MahaMondo

Cyndi Lee Q & A :Om Yoga Mix 2

Here's my Q & A with the amazing Cyndi Lee of OmYoga NYC on the what's & why's of her recent CD realease , OM Yoga Mix 2 :

- What inspired this compilation ?

The music, of course!  My husband and his artists just keep making such great music and I love practicing with it and using it when I teach.  We also got incredibly positive feedback on our first

OM

yoga Mix and were getting loads of requests to do another one and so we just thought it was time to do that. 

- Known for her offbeat perspective , true?

Hmmmm....I guess I am known for being a fun, but also somewhat forceful or firm teacher.  I like to challenge students to be clear in their practice as far as alignment and focus.  I am also known for how I connect the yoga asana practice to the dharma practice, imbedding meditation principles of mindfulness and compassion into how I instruct students to work in the practice -- to take a middle path approach of not too tight, not too loose.  Because of my years as a professional choreographer, both in modern dance and for many music videos (Girls Just Want Have Fun with Cyndi Lauper, Rick James, Appolonia, Tangerine Dream, Simple Minds....) my sequencing is pretty creative and at the same time always has a logic to it that is meant to teach students, empower them to own their own practice and properly prepare them for big poses to come.

- Favorite cut ? (Aside from David Nichtern's)

OK, aside from The Beyman Bros. which is my husband, David Nichtern, Christopher Guest (yes, that Christopher Guest) and CJ Vanston, I guess that my favorite is Jaadu by Ustad Sultan Khan.  When David was making the Rare Elements CD with Sultan Khan I had the thrill of seeing and hearing him perform one night in NYC.  He is a rare element, indeed.  Known as one of the greatest musicians in India Sultan Khan becomes the music; there is no separation between him, his instruments and the sounds; and whenever I hear his music it becomes elementable for me, too.  I l love moving to it! -- which I did on my first DVD,

OM

yoga Beginner/Intermediate yoga class.  That DVD offers a class taught by me but at the very beginning I do a little yoga dance to this same music --- love it!

- What is your take on those who are of the opinion that contemporary music should not be used as a soundtrack to yoga practice?

Each to his own!  I do think that when music is played in a yoga class it should be a support for the practice, as opposed to a DJ situation where the yoga class feels more like a dance-a-thon!  But there are many reasons why people take yoga class and often people find that the music helps them to feel comfortable and helps them to open to new things.  I don't think that yoga needs to be heavily serious and soberly sacred although it is good to pay attention in order to get the most benefit from the work.  I also kind of feel that yoga should not just be another thing that we get all opinionated and rigid about it -- it's bad enough in politics, right?  Yoga truly is an absolutely personal thing and each of us can and hopefully will evolve our practice throughout our lifetimes.  We might even find that music is good for our practice one day and the next day we want to practice in silence.  There are many options and perhaps staying open to all of that could be considered a kind of yogic approach to all of life.

- Tibetan Buddhist influence on CD is most evident on ____ ?

Perhaps you could say it has some influence on the Kiss of Bliss track because of the bansuri flute playing of Steve Gorn.  Steve is a long time Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and although he mainly plays Indian music, his whole sensibility of space and sound -- the natural ability to rest in openness with no need to fill space --  is very Buddhist.

- I like the fact that the selected tracks fuse both Eastern traditional music & contemporary engineering. Is this a keynote to OmYoga Mixes? 

Yes, it is a hallmark of

OM

yoga Mix 1 and 2.  I love world music because of the range of instruments, the highly skilled musicians, the different kinds of sounds and the evocative nature of the singing which is often due to the fact that the singers are singing prayers, songs from their own practices.  But we are who we are, too -- modern day Americans and we like to use all that is available to us which includes electronica, too.  That another reason why it's called a mix!

- Complete this sentence : Krishna Das (Kirtan walla KD) is_______  :

The best known kirtan singer in the

US

today and a really nice guy.  He's not kidding when he is chanting.  It comes straight from his heart and he has shaped his whole life around this practice and sharing it with others.  He's a beautiful cat.

