OM yoga TT Tokyo - Day 3
March 10th, 2010Joe taught asana class again this morning. I feel sore in a way that is not normal for me. Lots of sensation in my joints. It must be jet lag. Yoga is good, for sure.
Kazumi saved the tt study group pictures from last September and put them back up on the wall again along with the daily schedule.
The schedule is asana 9:30-11:15, break, 11:30-13:00 training, 13:00-14:30 lunch, 14:30-16:00 training, break, 16:15-18:00 training. I think. That way of writing time gets me so mixed up.
Working on the full version of parvritta parsvakonasana.
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana!
Joe demonstrates Parsva Bakasana and then we all did. Some people remembered how I taught them to use a block and that was helpful.
Joe demonstrates a shoulder opening exercise to prepare for pinca mayurasana.
How convenient that this dance studio we are using has a ballet barre for us to rest our arms on and help us open our shoulders.
No problem if the ballet barre is too high -- we can stand on our trusty blocks!
After the class I had a meeting in this room with Kazumi and Yuko, who will be my translator tomorrow.
Then I went for a walk in Roppongi and saw this sign which I like a lot.
Gelek Rimpoche in NYC this weekend
March 10th, 2010|
FEARLESS COMPASSION Friday, March 12, 7 - 9 PM Challenging times demand clarity grounded in genuine compassion. Tibetan Buddhist master Gelek Rimpoche will address how to develop genuine and fearless compassion in order to engage our lives more fully and responsibly. Suggested donation: $20 |
OM yoga TT - Tokyo, Part 2
March 9th, 2010This morning Kazumi took Joe and me to the dance studio where the second half of the OM yoga 200 hour teacher training course is being held. Joe is teaching the first three days of this ten day session with asana class from 9:30-11:15 followed by anatomy until 6pm.
Here is Chama, owner of Tokyo-yoga.
This is Joe with Anu, his translator for the day.
This is Kazumi -- manager of Tokyo-Yoga. She works so hard to make everything happen just right.
Chama in Cat Pose. Do you know how to say this pose in Sanskrit?
Virabbhadrasana 2.
Joe demonstrates Sirsasana.
The Japanese teacher training students are very good at paying attention.
I asked Joe to teach this Sirsasana variation for Tamao who has a neck injury from surfing.
Joe demonstrates how to use a blanket in Salamba Sarvangasana.
Here is the "Shyndi mark" -- many of the students asked me to sign their mats and make my drawing there, too.
Outside the studio is a bench next to this sign which says, "You may smoke here."
This shrine was on the corner. Kazumi said this deity will help your cough go away.
OM yoga in Japan
March 8th, 2010OK, here I am.
I feel like a pro -- got on the airport bus all by myself!
Love this little water bottle holder in the bus.
It definitely helps that some signs are in English -- I'm on the way to Shinjuku.
OM yoga Weekend Meditation Intensive
March 8th, 2010It was the very first meditation intensive that we’ve had at OM that is no yoga, all meditation, all weekend. Intense, yes! It was also the inaugural OM300 teacher training event, so, all in all, an exciting development for OM yoga. Here is David on Friday night with a packed house of eager meditators. At the end of the weekend, they were all still fine. I introduced the evening and then finished my intro by saying, “Good luck meeting your mind!” One person saw me on Sunday and said, “Wow - you weren’t kidding!” For those of you who couldn’t attend this one, we will do another full Meditation Weekend Intensive it the fall and probably a 3 hour meditation sit in the spring. Stay tuned.
Thank you, Tibet
March 8th, 2010Here are some pictures from a great night at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The Tibetan diaspora is 50 years old and these events were to say Thank you to all the Tibet has given us.
The evening opened with chanting by the Gyuto monks.
Not a great picture but you can sort of see the Tibetan dancers. The dance is from a dream by the Panchen Lama.
There were incredible performances by Phil Glass, Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin and others. But I felt like it was annoying to take pictures so these are pictures from the end when everybody was taking a bow and getting a kata from Rinchen Dharlo of the Tibet Fund and Lobsang Nyari, HHDL’s representative in the US.
Bravo!!! It was a powerful evening. Two Noblelaureates were there: Dr. Abadi and Joy Williams. Amazing women who travel the world working for peace.!
This is kinda dark but it is Michael Imperioli in a white kata. He was the MC. A far cry from The Sopranos, right?
Looking closely: L to R, Bobby McFerrin in the brown shirt; Laurie Anderson hugging Philip Glass, John Giorno (great, great poet -- check him out!) and the monks.
Tibet - 50 years of exile
March 3rd, 2010There are some amazing and important events this week that you should try to attend if you can. They are in support of the Tibetan community that had been in exile since the Chinese invaded them in the 1950s. My teacher, Gelek Rimpoche, rode out in the back of a truck and never saw his parents again. Trungpa Rimpoche walked out through the mountains, only moving at night and it took months. These are the good stories. It is still going on. The children, elders, monks, nuns and all the Tibetans really need our help. They have given us so much with their beautiful dharma teachings.
Tomorrow night — at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine — a big concert with Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Bobby McFerrin and others hosted by Ann Curry — it’s not expensive and it will be super fun, I guarantee
Go to www.tibetfund.org to learn about the events, to contribute or to sponsor a person. I have sponsored an elder before and it is so good to do that. You will feel good, too. You can sponsor a child, a monk, a nun — read their stories. It is so moving. We are all connected - do what you can.
Thank you.
Deep retreat with Rimpoche
March 1st, 2010Just got home today from a 10 day retreat with Gelek Rimpoche in Michigan. It snowed almost every day. I am sleep deprived and deeply moved by the entire retreat. Rimpoche was so inspiring. His stamina is incredible — way beyond any of his younger, more fit, students….like me. I am looking forward to sleeping some this week because my dreams have been filled with mantras lately. Which isn’t a bad thing…
My precious guru.
OM yoga at Lululemon
March 1st, 2010OM yoga was the studio of the month at NYC’s Union Square Lululemon and it was fun!
Here is Sarah, me and Margi. They were so nice to come to the class I taught to support me and OM. I had just returned to NYC from Costa Rica and I was in a daze of coldness but somehow there I was. They asked me if I would teach a class for them on the Presidents Day holiday at 8am! Of course, I said yes — if it could be at 11. We settled on 10am and they even opened the store late to accommodate the class. So that was super nice and I tried my best to do a good job.
Here were the wonderful yogis and yoginis at the class!
This was one of the yoginis in attendance and I asked her if I could take her picture because I thought her curled bangs were so cute.
This is the glamorous Sarah Trelease, OM yoga ambassador to Lululemon. Wearing sunglasses as all ambassadresses should!
