best person in the world
May 23rd, 2010We were so fortunate to be able to attend the three day teachings given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall. It was such a wonderful experience. I will write a post giving you some of what he said but for now, I am still so blissed out and profoundly inspired to even be in the presence of such a great person. He is a true world leader. He doesn’t just want goodness for “his people” but for all people. He works hard on that project every day.
The teachings began at 9:30 am but we had to get there much earlier due to heavy security. This is not the security, this is just a picture showing how cool Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall look. There were long lines and you had to open your purse and all your belongings and be frisked with a magic wand. Every time anyone went to the bathroom you were escorted up and down the aisle by an usher and a state department guy. Those guys are HUGE! They do a good job taking care of HH.
Many Tibetans were in attendance, of course, very happy to be with the leader of their country.
And then we were in. I like to get there early because one of the best parts is seeing HH come into the room. You get to bow to him and he bows to everyone. He touches his head to certain people and monks and he waves to us. Then he does three full prostrations to the Buddha. Pretty good for a 75 year old guy. He wears flip flops and wears a baseball hat rim thing when he teaches so the light doesn't bother his eyes. You see, someone else might ask for the lights to be different but he works with situations as they are. A teaching right there.
A little more close-up photo from the video screen.
Sitting on the teaching throne.
On Saturday we had the opportunity to attend a private luncheon with HH. It was to benefit the NY and NJ Tibetan Association. HH really wants the Tibetans here to have their own building so they can have their own school. It looks like it will happen now.
Here he is coming into the restaurant. Thank you to Eric Ripert and Le Bernardin for providing this beautiful lunch.
He is eating lunch and everyone is taking his picture. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a fishbowl like that? He is quite cheerful and focussed.
HH gave a short talk and took questions. I nudged my way up close to the stage. I ended up next to a state dept. guy who was whispering into his hand, "He's getting ready to come down. He's coming down now!"
And then he was. He stepped off the stage and people rushed all around him. There were magically about 5 or 6 state department guys holding us in line. They were not aggressive or rude but very firm and huge. They create a wall. But yet, I was in the front, bowing with my hands together. HH was coming along toward me. He knew some people and touched their hands or their cheeks. He looked at every single person, not a zombie glance but really seeing everyone in the line. He looked at me and held my hand. I feel like crying just thinking about that. What a blessing for all of us to have this man as our Dalai Lama. Not all the Dalai Lamas have been so great. Or we could have had one who was only a child. To have this one is a very major blessing and great, good fortune for the entire planet.
Pictures!
May 17th, 2010
Me and Jamie.
Hugging. Note: Jamie is wearing her cute new OM yoga monk's bag.
Can you see Chris in the background?
My cousin, Rick, me and Rick's excellent wife, Pegi. I loved being with them so much! Here we are at Mission Beach in San Diego, right in front of the surfing contest. We had lobster tacos for lunch - yum.
It was pretty special for me to connect with my cousin, Rick. We haven’t seen each other for….maybe 25 years…maybe more. We can’t remember. But my dad, Uncle Allan, died and his mom, Aunt Donnabelle, died and so it felt like time to reconnect. His mom and my mom were sisters and best friends for their whole life. It was amazing for me to say to him, “Do you remember our grandfather’s ranch?” and he smiles and nods. Neither of us have any siblings but he stayed in Washington State a lot longer than me and is more in the loop of our relatives so I got caught up on a lot. Even though we have just reconnected there is a certain deep feeling from being with someone from your same gene pool. And, it turns out that he is just a super nice guy and so is his wife!
Here is Louise Hay, welcoming us to the I Can Do It! conference. She is 83.5 and super inspiring.
I took my camera with me to my private meeting with Louise Hay, in her hotel suite. But there was no one else there at all, the whole time, so I didn’t get a picture of us together. Except in my mind and heart.
I also took a picture of Christiane Northrup while she was giving her brilliant, funny, earthy, smart talk — but the photo did not come out in a flattering way and I have a commitment to all women that I will never put an unflattering picture of you on my blog. I mean, we must stick together, us girls.
A few more pictures coming…stay tuned.
Stirred up and grateful in California
May 16th, 2010Dave and I are in CA. I love it here sooooo much! We came out because he played with KD last night as part of the Hay House I Can Do It! conference. On Thursday night I interviewed Jamie Lee Curtis for my upcoming book and we had dinner with her and her husband, Christopher Guest. pictures to follow soon.
