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Journal Post
July 20, 1969 was an historic day for our country and for the world. It was the day that we landed a man on the moon, and Neil Armstrong uttered his oft-quoted phrase, "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind".
We take space travel for granted now, but back then it was an awesome achievement. When President Kennedy set the vision in 1963 that we were going to the moon by the end of the decade, it was an almost unbelievable proposition. At the time the technology had not been developed to support the vision, but Kennedy had faith in the ingenuity and creativity of our NASA scientists and engineers. He trusted that they would be able to figure it out. He set the vision and the rest is history.
We take space travel for granted now, but back then it was an awesome achievement. When President Kennedy set the vision in 1963 that we were going to the moon by the end of the decade, it was an almost unbelievable proposition. At the time the technology had not been developed to support the vision, but Kennedy had faith in the ingenuity and creativity of our NASA scientists and engineers. He trusted that they would be able to figure it out. He set the vision and the rest is history.
Most students report that they come to yoga because of strees; and certainly yoga can bring relief. However, yoga offers many more benefits in addition to relaxation, such as flexibility, strength, increased circulation to organs and glands (often resulting in enhanced health), better sleep, improved digestion, and a quieter and more centered mind. Over several years, this practice can add up to the true essence of yoga: living life with a joyful spirit and a peaceful mind in a relaxed and healthy body. Although these benefits are tremendous (and I have found as I get older they are truly priceless!), they cannot occur if students don't come to class.
Dear Friends,
Many greetings!
We find that our beautiful Yoga Hall in Eftalou grows more welcoming each year! This May and June we held courses with wonderful students from fourteen different countries around the world and enjoyed the benefits offered by superb body-workers and therapists who also traveled to study with us.
For over thirty years we have been traveling continually to bring our teaching around the world. Now that we have finally built this lovely Yoga hall on the island of Lesvos, Greece, we feel it is time to call it "home" and teach our courses and workshops for as long as possible here.
Many greetings!
We find that our beautiful Yoga Hall in Eftalou grows more welcoming each year! This May and June we held courses with wonderful students from fourteen different countries around the world and enjoyed the benefits offered by superb body-workers and therapists who also traveled to study with us.
For over thirty years we have been traveling continually to bring our teaching around the world. Now that we have finally built this lovely Yoga hall on the island of Lesvos, Greece, we feel it is time to call it "home" and teach our courses and workshops for as long as possible here.
I have mentioned before that I lost my mother at an young age. It was a devastating time to lose her, but from my perspective, any time is devastating. In an ideal world, your mother is the one who is there to pick you up when you fall and tell you that everything is going to be all right. She is your biggest fan and she is always looking out for what is best for you. I know this is the ideal and even those of you whose mother is alive and well, did not have this experience. But what if we could turn this around and treat each other with the kindness of the archetypal mother?
Credit: Woven - Montauk Beach
Finally March has arrived and we can begin to wake ourselves up from our long winter's nap. In March, we clear away the clutter from the windy cold winter to allow the new green sprouts to show their color. We plant seeds for what we want to grow and blossom this spring and summer and prune the last of the dead limbs. What remains? What are we bringing forth into the new year to nourish the seeds and tender green shoots? And who are the people in our lives that will support us on this journey?
I could not think of a better class to start my Winter Solstice 90 days with than a kidney sequence with Sarah Powers. I consider Sarah Powers to be one of my teachers, even though I have only practiced with her in person TWICE! She came to Virginia and I followed her from Richmond to Yogaville. But this is the power of media and why we created iHanuman.I had so much fun with my 30 days of gratitude that I am commencing on another project, 90 days of yoga!�� 2011 marks the tenth year of my serious studies as a yoga student. And I will take back the seat of the teacher in the Spring of 2011! I finished my teacher training in 2004 and immediately began teaching. It was something I absolutely loved! But then we started iHanuman which took up a tremendous amount of time and energy and I could feel my energy for teaching begin to wane. I also had some personal healing to attend to.
Those of you who know me well, know that I came to yoga almost 13 years ago because I sustained an injury in a dance class in Africa. I have actually never fully recovered from it, but it teaches me something every day. Particularly lately I have been yearning to dance again. My friend Christine also studied dance in Africa and she teaches an AFRI-CArdio class at the local community center. She stopped teaching for a while because of a broken toe, but she taught a teaser class last night to get people ready to start up again in January. I decided to go and I am so grateful that I did.
The first attempt at an English translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra ("Threads of Yoga") was made by James Robert Ballantyne (1813-1864), a Scottish Orientalist and linguist. From 1846 to 1861 he was the principal of the prestigious Sanskrit College in Benares, established in 1791 by the British East India Company. Ballantyne, an adherent of a movement known as the Scottish Enlightenment (which also claimed as members poet Robert Burns, novelist Walter Scott, philosopher David Hume, and inventor James Watt), was also a prolific translator and writer.
