Archive for June, 2009
the yoga of michael jackson
I haven’t had much to say about the death of Michael Jackson because, well, I just haven’t had much to say. Besides, we’ve all been hearing about it everywhere, so who needs more of it here? I felt sad for about 15 minutes shortly after I heard the news on Thursday, then I got over it ~ and then I became fascinated by the constant media coverage (which is what happens to me after celebrity deaths). I’ve also been avoiding all the Michael Jackson tributes, which isn’t that hard if you don’t watch TV or listen to commercial radio.
However, I gave in and watched the tribute by the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, a maximum security prison in the Phillipines, which has been making the rounds on countless blogs and Facebook for the past few days. I’m charmed by this tribute for many reasons, but mainly because it’s sincere and yogic. Continue Reading
The weekend has already started, so I’m a little slow on the uptake with this week’s round-up (when you’re unemployed, the weekend starts Thursday evening…). The heat has been suffocating this week, and it’s supposed to rain all weekend so we can expect humid, sweaty dampness. Fight the urge to lay in a bathtub full of cold water and check out some of the yoga-esque activities around town…
Heal thyself! Monika Müller‘s Bio-Cosmic Energy and Self-Healing workshop promises tantric/yogic/shamanic practices to “help develop sensitivity to the body’s energy, including its flow through our hands, and the energy centres of the body.” Awesome – we could all improve our ability to tap into our own self-healing potential.
June 27 – 28, Centre Kinesphêre 1565 Mont Royal East
Rock out! Okay, I know I give Naada Yoga a lot of airtime on this here blog, but that’s because it’s the dream yoga studio that I’ve always wanted to see in my neighbourhood ~ and it’s practically next door to my house! This weekend, the studio will be holding the first in the Naada Live series, with co-owner Jason Sharp, the divine Sam Shalabi and others providing an evening of non-kirtan-but-totally-yogic music.
June 27, 7:00 – 10:00 pm, Naada Yoga 5540 Casgrain
Sounds like ommmm! Homegrown drone rockers Triceratreetops channel the sound of the universe and it’s always awesome. Due to the birth of baby Emmett, it’s been a long time since this trio has been on stage. Finally, yay!
June 28, 9:00-ish (or whenever), le Cagibi 5490 St Laurent Blvd (click here for entertaining restaurant review)
the front window of the beautiful rad'a space
This afternoon, I taught my final weekly community class at rad’a (until September). It was unbearably hot in Montréal today, way over 30ºC and super humid. I had no idea who would feel like doing yoga on a day like today ~ everyone should be sitting under shady trees in parks, or drinking sangria in backyards. I hardly felt like being at the class myself.
But when I got to rad’a, the space was remarkably chill and the fans were on, keeping the air circulating. I put on some dub and waited to see who, if anyone, would show up. And they did, slowly and steadily. There were some familiar faces, regular students who have been coming for a while, and a couple of new faces. Because of the heat, I abandoned my lesson plan and instead lead everyone through a super restorative practice, mostly spent laying on piles of blankets.
The Thursday afternoon yoga class is a community pay-what-you-can (PWYC) class, which I’ve been offering since before the economy crashed in the fall of 2008 (seriously!). There has been a lot of talk about how the economic downtown has affected yoga classes and practitioners (YogaDork does a fantastic job of covering Recession Yoga with wit, charm and intelligence), and we’re seeing an increase in pay-what-you-can yoga classes around North America, as in this elephant journal post. Continue Reading
I have made the decision to cease teaching yoga classes for July and August. It’s a multi-layered decision, which took a while for me to come to, but which ultimately feels right. I’m also going to stop attending my weekly Anusara classes, and just go to classes from different traditions, with different teachers, when I feel like it. I teach only 2 community classes per week, at the Mile End Mission and rad’a yoga, so my decision to not teach is not about time. Two hours teaching and another two hours prepping isn’t a big time commitment.
While 4 hours per week isn’t a lot of time, I also want to create a little more space in my life. It’s summer, I’m unemployed and I’d like to make room for spontaneity – for spontaneous excursions out of town, spontaneous hanging out on terraces, spontaneous bike riding in parks.
I’ve been asking a lot of questions around teaching yoga: Why am I teaching? What do I have to offer? How can I give a class without evaluating myself? I think that a break will allow the answers to these questions to simply emerge, and for me to become re-inspired. Continue Reading
Well, it’s the solstice weekend and there are more than a few celebrate-the-longest-day-of-the-year festivities happening around town…
50 years of Sivananda Yoga! Did you know that Montréal may very well be Ground Zero for yoga in North America? The venerable Swami Vishnudevananda, disciple of the even-more venerable Swami Sivananda, landed in Montréal in 1959 and established North America’s first International Yoga Sivananda Vedanta Centre here. It was one of the first yoga centres on the whole continent, and it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary with a whole bunch of devotional activities this weekend.
June 19 – 21, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre Montréal, 5178 St. Laurent Blvd.
Flow with grace! The Montréal Anusara community is all abuzz with the arrival of John Friend, who will be offering five days of workshops and intensives. You had to register way in advance for this one, but you’ll be able to feel the spanda glow around Dawson College from this modern yoga master and his devotees. Montréal is one of only 4 Canadian stops on his 2009 Ultimate Freedom Tour.
June 20 – 24, Dawson College, anusara.com
Outdoor yoga on the canal! It wouldn’t be a solstice weekend (or, any weekend, actually) without a yoga mala somewhere around town. Usher in summer and the beginning of Studio Breathe’s summer Saturday yoga classes. Get an early start with 108 sun salutations, then some “all levels karma yoga” and “karma KBOX” (don’t ask me what that is). Minimum $5 donation for each class, and all proceeds go to the David Suzuki Foundation.
June 20, 9:00 – 10:00 am Yoga Mala; 10:00 – 11:00 am Karma Yoga; 1:00 – 2:00 pm Karma KBOX. Studio Breathe, 1313 Shearer.
Slooooowww down…! Celebrate all things slow on the Journée Internationale de la Lenteur (that’s “international slow day” en anglais, yo). The organizers of this day-long event in Parc Lafontaine claimed to have organized as little as possible, yet there are 2 schedules of festivities: a programme (with surprising detail) and “possibilités.” There will be kundalini yoga, along with tai chi, laughing, chi-gong, subtle body chakra stuff, “méditation délinquante,” and other super chill things.
June 21, Parc Lafontaine (look for the crowd of people gazing at the sky).
Sing in summer! Studio Bliss is hosting an evening of Solstice Kirtan with Nigel Wolf and the Hari Ram Kirtan Experience. Start off the season with some enchanted chanting and dancing.
June 21, 8:00 – 10:00 pm, Studio Bliss, 3841 St Laurent Blvd.
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