Arrive! In Los Angeles, Amma’s programs are held at the LAX Hilton. Carpool, take public transit, cab, Uber, or Lyft, or drive yourself and find a place to park.

Park. Because of the large numbers of people who come to see Amma during these days at the LAX Hilton, the hotel’s parking may be full. Don’t let it put you off going to see her. Simply find a nearby lot and walk. Read signs carefully and make sure to park legally.

Please write down exactly where you parked, take a picture of the spot with your phone, or use the drop pin function on your smartphone map. After the experience, your intellectual brain is usually pretty rattled and you might have a difficult time remembering where you parked. Right now is the moment to ensure you have a smooth and easy exit, so please take some sort of notes.

When you enter the lobby of the Hilton, start asking anyone and everyone where you get a TOKEN. A token is a small piece of paper with a letter and a number on it. Your token secures your place in the queue to see Amma. You will most likely have to ask several people for directions on how to get a token, different people will point you in different directions. Keep your sense of humor and don’t give up until you find the right place. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP.

Once you find the token line, you will be asked the question “Have you seen Amma on this tour/ this year/ yet?” Your answer is “I’VE NEVER MET AMMA BEFORE EVER—THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER.”

You will be given a token which is a small piece of paper. DON’T LOSE THIS PAPER NO MATTER WHAT!!!! You will not be given another one no matter what story you have for losing it. y If you lose it, that is it. I usually put mine in the small slot in my wallet where I keep my drivers license.

Next: secure a spot “in the hall.” The lecture hall fills up and if you don’t have a secure seat, you will be placed in an overflow room in the hotel. Make sure you have a scarf or blanket or something to put on a seat that indicates that it is yours. If you arrive late and have to be in the overflow room, don’t panic, you will get to see her once the program “breaks.” You will not be stuck in the overflow room all night.

Once you have secured both a TOKEN and a SEAT, you can take a sigh of relief until the program starts. This is the moment to use the restroom, have a snack and a cup of tea, and look around.

Usually the evening program starts at 7:30pm, but this is subject to change. Please check with any official on the start time and make sure you are in your seat five minutes before.

The Program: Since Amma is a spiritual teacher, she will give a Dharma Talk (spiritual discussion) for about an hour. She will lead music for another 60-90 minutes. There will be Arati (a short ceremony with fire and flowers.) There will be a short meditation (only about two to five minutes.)

Then Amma will get up and start offering DARSHAN. Darshan literally means “To See” as we are all interested to be “Seen By The Guru.” It translates as a blessing by the guru. Different teachers/ gurus offer Darshan in different ways.
Amma offers her blessing with a HUG.

Observe the posted signs in the hall for LETTERS AND NUMBERS. When yours is called you may get in line for the hug.
Make sure to read the card that has the posted DIRECTIONS for how to receive a blessing from Amma. There are several things to know that ensures respect for the traditional and health for Amma. These include taking off your shoes and making sure you are dressed modestly without long pants or long skirts and with neck and shoulders covered.

Rather than you leaning in to hug Amma, let her lean in and hug you. This is simply to protect her fragile body, imagine being hugged by 34 million people!) The direction card will explain all of these particulars. If you mess one up- -it’s ok! You will not be in trouble. It is just nice to know the routine.

Usually you need to wait several hours before your Letter and Number are called. During this time, you have an opportunity to investigate Amma’s humanitarian efforts, enjoy a snack and meet new friends.

If you decide to shop, all of the money that is earned is channeled to Amma’s charities. This even extends to Amma herself; when offered a first class seat on an airplane, Amma turns the ticket in, in exchange for money which she donates to her charities. When offered to sleep on the most luxurious bedding, Amma will be found then next morning sleeping on the floor—she takes nothing for herself.

During this time, if you had been in an overflow room, it is a good chance to walk around. As long as you are not disturbing the flow, as long as you are not interrupting someone else’s sightline, this is a good moment to walk to different angles of Amma and watch. Not only is she giving hugs, but she is counseling businesses all over the world, feeding babies, and even conducting marriages all at the same time. It is here that we see how the Goddess has 10 arms!

If you have a health concern, or genuinely have an excuse of why you can’t wait on a long line, you may go to the “Special Needs” area. Generally this is saved for pregnant women, people with disabilities, or people with other special needs. Please keep in mind that people travel for days just to get to the city she is visiting in order to see her. People wait all night long. If you are asking or special treatment, make sure you really need it.

Once you are on the Darshan line, it is a good time to start to focus on what you are doing there, what you hope to have clarified, to set an intention, and even to reflect on your prayer for the planet. It is easy to be distracted, this is the time to start to settle in. Take your time in the presence of a spiritual teacher like Amma to set your intention and stay focused.

When you get to the front of the line, you will be asked to remove your glasses (if you are wearing any) and to wipe your face as Amma will be hugging you tightly.

When Amma hugs you, surrender to the experience without expectation. Some people find refuge, some have a moment of seeing the interconnectivity of all beings and some people feel nothing. All experiences are perfect as they are. Know that you are “getting” exactly what you are meant to get, and that not everything happens at exactly that moment. A seed may be planted for you that might not water for some time…

Once you are done being hugged you will be given a KISS, a Hershey’s Kiss, a small piece of chocolate, and a flower petal. This is considered PRASAD, or blessed food. You can either eat the prasad right away or save it for later or give it to someone meaningful to you. It is your choice.

You will then be invited to sit quietly next to Amma and observe her giving Darshan to others. If you feel complete and don’t wish to sit, of course you can move on.

If you do decide to stay, you will sit at the end of a second line and you will slowly be moved forward. You will usually sit in this line between five and 30 minutes. You will have the opportunity to sit near Amma, to watch her for some time and then be done.

At this time you may go and collect your glasses, your shoes and either stay and enjoy the atmosphere (have another snack and meditate or spend time with friends) or head home.

Depending on which city you’ve visited Amma in, there may be a place to find PARKING VALIDATION on your way out. Usually there is discounted parking with validation. Ask about parking.

Reference your notes or image on your phone for parking. Once you get to your car, don’t rush out. Please take a moment to take a breathe, feel grounded, and get back into the headspace of driving. It is easy to be “spaced out” after an experience with a spiritual teacher such as Amma and you want to ensure that you are driving safely.

Enjoy the rest of your night or day.

For more information, visit amma.org.

Om Amriteshwariyae Namaha!

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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If you’ve heard celebrated mantra singer Snatam Kaur chant, you were likely moved by her devotion-filled voice. In her desire to help sustain such inspiration beyond the concert hall, she’s penned a new book that guides people on “a path to their own light and destiny.” In Original Light: The Morning Practice of Kundalini Yoga, Snatam offers a step-by-step invitation into The Aquarian Sadhana, the foundational practice of Kundalini Yoga. 

Sadhana is defined as any spiritual practice done with consistent dedication. Snatam Kaur’s spiritual teacher Yogi Bhajan crafted The Aquarian Sadhana to help people meet and even transform the pressures of the times in which we currently live.

In Original Light, Snatam’s signature steady and loving voice takes us along a clear path of preparations and wake-up routines, yoga sets, sacred recitations, breathing techniques, meditations, mantras, methods to surrender to the Divine, and suggestions for including family and community in one’s practice. The book is peppered with colorful gems from Sikh history, as well as the author’s personal stories. Like any seasoned teacher, Snatam invites readers to modify their practice so it best suits their lifestyle and ensures sustainability. 

Yogi Bhajan crafted The Aquarian Sadhana to help people meet and even transform the pressures of the times in which we currently live.

This is an essential read for experienced practitioners and beginners alike. My personal sadhana changed the day I finished these pages. Like a cookbook packed with age-old, morning yogic recipes, Snatam’s latest creation offers delightful tools designed to help us enjoy—and sustain—our Original Light. A thorough appendix and two accompanying CDs round out the book’s practicality. Two gyan mudras up!

Original Light

By Snatam Kaur

Sounds True

Buy Original Light here. 

Reviewed by Mara Saranpreet Luthane, an actor, model, and certified teacher of Kundalini Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan.  

Mara Saranpreet Luthane

Mara Saranpreet Luthane is an actor, model, kundalini yogi & emerging writer in Los Angeles.

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The Ananda Temple of Light is a place of community, meditation, Kriya yoga, and spiritual living.

The sangha of Ananda Los Angeles has long had a presence in the City of Angels.  Its first formal temple was established in 2007 on Main Street in Santa Monica.  Over the years, the location has changed several times.  Its newest location, The Temple of Light, opened in February 2015.

The Temple is a place of community, meditation, Kriya yoga, and spiritual living, offering classes in these areas, as well as healing treatments, chanting and songs for the soul, and silent retreats.  The Temple of Light holds meditation and inspirational service on Sunday mornings.

Ananda LA is a part of a larger spiritual community of Ananda locations across the globe.  The first community was founded in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi.  Classes at the Temple of Light are based on Yogananda’s teaching of self-realization.

