North Bay Yoga Blog

New Ashtanga Class: Sundays at 11 am in Sebastopol

2012-09-06T22:04:00.001-07:00

(Photo by Lena Gardelli)

I'm starting up a new Ashtanga Yoga class at Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sundays at 11. The studio is right on the Plaza, so do a little shopping at the Farmer's Market before class. Here's my official description of the class:

Ashtanga yoga is known as a challenging yoga practice, but it is much more than that. The primary series presents an incredibly logical and opening sequence of poses, from standing to forward bends and hip openers, backbends and meditative postures. Underlying all of this is the yoga philosophy of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the path to liberation. Come learn or practice the Primary Series, coupled with a short discussion of the Sutras.

The emphasis is definitely on the practice: moving with the breath through the Primary Series sequence. But my practice is clearly informed by the underpinnings of the seminal text, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which teach the process of concentration and meditation that lead to samadhi.

How do we use asana to achieve concentration or even "single-pointed" attention? Sri K. Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga method is incredibly powerful at helping us get there. The pratice must be understood in terms of yogaś-citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ -- "yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.

Once you get that yoga is about mind, not flexibility or handstands, you appreciate a practice that values focus and one-pointedness. For me, ashtanga offers both a fiery physical practice and a deeply internal awareness (even if it is fueled by exhaustion.)

Having said all that, the class is appropriate for those new to Ashtanga, but are at least advanced beginning yoga students. Six months of Iyengar or "flow" classes would be ideal.

Sharath says 'asana is just the beginning'

2012-01-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

I posted about Sharath's conference this week in Mysore over at Ujayii.com. Other than pushing practitioners to take on the yamas and niyamas as part of their yoga practice (asana is not the end, but the beginning), Sharath describes yoga like an ocean, which looks completely different on the surface and beneath. Check it out on Ujayii.com.

Introducing Ujayii.com

2012-01-29T21:27:00.000-08:00

So I am experimenting with WordPress for a new blog dedicated to Ashtanga yoga, Ujayii.com. The name (with an alternative, but legit spelling) refers to the breath used in the practice. The idea is to build a site that focuses deeply on Ashtanga, taps into the Ashtanga bloggers out there and serves as a way to find Ashtanga resources wherever you are. It's very much an early experiment, so ideas and contributions are welcome.... See you there...

NY Times and Fear-Mongering

2012-01-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Via my Twitter pal Claudia, a new articles from the Daily Bandha: Co-activating the Gluts and Abs in Chaturanga Dandasana: Ray and Chris don't even mention the hated NY Times article on the dangers of yoga, but they slap Times writer William Broad hard:

Sociopathic corporations and individuals often resort to this form of asatya when they realize that they lack the ability to compete fairly or are afraid that someone else will gain power; they fear losing control or influence over others, mainly for monetary gain. Consequently, the fear monger acts out of fear and heads down the slippery slope of asatya. For example, they might exaggerate or fabricate scientific data to cast a false light onto something or someone they fear. Ironically, in the process, they often succeed in exposing and encouraging their own fears. An entity exposed for abusing its position of trust by deliberately misleading others will lose that position. That’s how the spiritually bankrupt become, simply, bankrupt.

That should be clear enough. Contrast this to the Kareem quote on the benefits of practice.

"I believe that yoga is one of the reasons that I was able to play as long and as healthy as I did… Yoga is somewhat hard to quantify in terms of benefits because you see them in all the injuries you don't get… For me, I noticed improvement in my posture—that was key for me because I had been having lower back problems... After I started doing yoga positions—asanas—all that changed. My health greatly improved overall."

I also like this quote from "Amy" in the Times comments:

I am appreciative that this article brings potential yoga asana injuries to our attention and reminds us that yoga is not about competition. However, I am appalled by the lack of research and comparative studies as well as the sensationalism and the misleading photos . In a former life, I worked for the flagship news show of a major network and, although, often the research did not reach the TV screen, it was always there to back it up. In a print article of this length there is the space, and certainly there must be the editorial support (NYTimes, really?), to include supporting data. I now teach nonfiction writing and I am considering using this article as an example of what not to do.
As an avid runner and Nordic skier, as well as small time farmer, I am grateful to the benefits that yoga asana practice has recently brought to my sport and work stressed body. As a mother of three teens running my own business, yoga brings calm, focus, and a positive attitude to each day I practice. My intention is to heal, not to damage, body and mind. I would be very interested in knowing how I can prevent yoga injury from a well researched, data supported, and multi-source paper.

