Archive for September, 2009
The cover of 'The Hipless Boy'
Okay people, we are all in need of some good vibes right now. This evening, I got away from my computer and my cats, got out of my house and interacted with cute, interesting smart people at Sherwin Tjia‘s launch event for ‘The Hipless Boy.’
I had the pleasure of working with Sherwin at ascent and I love his work, so I was happy to celebrate the release of his new book, a collection of graphic shorts which follow a guy who “tries to live his life like an open heart, and a curious cat, meeting and mingling with a collection of Montreal oddballs.”
Sherwin gave an awesome slide show, entertaining the crowd. I won’t go into it all here, but you can get a sample for yourself on the Conundrum Press website.
It’s a little alarming at first glance: Adidas Yoga. Luckily, it’s not (quite) a new brand of yoga ~ it’s just part of the title of a Rainbeau Mars workshop at this weekend’s Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. “Adidas Yoga: ra + yoKa = The Integration of the Sun.” Seriously, wha?
The “Adidas Yoga” part of that equation makes sense – Mars is the global ambassador for Adidas’ line of “sustainable” yoga clothing (and shoes, of course, because you know we totally need the right athletic shoes for our yoga practice). And the rest of the calculation is a play on Mars’ own method of yoga, ra’yoKa (and which includes a colour-coded system of levels, of course).
There’s nothing new about Western teachers creating their own yoga systems or merging asanas with colours of the rainbow or being sponsored by multinational corporations. But there is something about seeing a global brand paired so closely to the word “yoga” which makes my skin crawl. What do the rest of you yoga watchdogs out there think?
[via elephant journal - who didn't seem to think there was a problem with this ridiculous workshop and actually believed the validity of Adidas' commitment to sustainable practices]
More Adidas Yoga:
Okay, so here’s a little secret for y’all: I can’t stand “yoga music.” But I like music and sometimes, depending on my mood, I like practicing yoga to music. But it has to be the right music, and I’m more likely to practice to something like Montréaler Tim Hecker or 70s space rockers Hawkwind than to some yoga toones CD.
Anyway, there’s this studio here in Montréal that does yoga+music properly (in my books). Here’s a little piece of “yoga journalism” that I published in Hour about a concert/workshop happening this weekend:
If asked to describe the sounds of a yoga class, you might list the sound of the teacher’s voice, breathing and the occasional grunt or popping joint, but generally things are pretty quiet. When there is music, it tends to be classical Indian, kirtan (devotional music, typified by American singers such as Krishna Das) or downbeat electronica.
Naada, a new yoga studio in Mile End, stretches the concept of how yoga and music can work together. The studio (which holds weekly classes accompanied by live musicians) will be hosting former Old Time Relijun member Arrington de Dionyso for a Saturday evening performance and Sunday afternoon workshop.
“His approach to music reflects the musical focus of the studio,” says Jason Sharp, who co-founded Naada with his wife, yoga teacher and dancer Elizabeth Emberly. “He creates a deep listening experience.”
The Olympia, Washington-based de Dionyso is known to “push the envelope between musicality and pure energy, between shamanic ecstasy and lunacy.” He plays the bass clarinet and jaw harps, uses his voice as instrument, and is inspired by shamanism and Tuvan throat singing. His afternoon workshop focuses on unleashing the voice, as he teaches participants techniques to release vocal inhibitions and perform for each other.
This event is the third “volume” in Naada’s concert series, in which the studio hosts experimental and improvisational musicians – previous concerts have seen Sam Shalabi, Ariel Engle, Hrair Hratchian and Omar Dewachi bring their unique sounds into a space usually reserved for downward dogs and sun salutations.
“This is the kind of music that is actually better suited for a yoga studio, rather than a conventional venue,” says Sharp. “The environment is concentrated, almost meditative. Nobody is talking or drinking – the focus is on the experience of the music.”
The meditative sound experience is not limited to evening performances. Regular daily classes pair yoga posture routines, taught by Emberly, with drone soundscapes created by Sharp.
Arrington de Dionyso
Concert, Sept. 26, 8 p.m.
Unleash the Voice Workshop, Sept. 27
Naada Yoga, 5540 Casgrain Ave.
514-510-3274 for tickets or to register
The Om Cabinet (courtesy of YogaDawg* of course)
We all have our feelings about celebrity yoga teachers. Personally, I try to avoid the yoga glitteratti and take opportunities to study with lesser known, more low-key teachers. But I can’t deny that I’m fascinated by celebrity teachers and follow their moves (in the same way that I get obsessed with regular celebrities like Britney Spears, the Olsen Twins and Beyonce – and of course, nothing is more fascinating to me than celebrities who do yoga).
So I was pretty interested in this article that Joelle at Yoga Nation wrote for the YogaCityNYC blog, based on interviews with celebrity teachers that she did while at the Omega Center’s Being Yoga conference. I was at that conference, too (and actually met Joelle at breakfast one morning), but I didn’t even think about doing any interviews with the big name teachers. I actually did my best to avoid the celebrity teachers, and instead spent my free time in the sauna and scuttling around campus, thinking of myself as living the yoga retreat version of David Foster Wallace‘s essay “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.”
Anyway, what’s interesting about this article is that Joelle just straight-up asked these teachers what it’s like to be a world-famous yoga teacher. She asked them their thoughts about creating a brand or style of yoga, and letting fame go to one’s head. Here are some of their responses:
Shiva Rea – “I’m not trying to create a style of yoga or a personal branding. My intention is to serve the life force. I’ve never had a PR agent or invited myself somewhere. Everything has happened because of the shakti manifesting in me.
David Life – “Everyone who’s developed a ‘style’ has focused on things in the practice that worked for them. That’s what they passed along. Everyone has teachers. The idea of creating something out of nothing doesn’t make sense.”
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa – “Yogi Bhajan noticed that my aura had grown out to here” – as she spread arms wide apart – “and then just stopped. It wasn’t connected to the earth anymore.”
What I found interesting is that after reading the piece, I found that I did believe that all those teachers have reached their status because of “the shakti manifesting” within them. When most of the teachers Joelle talked to started teaching, the concept of celebrity yoga teachers didn’t even exist. I’m sure that none of them started teaching or practicing yoga with the intention or desire to get famous. They were just doing their thing and got caught up in the cultural wave that launched them into a parallel universe of yogi stardom.
Compared to the up-and-coming generation of wannabe celebrity teachers (Sadie Nardini and Tara Stiles come to mind) they all seem almost naïve or optimistic. It’s refreshing, actually, and reminds me that they have more integrity than I sometimes think. I’m going to throw this one out to y’all: Are you glamoured by celebrity teachers? Or do you question their integrity? What kinds of experiences have you had with the big name teachers – do they live up to the hype?
* check out YogaDawg’s original Om Cabinet here.
I’ve been a little quiet on the blog front lately, while I’ve been tending to other creative projects (and adjusting to the demands of full-time French school). One of the fruits of my labour is this cover story in Hour, a Montréal arts and entertainment weekly. I had the pleasure of talking to Scarlett James, organizer of the first annual Montréal Burlesque Festival, which starts today and runs until Sept 20. While researching the story, I was surprised to discover that burlesque faces some of the same challenges as yoga ~ tradition vs evolution, commercialization, hybridization, and the risk of being “dumbed down” as the art form becomes more mainstream. I’ll have more to say about that later… in the meantime, you can expect some kind of recap of the festival, since I’ll be checking out some of the gala events and participating in workshops and drinking martinis all weekend. Glitter and tassels and feathers, oh my!
Read about my brief flirtation with burlesque.
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