“Our mission is to have fun!” says Narayan Romano, a spiritual director of Ananda LA along with his wife, Dharmadevi.  “Next to daily meditation, one of the most important things a spiritual aspirant can do is to seek out spiritual fellowship with like-minded truth seekers.  A purpose of our community is also to come together in a way that uplifts and inspires.”

To celebrate the space, The Temple of Light’s formal grand opening even will be held April 12, 2015, with speakers Jyotish and Devi Novak, spiritual directors of Ananda Worldwide.  Everyone is welcome.

Ananda Temple of Light

11870 Santa Monica Blvd., #208

Los Angeles, CA 90025

anandala.org

Meera Grace Hoon teaches therapeutic journaling workshops and is an advocate for survivors of human trafficking.  She lives in Orange County, practices Kriya yoga, and is an active member of Ananda Los Angeles.

Melissa Hoon

Melissa Hoon is a journalist currently training to become a Yoga instructor. She is a devoted graduate student of cultural studies and is passionate about her volunteer work, including in Vietnam on medical missions, in New Orleans rebuilding Hurricane Katrina victims’ homes, and in South Africa at a home for abandoned, abused, and neglected children. These experiences have led Melissa to seek a lifestyle of helping and healing, namely through various meditation practices.

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When we consider a partnership related to sacred business, we can recognize that Americans collectively already have a lot of experience in sacred partnership. For example, we co-created over generations what we call the land of the free and the home of the brave. It isn’t by accident—and it isn’t perfect. We know that many freedoms were (and continue to be) hard won.

For example, in the 1850s, after a bloody and horrific Civil War, we outlawed slavery. In the 1920s, after a dedicated suffragette movement, women were finally granted the right to vote. But, progress doesn’t require bloodshed. The collective effort of the country in 1962 meant that we pooled our resources creatively and financially to put a man on the moon.

The solutions to our current challenges lie in our hands. High oil prices? A collective effort to increase commuting by bike and train could impact this dramatically. Thermonuclear meltdown in Fukushima? If everyone cut their energy use by 90%—and even more significantly—invested in powering the grid with renewable energy, we could reduce our reliance on risky nuclear energy. If we compare this effort to landing on the moon, it is certainly easier to power the grid with renewable technology, much of which already exists, than rocketing an astronaut “on an untried mission to an unknown celestial body.”

Here on Planet Earth, we are collectively engaged in a sacred business partnership. It’s time to step up our commitment and courage—to reach beyond personal comforts and ask ourselves the hard questions. What we pray for must be what we do daily. For example, we must co-fund a clean tomorrow rather than allow cronyism economics and destructive businesses to flourish by tapping into the trillions in our retirement plans and 401Ks. We must kick our oil addiction and commit to new habits as a society.

More than money, this requires wisdom and right action. We can all take action now.

Natalie Pace is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, The Gratitude Game, The ABCs of Money and Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is, which are both available now for 99 cents on Amazon. Natalie has been saving homes and nest eggs for 14 years, while at the same time earning the ranking of No. 1 stock picker. Learn more at NataliePace.com.

Supporting Solar

The US Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon is being held at the Orange County Great Park. Student teams from around the world participate in a competition to design and build a solar-powered home. Four Orange County universities: University of California Irvine, Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College, and Chapman University have joined together as Team Orange. The competition has begun and houses will be open to the public for viewing in October, 2015. For more information, visit: solardecathlon.gov

Clean LA Solar

The Clean LA Solar Coalition continues to support solar installations on rooftops in Los Angeles. For more information, visit: cleanlasolar.com

Earth Friendly Products Solar

One of the SoCal business committed to solar powered initiatives is Earth Friendly Products. The family-owned Orange County producer of environmentally friendly detergents and cleaners is powered by a solar array on the roof: ecos.com

TreePeople’s Rain Barrel Rebate

Rain barrels allow for reuse of water for landscaping in drought prone Southern California. SoCal’s Water Smart program offers rebates for purchasing up to four barrels. TreePeople organizes truck load sales through Rain Barrels International at below retail prices. The next truck sale is at the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market on February 28. For more information, visit: treepeople.org/rain-barrel-and-tank-information

Natalie Pace

Natalie Wynne Pace is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project and the author of the Amazon bestsellers The Gratitude Game, The ABCs of Money and Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is. Since 2002, Natalie Pace has been touring the world and featuring the most sustainable businesses, farms, individuals, restaurants and homes. Download your free Earth Gratitude mini ebooks, featuring The Dalai Lama, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, Elon Musk, The Duchess of Northumberland, Deepak Chopra, Life is Good, the Earth Day Network, Global Green USA, Arianna Huffington, Lynne Twist, Ron Finley and more, at http://earthgratitude.org/. Learn more about Natalie Pace at http://www.nataliepace.com/.

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On Sunday, October 5, the tenth CicLAvia will be held from 9am to 4pm. Dubbed “The Heart of LA,” this new route will be an exciting adventure for those who are unfamiliar with the Eastside of Los Angeles. It will pass through many ethnic communities, from Historic Filipinotown on the western end, through Chinatown and Little Tokyo, to the largely Latino-populated communities of Boyle Heights and East LA on the eastern end. Once again, streets will be closed to motor vehicles, with police positioned at intersections to ensure everyone’s safety. Hubs will be placed strategically along the route for information, souvenirs, first aid, bike repair, and food trucks. Participating businesses will welcome visitors with entertainment and special deals.

A new “CicLAvia Explores” program was launched to highlight the food, culture, and architecture along each CicLavia route. There are two more planned for the October 2014 event: walking tours of the Broadway Theater District on September 7th, and a culinary tour of East LA restaurants on September 14th.

If you’ve never experienced the joy of biking, running, or walking down streets without having to dodge speeding cars, you owe it to yourself to dust off your bike, dig your running shoes out of the closet, or break in a pair of walking shoes and join the crowds at the next CicLAvia. And best of all, it’s free!

For more information about all CicLAvia events, visit their website at ciclavia.org

Joni Yung, the Accidental Yogist, has been immersed in LA’s yoga culture for over 10 years and hosts the internet radio talk show, Yoga Chat with the Accidental Yogist on killradio.org. An avid bike commuter, she has enjoyed every CicLAvia and is looking forward to seeing everyone on October 5! yogachatshow.com/Twitter: @ayogist 

Joni Yung

Joni Yung loves finding things to do around LA — especially ones that are free and good for you. Follow her on Twitter at @ayogist

blog.accidentalyogist.com/

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Satya Narayan Goenka

(January 30, 1924 – September 29, 2013)

Vipassana is a method of meditation in which the mind and body is understood by turning awareness to the senses. Holding that sensation is the gateway to our understanding of the world, the systematic exploration of physical sensation leads to equanimity and the cessation of suffering.

S.N. Goenka spent his life popularizing Vipassana meditation, opening retreat and training centers all over the world. Because it is not tied to any particular sectarian religion, Vipassana is a universally accessible and globally influential path of self-realization.

At the 2000 UN Peace Summit, Goenka said, “Let us focus on the commonalities of all religions, on the inner core of all religions which is purity of heart. We should all give importance to this aspect of religion and avoid conflict over the outer shell of the religions, which is various rites, rituals, festivals and dogmas.”

Buddhist meditation teacher, Wes Nisker, reflects on his time sitting with the great Goenka at his early Vipassana retreats.

It was a significant moment in the history of the Dhamma, that winter of 1971 in Bodhgaya, when S. N. Goenka began to teach his 10 day retreats in Vipassana meditation, attended primarily by young people from the West. Most of us had come to India on a pilgrimage to check out the source of this ancient wisdom tradition that we had been reading about at college in paperback books; the writings of hip scholars like Alan Watts and the spiritual beatnik poets.

I attended my first meditation retreat with Goenka that winter, there at the Burmese Buddhist Vihara, where 30 or 40 of us had gathered, spreading our hippie backpacks and sleeping bags across the roof and through the garden; a new generation from the other side of the planet looking for liberation on the road. On the Buddha’s path.

Some have since called it “the meditation retreat that shook the world.” In spite of the fact that it was a somewhat random convergence of individuals, among those in attendance were Ram Dass and his entourage, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, John Travis and others who would return to the West with the jewels of the Dhamma, beautifully polished and presented to us by Goenkaji, as we affectionately called him. That retreat helped to spawn many books and launch many teachers who would eventually help to create a spiritual revolution in the world.

Goenka was a worldly man and taught a straight-ahead Dhamma, perfect for Westerners, using science and common sense and lots of good humor. He used to say, “I’m not teaching Buddhism. I’m teaching the art of living.” He had an interest in theater and happened to have a lovely baritone voice. I will never forget listening to Goenka singing Buddhist chants to us in the early morning and evening, many of the melodies composed by Goenka himself. I can hear his voice mixing with the tinkle of rickshaw bells and the cries of street vendors just outside the Vihara.

