The New Religion?

Being a yoga teacher and practitioner in Los Angeles, I come across many yogis and yoginis who are quite devoted and committed to yoga, myself included. Although some assert that yoga is not a religion, it seems as though the austerity of the daily practice, dietary restrictions, mindfulness, environmental consciousness and ahmsia on all levels, is the equivalent to a religious practice and requires more effort than attending a weekly service. Is yoga the new religion? read more...

Home & Sustainability Mindset

Before launching into different topics, I want to talk about attitudes toward sustainability and how some may negatively impact otherwise noble efforts.

Sometimes we hear that we must ‘fight to save the planet,’ but I can’t help but wonder if that attitude itself is counterproductive.

The world I want to live in is one of abundance, where we as a community and government choose clean, sustainable energy and healthy products because they are ultimately superior in form and function. Our thoughts are as real as the rain forests we wish to protect, so why not keep our thoughts as positive as our actions?

My aim with the Home and Sustainability blog is to share products and methodologies that increase our joy as well as help maintain a happy and healthy mother Earth. - Sri -

read more...

Living In Alignment...

Namaskar San Francisco!

I am so inspired by the commitment to consciousness of our community...it seems that everywhere I turn, people are coming together to do their best to love and serve others.

This lifestyle of service (seva) and love (ahimsa) has the potential to significantly shift the not-looking-so-good future of humanity. Living your life in alignment with your core values is a key concept of Green Yoga and a critical action step toward global healing.

What shadow side of the yoga community needs to be illuminated and healed? What is it that you believe needs to be addressed in order to bring more harmony between studio owners, teachers, and students? How can we bridge the gaps in understanding so that we can create more union (yoga of community) and reclaim our collective sacred power—an energy that uplifts and serves instead of depresses and dominates?

om shanti om




read more...

Come Together

The practice of yoga has been integrated into physical education and after school programs, break periods and even across the curriculum in science, mathematics, and social studies lessons in countless public (and private) schools across the country. Along the way, despite the improved physical and emotional wellbeing of the practice and, its popularity and mainstream acceptance, many parents, educators, and religious leaders have objected to yoga education in schools. (The state of Alabama has banned yoga instruction during and after school.)

Opponents have defined the practice as:

• a Hindu philosophy and method of religious training
• a kind of Hindu cult-like thing
• a New Age religion
  

So where do such ideas come from? It is thought that yoga and Hinduism originated in India. (It is also thought that yoga predates Hinduism.) The first yoga practitioners happened to be Indians, who happened to be Hindu. Naturally, the first yoga teachers, again, Hindu, translated the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga's source text, from their perspective: The goal of yoga, became union with god. Surprising, since the ancient Hindu text, the Brahma Sutra, rejects yoga.

What does Patanjali actually say? The goal of yoga is yoga -- to unite ourselves with our highest nature, whatever that means/is to us.

I explain to my young students that yoga is Sanskrit for "union" and ask what that means to them. Their answers: "working together," come together," "bring together," "teamwork," "helping each other," and "cooperating." ... Simple and profound.

Do you think yoga instruction is appropriate in our schools? read more...

Inversion Aversion

In January, while I was in New York City visiting my sister, I took a yoga class. Near the end of class, the teacher asked us to do headstand. I folded my mat into fourths and set it against the wall. Then I knelt down, put my forearms on the ground and clasped my hands. When I put the crown of my head on the ground, fear started rising inside of me. I took a deep breath and then let out a long exhale. My anxiety over doing inversions is long-standing. I am not one of those people who did headstands or handstands as a child. I did not like the feeling of blood rushing into my head.

After my initial anxiety spasm in the New York yoga class, I was able to get into headstand. It is unlikely that headstand will ever be an easy pose for me, but I have come to value the experience. Since I started practicing salamba sirasana, I have realized that uncomfortable situations are inevitable. When they do occur, feelings of fear and aversion will arise. I don’t know if they will ever go away, but if I can find a way to experience more than just those feelings; I have the chance to learn more about my practice and myself.

What aversions has your yoga practice revealed to you and what have you learned about yourself? Click on "Comments" and share...

By Ann Bui, Yogi Times, June 2007 read more...

