MahaMondo

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.

 

New Year's Eve & Day : 12 Hour Kirtana

New Dwarka Dham in Los Angeles will be conducting 12 hour kirtana on New Year's Eve (1 pm - 1 am) & Day (12 pm - 12 am). I am looking forward to chanting with Amala Kirtan Das starting at 10 PM on NYE. This clip is from the " Kirtana 24 Horas " held in Campina Grande , Brasil 2010. It is going to be auspicious & ecstatic. Hari Hari !

Guru & Teacher : Seva & Sadhana

Once I started going deeper into the physical practice of yoga several years ago , I began to look for a real guru , a teacher who would embody all the traditional knowledge & wisdom , who would have all the answers.

It came to a point that I thought I would have to embark on a pilgrimage to India , like many a seeker before me , to find Guru.

And as an old Indian adage phrases it ," When the student is ready , the teacher appears. " In this instance, I am doubly blessed , as I first found my traditional teacher 3 years ago , here in Santa Monica , & my spiritual master during Gaura Purnima , at the LA Dham.

All this without having to travel to India ( My teachers do want me to make the trip soon ).

From my Spiritual Master , Maharaja , I am learning Bhakti Yoga & Seva , devotional & unconditional service. As he mentioned to us during our Holiday darshan with him yesterday , " Whenever you need to make or come to a decision , think about how its outcome will benefit the majority ,contribute to the the greater good ." Wise words indeed to keep to heart as we endeavor to live in this Material World.

Today I had the annual Holiday lunch with my teacher , Jorgen C. , who I fondly call Babaji. Through him, I have imbibed the love for the tradition & culture of Mother India. The rasa of his Sadhana , the respect for the teachings of his Guru & its parampara , have been invaluable.

Prior to his departure for India tomorrow , he gave me a special gift. An enamelled box containing the bark of a tree from a forest in Vrindavan & clay from the fields of Kurukshetra , relics / mementos he has cherished since one of his 1st trips to India 20 years ago.

And as I mentioned to Lila Padma in the car after lunch today , these are the teachers who are keeping me on track , who keep the inspiration going towards continued transformation. Jai !

Bhajan : Bhaktivinod Prabhu St. Petersburg

Another beautiful bhajan from Russia , one of the BRIC countries (Brazil,Russia,India & China), where the Sankirtan Movement is experiencing ecstatic growth. Happy Holidays !

Michael P. Carter : Ashtanga Yoga & Patanjali's Sutras

Via Michael P. Carter's Tumblr :

Samadhi Pada: Sutra 2 -

Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhah

Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.

Samadhi Pada: Sutra 12 -

abhyasavairagyabhyan tannirodhah

Their restraint is accomplished by practice and non-attachment.

Samadhi Pada: Sutra 32

tatpratishedhartham…

 

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga : Ritual In Motion

This video from David Robson of Toronto's Ashtanga Yoga Centre provides the best detailed snapshot / overview of the technique for practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga .He also describes Mysore-style, the traditional "self-practice" format for practicing Ashtanga. I like the fact that he emphasizes the meditative aspect that results from it.

YGB : 2012 Global Calendar

Thank you Kayoko Mitsumatsu from Yoga Gives Back for providing the image on the left of the 2012 Global Calendar.

It features the international studios & images from Thank You Mother India 2011. I chose the image on the left as it has a couple of shots taken at our Omkar108 shala.

As Kayoko expressed in her email , " Please consider this calendar for your holiday gifts. It also has US , UK & Indian holidays ! "

A couple of the most important lessons / practices I have learned from my teachers in Bhakti & Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga are  Seva & Generosity .

It doesn't matter if you can flip through Chakrasana in your sleep if there is no deep intention in your sadhana. Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hare Krishna : Lululemon Robertson Blvd.

I saw this on the side of the Lululemon store as I was driving down Robertson Blvd. here in LA yesterday.

As we all know , Lulu is a great weathervane for the next " big thing " in the current yoga world. And the quickest to appropriate it in order to maintain its  " cool factor " and spin the resulting heat / hype into company revenue.

Regardless of Lulu's intention or not so hidden agenda , it will definitely make people walking & driving by think of the Lord Hari ; raising his Q quotient in the Westside of Los Angeles where it is most  needed , hehe.

Haribol & Jaya !

* Image via Apparel News.

Yoga Hygiene : Sunday AM Mysore

This post is going to be really ironic , considering the previous one was on Dharana or focus.

It was like a big cosmic joke yesterday morning. I was looking forward to my favorite Sun. AM Mysore class & even after hitting the snooze button on my alarm twice , I managed to make it to the shala. This after attending parties two consecutive nights in a row.

As I started into Surya Namaskar  A, it became apparent that it was going to take more than Dharana to get through this class . I could tolerate one of my biggest pet peeves to the right , the "Thudder " , an intermediate practitioner / acrobat who was making no effort to muffle the sounds of his landings.

The biggest yogic challenge was wafting to my left , a person who was oblivious of his own stench & pungency. And the more he practiced , the fouler the air reeked around us.

By the time I got to the seated postures , relief came in the form of an empty space in the back row. Which I bolted to the safety of immediately in order to minimize the throbbing headache & nausea that was coming on as a side effect of the aroma.

 Portland Ashtanga Yoga has this note on " What About Hygiene ? " from its Beginners FAQs :

" Please try to wear clean clothes & shower before class . Deodorants & scented oils are OK , just don't bathe in them. If you have to ask whether you're wearing too much , you are wearing too much. Don't slather on the Tiger Balm & Ben-Gay. It won't help much anyway.

Gentlemen, if you wear AXE , then beware the AXE effect. You will not practice alone ."

I could have dealt with the smell of AXE in this case if that was all I was up against. 

As an added FYI , Bhakti Yoga has extremely strict rules & guidelines on cleanliness & hygiene.

Image via Amazon.com