In my last post I wrote about the necessity of intentionally and consistently surrounding yourself with people and activities that feed your Spirit. Over the next couple months I'd like to share with you some short vignettes from something that I do personally that continues to nourish, challenge and inspire me: Meditating with Asha.
There is a Buddhist teaching about the second arrow. The idea is this. Life is suffering. Whether you are a Buddhist or not, you will encounter suffering along your path. Whether we like it or not, everyone that we know and love will pass away one day. This is the first arrow. The second arrow is our reaction to the first arrow. What we feel and think about the first arrow is often how we harm ourselves again. But it is our choice.
As much as we all hate to admit it, summer has wound down. However, as I mentioned last month, the late summer season into Fall are my favorite seasons. I say seasons because Ayurveda, the science of Life or sister science to Yoga, claims there are six seasons. The additional seasons are the late summer/early fall and the late winter/early spring.
Seniors age 65 and older represent the fastest-growing sector of the population and, like many Americans, are increasingly drawn to yoga. This presents both an extraordinary opportunity and a serious challenge for yoga instructors who must be both a resource and guardians of safety for this uniquely vulnerable group. A typical class of seniors is likely to represent the most diverse mix of abilities of any age group. While some may be exceedingly healthy, most fit the profile of the average older adult in America, 80% of whom have at least one chronic health condition and 50% of whom have at least two.
A couple of weekends ago, I attended a workshop with the illustrious Bobby Clennell. Bobby wrote AND illustrated The Woman's Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for All Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
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.Like many Sanskrit words in the Yoga lexicon, the word guru has both a literal and symbolic meaning. Literally it means "heavy, weighty; heavy in the stomach (as food), difficult to digest; excessive, difficult, hard; important, serious, momentous; valuable, highly prized; venerable, respectable." The guru is the venerable "weighty one," heavy with wisdom, that's both highly prized but at times difficult to digest, often because teaching seems to contradict everything we hold true, or because we're told things about ourselves we don't especially want to hear.
People who have never practiced yoga before often ask me to teach them a yoga pose. The Iyengar student in me cannot help but start by teaching Tadasana. People are often astounded by how much integrity and poise there is when conscious attention is brought to the simple act standing. They are amazed at how much attention can be brought to the four corners of the feet, the inner line of the legs, the lift of the knee caps and the release of the tailbone. Once we build the foundation. we move to the upper body and take a deep inhale to engage the abdomen, lift the sternum and lift and roll the shoulders back.
We had such an amazing time in Costa Rica last year that many people are wanting to go again! So please join us January 8-15, 2011, for a week of blissful yoga, deep meditation, communion with nature, and fun with some of the best people on the planet, all at the tropical mountainside paradise of�� Pura Vida Retreat Center and Spa in Costa Rica!Although some are talking about another 40 inches of snow this month, March is the month of the spring equinox and therefore heralds the beginning of spring. Until then, we are still in the water element and the end of the winter.
Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1923 - 2009)
RAM RAM SATYA HAI
OM NAMAH SHIVA
http://www.yogavision.net/home.htm
A Guru is a person whose very presence imparts truth and awakening in the disciple. When I traveled to Mysore for the first time at the age of 22 I asked Sri K. Pattabhi Jois where I could find the illusive state of inner peace that all yoga practice seeks to instill. Known as Guruji to his students, he said "You take it practice many years, then Shantih is coming... no problem" and my heart opened to the grace of his teaching. It is my great fortune to consider this amazing man my teacher and I attribute the depth of my personal practice and teaching to the light that Guruji's fire ignited within me.
Practice at home with Betsey and Jaye as they lead you through 12 progessively taught 55-minute sessions in Anusara Yoga. Betsey and Jaye teach a logically sequenced series of poses within each class, gradually advancing the poses across a series of 12 classes. Perfect for beginners or experienced students looking for inspiration in their home practice. Get the entire set and experience the fun and power of progressive teaching. View Samples of the Videos and Download...
Lighten Up Yoga, located at 60 Biltmore Avenue, announces FREE YOGA DAY and Fundraiser for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Saturday September 12th Open to all students, the classes are an opportunity to learn about yoga in a safe and supportive environment and support the local farms that nurture and sustain us. In the spirit of community, Lighten Up will be collecting donations for ASAP. Clear your mind and connect with heart at Lighten Up Yoga while helping this great cause.Yoga has an almost addictive quality to it. If you start doing yoga, it starts doing you too. The search for knowledge, wisdom and truth morph into numerous shapes and forms along the inner journey. When you enter the world of yoga sometimes you'll even find a whole Indian performance awaiting you: harmonium, chanting, flowers, pujas, small women demonstrating yoga postures, deities blessing you, henna painting and vegetarians--it's a Bollywood show that draws you in.
