Features Podcast: Recent Episodes
iHanuman
iHanuman is a community of Yoga teachers, students, and studios sharing our love and passion for Yoga. We offer a popular Yoga Podcast, a Yoga Download Store, Index of yoga poses, yoga studios, yoga classes and multimedia Features on today’s most respected and inspiring Yoga teachers.
Recorded Live at Satchidananda Ashram - Yogaville in Buckingham, Virginia, these are teaching clips from the daily morning yoga classes of an intensive weeklong study of Yoga for Arthritis. Each of these classes include a wide variety of modifications for students with arthritis. Along with the full length morning classes, you can find powerpoints and videos from the daily lectures and more on Dr. Steffany Moonaz's website Yoga for Arthritis.
Recorded Live at Common Ground Healing Arts in Charlottesville, Virginia. These demonstrations supplement the Audio Recordings of the entire workshop found in the iHanuman Download Store. Over 50% of the net proceeds from the sales of Kofi's classes on iHanuman will benefit Common Ground Healing Arts, a non-profit working towards affordable healthcare for all.
I encountered Amy Weintraub through her first book, Yoga for Depression, which I discovered as I prepared to teach a workshop on yoga for lifting mood. When the opportunity to meet her in person and work with her before her LifeForce Yoga Practitioner Training at the Sri Swami Satchidananda Yoga Ashram, I jumped at the chance! It was apparent to me through her book that not only did Amy have a way with words (she holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing and Literature) but she was clearly someone who was living her Yoga. Amy was diagnosed with depression more than thirty years ago and had the unfortunate experience of being told by her therapist that she just might always be someone with "empty pockets". Seeing her today, it is hard to imagine! She is lean and bright and full of energy and wisdom. Amy was introduced to Hatha Yoga at Kripalu in 1988 and she attributes her recovery from depression to her daily yoga practice. And so she has dedicated her life to helping others recover from mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, through her work developing LifeForce Yoga and the LifeForce Yoga Institute. Amy travels the world teaching yoga teachers and mental health practitioners how to incorporate yoga and meditation techniques into their therapeutic, hospital and mental health practices. Amy's second book, Yoga Skills for Therapists: Effective Practices for Mood Management , introduces healing professionals to the teachings of yoga that are applicable in a clinical setting. Amy works with dozens of experts in the fields of mental health and yoga to stay current on the research on the use of yoga and meditation on mental health and publishes a newsletter with the latest research available. We are honored to present five videos from our time with Amy including an introduction to her development of LifeForce Yoga, as well as several simple exercises that anyone can do to experience the radical effects of yoga, breath and sound on your state of mind. Try them out and let us know what your experience is with these practices, with your students and if you are a mental health practioner who incorporates yoga and meditation in your practice.
Andrey Lappa is a rare yoga master, having grown up in the former USSR. He has traveled and spent many years in India, Tibet, Nepal as well as the vast mountainous regions of his native Russia and neighboring China. He has had the opportunity to study with the living legends of the Krishnamacharya lineage - BKS Iyengar, Sri K Pattabhi Jois and TKV Desikachar. He has been teaching yoga professionally since 1987, served as president of the Kiev Yoga Federation since 1999 and helped create 2 of the largest yoga centers in Ukraine. He is the author of several books and has produced several DVDs. Andrey is the founder of Universal Yoga. One of his students and iHanuman Yoga Teachers, Mara Healy, contacted us to do some recordings with Andrey in her native Charlotte, North Carolina. It was there where we captured this interview between Mara and Andrey as well as a full length Universal Yoga Class. It is with great honor and humility that we offer this interview as well as the audio and video recordings of Andrey's Universal Yoga Class. The interview will help you to understand a bit about what is the intent of Universal Yoga and then you will be able to experience first-hand a universal yoga class.The Universal Yoga class is somewhat different than most yoga classes. For starters, practitioners use a two mat set up in a cross formation as the practitioners use the mats in as a sort of moving mandala facing each of the four directions. You may consider watching the class once to get a feel for the practice and then you can join in the practice. Some of the practices are quite advanced, so please only attempt poses which are within your skill level. Enjoy!
In this free Quarterly Discussion recorded Live at Unity Woods Yoga Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Director and Senior Teacher, John Schumacher, opens up the discussion with some insight into Patanjali's Yoga Sutra I.33. maitri karuna mudita upeksanam sukha duhkha punya apunya visayanam bhavanatah cittaprasadanam Translated by BKS Iyengar, "Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favourably disposed, serene and benevolent." Enjoy and let us know how you practice these virtues.
Recorded Live at the Unity Woods Yoga Center. A Quarterly Discussion on the much-debated topic of whether Yoga can be called a Religion. Find out Senior Iyengar Teacher, John Schumacher's take after 40 years teaching Yoga.
Recorded by Saraswati at Studio 206 in Charlottesville, VA. We release this video in honor of mother's day and women in general. Practice Moon Salutations as you would Sun Salutations, but use moon salutations to evoke your feminine side.
Filmed by Saraswati at Studio 206 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hatha Yoga Teacher Cynthia Woodring breaks down the strength and poise required for Garudasana, Eagle Pose.
Recorded by Saraswati at the Polarity Barn in Batesville, Virginia 2011. Carrie is a graduate of Asheville Yoga Center's teacher training program. She believes that yoga is a beautiful metaphor for life, and that the infinite teachings on the mat are food for personal transformation. In this Yin Yoga sequence, Carrie teaches the deep backbending pose, Saddle. Enjoy!
Recorded March 2012 during Elise Miller's Yoga for Scoliosis Teacher Training at the Sri Swami Satchidananda Yoga Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia. This is a silent film, but we could not resist the beautiful spring light pouring in from the windows at the close of this beautiful workshop. Downloads of the full training coming soon.
Captured as part of our in the studio series with Saraswati, this interview highlights the work of Street Yoga, a non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon. Street Yoga's mission is to give youth and their caregivers the tools to overcome early life trauma, through the sharing of life-building mindfulness and wellness practices grounded in the ancient healing principles of yoga. Street Yoga holds teacher trainings across the US. Check out www.streetyoga.org for more information.
Filmed by Saraswati as part of the Summer In the Studio Series. This video was filmed at Studio 206 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Frances was trained by Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa at the Kundalini Research Institute at Golden Bridge in Los Angeles, California. In this sequence, Frances opens with the mantra, Om Namoh Guru Dev Namoh and introduces the Breath of Fire and Ego Eradicator and Stretch Pose.
Recorded by Saraswati at Studio 206 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hillary challenges us with a 20 minute standing hip opening sequence. Download the full length class with Hillary on iHanuman.com in 2012.
Filmed as Part of Our Local Teachers Series by Yogini Saraswati, Michelle Dorer teaches us how to practice Ujjayi Breathing, the breath used during Ashtanga Yoga Practice. Michelle is the Director of Ashtanga Yoga in the Outer Banks. The Ashtanga Yoga Center in Nags Head opened September 1, 2005. It was founded by Michelle Dorer and was inspired by her teacher Tim Miller and her yoga family in Encinitas, CA.
Filmed Live during a workshop in Leesburg, Virginia on October 2, 2011, Cora Wen shares her knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This weekend started out hot and humid and ended up cold and freezing rain, typical of a late fall weekend in northern Virginia and exemplary of the shifting mood of the Metal Element. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yoga are amongst some of the oldest healing practices in the world and date back somewhere around 5000 years ago. TCM, rooted in Taoism has a very poetic philosophy to describe the seasons of the year and their effects on the macrocosm and the microcosm, including the tendencies and challenges we face in our yoga practice and in our daily lives during this season of the year. Some associated characteristics of the Season of Autumn are that the element is Metal, the color is White, the organs are Lungs and Large Intestine and the emotion is grief. Watch a Video of Cora Wen explaining the Metal Element and Download the full workshop recordings in Our Download Store.
It was another incredibly gorgeous spring night in Central Virginia when Tim Miller arrived for his annual weekend workshop at the Yoga Barn in Ivy. Our recording begins with Sutra I.4 Vrtti Sarupyam Itaratra and Tim asks, If we are not identified with the essential self with what then are we identified? Tim leads us to Sutra I.12, Abhyasa Vairagyabhyam Tannirodhah and reminds us that "The practice of yoga is really the art of learning how to let go... It is a lifelong process as we find ourselves peeling the layers of the onion." Finally, Tim settles in to help us explain Sutra I.30 vyadhi styana samsaya pramada alasya avirati bhrantidarsana alabdhabhumikatva anavasthitatvani cittaviksepa te antarayah. Tim shares his humor and his love of his Guru, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who says "You Do!" And is famous for the phrase, "Do your practice and all is coming." Tim and other practitioners who have spent the last 30 years practicing yoga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois are now carrying the light of Guruji to their students. They gracefully carry the masculine Surya strength of the yoga practice to the next generation of yoga practitioners. And we are honored to share this selection with you for Father's Day and the Summer Solstice, the great celebration of the Sun. The full length recording of this class along with a led primary series recorded on Hanuman's Birthday and an afternoon session of the subtle practices of the Ashtanga Yoga Practice will be available on iHanuman later this summer. Enjoy this short selection and stay tuned to find more of Tim's teachings. Namaste. * We recorded Tim's Sutra Talk in 2007, you can listen now to Tim's introduction of the first 4 Yoga Sutra.
