Posts Tagged ‘North American yoga’
2011 yogi of the year!
Fake Time Magazine cover image by YogaDawg. Original image taken by J.T. Liss, via yogadork.com
Therapeutic yoga isn't all asana! (all photos by Alexis Gagnon)
So last weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing the first annual Montreal International Symposium on Therapeutic Yoga (Oct 29 & 30). The title of the symposium implies a serious, focused and perhaps even dry event. But in reality it was dynamic, engaged and even fun! It challenged some of my existing preconceptions of therapeutic yoga and introduced me to a community of teachers and practitioners who are doing very worthwhile work. I’m starting to think that the therapeutic crowd might just be the real outliers of the North American yoga scene.
I’ve been to a fair number of large-scale yoga gatherings over the years, from the swanky Omega Being Yoga conference at the Marriot Hotel in Fort Lauderdale to the grassrootsy Yoga Festival Toronto. MISTY falls somewhere in between – hosted at the Delta Hotel in downtown Montreal, the space had that contained business conference feel, yet the event itself was intimate and low-key, with an intentional non-commercial feel (no marketplace – a few tables were set up with local yoga projects and studios, and a local book vendor selling yoga books, but that was it).
Here are some of the things I learned:
Therapeutic yoga is not only about the physical body ~ I was under the impression that therapeutic yoga was all anatomy and technique, and about sacrificing the spiritual aspects for biomechanics. But, for some reason, I was surprised at how many references there were to the magic and wonder of yoga, to the breath, to union. The difference, I found, was in the language. The TY (therapeutic yoga, obv) community use a more precise language, even when speaking of the mystical. For example, in Rita Trieger and Antonio Sausys‘s session on “Yoga for Cancer,” some discussion was given to the physical benefits of yoga for cancer patients and survivors, but much more time was devoted to the purpose of classes as a sacred space and a community for healing. Continue Reading
Michael Stone has become the unofficial spokesperson for a spiritually engaged Occupy Movement. Which is fine with me: he’s articulate, informed, passionate and funny.
In this video from a recent community lecture at Naada Yoga in Montreal, Michael reminds us that the teachings of the Buddha and yoga are meant to be put to work at the social level. As practitioners, we can use the change in our hearts to affect global change. Michael talks about predatory capitalism, imagination, creativity and anger. He concludes by stressing the importance of service as means to valuing interdependence and practicing “blue collar Buddhism” – simply rolling our sleeves and getting stuff done.
Best of all, the talk contains the most references to beer you’ll ever hear in a dharma talk. It’s about 45 minutes long, so make a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy. Then get up and go serve!
See also: michael stone & a buddhist perspective on occupy wall street
{via Awake In The World – Michael Stone from Naada Yoga on Vimeo.}
“We are for 100% of truth, 100% of justice, & 100% of unity 100% of the time. That’s our intention.”
Seane Corn at Occupy Wall Street, Oct 10, 2011
image via Off the Mat, Into the World's Facebook page
The yogis have shown up at Occupy Wall Street! Yesterday, Seane Corn brought her big hair and articulate voice to the demonstration site. She showed up in jeans and black boots, and talked to a crowd of several hundred people about about union, community and action.
There appeared to be some namaste-ing, some om-ing, and only a little posing. The crowd that gathered around Seane Corn yesterday looked engaged, passionate and inspired. However, some of the online discussion around the event appears to be a little more divisive. Continue Reading
I had the pleasure of talking with legendary Montreal yoga teacher, Dr. Bali, about yoga. In our conversation, he defined the growing field of therapeutic yoga as a way of understanding the technology of our body, which has the capacity to tap into our innate wisdom and healing potential. His belief, proven through decades of teaching and practice, is that the constant inner dialogue of our own minds keeps interfering with our body’s healing process. Dr. Bali also believes that yoga helps us deal with the root cause of illness: our own thoughts and emotions, which are constantly being transmitted into our bodies. As he says, yoga is a method of taming the mind and directing our attention.
Dr. Bali is the co-chair of MISTY (Montreal International Symposium of Therapeutic Yoga), which will be taking place in Montreal on October 29 & 30, 2011. The symposium aims to showcase the leaders in the therapeutic yoga field and explore creative ways of strengthening its support of traditional medicine.
At 87 years, Dr. Bali is still active, inquisitive and working hard as an advocate for yoga as a healing practice. He is the director of Yoga Bliss, a Montreal-based research and training center that he founded in 1969. He has also introduced yoga in educational centres and school boards as part of the curriculum, and he’s facilitated the integration of yoga in hospitals, corporations and community centers. Dr. Bali is well known for using yoga as a complimentary form of therapy in treating psychosomatic disorders.
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