YT Blog Team

Robert Birnberg
One of several seasoned teachers recently approved by TKV Desikachar to train Yoga teachers, Robert conducts 500-hour Teacher Certification programs in Southern California.

He mentors teachers, teaches private, therapeutic Yoga, and conducts workshops on all aspects of Yoga, including the Yoga Sutras, Yoga and Relationships, and Yoga for Addiction.

Robert studies in India with Kausthub Desikachar, teaches at Loyola Marymount Yoga Therapist Program, and is a popular contributor to Yogi Times.

For more info on any aspect of Robert's life and teachings, go to longexhale.com



Darlene D'Arezzo
Darlene D’Arezzo, voted "Best Kids' Yoga Teacher" (LA Weekly), is a frequently sought after subject expert, educator, and writer, as well as a pioneer in the field of yoga for children with special needs. Darlene has been featured in several publications, television programs, and online.

Through Kids’ Yoga Circle, she conducts kids’ classes and workshops, family retreats, and teacher trainings worldwide. Kids' Yoga Circle’s Reach Out Program has been implemented in schools, youth centers, and children’s hospitals.

For additional information, please visit KidsYogaCircle.com



Liz Hage
Liz’s dance of yin and yang has flowered into the role of Marketing Manager at Yogi Times. With a degree in Environmental Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara, Liz has a soft spot in her heart for the earth and holds a “small” goal in life to save the planet. Yogi Times is one of her vehicles for this goal. She loves being a part of the YT team and spreading the word on the yogic lifestyle through her marketing outreach.





Sri Keshava
Sri Keshava is a CA licensed Real Estate agent with an emphasis on 'green' homes, finding her homebuyer and investor clients either 'turnkey' properties or fixers/raw land helping them from start to finish. She is also the featured 'green home' writer for the monthly Yogi Times Magazine, featuring the green homes of many noted enviro-sensitive architects. Read past articles at YogiTimes.com

For additional information, please visit greenhomesforsaleonline.com





Lisa Maria

San Francisco Editor of Yogi Times, Lisa Maria’s articles have appeared in Common Ground, Yoga Magazine UK, Whole Life Times and others. Her children’s biography of Oprah Winfrey will be released in 2008.

Lisa Maria has worked in the field of holistic wellness for twenty years. Her journalism background includes co-founding, co-producing and co-hosting two weekly talk radio programs, which featured numerous cultural visionaries including Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and Wayne Dyer.

Lisa teaches yoga in Marin County and is a yoga ambassador for Lululemon. lisa-maria.com



Doug Miller

For over 10 years, Doug Miller has been a trainer and consultant to successful companies including Keller Williams, Washington Mutual, Prudential, Catholic Healthcare West and Coldwell Banker. He has spoken in front of over 10,000 professionals.

Today Doug is a highly sought-after coach. He facilitates the Happy Healthy Wealthy Game and leads workshops and seminars for numerous individuals and corporations all across America.

For additional information, please visit coachdoug.com



Dr. Gina L. Nick
Dr. Gina L. Nick, NMD, PhD is Medical Director of Serenity Wellness Center where she maintains an exclusive private practice in Orange County, CA, President of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association and a recognized leader in the field of Integrative Medicine. She is a graduate of UCLA; where she received College and Latin Honors and a graduate of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences where she was awarded her Medical Degree at the age of 23.

For additional information, please visit yogihealth.com



Jonathan Pozniak
Jonathan knows a thing or two about shooting healthy bodies. Aside from his portrait and fashion subjects, Jonathan has spent the past 6 years photographing the organic elite, from bodybuilders to yoga and pilates enthusiasts. A devoted yogi himself, he has shot yoga and fitness editorials for Real Simple, Body+Soul, and advertising jobs for Be Present and Prana. It's his daily vinyasa practice that keeps him grounded, inspired, and creative.

For additional information, please visit www.jonathanpozniak.com



Molly Roemer
Molly received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Dance. She moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to complete a teacher training at Sacred Movement, and is now actively involved in the yoga community, teaching at Golden Bridge and Liberation Yoga. When Yogi Times was looking for a style-savvy individual who stays on top of new trends, products and establishments, with an interest with health, spirituality and the environment, the description could not have been a more apropos fit. read more...