“When you are practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give something away.  That pinch is your stinginess protesting.  If you give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity.  There is no pinch.  You are doing nothing to overcome your stingness; you’re just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else.  Giving away your coat might keep someone warm, but it does not address the problem we face as spiritual practitioners: to free ourselves from self-cherishing and self-grasping.”    – Gelek Rimpoche

On tour with Krishna Das.  They ride on a bus all night, sleeping in their own little bunk beds.  During the day, they stop at motels or hotels and the whole band shares a room to shower and hang out.  Gigs at night.  They did a gig in LA and SF and drove to Phoenix yesterday.  

Nudgie!

I felt a tad jealous that they stayed here. I love staying at motels like this and a road trip out West -- what is more fun than that?

I was honored to be invited to attend the Shuso Hossen (or as he calls it, the Buddhist bar mitzvah) of my friend, Neil Theise.  He gave a brilliant dharma talk that so inspired me.  He reminded us to buy peonies when they are still in bud so that we can have the opportunity of experiencing their entire life, all the way through blossom to becoming a pile of fluffy petals on the table.  Even their fragrance lingers on for a long time.  And we are all like that. The child is still in us and the dead skeleton is in us, too.  It sounds depressing the way I am writing it, but the talk was uplifting and moving.  The whole ceremony was.  The Village Zendo, headed by Roshi Enkyo O’Hara, is a warm, elegant environment with a lot of fun, smart sangha members.  

My friend, Chodo, getting ready to properly document this special occasion.

The Village Zendo.

Bop bop bop -- mallet on wood. Time to get started!

This poem was posted up on the wall and was part of Neil's talk.

Everyone gathers around Neil and Roshi for a group photo. Isn't Neil cute? He looks sooo happy.

Me and Neil. He looks dignified. I look like a deer in the headlights but I think that is jet lag face. I wore my new Happy Face t-shirt that I got in Japan (of course) to show Neil how happy I am for his accomplishment. And grateful for his wisdom, inspiration and generosity.

I’m so excited about these two pranayama courses.  Not to brag…but I think these will be very special, deep and useful courses on working with your breath…and helping others to access their own natural ability to breathe.  Do you know what the number one most important thing in teaching pranayama is?  Do you know what one of the most important things in breathing awareness is?  Come and find out!

Registration is open for my Pranayama Immersion and Pranayama TT June 14-18, 2010 at OM yoga in NYC.  I will be co-teaching both of these with the excellent Joe Miller.  Joe will be discussing the anatomy of breathing and I’ll lead the pranayama sessions as well as the teaching of pranayama sessions.

For more info, see below or go to www.omyoga.com.

PRANAYAMA IMMERSION
Connect with yourself through the intimate experience of breathing.

Each morning we will practice breathing methods grounded in the ancient yogic tradition of pranayama. Using blankets, bolsters and other props in both seated and lying down positions, we will begin to experience how these simple breathing techniques can positively affect our body and mind, helping us find balance as we start our day.

Your teachers will gently guide you through the traditional 3 part breath, alternate nostril breath, victorious breath, shining skull breath and the most profound of all, simple breath awareness.

Anyone is welcome to attend the pranayama immersion. Working with your breath is good for everybody, including actors, singers, athletes and people who may be experiencing anxiety, depression or asthma. It is also a perfect method for quitting smoking!

PRANAYAMA TEACHER TRAINING

This training will give you the tools to teach pranayama in yoga classes, pranayama classes and with private clients.  Each morning following our Pranayama practice session, we will study the pranayama techniquespracticed that morning.  This training is perfect for yoga teachers, acupuncturists, massage therapists, bodywork practitioners, or anyone interested in learning more about pranayama.

Joe Miller will teach the anatomy of pranayama. You will learn about the relationship between lungs, diaphragm, abdominal cavity and abdominal muscles and how that relationship creates breathing.

He will also teach breathing physiology, or function.

• What causes us to breathe?

• How does breathing affect the rest of the body?

• For example, what effect does Nadi Shodhanam have on the nervous system?

• Why do some people hyperventilate during Kapalabhati?

• How does Viloma relate to relaxation?

Combining practice and study, Cyndi Lee will lead participants in how to apply OM yoga teaching methodology to pranayama so that teaching breath work can become a seamless, effective and meaningful aspect of your teaching offering. Students will work in groups to practice using props and hands-on adjustments for pranayama. Each student will then have plenty of opportunity to create pranayama sequences and teach them in front of the group, receiving feedback from both Joe and Cyndi.

The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin

It reminds me of the good old days when I was in college in Southern California (Trabuco and Madjeska Canyons) and UCI, and my dad, who was an amazingly liberal minded Protestant minister and went to SF every year and marched with MLK.  Great book for yogis to read.  Check it out asap.

Only back one day but already feeling like a real New Yorker once again.  The city workers started with the jackhammer right outside my window at 7am sharp!  A sign said our water would be turned off at 8:30am but it wasn’t.  We’ve lived in this loft for over 10 years and there has been construction around us or in the building for the entire decade.  Welcome home!

Last night we were guests of great guitarist, Robben Ford, for a show with him and Bill Evans at the Blue Note.  What fun!  Our dear friend (my bro’) Will Lee also played.  You may recognize him as the blond bass player that has been in the David Letterman band for the last 29 years.  Randy Brecker also played a couple of tunes.  

There were a lot of Japanese people working the club as well as a Japanese woman sitting next to me.  I got to try out my Japanese on them and they loved that.

Will Lee on bass and Robben Ford on guitar.

Will and me. One of my Japanese students, Miho, is the artist liason at the Blue Note in Osaka and she also knows Will and his wife, Sandrine. Small world...

