MahaMondo

Namaste MCA : Bodhisattva Vow Live 1994

Namaste MCA AKA Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys.Thank you for the higher rhymes.Samsara.

Chris Evans : Talks Yoga on DETAILS.com

Thank you & Happy New Year to Jaime Marsanico from Details magazine / Conde' Nast for the email this morning regarding Chris Evans interview in the upcoming issue.

Being from Los Angeles , I don't really subscribe or aspire to the  karmi allure of "The Biz " . ( Full disclosure, I do deal with several top echelon names in entertainment as clients for work ).

I don't even own a TV or watch movies. However , the recent uptick of A List male celebs (of the non-d***bag variety) starting to practice  are worth mentioning.

Here are some excerpts :

 DETAILS: Do you have any new year's resolutions?
Chris Evans: It's been, like, the same new year's resolution for, like, a decade, but I really think I'm going to do it this year. I always say I should do more yoga. Or do yoga—more would mean I do some. I've done none. But I always want to do yoga because I'm getting old. Nerves are getting pinched every other day, and I really just gotta get more limber.

DETAILS: Do you have a special kind you want to get into?
Chris Evans: I actually did Bikram—

DETAILS: We did a story on Bikram Choudhury! All about the cult surrounding him and such.
Chris Evans: I have some friends in L.A. who trained with him, and I've heard . . . not the best things! But I've done his yoga, and I almost passed out. I don't think that's the one for me. I'll just do the standard yoga. Just watch, though, we'll do this interview again next year, and I'll be like, "I really want to get into yoga! Didn't happen in 2012, but 2013 is the year."

Read More http://www.details.com/celebrities-entertainment/movies-and-tv/201112/chris-evans-actor-captain-america-gucci-guilty-intense#ixzz1hwg0JvFf

That's a New Year's resolution. Chris .The physical practice of yoga always starts with the body , but once you go deeper, it envelopes the mind & spirit. For some of us at least , hehe.

Here's to a great 2012 ahead !

* Image via Reuters.

 

Kino M. : Crucial Shift From a Physical Practice to a Devotional One

Kino MacGregor has an eloquent post on her website , www.kinoyoga.com , entitled " The Logic of the 6 Day a Week Mysore Style Ashtanga Method ".

This thought from her resonated with me the  most , " One other crucial shift must happen in order to facilitate the transition into full immersion in the yoga tradition.

You must make the transition from a fitness oriented approach to yoga into a devotional one.

By getting this subtle shift you will gain consistency and regularity in the way that you do your practice. A daily spiritual ritual where you take time to connect internally to a deep sense of yourself requires dedication."

That is the key word  which connects the traditions of Bhakti Yoga & Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga : DEVOTION. SADHANA.

Are you mired forever in the lower reaches of the Ashtanga ladder if you cannot transcend the physicality of your practice?

You can read the full post in its entirety via this link : http://kinoyoga.com/the-logic-of-the-six-day-a-week-mysore-style-ashtanga-yoga-method-by-kino-macgregor/

Jai & Bravo Kino. I will be back practicing at Miami Life Center this coming January.

The image of Kino in YogaNidrasana was taken by Tom Rosenthal . You can view more of his amazing work @ www.lightonashtangayoga.com.

 

Adam Levine Yoga : DETAILS Magazine

Thank you Madison Back from Conde' Nast for sending the link  this morning to Adam Levine's feature in the December issue of DETAILS Magazine.

I'm pretty grateful for its timing on the eve of Thanksgiving as it is a great rebuttal of that    "vapid " NY Times feature from my previous post.

Here are some details / excerpts from the article :

" Living the plugged-in celebrity life in Los Angeles, Levine was aware of the yoga scene but initially kept his distance, turned off by what he calls "the cheesy clichés."

But he began to worry that his gym routine was a dead end, hurting more than it helped: "Weights made my neck thick, and I would be like, 'I'm turning into a monster!' As he grew increasingly frustrated by lower-back pain and tight hips and hamstrings, he decided to give yoga a try.

That was five years ago, and Levine hasn't lifted a weight or entered a gym since. "Yoga takes what you have and molds and sculpts it, which is a much more natural way to look and feel," he says.

Credit Levine with a refreshing candor about the aesthetic payoff: "I don't like how people bullshit about how yoga is not about vanity."

Not that he doesn't appreciate the spiritual benefits—Levine sees his routines as a therapeutic antidote to the distortions of his career. "Playing a show before thousands of people is a highly unnatural state," he says, "and when I get on the mat to do an hour of yoga before the show, I come out physically relaxed."

Read More http://www.details.com/health-fitness/celebrity-workout/201112/maroon-5-adam-levine-yoga-workout-video#ixzz1eYl7Rd2V

So for someone who "moves like Jagger " , he does mention the spiritual aspect of the practice. And for those who have walked this road before , this is the crucial juncture where you can opt to take the proverbial higher road. Let's be thankful ! Hari Om -

Living in the Material World : Pilgrimage

This is a copy of George Harrison's book , Living in the Material World , which is a gift for Maharaja when I visit him for SEVA tomorrow.