Goenkaji’s love of the Dhamma was palpable. We trusted him, practiced hard with him, and under his kind gaze we also fell in love with the Dhamma. Although like many of us who attended those first retreats with Goenka, I went on to study with other teachers, I will always remember scanning my awareness through my body; focusing on the ever-changing physical sensations as Goenkaji chanted to us “Annica! Annica! Impermanent! Impermanent.” I will also remember his sincerity, his wonderful laugh, and his admonishment to us at the close of every sitting: “Be happy! Be happy!”

Goenkaji was a true master of the Dhamma, and his presence will be missed in the world.

Wes “Scoop” Nisker is a Buddhist meditation teacher, author and performer. His books include, Essential Crazy Wisdom and Buddha’s Nature, The Big Bang, The Buddha and the Baby Boom, and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again!  He is the founder and co-editor of the Buddhist journal Inquiring Mind, an affiliate teacher at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and does regular workshops at Esalen Institute. For more information about Wes, visit wesnisker.com.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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Community Partnerships Power Practice

There’s nothing better than practicing Yoga outdoors with friends, family, and live music—unless you’re doing all of this and serving the community by supporting the efforts of a hard-working nonprofit organization. This combination has been the great effort of Yoga Vista’s Power in the Park series of classes. Yoga Vista has been putting on outdoor Yoga classes in Playa Vista’s Concert Park to benefit both local and worldwide charities since October, 2011. For that first event, they teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation; it was so successful that it became their annual October flagship affair.

Throughout Power in the Park’s first year, they have held monthly fundraising classes. In these, the community gravitated toward certain themes: pets, schools, and anything having to do with children. Still supporting these charities, for 2013, they shifted the schedule from monthly to quarterly. Yoga Vista owner and teacher Keary Bixby, “We want to continue with three or four a year so we can keep on meeting new charities but also stick with ones our community relates to.”

The next Power in the Park event is on May 11 with a class to support Girls on the Run in Los Angeles, an organization that meets with girls between the ages of 8 and 13 to help them build self-esteem, teamwork, and foster the ideal of inner beauty. “They gather like a community running group,” explains Bixby. “I enjoyed talking to them because I played sports throughout high school, so I know that being in a group setting with a bunch of girls can help build self-esteem.”

Yoga Vista cross-promotes with each organization through various avenues, including newsletters, Facebook pages, and local businesses. For each event, Bixby sources raffle prizes from people she knows in the Playa Vista community. For the May installment, prizes include dog training through Innovative Dog Training, a yoga mat and classes from Yoga Vista, and tea from Tea of Kind. Eat Well LA, a local health food delivery company, will be providing breakfast for everyone who participates on the 11^th.

“Our goal is to make the event fun so people hang out and get to know each other,” Bixby said. “My favorite part is the communal aspect. People breathing for each other, breathing for the kids we’re raising money for.” Everyone involved learns about the charities and ways they can become involved.

Power in the Park takes requests for partnerships, including a student’s suggestion to work with the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. It was only when her student spoke before a Yoga class when Bixby realized how close to home her story was. “She explained onstage that her grandfather and father both had Huntington’s disease, and she has a 50/50 chance of getting it. She has chosen at this time not to know whether she is going to get it; she just lives her life and lives it fully. It was extremely inspiring.”

Putting on the event has expanded Bixby’s Yoga practice as well as her community awareness. “Let me tell you, sitting there and listening to some of the stories, and then doing Yoga and setting an intention as a group for these charities is extremely special,” said Bixby. “There have been lots of tears. It’s amazing.”

For more information on Power in the Park’s initiatives, visit: yogavistastudio.com/powerinthepark

For more information on Yoga Vista Studio: yogavistastudio.com

{author credit} Jordan Younger is…

Jordan Younger

Jordan Younger is a student at Loyola Marymount University and a Yoga teacher in training who loves the ocean, being outdoors, and tasting delicious vegetarian food around L.A. She hopes write novels in the future, and if she is not on the yoga mat you will probably find her at the beach, hiking with her friends, or playing with her adorable nieces.

The post People Power in the Park appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Spring has fully sprung and with it, the Festival Season. First on the list is Shakti Fest, held in Joshua Tree. The days and nights of May will be filled with yoga classes, spiritual lectures, organic vegetarian food and singing and dancing to the call-and-response sacred music of kirtan under the stars.

Shakti Fest is not to be missed, as it reminds us why we come together, why we practice, and that yoga and chanting make us feel whole.

As much of a high as one gets from being a festival-goer, if you just “go, go, go,” inevitably you will crash. The weekend is meant to nourish and recharge you and I’m offering a few tips to keep you balanced along the way.

Taking a few moments to sketch out a basic plan for the weekend won’t take away from the spontaneity or playfulness, and will ensure sustainability. Instead of feeling you “need a vacation from your vacation” when you return to civilization, you will feel full of vitality and ready for the week.

SHAKTI: A 6-Step Plan for Festival Survival

1. Protect Yourself in the Sun

S-unscreen. This is no joke. Even if you have dark skin, if you have a base tan, or if you think you will only be walking from your car to the yoga hall, you MUST wear sunscreen. Getting burned is not your only worry; be concerned about what the sun will do to you in 20 years. The best sun block of course, is a hat and shirt.  In addition, take the extra 30 seconds to slap some natural sunscreen on your face. I recommend Eminence Organics Sunblock, or the Alba Botanica line of sunscreens.

2. Stay Hydrated for Festival Survival

H-ydrate. It’s not just the heat that will get you, it’s the dryness of the air that contributes to dehydration. Singing is a notorious dehydrator, not to mention dancing in the sun and taking three yoga classes daily. Consume at least ten glasses of water a day, (free refills for your reusable water bottle are available at the water station) and throw in some coconut water to replenish your electrolytes. My favorite is Harmless Harvest (try the pink ones).

3. Abhyanga and Ayurveda

A-yurvedic Oil. There is no amount of moisturizer that is going to penetrate the skin. Try “Abhyanga.” Slather herbal- infused Ayurvedic oil onto your body from head to toe, even in your hair.  Allow this to soak in for at least five and up to ten minutes. Get into a hot steamy shower even though it is hot outside. The hot water will open your pores and allow your skin to drink in the medicated oil, hydrating your skin on a level you wouldn’t imagine possible.

Dry skin is not only uncomfortable, it is actually unhealthy. Your skin is the largest organ of the body and like anything else, it needs to be nourished and brought into balance. Depending on your dosha, there are different oils available. While in Joshua Tree, most of us may experience an imbalance of the energies of the airy/dry vata and the hot fiery pitta. Try Banyan Botanicals Ayurvedic Massage Oils for the vata or pitta doshas.

4. Be Kind and Snack often for Festival Survival

K-IND Bar.  You need to carry snacks. Because of the intense heat, you will think you’re not hungry.  Heat and dry air are classic appetite suppressants, but when you least expect it, you will be seized by uncontrollable hunger.  You don’t want to wait until you get to the food court and risk having to stand in a long line.  When you feel hungry, you need something NOW. The most natural, unprocessed and nutrient rich bar is a KIND bar.  Even the most discriminating eaters are gobbling them up. Try the Almond Cashew with Flax and Omega 3. This is an effective snack full of the essential fats and oils that are especially vital for desert survival. Not only will this bar satiate your erratic hunger, but it will moisten your organs from the inside out. Keep some handy in your bag to share with fellow students after a yoga class.

5. Stay Well: Take Turmeric

T-urmeric. One of the biggest complaints I hear during festival season is about people getting sick. Common colds spread via human contact and are tough to avoid when you’re partying with thousands of people. People always ask me why I’ve only had one cold in the last seven years. The answer is simple: TURMERIC. Turmeric is related to ginger, and like ginger, the root is used; it can be consumed raw, powdered, capsules, or liquid. Try Turmeric Alive drink, possibly the easiest and most refreshing way to get it down. This stuff will work. Keep the turmeric flowing and you can give away free hugs all weekend!

6. Take Time inside for Festival Survival

I-nside. You will experience sensory overload. It just happens.  Don’t panic, don’t get cranky, just go INSIDE. Go to a place that is dark and cool. On Saturday afternoon, I am teaching a Yoga Nidra class just for this reason: to provide a place where people can close their eyes and be still. Consider Yoga Nidra a much-needed “Disco Nap” for a yoga festival.

Whether taking a Disco Nap/Yoga Nidra, going to a lecture in the Sanctuary, or popping back to your hotel room for a few hours, get yourself inside to take a break from the intense light, heat, sounds, and smells. Take a siesta, do a meditation, or a Yoga Nidra practice that does not involve chanting, moving, or talking to others. Simply go inside and be quiet. If you can tear yourself away from the seductions of the festival for a few short hours, you will give yourself time to recharge. Taking this time will give you the energy and vitality that you need in order to spend a glorious evening dancing and singing under the stars.

