Archive for July, 2009
[j'aime] girls on roller skates
Girls, roller skates, commitment, passion, dedication… and happening in my neighbourhood.
Video is the fantastic work of Tamy at Tourism Montreal’s Girls’ Getaway blog. Check out the Montreal Roller Derby championship game on Saturday, August 8.
** J’aime... is a new irregular feature on stuff that has nothing to do with “yoga” but which I just happen to love and feel like blogging about.
So I’ve been following the recent coverage of last weekend’s Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, CA with mixed sentiments. The first is fascination (what does this mean for the greater yoga community and how we gather together? what does this say about the continual merging of yoga and pop culture), and the second is a kind of repulsion (an event full of mediocre indie rock, hippies and yoga rock stars).
This isn’t the first time yoga has been integrated into a rock music festival – Sri Satchidananda kicked off Woodstock’s opening ceremonies, calling music ”the celestial sound that controls the whole universe” – but it’s definitely the most overt and marketed. I have nothing against combining yoga with partying (though they can be hard to do at the same time, and perhaps a little dangerous) and it’s refreshing to see a yoga+music festival that doesn’t feature the usual old kirtan singers. Celebration is awesome, and so is embracing a yogic practice as an affirmation of life.
But there are some things here that concern me, especially the “yoga teacher as rock star” and “yoga as entertainment” aspects, which underlie all the marketing and presentation of this event. And I won’t even get into the all-too-obvious emphasis on asana (though who wants to talk philosophy or chant mantras at a music festival? Yawns!). Continue Reading
Yoga practitioners in the West are in a constant process of understanding themselves and the complicated, centuries-old tradition they have embraced. The latest addition to this quest is the recently published, Yoga in America: Passion, Diversity and Enlightenment in the Words of Some of Yoga’s Most Ardent Teachers, edited by Deborah S. Bernstein and Bob Weisenberg. The book features a crop of fresh voices from the American yoga community (you won’t see any big names or A-list teachers here), most of whom are experienced, certified teachers.
The 46 essays in this compilation are responding to the question “What is yoga?” (which is ultimately, “What is yoga in America?”). They cover the full spectrum of yoga styles, from hot to gentle to Ashtanga, and examine yoga philosophy and how yoga intersects with Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and everyday life. The simple act of purchasing this book is an act of service, as proceeds support yoga retreats for wounded soldiers and the families of fallen firefighters (the retreat centre is run by one of the editors on the US Virgin Islands – and because the book is self-published through Lulu.com, all the proceeds go directly to the cause). Continue Reading
Gak! Where did the time go? I have no explanation for my blog absence. A day goes by, then another day, and suddenly it’s 9 days after my last post. I don’t even have an excuse, since I have no job or volunteer responsibilities. And it’s been monsoon season in Montréal, so I haven’t even been outside working on my tan. But I have started up a new session of French school, and I’ve been all DIY lately – fixed my bike (myself! with the help of the lovely folks at the Mile End Bike Garage), hacked a wireless connection (my own, not even illegal, so there), and finished the never-ending knitted blanket. These little projects, and general summer revelry, have kept me away from my computer.
So I’m getting ready for the upcoming Omega Institute yoga conference, Being Yoga 2009, which will be happening August 21 – 23 at the Rhinebeck campus in upstate New York. It will feature the usual suspects in the yoga community, such as Shiva Rea, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee, Seane Corn, etc. But there will also be a focus on living your yoga, and there will also be sessions on non-yoga modalities (tai chi, dance, Thai massage). The institute is committed to sustainable living practices, and this event will be an opportunity for them to show off their recently completed Omega Center for Sustainable Living. This state-of-the-art building has been getting attention from the national media for its innovation and eco-friendliness (see this Fast Company article).
I have a love/hate relationship with yoga conferences. On one hand, I love the idea of yoga teachers and practitioners gathering in one space to share ideas and practices. But the reality of the conference structure – with back-to-back workshops and no common meeting area – leaves little time for conversation or exchange of ideas/experiences. Most of these events are held in 5-star hotels or conference centres, which are sterile and bland and kind of surreal. The exhibition hall can be a consumer frenzy – and since I’ve usually attended these events representing ascent magazine, I’ve felt caught up in this frenzy, but also oddly removed. It’s been disheartening to sit at our little booth and watch everyone rush straight towards the chakra jewellery and tie-dyed yoga pants. (I did also get to meet long-time readers and sincere practitioners who are yearning for connection and depth, so that was a good thing.)
Anyway, I expect this conference will be a little more low-key and simple, with a retreat feel and better food. I’ve been pouring over the schedule, trying to narrow down my choices – it’s so hard, when there are 8 or 10 sessions happening during each time slot! And I’ll have no magazines to hawk, so I’ll be able to purely immerse myself in the experience for the whole weekend.
Watch some famous yoga teachers tell you why you should be there:
Being Yoga in Rhinebeck from Omega Institute on Vimeo.
These hot humid Montréal days make us feel all sweaty and sleazy – who has time for “yoga”? Our feet are too dirty for our yoga mats, so get out your dancing shoes, roller skates and meditation cushion, and do summer properly in La Belle Ville!
Celebrate one love! The Montréal International Jazz Festival is going the way of this blog (ie, “it’s all jazz, baby”) and this year’s line-up features some excursions into the rasta life. And we all know reggae is about the one love, right? So’s yoga! Heck yeah, Jah. Learn more about the “golden age” of Jamaican music in Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, which will be showing 4 times daily throughout the festival. Otherwise, I will be avoiding downtown Montréal for the next week.
July 4 – 12, Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, Musée d’art contemporain; check website for showtimes & tickets
Root for your hometeam! Wait a second, they’re both hometeams! Cheer on Montréal Roller Derby teams La Racaille (which translates into “The Scum”) and Les Filles du Roi (which translates into “The Girls of the King,” and which has some Quebecois historical significance) as they duke it out on the roller rink. Perhaps you wonder: C’est quoi, “roller derby”? Well, check out this bitchin’ video for the perfect roller derby primer…
July 4, 7:00pm, La Racaille vs Les Filles du Roi, Arena St Louis.
Meditate like a rockstar! The Montréal chapter of Dharma Punx have a new location on the Plateau, which is much more accessible than that obscure yoga studio out in St Henri. Cut off your shirt sleeves and bare your tattoos for this regular meditation session and dharma talk, which meets every Sunday evening at Studio Bliss. The crew is gearing up for a Noah Levine visit in September, stay tuned for more details.
July 5, 6:30 – 8:00pm, Studio Bliss, 3841 St Laurent Blvd.
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