Bringing this all back home, literally, I am visiting my dad who has been in hospital/rehab for a month. My mom asked me if yoga is dangerous, as she heard on the radio. Didn't remember any details as to how its dangerous or who said it was. But was concerned. My dad is hospitalized in large part as a result of a sedentary, meat-eating life, but yoga is dangerous... Context is ironic.

I gave her my rap: Advanced poses that your body has not been prepared for is dangerous, not listening to your body is dangerous, not having a teacher is dangerous, being competitive is stupid, not understanding it is a practice of self-awareness is risky, etc...

McYoga Sutras: Would you like a chip on your shoulder with that?

2012-01-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know Laura Riggs, but I bet she is fun to have a drink with. Actually I am surprised she is not from L.A., but in fact she's from Denver. Anyway, she has a chip on her shoulder about corporatized yoga and a biting wit. Here are her McYoga Sutras, Chapter 1, which I am going to reprint below. But check out her bio: I wonder where she worked.

Laura started practicing yoga roughly ten years ago and began teaching five years ago. She left a successful career in advertising to teach yoga full-time because she decided it would be totally rad to pretend she was 21 again. She managed two large studios for the past two years, led many teacher trainings, and enjoyed having her soul sucked out of her. Now that the LSD in the Kool-Aid they had her drink before work each day has worn off, she is relieved to be rid of a company that believes first in money and second in “speaking your truth” — so long as it agrees with “our truth” because “our truth” can kick “your truth’s” ass! She does admit there are days that she still checks the studio’s yoga schedule and experiences flashbacks – only to be grateful she no longer has to manage the severely undereducated teachers trying their best to fulfill the studio’s mandate to “Bring the Sexy Back” to yoga. Last time she checked herself, before she wrecked herself, yoga was never sexy to begin with…..

Part 1: Self Absorption

1.1 Now begins the study and practice of McYoga

1.2 McYoga is merely for physical fitness and a means of manifesting money

1.3 The goal of McYoga is never spiritual, period, this is called self absorption

1.4 McYoga’s purpose is to teach the practitioner how to achieve self absorption and that self-identity is an illusion to be overcome.

1.5 At other times, when one is not self absorbed, the follower appears to take on the form of five modifications to conjure the mentality within the McYoga clique

1.6 These five modifications manifest as misconception, gossip, detachment, narcissism, and allegiance

1.7 Misconception is an illusionary knowledge that attending a McYoga studio will help the practitioner live an extraordinary life

1.8 Gossip is the spread of false rumors about those who are “off our path” to standardization of the physical practice

1.9 The practitioner will partake in smoking various plants from the earth to become firmly rooted in complete detachment from reality in order to enjoy attending mind-numbing raves, aka “yoga festivals”

1.10 Narcissism is achieved when the practitioner realizes detachment from others will leave one completely fixated on his/her self

1.11 Allegiance is complete when the practitioner swears loyalty to McYoga as their sole provider of all forms of physical fitness and spends their income on a monthly membership, worthless trainings, mediocre lifestyle programs, and investing in future McYoga locations

1.12 These personality modifications will be mastered through practice and aversion

1.13 McYoga makes it easy to practice 2-3 times daily now that we have 50+ locations open in the US (and another 50 slated to open this year)

1.14 Aversion is realized when one believes that they because they subscribe to McYoga, they have somehow become a better person, all the while behaving like an egomaniacal, judgmental prick

1.15 From that practice, obstacles to successful aversion begin to disappear

1.16 These obstacles are awareness, wise knowledge, empathy, humility, wise action, and honor

1.17 Accompanying these obstacles are frustration, amnesia, judgments, restlessness, disease and injury

1.18 In order to prevent these obstacles from arising, one should habituate themselves in the teaching of McYoga

1.19 By cultivating attitudes of indifference toward suffering, denial toward truth, indulgence toward vice, and anger toward others, the obstacles can be lessened

1.20 Another way to McYoga is the mastery of ignorance

1.21 Without reflection, ignorance is bliss

1.22 Without reflection, the practitioner remains in a state of ignorance to varying degrees

1.23 McYoga is born through the repression of awareness and all individuality is lost

Jane Austin at YJ conference

2012-01-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

An old friend of North Bay Yoga (and twin to Sebastopol's No. 1 Ashtanga student/teacher Ann Austin), Jane Austin is teaching two classes at the Yoga Journal conference this weekend: Teaching Yoga to Pregnant Women and a free community class, Yoga and the True Core. Here's the true core write-up:

What is the "true core," and how do you find it? When we slow down, tune in, and listen, we have an opportunity to access this deeper place. We'll dive deep within the well of ourselves to explore our "true core"--a place that can be strong yet fluid, toned yet supple. Flowing with movement and breath, this fun and fluid practice will help connect you to your true core. Expect standing postures, core toning, and hip openers.