Kino MacGregor visited Ashtanga Yoga Richmond for the fourth time in early April 2011 and brought a wealth of knowledge to the growing Ashtanga Kula in Central Virginia. Friday night, Kino led the class through the Ashtanga Primary Series and claimed that "For those of you who know me, I talk a great deal, so tonight we will practice."iHanuman captured three two-hour workshop sessions amongst a community of incredibly graceful and strong practitioners sharing in some of the delicate light of the spring evening hour. The light that enhances the beautiful space that is Ashtanga Richmond Studio. On Tuesday morning, practitioners joined Kino for a traditional mysore practice as outlined by Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. In the afternoon, Kino delighted us with a philosophical discussion of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, mentioning two translations she has enjoyed, the yoga classic translation by Sri. Swami Satchindananda and the new translation and commentary by Edwin Bryant.After mysore practice on Sunday morning, Kino discussed some of the refinements in the hips, abdomen and hamstrings to help practitioners access the challenging forward bends that detail the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga.iHanuman is honored to present these selections from the weekend. The full class downloads will be available this summer in our New Digital Download Store, so please stay tuned and let us know what you experience. Enjoy!
Recorded April 9, 2011, at Elise's own California Yoga Center, in Mountain View, CA. In this opening session of the weekend workshop, Elise discusses the anatomy and physiology of scoliosis, types and causes of scoliosis as well as the physical and psychological effects of scoliosis. In addition, she identifies the different patterns of scoliosis and also for those attending, she identifies their pattern. Elise's upcoming training is at the Satchidananda Yoga Ashram in Buckingham, Virginia March 21 - 25, 2012. Recordings are available in the iHanuman Download Store. Enjoy this sample of Elise' story and teachings.
This month our featured offering is part of a series of discussions offered by Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, John Schumacher. Each quarter John hosts a free discussion at his Unity Woods Yoga Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This month the topic of discussion is the prevalence of Yoga Teacher Trainings and how to navigate these potentially murky waters. John references his own journey to become a teacher as well as a rather egregious example of a 5 hour workshop he came across which claimed to teach you everything there is to know about yoga and yoga therapy. John's examples remind us of how precious this gift of yoga is as it offers us an avenue for self-discovery.In John's most recent newsletter, he mentions the Yoga Sutra "sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkara asevitah drdhabhumih: Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations of the mind (I:14)." This ultimately is the path of first the student and then the teacher. Some may be able to train to become teachers in a weekend, but the true teachers will make the practice and teachings of yoga a lifelong pursuit. May these teachers, like John, help guide us all on our own path of self discovery towards peace.For more of John's quarterly discussions, please visit his iHanuman teacher page. For downloads of his live yoga classes, please visit the iHanuman Download Store.
This past September 2010, Erich Schiffmann recorded his annual workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Actually, Matt Cline, was responsible for the camera work and editing. The much-anticipated video is now available and is only available for download through iHanuman.com. As one of our founder's teachers, Erich contributed one of the first videos to our store back in 2007. Since then, he continues to record his inspiring classes and he offers many of them for free through his website movingintostillness.com.For anyone who has not experienced Erich's teaching, he is a philosopher who reflects on how to live in this modern world. He has been teaching yoga for 40 years. In fact, teaching yoga has been the only real job he has ever had. This recently released video includes several of Erich's discourses on yoga, meditation sessions and practice sessions. If you are looking for a comprehensive way to spend about 10 hours with one of the world's top yoga teachers, this is it!For this month's feature, we offer a sneak peak into the workshop with a short meditation session from the weekend. In honor of the month of love, this meditation focuses on tuning in to your heart. For those of you who may be timid about meditation, Erich offers a gentle way to start and for those of you more experienced meditators, it is always a pleasure to join in a community with Erich's guidance.Enjoy this guided meditation and consider downloading the entire workshop. We offer this session with love, honor and deep respect for the practice of yoga and for the incredible teachers who make it their life's work to share this practice with the world.
On a cold day in December, iHanuman attended a special performance and class by a friend and up and coming Tabla star, Loren Oppenheimer. Loren is a tabla soloist and accompanist for music and Kathak dance and a member of the tabla ensembles Tabla Upaj and Tabla Triveni, which have performed throughout the US. And until now he has been a full time teacher at the Taalim School of Indian Music, which he helped to start with his Guru Pandit Divyang Vakil. Loren returned to Charlottesville to spread the gift of Indian Music and open the Virginia Branch of the Taalim School.In this class, Loren shares an incredible tabla solo as well as discusses the role of the guru, studying in India and becoming a teacher. This recording is part of an ongoing series of classes recorded with the Charlottesville Yoga School Teacher Training Program. Our intention in 2011 is to bring you more music for yoga, meditation and bodywork. Our first compilation dedicated to Ganesh, released in 2010, also includes Tabla performed by Loren.Listen the our recording of Loren's recent class.
Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, John Schumacher invites his students to engage in a free discussion on a topic related to yoga in his Unity Woods Yoga Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In this discussion, John tackles the lofty question of whether Yoga can Save the World. The topics range from the BP oil spill and corporate greed to how to train teachers properly.We have broken the discussion into two parts which include John's initial take on the topic. This first part is available as a podcast. The second part of the discussion includes several questions from John's thoughtful and curious students and is available here in our Features Section. John also records most of his Live Yoga Class including workshops from the Yoga Journal Conferences. You can find those in our digital download store.As to the question of whether, Yoga can save the world, listen to John's thoughts here and share with us your final analysis below.
This iHanuman Special Feature is a conversation on Prenatal Yoga with Jen Fleisher. Jen is the Co-Director of the Charlottesville Yoga School in Virginia and teaches Mysore, Prenatal, and Community Classes in the Charlottesville area. She is a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner under the primary tutelage of Lino Miele, as well as annual workshops with notable teachers, Tim Miller and Kino MacGregor. While earning her teaching certification at Yoga Source in Richmond, she fell in love with Prenatal Yoga and did her Prenatal Certification and training with Leslie Lytle at OmMama. In addition to being a yoga teacher, Jen is also a graphic designer, professional musician, wife, and mother.This engaging and lively conversation focuses on the subject of yoga during pregnancy. Jen shares how her pregnancy affected her personal practice, continues to influence her work with other pregnant women, and offers general guidelines for practicing yoga during this special time. If you enjoy this talk, please check out Jen'™s Prenatal Yoga audio class available in the iHanuman Digital Download Store!Enjoy!
September is National Yoga Month which "invites all styles of yoga to participate in an awareness campaign designed to educate about the many benefits of yoga and inspire our fellow citizens to live healthier, happier lives." One of the original Yoga texts states that Spring and Fall are auspicious times of year to begin or continue your practice of yoga. The Yogi should begin practice (samachara) in spring or autumn, instructs the late seventeenth century Gheranda Compendium (5.15), œif he wants to easily gain success. We hope you will feel inspired this September to engage more fully in your yoga practice by bringing yoga out into your community.It is easy to feel overwhelmed in our desire to be of service, so we want to encourage you to narrow your focus to one area which is important to you. If you do not feel passionate about it, you may have more difficulty following through. We have chosen to draw your attention to the next generation of our local, national and international communities - our children. iHanuman teacher Christy Brock trains teachers to teach yoga to teens. She has created a handful of downloads to demonstrate how specialized teaching yoga to teens is and to help teachers observe successful teachers in action.One of Christy's trained teachers is Koren Paalman. Koren was integral in bringing the yoga program to the LA unified school system in 1998. She currently teaches at the Los Angeles Iyengar Yoga Institute and Yoga Works. Christy's advice for success is to "affiliate yourself within an established organization, like a school, a youth shelter, a summer camp or a church" for sustainability and support. View more sequences through Christy's site YogaMinded.comThere are several non-profit organizations who have realized the need for this important work as well. For example Y.O.G.A For Youth - The Y.O.G.A. for Youth mission is to provide urban youth with tools for self-discovery that foster hope, discipline and respect for self, others and community.iHanuman has a strong commitment to Karma Yoga. 5% of the sale of every download in our store goes towards charitable organizations. You can see the list of organizations that we support on our Karma Yoga Page. We have also developed a Karma Yoga Collection where over 50% of the sale of the download in our store goes to a charitable organization. For a list of these classes and the organizations they support, please visit our Karma Yoga Page.However you decide to do it, help us make a commitment this month to practice yoga and take yoga out into the community. Find some organization that you are drawn to and share the benefits of yoga. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, œIn this [karma] yoga, even the abortive attempt is not wasted. Nor can it produce a contrary result. Even a little practice of this yoga will save you from the terrible wheel of rebirth and death. (Bhagavad Gita 2:40)Share with us your experiences with Yoga This month.
