got it!

It's on with Yoga Journal. Like my voice teacher Margery used to say, "A little free advertising never hurts."

modeling?

I got an e-mail from Yoga Journal, wanting to know if I would like to audition to be the model for the Home Practice section focusing on forward bending scheduled for print some time in the fall. I thought, why not? Who knows if I'll be the guy or not but I sent in the pictures (thanks Cookie). Have a look at the slideshow (there are a few extra shots in there from some professionals).

freed(om) time

When I decided not to have knee surgery this past winter, I made the decision that I have to have two days off from physical practice. It means practicing in other ways. So yesterday was Alter-Cleaning-Day. Dusting and chanting. Re-dressed Ganesh. Now that's my kind of day off! Om Gum Gum Ganapatayei Namaha!

flip, float, and fly

Flip, Float & Fly at Laughing Lotus SF

Saturday, July 12, 4 -6 PM
$20

An afternoon of playful exploration through inversions, arm balances, and gravity defying FUN! Working solo, with partners, and in small groups we will tap into our truest nature and become LIGHT itself. Familiar shapes will move away from the wall, unfamiliar shapes will spark new curiosities, and the known and unknown will change places. OPEN to All levels.

Call Laughing Lotus SF to register
415 355 1600
www.laughinglotus.com

the responsibility of the mantle

Last night I shared with my class a mantra that is still fairly new to me: Aham Brahmasmi. Swami Sivanada Radha - in her book Mantras Words of Power (timeless books) - translates this as "I am Brahman" or "I am God". That's big.

At first, choosing to chant this mantra can seem a bit tricky; I have visions of someone being cautioned against taking the Lord's name in vain or a flash of lightning striking down the infidel. With deeper reflection I begin to realize that this mantra is a reminder, much like Om Purnamadah, that I am the reflection of and therefore very much a part of God.

My teacher Rabbi Gelberman would always remind me and my budding ministers that one of our 'jobs' is to be an inspiration worthy of being called the reflection of the Divine. Not always easy. Sometimes when we are on this path to our highest self, seeking to rediscover oneness something unplanned begins to happen : separation. We start to reconnect with the Divine but begin to put walls up between us and those who may not be on the path or who are perhaps on a different path. If all the paths on the mountain lead to the same peak, then how can we allow ourselves such a stumble? Because we are human, and we think with our heads more than our hearts. So this mantra is the tool to help reset or readjust our perceptions and sight so that we can take on the responsibility of the mantle of being a joy-filled, walking, talking piece of God.

See you at the top. Enjoy the journey!

happy happenings

A couple upcoming events where I get to share my love for the practice.

"Happiness is the goal of yoga - the goal of life."
-David Life and Sharon Gannon

*************

Friday Night Kirtan Party!
Starting February 1st
with Keith & Friends at 8pm
Entrance By Donation

Come Blow your Heart Wide Open with the Ecstatic Practice and
Celebration of KIRTAN, the Yoga of Sound & Devotion

EVERY Friday night
Laughing Lotus Yoga Center - San Francisco
3271 16th Street at Dolores


*************

PARTNER YOGA
with Indigo Stray & Keith Borden
Saturday, February 9th
1pm - 3pm
International Orange Spa
internationalorange.com/yoga/workshops.html

PARTNERWORKSHOP: Get tangled up and have fun with partner yoga. Learn to use connection to another yogi, both physically and energetically, to stretch and release deeper into your practice. Classic yoga postures will be included along with creative partner shapes. Find new stability, fall over, and LAUGH! No experience necessary for this playful sequence of postures.

All levels welcome.
Workshop cost is $60 per couple. $30 per individual.
Please call (415) 563-5000 or see the front desk to pre-register.
Space will be limited to 20 students.
Walk-ins will be accepted should space permit.

for everyone

I know that Christmas isn't everyone's holiday but love and celebration belong to all people, everywhere.

May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May you have light and love in your life.
May there be peace and joy throughout the lands!

Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu.

apples and oranges

I will not be unkind or speak ill here because I don't like the idea of the internet being an open forum to spew venomous opinions. However, being back to teaching in SF has officially killed the buzz that New York gave me. I can admit it: I'm an addict. Yes, I'm addicted to the warmth and joy and curiosity and excitement that New Yorkers bring to their mat. Frankly I'm not sure why you'd come to the mat without those things. I keep waiting for that "tremendous" feeling that's supposed to behind the letting go... And I know that there's some resistance on my part, but there's plenty coming from the other side. Teaching to love brings out love. Why would I want to teach to anything else? And I don't mean love for me, but love of life and the practice of becoming your best and True Self. I know that nothing will ever keep me from my own practice and my own path but I fear that my new surroundings have the potential to make me step away from sharing the practice I love so much.

