[gunn at botanical gdn] [gunn at botanical gdn] [gunn at botanical gdn] [gunn at botanical gdn]
Meditation & "True Love": Musings for V-Day
I'm delighted to have a personal essay up today on the online magazine YourTango.com, "smart talk about love." It's a new venue for me---and a new genre. Soul baring!Well, soul baring with a purpose. I use a story of my own heartache to talk about a powerful meditation practice. For me, this is also a writerly experiment: the personal essay is a form I've long admired. Also, I've been trying to reveal more of myself in my teaching as a way to engage students and avoid setting myself up as an untouchable authority. After all, I am very human.Your Tango is a relationship-focused magazine, so while you're there you can also read why bad relationships are a waste of time, or watch a video of Valentine's Day cards we wished existed.My piece is How Meditation Lead Me to True Love, on the home page, and in it I tell you how, for me, meditation and love are related. Let me know what you think!Had any similar experiences?
Big Success in Albany! But pressure still on
This just in! From Yoga for New York action committee:"Success! Terrific Success! The vote in the NYS Senate Higher Education Committee was a unanimous "YES" in support of S5701A - protecting yoga teacher training from burdensome and unnecessary government regulation and licensing.
Now what? More Committees to get through (remember in school learning about how a bill becomes a law - were are in it!!) --- yup democracy requires a lot of work - we will keep you posted, of course, as working collaboratively on this is how we protect yoga!
What must we do now to keep the heat on? * Please Call Senator Carl Kruger, the Chair of the NYS Senate Finance Committee, the next Committee the bill is before @ (518) 455-2460* You will be connected to a representative of Senator Kruger who will take your message for the Senator.
Here’s the message script:
"My name is _________________ I am calling Senator Kruger because he is the Chair of the Finance Committee. I urge his support for S.5701A which will protect yoga teacher training from burdensome government regulations, unfunded expenses on local government and ensure that yoga studios stay in business. Thank you"
What else do we need?
Very important: funding and donations to make sure the hard work in the State's capital continues. Want to know how to donate or ideas for raising funds? Email action@yogaforny.org
Do Yoga in Costa Rica! With Me!
Costa Rica 2010
Yes, it's true---I'm leading a yoga retreat to Costa Rica. This is the third year that my co-teacher, Stephanie Sandleben and I will fly down to the Osa Peninsula for a week of jungle heat and yummy asana, February 26 - March 5, 2010. Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is our host---a fabulous eco-lodge on the secluded eastern shore of the Golfo Dulce. What does that mean? It means after flying down from San Jose in a prop plane, we are picked up in an outboard motor-boat and whisked 30 minutes across the gulf to a beautifully renovated cocoa farm---in the middle of nowhere.
There's nothing around---no roads, no shops, and not even very much cell phone or Internet reception. It's a blessing to get off the grid so profoundly.What is around are amazing jungle creatures---monkeys, sloths, dolphins, turtles, alligators, ant eaters, toucans, macaws---fabulous plants and flowers. Ever seen a pineapple growing in the wild? Or smelled ylang ylang in bloom? Or squeezed a shampoo ginger? We do two yoga classes a day, and the rest of the time we do whatever we feel like---go hiking, swimming, kayaking, or we talk to the naturalists, take naps and read. Not only is the food locally grown and caught, the entire lodge is made of recycled materials and the owners are constantly looking for ways to reduce their impact on the ecology and increase the well-being of their environment.It's a great vacation---an excellent way to unwind from city life---and it's a great way to deepen your practice!
For more information, see http://samatreats.blogspot.com or write to samatreats (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sweat for Haiti: January 27
Off the Mat Haiti
Haven't contributed to Haiti relief yet? Never fear: get yourself to a participating yoga studio on Weds, January 27 (tomorrow!) and let your practice contribute to the cause.
Yoga and activist organization "Off the Mat, Into the World" spearheaded by Seane Corn and friends, is getting studios to donate proceeds to relief funds in an effort called "Yogis for Haiti Day." In NYC, Kula Yoga Project will donate half of its daily income to Yogis for Haiti tomorrow. Take a class and you will be helping out. Plus, their classes are great and their teachers are inspired human beings (so if you don't know the studio, get yer butt down there). CityYoga in LA is also participating as, I'm sure are a lot of studios. Is yours? Find out!!
