@Gelek Rimpoche in NYC
June 13th, 2010Had an awesome day yesterday at Rimpoche’s teachings. I love being with him and with my Jewel Heart buddies.
Here we all are at the NYC Jewel Heart Center in Tribeca. Carole Corcoran asked a question of Rimpoche. He took a lot of questions yesterday. Not just from us but from our JH sanghas in Ann Arbor, Chicago and Lincoln, NE. Jonas has figured out how to hook up all our sanghas via the internet and so people get together for Rimpoche’s teaching in their own town, no matter what town Rimpoche is in, and so it was like we were all together. Very cool.
Here is Rimpoche answering a question from a JH member in Lincoln, NE. We will all be together in “real life” in a few weeks. If you have the chance, I highly recommend the Jewel Heart summer Joyful Retreat — it’s going to be especially good this summer. www.jewelheart.org. — I’ll see you there!
@Tenzin Wangyal at OM yoga
June 13th, 2010We 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!
a surprise in washington square park
June 12th, 2010Leroy and I went to the park yesterday but when I started turning right to leave, he pulled hard to go left. He is a stubborn poodle so I said, “Okay, we can walk around the fountain that way today,” and to the left we went. Where there was a huge crowd gathered around and lot of buzzing conversations. Then I saw what was going on — there were literally hundreds of boxes sitting on the ground under the big famous arch at the end of Fifth Avenue. Every box was wrapped in a coral colored cloth with a bow on top — a Japanese kind of wrapping thing. It looked amazing and beautiful. People were all excited and taking the boxes. I looked around to see if it was a giveaway from some big company like Revlon or something but, no. No big promotional thing happening. So I thought, I’ll take a box, too. I picked one up and then I thought, “No. I don’t want this. I don’t want more stuff.” So I put it down and started to walk away and then I saw a tiny sign that said:
EMPTY IS NOT EMPTY. FULL IS NOT FULL.
Well, that hooked me right then and there because it was obviously a rephrasing of the most important Buddhist sutra, the Prajna Paramita Sutra, which begins, “Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.” So I picked up a box. It was very light. It was obviously empty. I hesitated. I wondered if I should try another box that was heavier so I could get one with someone in it and not one with nothing in it. It was not because of my nonattachment-like nature but because I felt embarrassed to be seen in public ( even though there was no one there that I knew…) picking and choosing which box to get, that I did stick with that very light, obviously empty box. I sat down on a park bench and opened it up. It was fun to unwrap the coral colored cloth. It was a cardboard box that would be the right size for a baseball cap. Inside was a piece of paper which said:
“YOU CAN DO ONE SMALL AND GRACEFUL THING TO SAVE THE PLANET BY REUSING THIS BOX AND CLOTH. THE CLOTH IS WASHABLE AND IRONABLE.
SUGGESTIONS: USE THE CLOTH TO WRAP A PRESENT, TOTE YOUR GROCERY, FASHION INTO A PIECE OF CLOTHING, OR USE YOUR IMAGINATION.”
IF YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT BOJAGI USES, GOOGLE BOJAGI OR BOJAGI WRAPPING.
THANK YOU,
UJIN LEE, ARTIST
WWW.UJINLEEART.COM
I left the box on the park bench. Leroy and I walked home with the cloth. We saw people blocks away from the park carrying the boxes, still wrapped. I guess they were waiting until they got home to open their surprise package.
2 great Lamas, 1 great City – this weekend!
June 10th, 2010This 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
Wake Up and Breathe
June 8th, 2010Just got done with a final planning session for next week’s OM yoga Pranayama Immersion and Teacher Training, which will be led by Joe Miller and me. Joe is a quiet genius. A truly great yoga teacher, an anatomy expert with a Masters Degree in Applied Physiology, specializing in the breath. My part will be leading practice, inspiring you, helping you learn how to teach this beautiful practice….and more. This will be a fairly complete Part 1 Pranayama TT and you will be ready and confident to incorporate this work into your classes and your life. If you don’t want to take the teacher training, you can just take the Immersion. Start your day with stretching and breathing and see how much goodness comes forth. Immersion June 14-18, 8-9 am; TT 9:30-12:30 (starting with the 8-9am immersion). www.omyoga.com
What I’m doing this Summer
June 8th, 2010I’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:
Leroy and I like to meditate in the sun. Doesn't he have good one-pointed concentration? I think it had something to do with a cat in the bushes.
Sometimes we do Downward Facing Dog together at home.
My down dog got weird but I didn't want to squish the poodle.
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
Gelek Rimpoche giving a teaching at the Jewel Heart summer retreat 2009.
Rimpoche is famous for many qualities, including never getting angry ever and his deep generosity. At last summer's retreat he gave me this beautiful Tara tangkha for my birthday. Now I am super inspired to do my White Tara practice.
Thank you so much, Rimpoche, for everything -- and I mean, everything.
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
I always have the most awesome assistants. Two years ago -- Christine and Edward -- sooo fun. This year my assistants are also very cool -- but I'm not telling you who they are. You will have to come to the retreat to find out!
Here I am last summer helping the restorative poses be even more yummy.
Kripalu built this new yoga studio about a year ago. It is beautiful, fully equipped and has a beautiful view of the mountains, forest and the lake. Heavenly!
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.
I’m teaching at OM yoga in NYC this week
June 5th, 2010Yes, 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!