Abhyasa Vairagyabhyam Tan-nirodhah (Sutra I.12)

The movements of the mind are stilled through consistent practice and non-attachment to the outcome.

empty space

I'm staying with friends in my building while I'm back in New York because my apartment is empty and on the market. My friends have a beautiful 8 month old daughter - she's like a little Sita. Since I'm out at Nataraj Yoga in Port Washington today my practice was one of the first orders of the day. I got out of their way and went down to practice in my place. Talk about freaky. Laying my mat in the spot where it lay for years was really the only thing that felt familiar in my empty space. That aprtment is so clearly not where I live anymore. It was almost like today's practice was some sort of farewell: a coda to the final movement of my New York Suite.

yogi on the run

I'm trying to decide if it always felt like this, or if it's just because I've been away for the last few months. Did I run around this much while I was living here? Did it wear me down like this, and I've just blocked it out? Or is it because I'm getting around on foot and carrying so much stuff? I don't know. But being a yogi on the run feels a little less than good right now. That being said, at least every time I stop running I'm in the company of amazing people who make it all worth it.

surgery

I had my MRI earlier this week. It confirms the suspicions: I have a tear in my right medial meniscus. I'm planning to have surgery early in the year (February or March). Hopefully it won't put me out of commission for too long.

back where it all began

I'm in New York for a few days doing some teaching. It was fantastic to be at LLNYC tonight, sharing class with everyone. There was such an outpouring of love welcoming me back, and it was a real blast to teach the nYc family again. I'm constantly struck by how the community at LLNYC consistently shows up ready, willing and open to everything. This isn't home any more but it's certainly good to be back.

under the knife?

I finally went to the Orthopedist at Kaiser Permanete yesterday about my knee. The pain has become more of a recurring character than I would like so it's time to do something about it. I'm not sure if that will be surgery yet, though if that means no more pain I think it's worth it. I'll find out more after they put me in the giant magnet later this week.

That's one of the sides of the practice rarely talked about. I move my body a lot and am constantly exploring the fullest range of movement possibilities. As a result there's a likelihood of joints and ligaments giving out more so than if I wasn't practicing. Does that mean I won't continue to have a dynamic practice? Doubtful. I continue to enjoy mixing it up so that not every day has to be all about the asana or the flow. It makes me think about those passages in the Hatha Yoga Pradipaka that say things like "one need only practice asana-x" or when poses are dedicated to a particular sage, suggesting that was the only pose that he practiced. Some days a shape is enough.

who dat?

I was in New Orleans last weekend, teaching at Wild Lotus Yoga. It was exactly what the Cosmic Doctor ordered. It felt great to practice in the warm, humid NOLA fall, and it's such a wonderful community of yogis down in the bayou. My body and mind were fed and refreshed. If you're ever there, you absolutely must drop in to experience their beautiful bhav. On the last night I had the privilege to jam with members of the Wild Lotus band. What a gift to be in the company of other bhaktis. Thanks and praise to you Sean, to you and your fabulous family of yogis.

Om Pavana Suta Hanumana ki Jai!

gimme what I need

The new center is open! Last night we had a full house, buzzing with old and new friends and family. It was great, except for the fact that I lost my voice. Oy. Not good timing. Not surprising with the stress and being overextended. Swaha. It was/is so bad that I wasn't sure I'd even be able to teach this morning. Somehow, by the grace of someone I had just enough voice to teach the very first class at Laughing Lotus San Francisco. Now my voice is gone again.

It was lovely to teach again! And people showed up! Really great people. For the first time since arriving in California, I feel completely like myself. I've always known that I love to teach but I'm not sure I realized just how much I NEED to teach. I'm okay with that.

could those be roots I feel?

I've been up and down ladders and scooting around dusty floors with a paintbrush in hand for the last week, helping to ready Laughing Lotus San Francisco. It's been tremendously rewarding being a part of the sub-molecular gestation of the new center. However, I'll be happy when we're finished. Not just because my body is beginning to object but because I'm ready to start teaching again. I miss it - it's been almost two months! I've never been away from teaching for so long. I know teaching will get the ball rolling on everything else too: it means I'll meet people and begin to form more of a sense of community. It's also a creative outlet for me, and I know it will get my deeper creative juices flowing again. Can't wait.

I'm back to shaking it up and out on my mat as well. It took a little while to feel at home in my new space but it's finally starting to feel like I can dance my own dance again. Probably helped that the clothes finally came off today. For some reason I've been apprehensive to practice naked here. Maybe because I live on a street with little houses, and I was/maybe still am convinced that the neighbors might be able to see in. So, I kept the blinds closed this morning - not ideal, since I'd like to enjoy the CA morning sun. But that took care of that concern and freed up the whole experience. Maybe tomorrow I won't keep the blinds closed. Besides who cares if the neighbors can see? Isn't part of the practice reveling in the glory of what God has crated and given us? If they're looking...well that's on them. Maybe they'll be inspired to unshackle themselves in some new way. Who knows?

