Visions of a Universal Humanity
Foundation for Conscious Evolution
Visions of a Universal Humanity: Foundation for Conscious Evolution
Visions of a Universal Humanity, the second installment in futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard’s award-winning documentary series Humanity Ascending begins with the noted thinker thoughtfully dedicating the film by, “thinking of all the people on planet Earth who are struggling, who are coping with very difficult situations but who feel within themselves some impulse, some hope, some expression of what’s possible. I’m dedicating Visions of a Universal Humanity to all those people.”
In this intriguing and thought-provoking exploration into her visions of humanity’s potential, she speaks, along with other luminaries including: scholar Dr. Jean Houston, biophysicist Dr. Gregory Stock, cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, complex theorist James N. Garner, visionary Rick Tumlinson, evolutionary theologian Rev. Michael Down, philosophy professor Dr. Chris Bache and physicist Freeman Dyson.
The idea for this program was initiated in a visionary process entering into a process of inquiry to understand the nature of humanity’s story. The answer revealed is that we are all members of one living, planetary body. According to her narrative, humanity is giving birth to a more evolved version of itself. This shift can be positively powered by vision. As Marx Hubbard states, “Without vision, people perish. With vision, we flourish.” This film offers a hopeful message that it is possible for us to collectively come together with vision and fulfill our potential as a collective, living, breathing and even joyous community.
–– Reviewed by Felicia M. Tomasko, RN
On Saturday, December 5 at 6:30 P.M. at the Faulkner Gallery in the Santa Barbara Public Library, the Foundation for Conscious Evolution will host a fundraising screening of Visions. Q & A and reception with Barbara Marx Hubbard follows. $15. Advance tickets at Paradise Found: (805) 564 – 3573. Call (805) 682 – 3222 x 2 for more information. Enter to win two free tickets by writing: edit@layogamagazine.com, subject line: Visions, by Thursday, December 3 at midnight.
Yoga Flow: Sarasvati River Tradition
Zyrka Landwijt
Real Bodywork
Yoga Flow: Sarasvati River Tradition
With a voice that is both soft and authoritative and a presence that embodies the practice, Zyrka Landwijt is an able and friendly teacher and guide. In addition to Yoga Flow: Sarasvati River Tradition, she is the author of Yoga: Beginning Practice and Yoga: Gentle Vinyasa Flow. Landwijt’s teaching is accessible to beginners due to her easy and unintimidating manner and longer-term practitioners will feel the depth of her sincerity. Any of her titles make welcome gifts for a wide range of practitioners and her work is a delightful addition to a media collection that supports a home practice.
Landwijt was trained by Parvathi Nanda Nath Sarasvati of the Bhairavi Maha Yoga tradition and this particular title incorporates practices handed down through this lineage. In the intermediate practice, I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on Suyra Yoga, the use of toning and the unification of the voice and movement. Sometimes we think of an intermediate practice as one that pushes our limits; here, we find a definition of what it means to develop our practice that involves dropping in deeper to a place beyond limits.
The DVD includes a twenty-five minute Yoga Nidra practice. Yoga Nidra, often described as yogic sleep, is different than unconscious slumber as the awareness follows the body and the practitioner sets a sankalpa, a resolve or intention. During this practice, Landwijt’s calming voice-over cues during set up a profound experience of deep relaxation.
Eight routines ranging from twenty-four to seventy-five minutes (for a total of three-and-a-half hours), allow the viewer to choose the appropriate length of practice. The sequences are filmed in high definition by the ocean and a river (fitting for a Sarasvati River Tradition series). The visuals create a sense of magic following you even if you’re practicing in a dark basement. The groovy ambient music, blue ocean and sky, and Landwijt’s soothing voice create a beautiful Yoga flow session. realbodywork.com
–– Reviewed by Felicia M. Tomasko, RN