My thanks to our conference co-coordinators and my dear friends, Patricia Walden and Linda DiCarlo, for their tireless efforts and their deep devotion that made this conference possible. Thanks also to all you workers and volunteers, in front of and behind the scenes for your invaluable and essential assistance. And, of course, thanks to all of you attendees for being here. Without you there wouldn't be any conference.
The Courage to Feel, Matthew Sanford on Yoga, Disability, and Mending the Mind - Body Relationship
By Sara Avant Stover
On a cold and misty Sunday afternoon in 1978 Matthew Sanford and his family were driving home from a Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew, then thirteen, was asleep in the backseat when their car crossed a bridge, skidded on a patch of ice, and toppled down a steep embankment. Three and half days later, he woke up from a coma to learn that his life as he had known it was over. Both his father and sister were dead and he was paralyzed from the chest down.
By Sara Avant Stover
On a cold and misty Sunday afternoon in 1978 Matthew Sanford and his family were driving home from a Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Matthew, then thirteen, was asleep in the backseat when their car crossed a bridge, skidded on a patch of ice, and toppled down a steep embankment. Three and half days later, he woke up from a coma to learn that his life as he had known it was over. Both his father and sister were dead and he was paralyzed from the chest down.
Fine tune your approach to Corpse Pose through an exploration of varying teaching philosophies.
By Sara Avant Stover
By Sara Avant Stover
Namaste!
During the last month we've encountered many yogis, including several of us here at iHanuman, getting actively involved in the upcoming presidential election. From volunteering at non-partisan voter registration drives to community canvassing for our preferred candidates, we get to experience the incredible opportunities for growth as well as the many pitfalls of trying to join spiritual aspirations and ideals with personally invested political activism.AUGUST 22-24, 2008
Early registration by August 10: Entire workshop $125. After August 10: $140
Friday pm, 5:30-8:30 pm - $35
Mysore Practice and Yoga Philosophy
Saturday am, 9:00-11:30 am - $35
Mysore Practice
Saturday pm, 12:30-4:00pm -$50
Ashtanga and Healing: Moving with the Breath and Adjustment Clinic
Sunday am, 9:30-12:00pm - $35
Led Primary Series Class and Introduction to Pranayama
Early registration by August 10: Entire workshop $125. After August 10: $140
Friday pm, 5:30-8:30 pm - $35
Mysore Practice and Yoga Philosophy
Saturday am, 9:00-11:30 am - $35
Mysore Practice
Saturday pm, 12:30-4:00pm -$50
Ashtanga and Healing: Moving with the Breath and Adjustment Clinic
Sunday am, 9:30-12:00pm - $35
Led Primary Series Class and Introduction to Pranayama
In 1997, The Tibetan Children's Education Foundation built an education center and boarding hostel in Clement Town (in Northern India) for children of the exiled Tibetan community.By now, given yoga's broad popularity, many people know that the word yoga means to unite or yoke together. When one moves past the common notion that yoga is mostly about exercise, flexibility, and relaxation and begins to delve into the underlying philosophy of yoga, one begins to encounter conceptually and experientially what this business of unity is really about. From the moment you stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and ground through your feet, you become aware that the actions of your feet have a direct and palpable effect on your ankles, your legs, your spine, indeed, your entire body. In other words, all the parts of your body are connected to one another. Well, duh!
My wife, our two kids and I spent November and December in India. I had been once before, so this one was about exploring the mother land as a family. We went to museums in Delhi, took boat rides in Nainital, cable car and horse rides in Mussoorie, a jeep safari at Rajaji National Park, saw Agra Fort and, of course, the Taj Mahal. We also got to touch the spiritual heart of India: the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Kainchi, darshan with a Saint in Rishikesh, Arati at the Ganga. But the thing that we all agree touched us the most was being with the kids at Ramana's Garden School and Orphanage in Lakshman Jhula.
Devika Gurung was one of my first yoga teachers. I met her while traveling to India to study Yoga. But Devika had just returned from India and opened a Yoga Centre in Pokhara, Nepal. I decided to spend 6 weeks with her helping her with her Yoga Centre and learning English and in exchange I lived with her like she lived in the Ashram in India. We practiced Jala Neti in the morning, meditation, asana twice a day, karma yoga, yoga nidra, and pranayama. It was an incredible experience and helped me on my path towards a daily yoga practice. She is an incredible inspiration to women and yoga teachers everywhere. I was particularly inspired by her dedication to helping Nepalis study yoga.
I woke up Sunday morning to an email message from my friends who were visiting from California saying, "I am so sorry that your event got rained out...." It did rain for the Yogathon and Blissfest. Hard, torrential rain. In retrospect, I am so glad it did.
On event day, at 10:15a.m. Saturday morning I took 3 steps on the field at Thunderbird stadium and my flip flops became 'slip slops'... It was a wet field worthy of a brutal rugby match or for a medieval Excalibur type battle, but hardly the type of weather that would ever inspire people to come practice yoga outdoors and listen to live music.
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