(Studios that want to participate should contact kerri@kerrikellyyoga.org)
Know a studio that's participating? Add it in the comments and I will post it! The list so far:889 YongeAha YogaAhimsa Yoga Apple YogaAt One YogaBend YogaBend and Bloom YogaBodacious Living YogaCity YogaCity Yoga LADe La Sol Yoga StudiosEyes of the World YogaIntegral Yoga Institute - San FranciscoKansas Siddhi YogaKula Yoga ProjectLife Yoga GoulburnLila YoginiMindful Movement CentreOm TimeQuinnipiac Fitness CenterSanctuary for Yoga, Body & SpiritShanti Yoga ShalaSolar YogaStudio 330The University of the ArtsWest Hartford YogaWillow Glen YogaYoga KulaYoga Mandala StudioYoga Source - Palo AltoYoga Tree Yogaphoria(from Off the Matt, Into the World)
Benefits beyond Jan 27:Dancing Dogs Yoga in Beaufort, South Carolina will have our grand opening on Saturday, February 27, 2010 with Hatha for Haiti. Shanti Yoga- Nelson, BC Canada, hosts 2 more Community Yoga Fundraisers for Haiti, Saturdays from 2-4pm. shantiyoga.ca for details.
OM Yoga of NYC (not part of OTM, but still) raised $700 last Saturday!
NYTimes Revisits Yoga + Chocolate Issue
The whole luxury food items + yoga issue broke a couple of years ago---and was controversial then. Today, the NYTimes Dining section revisits the concept. Spearheaded by Dave Rominelli, Yoga + Chocolate is supposed to unite two great tastes that taste great together, heightening our sense of sensuality and our enjoyment of asana practice. When I took his workshop last year at Exhale in Manhattan, it wasn't chocolate that we were enjoying, but cheese. A little plate of fromage appeared at the top of my yoga mat after savasana.
Some of the cheese was artisinal, but most was from Whole Foods.
Yoga is a Religion? Right?
Yoga is a religion---at least according 57% of non-yoga-ing Americans polled by the Yoga Alliance last Saturday, Yoga Day USA. The (semi-)regulatory organization was gathering Americans' opinion of the sport (?) to see what stops more people from trying it out.According to its press release, inspite of the ubiquitousness of this multi-billion dollar industry that's firmly routed in the material ($$) world, many people still think of it as New Age or only for the very nimble. (Sometimes it seems that way, depending on what center you go to and what style you practice...)
"there are many Americans who know little about yoga or, worse, have incorrect assumptions which inhibit them from participation. The three most common misperceptions are that yoga:
Is religion-based. 57% of those who do not currently practice yoga believe that it requires mantras or chanting related to a form of worship.
Requires flexibility in order to practice. Nearly 3 in 5 Americans – 59% of respondents - who do not practice yoga think that it requires a person to be in at least "decent" shape. In truth, however, anyone – of any size, shape or physical state – can benefit.
Is not really exercise. Half of men who have never practiced yoga believe it "isn't a workout." In contrast, 73% of people who do practice believe it is just as effective as running, swimming or weight lifting.
All events are free on Yoga Day USA which is sponsored by the Yoga Alliance. Attitude adjustment might cost extra---maybe as much as a monthly membership to a local center.
Drawing Yoga--Special Workshop this Saturday
Sponsored by the awesome Yoga City NYC:
This Saturday, senior Iyengar yoga teacher Bobby Clennell will lead a unique yoga class. You won't do any asana or pranayama---in fact, you'll have a sketch pad and a pencil. Yes, you'll be drawing yoga. From 1:30 - 4pm, Clennell, who is also a talented illustrator, will lead students to "see" yoga poses in a different way---by drawing models as they make the poses. No drawing experience necessary. Just bring your desire to read the essence of yoga poses in a new way.
Read an interview with Bobby Clennell as she talks about the concept.
Saturday, January 16, 20101:30 - 4:00pmOm Factory
265 West 37th Street, 17th Floor
Save the Date: Yoga Benefit & Silent Auction, Jan 21
This is no ordinary benefit. If you are going to donate to any cause this winter, this is the one. Protect yoga from state mandates! January 21---cocktails, hor d'ouevres, and silent auction at Chibo (info below). Save the date.Yoga for New York, a non-profit formed last summer to prevent state government regulation of yoga, needs to raise $25,000. That's a lot of cash. YFNY needs to hire a lobbyist to help pass legislation early this year that will help protect yoga from being defined by government officials who don't know anything about the practice.