Lots of other awesome classes at the conference (full schedule here); of course, some people (ahem) think it's all a bit overpriced.

YogaWoman screening Jan. 28 in Sebastopol

2012-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Everyone in the North Bay is excited for the upcoming screening of the YogaWoman movie. I'm excited to have my law office (and the blog, and Yoga in Graton) be a sponsor. Here's the info from Cheryl. Please re-FB, tweet, email, etc. ... Hello and Happy New Year fellow yogis and friends:

I’m excited to announce that YOGAWOMAN (the movie, yogawoman.tv) will have its North Bay premier in Sebastopol on September 28, 2012, at the Sebastopol Community Center Annex. YOGAWOMAN is a groundbreaking feature film about the powerful impact of yoga on women’s health, fitness, emotional well-being, and personal growth. See the trailer at yogawoman.tv. This is a unique opportunity to bring the North Bay yogis and “those that can’t touch their toes” together to share an evening and enjoy this wonderful movie.

Date: Saturday, September 28, 2012

Local: Sebastopol Community Center Annex, 390 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707-823-1511

Time: Pre-Screening Reception 6:30 (doors open at 6:15), Movie 7:45 (doors open at 7:30)

Donations and proceeds from this event will support The Ceres Project. The Ceres Project operates through an integrated model that gives teens experiences of growing and preparing healthy food which is then distributed to those facing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Last year Ceres delivered a gazillion meals (well almost, 28,500) to 255 client families in crisis. Their goal next year is 45,000 and we can help.

You can Participate and Contribute. Here’s how……………

1. Come and enjoy the movie (it’s free!), bring your good juju and meet your fellow yogi friends, neighbors and community. And, bring some extra cash for the raffle and to donate to The Ceres Project.

2. Join us for the Pre-Screening Reception. Meet with some of the movie’s cast and director and hang out with your friends. Hobnob just like the stars do. This reception will be catered by the Ceres Project with yummy, healthy nibbles, wine and beverages. Go to www.ceresproject.com to get your ticket ($25). There is a limited amount of tickets so please do it soon.

3. Become a sponsor. This is a great opportunity for those that have a product or service to share or for those that want to offer a bit more.

Warrior 1 - $100. Benefits: 2 tickets to pre-screening reception, listing in movie guide and table for marketing materials.

Warrior 2 - $50. Benefits: 1 ticket to pre-screening reception, listing in movie guide and table for marketing materials

Contact Cheryl Thomas for more info at Cheryl@cherylthomas.com or mail your check to Cheryl Thomas, P. O. Box 2611, Sebastopol, CA 95473.

4. Donate a product or service for our raffle or gift give-away. This is perfect for yoga instructors and studios that want to offer free or introductory classes. Maybe you have a coupon for 20% off of your service or product.

5. Get the word out. Forward this email or copy and paste it to your email list. There is more information at yogawoman.tv or cherylthomas.com/yogawoman. We have postcards to distribute and posters to hang. Have ideas? Let us know (Cheryl@cherylthomas.com).

6. Volunteer. Yes, we can use your expertise or extra set of hands. We are also looking for a awesome projector to show the film.

Meet and hang with your friends, create community, contribute to an important non-profit and enjoy a ground-breaking movie. This is for all of us. Really. See you on the 28th!!

With much love and gratitude!!

2012-01-10T11:15:00.001-08:00

Tim Miller teaches primary and secondary series at Mt. Shasta, July28-Aug 4 and Aug 5-11. Lemme know if you want to go (rkoman at gmail dot com). Tim says:

"I've been leading yoga retreats in Mt. Shasta for the last fifteen years and can say, without hesitation, that it is one of the most spiritually powerful places on Earth. For me it's the best two weeks of the year!" - Tim Miller

Experience two yoga classes daily with one of the world's most experienced yoga teachers. Morning sessions offer a blend of guided and Mysore style classes. Afternoon sessions will focus on sutra study, pranayama, therapeutics and chanting. Regular practice and a reasonable proficiency at Ashtanga yoga is required.

