Yoga Buzz

A Studio a Day

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:28:25 -0800

When I think of a yoga retreat my mind fills with visions of yoga classes on a beach, vegetarian meals, and daily massages in an exotic locale. But you don't have to go to an exotic place to have a yoga retreat--there are likely tons of studios close by. Go to a new one every day, take from as many different teachers as you can and instead of a pricey summer yoga retreat, you can have something more like a "yoga adventure."

In fact, the yoga adventure trip may be this summer's trend in the yoga community.

The writers of YoYoYogis (a blog at yoyoyogi.com) are spending their summer exploring 100 different yoga studio in 100 days. They're visiting studios from all over the West Coast, but Seattle to San Diego and blogging about their experiences along the way.

Meanwhile, the folks at YogaMates are trying out 50 studios in 50 days and will be tracking their progress through video blogs.

I wonder if anyone is taking a yoga adventure on the East Coast, then we'd have a nice well-rounded idea of the yoga scene across the country. Have you ever gone on a yoga adventure?

September is National Yoga Month

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:09:46 -0800

This September will mark the first official National Yoga Month designated by the Department of Health & Human Services. National Yoga Month was developed to raise awareness of yoga's health benefits and provide people with guidance and tools to improve their well-being.

Organizers are calling on the yoga community, particularly yoga teachers and studios, to help through hosting events and offering free classes and donation classes that help support the cause. See www.yogamonth.org for more information.

Are any of you planning to participate?

Join the Club

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:32:21 -0800

Deepening your practice doesn't always mean getting your body into a deeper asana. In fact, sometimes you'll get more out of sitting down with a book and deepening your knowledge of the practice.

But there are so many important yoga books filled with philosophy, history, anatomy, and spirituality that it can seem like an impossible task to just pick one up and start studying. For many yoga students, it's even more difficult to stay motivated to keep reading when the books get too esoteric or life gets in the way. If either of these scenarios for yoga study sounds like you, you might consider joining a yoga book club. Sometimes a little extra support from friends is all you need. You could get together a group of friends once a week to discuss the texts or write your thoughts through an online community group like the YJ Community Yoga Study Group.

Image from Namaste Book Club

Or you could read along with a new blog called the Namaste Book Club where you can now vote for the first book the club will read together. You can even follow the club leaders' tweets on Twitter for constant reminders (that you should get away from your computer and crack open a book, perhaps?)

Have any of you ever participated in a yoga book club? What are some books you think should be first on the list?

Student and Teacher Sitting in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:24:26 -0800

Image: Brant Ward/The Chronicle

I'm not sure where it came from, but the idea that yoga teachers should never date yoga students seems to be prevalent in the yoga community. It was taught as ethics in my teacher training course a few years ago, and every once in a while you'll see a story about a forbidden yoga relationship. Take, for example, this story from SFGate.com.

Laura Camp, an Oakland, Calif. yoga teacher, describes meeting her now husband (a student in her class) like this: "I had rules about not dating students," she tells SFgate. "It was the first time in 15 years of teaching that I felt an 'uh-oh.'" Of course, the two are now an adorable married yoga couple.

When I read stories like this, I can't help but wonder: Why is there such a stigma around yoga teachers and students dating when both parties are consenting adults? If there are special circumstances that make this kind of relationship acceptable, what are they?

Yoga for Equality

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:29:10 -0800

It's not uncommon for people in the yoga community to gather up the troops and host a yoga fundraiser for a worthy cause. There are donation-based classes that support charities for all kinds--yoga in schools, funding for homeless shelters and animal shelters--you name it!

So it should not surprising that on June 27 Seattle yogis will gather at Cal Anderson Park and Playfield to practice together in the name of equality, according to SeattlePI.com. The yoga class is part of a larger event, StonewallForty, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of Stonewall -- the 1969 confrontation that kicked off the nation's gay rights movement. Event organizers hope that 1,000 yogis will donate $15, Equal Rights Washington and Lambda Legal.

Would you participate in an event like this? Do you think it's a good idea for the yoga community to get involved with this controversial issue?

Is Your Daddy a Pretzel?

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:54 -0800

What do you normally get your dear ol' dad for Father's Day? A tie? Slippers? It can be difficult to find the perfect present to show your dad how much you appreciate him. If your dad's a yoga practitioner, I have some gift ideas for you--something that signifies a bond you share.

Here are my humble suggestions for Father's Day gifts for the yogi dads.

If your dad is already a yoga practitioner, he probably has all the props he needs. So what could be a sweeter gift than a book that reminds him of your common bond? Consider My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste or Real Men Do Yoga by John Capouya.

Better yet, buy him a gift certificate to his local studio. (If you live near by go to his favorite class with him!)

Every yogi needs to soothe his or her aching muscles from time to time. Treat your dad to a massage. His back will thank you!