Chapter 4 entitled " Pilgrimage " has this insight :

" Each person has to find himself a way for inner realisation. I still believe that's the only reason we're on this planet.

It's like going to school again : each soul is potentially divine & the goal is to manifest that divinity.

Everything else is secondary . "

George

Hari Hari ! Thank you for being an inspiration -

 

An Introduction to Eddie Stern : The Confluence Countdown

I am back in Santa Monica after a week in New York. Thank you to Bobbi Jo & Steve of The Confluence Countdown blog for having me do a guest post on Eddie Stern of AYNY & the Broome Street Temple in SoHo.

You can read the post in its entirety here :

An Introduction to Eddie Stern

Steve also tipped me off to this picture of Russell Brand rocking a Broome St. Temple t-shirt. Apparently , he is a fellow bhakta or devotee as he has regular visits with his spiritual master  Radhanath Swami .

And , Ashtangis are supposedly comprised of  Type A &  "pitta" dominant personalities. Could this be the reason why Kino Macgregor & Jorgen C.'s respective TYMI 2011 benefits have generated the most donations to date ?

Kino's raised $ 5000.00 at Pure Yoga HK , while my teacher's LA shala event is now at $ 3,200.00 . Hari Om .

* Image via X17online.com.

Kenny Scharf : Art In The Streets

Photographer Gregory Bojorquez was on site for seven weeks at the Geffen Contemporary while Art In The Streets came to life.

While there , he documented the beauty and hard work brought to the show by artists from around the globe.

Gregory took the picture on the left of my classmate at Omkar108 , Kenny Scharf , capturing his creative process.

Thanks to Kenny for bringing his energy to class & reminding me about the show at MOCA. I am looking forward to seeing your work along with those by Basquiat & Os Gemeos.

Bent on Learning : Why Increased Accessibility to Yoga is a Vital Endeavor

Eddie Stern , the Director of Ashtanga Yoga New York & Sri Ganesha Temple in NYC wrote this article in the Huffington Post last April.

" As a yoga teacher since 1989, I am at the point where I am almost embarrassed to say that it is what I do because it can sound like such a cliche. Everyone does yoga; sometimes it feels like everyone sells yoga."

"The yoga scene, which has always been pretty wacky (think the Omnipotent Oom's yoga harem of the early 1900's), seems to be getting wackier by the day (suede yoga mat bags, anyone?) . "

" The spirit of yoga is the removal of suffering; it is the central tenet of the earliest texts. As I stated earlier, everyone suffers: inner city kids, their teachers, the wealthy who summer in East Hampton. Suffering is undiscriminating and comes to all who live on this planet. Yoga provides tools to cultivate stability, good health, mental focus, relaxation and compassion. "

" Bent On Learning lives by this simple prescription. The children who take our classes find that it makes them happy, and perhaps a little healthier. In the BOL syllabus book, the first definition we give of yoga is that yoga is a practice of kindness. I can't think of anything more worthwhile to practice in life."

You can read the full article via this link : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eddie-stern/yoga-health-bent-on-learn_b_552259.html

Image via Zimbio.

Southampton : Winter 2011

Via Russell Simmon's / Uncle Rush Twitter Post :

" Dear Arjuna behold now my opulences , hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms , multicolored like the sea " . Sri Krisna / Gita.

It was one of those winter days a couple of weeks ago in Southampton where even the beach was covered with snow.

Probably the best time to visit the Hamptons. No traffic & crowds.

Enjoy the silence.

Super Rich : Russell Simmons

Don't let the title of Russell Simmon's book , " Super Rich " prevent you from picking up a copy.

I started this blog as a vehicle for inspiration & transformation , & Russell has made the transformative journey from drug dealer , music mogul , to yogi & provider.

He describes being " Super Rich " as the state of needing nothing. When you can give your full attention to serving the world ( seva ) , instead of worrying about the world giving you things , you will be so attractive that people will literally start throwing things at your feet -

The attitude of being able to walk calmly and with grace through life with a smile in your face & give without expectation , without any fixation on the end result.

This is Russell's take on transformation : " Though we are all capable of evolving , very few of us have faith in our ability to  do so .Yogis however , know that fighting change is a losing battle because God is going to change every single one of us , whether we like it or not."

Russell , you,ve been reading the Bhagavad Ghita , as your book echoes a number of themes from the BG : service , devotion & surrender , all components of Bhakti Yoga.

He wrote this follow-up to his initial book , " Do You " , as a wake-up call , a source of inspiration.

One the best "Uncle Rush-isms" from this book is , " I'm certainly no saint ( as you'll see , the only saint that I'm on intimate terms with is St. Barts ). "

Thanks for keeping it real & smart when you could have gone yoga dawgy & dorky on us.

Thanks to Gotham Books for sending the preview copy.

Image via Stuff the Best.