- Lastly, your next trip to LA & perhaps

Santa Monica

will be in ? 

Not sure yet but stay tuned....!  I'm contemplating offering an

OM

Yoga teacher training in LA -- do you think that's a good idea, Peter?

Thanks & much love.

Thanks to you, Peter.  It was great to work with you last December and I appreciate you including

OM

Yoga Mix 2 in your blog.

Cyndi

Self-Practice :DJ Mark Ronson

This re-worked cut by Mark Ronson of THE SMITH's classic "STOP ME" , has been kick starting my practice after heading in from work. It has enough soul, groove & texture to flow into 6 rounds of CHANDRA NAMASKAR. I'll mix in some Groove Armada & the new Gnarls Barkley for segueing into the asanas : yogi bicycles, HANUMANASANA, PINCHA MAYURASANA, SIRSASANA B , URDHVA DANURASANA & when the spirit is willing, EKA PADA SIRSASANA.Then it's time to can the tunes for surrendering into MEDITATION. The chattering mind is pretty much chilled after vinyasa -

Maha Shivaratri 2008: Dave Stringer

I couldn't make it to Dave Stringer's Shivaratri kirtan @ Exhale Venice this year as I was in the depths of a major case of the flu. Last year's event was MAHA ,and here's a taste of it with Om Nama Shivaya/ Shiva Shankara. So Om Nama Shivaya I was able to make it to class and see my teacher Sunday. Much gratitude -

YogiMilan Kirtan : March 8 , Electric Lodge Venice

YogiMilan , as part of its ongoing mission to foster SATSANG & BHAKTI among yogis & yoginis , is presenting kirtan walla Joey Lugassy & band @ the Electric Lodge in Venice on March 8th.

Tickets are available for purchase online @ www.yogimilan.com : $ 15.00. YogiMilan's objective is to provide a single platform where yogis can be aware of various tools & techniques to practice yoga, meet other yogis and share their experiences on the yogic path.

I understand the Electric Lodge parking lot has space for 40 cars. Another blessing as it is right by grid-locked Abbott Kinney.

* * While on the topic of yogic experiences , I had a new yogic test at class this afternoon via a neighboring yogi with an extreme & festering case of B.O. What to do : Utilise Ujjayii or go into full Kapalabhati Pranayam in an effort to expel the odor that was wafting & sticking to my nostrils. No perfume or cologne in class for sure , but a deodorant ?

To paraphrase yogi STING : "Don't stand so close to me...."

Temple Bhajan Band / Jerome Mercier 6 AM

* Arvind, an emigre' from India, was SHOCKED when he first came to the US of A and saw how yoga was treated here as something just done on a mat. He created www.yogimilan.com as a platform wherein yogis can increase their knowledge & awareness of the TOTAL yogic path. As he mentioned, the higher one goes in consciousness, the more difficult it becomes to find companionship in the same realm. Hari Om , that's the truth. Bhakti Yoga, among all the yogas is termed the easiest path as it involves opening one's heart through bhajans and surrendering to the Divine. Surya Das of the Temple Bhajan Band regaled us with tales of his visits to the holy city of Vrindavan. Tamaso Ma Jyoti Gamayah : Out of the Darkness & Into the Light - ** Jerome Mercier's 6 AM class this morning was lit by a single candle ; this from a teacher who never repeats a format. The QUALITY of his EXPERIENCE has always consistently been marked by attention to detail & education. He used a word today to describe this morning's session : CAMARADERIE , which was most appropriate , as he has a following of the best , advanced students with the right attitudes. I bring this up as my practice yesterday afternoon was marred by having to listen to the disrespectful chatter of newbies before class; a couple of them didn't even bother to can their stage whispering once my teacher had commenced. Have people become so CALLOUS because of mobile phones ? What has happened to the concept of yoga as an oasis of tranquility? I've been reading this book which describes QUALITY & EXPERIENCE using the analogy of the restaurant business. There are the CLASSICS that have withstood the initial surge of heat ( any of the Chaya restos come to mind) and have kept on due to their attention to loyal customers & quality of food, ambience , service,etc. On the other hand, there are the "flash-in-the-pans" who built their rep with the initial buzz, but once they commenced to pander to the LCD (lowest common denominator) and got sloppy , the initial base of customers then decided to move on. And the restaurants , once hot , are history. So Jerome M. , muito obrigado for expressing your gratitude for my being present . I really felt it. You are a CLASSIC.

