MahaMondo

Sounds of Silence : Surface Collective Vancouver

I did not make it to the Wed. evening class @ Semperviva's North Shore  Vancouver studio as intended . The chain has been written up locally as being extremely well run with excellent teachers.

The Granville Island location has a retail store which carries Surface Collective's " Sounds of Silence " wall tattoo ( shown on left ) . It is a clever twist as a student really needs to tune inwards to hear & feel the OM , the universal sound.

If I ever started teaching yoga in another incarnation , I would lead into EVERY class with the traditional OM invocation then launch into a short discourse on Patanjali's " YOGA CHITTA VRITTI NIRODHA " , the only definition by the sage for yoga ; " The cessation of the fluctuations of the mind . " ( AKA ditch the CHATTER-RANGA  heh heh )

Heading out on an early morning flight to HLU tomorrow AM. Thanks to Philip L. from Columbia University Press for the heads up on the " Yoga , Karma & Rebirth " book by Stephen Phillips. It should be an enlightening travel companion -

Yoga Rants & Raves Las Vegas : Making a Grand ( and Noisy ) Entrance to Class

The folks @ Yoga Sanctuary Las Vegas have recently entered the blogosphere via  Yoga Rants & Raves . Here is one of their                           " Rants " , & mine :

" We’re happy you made it. Honest. Traffic or work made you arrive a few minutes late? Hey, we’ve all been there. But, was it really necessary to make that noisy entrance? As I inhale on my mat, first I hear that soothing THUD as you toss one shoe into the cubby hole. Instead of focusing on my breath, I now focus on when you will deposit your other shoe. THUD! There you go! Wait, you need to remove your car keys from your pocket. JINGLE, JINGLE! Thanks for being predictable. To torment me more, you don’t set up your mat on the periphery. Nah, you head right to the center of the room, marching boldly across any mat that dares to be in your path.

 I now pray to the yoga gods that the anguish is about to end because all that’s left is for you to lay down your mat. No luck. SLAM! You throw your mat down with such force, the sound can be heard at yoga studios worldwide. Next time, try to remember that coming to yoga starts with simply rolling out your mat calmly and quietly. Be thoughtful and we’ll be rolling out the red carpet for you." - Written by the Ranting Yogi

Yes, we all endeavor the role of the non-reactive "Yogic Witness " ; and witnessing starts with BEING QUIET . Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha ; a basic premise that a lot of new instructors need to learn as well. To quote a teacher in Rio ,   " Monkey see, monkey do . " So instructors need to "walk the walk " .

Much love to Marcia @ Yoga Sanctuary LV for the link-up . ( "We really appreciate your kindness and all the good energy you send out through Mahamondo" )

David Swenson : Vinyasa

David Swenson, in his Practice Manual , describes Vinyasa as " A dynamic marriage of our internal & external worlds. Vinyasa is an outward expression of the subtle movement of life force. It is a manifestation of PRANA. Vinyasa orchestrates balance. Through vinyasa , one may know the VIBRATION of life. "  I bring this up as there are a lot of  students out there who think their attendance at an Advanced class or ability to perform an advanced asana constitutes an EVOLVED practice. As I waited for class to begin yesterday morning, a couple of attendees started talking loudly about their presence at that much hyped session in the NY Times last Thursday. So my initial thought was ; Cool, the energy of the class will be uplifted. But as they got deeper ( and louder ) into their CHATTER-RANGA, my yogic intuition shifted to thinking that these 2 would be very painful to watch & feel. Sure enough : noisy landings on jump backs , jerky flow & weak shapes. AHAMKARA ( ego ) in action , heh heh. HUMILITY is the 1st step to, as Sri Dharma says , being receptive !

Yoga & Surf : Edi Lisboa

Profesor de Yoga e surfista Edi Lisboa living the life. I hope to finally get to practice at a North Shore , Vancouver class next week & perhaps paddle out in the North Shore of Oahu ( V Lands ? ) the following week ; work sked permitting , heh heh .

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois : 1987

We will all miss the light , quality of teaching & practice that Guruji advocated. Most of the "Power" instructors owe him a debt of gratitude for the Ashtanga system.Today's New York Times had another yoga fluff piece on a local instructor who epitomizes the "dumbing down" of the practice LALA style ; best encapsulated by this : " The sweat alone makes it seem closer to a HIGH IMPACT AEROBICS CLASS than a discipline with a meditational aspect ..." Hari Om Tat Sat. * I have just returned from Jerome Mercier's Thursday evening class . He was as incredulous as I was that the NY Times neglected to feature Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' passing & legacy. Jerome mentioned that he had the opportunity to study under Guruji & dedicated our closing series to him.

M Cafe De Chaya : Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing

KALE WITH SPICY PEANUT DRESSING - M CAFE - watch more recipes and videos

It is a sure sign of transformation & evolution when I graduate from "Happy Hour" at Chaya Brasserie to eating macrobiotic regularly at M Cafe de Chaya . Here is Chef Shigefumi Tachibe whipping up a batch of their signature kale with spicy peanut dressing. Their new seasonal kale lemonade is excellent -

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois : Closing Chant Kauai

Via Domananda is this vid showing Guruji chanting the closing invocation after a class in Kauai. Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

Sri Dharma Mittra

Sri Dharma Mittra & Jivamukti's practices of yoga resonate with me as they view Asana as an offering. When I ask myself, "Why do you want to learn & practice advanced asana ?", the OFFERING aspect bubbles up the most. In this vid, Sri Dharma talks about Hatha yoga as the preparatory stage for Raja yoga, the surrender to the spiritual path .

The Strick House : Sanctuary of Calm

I walked past this amazing house on the way to the  lunch last weekend. Turns out this is the "Strick House", the only built project by the greatest living modernist architect , the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer in the United States. On a street of heritage  properties, ( Mediterranean, Craftsman, Tudor ) , it stands out for its vibe as a     "sanctuary of calm ."

As a Quasi-Carioca ( to use David Lurey's tag ) , this was an inspiring sight , as I had the chance to drive by Mr. Niemeyer's residence in Rio on the way up to the Foreste de Tijuca. Built in 1964, it has recently been rehabilitated by the current owners.

Image via You Are Here Modern.

Tapas : Transformation

Thursdays are usually scheduled for local Southern CA project visits when I am in town. So it typically involves a day trip to visit with clients @ a jobsite in Montecito , Newport Coast or today , Palm Desert / Rancho Mirage. The challenge was to be able to leave the desert ( 94 degrees high noon ) by 3 pm in order to make Jerome's 6:30 class in the evening. The other yogic test was to breathe through the traffic snarls in the San Gabriel Valley & Downtown LA interchange & thank the Deities that the Lakers were not playing a home game ( to add to the 5 PM snail crawl ). Class was challenging & the long workday was having an effect on me. But when Jerome brought up the subject of TAPAS & how its' practice promotes TRANSFORMATION , it lit up that inner spark in me to be more enthusiastic & embrace or surrender to the practice. And being the Brasileiro at heart that he is , he asked me afterwards, " Have you heard Vanessa da Mata ?" So for everyone out there who hasn't, myself included, here is her vid with Ben Harper -