My friend, Sandy Gross, owner of Evolution Yoga in Cleveland, and a wonderful OM yoga teacher (we have held OM yoga Teacher Trainings at this great OM yoga affiliate studio for years!) called me yesterday. She was nervous because Lady GaGa was in town and since it was her day off she wanted to take a yoga class and was on the way to Sandy, along with her assistant and her bodyguard. I told Sandy to teach a class that wasn’t too fast but kept moving and to give lots of hands on adjustments and good information. And, to just be herself. And, most important, to call me after the class and tell me how it went!

This is what Sandy wrote to me: Hi Cyndi! Seriously, thanks so much for taking my call today, I needed some grounding. I am still a bit amped up and I have to go to bed cause I already had tix to her show tomorrow eve and I need to sleep! Lady Gaga really liked OM yoga…she liked that it was creative and she loved the hands on assists and that I helped her low back drama in back bends.

Check it out!  The email newsletter called My Yoga Journal is featuring the Best of Cyndi Lee this week — all my writings and teachings and interviews and even some videos from the last many years.

http://shar.es/mUQ6Q

Teaching as a Practice was the title of my keynote address last night at the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association Conference, which was very, very FUN!  I totally HEART Kripalu.  It is better and better every time I come here.  I will tell you more about the content of my talk later because after I do this post I have to drive back to NYC, change suitcases and go to Michigan for retreat with Rimpoche.  But here are some pictures:

 

 

My workshop was called Deconstruction and Reconstruction.  But now I’ve learned that the word deconstruction is out and unpacking is in.  So at the YJ conference in Florida in November, I’ll be teaching a workshop called Unpacking a Pose.  But, for now, this was it and it was great.  A fantastic group and we had a lot of fun.  I quizzed them a lot, especially on their Sanskrit since the whole group were yoga teachers.  They got a little bit stumped on parivritta so I said what is the second sutra and a voice with an indian accent called it out nicely.  I dashed over to her and she translated Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha in the most beautiful way touching her head for vritti and heart for citta.  Her name is Ritu.

Time for Bollywood dancing!  The evening began with a short performance and then a Bollywood dancing lesson which was totally fun!  

 

I mean, Bollywood dance class is a tough act to follow, but I did my best.  I tried to get the audience involved and they were very willing participants.  Even though people get up at the crack of dawn here and my talk went past their bedtime, people seemed to enjoy it or at least, they managed to stay awake!

Jonathan Ambar, OM yoga TT grad who now works here in the Kripalu marketing department, assisted me all weekend.  So after the talk, he packed up all our goodies and he and I were heading up to the cafeteria for a cup of tea, when I took a left turn. I could feel some kind of fun energy in that direction and then I saw…

 

Ritu not only knows the Yoga Sutras and is the mother of one of the beautiful Bollywood dancers, she is a fantastic henna and mandala artist.

 

And then….

 

 

Thank you, Vandita and Stephen Cope and Kripalu, for inviting me to be part of this beautiful event.

We were so honored to host Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche at OM yoga Center on Friday night.  100 people were there to receive his teachings.  

My friend, Patty Gift, who is also a dedicated student of Rimpoche’s, and I, met him as he arrived.  We gave him and the friends that were with him a brief tour of OM and then we hung out in my office for about half an hour.  He is very gracious and also, quite luminous.  I look at him and think, “I’ll have what he’s having!”  He talked about how some people like to take a lot of teachings but it is important to actually DO the practice.
Here we are after his talk.  He gave a brilliant talk about the impermanent pain body and how we get stuck there.  How we get stuck sitting on our karma cushions but we don’t have to.  We can actually change it right now — snap!  Then he taught us some practices for doing that.  They are part of Tsa Lung, which is Tibetan Pranayama, but the breath work has to be connected with understanding of “I” as the pain body (also known as emptiness), and faith in the practice.  The crown chakra is the body, throat chakra is speech and heart chakra is mind.  So first you locate the pain or confusion, then you do certain movements coordinated with a certain way of breathing and exhaling.  Then, speech or thought in the throat , then feeling in the heart chakra, then navel chakra which is ripening and secret chakra which is action.  He led us in a powerful practice.  You will have to study with him to learn it.  I am not eligible to give that transmission.  It is not appropriate to just go teach anything you learn after one time — although, of course, many people do that.  But I am trained in the Buddhist path and you must receive permission from your teacher to do that.

Rimpoche kindly made himself available for group questions as well as individual connections after the talk.

This is another rimpoche that came with Tenzin.  He also teaches in Tenzin Wangyal’s sangha.  Check out their website at www.ligmincha.org.  I formally invited Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche to return to OM yoga and give us another teaching, so hopefully that will happen again soon!