Each day Tim will lead a hike to explore the natural beauty of the surrounding area. We will visit waterfalls, pristine mountain lakes, and wildflower strewn alpine meadows. Accommodations are in two charming Inns in historic McCloud, CA (The McCloud Guest House and The McCloud River Mercantile) and include communal vegetarian meals in a relaxed setting providing a true "family" experience. This is a uniquely restorative, inspirational and fun filled yoga retreat!.

Getting your arms long enough for Lolasana lift

2012-01-08T23:09:00.001-08:00

In my Intro to Ashtanga class (Sundays at 4-5:45 at the Stone Creek Zen Center - check out the schedule on yogaingraton.com), we were discussing the problem of one's arms apparently not being long enough to lift off the ground. Of course the problem isn't arm length, it's hip and ab strength. One solution of course is blocks to lengthen the arms, but as Maria Villella shows in this clip, pulling the legs into the chest provides more than enough space for the arms. ... but of course developing the strength and length to do that takes work...

A few Facebook comments on the 'dangerous yoga' article

2012-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the amazing Kino MacGregor for posting a Facebook link to my post on the by-now infamous (and it just came out today) New York Times article, Can Yoga Wreck Your Body?, basically a hit piece on the rapid expansion of yoga, or perhaps just a call for yoga students and teachers to take the practice more seriously .

There were a few comments on Kino's Facebook post, which I repost here.

Philippine Yogi yoga teachers are not adequately educated in the risks and appropriate modifications.
Friday at 6:58am · · 2
Lisa Cohen Phillippine...your statement is a broad generalization and not true...what IS true is that SOME teachers are not adequately educated when it comes to modifications and risks. I'm grateful for teacher training from the REAL deal...and I have learned to teach and practice from a non-ego-driven place that puts form over depth EVERY time... I also encourage my students to LISTEN to THEIR body...that their inner voice is more important than my outer one. And ANY activity has risks...especially when done from a place of ego...cyclists, runners, walkers, and most dangerous: COUCH POTATO-ers! They have the most risk of real, LONGTERM injuries...
Friday at 7:14am · · 2
Chris Guzik If I were to rank what I think the culprits are that create risk for students practicing yoga, I would actually put lacking teacher competency in third place: first, I think the common led class format is problematic as it does not afford the opportunity for teachers to work one on one with students. This creates problem number two: students are not knowledgeable or aware enough to make their own determinations about modifications or backing off until it's two late. So we have led classes where students try to do what other students are doing before they are ready and injuries result - some of which do not surface until long after the class is over or as a result of repetitions over a long period of time. The Mysore method of transmission in Ashtanga addresses this issue, but that is not the norm in the average yoga studio.
Friday at 7:29am · · 5
Philippine Yogi whats good about the article is that it challenges the business of yoga and how could it be made better.
Friday at 7:50am · · 1
Jennifer Deacon We have forgotten how to walk the edge of the sword.....most people seem to fall off rather than have awareness and balance.
Friday at 9:08am · · 1
Bill Leonard As practitioners we need to be reminded that 'strength' comes from ability to honor our own limitations. A majority of yoga injuries stem from ignoring the warning signs the body gives us, we must strengthen the intuition to listen within?
Friday at 10:33am · · 2

More crazy yoga harm

2012-01-06T01:08:00.001-08:00

In this article, Jill Miller relates Patricia Sullivan's story in yoga journal (Sullivan was one of my teachers through Piedmont Yoga Studio) about falling asleep at the wheel as the result of nerve damages caused by headstands!

She painfully details a journey of denial in which her headstand caused (yes, caused) crippling nerve pain that eventually culminated in her falling asleep at the wheel and driving off the road into a lagoon. At last Patricia had a doctor examine her and they found “extensive damage, including a reversed cervical curve, disk degeneration, and bony deposits that were partially blocking nerve outlets.” By her own admission, “my longing to excel both in my asana practice and as an asana teacher had led me to ignore my body’s signals and cries for relief.”

Wow - attachment is powerful.

Is yoga too dangerous for a weekly class?

2012-01-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, the Times will publish a radical article, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. It largely features New York teacher Glen Black, who is very concerned about people doing advanced yoga poses, including headstand, and creating long-term health risks.

Black has come to believe that “the vast majority of people” should give up yoga altogether. It’s simply too likely to cause harm.
Not just students but celebrated teachers too, Black said, injure themselves in droves because most have underlying physical weaknesses or problems that make serious injury all but inevitable. Instead of doing yoga, “they need to be doing a specific range of motions for articulation, for organ condition,” he said, to strengthen weak parts of the body. “Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can be used therapeutically. It’s controversial to say, but it really shouldn’t be used for a general class.”