YYoga Movie Vinyasa Exclusive

Big thanks to Arthur K. for this exclusive , fresh new clip from the film. Dave Stringer & Shiva Rea are featured along with a track from Rara Avis. VINYASA when practiced fluidly & as my teacher describes it " like a surfer rides the wave " is a MAHA metaphor for living.

Beautiful : Snoop Dog & Pharell

As some of my co-workers get ready to embark on their holiday break ( Paris , Phuket , etc.) , I will be holding the fort down here in LA . My trip to Ipanema is booked though for New Year's 2008 , c/o MK & GK AKA my parents, muito obrigado. With that in mind & keeping with the theme , here's Snoop & Pharell's classic vid shot in Rio.

Rick Rubin, The Music Man : Walk the Walk

Tom Wilson from NYC, has this to say about the NY Times Magazine's feature on music producer  & meditator Rick Rubin :

" Rubin wants to push Columbia Records into going "green" by eliminating the plastic jewel boxes that contain the CDs it sells - presumably because he is concerned about the environment. Yet he drives a Range Rover ( a gas guzzler if ever there was one ) and drinks the purest bottled  water he can find ( petroleum again expended to transport, package and refrigerate it). All too often I find , celebrities and politicians can't WALK IT LIKE THEY TALK IT ."

Spot on Tim . It kills me when I look at all that unnecessary packaging that just gets trashed when I buy food from a supposedly educated retailer like WHOLE FOODS . Or yoginis who wear those fuggly (and smelly ) UGG boots and prop them up on the studio floor , road kill alert-

However, when I see my teachers driving in their Priuses, I know they are making the effort to walk the walk.

Bhakti Rock : Love, Devotion & Surrender

After finishing Ram Dass' book "Paths to God" which had its setting in the early 70s, it occurred to me that most of the seekers, musicians, writers & kirtan walas then were focused on the theme of LOVE , DEVOTION & SURRENDER to their gurus, hence the ascendancy of Maharishi Mahesh ( for the Beatles) , Sri Prabupad ( George Harrison ) and others.

I stumbled upon this album by Carlos "Devadip" Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin while researching on the theme. At that point in time, they were both devotees of Sri Chinmoy , to whom the album was dedicated to. Listening to a downloaded cut, it is apparent that they were both inspired by their teacher as it still  has the ability to take off & soar . Devadip was a gifted name to Carlos which means "the light of the lamp of the Supreme".

Devotion to gurus & teachers got a bad rap several years after with the emergence  of personality based cults and all the baggage that came with them. With more wisdom, we can now move forward with discernment and actually LEARN from gurus & teachers.

I bring this up as a yoga class is a microcosm of LD & S , wherein the practitioner runs through the whole cycle as the challenges build up , culminating in that  final happiness & exhilaration. Case in point was my class this morning where I had the opportunity to "BE PRESENT" with 2 of my teachers, one conducting the class, the other practicing as a student.

As always, it was difficult , and that is where the component of SURRENDER comes in ,surrender to the asana , breath & sensation. DEVOTION in the form of showing up on a regular basis at that early hour to learn from an excellent teacher . LOVE, being present even when I get called out in class , as in "Open your chest wider !" . Oui, monsieur, d'accord , knowing that it is coming from a "good place". And feeling even more LOVE when a "very nice" comes after a fluid Bakasana-Salamba Sirsasana-Chatturanga Series.

Alright, I need to work on my Adho Mukha Vrksasana (HandStand) . I'm still wary of my wrist from that major Bakasana sprain. Mucho mas practice & DEVOTION -

Sting : Pre-Show Yoga Turkey 1993

Rare footage of Sting practicing in 1993 . Check out the very audible UJAYII in the background. Jerome made us do the same variation of EKAPADASANA this morning.