This weekend we New Yorkers have an abundance of great Tibetan Buddhist teachings offered.  I recommend:

Friday, June 11, OM yoga Center — Tenzin Wangyal Rimpoche will be at OM yoga Center.  I am so honored that he is coming back to OM yoga for a second time.  Tenzin Wangyal is a very special teacher.  His lineage is both Gelugpa, the lineage of HH the Dalai Lama, and Bon, the shamanic tradition of Tibet.  I have studied a little bit with Tenzin Wangyal and been very influenced by his teachings and from reading his books.  I have also studied with one of his main disciples, Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, who teaches Tsa Lung and Trul Khor.  Tsa Lung is Tibetan Buddhist pranayama and Trul Khor, which means Magic Wheel, is Tibetan Buddhist yoga.  

Friday night Tenzin Wangyal will teach Tsa Lung Yoga Movements at OM yoga Center.  He only comes to NYC every 2-3 years so don’t miss this special opportunity.  www.omyoga.com — for more information

*** Gelek Rimpoche in New York this weekend!!  Gelek Rimpoche is my root guru, my dear, precious teacher.  He will be giving one of his famous Sunday morning talks in New York this coming Sunday, June 13 from 10-11am at the Jewel Heart Center in Tribeca.  These talks are open to the public and are guaranteed to be inspiring, useful and fun!  This is a great chance for you to meet Rimpoche and receive his teachings with minimal commitment.   His Sunday morning talks in Ann Arbor, Michigan are legendary and attended by hundreds every week.  We are so lucky to have him here this weekend.

www.jewelheart.org — for more information

I’m home in NYC now and I’m basically staying for almost the whole summer.  Mostly in the summer I like to do, well, not much.  For example:

Sometimes we do Downward Facing Dog together at home.

AND…..

But there are three things out of town which are cool and you might want to join me:

1) June 24-27, Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association Conference — this is NOT JUST FOR KRIPALU YOGA TEACHERS.  This is a conference put together by Kripalu with a lot of cool teachers offering terrific workshops — including me giving a workshop called Deconstruction and Reconstruction: The Education of a Yogi, and I’m also giving the keynote address called Teaching as a Practice.  The theme of the conference is TEACHING AS A PRACTICE and includes hands-on classes, business advice and tons of inspiration.  http://www.kripalu.org/pdfs/KYTA_Conference2010.pdf

JEWEL HEART ANNUAL SUMMER JOYFUL RETREAT WITH GELEK RIMPOCHE:  

THE SIX SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL COMPASSIONATE PERSON

2) June 23-July 4 Jewel Heart summer retreat:  The Joyful Retreat — This is truly one of the happiest times of my whole year.  I can’t wait to see Rimpoche and all the fun, smart Jewel Heart people, gathered together in Ann Arbor.  This year Rimpoche is teaching THE SIX SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL COMPASSIONATE PERSON.  It is guaranteed to be both inspiring and practical and give you good practices to work on for at least a year or forever.  You won’t want to miss any of it but if you have to come late and/or leave early, it’s okay and worth it to get a taste of Rimpoche on retreat.  It does not get better than this.  I will be there!  http://jewelheart.org/pdf/2010/summer_retreat/JH_Summer_retreat_2010.pdf

MY ONE AND ONLY SUMMER TEACHING WORKSHOP — CATCH IT WHILE YOU CAN — KRIPALU, AUGUST 2010

3) August 13-15  My annual summer workshop at Kripalu.  LET’S TWIST AGAIN LIKE WE DID LAST SUMMER.  It will be a very fun weekend of yoga, yoga, yoga, meditation, discussion, pranayama, restorative yoga and gorgeous nature.  The Berkshires are divine that time of year.  The Kripalu spa is also divine.  The whirlpool and steam rooms are also divine.  The food is divine.  The farmstand on the way up or back is divine.  It is the only summer gig I do.  Have you noticed that?  I teach all over the world like crazy all year long — except for the summer.  That’s when I like to stay home and be with my family and this annual gig is it.  So if you want to spend a weekend with me and have some fun, I think you will be inspired and happy you did it.  

Go to www.omyoga.com for details on all my gigs and teaching schedule.  Questions?  Write me.

Yes, it’s true.  I am finally back on the regular schedule.  I’m teaching intermediate level on Wednesdays, at 5:45 starting this week.  And, in July, I will also be teaching advanced on Wednesdays at noon.  See you there!

Check out what I wrote for this month’s OM yoga Practices of the Month.  Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.omyoga.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=111

In addition to YBBM, I taught OM yoga: Mindful Flow on Thursday night and Unlocking the Lower Body on Sunday afternoon.  

 

 

 

We loved being at Hamsa Studio, owned by the smart and adorable Soham.  The students are insanely smart, engaged and strong.