Dave and Robben are dharma brothers from way back...and I'm the wife and dharma sister.

Randy Brecker, Mark Egan, Will Lee...these are all great NY players.

It was a great day.  Beautiful weather.  Good hearts everywhere.  I almost cried at the end of the day although I prefer to stay dignified and tearless.  But I felt deeply moved by my experience here.  I feel touched by these students and I do feel that I have touched them in a meaningful way.  

Mayumi-san is very relaxed.

The whole class had a group breakthrough today.   Their work in the morning active asana class was totally different – very mindful and present through every transition.  Anu, my translator, and I were astonished when we saw the very first Surya Namaskar.  Wow!   There was also a breakthrough in the restorative session.   I noticed people being more free and creative.  I tried to communicate to them that Yoga is not a Box.  It is personal.  They want to know what to do if this happens or that happens but until that happens we wont’ know what to do.  So I taught them the overarching principles and encouraged them to be present through their meditation practice and confident that they will see what is needed.  And…it worked!   A very great day today!

OM yoga Restorative Teacher Training, Tokyo, Japan, 2010

And then…it was over.  No Trikonasana left in the room.  No more Supta Baddhakonasanas to put away.  Empty space.  Time to go home. Back to NYC tomorrow.  Thank you to Chama and Kazumi and Emi.  Arrigato gazimashta.

Today is the first day of spring.  The raging storm passed through and it is a beautiful sunny fresh day.  It is a national holiday.  My hotel is next to a TV station which pumps out canned music Every. Single. Morning.  It’s 6:30am and the music (which is more appropriate for Romper Room in my humble opinion) has been playing for an hour.  oy vey.   

Here are some pictures from yesterday.

 

The sink at the studio -- so fancy! I need glasses to read the control panels in the toilets. This sink has a spout for water on the right, a spout for soap on the left and then if you put your hands just inside the close rim of the sink hot air blows to dry your hands. Whoa..

The famous Sunday Tokyo Flea Market.

I always heard these flea markets were so great but since I work every day, including Sundays, I never could go to one…until yesterday.  This flea market, the biggest one in Tokyo, was just down the street from our studio so I went with Mayumi, Anu and Chigusa on our lunch break.  With their help — bargaining power and also helping me see what is special — I bought a Japanese cheerleader t-shirt that says Shark Girl on the back and Cheer on the front for 50 cents; and for $5 I bought a Kokeshi, a traditional Japanese doll.  It has big eyes and a teeny tiny mouth.

A ladies drumming team practicing in the park.

Back to Restorative Yoga. Here is Yukiko watching over her partner in Supta Virasana. Today they learned how to meditate so that they can pay close attention to their students. The students are their dots of awareness and the teachers won't try to "fix" things before seeing what is actually happening first.

Here is RedPants doing a great job placing Chigusa in a variation of Setu Bandhasana at the wall.

 

Then, it was time for dinner...and yes! yes! yes!....

Ramen! This is salt ramen, which Chama says is from Hokkaido. Oishi!

This is how it works.  You go into the ramen shop which is quite small and only has counter seating.  You make your selection at a vending machine which has many pictures.  Put in your coins, push the buttons for what you want and out comes a little ticket.  You give the ticket to the waiter and have a seat at the counter.  In a few minutes, piping hot ramen!  The nori in the bowl tells what is in your personal ramen that day.  And, of course, then you stir that nori in and eat it.  I got Salt Ramen without the pork and even though it was very unusual, Chama talked them into giving me some bok choy instead. 

Kazumi making TKG.

Kazumi had a different kind of ramen which they said is very trendy right now.  The noodles and the broth come in separately and you mix them together.  But after she ate that she also ordered TKG.  It is a bowl of rice, a raw egg and a package of seasoning.  You crack the egg over the rice, pour in the seasoning and mix it all up.  That is what she is doing here.  TKG stands for Egg Over Rice.

She loves it!

Our ramen chef -- Arrigato, gazimasta!

Joe gave a terrific lecture on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and the endrocrine system - relating it all to restorative yoga.

Shoe etiquette is very deep here. You must even take them off in a dressing room in a store and you have to put a special bag over your head when trying on clothes.

We discussed the difference between meditation, relaxation and sleep -- but it's hard to tell which one Chama is doing here!

While the students are in savasana, Kazumi looks through the studio door.

Then we went out to dinner in Aoyama -- my new favorite restaurant in Tokyo -- it is called 45 Dav. Organic, cool music, great elegant food.

This was our waiter and chef. He is from LA but he is Japanese and totally fluent in both cultures. And, doesn't he look like Ethan?

PS — do you like my new shirt from Commes des Garcon?

After an active morning asana class and a lunch break, we began the Restorative TT.  What is Restorative yoga?  Why do we need it?  What does it do?  How does it work?  What is relaxation, anyway?  We looked at all that but first, we practiced.  After practicing Supta Baddhakonasana, the students learned how to put each other in that pose.

Chigusa, in her cute OM yoga t-shirt, is setting up Agapana AKA Red Pants. That is his nickname because he wears Red Pants every day.

Here is a classroom full of many yogis helping each other to relax.

Yes, that’s Joe in the background — and that’s another story which I will tell you later.

These students are very good at paying close attention to their partners, with care and right attention.

I love this one. Her partner really created a cozy pod for her to rest within.

Gotta go now and hey — the sun just came out.  After being awakened by the loud, shrill 65 mile an hour winds blowing through the high skyscraper canyons of Shinjuku, it is lovely to see the clouds lift, the rain stop and beautiful spring time sun shining.  Off to teach!