MahaMondo

Moby : Yoga & Lifestyle

Eddie Stern chats with Moby regarding his transformative yoga practice for the Urban Yogis Series. I've been listening to Moby's music ever since he released "GO " back in the day. I thought of him this week as my iPod randomly played his cut " Honey " , which led me to finding this inspiring video. 2012 turned out to be a great year. I am looking forward to 2013. Based on my travel schedule for this coming January , it is going to be MAHA !

Sri Guruvastakam : George Harrison & The Radha Krishna Temple

Chanting the Holy Names , dancing in ecstasy , singing & playing musical instruments , the Spiritual Master is always gladdened. Vande guroh sri-caranaravindam.

Yoga Is : A Transformational Journey

Thank you Janeal Bernhart for the email regarding the upcoming release on Sept. 15th of filmmaker Suzanna Bryant's DVD : " Yoga Is : A Transformational Journey ".

The primary reason why I started blogging several years back was to document & communicate the transformative aspects the spiritual & physical practice of Yoga ( both bhakti & ashtanga vinyasa ) has had on my current incarnation.

Suzanna Bryant's journey towards a deeper practice of yoga started with a crisis & led her to India where she studied various disciplines of yoga & met with respected gurus.

Christy Turlington - Burns & Russell Simmons , who have also released their inspiring books on their respective yogic journeys , also make appearances in this film.

You can visit the Magnolia Pictures website or Amazon for more information regarding the DVD's release or to purchase an advance copy.

Jois Yoga Channel : Greenwich 1st Week

JYS now has an official channel on YouTube.The quality of the videos are great. Check out this one showing the 1st week of the Greenwich yogashala earlier this year. I had a chance to stop by one morning then prior to my meetings in Greenwich & New Canaan.As Sharath says , " Yoga is transformation. "

Eddie Stern : AYNY & The Broome St. Temple

" My name is Eddie Stern. I teach yoga & run a Hindu temple." You can catch a glimpse of Mike D. of the Beastie Boys towards the beginning of the clip.

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 -