Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, the highlyrespected guru of the intense vinyasa flow style known as Ashtanga Yoga, died at 2:30 A.M. local time in Mysore, India, on Monday, May 18, 2009, at the age of 93. Jois was among the most influential, prominent and beloved figures in the Western Yoga community. Along with B.K.S. Iyengar [...]
Finding Bliss Through Community And Chant Saturday, 11:45 P.M., the Pod nightclub, Dublin. It’s been twenty-five minutes since my boyfriend and I dropped E and washed it down with Bacardi and Coke before switching to water (alcohol dilutes E’s clean high). We’re waiting to “come up,” we’re waiting for the high to kick in. We [...]
The other day Greg and I were stuck in some mood-ruining slow-and-go traffic. Instead of picking a fight we picked a mantra (sacred syllable) and started chanting. Somewhere between the opening om and the closing swaha, the air cleared and we were in it together again. And that’s when I remembered the billboard. [...]
One day, mid-flow, I noticed the rest of the class was already down-dogging it while I was still pulling my heart through my arms in bhujangasana (cobra). Which surprised me. I’ve always avoided bhujangasana. Teachers bust me for rushing through it. And when I have managed to stay in the pose for the requisite number [...]
Hot Nude Yoga Inspires Sweaty Self-Acceptance “Nudity is Mandatory.” It’s not the usual tagline for a Yoga class. But for Hot Nude Yoga, as popularized by Aaron Star, skin is part of the practice. I had seen ads for his Hot Nude Yoga, and never quite knew what to make of it. Looking [...]
Animal Spirit Representations of Kundalini Energy Kundalini is a very powerful and transformational energy located at the base of the spine at a space within the last three vertebrae of the tailbone or coccyx that extends to the perineum. Kundalini is a natural birthright for all people and can be sought and nurtured with a [...]
Feel Your True Colors Energetic Chakra image courtesy of Vyana The word chakra means wheel, denoting movement. Your chakras are vortexes, spiritual focal points and wheels of energy. When awakened they transfer prana (vital life-force energy) throughout your body to nourish your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. When a chakra is moving effectively, [...]
The Tantric Shelter Back in 2003, my then-girlfriend Kia and I decided to go to Maui to celebrate my thirty-sixth birthday. We had been together for three years, long enough to know we had something special. We had spoken about the possibility of getting married someday, but I was quite happy to [...]
Feel Your True Colors The word chakra means wheel, denoting movement. Your chakras are vortexes, spiritual focal points and wheels of energy. When awakened they transfer prana (vital life-force energy) throughout your body to nourish your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. When a chakra is moving effectively, it circulates energy to the area it governs, [...]
My daughter was sitting on my bed when I returned home from a Yoga class. “What’s that on your pants?” she asked. I did a quick scan for food stains. I couldn’t find anything. She pointed. “That thingie on the back of your pants...” I looked in the mirror and saw what she was referring [...]