Woah! What?

Mostly the article features some pretty strange cases, like:

A guy who "would sit upright on his heels in a kneeling position known as vajrasana for hours a day, chanting for world peace. Soon he was experiencing difficulty walking, running and climbing stairs." Diagnosis: He deadened a branch of the sciatic nerve with all that sitting.
A woman was doing uhrdva danurasana prep (head balanced on the floor before pushing up) and suffered "no sensation on the right side of her body; her left arm and leg responded poorly to her commands. Her eyes kept glancing involuntarily to the left. And the left side of her face showed a contracted pupil, a drooping upper eyelid and a rising lower lid — a cluster of symptoms known as Horner’s syndrome."
A regular yoga practitioner suffered bruises up and down his neck and neck trauma, apparently from following Iyengar's prescription to "stretch the neck maximally against the floor."

On a more mundane level, Dr. Roger Cole, a Iyengar yoga teacher, emphasizes using blankets in shoulder stand (dangers of doing an unmodified shoulder stand: muscle strains, overstretched ligaments and cervical-disk injuries) and Timothy McCall, a physician who is the medical editor of Yoga Journal, "called the headstand too dangerous for general yoga classes" (risks: thoracic outlet syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and retinal tears). Do you think the fears are overblown? Or do you think yoga teachers are not adequately educated in the risks and appropriate modifications? If you're a teacher, does this article give you pause?

Yoga perspective from 'Buddha' documentary

2011-12-11T18:25:00.001-08:00

I'm watching a documentary called "The Buddha" narrated by Richard Gere and there is this discussion of yoga:

Although yoga appears to focus on controlling the body, it is in fact an ancient spiritual discipline, a form of meditation, harnessing the energies of the body to tame the mind. Some yogis learn to sit without breathing for hours, breathing more and more slowly until they seem to be barely breathing at all.

From here the narrative says that the Buddha was like a super-yogi, reaching the most rarified states but these are escapes from the problem of suffering, not a permanent solution. At a very superficial level, I suspect this has to do with the dualistic nature of these practices, as opposed to the Buddhist insight of non-duality. I guess the question is whether yoga as we know it today maintains a dualistic approach or has incorporated the nondual ideals of Buddhism.

Coming up hard against blockages in practice

2011-12-09T21:44:00.001-08:00

From David Garrigues' newsletter, someone raised an important question about essentially a yoga breakdown. I like David's answer about yoga being more than following the series - sometimes you need to alter the practice to suit your needs. You can beat your head against the wall in lots of ways, including yoga. Here it is:

Hello, I have a question. I have been practicing for at least 5 years, Ashtanga, visited Mysore twice, and now in second series, Pincha Mayurasana. Both times that I had been to India, I got quite sick with anemia. I am very Vata, and I believe the practice just exhausts me. Sharath believes always I can do more, but I know inside it's just my 'wind' pushing me through but my mind is battling. Exhausted. It's a hard place to be. I love Ashtanga, and it saddens me to think maybe it really isn't the best practice for me anymore? Even now when I do the second series, I spend most of my day feeling anger, blocked, and ironically out of my centre. My creative and easy going nature is hard to reach. I understand the idea of facing and working through such emotions. I do my best. But it's been quite a constant for the past year or more. These feelings don't change much.
Have you had any stories or experiences similar come your way?
I hope not to bore you with my mundane question.

Here is my response.