Does your Dad needs a little motivation to take his yoga to a deeper level? A daily meditation practice can have a profound affect on his practice--and his life! I like this meditation cushion from Prapatti because it's comfy for meditation and can also be used to give extra height for seated poses.

What did I leave out? Please share your gift ideals in the comment section below. Those of you who actually ARE yogi dads, help us out and tell us what you'd like to get. (For my dad, who is not a yogi, I might have to peruse a fishing blog.) :)

Can Yoga Get Things Moving?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:05:23 -0800

I realize the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is not the kind of material you'd normally see on YJ's website. (And, I promise, this is the only time you'll see it on this blog.) However, I think this is a special circumstance. In a recent episode, Janice Dickinson, America's first super model turned reality TV star, shares that she is desperately seeking a natural laxative.

She tries papayas, prunes, espresso, and even a massage. At the end of the video fellow contestant Stephen Baldwin says, "I'm surprised she doesn't just have some yoga pose that makes it come flying right out." And so she turns to yoga.

I don't watch the show so I don't know how it all turns out for Janice, but it does raise the question: Can yoga help remedy constipation?

Solstice in the City

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:08:55 -0800

Summer Solstice is just around the corner--the corner of Broadway and 7th Street. On June 21st, part of Times Square will become ginormous urban yoga studio as yoga students take their asana practice to the streets to celebrate the longest day of the year.

The event, hosted by the Times Square Alliance, will feature asana classes and yoga talks throughout the day. It is free to participants who registered early (though all sessions are now full).

Have any of you attended this event in the past? Were you able to tune out the city noises and focus on your breath?

Drive By Yoga

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:41:33 -0800

Bikram Yoga founder Bikram Choudhury doesn't agree with the argument that yoga practitioners should live simple lives. "Where is it written that a yogi is not supposed to have a car or a diamond wrist watch?" he replied when a Boston Globe reporter asked how Choudhury felt about the controversy that surrounds his 35 Rolls-Royces and Bentleys.

Choudhury loves his cars. In the one short interview he said he studies cars when he needs a break from studying the human body and explained the use of heat in his yoga classes by likening the human body to a Ferrari. When the body is warm it can reach it's true potential, like a Ferrari driving on the highway with no other cars--or police officers--around.

If you've ever practiced Bikram Yoga (or another type of yoga in a heated room) do you notice a difference?

Saltwater Buddha

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:53:19 -0800

I recently caught with YJ contributor Jaimal Yogis to discuss his memoir about his experiences with surfing and Buddhism, Saltwater Yoga: A Surfers Quets to Find Zen on the Sea. A long-time yoga practitioner, Yogis (his real name--you'll have to read the book for details) offers a candid glimpse into his adventures as a surfer and spiritual seeker. Below, he talks about how it all relates to his yoga practice. YJ:What inspired you to write your memoir?

Jaimal: My Zen practice, yoga, and surfing have always blended together for me. All three are tools that make me feel happy and whole. I'd never thought about writing a book about them, but one day during graduate school in New York I was having a terrible day--lots of stress--and I decided to sneak a meditation sit in between classes. It wasn't going well. I felt like I was drowning in negative waves, negative thoughts: "you're not going to get you deadlines in", "you should quit now", those kinds of things. I was able to pop out of the funk by pretending I was out surfing on a really bad day. My thoughts were just these ugly grizzly waves and none of them were really ridable so I had to let them pass. In other words, I decided I didn't want to ride (or identify with) these weird thoughts anymore. It worked. I wrote a short article about the experience for Shambhala Sun Magazine and before I knew it, tons of people were contacting me about the article. Wisdom Publications was one of those people and we worked out a book deal where I could just tell my spiritual surfing adventures, which was really fun. It just sort of happened on its own, which is how a Zen book should happen I suppose.

YJ: How does your book relate to yoga? Why do you think it would appeal to yoga practitioners?

Jaimal: On a fundamental level, I've never been one to separate yoga and Zen. As you know, Yoga means union. Zen is Japanese for "Dhyana"--a word often used in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras--which you could say is the type of concentration in which the mind is united with its object of concentration in such a way that union is all there is. So I don't think there's much division. I used the words "Zen" and "Buddha" because I was writing for a Buddhist publisher and I like those words a lot, but yoga (in sense of asana and more yogic styles of meditation) has been an equally huge part of my life--I've studied under just as many traditional yogis as traditional Buddhists--and the book could just as easily be called Saltwater Yogi: A Surfer's Quest to find Bliss on the Sea. These are just terms we use, but the essence of the search is the same. All paths return to the source, as many yogis have said. The Buddha was a yogi ... Anyway, you get the point. Surfing didn't exist in India at the time of the Buddha and Patanjali (the waves there aren't so great) but I think if it did, it might have been a style of yoga, a spiritual practice like it was for the ancient Hawaiians. A lot of yogis are starting to surf and vice-versa and they many of them seem to realize instantly that the two are very harmonious.

