MahaMondo

Agustin's Advanced Yoga Asanas

Via www.fordmodels.tv is this new clip from Agustin Agurreberry demoing advanced asana. As my nephew had asked me via SMS this weekend , " Is it necessary to have a GURU in order to have an advanced practice ?" - Agustin,who has been practicing for over 7 years says , " Best to study advancedposes under the guidance of a master or GURU", his teacher being Sri Dharma Mittra. Jerome Mercier took us through several of these asanas at 6 AM yesterday;his favorite EKA PADA KUNDINYASA ,BHUJAPIDASANA , TITIBHASANA, PINCHA MAYURASANA & KURMASANA as prep for PRATYAHARA . The closing Ashtangi cycle of 3 URDHVA DANURASANAS prior to SAVASANA always gets me at the end-

4th of July : Mukti Mukti Wahe Guru

Be the Light in the Vibration , and the Wind within the Space , as we sang & dedicated towards liberation via " May the Long Time Sun Shine UponYou. "

Sat Nam & Jai Ma : Tej Kaur , Harijiwan , Harnadh, Ally, Nina, Michael K., Hari Gobind Singh , Scott , Steve , Teresa H. ( props for bagging Project Runway Manila ) & Carmen -

Gong Meditation : Mehtab

Mehtab on www.gongyoga.com takes us through gong meditation & its importance in KUNDALINI Yoga. His best analogy is " Ride the wave of sound" , which is exactly what I felt ( akin to surfing )when I had my first Kundalini Rising almost a year ago. Golden Bridge H'wood (www.goldenbridgeyoga.com) is hosting Tej & Harijiwan's "Breaking the Piscean Hypnotic Trance " event on Friday ,the 4th of July. It promises to be powerful & liberating. Where many hatha studios have turned into cheesy "meet " markets , Golden Bridge keeps the vibe alive of being a SPIRITUAL VILLAGE . I always leave GB H'wood feeling uplifted & loved .SAT NAM-

108 Surya Namaskars :Leah Kim HK

Via Leah Kim @ Pure Yoga Hong Kong :

Hi there, brothers and sisters!

I will be participating in Hong Kong's first Yoga Aid Challenge on July15th , where I will complete 108 Sun Salutations in order to raise money for children in India. One of my main teachers from Santa Monica (and many of yours as well!) - Bryan Kest - will be one of the teachers leading us. I am so excited to practice with him here in Hong Kong, especially for such a noble cause that allows me to give back to yoga's roots.

I would be so grateful for your support, be it in the form of a donation, a prayer, a note, or just a little extra love through the ether. If you are able to make a donation, you can easily do so through PayPal. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and 100% of your donation will go to the charity.

Big thanks and big love,
Leah ( www.everydayhero.com.au/Leah-Kim )

Enlighten Up ! : Yoga Movie Trailer

A filmmaker is determined to prove that YOGA CAN TRANSFORM ANYONE. Her plan: select a subject, immerse him in yoga and follow him until he finds a practice that transforms him. Her subject: Nick Rosen a skeptical, 29 year-old journalist living in New York City. Before he can say OM, Nick finds himself twisted up like a pretzel surrounded by celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks and entrepreneurs. The more he investigates yoga the more contradictions he discovers, straying further from Kate's plan. They circle the globe talking to MYSTICS, GURUS,MADMEN & SAINTS searching for the true meaning of yoga, encountering things they never could have imagined. They don't find the answers to their questions, they find much more. www.enlightenupthefilm.com

Yoga Mala :Santa Monica 06-28

Via Psalm Isadora :

Yoga Mala
108 Sun Salutations
Fundraiser
with Live Drumming
This Saturday, June 28 10-12noon
Ozone Park, Santa Monica
740 Ozone St (Ozone & 7th)
BEGINNERS WELCOME!

JOIN US!
*Make a wish
*Make a prayer mala with your body by doing 108 Sun Salutations
*Donate money to a good cause
*Be carried by the group energy to create positive change

THE TRADITION
108 SURYA NAMASKAR traditional Sun Salutations (you can also meditate, stretch or chant during any of the four rounds of 27 salutations.
A MALA is 108 beads strung together on a prayer necklace for the repetition of mantra. In a yoga mala, your body forms the prayer, the 108 sun salutations represent the 108 beads and your breath represents the string holding the mala together. It is traditional to make a wish or set a particular SANKALPA (intention) for your mala, the TAPAS (heat and austerity) of your practice represents the fire that devours impurities and obstacles.