Protect your practice! Protect your local studio.
Read more---and get the latest scoop on the issue---at Yoga City NYC.
Most of all, save the date:
Thursday, January 21stWhere: Cibo Restaurant
Location: 767 2nd Ave. at 41st Street
When: January 21, 2010
TIme: 6:30PM-8:30PM
Tickets: $100 in advance, $125 at the door.
*Teachers will receive a special entry rate of $75 if paid before January 18th, 2010.
Silent Auction items include
a weeklong stay at a Villa in Southern Italy
a yoga retreat weekend at The Ananda Ashram
dinner for two in the Theater District with actor/singer Dominic Chianese
and much more!
Register at www.yogaforny.org/events Download invitation: Invite YFNY Jan Benefit
Miami--What Kind of Yoga?
Miami. In this town, even the mannequins have boob jobs. What kind of yoga can you expect where opulence is mistaken for elegance? A mile of bronzed thigh atop a 5” stiletto; lots of mascara and highlights; tight, tight jeans. Little goatees. Flash and glitter. Reflecting pools, royal palms, sequestered cloth cabanas. Here where beach culture and night life vie for dominance, are sun salutations a variant on sun worship? Is it all spray-on tans and tiny spandex shorts?
Yoga in some ways is the same wherever you go: the same poses, the same instructions---sometimes down to the exact metaphors ("open your feet like a book"). But the flavor changes from city to city, and certainly from instructor to instructor. In Miami, where new money, hot bodies, and Latin beats pulse up and down Ocean Drive, what did I discover? Ashtanga.
Ashtanga, the austere, physically rigorous, 6-day a week practice, imported from Mysore, India. This is the bedrock. And then, sprinkled on top, a few variations: a little vinyasa, a little power yoga, a few hot yoga classes, some Jivamukti (which, by the way, is an ashtanga variant).When I was in Miami last week, I practiced at Miami Yoga Shala, Miami Life Center, The Standard hotel, and Synergy Center for Yoga and Healing Arts.
Coming up: a mini review of yoga in Miami. From a guided ashtanga class to a surprise didgeridoo chakra cleansing---stay tuned!
New Year, New Money
How are your new year's resolutions going? Do any of them include improving your relationship to money?Well, all of us, rich and poor could use some help in that department. Perhaps especially yogis.Upcoming: some free or affordable help from cool people including yogi and financial adviser Brent Kessel and Spencer Sherman, co-founders of Abacus Wealth Partners.I saw Brent speak at the New York Yoga Journal Conference, May 2009, and loved what he had to say. Smart cookie. Here's what's on offer right now. Check it out:
1. Vicki Robin's Conscious Money Speakers Series, Weekly 1-hour teleclass workshops with a dozen top conscious money teachers including Bill McKibben, Brent Kessel, David Korten, John deGraaf, John Robbins, Lynne Twist, Olivia Mellon, Spencer Sherman, Trent Hamm, Victoria Castle, Hazel Henderson. $12 per class or $79 for the whole series. A great deal! Free introductory teleclass on January 11th. Series begins January 18th.
2. Heal Your Money Karma, #1 course on DailyOm.com. Brent Kessel and Spencer Sherman offer 8-weeks of invaluable financial tranformational tools through a pay-what-you-can structure.
3. Money Matters: The Business of Yoga, Yoga Journal Conference, San Francisco, Thursday, January 28, 2010, 2:45-3:45p. Led by Brent Kessel. Great for yogis who want to live more consciously in all ways, or yogis considering opening a yoga center.
Related Posts:"It's Not About the Money,"Brent Kessel, Money Guru, Interviewed on Frugaltopia
ATTEND THIS MEETING TODAY (if you're a new york yoga teacher)
Yo, New York yoga teachers! This meeting today is for you. I'm in Miami, but YOU need to be there!
"We need yoga teachers to help determine the future of yoga in NY. We are at risk of having our future decided for us, without our voice," say the organizers, the lovely Liz and Mel of Yoga High. "Whether you are for or against licensing, it is important we hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can all be involved in the process. This will ensure that when regulation happens, it does so with intelligence, compassion and a deep respect for the yogic traditions."