Hi,
Thank you for writing. Your question is very important and far from mundane. If I could work with you, see you practice get to know you a bit, it would be much easier to give you a helpful answer. Trying other styles is certainly an option, and you have to ask your self if that is really what you want to do. If you do want to do that, then there you have it. It might be important to check out what else is out there before you really decide that Ashtanga is best for you. But maybe you honestly do want to do Ashtanga and for whatever reason you are running into a major road block that is seeming to last too long. And you'd like to work through it, but it's really challenging you.
In that case I would consider that it might be more how you are thinking about and approaching your practice that is at the root of what is tiring and frustrating you. Remember that really the practice is there to serve you--and you have more freedom than you might be allowing your self to change it up and tweak things so that it continues to feed and nourish you. You can mix things up and do more primary or part of primary and part of intermediate. You can lighten things up when you feel the need by practicing shorter or skipping some asana's on some days, or spending more time with finishing postures. Your practice needs to be soulful and to come from a place of genuine inner agreement--where you agree with what you are doing and how you are doing it each day.
Are you practicing alone or with a teacher? If alone then it can be challenging not to get frustrated because of not having instruction or community, but also it is easier to mix things up too and do what feels right to you. If you have a daily teacher than you'll have to work with them so that you are aligned with what is happening in the class. If you were in my class I'd look at what you are doing and how you are doing it, and then make suggestions for doing some different things along the lines what I mentioned above. It can be tricky to mix things and still continue to respect the guidelines of the lineage.
But it is essential to do especially when the alternative is to discontinue your practice. It helps me to remember that true ashtanga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois is a living, creative lineage. And therefore the application of the method ought not to be rigid nor dogmatically fixed. One size doesn't fit all, we are all unique and specific and thus have differing requirements that necessitate different sorts of interpretations of the practice. And this goes in cycles; sometimes we are able to flow along precisely in step with the vinyasa protocol and at other times we have to practice in slower or more theraputic modes or in other ways that are possibly not quite what ashtanga allegedly is supposed to be or look like. For me the thread that always keeps it all connected is my lasting, genuine love and devotion to ashtanga. In order for the lineage to evolve, grow and thrive each one of us must ever create the lineage anew through our 'research', our personal relationship to the struggles and triumphs of our daily practices.
Ashtanga is such a treasure, such a powerful practice, I'd hate to see you leave it when you've come so far (almost through the intermediate!). Maybe you can soften, listen within for more inner cues on how you need to practice just now. And one more thing is I'd really look at your breathing too, if your breathing is not balanced, either too much force or not enough power, then your energy will get disrupted. This is true especially with the passage of time and can become a road block to developing your intermediate practice. Hope some of this helps and drop me line let me know how you are doing.
All the Best
Om Namah Shivaya!

Hari Om,
David

Unpacking the Ashtanga opening chant

2011-11-27T22:43:00.001-08:00

Every Ashtanga practice starts with the invocation to Patanjali, so I thought I would try to unpack the meaning of the chant here. I'm relying largely on Ronald Steiner's excellent AshtangaInfo website.

vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde
sandarśita svātma sukhāva bodhe

Literally, "I bow to the lotus feet of our great teachers,
who uncovers our true self and awakens happiness."

The great teacher is of course Patanjali, who is said to have written the Yoga Sutras about 150 BCE. It doesn't seem that anyone can clearly identify Patanjali as a historical figure and some traditions deify Patanjali as a manifestation of a God. The second line clearly refers to the third line of the Sutras: "For finding our true self (drashtu) entails insight into our own nature."

nih shreyase jangali kayamane
sansara halahala mohashantyai

This site translates this as follows:" which are the refuge, the jungle physician,
which eliminate the delusion caused by the poisonous herb of Samsara (conditioned existence)."

Steiner explains: "The jungle shamans were the best doctors. They had huge knowledge about medicinal plants and leaves and they could heal a variety of illnesses. In India their fame exists until today."

Samsara is conditioned existence. What does that mean? The sutras say: When you are in a state of yoga, all misconceptions (vrittis) that can exist in the mutable aspect of human beings (chitta) disappear. That is, the vrittis lead to samsara and it is the practice of yoga that wipes out these misperceptions and enable true union.

Well, that's the start of the chant. More later.

Thanksgiving Mysore

2011-11-23T20:22:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Mysore class at Westside Yoga Studio for those with some sort of Ashtanga practice. Led by awesome John Smith, 7-9 am. Good way to prepare for that dinner. Also: check out Yoga On Center in Healdsburg, with Vinyasa Yoga with Jenn Russo, 9-10:30 a.m.

14 business tips for yoga teachers

2011-11-17T06:10:00.001-08:00

Here's a great piece offering 14 business tips for a successful yoga teaching business. Actually they're great tips for managing any small business. Think of this stuff - keeeping spreadsheets, writing weekly business journals, crunching the numbers - as a practice it and of itself. As in yoga, discipline leads to progress. Critical to the practice:

...You have your ideal list of activities, how many on a weekly basis you’ll teach and the revenue that’s possible from each. Tally it up and see if, on a monthly basis, it meets your revenue target. If not, something has to change. Either your magic number has to come down, you need to look for a part-time job to include in the mix, you need to get a partner to increase your revenue opportunities, you need to charge more per service, you need to increase the number of services you offer on a weekly basis or you need to include more services for which your reimbursement per service is higher. I find this is a great exercise for new yoga teachers because it can help you see how many classes and other activities you’d need to teach to break even. This exercise is great to do before you quit your corporate job, if you indeed have one of those.

