Click to see the Newsreel video of B.K.S. Iyengar 1938 Yoga Asana demonstration:
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Tags: yoga videos
Garudasana (the eagle pose)
Before I had a name
I existed in the world as breath, as the wind, as a star.
For a moment, if I could be the breath
& the wind & the nameless star.
I’d meet the sky that holds them
as it holds me & I’d say Joyfully,
Namaste
-Leza Lowitz Yoga poetry – Lines to unfold by a nice book to read and re-read.
Tags: books, yoga poetry
This Bhagavan Das video will stir your soul, He’s been practicing Yoga and Meditation longer than I’ve been alive! Her he shares his journey of awakening, Alan Watts, Travelling to India, Neem Karoli Baba, and Ram Das. Be sure to watch till the end.
Jai Ma!
Join us for the Yoga and Meditation Workshop this weekend, and Free movie night!
Tags: bhagavan das
| Inhale | hold | exhale | hold | result |
| 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | energizing |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | energizing |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | balancing |
| 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | balancing |
| 6 | 1 | 8 | 4 | relaxing |
| 6 | 1 | 10 | 1 | relaxing |
| 4 | 1 | 12 | 1 | relaxing |
| 4 | 1 | 8 | 4 | relaxing |
Breath is life.
In class we've been experimenting with breath, and how different patterns of Pranayama affect the nervous system. Here's a nice chart that summarizes the effects of a focused Pranayama practice.
If you're looking to raise your energy, start with the first exercise, sit comfortably, draw a smooth breath in through your nose to the silent count of 6. Hold the breath in for 4, gently release the breath out through your nose to the count of 6, hold the breath out for a count of 1. Repeat 8-10 times, be still and notice the effect. Nice…
Start out slow if this is new to you. If you feel lightheaded, ease up on the holding of the breath in or out.
Om Shanti, I'll see you in class.
-john
P.S. Yoga with John was just listed as one of the top 100 Yoga sites
Tags: breath exercises, Pranayama, theraputic yoga, yoga
Happy Halloween! Only By Popular demand…
I’m posting the Zombie Yoga video. I sent it to a few Yogis, and now everyone wants to see it. To publicize a new book, an invite to "Dress like a zombie and bring a Yoga mat to Central park in NY." was sent out. A bunch of NYC Zombies showed up. They filmed the zombie practice and posted it on Utube. Might be a bit squeamish for some, think Michael Jackson Thriller video gone bad…
P.S. There’s some room left in the November Yoga workshop on the 22′nd in W. Concord. There’s live Kirtan music starting at 2:30.
Maria is hosting a potluck dinner afterwards, and then I’ll be screening a movie 6′ish. I’m zeroing in on just the right film, and this will kick off movie nights at YNFL. Send in suggetsions for films you’d like to see!
P.S.S Yes, I think it was a new record at Lumina on Tuesday night!
Tags: Add new tag, films, yoga, yoga films
The Etiquette of Yoga Class
Yoga is a very solitary practice, done in a group setting. Try not to distract your neighbor in class. Here are some basic guidelines for a peaceful practice for all.
Remove your shoes, leave them outside the studio.
Choose an appropriate-level class, if you are new to Yoga, introduce yourself to the teacher and let them know. Ask if this class is right for you. Let the instructor know if you have any injuries.
Turn your cell phone off. If someone forgets, send them compassion, not scowls.
Arrive a few minutes early, use the time to calm yourself, get in tune with your breathing, and prepare for class. Many arrive early to meditate before practice. Be fair, be quiet.
Enter and create your space quietly. Don’t snap your mat open. Set it down and roll it open. Don’t drop your blanket, the dust raised sticks to contact lenses.
If you arrive late, sit and wait till after the opening meditation to unroll your mat.
In the fuller classes, be generous with your space. You may need to move over.
If you need to leave early, please tell the instructor before class. Take a few minutes for your Shavasana, and then quietly depart.
Be relatively clean, and go easy on strong scents.
If you’re wearing shorts, they have a liner. Enough said.
Try not to crinkle your water bottle.
Please don’t chew gum, or eat in class. Believe it or not… it has to be mentioned.
Please clean up after yourself, especially important in the heated classes.
If in doubt, the Golden Rule always applies.
John Calabria teaches a very introspective Yoga class, he writes about Yoga, and publishes a popular blog at: www.YogaWithJohn.com
Namaste! Everyone wants to know how the retreat went! Thanks for all the encouraging notes.
From the amazing feedback, I would say that our Fall retreat at SpiritFire was a great success.
The weather was perfect, each day the foliage turned more vibrant. Meals were astounding, and the rooms very comfortable. I really like how every detail was watched over and cared for by the staff. This allowed us to really focus on the depth of our practice. Having our morning Yoga practice and meals in total silence (Mauna) added a richness and texture to our presence at SpiritFire. The hikes were breathtaking, our Mantra practice cathedral-like, and our celebratory fire circle warmed us inside and out.