They mean the issue of New York State passing legislation requiring yoga studios to obtain costly licenses to run teacher training programs. "So please come to a meeting specifically for NY yoga teachers to discuss licensing, health insurance, pay transparency and any other issues you feel passionate about. As a yoga teacher, dealing with these issues can sometimes be a very isolating experience. This is our chance to come together to talk about something that we love and how we can all continue to enjoy a yogic lifestyle."
IT’S CRUCIAL THAT WE COME TOGETHER NOW. YOGA IS AT RISK. EVERY SMALL STUDIO IS AT RISK OF CLOSING IF LICENSING PASSES WITHOUT US GETTING INVOLVED.
"This is our last chance to meet and discuss these issues before the vote goes to the state senate. We can use our collective voice to buy us time to have input into how, where, and when regulation happens. If not, yoga in NY will become very limited and there will be fewer choices and a bottom line corporate approach."
The meeting for just teachers will be Wed. January 6th 2010. 12 - 1pm.
"We encourage you to stay for the Yoga For NY meeting that will be held immediately following from 1-3pm."
The meetings will be held at YOGA HIGH 19 Clinton St. between Houston and Stanton. (Ave B turns into Clinton Street South of Houston) 212-792-5776F, V to 2nd Ave or F, J, M, Z to Delancey
***If you're a yoga teacher, please forward this on to other teachers you know and to studio owners where you teach."
THANKS everyone. (Non-yogis welcome to volunteer for Yoga for New York, too, you know.)
TimeOut NY Reviews My Basics Class!
It's payback: after writing about other people's classes and techniques I've been reviewed in TimeOut NY's Fitness Issue, 2010. It's a nice little write up.Jonathan, the shy English reporter, had no context at all to understand what he was getting into, because......he had NEVER done yoga before. The word "vinaysa" was just a bunch of letters to him. Oy! Putting me to the test.But he did well. In a class of 17, he selected a spot at the very back corner of the room where I slid him props and---a good student---he took child's pose as needed. We all had a good time. Thanks for coming, Jonathan.And thanks GO Yoga for having me as a teacher these past 7 years. (Come to GO's 10-year anniversary party, Saturday, January 16, from 6pm on.)
The Review: Go Yoga
Types of yoga offered: Vinyasa, plus a creative interpretation of different schools.Name of class: Basics with Joelle HannLength: 90 minutesWhat to expect: A brisk yet beginner-friendly session, capped off with a Maya Angelou poem and a group omLevel: Yoga newbies can do it.The verdict: Joelle Hann used the dimmable lighting and music to good effect, controlling the mood of the room. She also watches over her students with a sharp eye, supplying blocks and straps and correcting alignment. You’ll sweat during the more active part of the class, but you’ll leave feeling limber and relaxed, rather than fatigued.—Jonathan Shannon
Yoga 2009: 10 Highlights
What happened last year?
Did it pass like a kidney stone or like savasana? Lots of subtle changes for me personally, and a big leap into the blogosphere for Yoga Nation. Part of me wishes I had a time machine to go back ten years (if I knew then, what I know now...) and another part looks forward to the madness and the mystery of a new year.But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's see what happened in 2009....
1. Fierce Club opened in Nolita. Sadie Nardini, of Bon Jovi yogi fame, not only opened her own kick-ass studio in Nolita last March, but later in the summer she also joined up with YAMA, an agenting enterprise for enterprising yoga teachers. Yes, folks, the future is here...
2. The movie, Enlighten Up!: A Skeptic's Journey into the World of Yoga, launched to mostly positive reviews (and some grumbling from yoga teachers) proving that yoga can entertain Americans for at least an hour and a half on the big screen. Director/yogini, Kate Churchill, and skeptic/subject, Nick Rosen, tussle and tumble around the world looking for the truth about yoga
.3. Inappropriate Yoga Guy "Edited" Yoga Journal. Yoga Journal spoofed itself in this 5-part online mini-series in which the unforgettable, and wildly inappropriate, Ogden, took over the inimitable magazine offices as a hazardous (and sometimes naked) "guest editor." Went live April Fool's Day.
4. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois passed. One of three Indian grandaddies of modern, Western yoga, 93-year-old Pattabhi Jois, passed away in May, and was fetted through the early summer. The memorial held at Donna Karan's Urban Zen headquarters on June 14 in the West Village created even bigger buzz than the first ever NYC Yoga Journal Conference in May.
