REAL YOGA FOR REAL PEOPLE.. dvd released

This is worth looking at. There is a practice here that is good general instruction from which a person could design a personal practice.  Sure it would better to have personal instruction from a “live” teacher but the whole point of media is to make available the information if it cannot be directly transmitted person to person. I want to thank Richard Pendry from London who made this documentary. Richard is a BBC film maker who directed his skills on to this project. It is documentary style that tells a story as it goes. It outlines as best he could the principles of personal practice. Richard was a practitioner of the Ashtanga Vinyasa type standardized asana. He came to my class and soon saw that it was essential to add the other principles of Krishnamacharya’s Yoga teaching to ensure that the Ashtanga sequencing becomes authentic personal practice, safe and powerful, the “direct embrace of Nurturing Source.” So thank you Richard for your efforts with limited resource one afternoon at Triyoga, London. Thankyou too for Christine McCaull who loves Yoga and organized the packaging and distribution world wide.

I particulary like the sub plot of the couple adapting to Yoga as the mutual accord between them. It is a too common story of a man being intimidated by his slim beautiful wife’s prowess in asana. He cannot see the relavance to him. It is even a threat to the continuity of their intimacy. He only feels awkward and is unable to acheive the standardized postures he is shown in the conventional Yoga studios. So we showed him how to do his own Yoga. Ofcourse he comes alive and very content to know that he CAN do his own Yoga. It enlivens his life, deepens their realtionship as strength receiving, as non dual intimacy and probably saves their marriage.

Please see this if you can. I did want Richard to add pranayama to the prtactice, which ofcourse we did at the live session. But somehow it did not make it on to the final cut.  We saw the beautiful state of Yoga in the pranayama and meditation of the couple adapting to Yoga. for the first time. We saw how Real Yoga is so easily achieved by everyOne.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK

Just wanted to abuse my power of having the password onto this account to announce that today, May 17, is Mark’s birthday. So please send your warmest wishes if you feel inclined, and let’s all honor the birth of such a rockin yogi! Thank you Mark for all your wisdom, sincerity, and love. Infinite love right back at you.
For those of you in LA, there will be an impromptu yoga class with party/celebration to follow held at Power Yoga in Santa Monica this Sunday (the 18th) at 12 noon. Address is 1410 2nd Street.

Calling out to the Bay Area

For any of you living in or around the Bay Area (California, that is), we have a wonderful weekend workshop opportunity coming up in June. The workshop will be held at Rudramandir, a beautiful and sacred sanctuary located in West Berkeley, and be taught by Mark along with Christopher Tompkins and Hareesh Wallis, two Bay Area yoga scholars. This mini immersion will cover topics regarding yoga as a non-dual practice, as a technology to directly participate in the divine within and without. Lectures with Christopher and Hareesh will cover ancient Tantrik philosophy and Mark will bridge the gap between the theoretical and the experiential by giving the practical tools to make your yoga practice your intimate embrace of the life living you.
Workshop times are:
Friday June 20 7pm-10pm
Saturday June 21 9am-5pm
Sunday June 22 9am-1pm
location is 830 Bancroft Way (at 6th) in Berkeley

to read more, please click here to get onto Rudramandir’s site

PURE LOVE PROJECT / MUSIC RELEASED ON iTUNES / REVIEWED

Here is a review from Felicia Case of the album just release on iTunes

I have reviewed your Pure Love Project from iTunes.  I burned to a CD and began my journey of exploration.  The energy was really spiraling and ethereal and I loved it.  Then, lying down to prepare for sleep, I journeyed through your songs again in yoga nidra, and let the ‘ingredients’ of the songs weave and meld.

This morning I have taken a moment while listening to express what I feel and see in your music — a tapestry of impressions, imagery (with the art of Lauri Blank, an artist I admire) and my art through words. Though everyone will likely take away something novel from your music, I believe there is yoga in your core delivery. I hope you enjoy glimpsing how your art reflects through my eyes.

Nurturing Source:

Here she comes … the Sun. … I really liked the sense of  ‘quickening’ and birth with the crisp beat and harmony with the voices. I thought of a great condor waiting earth-bound, caught in that gap between night and morning …with a maximum wingspan of 9 feet, not able to fly when wet and weighted — he waits for the great mother Sun to dry the dew of sunrise from his wings … waits for her great heat to expand the thermal currents high in the wind that will support his flight. … Muladara padma, the bliss of the physical body, and the transmutation of taking flight.