The act of spiritual retreat is ancient, and even more applicable in our times, To retreat is to step back and gain perspective, a clearer view of how we’ve been living. Through practices of awareness we measure that against how we’d like to be living, and resolve to create the appropriate changes. Leaving behind the old, we reintegrate back into our lives, holding space for practice, for presence, and to bring the essence of our retreat back home.
We’re already planning next years retreat, same place, same weekend! And we’re looking at a Spring Retreat to Ananda Ashram, Where I’ve been retreating in mostly silence for the last week. That will be a treat! If you’d like advance notice on the retreat plans let me know and I’ll keep you up to date as the details unfold.
Om Shanti, I’ll see you in class this week.
John
P.S. Just posted the fall Yoga Workshop
Tags: events, meditation, western ma, yoga retreats
Yesterday over lunch, I was fretting about a recent loss.
My friend Ani Desal, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun told me, "In every moment you have a choice, positive or negative, focused, or unfocused, present or not present. Choose to see this in a positive light."
Simple, and profound. Yet sometimes difficult to practice.
Pausing to get clear on our intentions, may be the most important part of Yoga class. I’m not saying the words "Get very clear on the intentions that lie behind your practice" to fill space. It’s because setting a crystal clear intention works for me. It brings me further in my practice, and I share that with you.
You can let this be random, or you can choose a positive and focused presence. Random is dangerous. Random is like when you arrive at work and don’t remember the drive. Where were you?
Yoga practice is like driving through thick fog, you can just barely see in front of you, you’ve got to slow down and concentrate on what is right in front of you. (this breath, this posture) then, you may see the glint of a taillight up ahead. That is the teacher. Not smarter or better than you. Without supernatural powers, they are just a bit further up the road, so with some trust, you let go and follow. Hopefully the teacher has lineage, and is following their teacher, (choose wisely, ask who their teachers are.)
We have to stay present because we don’t know when the veils may fall away, the opportunity for clear vision, for enlightenment is going to happen. It could be your next class. Don’t miss it.
Maybe you choose that this will be your most focused class ever. Why not? Like the proverbial weed growing through the crack in the sidewalk, you rise from the ground up into your warrior pose, full-up with reason. You are grounded, and your outstretched arms are reaching for something. Your ViraBhadrasana is on purpose. You’re one posture closer to becoming your intentions. Live your intentions, radiate them, and become a source for others.
The fog is clearing.
Om Shanti, I’ll see you in class.
John
P.S. This coming Saturday Ani Desal and I are leading a Yoga Workshop , There are a couple spots left. and We’ve got a great group together for the Fall Foliage Yoga Retreat coming up in just under two weeks. There may be one spot left, (or we could squeeze a couple in) so if you were thinking about joining us, let me know right away.
Namaste! Danielle sent me this link to my new friend Mike’s Website. He glides from Downward dog to Handstand in the Dharma Mitra tradition:
http://www.dharmamittrayogacolorado.com/
If you’re an early bird, I’m sub-teaching the 6:30am Yoga class at Lumina this coming Friday. Get your day off to good start!
An opportunity to heckle: I’ll be practicing in the window of Lulu Lemon in the Natick Collection Mall this coming Saturday at noon. Mom and Dad had such hopes for me and I’ve become a living mannequin…
Kirtans with Prajna!
Saturday, September 13 Kirtan with Prajna in Lincoln
7:30 pm St. Anne’s in the Fields Episcopal Church
147 Concord Rd. Lincoln, MA
Sunday, September 14 Hanuman Chalisa
11am-12 noon The home of Ted and Prajna Hallstrom
207 Concord Rd. Lincoln, MA
I’ll be sub-teaching a class called Yoga for the Second Half of Life, at The Arlington Center on Thursday Sept. 18 from 10-11:30.
Remember the new Yoga and Nia for Life Yoga class Thursdays at 4pm, and the Heart opening Yoga and Meditation workshop with myself and Ani Desal, Tibetan Buddhist Nun, on September 27th. It’s coming up pretty soon.
Take care, I’ll see you in class.
John
Thanks to Valerie, we have a new word: Blisscombubulated.
That blissed, somewhat confused feeling where you come out of Shavasana after a particularly good Yoga class. Our lost and found bin is always overflowing with ‘forgotten’ items. Most of them make it back to their people.
I’ve just posted the invite to the Yoga and Meditation workshop on Sept 27′th. After a nice Heart Opening class, Ani Desal, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun, ordained by the Dalai Lama, will lead us in a beautiful meditation. I hope you can join us, this level of meditation instruction is rare in our parts.
Take care! I’ll see you in class soon.
john
P.S. just two spots remain in the fall Yoga Retreat I’ve got about 5 "maybes" for the two spots. Let me know right away if you’d like to join us. to be fair to all, the first "Yes" gets the spots.
Tags: vocabulary
