Adventures in Yogaland

A Week of Kids!

2012-01-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

Your child is doing yoga but what is it he/she is doing? Certainly not what they do in adult yoga class, right? My kid can't even sit still for ten minutes!

Kids yoga is very different from adult yoga. The goals/principles are similar: Physically it's about understanding the body, finding balance, strength, and releasing tension. And all ages at some point deal with handling emotions and energy and stress, but the approach is different.

Here's the Land Yoga Kids' Week in review:

TUESDAY 4-7 year olds

This week we sat in a circle and everyone got a chance to ring the singing bowl. The children enjoyed focusing all their energy on holding the stick properly and using the right amount of pressure to make the bowl "sing". They practiced their sharing by passing the stick to the next person when it was their turn.

We stayed very still and quiet to see how long we could hear the bowl sing and we practiced making our own vibrations by chanting OM! and letting the M sound linger on our lips. Then we chanted other words like Love and Peace (the kids's suggestions) and talked about how those sounds made us feel.

THURSDAY TWEENS 8-11

This class is about building confident, kind, creative young people and we love it! We focused on the yoga term, AHIMSA this week, which means non-harm, or peacefulness. We talked about the different kinds of harm that occur in mind, word and action and we spoke about ways to create more peacefulness around us. Our physical practice includes a flowing combination of challenging poses like boat, crow, and pigeon, followed by lots of time for rest, relaxation and breathing.

SATURDAY 2-3 YEAR OLDS

Two and three year olds love moving their bodies like animals and nature and imitating the world around them. This week we used feathers and balloons to explore our breath and then stretched our bodies like a cat, cow, snake, dog, seal and more! Then we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and acted out the parts to music with our bodies. We finished class with relaxation and a nice long foot rub!

SATURDAY FAMILY YOGA

Our newest class brings parents and kids together to bond over a positive activity! We work on lots of partner and group poses and encourage fun and relaxation. Requests are encouraged! This week one child was feeling a little tired, so we built the class with restful poses. The students put their legs up the wall and explored how other poses like butterfly felt against the wall as well.

Spaces are still open in our Kids Classes and series may be pro-rated. Contact Lara at landyoga@gmail.com for more details. Looking forward to seeing you there!

What did you learn?

2011-12-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

Asana is like an ocean - you have to immerse yourself in it completely and explore its bottomless depths. Any asana can take you to a state of yoga. But if you just remain on the surface, your experience of yoga will remain limited. It will only be physical exercise. -Sharath Ji

Coming home is always interesting. The flood of questions never cease. Me, I'm quiet. When we turn inward we tend to talk less, eat less, need less. Content to be, yet committed to my work in a world of turbulence and in a city of sleepless souls, I float like a ghost, alien to it all. I imagine it's similar to the experience of a diver emerging, feeling the affects of change in pressure. We've been diving deep here.

To build on Sharath's beautiful analogy, sometimes you step into the water and and you just don't know how deep it is. I remember clearly when I visited Montauk this summer how one moment I was standing waves up to my waist and then the ground was gone. Yoga can be like that. Most people have no idea of the depth when they first stick their toes in. The water is cloudy and mysterious. But as it starts to settle, more layers are revealed.

We approach yoga from the physical standpoint because yoga is a state to be experienced. Though it can be discussed and analyzed, ultimately it is felt. So, you come in and you start to move your body and match those movements to your breath. Perhaps over time you feel a little lighter, more flexible, stronger. Maybe you start noticing some other changes as well, temperament, sleeping, eating, cravings, desires, more awareness of choice in action. For some people courage increases and will power also builds.

One day you may have a feeling of nothingness in an asana when eyes are steady on dristhi and ears on breath. Then deeper questions may arise.

For each practitioner the experience is unique. Some will dive in very fast, but may race back up for air when they see how bottomless it is. Better to practice as Guruji always advised, "slowly, slowly, all is coming". When you are ready the right question comes bubbling up to the surface and the appropriate answer is there in the book you happen to be holding, or out of the mouth of your teacher or sitting inside your heart where it's always been, just waiting.