Around Mother's Day iHanuman spent the weekend at a yoga workshop with Bobby Clennell. The first afternoon was dedicated to Breast Health, Restorative Yoga and Pranayama. The Second Day was a rare class on Yoga for Menopause and a complementary class on Inversions. The Final Day of the workshop Bobby taught a session on Backbends. Bobby Clennell is not only a Senior Intermediate Iyengar Yoga Teacher on the Faculty at the New York Iyengar Yoga Institute, she is also an accomplished Illustrator and the Author of The Woman's Yoga Book: Asana and Pranayama for All Stages of the Menstrual Cycle and the upcoming children's yoga book,Watch Me Do Yoga. Because of a possible book on Yoga and Breast Health, we are not releasing the Breast Health Class, ( at least not yet ), but the practice for the first three sessions had a similar theme...slow down. Bobby made the point that when she went through menopause, she really had to learn to "use" her practice. When you are young without ailments or disease, you can practice however you want, but as you grow older yoga practice takes on a whole different meaning. While some women actually do not have any trouble during menopause, many women become irritable and hot as the hormones fluctuate and the body chemistry changes from the monthly energetic requirements of menstruation. In classes geared towards menopausal women, the practitioner must slow down, practice more deliberately and also practice cooling calming asana to quiet the hot-temper as well as balance the changing hormones. One of the poses taught in the Menopause Class was Supported Nirlamba Sarvangasana. We have provided a video sample from this audio class. We have created a video playlist of several of the backbends from the Backbend Workshop. Included in the playlist are three preparations for Urdhva Danurasana ( Upward Bow Pose ) and Supported Viparita Dandasana. Also included are Supported Uttanasana as a prep for inversions and Sirsasana with a block at the wall as a way to train the shoulderblades. You will need someone to help place the block for you. :) You can download the full audio classes along with beautifully illustrated pose lists from our Download Store. We hope you enjoy and will be sure to let us know what poses you have found beneficial as you approach and pass through Menopause.
This week's feature is a very powerful and special offering of music and mystical nature poetry by Gerry Ramakrishna Sackett and Sam Eberle of Yogaville. We first heard this beautiful piece at a Satsang at the Satchidananda Ashram this past winter, and Ramakrishna and Sam graciously agreed to come record it at Monkeyclaus Recording Studio so that we could share it with all of our podcast listeners around the world.Nature has always been a source of inner and outer connection and re-tuning for Ramakrishna, and this theme echoes throughout his poetry. When he stepped out of his truck at the recording studio, the first thing he did was take off his work boots to scuff up his heels with dirt and grass, and then spent some time under a tree and lying upon the earth. Later he shared:What I love the most about the teachings of Swami Satchidananda is when he talks about the Nature'™s Way, as nature has been my teacher and my link. To be in the elements, to feel the water, to feel the air and all the sounds, everything simultaneous, creates such a feeling of vastness. That'™s what I seek. That's what I would like to experience every moment. Yoga has helped me to quiet my mind and open my heart, to feel that pulse more.The poetry recited here is from an unpublished collection, "One Leaf Among All", by Gerry Ramakrishna Sackett, with musical improvisations by Sam Eberle. We hope that the words and music will root you in Nature's Way and connect you to a very deep place inside yourself and with all those around you.Namaste!
We are honored to present an introduction and talk on the Bhagavad Gita, given by Prahaladan Mandelkorn, Former Director of the Yoga Teacher Training program at Integral Yoga in Yogaville. The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient spiritual text of the Indian Tradition which discusses ones relationship to one's Dharma or Duty in life as told through the Indian God, Krishna, and the Great Warrior, Arjuna.Many people have spent the greater part of their lives reading, reciting, contemplating, and in Prahaladan's case, translating, this ancient spiritual text. Prahaladan had the great honor of working with Sri Swami Satchidananda on his translation of the Gita, called The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita-A Commentary for Modern Readers.Sri Swami Satchidananda is the disciple of Swami Sivananda, of the Divine Life Society. He is famous for speaking at the Great Woodstock Festival of 1969 and is responsible for creating the Integral Yoga School and an Ashram in central Virginia, which is lovingly called, Yogaville. He was an enlightened being with a light and beautiful heart. Luckily, his legacy is carried on through his devotees and you can view video clips of some of his talks through a previous iHanuman Feature.Prahaladan takes a lighthearted and jovial approach to the Gita and shares songs of devotion and discusses portions of the Gita with a modern day twist. We hope you enjoy.This lecture was sponsored by the Guerrilla Yoga Project. Prahaladan is the Former director of the Yoga Teacher Training program at Integral Yoga in Yogaville, Prahaladan has the distinction of having collaborated with Swami Satchidananda in writing The Living Gita, a book on applying spiritual wisdom in daily life, and is uniquely qualified to lecture on this beloved spiritual text of the yoga tradition. Prahaladan has also served as a Navy Seal Team Platoon Commander, a Time Magazine Correspondent and a Senator Robert Kennedy Speechwriter.
Yin Yoga is a practice unlike any other yoga practice because once you find the shape of the pose, you let go of any muscular effort and the effects are profound. You can feel the access to the deeper connective tissue and the theory is that it is in the connective tissue that you begin to really flush out the meridians where prana or chi flows in the body.Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers are both prominent teachers in the Yin Yoga Tradition, although Paulie Zink is credited with founding the style of Yin Yoga. Paul Grilley's background is in anatomy so he brings a great deal of scientific perspective into the physical structure of the body and Sarah's training is in Yoga, extensively, and in Buddhist Meditation and Philosophy so she brings that level of insight to the practice.The poses are held for 5 to 10 to 15 to even 30 minutes. In this class, Jen is gentle and asks you to hold the poses for about 5 minutes. We recommend Paul Grilley's book, Yin Yoga - Outline of a Quiet Practice and Insight Yoga with Sarah PowersJen uses Biff Mithoefer's Yin Yoga Kit to infuse the imagery and theories of the chakras as a way to stay present with the practices. So grab your yoga mat, some blankets, and set aside an hour and a half for this fantastic practice today. Remember that this may be your first experience of yin yoga, so take it slowly. The duration of time in the pose can sometimes feel like the yang aspect of this practice. When practicing yoga in this way with long holds for several minutes at a time, one feels the sensations more intensely in the body. Remember to listen to your own breath and body and come out of the poses carefully to rest in Savasana or practice Adho Mukha Svanasana between poses. We hope you enjoy.This class is part of a series of classes hosted by the Guerilla Yoga Project.
This week's feature is a lecture on the History and Philosophy of Yoga with Charlottesville Yoga Teacher, Kate Hallahan. Kate is the Founder of the Guerrilla Yoga Project which offers Donation-Only Yoga Classes to all sectors of the community and Co-Director of the Charlottesville Yoga School. Kate has studied extensively with Kofia Busia, one of the world's foremost Iyengar teachers, as well as other senior teachers in both the Iyengar and Anusara Traditions. Kate is devoted to her daily yoga practice and has a background deeply rooted in the philosophy of yoga.Kate has provided her diligent research and insight into the History and Philosophy of Hatha Yoga, reminding us of the roots of this great practice. Please note that when Kate mentions the specific number of asanas, kriyas, etc. in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, those numbers actually correspond to another seminal text of hatha yoga, the Gheranda Samhita.She has also recorded a standing pose workshop called "Standing on Your Own Two Feet". This workshop is available in our download store as part of our Karma Collection with proceeds going towards the Westhaven Clinic in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thank you Kate for all of your offerings.Remember to subscribe to our podcast at iHanuman.com/podcasts to be sure you receive other great new features for your yoga practice. The music from the podcast comes from Abel Okugawa of Monkeyclaus Recording Studio. Abel has a compilation coming out soon for your yoga music collection. This first compilation is dedicated to Ganesh. So stay tuned and thanks for helping to build the bridge with iHanuman. Namaste.Listen to the Discussion and Enjoy!
Govindas is a yoga teacher and kirtanist based in Santa Monica, Califorinia. He teaches a unique style that he calls œBhakti Vinyasa, which is a soulful, bhakti-based, devotionally infused yoga experience that incorporates chanting, pranayama, purifying vinyasa flows, and free-form movement to open the heart and dance with spirit.Living in the hot-bed of yoga in Southern California, he has spent many years studying the healing power of yoga with such renowned teachers as Shiva Rea, Bryan Kest, Saul David Raye, and Mark Whitwell. He is a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba and has been led deeper into the sacred tradition or kirtan and the paths of devotion and service by Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das, and Ram Dass.In 2009 Govindas and his wife Radha opened Bhakti Yoga Shala, a donation-based yoga studio in Santa Monica that emphasizes their devotional approach. They have released two CDs: Waves of Love and Endless Surrender Kirtan Experience.For more information, please visit Govindas website: www.kirtanwithgovindas.com, and if you'™re ever in Santa Monica, treat yourself to one of his classes.