Friday we drove down to San Diego and along the way we took a little detour to the UC Irvine campus where I got my BFA and MFA in Dance. It is so different that it took quite a while for us to find the Art and Dance Department. I think there is only one teacher still there that I know and I was hoping to see him. But what I saw instead was a girl sitting at a table advertising a benefit for that teacher, El Gabriel. He’s been severely injured in a car accident. So I gave a contribution and left a note and then Dave took my picture next to a statue of an anteater, the school mascot. There are also statues of bison and a street called Bison Street. When I was going to school there, there were no streets or statues but there were many actual bison.
Here at the conference I went to see Wayne Dyer which was kinda boring, sorry to say. Louise Hay opened the Saturday morning session and in 15 minutes she inspired me and moved me to tears. She is an angel put on earth to help people. It’s really that true and that simple. Then we heard Robert Holden on Happiness and it was awesome, brilliant, inspiring and funny. Then I went to see one of my total heroes, Christiane Northrup. Wow. She just kind of nailed my life. I felt stirred up in way that was disturbing, but good, and so I went back to my room after that and took a nap. Can’t take in any more.
Last night was KD’s concert. Always lovely. Lots of nice yogis, including our friend and wonderful yoga teacher, Sarah Ivanhoe, who came down from LA.
Nudgie plays kirtan.
KD and Nudgie.
This morning I got to have a meeting with Louise Hay in her hotel room. She was so gracious and welcoming. Then she dug into me and asked me penetrating questions which were tough to answer. Her gaze is unwavering and clear. She is 83.5 and she is not fooling around. She also was kind and practical. She gave me a book, an affirmation, a visualization and her phone number when I need a boost. Wow. I am so grateful.
my friend, @Judith Lasater
May 14th, 2010Judith is one of the best yoga teachers in the world. Period. She has been a huge inspiration to me and I am so happy to be her friend. She is going to be at OM yoga next week teaching Relax and Renew which is totally sold out. But — no worries — she will be back in June to teach Experiential Anatomy. It is based on her vast knowledge and her newest, book, Yogabody. If you want to learn more about yoru practice or how to teach yoga better — take this course. It is not boring. You will be moving and feeling and connecting a lot of dots. The deadline to sign up is May 15 which is Yes! tomorrow. go to www.omyoga.com immediately and register for this class. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A YOGA TEACHER TO TAKE THIS COURSE.
Tonight!
May 12th, 2010Come meet me and Sarah Trelease and get all your questions answered about the OM yoga Teacher Training program. 6:30 at OM — see you there! xo
pema chodron on network TV
May 8th, 2010Check it out!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/144922/flashforward-course-correction
thanks, @Waylon Lewis and Elephant Journal
May 8th, 2010Waylon Lewis, editor of Elephant, that very cool on-line magazine, has interviewed me a couple of times. Here is a semi-recent one. I hope you like it. Below this link is another link to what he put up yesterday about my upcoming gig at SMC. Thanks, Way! See you soon in Boulder.
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/09/24591-part-one-elephantjournalcom-interviews-cyndi-lee-founder-of-om-yoga-center/
And then here is the link to the SMC thing in Elephant. Scroll down and along the way check out all the cool stuff on Elephant Journal.
http://www.facebook.com/elephantjournal
secrets, stupas, shamata and OM yoga
May 7th, 2010
OM yoga: Revealing the Secrets of Vinyasa
Retreat with Cyndi Lee at SMC, May 28-May 31
Have you ever wondered about vinyasa? I mean, what is it really about? Because you know it’s not just about moving with the flow, breathing in and out, getting sweaty and cool yoga music. There is more to it than that, but what…? You can feel that there is something else going on underneath, inside and in between all that. (“In between”…there’s your first hint…)
Looking at the layers of practice and study is what Buddhists call Outer, Inner and Secret Teachings (there is even a level called Self-Secret). We are going to unpack these layers of OM yoga vinyasa during my upcoming workshop at Shambhala Mountain Center called OM yoga: Revealing the Secrets of Vinyasa.
We will thoroughly explore the active, juicy outer layer– rocking yoga classes blended with smart alignment, linking breath with movement while attending to quality, texture, length; and of course, the traditional definition of vinyasa, “to place in a special way” AKA logical, creative, fun, surprising and inspiring sequencing — the kind of sequencing that makes it possible for you to do things you couldn’t do before.