Go to Shakti Fest 2019

Shakti Fest 2019 is May 9-13 will pre- and post-festival intensives on May 10 and 14. For more information or to buy tickets, visit: http://shaktifest.bhaktifest.com/

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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2. Three full days of amazing speakers and unique presentations in The Daily Love Lounge Speaker Series: The Positively Positive Panel, Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, Essential Living Foods Power Hour and Mallika Chopra from Intent.com to name a few.

3. A massive Yoga village at the beach featuring 60 of the world’s top Yoga teachers accompanied by International Artists performing live in class.

4. Tadasana’s Eco-Conscious Marketplace–70 booths of clothing, jewelry, amazing food, chocolate and the best smoothies ever–is free and open to the public!

5. Take an acro-yoga flight at the Tadasana Airport!

6. Elena Brower and Amy Ippoliti teach while musical titans Karsh Kale (pictured left) and Hassan Hakmoun perform.

7. Friday Night’s Om Shalom Shabbat Flow taught by Zack Lodmer featuring the inimitable Kirtan Rabbi.

8. The kick-off party will be held at a Santa Monica staple: the weekly Afrofunke party at Zanzibar.

9. Tadasana After Dark: The three-night concert series featuring Jai Uttal, Karsh Kale, MC Yogi, EarthRise SoundSystem, Tom Freund, Wah! and many others.

10. Because this is the first event of its kind in the world…and it’s happening in your own backyard.

For event information, class schedule and tickets, visit: Tadasanafestival.com.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

The post 10 Reasons You Cannot Miss The Tadasana Festival appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Beth Lapides: My Other Car Is A Yoga Mat

They say follow your bliss but I say follow your pain. Because I’m starting to notice that when I follow my pain, then my bliss follows me.

This happened recently with my arm pain. The pain had become so bad that at the end of class, sitting in final cross-legged position, instead of joining my om with those of my neighboring mat-mates, I was busy scanning my arms and shoulders, trying to pinpoint exactly where it hurt most. Or should I say where it didn’t hurt.

By the time we namasted, my inner whining was so loud I could barely hear the post-class chat I love so well. I left my mat where it was and cornered my teacher, my tense voice the very definition of the squeaky wheel.

I elaborated on the arm and shoulder pain he’s all too familiar with. Besides being my teacher, I am also lucky enough to occasionally work with him as a massage therapist.

So I didn’t really need to say my fingers and forearms hurt while I type and my shoulders hurt while I sleep. But I did it anyway.

“Would you like some cheese with that whine?” he asked.

I told him I’ve been doing fewer chatarungas, fewer handstands and no between-class weights. But instead of feeling like my arms are healing, it feels like they’re just getting weaker. And fatter. So now I’m not just whiney and pain-averse, but also a vain diva. He patiently ran down some arm, shoulder and neck exercises we often do in class and reminded me of one in particular.

“Put your arm straight out to your side at shoulder height. Hand on the wall, like a stop sign,” he said. I did, imagining I was saying ‘stop’ to my arm pain. It felt like fireworks running up and down my arm. I’ve started to think of this feeling as taking the should out of my shoulders. I should write a new end for my show. I should find out what the pineal gland really does. I should post my podcast to the My Other Car Is A Yoga Mat Facebook page. I should Google remedies for arm pain. I should Twitter taking the should out of shoulders.

“I’ll do it every morning and night,” I said, like a convert. And I do. I’m diligent. In a way diligence is exactly what has gotten me into this mess. My diligence has turned me into an armed robber. I rob my arms of their ease by using them too diligently: Diligently connecting with friends online, diligently connecting the dot-coms between everything from cobra pose to coconuts to orbs.

The word arm comes from the PIE (proto-Indo Eurpoean) base *ar- which actually means “to join.” I started to think about how much arms are about joining. Joining in with others online. Or hugging.

I felt some nerves coming back to life and some tenseness loosening. So I started showing the exercise to my comedy students and even at a party one night to my friends. I had to laugh because years ago another teacher used the term party pose for show-offy asana. Now here I was between glasses of wine, watching my friends whine and confess that they too were having all kinds of arm and shoulder troubles.

The next night I dreamt my arms were being treated with electrically charged acupuncture needles. It felt amazingly great. And in the left inner forearm, where the needle had been, an outline of a flower appeared. Subsequently I learned this is the PU4 acupressure spot, which has to do with increasing qi, or prana or life-force. It is also related to issues of the heart, as do all things with the arms, which are on the heart meridian. And how did I learn all this? By researching online, of course. Two steps forward, one step back. Or now, since I measure things as being click-worthy, two clicks forward, one arm spasm back.

But the dream didn’t end with the flower. After some electricity flowed in, I sprouted an extra set of arms. And not just more arms. Transparent, magical, mystical arms. Doubled arms like all those the deities have.

I started clicking around for clues to the meaning of this dream. But nothing was clicking with the clicking. Then I stumbled upon Kali, whose name means black. And I remembered a second part of the dream. My dream healer had been wearing a black T-shirt. The exact opposite of classical healers, whom we actually call white coats. And I remembered that after the dream treatment my healer had lain down with me and hugged me so well that when I arose I was highly aroused.

Okay, maybe I’ve been eating too much maca. Or maybe the idea of having an extra set of arms is just that exciting to me. Or maybe something more profound had happened.

I’ve always shied away from Kali, preferring, like most people, the also-quadruple-armed but much more cuddly elephant deity Ganesh. There’s nothing cuddly about Kali aka the Black Goddess. Or in my case the black T-shirted Goddess.

So in the dream I was Kali, and I was also hugging Kali. And here’s the thing about Kali and her four arms. Two are for creating and two are for destroying.

Do we need to embrace the primal truth that we are all joined together as Kali now? That we created, or helped to create, a world in which every system is dissolving: the banking and ecological and Hollywood systems? The whole Cartesian system of thought?

That’s what I’m spending so much time online trying to understand – the dissolution and how to be part of the recreation.

So I have resolved that I am going to start hugging more. Not in an Amma way. But just as I go.

I once read that the key to a happy relationship is six hugs a day. Greg and I notice that we often don’t meet our quota. Not for lack of love, but for lack of focus. And sometimes from shying away from the fierceness of hugging, which does have a Kali-like quality, an ability to destroy a mood or a wall, and create something else. A Yoga, a union.

Sometimes it’s easier to click click click than it is to wrap our four arms together and stick with it. But I’ve started to feel that these turbulent changing times (some say it’s the Kali Yuga in fact) demand this kind of loving fierceness. And besides, hugging is one of the only things I can do with my arms that doesn’t hurt.

Beth Lapides is currently touring her show 100% Happy 88% of the Time and teaching The Comedian’s Way workshops. Subscribe to the new My Other Car Is A Yoga Mat podcast on iTunes or listen to it on bethlapides.com. Email her at beth@bethlapides.com.

By Beth Lapides

Beth Lapides

Beth Lapides is the creatrix and host of UnCabaret. You may know her from her LA Yoga My Other Car is A Yoga Mat column, as the author of “Did I Wake You, Haiku For Modern Living”, from her appearances on Sex & The City, NPR and Comedy Central or from her writing in O Magazine, Elle Decor and Los Angeles Magazine. She teaches her workshop The Comedian’s Way privately in LA and annually at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. UnCabaret is her long running comedy show in which she asks the very best comedians working what is going on with you now. The show is known for being uniquely about the present and every Sunday a completely unique experience unfolds. In the past two years Beth has collaborated with Mitch Kaplan, both on the music for her New Agey comedy show “100% Happy 88% of the Time” and at UnCabaret where Mitch is Musical Director. Adding music to the comedy is like adding an out breath to the in, a vowel to the consonant. UnCabaret is intimate, conversation, idiosyncratic and fun intentional.

bethlapides.com

The post Arm and Arm appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

SANTOSHA SPACE is a family-friendly, kid-welcoming, and stress-free zone for people in all stages of life located in Atwater Village on Glendale Boulevard. Santosha is a Sanskrit word that refers to a state of contentment described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: “When one reaches a state of happiness, Santosha is achieved.”

Studio owner and director Cat Macary seeks to evoke this feeling to all who visit the studio; she says, “Santosha Space is a sanctuary from the hectic lives we live and offers everyone a safe space to be in joy.”

This Yoga lifestyle center is not only a Yoga studio, but a retail store with merchandise featuring crafts from local artisans. It is also a healing oasis offering massage and Reiki services and treatments. Santosha Space hosts a variety of Yoga styles and blends including Hatha, Kundalini, and Iyengar along with Mommy and Me, Prenatal, and children’s classes; they refer Hot Yoga lovers to the nearby Bikram Yoga Silverlake.

At Santosha Space, students can discover a new class, product, healing modality, or friend. This nascent Yoga community also offers monthly workshops with topics such as living a vegan lifestyle and events including sound bath healings and meditations. “We welcome all to be well, be happy, and to be in Santosha,” says Macary.