O Papa do Yoga : Sri Dharma Mittra

Via Prana Yoga Journal Brasil is this interview " em Portugese " of the "Papa do Yoga", Sri Dharma Mittra. He talks about asana and pranayama as channels to access & harness kundalini. In this KALI YUGA of the "Powerization & Absification " of yoga, teachers like Sri Dharma Mittra & Harijiwan keep tradition & us on track by emphasizing that the practice of asana serves only to purify the physical vessel so SHAKTI, PRANA & KUNDALINI can flow freely. One aspect of yoga that has withstood the test of time is the focus on the GURU or teacher. Unfortunately , there are a lot of people who "do yoga" or even instruct nowadays that have no lineage or dedication towards a teacher or teachers. It is evident in their practice . My asana teacher, Jerome M., as he put it via email is "I'm baaack !" from a vacay in France. It was MAHA to attend class once again this evening and get adjusted & opened up via asana & alignment. To Harnadh ,thanks for all the prayers@ Solstice in New Mexico (Off the hook , hah). We'll see each other @ Harijiwan's 4th of July class / Golden Bridge H'wood.

Rang de Basanti : Ek Onkar (Slow Jungle Mix)

This is a clip from the Hindi film Rang de Basanti with a scene shot @ the Golden Temple in Amritsar. I like DJ Krazy's Jungle Mix of the mantra EK ONKAR -

Bloom Delivers

Today is the Summer Solstice ,the official start of summer, and what , based on today's heat even in Santa Monica by the sea , will be a hot one.
Most of the Kundalini teachers-in-the-making & "for reals" teachers have been in New Mexico since Tuesday for SOLSTICE as well.

I have been beset by ENNUI for most part of the week , in all facets of the daily grind, having to think of what to eat ( bored with the usual suspects) , just for sustenance's sake; which classes  to practice at when no one seems to know when my asana teacher will be back. Even drinking water the whole evening at Thursday night's event while the champagne bottles kept popping open around me.

It may be self-indulgent to consider the above causes for mid-life crisis when others have no food to eat & more. But I have been feeling the tug-of-war between the material world of the "job" & being present / spirituality.

So while everyone was heading into Santa Monica to suck out whatever good vibes were left from the ocean , I headed over to the Pico / Fairfax district. It was good to meet up with "P" who turned out to be a gift as a "mood shifter". Listening to an extremely fresh take & perspective on the "monkey chatter" that  beset me opened up the channels that had  been on the fritz.

And Arnaud Palatan & Jean Louis Bartoli's Bloom Cafe on Pico is the best place to chill , with a very laid back local crowd. As described in a previous post , Bloom's take on organic produce really makes the taste of the food pop. And for vegans & vegetarians ,there is delicious , well priced food. The Vegan Chili with Corn Bread & Portobello Mushroom sandwich are worth heading east on the 10 Freeway for.

Yup, this is where the "REAL" food &  people are , heh heh. No overhearing  such classic gems of wisdom while eating via the newly emerged from practice "YOGIMBOS"  on Santa Monica Blvd. wondering why " I didn't break a sweat during his class. And they said it was hard". Perhaps if you had not kept on slurping from that "Super Sized" water bottle , some yogic fire would have been stoked -

Core Awareness Workshop : Kathryn Budig

This was another long week as I was visiting job sites in the OC plus we had a launch party on Thursday evening hosted in tandem with a magazine  . There's nothing like utilizing the yogic "role of the witness" as a tool to  plow through all that has to be done. ( And invoke Ganesha, the Detroyer of Obstacles, hah)

So much gratitude to Kathryn Budig for the email re her upcoming workshop @ YogaWorks Montana Ave. on July 12th.

" Join Kathryn for an afternoon of focused core conditioning and abdominal awareness in your everyday postures. Deepen your arm balances and inversions through the strength of your core."

Kathryn is a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner . She completed her teacher training with YogaWorks founders Chuck & Maty.

And K, MAHA props for supporting:

"hey hun! long time no talk!
i'm wearing my mahamondo tank tonight and thought of you "

Image via YogicLife .