YogaWoman!

2011-11-09T21:30:00.001-08:00

Food, yoga and Occupy

2011-11-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak preview of an essay I am trying to put together on the Occupy movement and the many ways we can strive to de-corporatize our lives. My basic theme is that government operates to encourage corporatism -- to the detriment of the people, not just financially but in virtually every aspect of life. So here are some thoughts on food and corporatism.

It's not just how we handle our money and real estate and credit cards ... but how we eat, how we educate, what passes for entertainment, everything that we consume, what we fill our minds with. To truly live Occupy is to question every aspect of the American lifestyle, as it's been warped and twisted into service of corporate profits, and to seek out the old, true paths towards living with meaning. Which is how I think yoga provides a framework for a new lifestyle.

Part of the bill of goods has been a grossly unhealthy way of eating - McDonald's, ice cream, frozen meals, giant sodas, super-sugared coffees, Super-Size-Me portions of meat, pasta, cheese, and so on. And to a huge extent this if food dreamed up, marketed and sold by corporations in only-in-America systems. Not only are we eating crap, we turn farmers, truckers, factory workers into cogs in the corporate factory food machines. So when Occupy says "we want jobs," what kind of jobs do we want? Jobs that validate, facilitate and entrench this kind of economy?

For example, here's a quote from Michael Pollan's new book, "Food Rules":

"Populations that eat a so-called Western diet - lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, fruits and whole grains - invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases. ... People who get off the Western diet see dramatic improvements in their health."

Yes, but a few hippies, a few radicals, a few million people tuned into healthy eating won't make a difference. If Occupy is a protest against the combination of government + corporatism, consider this: The public health debate is not on how to get people off the Western diet but

"the focus is on identifying the evil nutrient in the Western diet so that food manufacturers might tweak their products, thereby leaving the diet undisturbed, or so that pharmaceutical makers might develop and sell us an antidote for it."

It may seem naive, but I feel that a yoga practice breeds the consciousness, and the imperative to look deeply and question that should lead practitioners to examine how they eat, where food comes from, and to what degree they are accepting without question the corporatization of the food supply.

New pilates/yoga class in Graton

2011-11-08T06:11:00.000-08:00

Yoga in Graton is pleased to announce the addition of a new Graton class - Susan Melina will teach a Pilates/yoga class Wednesday mornings 9-10 a.m. at the <a href="http://stonecreekzencenter.org/">Stone Creek Zen Center</a>. Here's the writeup.

This class aims to build core strength through Pilates matt exercises, while stretching & healing through Yoga and breath work.

Susan has been teaching the Pilates and Yoga class, Stretch to the Core, for the past 5 years in Graton.
The class aims to build core strength while keeping the muscles toned and stretched. Susan has been a student of yoga for 18 years and received her certification in Pilates from ITT in San Francisco 8 years ago. At present Susan is studying to become an Ayurvedic Practitioner at the Dhyana Center in Sebastopol. She is also a massage therapist and mother of three!

Class is $10 suggested donation
No class card

Call 707-824-0933 for more information.

Notes on Tadasana

2011-11-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

I bought all of Dr. Ray Long's "mat companion" books, so my intention is to try to translate his rather anatomical instructions into the kind of language that might be used in yoga class. The books are beautiful and filled with amazing insights into exactly what is happening in our bodies in asana. Some of this material is available for free from Ray's website and there is new material on the blog, the Daily Bandha.

So, where better to begin than tadasana? Ray says there are 8 major steps in tadasana, but here are a few points that resonated for me.

1. After extending the spine (erector spinae), work with the balance of the pelvis. Squeeze the butt (activate glutes) and notice how that brings the top of the pelvis back and drops the tailbone down (and forward). The action of the glutes also externally rotates the thigh bones (femurs.) More subtly, gluteus minimus can lock the head of the femur into place.

2. All this back and butt squeezing pushes the low ribs forward. Activate the abs (rectus abdominus) to drop the ribs and activate psoas to draw the top of the pelvis forward. Find the balance in the pelvis between activating glutes and stabilizing pelvis with the deep hip muscles.

3. Activate quads, drawing kneecaps up. Activate inner thigh muscles (adductors) to draw thigh bones together. Counteract the glutes' externally rotating the thighs by scrubbing the feet apart while keeping the adductors fired.