Santosha Space, 3405 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 www.santoshaspace.com

ORGANIC BAR AND BISTRO IN STUDIO CITY

Mare’ka organic bistro café & bar is the first certified organic bar on Ventura Boulevard.

An artist living in the Valley, Mare’ka Enlight was looking for late-night hang-outs that offered organic and health-conscious beverages.

They were scarce to nonexistent—especially in the Valley—so she created a solution.

Mare’ka Cafe and Bar is an intimate venue that showcases live local entertain-ment and offers a diverse and delicious selection of organic drinks including meal replacement smoothies, anti-aging elixir shots and Chinese herbal tonic drinks. In the near future, Mare’ka’s will feature alcoholic concoctions of their freshly-juiced vodka cocktails and imported and domestic microbrewed beers. Their support of entertainment extends to those making the music: Mare’ka offering musicians a 10% discount on all drinks.

The organic menu fare includes savory rustic Italian, French and Pacific Rim cuisine featuring soups and salads, sandwiches and pizzas that are not only eye candy in presentation, but heaven for your taste buds.

In the space, Enlight hopes to create a sanctuary for the arts in the Valley. She says, “Mare’ka will be an artistic home that fosters creativity in music and art while serving only enzyme-rich, organic drinks, and rustic bistro cuisine all in a unique setting.” Along with the arts, stay tuned for weekly vitamin meetings and monthly events and workshops on holistic living.

Mare’ka Organic Bistro Café & Bar, 12747 ½ Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 www.marekalive.com

Melissa Chua

Melissa Chua is an LA-based writer who enjoys inversions and playing around with arm balancing poses. m.chua13@gmail.com

The post Community: Open Doors appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

“We have always used the water of holy rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna to purify ourselves, but today we have reached a point where we have to purify this water.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

For spiritual leader and humanitarian His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, both the inner and outer environment are an integral part of us.

According to the ancient Vedic knowledge, human beings have five sheaths or layers to their existence — the environment, the physical body, the mind, the intuitive sheath, and the innermost blissful Self.

“The environment is our first body,” says Sri Sri (pronounced Shree Shree), “so environmental consciousness is built into the human system. Historically, nature, or prakriti, has always been adored in India. It is only when we start moving away from nature that we start polluting nature.”

For the last 30 years, Sri Sri has focused on both the individual and society. His core programs for individuals include a workshop that brings the mind into the present with special breathing techniques, knowledge, and advanced programs of silence and meditation. He also offers special workshops that help veterans, people with HIV, prisoners, business people, and children.

However, Sri Sri considers service a key aspect of personal growth, and something that has the effect of helping people go deeper in their meditation.

“When the love blossoms, it has to flow out and express,” he explains. “Otherwise, it is suffocating inside. Service is not a favor that one does for somebody. It is not work that one is doing. It is the expression of one’s inner being; it is love. It brings one totally into the present moment.”

Volunteers from Sri Sri’s nonprofit organ-izations are active in more than 150 countries and have brought trauma relief to areas of conflict and natural disaster on a massive scale. They have inspired parties at war to lay down their arms, fought corruption and female infanticide, and brought hygiene, housing, education, and other programs to more than 35,000 villages in rural India.

If you looked only at the worldwide environmental initiatives of Sri Sri’s main foundations, the Art of Living Foundation, and the International Association for Human Values, you could easily conclude that they must be purely environmental organizations. They are involved in a campaign against genetically modified seeds, rainwater-harvesting projects, zero-budget organic and chemical-free farming, animal and plant-species protection, sustainable-living education in the U.S. and Canada, Haiti reforestation, and environmental campaigns in Bahrain.

As part of the Art of Living’s Mission Green Earth, volunteers in 36 countries planted more than 55 million trees. Last year, more than 20,000 people joined Sri Sri at the Yamuna River, as part of an eight-day cleanup event and awareness campaign. Over half of the estimated 3.6 billion tons of sewage produced daily in Delhi, flows untreated into the Yamuna. The Art of Living initiated the Yamuna cleanup project and has since inspired major local involvement with dozens of other NGOs and companies joining as partners.

“Spirituality elevates one’s consciousness and checks the greed that leads to environmental degradation,” says Sri Sri. “If you are devoid of spirituality or ignore it, you cannot become environmentally conscious, it’s almost impossible. Because somewhere deep within you, your cravings, your aversions, and your anger will, directly or indirectly, start affecting your environment.”

The Earth as a Living Being

In Vedic times, in India, the five basic elements that are in human beings and the rest of creation were treated with honor: earth, water, fire, air, and space.“Water was worshipped as sacred,” explains Sri Sri. “Every river was considered sacred and pollutants were not allowed.

When you consider something sacred, you will never pollute it.” An attitude of treating the elements as though they were living beings is found in Native Americans and tribal people around the world.

Sri Sri suggests that only when someone is aware and respects the Earth will they stop polluting. “When one can respect living beings, then respect for animals comes, and after that, inanimate objects. But a certain level of awareness, a certain level of awakening is essential. It takes a greater heart.”

“Treating the trees, rivers, people, and the rest of the planet as sacred, and seeing God in nature and in people will foster sensitivity,” he says. “A sensitive person can’t but care for nature. It is insensitivity that makes a person act callously toward the environment. If a person is sensitive, he will nurture the environment, thereby eradicating pollution.”

The Inner Environment

Even in the face of war and terrorism, Sri Sri feels environmental issues cannot be ignored. “Of course,” he notes, “if there is a war and bombs are falling next door, you can’t think about planting new trees. In those situations, whether it is Gaza, Lebanon, Pakistan, or Afghanistan, the immediate concern is to put an end to terrorism and to stop the war. At the same time, I would say that even war is part of the environmental concern. Dropping tons of ammunition and bombs in a small area damages that area for a long, long time. Trees are damaged, earth gets damaged, and water is polluted.”

There is one influence on the environment he says we should be paying more attention to — the effect of the negative emotions and vibrations we carry with us.

“It’s quite natural for negative feelings and emotions to come into the mind,” he says. “It’s not unnatural, it’s natural.” Of these, “greed is the greatest pollutant,” he says; “Greed stops a person from sharing with others. Greed obstructs the preservation of the ecology. While being aware of methods to prevent pollution, a person may not act upon them because they cost in some way. This greed not only pollutes the gross physical environment, but also contaminates the subtle atmosphere. It stimulates negative emotions in the subtle mind and impacts the minds of the people around.”

Sri Sri states that the negative feelings of hatred, anger, and jealousy are the root of all disasters and misery in the world, whether they are economic, political, environmental, or social.

“All that we need to learn is how to clear them away so they don’t stay there, ferment, and become more negative,” he says cheerfully. “That is why these practices of meditation, Yoga, and breathing techniques are there. Through them, you can create such a positive and harmonious vibration within you and around you.” He says that awareness of how things are, right now, and awareness of the positive and negative emotions, also helps.

Service & The Shade-Giving Tree

“Seva (service) is your inner attitude, not the action,” says Sri Sri. It is that attitude of saying ‘I am available, I am here,’ to everybody, to everything, in all situations and all circumstances.

Sri Sri tells the story of a rich but miserable merchant during Buddha’s time. After meeting Buddha and meditating, he felt so wonderful that he wanted to help others find that. He found a beautiful area for an ashram, not far from the city, but discovered that it was the pleasure park of the prince. The prince wanted a lot of money for this land so the merchant paid for it, and the place became Buddha’s ashram. At one time, there were ten thousand people meditating there.

However, the merchant eventually lost his business and became a pauper. He was penniless, but he still wanted to keep giving something. In his backyard, he dug up some manure compost and put it under some of the ashram’s plants and trees.

Says Sri Sri: “Someone asked, ‘What is this? This is amazing! Even now, you are doing this service.’ The man says, ‘Yes. A handful of compost I put under this plant. This plant will become a shade-giving tree, and we don’t know how many people will sit under this tree and find that peace within their heart and get out of all their misery and problems.

Just sitting under the tree, how many people will gain meditation? For centuries to come, it can do a lot of miracles and benefit so many people.’

From that attitude, says Sri Sri, “‘This tree is not just a tree for today. The manure I am putting is not manure just for today. It’s for generations to come. This will grow bigger and bring shade and solace to many souls burned down in the heat of the world.’ That attitude of seva, that feeling that generates from within us; seva, is just an expression of our inner love.”

In the memoir, Stumbling Into Infinity: An Ordinary Man in the Sphere of Enlightenment, Michael Fischman tells about Sri Sri Ravi Shankar when he was in his twenties, seeking advice from a 300-year-old saint named Devraha Baba. This saint handed Sri Sri a big melon, saying, “Water is flowing. It has to flow.

If it stagnates, it will rot. So satsang should flow. Satsang is that force that allows the grace to flow in the world. Satsang is essential in the world so the world doesn’t rot. You have to carry on the satsang everywhere in the world.”

For information on programs at the Art of Living, visit artoflivingLA.org, or call 310-820-9429. For more information on Sri Sri, visit srisri.org.

