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 )

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.

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 .

Harijiwan: Long Ek Ong Kar

Long Ek Ong Kar ( Morning Call) is a classic meditation coordinating the breath with the 7 chakras. EK :One , ONG : I Bow to the Creator , KAR : God is the Doer. I am still reeling from the incredible power &energy of Harijiwan's gong meditation , and after listening to the experiences of others who have attended Harijiwan's sessions, this is the gift of the gong's vibration. Harijiwan Khalsa & Tej Khaur will be @ Golden Bridge Hollywood this 4th of July -

Magnetic Time : Gong Meditation with Harijiwan

Harijiwan Khalsa is known as a master teacher of  kundalini yoga & meditation in the tradition of Yogi Bhajan. His gong meditation sessions are  opportunities to explore the vibrations of the Universe & move into what kundalini practitioners believe is the AQUARIAN AGE.

Last night's Magnetic Time workshop for teachers @ Golden Bridge in Hollywood was purposely set on the "negative" date of Friday the 13th in order to harness those specific energies , & by way of the  Kriyas ,breath of fire & gong meditation , turn them positive.

The foundation of my practice is in hatha yoga ;however, I have come to appreciate kundalini for its emphasis on good vibes & expansion. There is a calmness evident in even new practitioners of kundalini that is seriously lacking in the "yoga newbies".Perhaps because the teachers trained by Yogi Bhajan are focused on education ?

After an extremely long & crazy Friday at work , dealing with a couple of A list celebs , the invitation from HarNadh  to meet up @ Golden Bridge just felt right. Harijiwan took us into what he termed "point zero" ,total PRATYAHARA-

Complete Breath+ Total Relaxation with John Sahakian

John Sahakian was seven when his father demonstrated Pranayama.It was his father's death some twenty years later that ignited John's passion for yoga. He wrote a book about the experience of losing his first "Teacher" and how it inspired a spiritual and psychological awakening within him. John has been influenced by Saul David Raye, Shiva Rea, Micheline Berry and Max Strom,to name only a few. John is a certified Breathing Therapist and his workshops have been featured on CNN and CBS.

I look up to several teachers not only for "higher learning" but also for inspiration. Last Sunday was John's workshop @ Exhale Venice , which proved to be a consciousness expanding experience. His focus was on taking us through various practices in order to better understand  the flow of PRANAYAMA & develop the relaxed & meditative state. His eloquent & cerebral approach           ( referencing tradition)  to what is an integral component of one's practice not only defined  & clarified the role BREATH plays in life . I have been working on fine tuning my UJJAYI , the oceanic breath AKA "Darth Vader"that typically accompanies asana practice to build internal heat, and the exercises that he walked us through  did so.

The most interesting portion of the workshop, and a new subject for most ,was YOGA NIDRA.  Yoga Nidra , also known as "Yogic Sleep" , brings incredible calmness , quietness &  clarity. It is employed to purify the unconscious mind through resolve or intention (SANGKALPA). This introduction to Yoga Nidra was amazing.