MahaMondo

An Idiot Abroad : Karl Does Yoga

I managed to watch some episodes of " An Idiot Abroad " featuring Karl Pilkington on my Air Canada flight from LAX to Toronto. The whole premise of the series was to send a myopic individual like Karl to document his experiences in the modern day 7 Wonders of the World. His acerbic musings on his visits to China & India were actually quite insightful & amusing. My personal take on Toronto has not changed. It is a cosmopolitan melting pot of people from all over. It has the best Thai restaurants ( Golden Thai especially ) in North America. As a resident commented yesterday after our meeting , " It's like New York without all that stuff ... without a visible homeless population , great recycling programs & trash management , public transportaion ,a booming real estate market . "

Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto : David Robson

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga: Ritual in Motion from Toronto Body Mind on Vimeo.

Here's a great interview with David Robson of Ashtanga Yoga Centre Toronto. I am going to endeavor to practice at an evening class there next week.

Kolam Rangoli : Auspicious Art

Kolam and rangoli are the popular floor art of India.

It is an auspicious art of decorating courtyards and prayer halls in India drawn mainly by women & young girls.

The kolam on the right was drawn at the entrance to the LA Temple on Gaura Purnima.

I am posting this image as I am going to be heading East once again , starting with a trip to Toronto next week.

Then back to SoHo NYC for a couple of weeks , which means visits to AYNY / the Broome St. Temple & Saravana Bhavan.

Politics of Yoga : Princeton University

Thanks to the Ashtanga Yoga New York site for the heads up regarding a panel discussion  to be conducted at Princeton University on March 24th as one of its Yoga Week 2011 events.

The Politics of Yoga : A Panel Discussion with Dr. Edwin Bryant ( Ruthers University ) , Dr. Virginia Cowen ( CUNY ) , Sheetal Shah ( Hindu American Foundation ) ,    Eddie Stern      ( Ashtanga Yoga NY ) , Tara Stiles ( Strala Yoga ).

Thursday , March 24 / 7 PM. , Princeton University McCormick Hall 101. Free Admission. Open to All.

You can check out the other Princeton Yoga Week 2011 actvities via this link :  http://www.princeton.edu/~yogaclub/home.html

Yoga Week 2011 is brought to you by the Princeton University Yoga Council. Co-sponsored by the Princeton Yoga Club , Princeton Hindu Satsangam , Office of Religious Life , Princeton Hindu Life Program , Campus Recreation , Princeton Buddhist Student Group among others.

 

 

 

 

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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu : Siksastakam

Thanks to LokaramDas for uploading this sublime vdo of Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits singing Sri Chaitanya's Siksastakam. I attended the Gaura Purnima celebration at the LA temple this afternoon ; and I am still buoyed by the beautiful abishek , aratis & kirtan. There is an immense difference in kirtan as a component of worship & offering to the Lord & that of an impersonalist & ignorant performance at some studio. Nannam akari bahudha nija -sarva-shaktis...

Gaura Purnima : Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

This Saturday is Gaura Purnima , the divine appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gaura Purnima means "Golden Full Moon",a reference to Sri Chaitanya. He pioneered the ecstatic sankirtan movement in India and was a proponent of Bhakti Yoga over 500 years ago. Sri Chaitanya left behind a prayer in 8 verses called the Siksastaka. Obrigado to denisecostagopala for posting this vdo of it being sung beautifully at Nova Gokula Brasil.

Japan Earthquake 2011 : Calm & Constructive = Gaman

Here's a portion from an article in the NY Times that speaks volumes about the Japanese psyche. Lessons in being calm & constructive.

Most specially needed in Los Angeles , with a segment who think they are entitled celebrities , mired in Maya .

Where every minor instance of personal drama is magnified , tweeted & blogged to exhaustion .

" The rescue is going on throughout the night , of course , " said Michael Tonge , a teacher from Britain , said early morning from his home in Sendai.

No buildings had collapsed in his neighborhood , Mr. Tonge said , and people were not panicking - typical of a nation accustomed to order and schooled to stay calm & constructive.

" The few shops open have people queuing nicely, " he said , " with no pushing , fighting or anything . "

Image via The Daily Telegraph .

I met with Kayoko M. & the LA component of the Yoga Gives Back team this afternoon to discuss an upcoming benefit. As Kayoko is originally from Tokyo , I mentioned to her how the global media was taking note of Japan's grace under fire.

She replied that the word used to denote that trait is " gaman " or preserverance. As children growing up , it is instilled in them via their parents & school system.

As the Japan Times defines it , " In Japanese , the word " gaman " means the display of calm forbearance and poise in the face of adverse circumstances beyond one's control. "

& Thank you very much to The Un-Ashtangi from NYC for the maha post on my teacher : " serious practice with serious teachers in a serious environment " .

 

The Bhagavad Gita : The Transcendental Qualities

Chapter 16 , Verse 6 : " The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation , whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry O son of Pandu , for you are born with the divine qualities. "

Purport by Srila Prabuphada : " Lord Krsna encouraged Arjuna by telling him he was not born with demoniac qualities. His involvement in the fight was not demoniac , as he was considering the pros and cons.

He was considering whether respectable persons such as Bhisma and Drona should be killed or not , so he was not acting under the influence of anger , false prestige or harshness.

For a ksatriya , a military man , shooting arrows at the enemy is considered transcendental , and refraining from such a duty is demoniac.

Therefore , there was no cause for Arjuna to lament. Anyone who performs the regulative principles of the different orders of life is transcendentally situated . "

 

Bhujapidasana : Ashtanga New Castle

Thanks to Ashtanga Yoga Newcastle for posting this fluid transition to Bhujapidasana.

The Broome St. Temple NYC : Picture Farm VDO

Broome St. Temple from Picture Farm on Vimeo.

Via the AYNY Home Page : " Chris Bren and Picture Farm Productions very generously have made a mini-doc about the Broome Street Temple, to help spread awareness that there is indeed a functioning Hindu Temple in NYC, open to all, and to help raise funds to keep the temple operating." I've been blogging about the growing shift back towards the classical / traditional origins & practices of Hatha & Bhakti Yoga. Here is a vdo that shows what this is journey is all about. Dhanyavad Eddie -