Jeffrey Ainis

Jeffrey Ainis is a freelance writer, book editor, and an author of books on world music and composing. He also leads kirtan around the world.

The post Serving The Inner And Outer Environment appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

More than five hundred conscious citizens demonstrated their commitment to animal rights and their belief in living by the yamas and niyamas in their support of a Fur-Free West Hollywood in a series of rallies in 2011. Ahimsa is the practice of nonviolence toward yourself and other living beings in your actions, thoughts, and speech. As yogis, we strive to neither cause harm nor to accept or allow actions that cause harm.

Wearing fur is harmful to both animals as well as a person’s spiritual path because it is a practice that does not embrace ahimsa. The cruelty in the modern-day fur industry runs rampant as fifty million animals are cruelly trapped or brutally slaughtered each year to supply consumers with luxury items such as fur coats and trim.

If, as Gandhi preached, the measure of a society is how it treats its animals, then we are in trouble. When it comes to fur, it is not just an issue of how inhumanely these animals are killed; it is how they suffer right up until their death. Undercover footage taken in fur farms has revealed deplorable conditions: Raccoon, fox, mink, rabbit, and chinchilla were filmed living in disgustingly filthy and cramped cages with water bowls that remained empty for days.

Also captured on film were animals with medical conditions left untreated, including oozing eyes and ears or dangling limbs—conditions considered to be of no relevance as long as the animals are sporting a beautiful coat.

This situation is parallel to the now largely-unpopular “puppy mills” where as long as the breeding momma’s ovaries are intact, the dog is left to suffer minor and major health ailments.

Niyamas and Yamas are ethical codes of conduct outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali; they are guidelines for leading a happy, healthy life.

Niyamas:

Saucha – Purity
Santosha – Contentment
Tapas – Discipline
Svadhyaya – Self-study
Ishvarapranidhana – Devotion
(to a higher power)

Yamas:

Ahimsa – Non-harming
(non-violence or compassion)
Satya – Truthfulness
Asteya – Nonstealing
Brahmacharya – Self-control
Aparigraha – Nonpossessiveness

If we are truly practicing Yoga, we must not place vanity above compassion for all living, sentient beings.

West Hollywood is poised to be the first city in the nation to ban the retail sale of fur. It’s already a city with a stellar track record when it comes to animal welfare issues: In 1989, a resolution was passed declaring the city a cruelty-free zone relating to cosmetic testing on animals. In 2003, the city prohibited the declawing of cats in the city’s veterinarian clinics. 2010 ushered in a ban on the sale of dogs and cats within the city limits. The West Hollywood Yoga community is now praising newly-elected City Council member John D’Amico, who had the courage to campaign on a fur-free platform.

The yama asteya encourages taking only what belongs to you. Fur belongs to the animals who are wearing it, not to the people who rob it from them for the sake of luxury items. As Animal Alliance representative Ed Buck shared, “It’s a shame designers can’t be more creative than attempting to revive an outdated concept and selling people on the idea that it’s fashionable to revel in their bad taste. I don’t understand why anyone, especially celebrities, flaunt fur.”

The yama aparigraha encourages us to let go of reliance on the attachment of possessions for peace and happiness.

Beth Shaw, HSUS National Council Member and founder of YogaFit, attended the rallies and said “It’s what we choose to honor that defines who we are; letting go is not always comfortable but it is invigorating.“ She continues, “Our Yoga practice should teach us compassion, love, acceptance, and a desire to honor all living creatures.”

As Immanuel Kant says, “You can judge the heart of a person by their treatment of animals.”

Please allow your Yoga practice to keep this in your heart and share this message with your friends, students, teachers, and anyone who will listen.

In a related development, influential Yoga instructor B.K.S. Iyengar recently contacted fashion designer Donna Karan, asking her to stop using “furs which are violently removed from the living animals, so that those animals which have the right to live, live in peace.” He has urged her to follow the lead of other designers including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Tommy Hilfiger who do not use fur. At the time of press, Ms. Karan has not yet responded.

Ellen Lavinthal

The post Seva In Action: Yogis For A Fur-Free Hollywood appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

The Five Elements at Home 

According to Ayurveda, the universe is made up of Five Great Elements. These are: Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. When are ready for a home makeover to create a healing home environment, it is helpful to look at our home in terms of the relationships of these elements.

Ether is the space that connects life together in all of its manifestations.
Air represents everything in a gaseous state, for example oxygen, vapor, and wind.
Fire is the transforming aspect of nature manifested through light, heat, and friction.
Water is the liquid form of nature found in everything fluid and flowing.
Earth is the solid form of nature found in all substances hard, heavy, and dense.

These five elements in their physical forms surround and interact with us in all aspects of our daily experience: what we smell, taste, see, feel, and hear. How we interact with these elements can have a profound effect on our overall well-being. Too much or too little of any element can create imbalances within our body, mind, and spirit.

Harmony and Healing at Home

To create harmony in our living space we can begin by observing each element in its current state, noting any excesses or deficiencies. We can then take steps to rebalance our home environment.

The following suggestions will explore some simple and practical ways to maximize the healing potential of any home environment:

Elemental Home Makeover: Space

ETHER (Akasha): How cluttered is your space? Do you need to clear space in your home in order to induce a sensation of freedom and expansion? Or does your space feel too open creating a sense of emptiness and insecurity?

Clutter often stifles creativity. Whenever possible, keep the center of a room empty. A room’s center is considered the place of Divine Consciousness (Bhramasthana). When kept free from material objects, this spiritual power is free to radiate in all directions.

Remove all unused and unwanted objects from your home.

• It’s best to focus on one room at a time.
• Start with clearing out closets to make room for things you decide to store.
• Consider how each item makes you feel. Does it add to the harmony you are creating?
• Keep it, throw it away, give it away, donate it, sell it, recycle it, or store it.

Elemental Home Makeover: Air

AIR (Vayu): What are the sources of air pollution in your environment? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, levels of indoor air pollutants often measure three to seven times higher than levels outdoors. Prana, the life-force energy, is directly absorbed through the air we breathe. Depending on the quality of air in our environment, this vital element may feed our wellbeing or our dis-ease.

Balance the Air Element

Identify sources of air pollution in your home.

• How many different household cleaners do you use?
• Are you exposed to vapors from paints or stains?
• Are you exposed to fumes from bedding? Polyester mattress pads, sheets, and pillows are typically treated with formaldehyde—an extremely potent carcinogen and respiratory irritant.
• Are you exposed to fumes from furniture? Furniture, cushions, and bookcases are also often treated with formaldehyde and may emit fumes for up to five years.
• Are you exposed to fumes from your clothes? Dry cleaned clothes can fill a home with toxic vapors for a week or more.
• Are you exposed to fumes from outside? Living on a busy street or near a freeway can expose you to car exhaust and airborne particles from rubber tires.

Clean your air!

• Switch to eco-friendly, all-purpose cleaners or make your own. Simple, natural ingredients can be prepared in a variety of ways to clean most everything in your home.
• Move toward eco-friendly paints, furniture, and natural fabrics for your next home upgrades.
• Use eco-friendly dry cleaning services. Hand wash clothing whenever possible.
• Keep a variety of houseplants throughout your home. Many species are known natural air purifiers. They also help offset electromagnetic field radiation from electronics.
• Consider cleaning your home’s vents or having them professionally cleaned annually.
• Invest in a quality air purifier and clean or change its filter regularly.

Elemental Home Makeover: Fire

FIRE (Tapas): How much natural light does your home receive? Are you chronically living in a dark, dim space or are you exposed to extreme doses of afternoon sun? Either end of the spectrum can create chronic imbalances in energy throughout the day and quality of sleep at night. Modern living removes us from direct sunlight, disconnecting us from the natural circadian rhythms. Artificial indoor lighting during evening hours also contributes to the disruption of our natural sleep cycles. Honoring the Fire element by maintaining a balance of natural light has a harmonizing effect on energy, mood, and immunity.

How does the temperature within your home suit you? Is it comfortable or a source of discomfort? Excessive cold or frequent shifts in temperature aggravates vata, the dynamic force of movement in the body. Vata imbalances can manifest as anxiety or digestive irregularity and are at the root of many chronic diseases. Excessive heat or sunlight exposure aggravates pitta, the metabolic force of heat and transformation in the body. A pitta imbalance may manifest as anger and irritability and is the source of many inflammatory conditions.

Balance the Fire Element

To balance excessive darkness:

• Remove any obstructions to natural light. Move plants or rearrange furniture in front of and around windows.
• Consider repainting walls with lighter colors to help reflect natural light. Pastel colors are particularly useful as they increase the qualities of lightness, purity and clarity.
• Change window coverings that are too dark, heavy or obstructing. Replace with sheer, light fabrics.
• Use full spectrum light bulbs throughout your home.

