September 20th, 2007 at 10:49pm
I guess it’s not surprising these days, but I am still continually amazed that spiritual leaders actually do stupid things like getting sexually involved with students. In the yoga community, some very well-respected gurus have fallen to the lure of sex, among them, Amrit Desai, who was kicked out of Kripalu for his misconduct. Siddha Yoga’s Swami Mutkananda was also a bit of a cad apparently, and there were also allegations against Kundalini Yoga’s Yogi Bhajan.
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September 19th, 2007 at 2:16pm
Interesting article on travel yoga; but my question is, where on earth does a 31-year-old project manager get the time and money to go on a month-long yoga vacation?
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September 19th, 2007 at 2:09pm
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a program for your yoga teacher’s training. Cost, location, and schedule are all important factors. It’s also important to find a style that you like and a teacher you resonate with.
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September 17th, 2007 at 6:12am
Wow! I made it. I finished the four days. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be able to after day one. I have no idea how people last through month-long training programs. This stuff is intense.
Sunday morning started off without a hitch – the people at Exhale finally got it together and had the place opened on time in the morning. Shiva led us through a lunar flow in the first session. Unfortunately – and sorry if this is TMI (Too Much Information) – my “moon flow” had kicked in the day before and it was at its peak on Sunday morning. The first full day of my period I usually rest and don’t exercise, and for good reason. I’m losing a lot of blood! So I went through the beginning of the lunar flow series and then I started feeling sick. It wasn’t even a regular cramp. The heat of the room was really getting to me and I felt like I was going to throw up. So I sat back and watched a little bit and then rested in some restorative poses.
Read the rest of “Shiva Rea’s Embodying the Flow Teacher Training, Day Four” »
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September 16th, 2007 at 4:27am
You’d think that someone as famous and respected as Shiva Rea would get keys to the yoga center (Exhale) where she performs her teacher training. But no, they rely on a probably low-paid employee to do that, and for the second day in a row, that employee overslept. On Friday, we had to wait a half-hour, and our 6:30 am class started at 7. Yesterday, we had actually planned to start the class 1/2 hour late. So we were all there at 7 am, and locked out.
Shiva handled this with grace and led everyone into some chanting to the morning sun. A regular yoga class showed up at 7 am as well, and they couldn’t get into the building either. (The teacher did not have the key.) So they were forced to go down to the beach for their class. At 7:30 am it was now an hour past our scheduled starting time, and still no employee. It wasn’t until 7:45 am that we were finally able to enter the building.
Read the rest of “Shiva Rea’s Embodying the Flow Teacher Training, Day Three” »
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September 15th, 2007 at 5:05am
There is a method to Shiva’s madness. We learned in day two why we were taken through the extremely tough series of arm balancing asanas on day one. She showed us how her yoga sequencing prepares the body through the class to go into the toughest asana at the peak. She doesn’t prefer to use modifications, rather let students stay in one of the preceding postures as part of the flow (I can’t remember how she phrased this, but she feels that it’s better to keep students in the flow than make them do a modification.)
I had a much better time in day two. Even though we had a lot of yoga to do, Shiva was mindful of the exhaustion many of us had from the day before and encouraged us to skip the chatturangas if we needed to. We didn’t have a tough series to do in the afternoon as in day one; we had an interactive lecture instead. Here, she showed us how we might craft a yoga flow, by using living students as “flash cards” lined up in a grid in the center of the room. This was a highly effective teaching method and fantastic.
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September 14th, 2007 at 4:27am
I am in the middle of taking Shiva Rea’s four-day foundational teacher training intensive, “Embodying the Flow.” Yesterday was day one.
Well, I survived. First off, nothing could totally prepare you for this other than four hours of yoga a day – and who has time for that except full-time yoga teachers? My arms hurt this morning, but my legs are surprisingly fine.
The morning session was good. We learned some sun salutations and how to do a few small adjustments. We got to practice with the teaching assistants in smaller groups and that was terrific. Shiva is a bit too obsessed with her power version of chatturanga and I had to pace myself to not burn my arms out.
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September 8th, 2007 at 12:27pm
You would think that by the 21st century, we could come up with a good solution to our clothing and undergarment woes. Alas, for women, we have the perpetual pressure of finding ways to wear tight clingy clothing without showing off the…dum dum dum daaaa…dreaded panty line!
The panty line, aka visible panty line or VPL, has become one of fashion’s biggest faux pas in recent years. Personally, I think we women should take back our asses and demand equal rights for panty lines, but that’s for another story.
For myself, I’m just trying to find underwear that fits, doesn’t ride up, and doesn’t leave me in pain at the end of the day. It would also be nice to avoid the dreaded panty line as well.
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September 5th, 2007 at 3:09pm
One of the trendiest forms of yoga that you may not yet have heard of is Christian Yoga. You may not have heard of it, because it’s heartland-based and not something you’ll easily find in an urban center such as Los Angeles or New York City.
I am not a Christian, but I am fascinated with the concept of Christian Yoga and I think it is a good idea. I am all for yoga that can honor other religions, especially Christianity. If Christian Yoga can bring yoga to the masses, then let’s have more Christian Yoga.
My concern with Christian Yoga, however, is the extremely negative portrayal some Christians make of yoga’s Hindu roots.
For example, on this Christian Yoga website, the FAQ explains:
If secular yoga is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, it could expose participants to spiritual forces that are not of God. Scripture Yoga is a Christ-centered approach that allows you to enjoy the physical benefits of yoga without the spiritual dangers presented by other forms of yoga.
Holy Moses!!! Heaven forbid someone gets exposed to an eastern religion in yoga class! It might be contagious and catching!!
Read the rest of “Christian Yoga – A Good Idea, But Quit With the Holier Than Thou ‘Tude!” »
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September 4th, 2007 at 12:05am
I honestly don’t get the fascination with Bikram (generic term: Hot Yoga). We’ve been having this awful heat wave in LA, and I went to a regular yoga class on Sunday that was just steaming hot. The teacher ended up putting on the air conditioning, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. (And this was an easy, yin-style yoga class.)
My cousin’s boyfriend has been doing Bikram for five years and swears by it; I have another friend who goes regularly. But why on earth would anyone want to work out in a humid 105 degree room?
Read the rest of “Sorry, Bikram, No Hot Yoga for Me” »
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