4. Pull shoulder back - actually get an external rotation of the upper arm bone (humerus).

5. Activate trapezius to pull the shoulder blades down. Activate triceps to straighten elbows.

6. Squeeze the shoulder blades together (rhomboids) and hug them tightly to the back.

7. Now, with shoulder blades in place, try to roll the shoulders forward. You won't be able to - the shoulder blades are keeping the shoulders from moving forward but this action will lift the chest.

8. Finally, recruit those muscles on the upper side body (serratus anterior) to lift the chest. Imagine pushing your hands against the sides of a doorway to engage those muscles and lift the chest.

Wow, that's a lot for the "just standing" posture!

Sad news from Yoga On Center

2011-10-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Yoga On Center will hold a candlelight memorial class for Rhiannon Hull, who died suddenly while swimming in the ocean in Costa Rica.

Dear YOC community,

It is with our deepest regret that we write to share some tragic news from within our community. Many of you remember our former yoga teacher and longtime student Rhiannon Hull. Sadly, Rhiannon passed away in Costa Rica this past week when she and her youngest son Julian were both pulled under by a strong tide while swimming in the ocean. Rhiannon was able to save Julian's life, bringing him to the surface where nearby surfers were able to rescue him. Tragically, Rhiannon was then pulled back by the strong tide and they were unable to save her. She died saving her son's life.

We remember Rhiannon as she lived, with great energy, caring and passion. A former college and professional runner, she turned to yoga during her competitive years to help improve her running. She became certified in Prana Flow with senior Yoga teacher Shiva Rea and liked to describe her classes as a "groove of one's self". Besides teaching yoga, Rhiannon was a free-lance writer and self-proclaimed "Eco-Mama", spending her time balanced between writing for her online blog "The Eco-Family" (http://ecomama.squarespace.com/), studying to become a Waldorf teacher, and home schooling her two young boys.
Rhiannon leaves behind her husband Norm, her oldest son Gianni (8) and her son Julian (6). We ask you to join us as we send them our love, light and support, keeping Rhiannon's smile, bright light and enthusiasm for life in our hearts. At this point the best thing we can all do for them is send them our love, light and support and keep Rhiannon's smile, bright light and enthusiasm for life in our hearts.

Yoga on Center will be hosting a Candlelight Memorial Class in honor of Rhiannon. We invite you to join us November 11th, Friday, 5:30-7:00pm. More details will come soon.

Richard's new yoga class

2011-10-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Starting November 6, 2011, I'm launching a new yoga class in Graton. It's Sundays from 4 to 5:30 at the Stone Creek Zen Center in Graton. This is part of the Graton's Got Yoga thang and I'm excited about linking forces with Corina and Cheryl.

The class comes out of my recent immersion into the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series with John Smith at the Westside Yoga Studio, coupled with what I learned some years ago in a teacher training program with Rodney Yee, Patricia Sullivan, Mary Paffard and Richard Rose at the Piedmont Yoga Studio.

Anyway, come by a Sunday afternoon to check it out.

2011-10-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

One of a series of amazing photographs (FB) by Kristie Kahns of Kino MacGregor and Daylene Christensen practicing at Moksha Yoga in Chicago. Lots of yoga photography and other kinds of images at Kristie's FB page.

Curing wrist pain in Chataranga

2011-10-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

People complain about wrist pain in Chataranga Dandsana (push-up posture). The usual remedy you hear from teachers is to drop your knees to the ground. But as this article points out, dropping the knees does nothing to help with wrist pain.

The problem is with the usual instruction to stack the elbows directly over the wrists and to emphasize driving the chest forward. That essentially puts all of the upper body weight bearing down on the wrists. And dropping the knees makes the pose somewhat easier by not requiring activation of the legs, but doesn't change the amount of weight on the wrists. Indeed, it might make it worse by removing the legs from helping lift the weight.

However, David Keil says:

The further forward the shoulders are from the hands, the more strain ends up in the shoulders. This happens because bulk of the upper body weight is too far out in front to be supported by the hands under it. Imagine holding a twenty pound weight directly over your shoulder, shouldn’t be a problem, but now move it forward just a few inches and gravity starts to work on your shoulder in a very different way.

As far as general alignment rules for stacking joints is concerned, don’t apply it to the wrist and the elbow for chaturanga. OK, there may be a few people who are an exception to this last statement, but most people putting their elbows over their wrists in chaturanga will be putting way too much strain on the shoulder. Not to mention it also increases the wrist angle and can cause problems there too. Most people should have their elbow slightly behind their wrist, which brings the center of their chest and their weight closer to the line between their two hands.

So keep the elbow slightly behind the wrist, and the shoulders not quite so far forward ....