To balance excessive light:

• Use indoor or outdoor plants, drapes, shades and room dividers to buffer sharp sun exposure.
• Consider repainting walls with deep, rich colors. Earth tones absorb light and help create a stable, grounding sensation.

Make any necessary adjustment to the temperature of your home.

• Consider using a space heater or portable AC unit in the room where you spend most of your time.
• Utilize nature whenever possible. Often closing up windows and doors during the day and opening them at night can keep a space cool during hot seasons. Close your room off to drafts by installing thresholds below doors and draft guards at the base of windows during cold months.

Elemental Home Makeover: Water

WATER (Jala): Are you able to flow from space to space freely, or are there physical obstacles in the arrangement of your furniture and home accessories? Are there surfaces that perpetually collect excessive items, or are all of your shelves and bookcases completely filled? Is the balance of moisture in your home right for you? Does it create too much dryness or is it too moist or humid for you?

Moisture and flow provided by water is the basis of life itself. A proper amount of water element within the body (called rasa) is responsible for nourishment of all cells, proper absorption of prana, efficient elimination of waste and emotional contentment. Keeping the optimum quantity of moisture flowing in an environment contributes to a healthy amount of rasa flowing throughout one’s being. Creating fluidity in the structure of a living space allows for ease of mind and inspires the flow of creative juices. Visually representing the water element in a home induces a sense of softness and nourishment.

Balance the Water Element

Incorporate a balance of the physical and energetic representations of water throughout your home.

• Rearrange furniture to create more flow.
• Consider rearranging or removing books and décor on shelves and bookcases to allow for more space and visual fluidity.
• Bring the water element into your home through a simple water feature. Consider using a small fountain, a round vase with floating candles or flowers, or a fish bowl or aquarium.
• Decide if you need to invest in a humidifier or a dehumidifier to balance the moisture levels in your home.

Elemental Home Makeover: Earth

EARTH (Prithvi): What thoughts, feelings or emotions do the objects you surround yourself with evoke? Are you keeping anything because you feel like you have to, even if the items evoke negative memories? How much nature is represented in your home? Evaluate everything from furniture to décor, photos, and artwork. Earth is the grounding, stabilizing force of our natural world. Honoring this element throughout our home can provide us with a sense of protection, strength, and stability.

Balance the Earth Element

Surround yourself with objects that reflect the highest vision of you.

• Remove all things that are not contributing to the balance that you are now creating. Keep in mind the subtle impact that objects hold and mindfully choose what you keep.
• Incorporate aspects of nature that you find harmonious. Plants, clay pots, or décor made from glass, stone or wood can be excellent choices.
• Finish by decorating your home with symbols of Divinity and spirituality that resonate with you.
• Our senses are the gateway to consciousness. Our physical well-being and the evolution of consciousness depends on what we absorb and assimilate through each of our five senses. Clearing, cleaning, and arranging our home environment to reflect harmony and balance will enhance and expedite these aspirations. Honoring the five elements through an Ayurvedic home makeover is an inspiring and rewarding way to encourage positive change.

Mary-Alice Quinn

Mary-Alice Quinn, CAS is dedicated to spreading the practical benefits of living an Ayurvedic life. She conducts her private practice in Los Angeles and is an instructor for the California College of Ayurveda. MaryAliceQuinn.com

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Santa Monica’s newest Yoga studio, KIDSREVOLVING, hosts a unique schedule of classes exclusively for children and teens. Customized by age level, the classes help strengthen visual, auditory, spatial, and kinesthetic awareness by engaging kids in a way their growing bodies and minds can relate to receiving and processing information.

Studio director and founder Tiffany Craft says, “kidsrevolving gives me an opportunity to inspire youth to connect with their bodies and create with their minds, so they discover a foundation of empowerment that helps them to live the best lives possible.”

At kidsrevolving, no two classes are the same, but all sessions share a common goal of balancing the body, mind and spirit. While the kids explore a series of asanas based on themes inspired by cultures from around the world, they gain creativity, self-appreciation and cultivate an awareness of other cultures. “kidsrevolving is a place for kids of all ages to be themselves, learn about themselves and ultimately feel good about themselves,” says Tiffany. kidsrevolving, 1657 12th Street, Suite B Santa Monica, CA 90404. kidsrevolving.com

Brian Chance

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Five Questions With Daryl Hannah

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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100% Happy 88% Of The Time…And In The Moment

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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Sussy Castilla

Sussy Castilla has experienced profound transformation and healing through Kundalini Yoga. She currently teaches Kundalini Yoga throughout Los Angeles.

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How can Yoga practitioners build a strong and sustaining life force? Is it simply a matter of gaining strength and flexibility? One way that we can think of generating vitality in the body is by strengthening the pulse or functioning of the kidneys. All the organs play a critical role in the body’s health, yet the kidneys are unique in their support of our overall life force. How we nourish the kidneys is a vital part of our practice.

The kidneys are located roughly in the middle of the body, suggesting the central role they play in the regulation of energy. The kidneys, along with the adrenals, communicate with the reproductive organs below them in the pelvis and relate to the lungs, heart and brain function above.

Energetically, they mediate our life force and in Chinese Medicine, they balance rest (yin) with activity (yang). They are the most deeply positioned organs in the body. Comparatively, the lungs, heart, and brain are more superficial. The depth and interiority of the kidneys—protected by the strong musculature of the back, and set deep behind the abdominal viscera in front—suggests the role the kidneys play as a source of our vitality. We could think of the kidneys as an underground reservoir of blood in the body. They are the well-spring of our prana in Yoga or qi in Oriental Medicine.

In structure and function, they are like sponges with small air pockets that serve to filter, wash, and cleanse the blood. Along with the liver, lungs and spleen, the kidneys serve to purify the bloodstream. Thus the kidneys are constantly engorged in blood, filtering 1,700 liters of blood per day (of which only 1-2 liters are secreted from the body as urine).

The liver, kidney, and spleen are the yin organs in Chinese Medicine, for they are blood-filled (the stomach and intestine by contrast are “hollow”). I like to think of these yin organs as our “blood banks.” Because they are blood-filled, the kidneys contribute to our overall fluidity and energy (shakti) in the body.

The kidneys are not held in place by fixed attachments—they “float” in a sense. However, due to the abundance of muscular tightness in the low back and a lack of support from the abdomen in front, the kidneys may become restricted. They may also prolapse, that is to drop downward. Jean-Pierre Barral, an osteopath and author of Visceral Manipulation notes, “Our estimate is that 25% of women over 50 years of age have renal ptosis, usually on the right side.” 1

How in Yoga do we prevent the kidneys from dropping or from becoming overly restricted? Twisting poses are invaluable for maintaining the fluidity and stability of the kidneys. Backbends, both done with support (as when the spine is propped by a chair, bolster or a set up of blocks) or practiced safely without support, can help to prevent the kidneys from prolapsing.

The kidney region is prone to compression and stagnation from a variety of factors. The primary factor is excess sitting, which can cause compression and tightness within the lumbar and low back muscles. Given that the kidneys are located directly against the sub-surface of the respiratory diaphragm, when the kidneys and the surrounding fascia are restricted, it may affect one’s capacity to breathe in fully on an inhalation. Also, the kidneys are vulnerable to restriction and stagnation due to a poor quality diet, one that includes high levels of sodium. Processed food and “fast food” is often laden with sodium. High levels of sodium can cause the body’s cells to dehydrate and the body tissues to swell (the presence of sodium increases blood volume).

Another contributing factor for kidney imbalance is anxiety and stress. In Chinese Medicine the emotion most often associated with the kidneys is fear. This is related, in part, to the action of the adrenal glands, which are located directly atop the kidneys, and govern the fight or flight response.

We can think of the kidney region (and the third chakra, the Manipura Chakra) as being the source for power and vitality. In right-handed people, the right kidney is a chief source of vitality (it is paired with the liver, the right lung and the right shoulder).

In addition to helping to maintain the position of the kidneys in the body, a Yoga practice can provide nourishment and support for the kidney area. Forward bends lengthen and stretch the low back region, while twists encourage the circulation of blood into the kidneys and their adjoining musculature. Backbends draw the kidneys and adrenals deep into the body, thereby stimulating the flow of kidney chi.

Meditation practice can replenish the kidney region when focus is on a steady long inhalation. The inhalation helps encourage greater suppleness of the diaphragm and serves to help increase circulation in the bloodstream. In general, mobility of the diaphragm influences the kidneys, making them more responsive. And in pranayama practice, the lungs are directly supported by the kidneys. This is why during seated pranayama (breathing practices), the lumbar and kidney region must be drawn upward and forward into the body. In Chinese medicine it is said that, “The lung is the canopy and the kidneys are the root,” and the lungs “reach down” to grasp the kidney chi. In yogic breathing, the kidneys support the expansion of the lung and chest cavity. In the circulation of our prana and our qi, the kidneys are strong anchors that interact with the lungs with every breath. When we take care of these internal yin aquifers of the body, we encourage greater vitality of the essential life-force of our shakti.