Every Quarter, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, John Schumacher, offers a lecture and discussion to his students which is free and open to the public. These talks are held in his Bethesda, Maryland Unity Woods Yoga Center. This lecture, held in the summer of 2009 is on the topic of Yoga and Awareness. John tackles the concept that anyone can do the physical poses of yoga asanas, but what makes yoga yoga is really the sense of awareness one brings to the practice. John asks us to "Tune In, Turn On and Drop Out", but quite a bit differently than the original use of the term as described by Timothy Leary. To find out how, listen to the audio recording below or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or through your favorite feed reader. Are you new to podcasting? Find out more information on Our Podcasts Page. To subscribe to the Newsletter John references in his discussion, please visit his UnityWoods.com Studio Website. John also gave the Keynote Address for the First Ever Regional New England Conference of Iyengar Yoga. You can read the full keynote address here.
Join philosopher and lecturer Neil Bhatt as he uses contemporary stories to illustrate the important philosophical principles introduced in the Upanishads. Neil's knowledgeable and engaging approach logically combines abstract philosophical concepts with tangible scientific and cultural facts, making challenging texts easy to understand and useful for self-development. This workshop is appropriate for all levels of yoga students, as well as anyone interested in exploring key concepts in Indian philosophy.Thank you Neil for offering your thoughts on the Upanishads and thank you to the Charlottesville Yoga School for allowing us to record this talk and provide it free to the public. Enjoy the full recording as a podcast, by subscribing to the iHanuman Podcast
We are honored to offer you the quarterly discussion Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher John Schumacher holds in his Unity Woods Yoga Center. John offers a forum every session which is free and open to the public. This discussion held last Fall 2008 and is on the topic of Yoga and Health.John shares some of his personal experience and how yoga has had an impact on his health. Some time ago, he realized that health is ephemeral and that our best position is to be proactive now while we are in good health. Those with dis-ease will often speak of how you never appreciate your health until you are sick.At the same time, we all have different capabilities and needs so each person's health requirements are unique. Our daily yoga practice begins to present to us our own strengths AND weaknesses.John's Bethesda, Maryland studio is at the center of a mecca for research on yoga and its impact on health with his proximity to the formidable Research Institution, the National Institutes of Health," is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research". They currently have 32 studies focusing on yoga as a form of treatment.John also mentions beloved Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Mary Dunn. Mary was a longtime practitioner of Yoga who recently passed away after struggling with peritoneal cancer. And we would like to recognize the life and contributions of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, the founder of Ashtanga Yoga. They remind us that even those who take care and passionately practice yoga their entire lives will inevitably pass from this physical realm. They will be missed.
Heather Tiddens teaches yoga and leads ceremony to support people in embodying their most authentic selves. Her teaching is grounded in her training and studies integrating Yin and Yang Yoga, hands-on healing, mindfulness practices and indigenous ceremony ways. Her classes are known for their physical intensity and detailed instruction, as well as being a safe, compassionate space for students to explore their spiritual, emotional and physical healing and growth.Heather'™s life-long athletic experience, deep connection with the elements of nature, and exploration of indigenous culture and ceremony ways greatly influence her work. Since 1979, she has been an avid and skilled surfer, previously competing on the Professional World Tour. She is featured in the recent documentary The Women and the Waves, exploring the experience of women surfers. In 1988, she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara. Her studies culminated in a focus on the impact of land development and the California Environmental Quality Act and related legislation on Chumash sacred sites and cultural heritage.Heather is based in Santa Barbara, CA, teaching locally at Santa Barbara Yoga Center, Yoga Soup and at Satya House, her private studio. She also travels nationally teaching courses, workshops and retreats. For more information on Heather and and her teaching schedule, please visit her website at www.heathertiddensyoga.com.This interview with Heather is a conversation about her introduction to yoga, her incorporation of ceremony, Yin and Meditation practice, her profound affection for nature and its affect on our bodies, finding balance in our lives, and more. Enjoy!
Kira Ryder is a yogini living and teaching in California'™s beautiful Ojai Valley. She is the owner of Lulu Bandha's, a bright and nurturing yoga studio in the heart of downtown Ojai.In addition to teaching yoga, every year Kira and the community at Lulu'™s organize the famous Ojai Yoga Crib, a celebrated annual yoga event that offers people the opportunity to study in a magical and intimate setting with some of the best teachers in the world.In this interview Kira talks about her path to yoga, her influences, and shares insights on the issues of trust, authenticity, community, following the inner teacher, and more!
The holidays and end of the year inventory can be a particularly difficult time for many people for many reasons, not least of which is the stress which it tends to bring. In the spirit of the holidays, iHanuman would like to offer you a few end of the year gifts in hopes of reducing your stress levels.First, a sequence of asanas taught in the Iyengar Tradition in honor of Mr. Iyengar's 90th birthday celebration being held this week in Pune, India. For twelve days in a row we will post a new asana.An opportunity to practice with one of the world's most senior Iyengar Teachers, John Schumacher. Enjoy!Second, one of John's quarterly discussions held at his Iyengar Studio, Unity Woods. This free talk discusses what may be the most important topic in any yoga discussion, Practice. John reminds us that even when times are stressful and busier than usual, "If we practice just one pose a day, we have a yoga practice." If you can commit to practicing one pose a day, you have begun your daily yoga practice. What a wonderful new year's resolution! Start with the standing poses and inversions John has offered. Do one or do them all! Thanks John!
Bo Lozoff started the Prison Ashram Project with Ram Dass in 1973, which has grown into the largest interfaith prison ministry in the world. Bo'™s book, We'™re All Doing Time, now in its 17th printing, is widely referred to as œthe convicts' bible and was named by Village Voice as œone of the ten books everyone in the world should read.For over 30 years Bo has traveled around the world giving talks in thousands of prisons, churches, and community centers. His many roles include author, spiritual teacher, friend, counselor, musician, and modern day mystic. In this interview Bo talks about the catalysts in his spiritual journey, the history of the Prison Ashram Project, a critique of today's spiritual market place, and dying into service. For more information on the work of Bo, his wife Sita, and the Human Kindness Foundation, please visit www.humankindness.org
iHanuman is honored to offer you the third in our series of lectures from the First Annual NIH Yoga Week. Timothy McCall, M.D. is a board-certified internist, the Medical Editor of Yoga Journal, and the author of two books, including Yoga as Medicine. Since 2000, his main focus has been examining the therapeutic aspects of yoga from a scientific perspective. His most recent book,Yoga As Medicine, begins to address the question which the NIH Yoga Week asks: "How can doctors and researchers bring Yoga into the main stream as a therapeutic modality with scientific support?" Dr. McCall is a critical spokesperson as a researcher AND practitioner of yoga for over 10 years. He is the medical contributor to Yoga Journal. In addition to the writings he generously shares on his website, you can also listen to audio recordings from Yoga Journal Conferences.Thanks to all of the organizers and participants of the first annual Yoga Week. We look forward to the second Annual Yoga Week in September 2009.Yoga Week would not have been possible with out the following individuals: Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine (NIH), Virginia Hill (NIH), Sheria Washington (NIH)- cocreators of NIH Yoga Week 2008 Ms. Virginia Hill - Director, Public Relations Dr. Rhonda Moore, Director, Community Outreach Ms. Lauren Toussaint, Creative Outreach Ms. Pamela Jenkins, Mr. Christopher Gaines, Mr. Randy Schools
May 19-23, 2008 marked the first annual National Institutes of Health (NIH) Yoga Week. The NIH Yoga Week is free and open to the public and this year's event boastest such yogic greats as Yogiraj Alan Finger, Senior Iyengar Teacher John Schumacher, Sat Bir Khalsa, and Dr. Timothy McCall.iHanuman filmed and recorded several of the talks during the event and we are honored to offer them to you. In this talk given in a packed conference room to NIH doctors, researchers, yoga students and teachers, John addresses "The Secret Treasure of Yogic Alignment." There are 3 parts to the talk and one question from the audience. You can find the other videos by visiting our youtube channel. We would love to hear from you there. Please subscribe to our channel and tell us what you think! Enjoy!Yoga Week would not have been possible with out the following individuals - Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine (NIH), Virginia Hill (NIH), Sheria Washington (NIH)- cocreators of NIH Yoga Week 2008 Ms. Virginia Hill - Director, Public Relations Dr. Rhonda Moore, Director, Community Outreach Ms. Lauren Toussaint, Creative Outreach Ms. Pamela Jenkins, Mr. Christopher Gaines, Mr. Randy Schools - "We are indebted to these individuals. Without their assistance, Yoga Week would have only been in our imagination"