The Kami Shrine
June 1st, 2010Last morning of the retreat we put all the parts together. Looking at how things connect, how everything plants the seed for something else, how everything is a result of causes and consequences, how our actions have results, the truth of interdependence. Can practicing vinyasa with this kind of awareness help us avoid oil spills in the future? Or how to cope with volcanic ash issues? Hmmmm…….
Last class together. Everyone was totally into it -- what a joy!
We decided to finish our retreat by visiting the Kami shrine.
The Kami shrine represents the feminine principle. We all wanted to leave an offering there at the end of our time together. Becca is picking flowers along the bridge as part of her offering.
First stop -- purification. There is a little trough and you use the ladle to scoop up some water and pour it on your left hand. Then wash your right hand. Then swish some water in your mouth and spit it out on the ground. Then wash your left hand again.
Pia, from Vancouver, BC, waits her turn to purify.
The sun feels good to me.
Next, we pass through this Tory gate, after making a 90 degree bow.
One by one, we each made our offerings at the Kami shrine, as Laura is doing here. First you place your offering on the altar. People gave flowers, writings on small pieces of paper, a tiny stacked rock statue, a mala, chocolate. Then you stand up straight, bow twice from the waist, and then clap twice. The first clap is to cut through obstacles and the second clap is to draw down the Kami blessing. Then one more bow and you are done.
Silently, we watched each other make our offerings, and then we left to go back down the mountain.
One last look back at this special spot.
A nice bow and then back through the Tory gate.
Past the purification hut.
Past the stupa.
The retreat is finished. Time for lunch.
The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
June 1st, 2010I’ve been teaching OM yoga, Revealing the Secrets of Vinyasa this weekend at the Shambhala Mountain Center. It’s about two hours from Boulder at 7,500 ft. in the mountains on a piece of land that borders national forest so it is vast and open and dramatic. This is who visited me outside my window while I was doing my sadhana practice.
There were 9 deer that hung out eating dinner outside my window for about an hour. They were like giant Leroys.
This is Lauren from St. Louis and Holly from Flagstaff having a nice cup of tea after 3 hours of yoga with me.
This is Irina, originally from Moscow, now from Columbus, OH; Keith from Austin and Laura from Loveland, CO.
Last night our group went for a hike up to the stupa here at SMC.
We struck out at 8pm and as you can see, it was still totally light outside.
Prayer flags guided us along the path.
First glimpse of the stupa.
We're almost there...are you wondering what is a stupa? It is an Asian structure that sometimes holds relics. This one, the biggest in the Western hemisphere, is also a place for practice.
The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya that Liberates Upon Seeing.
This is the first floor of the stupa. We sat in front of this huge, beautiful Buddha and meditated. There are upper floors that are only accessible to those doing specific practices, such as Vajrayogini sadhanas.
This is the ceiling.
This is part of the floor. The whole thing is very ornate and beautiful. It took nine years to complete this structure and much of the work is handmade.
In between the ceiling and the floor are small alcoves called tokonomos. Trungpa Rimpoche was very inspired by Japanese aesthetics and so there are beautiful Japanese flower arrangements throughout the stupa and SMC.
Another picture of the Buddha statue. I'm not 100% sure but I think this is the mudra of untying the knots, liberating obstructions.
After circumambulating the stupa three times and meditating inside, we walked back down the mountain in the dark.
Being a resident of a city that never gets dark, I forgot to bring a flashlight. One of the students, Vladimir from Kansas City, loaned me his miner's light. When I put it on the lamp over my third eye came on -- they teased me that now I am enlightened!!
hot in NY, homey in CO
May 29th, 2010After months of missing NYC’s warm weather by being in Copenhagen or Michigan or somewhere else, I was super happy to be here for a hot spring day. Time to take Millie for a picnic.
Isn't she cute? We went to the fancy neighborhood store and got just what she wanted: crab cakes, cole slaw, potato salad and lemon tart. And, her favorite thing, Sprite. Then we went back to the back yard of her building and had a feast!
When you live in assisted living, you get sick of the food. Even though it is really good at her place, it was so much fun to treat her. For those of you who have been asking, she is doing much better. She is standing straight up and down and gets up out of a chair and walks by herself, without her walker. Her mind is a bit clearer, too. Good!
Since I’ve been traveling so much, when I’m home I make a real effort to see my mom as much as I can and spend quality time with her. This time I was getting ready to go to Colorado, to the Shambhala Mountain Center. First stop, Boulder.
This was my homey, cozy room at The Boulderado Hotel in Boulder.
I like to stair step my way up to the mountains since I’ve had two serious bouts of altitude sickness in the past. So, I stop in Boulder which was nice because it’s a cute town and the schlep from NYC was sort of intense, it being a holiday weekend and all.
Can you see the mountains out my window?
I started taking gingko bilboa and siberian ginseng five days before the trip, as way to ward off altitude sickness. That was recommended to me by my excellent, awesome, wholistic doctor, Dr. Dana Cohen.
That night, when I was eating dinner in the excellent restaurant at The Boulderado I saw ginger lemonade on the menu, which has vodka in it. That sounded so good, perfect, so refreshing so I got that. Yum. The next day Peter Sang told me to drink some vodka because it helps prevent altitude sickness – something about thinning the blood and taking pressure off the brain. Isn’t that interesting? I never drink vodka and that night I just did. Hope it works.