1. Visceral Manipulation II by Jean-Pierre Barral, Eastand Press.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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Leslie Hendry

Leslie Hendry is an advanced Ashtanga Yoga practitioner who lives in Los Angeles and is also rooted in India and her native Texas. A former New York attorney, she designed the #3-ranked kids app “Everything Has a Home” and is working on her second book.

www.azawhistle.com

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Mindfulness can take you out of your habitual thinking by bringing you to what is actually happening at the present time. Stop right now, take a breath, and pay close attention to the present. Exactly in this moment, are things, for the most part, okay? The future has not happened, the past is over, and right now, well, it just is. This foundational technique of learning mindfulness—learning to return your mind to the present, no matter what is happening—is tremendously helpful for working with challenging thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Emma, a twenty-three-year-old aspiring actress, struggled constantly with negative thoughts about herself. After a few weeks of the Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) class at our Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, she came into class elated: “I had an audition today, and for the first time ever I didn’t judge myself. Well, I did notice judgment in my mind, but I just stopped and took a breath and decided to be mindful instead of judgmental. I felt my body, noticed my thoughts, and all the judgment just stopped.”

Coming back into the present moment by letting go of thoughts does not require that you eliminate creative ruminations, reflections on the past, or abstract thinking. Mindfulness is more about giving yourself a choice with your thoughts. You can exert some control over them rather than being at their mercy. As you learn to regulate your attention, you also learn when it is useful to focus on the present moment (particularly when working with difficult or negative thinking) and when it is useful to use creative and other functions of mind.

This practice excerpt is from Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness by Sue Smalley, PhD and Diana Winston. Da Capo Press, 2010.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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Welcoming the rebel may mean listening to the feeling, “I don’t want to meditate today,” and finding out what it wants. To honor such a feeling means taking it so seriously that you would be willing not to meditate in your usual way, but rather enter the feeling, explore it, let it teach you. Welcome the rebellion, then listen to it. The rebel is there to make sure you do not become enslaved in an external system that takes away your inner authority, your inner freedom, or oppresses you in any way. If you don’t start with freedom, you won’t end up there.

Meditating the rebel’s way may seem very strange. Once I was working with a schoolteacher, and she was getting restless just a few minutes into the first session. I asked, “What are your impulses?” She said, “I just want to be outside.” We went outside and since we were on a mountain we could see vast horizons. She breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out that she prefers to be outside as much as possible, even in winter. She dresses warmly, and sits in the snow, and has a great time meditating. The rebel in her is her spiritual part. For another woman, her rebel insists she stay in bed and be cozy to meditate on certain days.

A man I worked with had an amazing Zen practice, he could close his eyes and enter The Stillness and stay there. But his body was through with it. His impulse was to jump up and dance wildly, then sit briefly and savor the combination of free-flowing passion supported by inner peace. That became his practice, and he began to thrive in his life as never before. The rebel can sound like an Ayurvedic doctor, prescribing just the treatment to balance your constitution.

The rebel in you is probably more useful, smarter, and healthier than your “spiritual” impulse to practice meditation. Many people, when they imagine meditating, conceive of it as some sort of confinement, an inner prison. Your inner rebel will immediately alert you if you start making up Odious Rules, such as, “You can’t think, you can’t feel, don’t wiggle, you can’t scratch if you itch.” The rebel will have none of this.

The way in which you rebel is your individuality. We are in human bodies, so the whole point of meditation is to explore and delight in the intersection of the body with universality. Individuality is heightened and illumined by contact with the vast forces of life.

So honor your inner rebel. As you practice any meditation, be alert for the voice of skepticism in you, the voice that says, “Hey, wait a minute, this is bull!” The rebel looks out for your individuality. Invite it in, no matter how much trouble it seems.

As you read and explore meditation notice anything you hate or don’t want to do. Always take your own side. Be willing to hunt to find your own path.

Lorin Roche, a meditation teacher for more than forty years, is the author of The Radiance Sutras and Meditation Made Easy: lorinroche.com.

By Dr. Lorin Roche

Lorin Roche

Dr. Lorin Roche began practicing with the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra in 1968 as part of scientific research on the physiology of meditation. He has a PhD from the University of California at Irvine, where his research focused on the language meditators generate to describe their inner experiences. He is the author of The Radiance Sutras and Meditation Made Easy. With his wife, Camille Maurine, he wrote Meditation Secrets for Women. A teacher of meditation for 46 years, Lorin’s approach centers on how to customize the practices to suit one’s individual nature. Lorin leads the Radiance Sutras Meditation Teacher Training, a 200 hour certification program registered with Yoga Alliance. Lorin teaches regularly at the Esalen Institute and around the world.

www.meditationtt.com

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A friend of mine who lives in a canyon has a kumquat tree in his yard. I was staying there when I received a last-minute invitation to a potluck dinner and looked around to see what would be easily available without a trip to the store. The decision: kumquat rosemary rice.

Since the rind of kumquats is both sweet and full of health benefits (see the Farmer’s Corner), it makes a deliciously fragrant and subtle addition to recipes. The sweet-sour taste of kumquats combines well with the aromatic and sweet pungency of rosemary; the two together pack an anti-oxidant punch. Clip a few springs of rosemary and chop finely with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors.

Ingredients

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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Of course we know that citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines and lemons are high in Vitamin C, and that accordingly they help strengthen our immune system. But did you know they also help to detoxify the blood? Surprisingly colorful varieties of citrus provide additional health benefits and tremendous bang for your bite! Please your eyes and scintillate your taste buds with these vibrant fruits whose ripeness is currently peaking in California:

Blood oranges are tarter than the traditional oranges and their gorgeous deep red hue says something about their tangy taste. High in fiber, potassium, and age- and disease-fighting antioxidants, the bloods provide rich levels of the super anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Their juice works great as a salad dressing in place of lemon juice when paired with olive or flaxseed oil and is lovely splashed into sparkling water or champagne to make a fizzy RosaMosa.

Cara Caras, or pink navel oranges, have an intense orange flavor with underlying cherry undertones and very few seeds. They are lower in acid content than regular oranges, so folks with Blood Type A may find these more digestible. Cara Caras also provide the super cancer-fighting carotenoid, lycopene, which is purportedly great for eye and heart health and shown to fight all types of cancer, especially prostate cancer.

Ruby red grapefruits are high in vitamins B1 and B2, as well as potassium and even calcium, and like the cara caras, are also high in lycopene. Eating grapefruits can increase the secretion of digestive enzymes and, thus, ease irritation in the stomach and intestines. I definitely reach for these when my digestion feels sluggish and irritated.

Kumquats are bite-sized orange sweet and sour fruits with the surprise that the skin is actually sweeter than the flesh. Since the rind tastes sweet, you can easily eat the whole fruit to benefit from the super cancer-fighting liminoids in their rinds. Liminoids have been shown to prevent and halt the spread of cancer in lab conditions. So eat your kumquats rind and all: slice and use them in salads, in oatmeal, or over yogurt to add a zippy tang.

Pummelos (or pomelos or pommelos), the largest citrus fruit, closely resemble grapefruit but typically have green skin and deep pink flesh. Less acidic than grapefruit, they taste sweeter and more aromatic, and have similar benefits to the ruby reds.

Oro bancos, a hybrid between white grapefruit and the pommelo, are sweeter and less bitter than grapefruit. Their yellow rind is a bit thicker than typical grapefruit and hides golden flesh inside, which tastes like grapefruit but sweeter.

When choosing citrus, opt for fruit that weigh heavy in your hand to ensure ideal ripeness and optimal juiciness. Do your best to eat the whole fruit (instead of simply drinking the juice) in order to reap the colon-cleansing benefits of their high fiber content. To enjoy, just peel and eat them right out of your hand, or slice them into half-moons and toss them into a salad with fennel and walnuts or with avocado and arugula.

One of my signature dishes features the zest and juice of blood oranges mixed with sundried tomatoes and chili sauce as a simple and delicious marinade. Whichever citrus fruit you choose, enjoy a variety of colors to rev up your immune system, clean your digestive tract, and keep cancer and other inflammation-related diseases at bay.

Red Jen Ford is a certified holistic health coach, Yoga instructor and manager of the Westwood Farmers’ Market, located in the Vets’ Garden Thursdays from Noon to 5:00 P.M. Jen teaches her customers and busy clients the simplicity of eating local, sustainably grown food. Contact her at (917) 971 – 1941 or at: redjenford. The Westwood Farmers Market:westwoodfarmersmarket.com

By Red Jen Ford

Red Jen Ford

Red Jen Ford is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Instructor and Seasonal Eating Expert. Jen teaches her clients the benefits and simplicity of eating local, sustainably grown food. Enjoy more of her dishes in her seasonal recipe booklets or her online course, Simply in Season: Recipes to Celebrate Healthy, Easy Seasonal Food.

www.Redjenford.com

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