Mother Walks In

For me, Mother Walks In feels sacred and erotic. Mysterious, and naked in pure love. The building drum resonating, and then that sensual flute …. weaving and beguiling … I felt the dance in, around, and in between … Swadhisthana padma, the watery oneness of sexual intimacy and the alchemy of ojas to tejas shakti.

Obstacles Removed

I felt the shared connection and gratitude to Krishnamacharya while listening to Obstacles Removed.  The love of Father, … and his helping to direct our will, at the solar plexis, the flame of heat stoking the fire to burn the dross and reveal the gold.  The strings and the chanting felt for me, like very masculine father energy … Manipura padma …strength found at the core and the obstacles of ego removed.

Love Srim Supreme

My heart resonated to the airy quality of the chimes in wind and the heightened vibrations, high and cool…  I found myself in mountain air, a feelong of vast expansiveness, with thinner, faster currents, and tighter energy … the Anahata padma — before, as an unstruck chord, now vibrating sweetly on the waves of our emotions birthing love.

Strength Received

My throat literally began to vibrate back to front, front to back, as all the voices in Strength Received began to layer into a type of abstract odd-numbered harmony, compatible with the resonance of 5 … the Visshuda padma transporting energy, gaining strength through receiving, from air into the ethers.

You are Loved

Yes, you are loved!…. your music is pure enlightenment with so much brilliance.  I find myself wondering why I immediately interpreted this work as each of the seven major chakras in the progression of your songs … did you mean it to happen this way? was this conscious or unconscious on your part?  Is it just me? Then, an amazing thing happened … when I heard You are Loved I found myself awakening in the Brahma Muhurta and hearing the primordial ~OM~ !!   Ajna padma … such a gift you have given in capturing this sacred tone and key in such pure exactness with indigo wisdom.

And you Love

I feel loved.  What a journey this has been to be totally immersed and stand in the gap between each note of pure tantra that is your music … iridescence … Sahasrara padma … a thousand petals opening and whispering on the winds of expectancy as Shiva awaits his Shakti and the individual self is dissolved.

I am honored you asked me to review your music and hope you have enjoyed my unique way of reviewing! I could do no other than be very thorough and present <smile> and I enjoyed it too.

Felicia Case

GRACE IS HERE / MALE FEMALE MEANS BY WHICH SPIRIT TAKES FORM / RAM DAS ON YOGA

My daughter is giving birth. I am deeply moved to see the natural state in her, as her, the extreme wonder, intelligence of Life appearing as Mother as new Life. I am filled with awe for this Life and all life, for me and for YOU. Male female are in union. Spirit has taken form as you and me and my daughter’s child, named Grace Dyani. Source has appeared as this ordinary seen reality.

I said that it would be very positive for humanity if the leaders of the free world were a couple in a polarized relationship where the wisdom of both male and female dynamics of nature made the crucial decisions for humanity. I suggested that Hillary and Bill would approximate this yoga equation of male / female mutuality and that it would be recognized in secular thought because they would both be known as “President”.  America would have to deal with it. For me this was a Yoga dharma consideration not a political endorsement. I think also that Barack and his wife will express this mutuality in the White House more than ever before in human history. We may see the ending of the lopsided male power structures that are not surrendered to the feminine. May this happen quickly! It would be like “what if the Pope had a wife of equal social visibility and status.” What society would that have created. Yaah!

We know yoga to be the natural and actual means of participation in the male female union by which spirit takes form within and without. Yoga is so easily practiced and is a natural healing activity that is available to anyone who has breath. It is for everyOne everyWhere including individuals who do not have normal physical movement.
My friend Ram Das was showing me with great joy how he had adapted his Yoga to his needs. One side of his body is paralyzed. He holds one arm with his good arm and moves the whole body as breath. It makes him feel well and joyful. It brings health into his system. He wanted to know why he had not been taught this earlier in his Life when it is clearly devotion. It is bhakti yoga to which his Life has been devoted. It is the direct intimacy with our Nurturing Source. In a poignant moment he tearfully apologized for hatha Yoga being so poorly represented in the West.  He said he never had a chance to do it because all his hatha yoga teachers were show offs. They would teach him extreme exaggerated, heroic things to do in the dualistic psychology of trying to get somewhere idealistic, imaginary enlightenment. Not the direct intimacy where each person participates in the wonder of Life already Given, in us as us.
So he was crying.. so sweet. “I have it now” he said. I love this man.