5. Licensing Issue ravaged New York---and is not over. Should yoga studios pay large sums of money to New York state to be "licensed" to train yoga teachers? Widely seen as a pitiless money-grab, this proposed legislation threatens to shut down many tiny yoga studios that rely on teacher-training programs for basic income. (For this issue, yoganation was also a momentary guest-blogger on the illustrious YogaDork.)
6. On the other hand, Brent Kessel made clear that yoga and money can live happily together. Financial advisor and long-time ashtanga-yoga practitioner, Kessel wrote a practical, inspiring and possibly profitable book called It's Not About the Money (which it never is: it's always about the junk in your head). Read my interview with him on Frugaltopia.
7. The inaugural Wanderlust Yoga and Music Festival rocked Lake Tahoe in July. This ingenious festival blasted open indie minds and took over taste-making in the yoga world. Who said yoga can't be radically cool? Driven by yoga and music-exec power couple from Brooklyn, Wanderlust will happen in three locales in 2010. Thank you, Yoga Journal (San Francisco), you may now hand over the reigns. The young uns' (uh, Brooklyn) got it from here.
8. Celebrity Yoga Teachers---Problem? In late August, YogaCityNYC sent me to report on the Being Yoga conference upstate. The question: Is a media-friendly yoga teacher the natural outcome of yoga’s presence in America’s consumer culture? The peaceful yoga crowd at Omega had a lot to say. READ my final article. .....(One source said: “I've never had a PR agent or invited myself somewhere. Everything has happened because of the shakti manifesting in me.” The next day I got a message on Twitter inviting me to review her latest DVD.)
9. BKS Iyengar turned 91. Really, you need to see Enlighten Up! the movie just for the scenes of Iyengar talking about the meaning of yoga---not empty New Age spirituality, but real internal work, with a few beads of sweat and social service thrown in. For his 91st birthday, this tremendous force of a man requested that students hold a fundraiser to benefit his ancentral village of Bellur. If everyone gave $3, more people could eat.
10. The Yoga Clothing Wars continued with lots of news about LuluLemon throughout 2009. Their stock was up, their stock was down. We loved them, we were peeved. Mostly we were conflicted about the giant success of a giant "women's activewear" company. Good news: they have excellent yoga clothes for men. More good news: they are inspiring small yoga clothing companies, too. More good (-ish?) news: they are EVERYWHERE. Planet Lulu!!
HAPPY 2010, yogis and yoginis! Here's to a happy, healthy, inspired, productive, restful, and OM-ing new year.
Considering a New Year: 10 Resolutions
I haven't been able to stop thinking about new year's resolutions. Maybe because last years' were unexpectedly potent. Over Christmas dinner last week (at a table surrounded by friends), I remembered one of them: "Be better friends with the friends I already have." Huh, it worked. I also made some new friends. How great is that? (I raise a toast.) The other was to start a meditation practice. After 20 years of attempts, I finally did it. Sitting every day! (Thanks for the method, Alan. Thanks for the prodding, Vanessa. Thanks for the company, Tim.)
So, here's what I've been thinking about this week for the coming year. Take it or leave it---it's free. Here's to a happy new year---and an inspired decade.
1. Keep a small notebook---a small one that fits in my pocket. Write down ideas, events and thoughts of the moment, lists, words overheard, sights overseen. I started this in November at the suggestion of a writing teacher (thank you, Victoria) and it has blazed some interesting new trails. How much was I censoring myself? A lot.
2. Break out of the routine for one hour every week---even if it means walking down a new block (which in fact I love to do). In 2010, I'd like to shake things up; keep the brain and spirit fresh. Visit new parks, museums, bookstores etc. Cheaper than a ticket to Rio de Janeiro, too.
3. Use a key phrase for comfort. Sometimes I have a mantra from my meditation teacher and then I forget to say it. But it could also be a phrase someone---anyone---has said that was moving. Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, for new year's 2006, said, "one of the most moving experiences I have had was when one of my teachers said it to me – “Whatever happens, you can handle it.” Another good one is from ad exec, Paul Arden: "Start being wrong and suddenly anything is possible. You're no longer trying to be infallible."
4. Take on a reasonable amount---and no more. This week I set out to do a reasonable number of tasks each day instead of a superhuman number. It's been fantastic. Lo-and-behold, I've been getting more done and feeling friendlier, too. (It sure helps to get to work at noon.)