This recording of Yogiraj Alan Finger is from a week that iHanuman spent covering the first Annual National Institutes of Health Yoga Week. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.Dr. Rachel Permuth Levine and her colleagues at NIH put on quite a show with live yoga demonstrations, yoga for the office classes, and incredible speakers each day. The event was free and open to the public and Rachel has just informed us that the 2nd Annual NIH Yoga Week is in the works for September 2009, so stay tuned.In this talk please enjoy listening to the meditative wisdom of Yogiraj Alan Finger as he describes to you the system of yoga he developed called ISHTA YOGA, an acronym for the Integrated Sciences of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda. It is also a beautiful sanskrit word meaning that which resonates with an individual's spirit.Yogiraj Alan Finger, was a wonderful opening speaker with his 47 years of yoga experience to share within 45 minutes. His presence is peaceful, his intelligence bright and he resonates with the essence of yoga. We hope this comes across in the recorded selections.Listen to the entire recorded talk here or subscribe to our podcast and receive the entire recording as a download.Alan Finger Speaks at the National Institutes of HealthKudos to Rachel and all of the incredible folks at NIH for putting such a gathering together and we were honored to cover to the event and be part of the sankalpa of recognizing yoga as an integrative approach to health and well being.Listen to the Introductions by Dr. Randy Schools, the NIH Director for the Center for Recreation and Welfare, and Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine, Organizer of the Yoga Week, and Susan Bowen, Owner of Thrive Yoga Rockville.Introductions from the National Institutes of HealthYoga Week would not have been possible with out the following individuals: Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine (NIH), Virginia Hill (NIH), Sheria Washington (NIH)- cocreators of NIH Yoga Week 2008 Ms. Virginia Hill - Director, Public Relations Dr. Rhonda Moore, Director, Community Outreach Ms. Lauren Toussaint, Creative Outreach Ms. Pamela Jenkins, Mr. Christopher Gaines, Mr. Randy Schools - "We are indebted to these individuals. Without their assistance, Yoga Week would have only been in our imagination"
Our featured offering this week is an interview with Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, John Schumacher. John is the Founder and Director of Unity Woods Yoga Center in Bethesda, Maryland and one of only a handful of Senior Iyengar Yoga Teachers in the world. John is the beloved teacher to countless students and in this interview, John shares with us some of his insights from over 35 years of teaching yoga, including a memory of his first time studying with Yogacharya BKS Iyengar and what the Iyengar method has to offer beginning and more advanced practitioners of yoga from any tradition. John discusses the fragmentation and commodification of yoga with one of his apprentice students and Iyengar Yoga teacher, Shaaron Honeycutt. iHanuman is also honored to offer three volumes of John's audio classes in our Digital Download Store, and we are pleased to announce that we will be adding new live classes recorded by John later this month. For more information on John you can visit his iHanuman Teacher Page. For more information on John's Unity Woods studio network in the Virginia, Maryland and DC area, and all of the incredible teachers and classes available there, please visit UnityWoods.com. You can listen to the entire audio interview here or subscribe to our podcast and receive the entire audio as a download.
Erich Schiffmann is a Yoga Master who does not shy away from technology; rather, he embraces it and utilizes it to its fullest and highest potential. When he wanted to make a yoga DVD to follow up on the huge success of Yoga: Mind and Body with Ali MacGraw (in which he was the featured teacher), he did not go looking for producers and a film crew. Instead he bought a video camera, microphone, and the editing software to make it himself. Several years later, he is now the producer/editor/cameraman/featured yogi of eight highly-acclaimed DVDs and multiple audio CDs.The internet has also provided many avenues for Erich to share his teachings: he is a participant and the primary motivation for the Moving Into Stillness Message Board (which has over 2000 registered members), he records most of his teacher trainings and workshops, making important clips and interactions available on iHanuman. Erich is excited about technology's ability to facilitate communication and sharing around the world, regardless of geographic distance, as well as the experience of connection that that fosters. But he sees a deeper meaning behind its origin and its existence at this moment in time:œLike the internet, technology is getting better and better and better. The technology is obviously linking the planet. But I'm thinking the technology is arriving concordant with the awareness of unity consciousness. The technology is not coming first, and then our minds are getting it. It's more like all the yogis of the past who have been experiencing unity consciousness have initiated a momentum that is beginning to be evidenced as technology. Which will make those who are not experiencing the unity start getting it more. The technology will follow our open-mindedness. I'™m excited. We live in this wild, awesome, exciting moment. Things are accelerating so fast and change is happening so fast.
Diane Malaspina was asked to sub for her teacher, Angela Phillips’ , Bliss class in 2004 and her path as a teacher blossomed from there, working one-on-one under Angela’s tutelage. In 2007, Diane completed Shiva Rea’s 200 hour Prana Vinyasa Flow program, a dynamic, organic approach based on Krishnamacharya’s lineage, integrating ayurveda, tantra, and energetic alignment to enhance the flow of prana.Diane is currently an assistant professor of Psychology and a PhD in Educational Psychology and brings this experience into her yoga classes creating a safe and structured environment. Diane was asked again by Angela to substitute this class which iHanuman recorded and we received a gem. This class is a multilevel gentle class suitable for any yoga practitioner and Diane offers modifications to build upon.This class was recorded at Angela Phillip’s Yoga Studio on First Colonial Road in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach is also home to Langley Airforce Base so we are reminded of our fellow Americans in the military every few minutes with the sound of jet noise overhead. Diane however, holds the space so you do not become too distracted with the outside sounds.Please enjoy this blissful offering.
After his fifth heart attack, Deke Cripe was left with very few medical options and very little hope. In desperation he decided to try yoga and meditation, and he credits these, in addition to diet and lifestyle changes, with the remarkable recovery and healing of his heart disease that followed. His belief in the power of yoga led Deke to become a Certified Cardiac Yoga Teacher, and today he shares his gift with others at the Augusta Medical Center's Lifetime Center in Fishersville, Virginia. In addition to regular yoga classes, he teaches several specialized classes including Cardiac Yoga, Cancer Recovery Yoga, Yoga for Fibromyalgia, and assists at Cardiac Yoga Teacher Trainings. He is featured with Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Mehmet Oz in the upcoming documentary: Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda. In this interview Deke shares his insights and unique perspective on yoga, health, integrative medicine, and healing.
Peter Malakoff is a poet, storyteller, Ayurvedic consultant, Ghee maker, meditation teacher, and woodworker living in Bolinas, CA. Several years ago he attended a gathering with Ram Dass in Marin County, California, and offered a story in gratitude for all that he has meant and given to countless seekers throughout the years. The story, "Love, Serve and Remember: A Hanuman Story for Ram Dass," is a beautiful retelling of one of Hanumans exploits in the Ramayana, one that wonderfully illuminates the oft seen image of Hanuman ripping open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita. Ram Dass commented that there were parts in Peter's version that he had never heard before, and Peter promised to record and send it to him. This week's iHanuman Feature is that special recording for Ram Dass, a story that beautifully expresses the heart of Hanuman and artfully points to the mystery underlying all of our lives. The background music is Hanuman Chaleesa by Bhagavan Das. If you would like to view the text version of this story with accompanying images, please visit Peter's website. There you will also find more information on him and a wealth of additional stories, poetry, and video.
ShantiMayi is a lineage holder and an awakened master from the Sacha Lineage of India, œwhich exists solely for the purpose of enlightenment of all beings. ShantiMayi is a direct disciple of Sri Swami Hans Maharajji. Maharajji's ashram, Sacha Dham Ashram in Laxman Jhulla, India is near Rishikesh, where ShantiMayi spends several months of the year, when she is not spreading the Sacha (Truth) Dharma (Way) on her international tours or at home in the Pyrenees.While ShantiMayi says she does not align herself with any particular religions of the world, she draws on many of the world™s philosophies in her teachings and believes œwhatever awakens us to the Truth is the Way.ShantiMayi brought the tradition of satsang to her student, Suzie Hurley'™s, Willow Street Yoga Center in Takoma Park, MD, and iHanuman was there to participate. Sat is translated as truth in Sanskrit and Sanga is community. Satsang can be translated as œin the community of truth. ShantiMayi prefers to call it a "Sacred Circle", and likens it to the ringing of a Dharma Drum. From her website:œIn Chan temples, the Dharma Drum is struck and everyone eagerly comes to hear the sound of emptiness again and again and again. After the teachings, the hall is vacated, serenity fills that place, the people have returned to their lives, to live out their inspiration, the dharma of everyday life. This is how I view our time together, a great resonance, like the drum and its booming call. Empty and heart-full. We gather to enliven a dedication to the dharma of spiritual excellence in the center of common living.The gathering was truly a coming together as another of Shantimayi'™s students, Sara Avant Stover, interviewed Shantimayi on the subjects of her journey to meet her Master, the role of the Guru, and the spiritual climate in America.This week's feature is an audio offering of both the interview and satsang with ShantiMayi. In addition to the audio, you can watch video selections from both on Our YouTube Channel. And ShantiMayi is not only an enlightened master; she is also a creative artist. Please visit her home page for beautiful recordings, poetry and photographs. Namaste.Interview with ShantiMayiOctober 14, 2007 Satsang with ShantiMayi
Betsey Downing is a Senior Anusara Yoga Teacher living in Sarasota, Florida. She has been practicing yoga since 1972 and studying with John Friend as her primary teacher since 1994. Betsey is the Director of Garden of the Heart Yoga Center in Sarasota, Florida and she teaches workshops to teachers and students nationally and internationally. Betsey also holds a Ph.D in Sports Psychology from the University of Virginia and is listed in the World's Who's Who of Women.iHanuman was honored to record her weekend workshop in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this year. This class was the Friday night introduction to the workshop and is a challenging 2 hour vinyasa class culminating in the pose, Vasisthasana.Please enjoy listening to this class, but please take care to listen to your own body by following your breath when engaging in this or any yoga practice.If you are interested in more audio recordings of Betsey Downing, the following Saturday MorningHandstand Workshop is available in our download store. And after all of the vigorous asana practice, Betsey also has a Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) audio download available in our store. Enjoy!