New York/ New Jersey Dates Added

Before going on to Florida to escape the cold, Mark is teaching a few classes this week right here in New York.
Wednesday, October 31 10am-12pm YogaWorks Downtown NYC
Thursday, November 1 11am-1pm LivYoga Livingston, New Jersey
Friday, November 2 10am-12pm YogaWorks Downtown NYC

for more info as to class descriptions, pricing, directions: YogaWorks website
LivYoga website

Global Mala

What a wonderful concept- humanity on all corners of mother earth collectively acknowledging, absorbing, and participating in the nurturing source of our lives. We are a long way from that in this suffering world, yet we have made a start. In our time of worldwide connection and instant communication it is now within our grasp. I know it is the responsiblity of the resourced nations to bring yoga education to the whole planet. In my view this is more important than spreading democracy. We at the Heart of Yoga have a nonprofit foundation that is bringing yoga teaching to some of the tragic places of this earth. It has only just begun but is starting to take off.
What I liked about the Gobal Mala is that everyone went beyond their superficial brands of yoga and the commercial motives behind that game. We acknowledged that there is only one valid brand of yoga, YOGA. That is: everyOne can directly absorb the nurturing force of the source according to their body type, age, health, and cultural differences. This was profoundly demonstrated in the following emails I received from friends in Israel and Lebanon. Here are people from two countries divided by national and religious identity, yet are supporting each other across all boundaries. The are teaching the non dual Yoga practice in their communities, in Israel to Orthodox Jewish and Arab people, and in Lebanon to Islamic Orthodox and Christian people. During the war these teachers and students sent messages of support and comfort to each other across the warring factions. Yoga is a great hope for humanity and is spreading across the contemporary world throughout all cultures, as it did in ancient times. We express our gratitude to our friends in the Middle East for what they are doing.

GLOBAL MALA TEL AVIV 2007

ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, WITH THE ONSET OF YOM KIPPUR APPROACHING AND ISRAEL SLOWING TO A HALT, ABOUT 30 PEOPLE GATHERED IN TEL AVIV TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GLOBAL MALA.
WE PRACTISED 108 SURYA NAMASKARS IN UNITS OF 27; WE GAVE SPECIAL ATTENTION IN EACH CYCLE TO BREATH AND PEACE AND CONNECTION TO THE SOURCE.
WE ALSO RECITED 108 OMS AND 54 REPETITIONS OF THE GAYTARI MANTRA. ADDITIONALLY, AT THE MAGIC HOUR OF NOON WE OFFERED A SPECIAL MEDITATION FOR PEACE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS IN BEIRUT WHO IN THAT SAME MOMENT RECIPROCATED OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
THE ‘COINCIDENCE’ OF THE GLOBAL MALA FALLING NEAR TO THE DAY OF YOM KIPPUR CREATED A SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT HERE IN ISRAEL, AS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY SHUTS DOWN. THERE ARE NO CARS ON THE STREET, INDUSTRY IS TURNED OFF FOR THE DAY. WE WHO HAD THE PRIVLEDGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT HAD THE FEELING THAT WE WERE CHANNELLING INTO A GREATER ENERGY SURPASSING ANYTHING IMAGINED.
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED: NIR TIOMKIN, SMADAR LIVNA, PRANA YOGA TEL AVIV, ALL THOSE WHO SHARED THE DAY, SHIVA REA AND ALL THE YOGA MALAS WORLD WIDE FOR THEIR ENERGY AND INSPIRATION
OM SHANTI
LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A BEAD ON THE GLOBAL MALA 2008
ERNESSA BERGMAN

Dear Ernessa,

Thank you again for everything.

I hope today was as amazing of an experience as it was over here.
Two days ago there was a car bomb explosion targeting a deputy in the goverment, killing many people and creating instability and a lot of grief, so things have been sort of slow, people are weary and scared to leave their homes, because they foresee more of those as the presidential elections are coming up. But anyway, just to say that there were 10 people in class today despite the situation, which I found to be unexpected.
I started class with a meditation while reading a text on world peace, followed by sharing the story of how you and I met, our journey as friends living in two enemy countries sharing thoughts and ideas of love and peace for the region, and of course our intentions for today. They were really moved; one student even cried. Then at noon sharp we stopped class and the great thing is that it coincided with the end of a sequence on both sides, without timing it at all, what I like to call : the cosmic perfection. It felt like the natural order of things, very smooth transition.
We all went into a minute of silence, followed by 108 chants just like we agreed. It was wonderful and so powerful. Every moment felt so right. You were all with us in spirit.
I think it gave them a beautiful perspective on yoga as peace in action, and the true experience of oneness beyond, gender, race, color of skin, religious or political belief.