5. Check in weekly to see where I am and what's ahead. My own personal 1:1 staff meeting. I've set Friday afternoons for this weekly accounting. It's actually pretty fun, and it helps manage the overwhelm. Another good idea from Victoria.
6. Use iCal on my laptop and on my iPhone. Getting my schedule out of my head and onto "paper" clears some space.... for all those thoughts that I need to get down in my notebook! (See #1.)
7. ... also it's *really* interesting to see how much junk I'm carrying around in my head. I would like that junk to stop jabbing me in meditation, so I'm excited to put it down somewhere. (The creative company Behance has all kinds of strategies, apps, and stationary to help with this very thing---thank you, Jocelyn Glei!)
8. Inbox zero! Again: inbox zero!
9. Annoying people and situations (hello, crowded subway) offer a chance to learn and grown---I know, I know, SUCH a cliche! But there's a catch: they are opportunities only if I can stay vulnerable. It is challenging not go into habit---and so, interesting. Heart forward!
10. Open your eyes. For one minute every day, see who and what is around you. This summer I noticed an overgrown corner lot at S1 and Driggs. I've lived one block from it for probably 10 years: in July it was lush vines, weeds, morning glories, and leafy tree branches spilling over the fence. It was wonderful to walk past. I found myself taking detours to stroke the cat-tails, smell the flowers, inhale the green. Even if you've seen your local spot or your trusted people a 1,000,000 times, see them again. Recall the native greeting in Avatar, "I see you."It's great to open your eyes.
Stubdog: Half-Price Yoga?
According to the ad copy on Flavorpill's "thehookup," Stubdog offers half price tickets on music, comedy, dance, special parties---and YOGA.
Is that yoga classes, yoga events, yoga fashion trunk shows? Not clear. A quick search of the site turned up zero offerings in any of their cities currently (Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas/Ft Worth, New York). But a half-price anything is worth it these days. So I pass it along to you, dear reader. Maybe while you're waiting for a yoga class to pop onto the list you'll catch an Afro-Cuban extravaganza or the next Eddie Izzard?
Stubdog for Event Tickets - Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas/Ft Worth
Bollywood 101
Bollywood 101, a great film series, has been happening this fall at the Ossining, NY, Public Library. The last screening is this Saturday at 4pm. Don't miss it! It's run by my friend and colleague, former punk rock East Village 80s bartender chick, grammarian supreme, and all around excellent person, Carolyn Lengel.
With her husband Mike Enright, and daughter Harriet, they not only curate the film series, they make these great YouTube videos as promos, interviewing themselves (here Harriet delivers her commentary while hanging laundry) and Bollywood experts while showing clips from the featured film. From Carolyn's message:Escape to the Ossining Public Library at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, for the grand finale of the "Bollywood 101" film series, LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI (2006), a completely charming movie about a Mumbai gangster who falls in love and begins to see visions of Gandhi. What better way to get in a holiday mood?Even if you can't make it to Ossining, you can join in the fun from the sidelines. Watch theYouTube videos and join Bollywood 101 on Facebook. Stay tuned!
Eating Meat--or Not?
It's true that I eat meat: the humanely raised, grass-fed kind. I have been surprised by how many restaurants offer it. There's even a full on BBQ place that's all organic near where I live. In fact, to eat good meat that's not full of hormones, antibiotics and that won't contribute to any being's misery has been my New Year's resolution for a few years running. (Sometime towards the end of the year I find myself at a dinner party or in Chinatown breaking it, hence the need for a re-up.)With the end of the year approaching there comes a slew of help from the New York Times, and, of course, literary star, Jonathan Safran Foer whose recent book is Eating Animals, and why we shouldn't.