I've been diving deep here, but the deeper I go the more I feel the vastness of my landscape, the bottomlessness of this ocean. I will not be able to tell you I now know yoga, just like I couldn't return from Montauk and tell you I know the the ocean. And it will not be too helpful for me to recite to you what I learned, just like a simple recounting of the sand, shells, and water wouldn't give you more than an outline of the beach. Rather, I will take you out into the water and I will show you where to go and when you are ready I will guide you deeper and you won't ask, "what did you learn?" You will feel it for yourself.

Downward Defenses

2011-12-18T00:12:00.000-08:00

Sick in India, as you can imagine, is not too much fun. And this weekend it hit me. The whole body aching, nose running, cold, flu thing. I tried to stomp it when I felt it coming, but when you are practicing mat to mat and the bug is in the shala, that bug is coming for you strong.

Luckily Saturday is our rest day. No class. But what about Sunday? Sunday is led intermediate, probably the hardest class of the week. I woke up and I was not feeling too hot. Should I practice? The body was barely up, yet the mind was already jumping like a monkey with its excuses and justifications.

It is in these moments that the value of the habit of daily practice is so recognizable. In fact, yoga practitioners are notoriously disciplined especially in their morning routine. Each morning when the alarm goes off I sit up. No Snooze! I give thanks for the new day so full of potential. I turn on the geyser which heats my bath water, and go prepare the coffee. (Yes, my guru was more than fine with coffee.) Drink the coffee. Take the bath. Yoga clothes on. Chanting. Sitting practice. Maybe some writing, and off I go.

Routine can be very powerful, especially in freeing the mind. See, the monkey mind is stuck kicking and screaming and having its predictable tantrum, but yoga has made the master mind strong. The monkey mind will say anything to get us back into bed, so the master mind has to be very smart. The master mind says, "Don't worry, of course I'll let you go back to bed if that's what you really need, just go turn on the geyser in case." The monkey mind screams, "Your head feels like a ton of bricks. You're sick. Get back in bed!" But the master mind says, "Maybe you're just tired. Go fix the coffee. You love coffee. You can always drink it back in bed."

Well, once I had my coffee and my hot bath I did feel a good deal better. I did the fever test (You shouldn't practice with a fever.) and I didn't think I had one. I could breath through my nose and I was already caffeinated, washed and dressed, so I guessed I should go. I'm not going to lie; I didn't feel too well as I headed over. My body felt weak and I was getting out of breath very easily. My monkey mind said, "How are you going to practice when you can even walk without getting out of breath?!"

My master mind said, "If you have to stop, you'll stop." "Plus, you know what's going to happen, right? You are going to have an annoyingly good practice."

And I knew that that was the truth.

Annoying because of course we don't want to be sick, and we don't want to admit that the trying so hard we do when we are well is actually what often gets in our way. My teacher always says how some of the best practices are on those days when you barely made it to the mat. And I agree. On days like today, when the body is a little bit tired and a little bit sick, it simply can not hold any tension which is not completely necessary. Because of this we float in and out of poses with ease. All defenses gone, we just are. And that is yoga.

On a side note, later today, our teacher asked us if we want a day off for Christmas and nearly everyone preferred to practice (except those with kids, fair enough!). AND when he was asked if maybe he wanted a day off (which, with the shala packed from 4:30am-11:30am and evening classes and a family, would not have been unreasonable) he laughed and said he'd rest when he was gone. Surrounded with that kind of commitment, who is going to call out sick!

Pictures.

That f*ing bird ate that worm!

2011-12-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

India. Many of us come to here to "find ourselves", discover truth, deepen our spiritual practice. In India, land of sensory overload, we strive to look inward and find stillness amongst the chaos. How?

Have you ever traveled to a foreign place where nobody knows you? When you go somewhere outside your zone and where you are surrounded by strangers, you have a real chance to experience yourself. Without the preconceived notions and role expectations that solidify us into one version of ourselves, we could be anybody. Perhaps it is that we don't know who we are, but only the outer layers of who we have become.

This week our teacher reminded us of the importance of remaining in and relishing the unknown. The moment we think we know is the moment we cease being students and can learn no more. What an infinitely greater choice, then, to remain curious, seeking deeper and deeper levels of understanding.