I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

Much love.
Dianiella
Beirut

Being Yoga in Ft Lauderdale

This video was just posted on youtube by Omega who is hosting the Being Yoga Conference in Ft Lauderdale this November. It is a short clip of Mark explaining that there is only one true yoga- your yoga! No brands, just yoga.

Mark’s schedule at the conference is:
Saturday 11/3 1-3pm The Deep Dimensions of Yoga
Sunday 11/4 9-11am Meditation Arising
For class descriptions please read under schedule, or click here to go to the conference’s website

Yoga in Asia: Beijing, Honk Kong, Bangkok

The most inquiring group of Yoga students I have ever had the priviledge to teach was in Beijing recently. This is not a put down of all other groups!. it is just that their sincere thirst for authentic understanding and practice was intense. Presumably it reflects China’s contemporary emergence as dominant world society with its ancient Taoist roots.
Organically, naturally and spontaneously Yoga is taking its place everywhere in the contemporary world, because it is needed as the soothing balm that in time will nurture everyOne everywhere. It is coming into China driven by Chinese and US commerce. It was not until America could find its commercial potential that Yoga spread. And this is good. Money is needed to power it into the public mind. Now after only three years of operation Pure Yoga International in China sponsored the first and most successful Asia Yoga Conference. It was a hit, such a great multi-cultural event and is already set to go next year.
Being in Asia confirmed again to me the universality of Yoga. It is utterly adaptable to all body types, age, health AND cultural backgrounds. As a distinct darshana from India, separate from the six ancient philosophical systems that later developed into world religion, yoga is completely universal to all cultural systems. In fact it was Krishnamacharya’s academic view that the non dual practice of Yoga was needed to realize the idealisms expressed in dualistic religious systems. In Bangkok’s mostly Buddhist culture, it was easy to see how the impositionn of male doctrine has “once again” sadly created a suppressive society for women (and therefore men too). Just like in America, in Asia the Yoga rooms are mainly full of women trying to feel better and “feel better.” These simple Yoga practices allowed them to realize the peace of meditation of their natural state, during and following practice. They understood how much the practice is needed in the context of their Buddhism. I also saw how withhout any apparant religious imprint the young Chinese needed it too. They lapt it up as a means to absorb / enjoy reality, the natural state without religious language or context. And we realized, “the Buddha is a Yogi.”
Curiously though in China despite the vigorous efforts to rid society of religious “opiates” and superstion people had ancient wisdom in their DNA. The great society of the Tao will never vanish and is taking its contempoorary form.
Nevertheless, sadly all over Asia everyOne is cowering under the foreboding holy personality, the enlightened superperson implying that every ordinary condition is not sacred. As Juliana bent to smell a lotus bloom she was fiercely scolded.. “That is for the Buddha. Not for you.” Juliana turned, a little startled said, “I thought I was the Buddha”
Later Juliana innocently went onto a pedestal under a beautiful golden Buddha. We took a photo. We were soon told by the attendant this was “very bad” because it was reserved for the male monks. Nevertheless history has occurred. The deed was done. An ordinary woman, a mortal took her equal place on the pedestal with the Buddha. This for me was the most significant event of the Asia trip. Guess what!? The Buddha thought so too.
May all women and men realize soon that we are all ordinary Buddhas, the extreme perfection of Life, already Given as heart beat breath, sex and all natural relatedness. This is all Gautama Buddha ever was and ever wanted for everyOne.
Mark

London

I love London. Just there at Triyoga and around the place generally. “He who is tired of London is tired of Life!” Who said that? Well I’m not tired of London and what I like most about it is that it was the home to The Kinks, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Led Zep, Incredible String Band, Jimi was discoverd first in London, Mark Bolan, Freddie Mercury etc etc. They took black music out of America and fed their version back to American public and the world.. their poetry and music changed us forever, thank god. I met Paul McCartney and thanked him and the Beatles for changing the social mind forever by insisting on staying ordinary people, working class heros, while they became the most famous people. He very humbly said,”well we didn’t intend that but yes I see what you mean. That did happen.” He appreciated the point and we had a big hug. I so appreciate him. The stranglehold of hierachical sytems in spiritual and secular society has diminished dramaticaly and now the ordinary is to be celebrated by many. London is full of historical places where the great music events happened. The all time champions of the ordinary man and woman in my view are the Kinks. Ray and Dave Davies have done great work that is worthy of alot of attention. Here is a line from Ray’s new album.. “You can learn your lines and fabricate a show. But the way we come in is the way we gonna go” Love that. The music that Shanee Reem and I have done is almost out, The Pure Love Project, CD and dvd visuals. www.myspace.com/heartofyoga.