Suzie Hurley is a certified Senior Anusara Yoga Teacher and Director of the Willow Street Yoga Center in Takoma Park, Maryland. In this interview, Suzie shares with us her fated journey from student to teacher and her early beginnings as a reluctant teacher at Pope Airforce Base in Fayetteville, NC. Suzie has been a student of yoga since 1977, a teacher since 1981 and she is also a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist. Suzie found her teacher, John Friend, in 1994 and was one of the first certified Anusara Yoga Teachers. Today she shares with us some of the philosophy of Anusara Yoga, as well as how she recognizes the impact that her yoga practice has had on her life off the mat. For video clips from this interview, please visit Our YouTube Channel. Suzie's CD, "A Daily Anusara Practice for Beginners", is available for download from our digital store. Thanks for helping to build the bridge with iHanuman. Namaste!
Richard Rosen is the Director of the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA. He is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal and is the author of The Yoga of Breath, a beginner's guide to pranayama, and Yoga for 50, an instructional manual for older beginners. Our feature was recorded live at a teacher training workshop at Yoga Source in Richmond, VA where Richard shared with us some of the history of how yoga arrived in the west, as well as how it has changed from its original form. For additional recordings on some of the classical poses found in the ancient yoga text, the Gheranda Samhita, as well as an introductory pranayama practice, please visitRichard's iHanuman Teacher Page. You can receive this audio automatically by subscribing to our podcast. Enjoy!
Chandra Om is the senior disciple of the much loved and respected Sri Dharma Mittra, and founder of the North Carolina School of Yoga in Raleigh, NC. Chandra teaches traditional classical yoga in the lineage of her Guru, and has dedicated her life to spiritual practice and service to humanity. In this interview Chandra tells the story of her journey with Sri Dharma Mittra, and shares her wisdom and perspective on guru bhakti and the necessity of living masters, the spiritual import of asana, karma yoga, and the history and impetus behind the NC School of Yoga.
Darlene Bink is a yoga teacher based out of Columbus, GA whose approach to asana is creative, fluid, and intuitive. In this video feature, Darlene shares who her influences and mentors have been on her yoga journey, and gives us a personal look into her yoga practice by demonstrating several common asanas in very unique ways. Enjoy! Om Shanti.The Four Videos Included in this Feature are:Centering From the Ground UpFigure 8 and Adho Mukha SvanasanaTrikonasana & Ardha ChandrasanaPascimottanasana and Reclining Twist
Dr. Prabhavati Dwabha traveled around the world in search of purpose and meaning, and eventually found it in the lives of India's poorest children. Dr. Prabahvati is the founder of Ramana's Garden, an orphanage in the mountains of Northern India that provides food, shelter, clothing, education, and a future to abandoned, orphaned, and destitute children. In addition to the orphanage, she has also created programs that provide medical, vocational, and educational assistance to those living in these remote mountain villages.iHanuman had the privilege of attending and recording an intimate living room talk by Dr. Prabhavati on May 29, 2007, during her most recent visit to the United States. At this special gathering she shared the history of Ramana's Garden, inspiring success stories, and the personal lessons about hope, resilience, and divine abundance that she has learned from her greatest teachers: her kids.If you would like more information on Dr. Prabhavati and Ramana's Garden, please visit her website at www.sayyesnow.org. If you would like to financially support the work she and the other dedicated volunteers are doing there, you can make a tax-deductible donation through the U.S. non-profit group Friends of Ramana's Garden.Also, please watch this excellent short film on Ramana's Garden by Explore, a philanthropic multimedia project of the Annenberg Foundation.
Vancouver yoga teacher Eoin Finn is a yogi, surfer, blissologist, and world traveler. He is known for his enthusiasm, passion for life, and his deep commitment to make the world a more happy, healthy, loving, and positive place. In 2002 he helped conceive the Camp Moomba Yogathon, an annual event that raises money for Camp Moomba, an organization that provides children impacted by HIV/AIDS with an unforgettable summer camp experience. The following interview with Eoin explores his involvement with Camp Moomba and the role of service and karma yoga. At the bottom of this interview is information on how you can help support and participate in this amazing giving opportunity. iHanuman: This is Tilak, building the bridge with iHanuman. Today we're speaking with Vancouver yoga teacher Eoin Finn about his involvement with the Camp Moomba Yogathon. Eoin, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Eoin: Nothing but pleasure. iHanuman: So this coming Saturday, July 21st, is the 5th Annual Yogathon benefiting Camp Moomba. Tell us a little more about what Camp Moomba is and how you became associated with it. Eoin: Camp Moomba is a camp on the West coast of Canada that services kids from all across Canada and internationally as well, and the mandate is to provide summer camp for kids who are impacted by HIV and AIDS. I got involved with this five and a half years ago now, because one of my friends and students, the founder of Camp Moomba, came up to me and said, You know, I think that we are going to have a financial shortfall for this camp this year, and I'm wondering of ways that the yoga community could come together to raise money for the event. And we came up with a Yogathon idea. iHanuman: So what exactly is a Yogathon? Eoin: The Yogathon itself started off as 108 sun salutations, which is a traditional yoga practice. And that's kind of changed, the format, since then. Last year we adopted a new format which was 108 minutes of yoga. With 108 being a yoga specific number, we wanted to stick with that format, but what we found was that for the average person, 108 sun salutations was kind of hard on them I would say. You know, 20-30% of the people out there would have wrist injuries or some kind of shoulder injury. It was just too much of a hard practice. So we've kind of moved away from the "-athon" idea, which I think as soon as hear that behind anything that you do, you automatically assume that it needs to be hard. And we actually have gone more in the opposite direction and made it more enjoyable. One of the things that we're really trying to do, really in the spirit of union, is unite all different styles of yoga and to really emphasize the fact that no one really has a cartel on making people feel happy. There are all different paths, and this yoga path is a good one. So we put several teachers together, each leads a little chunk of their own style of yoga, and we put together an awesome flowing dance and it works great. So the format is 108 minutes right now, so that's what we're going to do again this year. And we've added another aspect to it as well called the BlissFest. And the Blissfest is, I mean the best way I can describe it, this event more than anything is about community. I think personally that, in general, life for a lot of people becomes too economically driven and we lose some of the basics: simple good things that a lot of our ancestors had in the societies they lived in up until probably about 100 years ago. And so I almost view Blissfest as a community fair, where there are events for kids, there's tons of great music and we have food and entertainment and a Sustainable Trade Fair as well. This year we're actually doing an Eco Fashion Show as well, which is cool. It's kind of, like I mentioned, part circus. iHanuman: That's great. And it's really awesome how you really drive home that it's not just about torturing yourself or "suffering for good," trying to make it through this 108 sun salutation marathon. Eoin: Yeah, I mean I think that's an important step, an important psychological shift for people to make in our society. There may be certain societies out there where people need to work harder but I think in general we just need to relax. iHanuman: We do a good enough job of that by ourselves. Eoin: Yeah, it sounds like you have the same approach too. I think ultimately the reason that we all do yoga is to get our bodies and minds in harmony, and then you get your body and mind in harmony with everything out there. And if you're really living from that perspective I don't know if you would do yoga for eight hours straight or something like that . . . even though it's tempting. There's something strange about the human psyche. I mean, every few months people approach me and say "Why don't you do 24 hours of yoga?" or something like that. iHanuman: And it sounds like the event has grown year after year. What has that progression looked like? Eoin: The first year we had about 120 people that showed up to do it. Last year we had over 1000 people all doing yoga at the same place. And this year I think we're pretty much on par for at least 1500 or 2000 people. It could even be more than that, I'm not sure. You know you can just tell when events have reached a critical mass, so we're definitely on par for something really good. iHanuman: The energy there has got to be absolutely incredible with so many people there and the positivity of this being a selfless, combined effort to make people's lives better. Eoin: It really is. At one point I should probably send you our mission statement. But I mean a lot of people give lip service to the whole idea of working from a new model based on abundance and not on competition, but we're really trying to build the event around those principles as well. So it's actually really incredible how when you offer that chance out there to people, how they really respond to it. It's been incredibly positive like that. I mean even the people who we have at this event organizing it, they're used to organizing big computer trade shows or something like that and they're just shocked. Even the people who are vendors are not having this 'What's in it for me?' mentality, but 'How can we give back?' kind of mentality. It spreads once you allow people to operate on that level. iHanuman: There was a news story on the internet a couple weeks ago about how scientists are now actually finding that people who give money and know that that money or part of that money is going to be used for improving other people's lives, there is a chemical shift in the brain, and associates this positive feeling with it. Eoin: I'm sure, yeah. All levels including the chemical structure of your mind I'm sure would be hugely impacted by the positivity that's going on. And that's the beautiful chance to offer something back for the human evolution experiment that we're conducting. iHanuman: There are so many people practicing yoga now, and in this case yogis definitely are stepping up to, I wouldn't say 'confront' the situation that these children are living with, but contributing in a positive way. I was so inspired when I first heard about your involvement with this. I thought, 'Yes, this is what yogis need to be doing.' It's a great example. And there are so many people doing yoga that we have the capability to make such a huge difference. What are yogis' responsibilities in the service area? Could you speak some to that? Eoin: I agree, absolutely. I think I know whet you're getting at with your question. Yeah, it's an important thing because it's important to keep that spirit of deep connection with others and karma yoga alive. And I think one of the major things we need to look at in the yoga movement is how popular it's getting and what out relationship is to that. Because I look, for example, at another really positive movement that happened on the planet in San Francisco in the late 1960's, that whole peace and love movement. And it's there to a large extent, but you know when I go through the San Francisco airport I can see tie-dye t-shirts for sale as another novelty of San Francisco, that has become part of this commercial machine kind of thing. And I think in one sense it's an interesting time in the history of yoga, because when you really look at the teachings of yoga it's kind of a medicine for too much greed in your life. And I think that because that's such popular medicine, sometimes for people giving out the medicine, it's very tempting to get consumed by the very illness that they're trying to treat in the first place, which is greed. A simple example I look at is that I really have my sights set on going to Japan, just because I used to live there and I haven't been over there for a long time. And I know it's a popular thing for a lot of people in the yoga community to be doing these days, but I just look at it and go, 'Yeah, I think it is the responsibility of a yogi to give back somehow to the community.' So don't just go to a place and do some tradeshow somewhere, and try to sell as much of your goods, wares, and services and then leave, but actually try and do something that impacts that area in a positive way. And try to look at your life more like energy, and try to spread your own positive energy and really connect with our life's mission. I basically look at life as a balance between two different aspects: one is we have our own selfish needs and desires, and on the other end of it we realize that everything is more connected, that everyone has the right to be happy, and everything has the right to survive. And somehow we have to balance those two extremes out. And socially, as people and as yogis, we can be a little more on the side of giving back before we leave the planet. iHanuman: Sometimes people see or approach their yoga practice as almost a solitary endeavor, it's what happens on your mat, and people aren't challenged as much, I don't think, to take it off the mat, to see their yoga off the mat as maybe more important. So what I find unique with the Yogathon at this Camp Moomba benefit is how it is both at once. You are doing something on your mat but it's contextualized in this much bigger selfless framework about connecting to other people. Eoin: Yeah, it's perfect that way actually. It's a good observation. It reminds me in a way of the Buddhist Metta meditation where you send love and compassion to your own self first, and then gradually to people you know and then to people you don't know. And it's such a great model and way to train your brain and your whole being to respond to life. I need to take care of myself first, and that's what this physical practice of yoga is about. At the end of the day it's about feeling good. I don't know of one single activity where you feel as good as after a yoga practice. And once you do that, Step B is to spread that goodness around. So it should definitely be encouraged more, and I see some signs of it for sure in other events. But yeah, everyone who's on that train, if you have one foot in the door, keep going! Spread it! iHanuman: And on the other hand another thing you see often are those people who are really into service who just work, work, work, but are really detached from their own bodies. Eoin: Yeah, it's true and that's a really excellent point. I think the body is an amazing tool. And it also reminds me of activism a little bit too. I know that a lot of people who are activists do great work, but if there's a feeling of anger in your body, and I think that anger is a physical response to life as much as it's a mental response, you have to really feel when your body is not there. We all give a lot of attention to the phrase "Be Present," but I honestly believe that the total barometer for being present is right in your body. I mean you'll know when you're present because your body feels a certain way. And it's definitely hard if you're in the field of service, it's hard to not drain yourself dry. I actually do free yoga classes a couple times a year just for people who are in community service for that very reason. iHanuman: I think I had read that last year's Yogathon raised almost $86,000 for this camp. Is that right? Eoin: Yeah. iHanuman: That is absolutely amazing. Eoin: It's incredible actually. Yeah. And the real big spin-off is in the attention that the camp gets, because they need the media exposure. They are kind of handicapped in a lot of ways because unfortunately there is such a stigma around HIV and AIDS and talking freely about the issues people face who are experiencing it from a first person perspective, especially if you're a kid. And it's not like a lot of other causes where you can actually show first hand images of people who are experiencing this because there are privacy issues involved. So not only the funding, but the media attention is important. The whole issue of pediatric AIDS is huge. iHanuman: And it has to be a unique experience for those kids who do encounter that stigma, whether they or their parents have HIV/AIDS, to be able to find camaraderie at a camp with kids who are going through the exact same thing. It has to be incredibly powerful and healing. Eoin: It's totally unique and powerful and I completely salute all the people at Camp Moomba who organize the camp and really put their energy behind it. I mean it's hard enough when you think about it just being a kid, just trying to deal with some of the life issues that we all deal with, and then to be dealing with any disease, and especially HIV and AIDS, which are so unpredictable and we don't have a lot of scientific data on it. And you can get yourself into a dark corner pretty quickly being a kid, so yeah, it's nice just to have that chance to come and play. We all deserve it. iHanuman: So this event is happening there in Vancouver, but for all the yogis reading this I want to emphasize that we all can get involved. This is an extremely important opportunity for us as yogis to step up. How can people here in the States and around the world help contribute? Eoin: You can go to www.campmoombayogathon.com, and if you want to do the random acts of kindness thing, you can pick someone and donate to them even if you don't know them and help them out. You can also make direct donations to the camp at their website: www.campmoomba.com. It's quite simple. All the registration, the whole event is actually run online, so it's a completely paper-free event. iHanuman: So go to www.campmoombayogathon.com, hit the donate button, and let's send some positive energy and love your way. Eoin: And we would love to expand it too. We definitely have plans to bring it across Canada and maybe into the U.S. as well, because we'd actually love to create other camps in other areas. That's our longer term goal for sure, without becoming burnt out people in service like we talked about. iHanuman: That would be great later on to have some affiliate, satellite events joining in on the same day around the country. That would be awesome. Eoin: That would be powerful for sure. It's a beautiful thing just participating in the event gives you enough fuel in your positivity bank account to last a couple years. iHanuman: That's how we'll make a difference in the world and really change things is by starting in our communities and the little things really add up. Eoin: I agree. iHanuman: I appreciate you taking the lead on this one and I know you are inspiring a lot of people. Eoin: Yeah, thanks for all of your interest in the event and all the great things you're doing to promote karma yoga too. It's a beautiful thing, iHanuman. iHanuman: Eoin, thanks for helping to build the bridge there in Vancouver through all of your service and your love. Eoin: Namaste. iHanuman: Namaste. For more information on Eoin, you can check out his brand new, awesome website: www.eoinfinnyoga.com, and you can also listen to the great interview that Lara at YogaPeeps did with Eoin at www.yogapeeps.com (Episode #5). Namaste!
Stephanie Keach is one of today's inspiring and authentic voices in Yoga. With an uncanny ability to combine intensity with playfulness, unflinching awareness with deep compassion and humor, Stephanie blends elements of Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Core Strengthening, Zen Buddhism, and ecstatic chanting into her classes, creating an experience and teaching style that is uniquely her own.After living and practicing in Southern California with some of yoga's best teachers, she and her husband Sunny moved to Asheville, NC to raise their family. Together they created the Asheville Yoga Center, where Stephanie teaches weekly classes as well as offering her highly-regarded Teacher Training Programs.The following interview was recorded on May 4, 2007, at her studio in Asheville. During this conversation Stephanie shares the story of her personal journey into Yoga, her fascination with pranayama and bandhas, her love of chanting, and how pregnancy and motherhood helped shape her practice.
Tim Miller was the first American certified to teach Ashtanga Yoga by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Center in Mysore, India. That was over 25 years ago. He claims he was “hooked” ever since. After several trips to India and many years of personal practice, Tim opened the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Encinitas, California. Encinitas holds the distinction of being the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga thanks to the work of David Williams who sponsored Pattabhi Jois on his first trip to the US in 1975. Tim Miller met Pattabhi Jois when he returned to Encinitas in 1978. Tim took over the Ashtanga Yoga Nilayam in 1981 and has inspired countless students on their path.Jennifer Elliott is one of those inspired by the dedication and teaching of Tim Miller. Jennifer brought Tim Miller to her Yoga Barn this April where he engaged local practitioners in a teacher training workshop. Part of his traditional teacher training includes a discussion on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. iHanuman has created a podcast of this discussion for your listening pleasure this week. You can stream the audio here or subscribe to the podcast in itunes or any other of your favorite feed readers.For more information on Tim Miller and his yoga center, visit the Ashtanga Yoga Center Website. Thanks for helping to build the bridge with iHanuman. Namaste.
Erich Schiffmann has taught yoga and meditation for over 30 years, and is a major influence for many of today's leading teachers. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness as well as eight yoga DVDs. Erich is known throughout the yoga world as a master of creative sequencing, and for his ability to take the most complex yoga philosophy and make it accessible through simple yet profoundly insightful analogies. His primary teaching is the art of "listening for inner guidance, and daring to do as the energy guides you," both on the mat and in life. Erich lives and teaches in Santa Monica, CA and gives workshops nationally.Moving Into Stillness Discussion Board is an online community forum with over 2000 registered members. With yogis from around the world and across the range of styles and backgrounds, it is very valuable resource for both teachers and students. The following discussion was recorded on April 28, 2007, at an informal gathering of discussion board participants at the Camp Allen Retreat Center in Navasota, Texas. In this talk Erich introduces his "Internet of Mind" analogy, as well as touching on other topics, including the predicament of language, how teaching has changed, being versus doing, and the paralleling of technology and consciousness. Listen to the Internet of Mind Discussion
Jarvis Jay Masters is an African American Buddhist writer currently on Death Row at San Quentin State Prison. He was incarcerated for armed robbery as a teenager and sentenced to death for alleged involvement in the death of a prison guard. He became a Buddhist while in prison, taking vows from Tibetan teacher Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, and has since published many essays and stories about life in prison, most notably his highly acclaimed collection Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row.Jarvis has inspired people around the world for living a life of hope and peace in one of the most depressing and violent places, and many prominent teachers and community leaders have added their voices to the growing effort to reverse his wrongful conviction. Among them are Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten, two of todays most respected yoga teachers. In this talk, Angela and Victor share their personal stories about Jarvis, their friendship, and their impressions of him as a person. For more information about Jarvis, the details of his case, and efforts to free him, please visit www.freejarvis.org. There you can also find excerpts of his writing and learn more about how you can help support his cause.
The Mount Madonna Center is a retreat center located in the redwood forest overlooking Monterey Bay in Northern California.The retreat center is affiliated with the Mount Madonna Institute, a college of yoga and ayurveda, and is sponsored by the Hanuman Fellowship, a community of yoga practitioners devoted to the teachings of Babaji Hari Dass. Every year the Mount Madonna community celebrates the great history of Indian mythology, philosophy and religion through a lavish parade through the streets of Santa Cruz, California. During a recent visit to Thailand, iHanuman caught up with one of the participants in the parade who shared his recap of the story of Hanuman. Enjoy the sounds of the ocean. Think of Hanuman’s great leap from India to Sri Lanka.Mahavir, the name given to him by Babaji, is a builder from New Zealand, participating in an elimination fast at the Samui Dharma Healing Center in Koh Samui, Thailand. As he tells this story, he is on the 22nd day of his fast. iHanuman will present a follow-up feature on the Healing Center so stay tuned. For more information on the The Mount Madonna Center, the Hanuman Fellowship or the Samui Dharma Healing Center , please follow the links to their respective websites.
Christy Brock began her studies of yoga while an investment banker in New York City. Her life quickly changed from there into that of a full time yoga teacher. Now she is changing the lives of teens through forging the path of teaching teen yoga. iHanuman caught up with her during a Teen Yoga Teacher Training at Spiral Flight Yoga in Washington, DC.Christy sat down with us to offer her insight into the challenges and delights of teaching teen yoga and training others to do the same. She also shared a short asana sequence specifically for teens.For more information on teaching teens, including where to find a teen yoga teacher or teen yoga teacher training, visit Christy’s website: www.yogaminded.com.
Swami Satchidananda is a spiritual teacher and yoga master who influenced the lives of millions of people around the world. He first came to the United States in 1966 and quickly became known for his combination of practical wisdom and deep spiritual insight. He gained wide public recognition for opening the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, and spent the rest of his life dedicated to sharing the teachings of yoga and working to promote peace and interfaith understanding. He founded the Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville in Virginia and established Integral Yoga Institutes around the world. He wrote several important books on yoga, chief among them his highly praised commentary on the Yoga Sutras.The following was recorded during a satsang with Swami Satchidananda on Septemer 8, 1990. iHanuman offers these in appreciation for his 40 years of service in the West. Special thanks to Shakticom and the Satchidananda Ashram. What was Master Sivanandaji’s method of correcting weaknesses in his disciples? What is your perception of the devil versus good or evil? How has the Woodstock generation grown and changed? What has that generation shown to the world? In our spiritual search for the Truth, is Jesus Christ the final Truth? How does a person know they have become enlightened, especially when they do not have a guru to ask? After one becomes enlightened, can they go into a samadhi trance or thoughtless state at will, at any time? I used to be regular in my meditation, but for the past several months, each morning when I sit I become overcome by drowsiness. I have tried several techniques, but nothing seems to affect it. Please help.
Hanuman is the monkey god most renowned for his service, strength and devotion. His story is told as part of the Hindu Mythological Epic, The Ramayana. This week, we would like to offer a free audio download of a yoga class dedicated to Hanuman, called Hanumanasana.Cynthia Woodring is a hatha yoga teacher living outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. She generously allowed iHanuman to record her hour and a half class September 17, 2006 at Studio 206 in downtown Charlottesville. Cynthia has studied Hindu mythology in addition to her study of yoga over the past 15 years, and in this class she beautifully interweaves the story of Hanuman, culminating in the pose dedicated to him: Hanumanasana. The full pose, Hanumanasana, is quite a challenging pose, but Cynthia takes you gently into the full pose through several hip openers and hamstring lengtheners before asking you to try the full pose. So find a quiet space on the floor with your yoga mat and a few blankets. Do what you can or just enjoy listening to the story. Jai Hanuman !
Victor Van Kooten was born in Holland and began practicing yoga in 1966 with renowned teacher Dona Holleman. He moved to Pune, India to study with B.K.S. Iyengar and became one of the first certified Senior Advanced Iyengar teachers in the world. Following a traumatic experience that left him partially paralyzed, he became fascinated with the energy body and began to explore its subtle wisdom and healing power. The insights that accompanied his eventual recovery caused him to look anew at how yoga was being taught and to question the efficacy of forceful practices and methods. After leaving India he found a kindred spirit in Angela Farmer, and since 1984 they have been sharing their unique approach to yoga, an approach based on releasing tension, creating space, and listening to the body's intuitive wisdom.Victor is an amazing artist, a creative, conceptual genius whose artistic vision deeply shapes his experience and expression of yoga. He has created a series of books called From The Inside Out, which are a combination of "visionary images of elemental energy patterns" and "evocative text, written in his own incomparable linguistic style" to illustrate he and Angela's essential teachings. When studying with Victor, one is impressed by his deep understanding of the body, his compassion, his insightful adjustments, and his authenticity.The following talk was recorded by iHanuman at the Satchidananda Ashram on November 4, 2006, where Victor was giving a workshop titled "The Breathing Body." In this talk he discusses the breathing body, quiet mind, finding your inner teacher, and the institutionalization and certification of yoga. Enjoy!
Jennifer is a senior teacher and director of Ashtanga Yoga of Charlottesville and the Charlottesville Yoga School, Virginia. She studied yoga for 25 years and taught for 15. Jennifer has studied intensively with Richard Freeman and Tim Miller, as well as Pattabhi Jois in India. She can be reached at tjelliott@earthlink.net. The Primary Series is the first of six series of yoga asana sequences as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga Yoga and one of the three most well-known students of Krishnamacharya. We offer this free class in honor of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois who passed away in 2009 for all he has given to the teaching and study of yoga.