Speaking of unshackling, I went to a class in Berkeley last week. I'm trying to be open. I think that will have to it's own post. For now I'll just say that I'll be glad when I'm able to share classes with my LL family again.

stop, look, and listen

Most days I'm unwilling to speculate or pinpoint what yoga has "taught" me. More often than not the inquiry has more to do with whether or not I can put my feet behind my head (yes, I can). But the most profound teaching that I have found in the yoga is: Stop, Look, and Listen. It isn't in any book but it is in the everyday, be-here-completely-in-the-moment (yet to be written) handbook.

I'm up early today waiting from a call from the east coast, clicking around the net and slowly getting motivated for the day. During a pause between clicks, I looked up to see a hummingbird having a restful moment (just sitting there) in the magnolia tree outside my window. What a great gift for the morning.

The magic happens in the spaces of life. Movement is special but we have to stop from time to time to receive the gifts, to allow our senses to take in all that magic we so often miss while we're clicking or whatever-ing. My beloved voice teacher, Margery, used to say: The difference between the student and the artist is that the artist doesn't fear the silence. I'm sure there's a way to relate that to the yogi and the master (or guru or mahayogi) but... why?

Now the question is, will I be attached and expect to see a still hummingbird in that magnolia tree again? Hmm.

Jai!

reduced

I'm in California, right? I'm so amazed at how chilly it can be here in the Sunshine State. Most days (of the two weeks I've been here) the clouds burn off around noon and the temperature goes up. Oy, not today. As I prepared to get on my mat I was so chilled that not only did I put on a long-sleeve shirt and long pants, but I felt the need to turn on a space heater. In September. Am I reduced to having to heat the room just to practice? God, I hope it hasn't come to that.

out of the mud

After a month filled with becoming an ordained minister, getting married, packing in New York, driving cross-country with my beloved, our dog and cat, and unpacking in Oakland, I'm finally finding some sort of rhythm and a semblance of practice again.

During that month, there was hardly an asana in sight. At first it was difficult but as the days fell away, so did the attachment. Most days if I could find a moment at my alter, I was happy. If I could throw in a squat or a headstand, even better. The letting go... tremendous.

I gave myself over to the situation (which was all good) and simply made time for some quiet. I began nibbling at The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and the Narada Bhakti Sutras. The absence of asana gave me the space to expand my heart and the non-linear portion of my brain.

That all being said, now that my home sanctuary is set up I'm happily rolling out my mat again every day. The great gift on the other side of a month like the last one is the fact that the quiet I created is still part of my daily journey. Along with my mantras - Ganesh, Hanuman, Shiva, Kali, Gayatri, yamas and niyamas - pranayama, asana and meditation, I'm still spending time with Sri Ramakrishna and chanting from the Bhakti sutras every day. My daily practice actually feels like it has expanded from the hiatus from asana. Oh the letting go.

Who knows what the life of a yogi in (sometimes sunny) California will be. The SF Laughing Lotus blossoms on October 5, and I'm sure being back at teaching in a new city is going to inject something new and exciting into my practice. Only time...

Jai!

off the grid

If Gov. Jon Corzine can say, 'No,' to e-mail, can the rest of us? I was just listening to David Shipley discuss his thoughts about it on NPR's All Things Considered (listen). Gov. Corzine isn't stepping away from e-mail, Blackberrys, and the like for any spiritual reasons. He's doing so, siting concerns for his privacy. Oh, you politicians. A little renunciation would probably do you good.

This is my fantasy. I dream about being off the 'grid'. There are so many days when I long for the time when I was less reachable, when communication and gratification were less immediate. I'm convinced we would rediscover patience. Of course, I'm a self-described quasi-reclusive homebody (who sometimes writes a blog... hmm), and I know I'm in the minority on this one. I've accepted the reality that once you're on, you're on. As long as you have a credit card, you're going to get junk mail. As long as you have an e-mail account, you're going to get spam. As long as you have a phone, it's going vibrate. It's hard (though not impossible) to suddenly turn it all off and step away from the way that most of the 1st and 2nd world communicates with each other. I have a couple ideas, thanks to my friend Patty, that I might put into play very soon.

Amma told a story the other night about a man who meets a great master. The man is surprised to find that the master has no possessions. It made me think of a Rumi poem. We're all just guests and renters in this world. It goes right along with my fantasy and the feelings I'm having while packing up my... possessions (almost wrote 'life'). I've acquired a lot of stuff, and as I'm packing I find myself wanting to toss most of it. Isn't less, more? Every time I'm in Costa Rica in my little one-room hermitage (no cell, no computer, no cable) where everything I own can fit under the bed, it just feels so right. What if New York City (or Oakland) could feel that way?