YJ: Are you planning to write more books in the future? Do you know what your next topic will be?

Jaimal: Funny, I just started my new book two days ago. It's a little secretive right now, but it's basically a book that poses the question: "What would life be like if you tossed out fear, threw caution to the wind, and just followed your deepest dreams?" Essentially, some musician, surfer, and yogi friends of mine are hopping in a van and traveling the globe, trying to live out the dreams we had when we were kids, the ones we'd discarded as too silly or unattainable. We just want to see what happens. I'm narrating the journey. I'm so excited about it I can hardly contain myself but that's all I can really say about it right now.

Yoga Robotics

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:10:44 -0800

This video made me chuckle, so I decided to share it with you. It looks like it was produced to give It's Yoga in Utah some publicity for it's Teacher Training Program. Would a video like this make you consider signing on for a teacher training?

Mindfulness Techniques Relieve Stress

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:13:40 -0800

A study at West Virginia University found mindfulness training exercises such as yoga, controlled breathing, meditation, and tai chi can help people handle stressful situations, according to an article on CNN.com.

The study followed 103 participants, half of which were given written instructions on how to manage stress while the other half practiced mindfulness techniques. Lead investigator Kimberly Williams said they found those who received the mindfulness training "had significantly less daily hassles, psychological distress and significantly fewer medical symptoms" —like lower blood pressure and fewer aches and pains—than those who were handed a pamphlet.

The story doesn't say what was written on that pamphlet, but I think most yoga practitioners agree that yoga, pranayama, and meditation help manage stress. Do you agree?

Dahn Yoga Responds to Lawsuit

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:46:06 -0800

In a lawsuit against Dahn Yoga, a yoga organization with locations across the U.S., 26 former Dahn members allege the organization subjects its members to "psychological manipulation".

Dahn Yoga issued this response to ABC15 in Arizona, who has been following the story since 2007:

"Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc. and its affiliates appreciate the contributions of over 2000 employees and franchise holders worldwide. Their happiness and well being are key to our success. We have reviewed the lawsuit and consider its claims frivolous. We are confident that the truth will be revealed in court."

Watch the video below for more information, or visit the ABC15 website for the text version.

Bed, Breakfast, and Yoga

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:48:48 -0800

Summer traveling can be challenging for a yoga student. Hours cooped up in crowded airplanes, routine meditation and asana sessions disrupted by altered schedules, so far from your yoga studio. Travelers have long been seeking out cozy Bed and Breakfasts for that home-away-from-home feel. Luckily for traveling yogis, a crop of B&Bs are beginning to offer yoga packages so you can feel at home in your surroundings and our get your practice in, too.

Here are a few that looked interesting:

Cranberry Manor Bed and Breakfast in Sandwich, Mass. offers a special yoga package for its patrons. Create your own in house yoga practice. Schedule 75 minute session with Maureen Hammett in a variety of yoga styles.

Highland Lake Inn in Ashville, NC wants its guests to have a place for inner reflection, healing, and spiritual awakening, too. So it offers a yoga program for all guests.

River Lights Bed & Breakfast & Yoga Center in Narrowsburg, NY offers weekend guests a free yoga session Saturday morning in their 1,000 square-foot yoga studio.

Organic Yoga B&B is an ecological resort near Akumal, Mexico, where you can have space and time to reconnect with yourself, and nature, in the magical Mayan jungle. Practice meditation or yoga alone, or in a private class led by the owner of this unique bed and breakfast.

Have any of you ever stayed in a B&B that offered yoga? What did you think?

Are Yogis Yuppies?

Thu, 28 May 2009 09:10:31 -0800

Unless you've been living in a cave lately (a rent-free cave) you probably know we're in a recession. And unless you've been living in that cave AND on an incredibly long media fast, you know that people are cutting back on their expenses. It seems like I hear some economist tells me how to more effectively hoard my money every five seconds. However, the same economists seem to be stumped about why we yogis keep spending our money on pricey yoga classes and (gasp!) pricier yoga mats. It's as if they're saying, I know these yogis say yoga keeps them calm through the chaos, but what is the real, economic reason?"

A recent Time article cites polls, yoga studios, and yoga teachers to come to this sweeping conclusion:

"Yogis are yuppies. And if there's one thing yuppies do, it's copycat their brethren. So as more stressed-out young professionals flood the yoga studios and see other people with comfy Manduka mats supporting their glutes, they're bound to buy the pricey products too. Look at me: I've got a Manduka; I'm totally into yoga."

Does having a pricey yoga mat signify to others that you're in an elite club of serious yoga practitioners or does it simply give you a cushier place for your Downward-Facing Dog?