Continuing a Tradition of Musical Families FOR MANY IN THE YOGA community, an introduction to classical Indian music comes through joining in a kirtan and feeling the bliss, devotion and energy of this call-and-response musical form. This participatory spiritual group musical experience is one facet of Indian music. Throughout the centuries Indian music evolved from [...]
With the uncertain rollercoaster state of the worlds’ economies and the vociferous political race occurring in our own country, this cacophony of tribulations has all but drowned out continued exposure to the ongoing human rights struggles still raging in places such as Burma, Darfur and Tibet. Woeser One voice that is determined not to [...]
Timeless Wisdom From The Dalai Lama For Challenging Times It was a drizzly morning as I walked up to Thunderdome, the basketball stadium at University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) to attend a day of teachings with the His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Once inside, I looked around to see that not all 3,000 [...]
Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, the highlyrespected guru of the intense vinyasa flow style known as Ashtanga Yoga, died at 2:30 A.M. local time in Mysore, India, on Monday, May 18, 2009, at the age of 93. Jois was among the most influential, prominent and beloved figures in the Western Yoga community. Along with B.K.S. Iyengar [...]
Chaos, Change, Identity, Yoga And Hope The economy, global conflict and the swine flu are only a few of the constant messages of uncertainty that can haunt us. It can be overwhelming if we take in too many of these images. We do have a choice. According to the teachings and philosophy of Yoga our [...]
Everything in life has a unique rhythm. From our heartbeat, to the cycles of the moon and the length of each season, everything follows a pattern or tempo reflecting the cyclical nature of life. As a mother, I am learning to become more comfortable with the rhythm of motherhood and the balance between being a [...]
Finding Storytelling Through Community And Voice Walk out on stage, take a deep breath and start telling a story. When standing exposed beneath the spotlight, even though the house lights are dim, it’s still possible to make out faces in the audience. The seats are filled with both friends and strangers; they’re a community, whom [...]
Ayurveda has been practiced in the US for only about 30 years, yet it is one of the systems of medicine native to India and is thousands of years old. Readers are invited to submit questions for “Ayurveda Q & A” to ayurveda@layogamagazine.com. Q: I have an addiction to alcohol. I have had a very turbulent past [...]
Yoga had me at the first hellom. I love the asana practice, but it’s the chanting and oming and mantras that soothe the savage Beth. Maybe it’s because I’m a professional talker that I find it especially hard to turn off the chatter. For me, freedom’s just another word for nothing left to [...]
As a writer, I feel that Tibet is my home. I miss Tibet all the time.” These words come from an unlikely source, a Chinese journalist who has gone from being an ardent critic of Tibetan society to one of its most passionate defenders. As a young girl growing up in Northeast China, [...]