How does that happen? Well, it ’s a bit of a secret but has to do with harmonizing ambition with effort, aspiration with attention, view with focus. This is the beginning of Inner and to me, where it really starts to get interesting. You will be invited to open up to your own inner layer of experience, while moving, meditating, walking to the stupa, doing some homework alone and maybe in groups, because interdependence is a major aspect of the inner secret. Some of what we will do is called Deconstructing and when you break things down, what is left?
The secret part. If you’re anything like me, you are dying to know the secrets!!! But for now, you have to wait to learn those secrets because these things have to go in order. You wouldn’t expect to do a headstand on the first day of yoga class, right? So we will roll out the secrets of vinyasa, bit by bit, May 28-May 31.
We will have morning and afternoon classes on Saturday and Sunday, with an opening Friday night class and a closing Monday morning class. We will have time for active and restorative work, meditation, discussion and questions. You don’t have to be an advanced yogi at all! But some yoga experience is recommended. Any questions? Email me at cyndi@omyoga.com.
In the meantime, here’s your first homework: Contemplate these questions: What is vinyasa? (Hint: it’s not about asana) and What isn’t vinyasa? Is it possible to rest in between attachment and aversion, while moving in space? Can your asana practice become a flow that neither leads nor follows? Why would it matter?
Is there a cooler place to go for this than big mountains with a big stupa? No. You are very welcome to stay for a while and join me and David Nichtern for Yoga Body Buddha Mind, May 31-June 2.
Yoga Body Buddha Mind
taught by Cyndi Lee and David Nichtern
Meditation, like yoga, is a process of familiarization – of getting to know your own mind and body — warts and all! David will introduce shamatha, traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation, as a path toward making friends with ourselves, creating a gap between stimuli and response and leading to more options for a rich, joyful and beneficial life. Cyndi will help you tuck this work into a fun, powerful asana class that will create sweat at the same time as it inspires you to become more aware of sensation, more curious about your experience, to become a more active participant in your own life. That’s the first session, called Making Friends with Yourself.
The next two sessions are Dynamic Equilibrium and Obstacle as Path. Each session will begin with a dharma talk given by David, meditation practice and discussion. In the second part of each session Cyndi will lead you through a yoga class that embeds the dharma theme into action. Can we be friendly toward ourselves in downward dog? How can “not too tight, not too loose” help us in Tree Pose or with our kids or in business? Is it possible for our hips to feel like gateways rather than padlocks?
In the final session, David will introduce maitri practice. We are like sponges — when we get squeezed whatever we have practiced, comes out, so why not practice lovingkindness? Cyndi will integrate the compassion-building practice of maitri into a a backbending asana class. Don’t worry – our assignment is not to do the fanciest bow pose but to explore the potential for unconditional friendliness, even when we are upside down and inside out.
OM yoga Practices of the Month – May 2010
May 5th, 2010Check 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
Hamlet and lunch in Sweden
May 1st, 2010One of the students in the weekend, Leslie, lives in Malmo, Sweden. I met Leslie two years ago when I taught at a yoga conference in Sweden, which is when I met Soham, too. Anyway, she invited us to have lunch with her on our last day. We loved the idea of going to Sweden for lunch and so that is what we did.
It just so happens that the way from Copenhagen to Malmo is to drive along the seashore until you get to Elsinore. Sound familiar? That's where Hamlet's castle was and that is what you see behind us here. We are at the moat. A very effective defense system, especially since all the soldiers pooped and peed in it for 100 years.
The Little Mermaid is on loan to China for a year so Nanna and Soham became Danish mermaids for us along the beach wall of Elsinore Castle.
Since it was Monday the museum part was closed so we could not go inside. But when we went into the courtyard we discovered a whole class of little children, some of them in Viking gear with little swords re-enacting their history. So cute. Their lunch boxes had sandwiches and broccoli. I thought, how cool. American kids don't usually have broccoli in their lunch boxes and obviously Europe is so much more healthy, organic and smart than we are. Then I noticed that not one kid was eating the broccoli.
A nice lady from the US offered to take our picture all together. Thank you.
We felt that there would have been no way to successfully attack this castle. The only thing you could do would be to lay seige to it. Prevent supplies from entering.
Another view from the ferry taking us to Sweden. Powerful spot, for sure.
You can't really see the writing on this life preserver but the name of this ferry is Hamlet.
Our beautiful Danish friends, Nanna and Soham.