To understand, we must try to observe ourselves from a place of neutrality. We don't say to ourselves, "That f*ing bird ate that worm. What an ass!", so why do we apply that harmful judge and jury voice to ourselves and loved ones? Just watch and ask questions. Be as a child. Try observing someone or something easy to be open to at first, and move toward those who are harder to understand as your ability to observe in neutrality grows.

Recognize, that learning how to observe without reprimand does not mean you have condoned any action. You are building a skill. By remaining curious of the world around you, you will strengthen your relationships, peel away layers, and see what moves those around you to act. Eventually you will be able to turn inward and discover your own true nature.

As we enter holiday season with all it's fluctuating energy, take a look and simply ask, "who am I?" Am I daughter, husband, father? Am I playing a role or writing the play? We can't have all the answers. We must not or the joy of being a student of the world is lost. But we must ask the questions, dive into the darkness, live in unknown.

With the greatest gratitude to my teacher. -L

(Pictures from India HERE)

The Place

2011-11-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust

I just got out of my shower, I mean bucket bath, I mean moment of sticking my head under the faucet. Geoff's got his laundry in the bucket so there was no where to collect the water. I like this method anyway, for a good hair wash. Sat straight on the floor of the shower which is also the bathroom. I stuck my head under and wash wash wash. It's true what my dad posted on facebook, I have a real toilet. This hasn't always been the case and is plenty to get excited about. Unlike some of the other yogis, I do not get all ecstatic about an opportunity to practice my squatting over a hole in the floor.

Geoff's my roommate. We share a 1950's style room with twin beds separated by nightstands. Goodnight honey. Goodnight. Careful now, not to injure yourself on the rock hard bed. Our other housemates share a room as well. They have their own bathroom which received a water heating system after some demands by Geoff. Our 'man of the house' also managed to get us a new system so we no longer have to unplug the fridge every time we want to use the water filter to get some drinking water. Amazing.

Our "stove" is a small tank of gasoline with a burner on top which I am no longer allowed to use after nearly burning the house down. That's okay, because I can hardly get into the house anyway, with its medieval style locks and three separate keys. Thank goodness for my roommate/coffee wallah who I am going to owe a lot of Mysore Pak to after all the coffee making and scooter rides to the shala which is not so close this year.

But, the bright sides are many. Internet. Awesome! And a swing seat outside perfect for early mornings. And it's pretty quiet in here which is a very rare and special treat for a Mysore apartment. The price is right too, just over 6,000 rupees for the month, which is about $125. You can't really argue with that. And there are lots of lines to hang our clothes on. And a landlord who is eager to help without being too invasive.

And most of all it's here, in beautiful magical India which despite all its absolute craziness and upside downness, somehow flips you upright just the same. Everything is in your face here. There is nowhere to hide and so you address what is in front of you and what is inside of you with honesty and integrity and you heal and you charge and you bring it back. Ultimately it's not about what you do when you are here, but how that translates to the life you lead when you are not here and the people you impact. India is not a place, but a vehicle and she will certainly take you for a ride.

You've come a long way baby

2011-11-27T00:16:00.001-08:00

I want to write to you through eyes that have never been. In some ways I feel like that. A year and a half has passed and in a place as mysterious and changing as India, everything is new daily. So here I am.

Some things change. Some stay the same. Still there is the Indian man, "You come to know yoga. You can't be knowing yoga." "Okay," I say. Smile. Smile. Move on.

But the changes... Well trip Number One, the shots: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Tetanus, Tuberculosis?, etc, etc. The malaria pills that made me woozy and dreaming. The never ending flight that stopped in Bangladesh unexpectedly. (Were we even allowed to be there?) And the toilets that were holes in floors. The OLD Bangalore airport.

Covered head to toe in sweats and scarves except for carefully bought sandals creeping out. Carrying all that luggage a backpack across front and back. Trying to hike bottoms of pants up from dragging on wet bathroom tiles. Hike top of pants down. Squatting into holes in floors.

Not anymore.

And no more flying AIR INDIA, queen of missed transfers and crying babies. I'm in Emirates now. Leg room. Warm wet towels and only, well, ok, still a couple of cries. BUT, movie options in English, Yeah! and all that leg room.

Still, here I am at 3AM standing at the conveyor watching waiting the luggage going round and round. I should have looked more closely at my suitcase. Which one is it? And a three hour drive ahead, if I find the driver. He'll blow into Mysore this time of night speeding and stopping with no regard for a westerner's fears. Lucky I'm used to it.

There is nothing like it, you know, shooting through the Middle East, then Asia, to remind you how many people there are doing their jobs, living their lives.

First steps outside. The same sensation as always. Instantly the smell. The smell mixed in the air. Thick wet incense smelling air. How can an entire country smell of a burning stick? Wet. wet and thick like Puerto Rico. Florida. But it's not rainy season so I comment to my driver. "Oh," he says, "you knowing India".

Two suitcases I brought this time. It's my Sixth trip and I don't feel like suffering. I want my things with me and to avoid as much as possible the washing of yoga clothes as I take my bath and the wearing again and again of same shirts.

He puts my small suitcase in the tiny trunk and the larger suitcase he hauls into the back seat. I'm confused when he encourages me to sit front side. I never got upfront before. Not on a ride like this. They usually put your suitcase upright in the back seat if the trunk is full. Uhhhhh.... I hesitate but ultimately get in the front. (I hope this guy can drive.) And big shocker, the seat belt is broken. (I really hope this guy can drive.)

And it's raining and someone tell me why they've tinted out the top AND bottom of the windshield so you can only see out through this tiny strip of clear glass in the center. I look for Ganesha, remover of obstacles. Indians always have little miniature idols on their dashboards and front mirrors. I've even heard of wives blessing cars for their husband drivers. No Ganesh here though, just a mini Buddha, and one small doll hanging from the mirror. I ask what it is. He says it's a doll. A gift. Looks like a pink poodle. Never wanted Ganesha so badly.

New eyes. New eyes. What do I see? Where in New York we would have graffiti on those blank city walls, here they have movie posters. The one famous male star with his predictable mustache and the curvy letters of the local language, Kannada. Coconut trees. Coffee Day, the Starbucks of south India. Christmas lights hung in the shape of G-ds. Lots of store gates painted bright blue. You know Slumdog Millionaire? It looks like that.

When a car backs up it plays cheesy Indian music that reminds me of the sound of the doorbell would make at my childhood Greek neighbor's house where, like here they would cover the couches in plastic and display nick nacks proudly on special shelves where they'd be dusted daily.

A lot of buses. On one road will be a bus, a car, a truck, a rickshaw, a scooter, a bicycle, people walking and animals trotting right down the middle. Loudest horn wins. Passing is a science here: get as close as you can to the vehicle in front of you and beep your horn. Sometimes as you're passing the car in front of you, you're going into incoming traffic. The game of Chicken is the status quo.

Gas is petrol. Vegetarian is Veg or Pure Veg. Ask for some one's Good Name when you ask for their name. Use your Right hand for eating, shaking and giving money. Left hand for anything dirty. And don't expect change. No one has it. You may get stale candy instead.

5AM is the 1st coffee stop by the side of the road. A lady mixes it out of pots, blending warm milk and sugar and straining it in the end. It comes in a tiny plastic cup like you get at the dentist for rinsing. And it's hot and sweet and perfect just like I remember it. Seems like all my memories of India come rising up as that first taste touches my lips: the yoga shala, my teacher, the friends I've made from all over the world and see only here.

It's been six years since I first stepped onto Indian ground, open eyed and eager with not a clue what was ahead. Five trips later with an authorization to teach and a yoga shala built, I return. The same but changed, just like She is.

FOR YOU

2011-11-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Land Yoga is not a studio.

It's a shala. Those of you who have practiced with us or have even just come in to say hello and see our space know that it is sacred and special. The intension has been made since the beginning to bring you the purest, truest yoga from the source. The mantra is "slowly by slowly" with a hope that our students will integrate yoga into their lives forever.

It is with that focus in mind that I endeavor on my SIXTH trip to India this December, where I will study with Sharath, the grandson of Sri K Pattabhi Jois, and the head of the Ashtanga community. Though I first found Ashtanga Yoga in 1998 and have studied intensely since 2002, I, like you, remain a student and crave the attention, warmth, love and energy of my dear teacher.

I leave you with two AMAZING Authorized Ashtanga Teachers, Michelle Kalyk and Christopher Hildebrandt who channel the practice through them which is what it is all about! And I will be skyping LIVE from INDIA every Friday evening for a special class and conference in the tradition of the shala there.

In honor of this trip, please join me for the first FULL LED PRIMARY class ever at Land Yoga on Saturday, November 19th at 11:15am. Just $20 to attend class AND get your ticket to the Mother Hale Learning Center Fundraiser and Bon Voyage party which will follow at 3pm and include food from Bad Horse Pizza and Red Rooster!!! RSVP Now!! We will sell out!

As Land Yoga approaches its 5 month anniversary, our purpose remains clear; we are here because of you and for you.

Shanti OM!

Lara

Grand Opening Recap

2011-07-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

To Harlem

To More Collaboration, deepening connections, peace with ourselves, family, community

To following dreams, visions, gut, truth, love

And to finding a place to finally Land

Over 250 of you came out last Saturday to celebrate Land Yoga's official opening and enjoy three hours of joyful collaboration. Here's what happened:

At 2PM we gathered around Priest Prakash and his fabulous little boy as they made blessings on our space, and prayed for our continued success. There was fire, ghee, flowers, fruit and lots of chanting. It was a beautiful ceremony.

We were barely done clean up and set up when the crowds started arriving. The room was dressed beautifully with orchids, plants, and candles by Franz James Floral and was accented with an awesome World Music playlist by DJ David Chang.

Big highlights were the gorgeous outdoor yoga demos by Dana and Jagadisa-devasri which drew crowds out on the sidewalk. This may have been overshadowed (only slightly!) by our Adventures in Yogaland Mini Camp yoginis, Abby, Ava, and Shoshana who showed off their yoga moves both inside and out on the street. They were fantastic!

Almost everyone left covered in Henna Tattoos drawn by the beauticians of the Cinderella Eyebrow Spa who had a constant line throughout the event. And we were all giddy from the white and red sangria (which the kids kept running up to!) mixed specially for us by 67 Orange Street and the lovely champagne donations from Nectar Wine Bar and Bier International.

The food was amazing!! We had yummy gazpacho by 5 & Diamond, and endive with beet, gorgonzola, and candied walnuts off Lido's new menu. I couldn't even get to Zoma's warm vegetarian entrée which was a big fan favorite and gone in a minute. Harlem Tavern came through with the slider version of their Portobello Mushroom sandwich which is a personal favorite of mine. And thank goodness for hot cups of Society's Counter Culture Coffee which kept us powered through clean up.

We had a visit from the Daisys who meet in our space monthly and bottles of the thirst quenching, all natural Sokenbicha donated by Anita Bryant. And our wellness practitioners Candice Taylor, Serena Dawn, and Seven Brown were busy meeting guest and giving sample treatments in their private rooms. And our body worker Ed Genece was here in spirit!

Who's Seven Brown? We announced the newest member of our team, Seven who is a highly respected esthetician and long time Harlem resident and whose micro current work gives you an all natural face life and even relieves soreness.

All our wellness practitioners and Land Yoga raffled off free services. Congratulations to our winners, Lisa, Jessica, Liz, Souraya, and JT!

There were many exciting announcements! Highlights were the release of our PERKS program which offers our 3, 6 and 12 month members increasing discounts in house and around town, our interactive Friday night workshops starting in August with Candice's Mindful Eating, and our commitment to raising $5,000 by the end of September for the local Food Bank. Shanon spoke about their recent cut in funding. Please help us to meet our goal by donating here !

A big thanks to all who came to share in this important time, especially my hometown visitors!

My deepest gratitude.

OM!

Lara Land

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State of the Yoga Address*

2011-07-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

*For those who don't know, yoga means Union.

Land Yoga has been open for one month now and we would like to tell you a little bit about what we have accomplished in this short time.

When we opened our doors on June 16th we did not know what to expect, but you came out and have continued to come out in support of our space and this practice. We have over 100 members here at Land, many of who come daily and absolutely contribute to and even create the spirit of this space.

So many of you are new to yoga or returning to yoga after long absences, and we applaud you. You have made a dedication to bettering your physical, mental, and spiritual selves and though you may not see it yet, the changes you are making, are positively impacting your families and our community.

*Land is committed to you! It is our goal to be open and available as much as possible so that anyone with a desire to practice yoga can fit it into their schedule. We hope you've noticed! Land is open 7 days a week. On weekdays we open our doors at 6AM and our last class doesn't end till 9:15PM. Over half of our classes allow you to chose your start time and require only a 40 minute commitment for your first couple weeks.

*In addition to yoga for adults we are working hard to make sure our schedule serves your children as well, so that you can create a healthy yoga habit for them early on. We have classes for you and your child starting from when they are only 6 weeks old. And we plan to add more children's classes and family classes this fall!

*We also understand that there are other wellness services that compliment yoga. We have made those available to you by housing three top in their field practitioners: Serena Dawn who does Reiki and Vortex healing, Ed Genece who does Craniosacral and Reflexology, and Candice Taylor who is our full time wellness councilor. You can expect to hear news of another practitioner making Land their home in the near future... think acupuncture.

*We are listening to you. Starting in August, Land will host monthly Friday night interactive workshops designed for you to attend with a friend or significant other. Our first is a Mindful Eating Workshop based off the book Savor, being led by our wellness councilor, Candice Taylor. That will be followed by an event on Ayurveda, a system of healing implementing the five elements and creating balance within your body type. We will also be bringing in Juliet Pegrum after so many of you have commented on the beautiful green she chose for the yoga room. Juliet will be helping you to make your home a more peaceful space.

*At Land Yoga we get giddy about collaboration and finding new ways to work with our community. After all, the creation of Land came out of a love of Harlem. We were thrilled when Society Coffee partnered with us opening day to raise money to end Human Trafficking and even more excited when they began opening at 8AM, giving us a place to send our early morning practitioners for coffee and breakfast. Recently we collaborated on their No Impact Week (an event that teaches how we can decrease our carbon footprint) by screening the No Impact Man movie. It was our first movie screening, but definitely not our last!

It doesn't sop there! We have some other huge collaborations in the mix, including FREE yoga at Morningside Park on Saturdays from 4PM-5PM thanks to the initiative of the Farmers Market. And we will also be announcing a very large partnership with the local Food Bank at our Grand Opening Party, July 23rd 4PM-7PM.

*Did somebody say party?! Yes. And it will be our biggest collaboration yet! Please come by and celebrate with us our official opening on Saturday July 23rd from 4-7PM (puja at 2PM). If you were here for our soft opening, you will notice the great improvements we have already made. Most significantly, our shower is up and running! This event will include food and drink by 5&Diamond, 67 Orange Street, Bier International, Harlem Tavern, Lido, Nectar, Red Rooster, Society Coffee, and Zoma and flowers by Franz James Floral. Bring your family and prepare to stay for the whole event for more chances to win our fabulous raffle prizes.

At the party will be offering 10% off all our retail, a huge ONE DAY ONLY sale on all our yoga memberships, and we will be revealing our PERKS program which will extend to you increasing discounts around town when you choose our 3, 6, or 12 month membership options.

For the most up to date news and discounts:

Like us on Facebook here.

And follow us on Twitter here.

You are in for a ride, but sure to Land ;)

Shanti OM! Thank you for a beautiful first month.

A BETTER SOCIETY

2011-06-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

It began with a thought that touched my tongue. An image turned sound is now form.

LAND YOGA

2116 Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th ave) nr. 114th st

We open on Thursday, June 16th with our regular schedule. First class is at 6:30 AM. $1 per student will help to stop human trafficking. Our neighbor, Society Coffee, is hosting a free coffee tasting at 8 AM and will have their full menu available. They are donating a portion of their proceeds to this important cause as well.

We hope you'll join us as we set our intention from day one to collaborate with our community, give back to our society, and create a space where you can LAND.

www.landyoga.com

Please Prepare For Landing

2011-05-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Friends, Family, Harlemites. Some of you have followed my journey through New Jersey, New York, India, Rwanda and on. I have been a busy little yoga bee, flying all around, but I knew one day I would finally find a place to Land.