I have to confess that these days I eat mostly vegan anyway. No dairy, no sugar, no meat, no wheat (not that vegans avoid gluten). It's not quite a question of ethics, but what is easier to digest. And what will keep me healthier now that it's plague season. (The subway: H1N1 incubator?) According to the Times, 1% of Americans in 2009 are vegan, and it's getting easier and easier to find vegan food. Not just at ethnic resautrants such as Indian and Thai, but in mainstream America. A 17-year old Long Island boy---a vegan---managed to instigate a slew of vegan fare at his father's pizzeria where he works. It attracted a vegan crowd. Moo-Cluck Bakery on Long Island sells retail and wholesale. And it's not just the vegans who like their cakes: the bakery owners, "took a box of several dozen Moo-Cluck cookies to a family Christmas party of 30 people last year, intending it for a vegan relative." The vegan arrived too late to enjoy the gift. Half an hour after Ms. Cummings brought them into the house, the cookies were gone, she said. “All the nonvegans ate them.” If cutting out meat, dairy, and sugar seems dire to you, consider this: vegans eat cookies like everyone else. Here's a cookbook to prove it: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Da Capo). That's sounds like holiday fun (though the reviewer of her sister's vegan cookies in this article thought they tasted "like homework.")Decide for yourself. Make your own resolution.
Receiving the Medicine Buddha Initiation
medicine buddha
Dalai Lama, photographed by Tenzin Choejor, Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
Guest post by Viniyoga teacher, Linda Prosche
The Dalai Lama visited Long Beach Convention Center at the end of September and I attended the Saturday two hour session to receive the Medicine Buddha Initiation. Usually, Tibetan physicians receive this initiation, but it also works to give laypeople more healing powers, too.
"If one meditates on the Medicine Buddha, one will eventually attain enlightenment, but in the meantime one will experience an increase in healing powers both for oneself and others and a decrease in physical and mental illness and suffering," says Lama Tashi Namgyal.
Some 5 days later, the glow of the experience still wrapped around me. A Buddhist friend who'd scored front row seats confirmed this: “Once you have been touched by His presence, your life will never be the same.” I wondered, “Am I different, now?”
Although, I am not a Buddhist, my personal yoga practice helps me to compassionately release my habituated conditioning which no longer serves me. Is it possible that I could have swapped out a bad habit for a better one just by listening to this man? Apparently, he is not just any man. When I entered the Center in the company of thousands I felt the quiet hush of meditative reverence. My other feelings are harder to describe: I found myself serene, humbled and in a state of awe. Awe at the sheer simplicity of this man in robes with his back towards us in preparation for his offering. He began with a simple message. “Take care of the earth, it is your only home. Be kind to one another and don’t kill things.” Then he asked who would be interested in the initiation and 90% of the crowd raised their hands.It was a bit funny. I shot my hand up only to wonder, what is he really asking of me? In a culture of sensationalism and drama what did I have to do and how much would it cost?
Again, his requests were simple and if I was not able to do them all, he explained, I could do less. How tolerant!He then began the Medicine Buddha Mantra which I was unfamiliar with. But I joined in. We seemed to go on chanting for hours, between wakefulness and deep sleep. Then, without skipping a beat, he said, “That’s all. Goodbye." I was stunned. But then again, what else was there to say? I just wanted to sit in the delicious reverberation of the mantra. I returned home and the next morning made my way over to Starbucks.
I noticed the pleasant mantra rumble still floated through my brain. I also noticed that I chose a new nutrition bar over my habitual chai latte. The bar was called NICE. Can you believe it? Was it a message to me, prompted by His Holiness? Maybe I had changed! Later that morning a student asked what I had learned from my visit with the Dalai Lama. I reached into my bag and tossed the nutrition bar her way. I said “This is his teaching: be NICE to one another and share love and compassion on the earth just as easily as I shared this nutrition bar with you!” Of course she laughed and I felt that infectious giggle so many people have experienced in the presence of his joyful being. And then I did something very different. Just like the Dalai Lama, I said, “And that’s it. Good bye!” It was that easy and that simple.
guest post by Viniyoga teacher, Linda Prosche
Happy Diwali Message from President Obama
jalebi
Diwali party, the Hindu festival of light, was last Saturday. I helped a friend prepare for his Diwali party by picking up food from Jackson Heights, Queens: trays of saag paneer, spicy lentils, rice, tubs of chickpeas, and sweets such as jalebi (which seems to be 100% sugar spun in pretzel-shapes, fried, and dipped in sweet red syrup and is kind of like eating a tasty neon sign).
Last week, President Obama showed his chutzpah by delivering first-ever presidential wishes for the Diwali festival. He addresses Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs and even citing Sanskrit verse (a chant you might recognize from yoga class!). It reminds me of watching Queen Elizabeth give her Christmas Day speech from Buckingham Palace on TV as a kid (true story) but way, way cooler. Watch President Obama's message for Diwali here: