Here are two thoughts or tales to keep in mind as you move through your day…

Smiles per Hour

Speed is calculated as “Miles per hour”;

but life is calculated as “Smiles per hour”.

So live in such a way as to increase your smiles,

and get extra mileage in life.

Comment: Indeed the yogis speak of how the attainment of sukha (happiness) and a’nandam (bliss) are the key aims in life, not anything else. With that one achieves everything. Whereas all other so-called attainments (wealth, status, power etc) are mere side-shows in the hope of becoming happy and being ensconced in bliss. We should always be true to ourselves and follow our most innate desire: Achieving happiness and experiencing bliss.

What Have You Gained

Someone once asked Buddha, “What have you gained from your years of meditation and mental training?”

Buddha answered, “Nothing at all. However, I will tell you what I have lost through my years of meditation and mental training: Anger, depression, insecurity, burden of old age, and fear of death.”

Comment: Through meditation and focusing the mind on a high ideal, then naturally those less desirable qualities (fear, shyness, greed, anger etc) fall by the wayside. The goal is never to overcome fear or anger, yet by meditating on a sublime ideal then those degrading attributes automatically loosen their grip on the mind until they are gone from your personae entirely.

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”

Tecumtha (March 1768? – 5 October 1813) or Tekamthi, usually known as Tecumseh, was a Native American mystic, warrior, and military leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy.

Or in the words of one Mahayogi we find this following message:

“O human beings, you are fortunate. The clarion call of the Universal has reached you. Not only has the call come, but you are hearing it and it is vibrating in every cell of your body. Will you now lie in the corner of your house as an inert being and waste your time by clinging to old skeletons and bemoaning them? The Supreme Being is calling you in the roar of the ocean, in the thunder of the clouds, in the speed of lightning, in the meteor’s flaming fires. Nothing good will come from idleness. Get up and awake the clouded chivalry of your dormant youth. It may be that the path is not strewn with flowers and that inferiority complex will be attempting to hold fast your each advancing step, but even then you have to proceed onwards tearing the shroud of darkness. You will tear the thick darkness of despair as you advance in the racing chariot radiant with the sun’s brilliance towards the attainment of the Supreme state.” – Sadguru

“This project is but a microcosm of what we all encounter in life: Challenges and our inherent ability to overcome them. Our hope is that this short piece serves as inspiration to anyone anywhere immersed in a challenging transition. May we all strive for and ultimately achieve the same success as Ashleigh. Omn Shanti…Omn Shanti…Omn Shanti…”

(Note: Further down in this post is more explanation about this video project.)

If you liked this video please take a moment to leave a comment for Ashleigh below.

As powerful a media as video is, no single avenue can tell an entire story. Here is a bit more about what was going on behind the scenes. After all, is it not impossible to encapsulate ten months or so of human life into but ten minutes of video.

The seed idea of making a pregnancy video first came to mind around 16 months ago when a much-loved student of mine performed a beautiful side plank in one of our strength and fitness yoga classes when she was 6 or 7 months pregnant. Actually, at the time, all I wanted to do was take a picture (not make a video), and indeed we planned on it, but the opportunity never presented itself. The impression remained in my mind: Show what a practitioner can do when pregnant. That was the spring of 2010.

Right around that time, Ashleigh started coming to class again – she was not yet pregnant so obviously I had no idea she and I would ever engage in such a project. In brief Ashleigh had come with a friend to some of our classes a year or so earlier, let’s call it the summer of 2009; and then there was a long gap until she started up again that spring, April 2010. As I would learn much later, Ashleigh re-entered our classes in the wake of having been through a miscarriage.

During the spring and summer of 2010, Ashleigh was extremely regular in her practice – attending 4 classes per week – and we quickly became reacquainted and the relationship grew. She and her husband Matt attended our Eating Healthy seminar (June 2010) & Matt also came to class when his schedule permitted. In addition, during those summer months, Ashleigh and I would often do loads of arm balances after class on Fridays.

Early that fall Ashleigh wrote me and apologized for having been remiss in coming to class and informed me that she had some personal / medical issues. I soon learned she was pregnant and that her doctor had initially instructed her to rest. In due course, after getting clearance from her physician, we discussed her return to class and how we would proceed. By “proceed” I mean what precautions and modifications we would take to ensure her comfort and safety in class.

I really have no idea when I first talked to Ashleigh about the prospect of making a pregnancy yoga video with her as the subject. But it became quickly evident that she would be a great candidate – for many, many reasons on many different levels.

So there we were: A great candidate with a never-done-it before camera guy. Here I should probably say that I did in fact shoot all of the footage and did conduct all the audio interviews; but the skill, expertise and magic of putting it all together rested solely upon the shoulders of my trusted videography team – Halaja Productions.

Since I’ve mentioned filming – let’s go down that road. As Ashleigh’s pregnancy progressed, I made sure to always have my video camera around. But the main problem was that I was teaching all the classes as well. How was I to do it – teach class and film? Well, on occasion, as I was able, I would shoot (and, er, teach) during class. This increased especially in the latter months of her pregnancy. But to be honest, it was extremely difficult to do: Both physically and psychically. While I tried to do it as discreetly as possible and while everyone else in class was always extremely supportive, it just was not feasible to shoot much during class. Mostly I would think, “Oh, if only I could have gotten that on film.”

Hence, Ashleigh and I would plan to shoot afterwards. That meant after she had already been through a moderately engaging or quite grueling yoga class, Ashleigh and her pregnant body would be called upon to re-do all the poses which I had wished I could have filmed during class. Ashleigh, in essence, was doing double-duty. But like everything else, it rarely phased her. On occasion, she had to attend to other life callings, but most of time she was completely up to the task.

Actually, she carried on in her pregnancy and with yoga with such a presence of calm. She had great trust, confidence and I dare say courage. She came to class very regularly and performed at an extremely high level. I cannot forget how in month 8 or so, some new people entered our strength and fitness yoga class and I was explaining to them beforehand what to expect and if they got tired they could do child pose etc. One person promptly set-up her mat next to Ashleigh, who was very big bellied; and I could tell the new person was thinking, “How hard could this be. If she (Ashleigh) can do the class, then certainly I can too.” Well surprise, surprise – things are not always as they seem. Indeed that new participant and I talked and joked about this later.

Ashleigh would march through those classes as if being 8 months pregnant was but a piece of cake. Around that time another one of my longtime students informed me that she too was pregnant, but warned me, “I know I can’t keep up with Super Pregnant Yogini Ashleigh!”

Really speaking, there is no such thing as “keeping up” in yoga. We do what we can given how we feel – pregnant or not. But the spirit of her comment was well-taken: Ashleigh seemed to be moving through the classes with the ease of one who was not really pregnant – somehow that was what was natural for her. She was mindful, careful, yet extremely active & energetic.

Certainly her consistency in coming to class (3 x per week) had a lot to do with it, as did her overall level of fitness, and most definitely her “can-do” mind-set.

Here I just want to say that there is a tremendous difference between starting yoga when one is pregnant and continuing yoga when one is pregnant. These days so many seem to start yoga upon learning they are pregnant. And that is a great thing: Breathing, gentle stretching, and meditating. It is certainly beneficial for both mother and baby. That said, on the more physical plane, I think only one with an already established yoga routine can expect to maintain a more challenging level of practice through pregnancy.

Ashleigh was able to do just that. Though in one of our audio sessions, she commented that she felt she even “expanded” upon her practice during pregnancy. And it is probably true!

On the point of consistency, Ashleigh’s attendance was like clock-work: Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning, plus our extra sessions after class for filming. On the rare occasion she missed class, she came for make-ups. One time she came for a make-up at a different site where the other students did not know her. They only saw she was quite pregnant. When it came time for some arm balances, they were a bit surprised to see Ashleigh kick up into forearm balance without a moment’s hesitation. All along for Ashleigh though, it was always always about practice and engagement, and never ever about any type of display per se. She just took it all as a matter of course and would do what the day provided.

Speaking of her consistency, in fact in her last week, which at the time we did not know would be her last week, Ashleigh came to class on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. And on that Friday, April 22, she even renewed her monthly pass. She left class that morning and I clearly recall thinking what we might video next week. But alas, the very next day (Sat April 23, 2011), after being at the birthing center for a mere 21 minutes, Ashleigh delivered Eliza Jane (7 lbs, 21 inches) at 3:09pm.

Ashleigh sent me an e-mail Sunday morning and I was totally surprised – even shocked. I think part of me was thinking that she would be pregnant forever and I would just keep on filming! In fact her due date was May 8, but by the way she was developing, medical professionals told her long before that she would be on the early side.

While there is much more to say – just as there was much more video and audio footage which could not be included in the above piece – there is one more thing I would like to share.

Ashleigh’s husband, Matt, is a helicopter pilot in the Air Force and he was called away on duty the entire 8th month of pregnancy. Being a military couple, they moved to Maryland from out of state and had no family local to the area. I told Ashleigh if she needed anything (from the store or whatever) while Matt was away that either I or one of the other students could help, but she just carried on just fine. She came to class, worked at the veterinary hospital, and we filmed.

Since her birth, Eliza Jane has been to class many times. She is very quiet and usually sleeps in her carrier next to Ashleigh’s mat through most of the class only to make a grand appearance (and sometimes performance!) afterwards, which of course we all enjoy. And we all joke how she already knows the routine since she did upwards of 80+ classes while in the womb!

So that is some of the background of this project – at least my perspective anyway.

The theme however is much more simple: In life we all face challenges and periods of transitions, may we aim to meet such circumstances with courage, joy, and composure. May we have respect for our bodies and minds and carry on the best we can, accepting our limitations, while striving for greatness.

Please do share this video with friends and family, with expecting mothers as well as with doting grandfathers, with anyone you wish. If this human story serves as a bit of inspiration, that will be true success.

Here is further reading:

Ashleigh’s First Hand Account of Her Delivery

Congratulations to Ashleigh and Matt on the arrival of Eliza Jane on Saturday, Apr 23 at 3:09 pm.

Here is what Ashleigh writes:

I just wanted to let you know that Eliza made her appearance yesterday [Sat, Apr 23] at 3:09pm. Weighing in at 7.0 lbs and 20″ long. We’re both doing great! Happy and healthy. The birth was amazingly fast and completely natural–just as we planned. I’m going to miss yoga–6 weeks seems like such a long time! But I’ll stop by sometime soon. I don’t have many pictures yet, but here’s one from this morning.

As many of you may know, Ashleigh was a fixture at yoga during her entire pregnancy. She participated in 3 classes per week (Tues am, Thurs am, Fri am) and maintained incredible balance, strength and conditioning throughout. She even did her three classes this past week which meant that she did an intense Strength & Fitness yoga class on Thursday – complete with arm balances & inversions (!) – and a flow class on Friday, and then on Saturday she delivered. If that is not doing yoga up to the very end – I do not know what is.

We often all marveled at Ashleigh as she maneuvered into challenging poses with Eliza Jane rolling around inside. Here Ashleigh is shown doing scorpion pose on 2-5-11 when she was 6+ months pregnant. And she did this same pose just as perfectly 2 days before giving birth. Indeed, Eliza has been involved in yoga asanas long before setting eyes on this world.

Many of you have been completely supportive of Ashleigh (the pic shown here was taken 4/8/11) so I know you will be delighted to know that everything went so smoothly. This became an “event” for me as well as Ashleigh and I spent long hours on the mat prior to and during her pregnancy. In fact, we decided to capture it digitally via video, photos and audio. So that is the next project at hand – to try and bring all the material into a neat project for all to see.

Once again – our very best wishes to Ashleigh, Matt & Eliza as our new-born takes her first few breaths on this earth. Welcome, welcome Eliza!!

Update 4/25/11 at 1:42pm:

I neglected to share that on Friday, April 22, Ashleigh renewed her unlimited monthly yoga pass with me. She is the first person to renew her pass the day before giving birth!!

Here is more about Ashleigh & Eliza:

(1) Ashleigh’s Baby: Update on Eliza Jane

(2) Ashleigh’s first-hand account of giving birth.

The below poem comes to us by way of Kathy P and what a great poem it really is. In yoga serving others and helping others succeed is paramount. Greatness in yoga is defined as making others great – there is no such thing as being great by oneself.

The Bridge Builder, by Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim, near,
“You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you a bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

Will Allen Dromgoole (1860-1934) was a female poet, novelist, essayist, and journalist. She was named Poet Laureate by the Poetry Society of the South in 1930.

What a treat in the middle of February – a morning meditation outside. The yogis say that doing meditation outdoors opens new vistas. No longer bothered by all the domestic callings a house contains, the aspirant is unfettered and more free to explore within. Natural surroundings and only sky overhead aid one in the journey.

So there I sat – on my porch surrounded by trees and a modest morning sun; it is February after all. Automatically the mind felt more inspired and easily slipped into the practice of pratyahara, i.e. delving inwards. At the right time the mantra also began to chime in, bringing a distinctly positive flow to the practice.

Great yogis sit with the mind introverted, not noticing a thing going on around them. They say that when Sri Ramakrishna would sit for meditation, birds would nest in his hair. I do not possess such aptitude. Sometimes the mind is focused within and sometimes I am more cognizant of the world without.

Certain birds were sweetly singing their call – again and again. And while this worldly sphere is filled with hustle and bustle, I could only think how the birds never get caught up in it. Just they recite their mantra, i.e. their delightful rhythmic song.

Thus inspired I took earnest aim and pointed my mind within, with the rhythm of my inner call. A delight to be doing meditation outside on this fine February morning…

Here is an opportunity for you to come forward and share all the ways yoga has helped you in your life. We all grow in so many ways – sometimes quickly, sometimes after somersaulting backwards, and sometimes seemingly not at all, yet we grow. Our practice is like that; life is like that. And your story needs to be told – & heard.

Why? Because your personal account will help inspire others in countless ways. So often it is the words and stories of others that provide us with the impetus for our next step ahead. Plus this occasion provides you with time for reflection – something that is much needed in this fast-paced era.

Starting this week, here at Renaissance Yoga, we will be embarking on our new series: “Student Spotlight: My Yoga Practice“.

This is your time to share whatever you wish about your yoga practice and experiences. Interviews will be conducted on-site, before or after classes and then will be posted to this blogsite. You have your choice of an audio only or video interview.

Contact us today to set up a time for your yoga interview…Namsakar!

The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was assassinated nearly 43 years ago yet today we commemorate his birth, his life, and his message that all may live peacefully and with dignity on this earth.

This below excerpt from the last speech he ever delivered presents the very moving, if not prophetic, words he spoke the night before he was murdered.

News of his assassination spread like wildfire around the world – from Harlem to Moscow. Below is how the famed anchorman Walter Cronkite delivered the news to America in this racially charged era. Bear in mind that this is a 1968 news report so some of the terminology & references are quite antiquated, especially the use of the word “negro”. That said, it is an indicator of how things were then and where we are now. Included in Mr Cronkite’s report are video clips of President Lyndon Johnson and Dr Martin Luther King himself.

Today also, each and every one of us has an important role in creating a singular human society free from exploitation where all have the opportunity to progress physically, economically, socially, psychically and spiritually.

In the words of one Sadguru or great yogic master:

“The more human beings live in unity, shoulder to shoulder, the greater the welfare of the human race will be. Let no one try to suppress others on the basis of nationality, language, religion or anything else in any sphere of life. Let the path of full expression of human intelligence be kept open forever.”

“The newly awakened humanity of today is anxious to herald the advent of one universal society under the vast blue sky. The noble and righteous persons of all countries, bound by fraternal & sororal ties, are eager to assert in one voice, with one mind, and in the same tune that human society is one and indivisible. In this voice of total unity and magnanimity lies the value and message of eternal humanism.”

Note: Here is our post of 2010 commemorating Dr King’s life and message – included are some of Dr King’s famous quotes.

Thanks to all of you, 2010 was quite a year at Renaissance Yoga. So many wonderful things happened; so many new programs came to life; and so many of you came and made the year a successful one.

I’m not a “numbers person” per se – more of the “events and story” type, keeping in mind that the ordinary can be just as noteworthy as the extraordinary.

2010 started out voiceless – the worst case of laryngitis of my life. No, not because of any late-night partying and screaming at New Year’s, it was due to an ulcer on the tongue and swollen glands in the neck. So there I was totally voiceless on Sunday Jan 3 with a huge week of yoga ahead of me: Pre-season with Loyola’s winter track team on Jan 4, my corporate class at Vocus with Fox News on-site Jan 5, an evening with the Girl Scouts Jan 7, along with my other 15 – 20 regular weekly yoga classes. So it was an extremely busy start to 2010. And you know what, with your good graces & support we made it through!!

And that is how the whole year transpired. Despite personal limitations, one wonderful interaction, event, and seminar flowed into the next.

There was National Yoga Day on Jan 23rd where we got a huge turnout at Galesville and had some of Lothian & Shady Side Elementary Schools’ finest ensembles and musicians to perform. They got Yoga Day cupcakes and certificates, and there was free classes all morning long – not to mention Michelle’s wonderful homemade brew of Yogi Tea.

Thereafter the Abs class took birth on Saturday’s & it is still alive even though one of the regulars, Linda, told me today that “I still don’t like this class!” January was capped off with our initial Restorative Yoga workshop – something we offered twice more (April & Nov) in 2010.

So we got started on the right foot – all working working (karma yoga), meeting new people (satsaunga), and sharing with one another (seva or service).

February featured huge snows, snow yoga, and the shooting of our first-ever  yoga videos: An introduction * Testimonials I * Yoga For Strength & Fitness * Gentle Yoga * Music Video. Wow! What a scheduling fiasco that was! In the end, the snow gods and goddesses granted us a pathway to move ahead. And what a great day of shooting we had! Thanks to all who participated – and much gratitude to our videographers: Paul & Nancy.

Once calmer days (i.e. less snowy) prevailed I was fortunate to spend a morning with the Calvert County Librarians – all of them! No it was not my annual reading test – we did yoga (what else!). And they behaved just fine, though I will say they were noisier than expected. But I did not tell them “Shhhhh” – even though as  kid I was on the receiving end of that countless times, deservedly so no doubt.

After finally making it through one of the snowiest winters on record, spring arrived – and with it Eco Yoga Day!! Here is the tree we planted this year. And we also got ready for the good weather with a large order of new short-sleeve shirts! Another spring event was Women’s Day at Jug Bay – which we did again in September.

Before totally jumping into Fall, let’s talk late spring and summer – especially since this past week (Dec 12 – 18) has been so frigid & blustery! Our second-ever Eating Healthy seminar in June was just what the body ordered: Neat recipes, fine fare, and nutritious offerings. Once summer got into full swing, it was off to the Naval Academy for our 3rd annual yoga session for their National Cross Country Camp. Here are pics from our 2nd annual X-C camp at the Naval Academy.

Through the first half of the year, all was well in our community-based classes in and around south county and northern Calvert county. Tight hamstrings got stretched, spines got twisted, and minds became calm. In addition, the summer of 2010 was informally dubbed the season of the arm balance as a number of new poses and variations came into play. Still need to put some of the informal videos up!

And indeed what would summer be like without Yoga and Live Sitar. I tried to get everyone warmed up by watching this. Though as always, Mr Anthony Malatesta was right on the mark and all the devoted aspirants who came needed no external inspiration – it all flowed from within. The Live Sitar and yoga program was very vibrating, and newsworthy too as it was written up in the Chesapeake Current.

And what would summer have been like without vacation – your vacations filled with yoga poses!! Thanks so much for sending your yoga pose photos from your travels.

Featured here is Jean with two of her grandkids taking in life at the beach. But there were so many other excursions including Sara’s wonderful X-C tour. Be sure to scroll through all the yoga vacations blogs for great pics!

We concluded summer with an Intermediate Yoga workshop in order to review, refine, and move ahead. Another thing that one cannot help but notice when in class, summer featured a huge interest in Manduka mats, in particular the Black Mat. It seemed like each week a new box was on order.

With our footing assured we rolled into fall.

September was National Yoga Month: Filled with specials, discounts, free yoga and the ever-popular end of the month Yoga Raffle with lots of prizes: Manduka yoga accessories, free seminar passes, and much more. And what a great week we had with the Southern High School X-C team doing yoga at Coach Ellmore’s farm.

September also featured our TV interview with Wendy Rieger (NBC-4) on her new show: Pier Review. Thanks to all for your wonderfully supportive comments. The show aired in October, but as you can see it was distinctly an end of summer type of shoot.  And along the way a darling kitty was saved!!

Partnerships were also key to getting fall going – and really an on-going theme throughout the year. In September, we also offered our first-ever Yoga Anatomy seminar (Back & Hips) with Shawn C. O’Neill (DPT) – and even produced a short video from it. In fact our videographers captured the entire afternoon which we hope to turn into an educational yoga video series. BTW, our next Yoga Anatomy seminar (Neck & Shoulders) will be Feb 20, 2011.

Enter October, with fall truly upon us, and classes in full-steam ahead mode, we escaped summer’s heat and experienced one of the greatest falls ever – absolutely wonderful weather. Live Sitar was our October seminar – well attended once again and then…

…Then we had a huge Halloween Yoga Bash!! The costumes were fantastic – and a record was set for yoga in Galesville Memorial Hall. We had 42 participants – totally great!! Now do you remember how at the beginning of this post I said I was not into numbers. Well now you can tell me to stuff it. Our first Halloween Yoga in 2007 had 8 people, 2008 had 16, 2009 had 24, and then we hit 42 in 2010. It was a real community event – full of spirited people as well as spirits!! And yes, it was free to all who came, with healthy light fare served afterwards!! Watch Frankenstein introduce himself…

Hitting our stride in November we eased into a calm – once again with Restorative Yoga. Ms Mary Flora played a wonderful flute and our facilitators – Annie & Sharon – kept it flowing smoothly. In today’s world of rush, rush, rush, Restorative Yoga is truly a savior. We feel we have come up with just the right chemistry to create the desired effect. (Thanks also to our good friend Sara in Minnesota for all her help & encouragement!)

Fall was also full of life stories: Bob’s license, Yogini in Texas, a near fall, and countless other stories that never made it into the blogosphere. As we all know it is often the unseen and untold that is most significant: our own thoughts, feelings, and reflections as we journey through life. Our great hope is that yoga offers you a medium to touch base with those very real experiences – not missing a beat, a breath, or a moment.

And now here we are in December. New Bamboo winter shirts have arrived; stainless steel water bottles are due in, but mostly it is about us all taking the year in and preparing for the grand finale.

Last week we did offer our 3rd Eating Healthy seminar where we were all treated to great ideas on health, food, and tasty tidings. That has been yet another fortuitous partnership that is turning into a semi-annual tradition (June & December). Thanks Bethanne and Kenny for coming down!

We will be offering classes through the end of December and we certainly hope to see you in the New Year. But before getting ahead of ourselves, let me simply say: Thank YOU!

In a million years I never would have guessed that I would be so fortunate to share yoga with such a great community. The other day I was speaking with someone out in front of the Galesville Hall and we were discussing various parts of the country – places we have been to, seen, & lived in. That talk only reinforced in mind one of the great things about our locale: people are as they are. The posturing, the “scene”, the bravado are all left by the wayside – and what is left is the nectar: a community of human beings.

Perhaps it is like that everywhere – I certainly hope so – but that we certainly have here. And that is what yoga is all about – Samgacchadhvam spirit: Moving together in a natural and collective manner where all get the opportunity to explore their inner wealth.

My very best wishes to you in this holiday season – looking forward to seeing you again soon, as always. Namaskar.

There is no doubt about it: Life is challenging – it demands our all. We have to keep a close eye on what is going on.

To achieve that, flexibility is a must. Physical flexibility is certainly helpful, yet most of life’s endeavors demand our psychic flexibility. A rigid mind will not get far in life – rather it will be encumbered by the same trappings again and again. Our outlook and perspective must be dynamic to adapt to this ever-changing world. Failing that we will become static.

Just as the above golfer is gaining his angle, our yoga practice helps us reassess our current conditions and future engagements. Closing the eyes, slowing the breath and stilling the mind are the yogi’s sacred tools for keeping an eye on life. As we open our internal vision that naturally clears up how we view the world around us.

Wendy Rieger, the news anchor of NBC-4, approached me for an interview for her new show, “Pier Review”, in early September. So one morning we sat and talked on her pier and she also came to a class and filmed. That interview began airing (Oct 27, 2010) on a show called DC Scene, of which Pier Review is a part. The show will air for the next few weeks on channel 208 Comcast. Please watch for it there. Renaissance Yoga was the first topic of this series. Thanks Wendy for having me on!!

For your easy access, here is that interview with Wendy. It is titled:

Pier Review: Learning Yoga From A Global Yogi

FYI, here is the story of what happened when Wendy came to class to shoot the video…READ THIS

All comments are most welcomed below – look forward to hearing from you. Did we pass our first ever TV interview?? – I hope so. Let us know.

Namaskar!

Thanks to all who came out for our Live Sitar & Yoga program. We all had a wonderful satsaunga (uplifting company) together. Anthony’s melodious sitar, the slowness of breath, and the stillness of mind all contributed to a wonderful program. It enabled many to reassess their place and touch that deep sense of peace within. While much can be written – words fail to capture the beauty and serenity that filled the air at the program’s culmination. It was truly a collective effort and wonderful satsaunga.

See you at the next one!!

These guys are known as Turf Feinz (Oakland, CA) – a neighborhood group trying to make a difference in their area. We all know the scene: They’re surrounded by varieties of difficulties that can plague inner city life. Yet here, instead of giving in or giving up, they are out to make a difference by expressing their creative light that shines within – and they are sharing that with all…

The significance of this particular video is that this street corner is the site where one of their friends was killed in a car accident. They wanted to honor his memory.

Here is what they say about themselves on their Facebook page:

We organize dance battles to organize young people, provide a safe space for entertainment and continue the advancement of turf dancing as a street culture and a recognized art form.

Namaskar – Last Thursday evening we held a meditation circle as part of Nat’l Yoga Month, 17 people arrived with minds introverted ready to meditate.

Meditation is not separate from yoga, rather meditation is the main practice of yogis. 7 of the 8 limbs of astaunga yoga (eight limbs of yoga) are meditation oriented, and only one limb is physically oriented. And even that one physical limb, asana (yoga posture), is related with meditation as we sit in a yoga posture when we meditate.

Meditation allows the mind to unfold, expand and blossom; it increases the our psychic domain melting selfishness and nurturing selflessness. Perhaps more than any other practice, meditation is the discipline that can most enhance our personalities and allow us to grow in a truly balanced and loving way.

We all had a wonderful gathering last Thursday exploring the essence of our yoga practice in the form of meditation. Do join us for our next meditation circle which will be held on a Thursday to be announced in October.

Space…cosmology…art…aesthetics…

All of these are part of our universe and part of yoga. The case can easily be made that yoga is nothing but a medium for bridging all that is beautiful of this world with that infinite glory of the universe.

A long-time practitioner of meditation, Sandi Miller’s art seeks to capture the essence of the universe. She has created a multitude of paintings that reflect the luminescence and vastness that we call outer space.

In her endeavour, she became the premier artist and pioneer of painting on plexiglass.

Since I met Sandi 5 years ago I have admired her work and as this particular piece is being featured in an upcoming opening (read below), I thought it apt to share it with all of you. See more of Sandi’s work here…

Sandi Miller’s (Churchton, Md) recent piece “Moon Explodes”  has been accepted into a show at the Cahoon Museum of  American Art on Cape Cod in Cohuit, MA. The show opens Sept. 21.

Ahhh…summer: Sunshine, beaches, family outings & handstands!!

Here is Jean Rupard, one of our NECC faithful, airing it out under the sun!

You might think that Jean is flanked by curiosity seekers, but alas – no. Those are her grandchildren!! And it did not take long until gram’ got them into the act – is that a cool grandma or what!!

So here they are!! For the first 2 minutes, they all had their legs perfectly straight together, and then as a grand finale they decided to shake it out a little and do an inverted dance! That is what we see here.

The moral of the story: If you think you are going to have a relaxed day at the beach with grandma – think again!!