the past week through donations and orders for ascent back issues and timeless books, our readers have demonstrated how significant ascent has been to them over the past ten years. But we’re excited to see that since our announcement only 5 days ago, we have already raised $11,000! We still have a ways to go, though, and it’s not too late to contribute to raising funds for our final issue. You can make a donation here! The outpour of support from our community is giving us a strong sense of hope for the future. It has been a pleasure to speak to many of our subscribers in the past week, especially to the long-term subscribers who we have come to know over the years. As we enter the final months of ascent magazine, it brings us joy to see that it is our readers who are inspiring us. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
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