I was drawn to Harlem by an indescribable force and have been on a clear mission since then to build a yoga space and service this community. Now here we are just ONE month away from opening day and I could not be more excited.

Land Yoga opens on June 16th at 2116 Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th ave) between 114th and 115th streets. We are offering classes for adults and children as well as pre and post natal classes and workshops and many other services including acupuncture and nutrition. I am so proud of the amazing team we have put together here at Land, each member of which is devoted to serving and growing with the south Harlem community.

Registration is now open at www.landyoga.com. And huge discounts are applied when you register before opening day.

A wholehearted thank you to all of you who have already devoted so much of your time and energy to welcoming us to the community, especially our fellow Harlem Park to Park business owners who have been unbelievably generous and supportive since the beginning. Please don't forget to check them out for your post practice meal or shopping experience.

Some of you have asked about the Land Yoga wish list and we would definitely appreciate plants that can live with and without light purchased from our local flower shops: Franz James Floral Boutique, Harlem Flo, and Katrina Parris Flowers.

Please don't forget to REGISTER early to get your discount and to "like" Land Yoga on Facebook for all the most up to date news on the studio.

See you on June 16th!

OM!

Lara

American Idol (or something like that)

2011-03-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Imagine you knew personally a finalist on Idol. Wouldn't you vote? Today, I am reaching out for your votes and the votes of your friends and family so that I can have a chance at my very own American Idol moment.

I am in the running for a very special grant opportunity that will support my dream to bring yoga to the Harlem community, and my chances to win greatly increase with your support. I need 1,000 votes by this Thursday. It is going to take the support of a whole extended community, but I know it can be done.

Get in your vote by texting the word Land to 244326. There is No Charge and No Spam. You will receive two follow up texts asking your name and why you voted for this business. You must respond to these texts to finalize your vote.

If you are out of the country or can not text, vote by entering the words Land Yoga and New York, NY exactly on Love a Local Business web page.

I thank you for your continued support through the years. It is because of your energy and love that I have been able to accomplish so much and give back in such large and rewarding ways. This is the next step in that journey.

OM!

Off The Mat

2010-11-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

My Dear Friends;

Last year I participated in a 29-day gift giving challenge where I gave to friends and family, charities of your choosing, and to those I came across on the subway and streets of New York. This year I am once again taking on this beautiful one-month commitment and I am launching it on Saturday, November 27th with a very special yoga event. The details are below and I hope you will attend or make any contribution you are able.

It has been almost 2 years since I returned from my trip to Rwanda, but the impact of that experience has remained. This year I am taking part in a special charitable yoga class to raise money for Off The Mat And Into The World, an organization which works with children in South Africa touched by the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The yoga event is being held at Pure East on 203 E 86th Street from 3:30-5:30 on Saturday, November 27th. Suggested donation is $35. RSVP to pureoffthemat@gmail.com. Make a donation even if you can not attend by mailing a check made out to Off The Mat And Into The World to Jordan Marinov, 81 Olive St. #9, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

Our goal is to raise $5,000 in the next week! It is a big goal, but with your help, I know it can be achieved. Let this blog go VIRAL. Forward it to your contact list. And let's see what we can do!

In addition, I would love to once again support your favorite causes, so please send suggestions my way.

And finally, I am setting another commitment to have 10 people join me in the gift giving challenge this year. Please join me in this amazing experience. You will get back more than give, I promise.

Wishing you a joyous and healthy holiday season! Lara

Lucky Number 7 or New Year Starts Now

2010-09-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am writing to announce the the official launching of my Mysore program at Usha Veda Yoga in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. As of September 7th we are on a six day a week schedule respecting Saturdays and moon days as rest time. (Please contact Usha Veda for our moon day list.) Classes are Monday - Friday from 6.45 AM - 9.00 AM and students may come anytime during that period as long as they are able to finish by 9. Sundays are 12.00 PM - 2.00 PM. Look for Fridays to become led classes as of Jan 1st. I am now teaching a half led primary on Wednesday nights from 6.45 PM - 8.15 PM. This class is open to develop into a full led if able students attend.

Please allow me to share a little about the space and why I have decided to make it my home. I know to many of my Manhattanite friends, Brooklyn sounds like a far away country. Perhaps parts of the borough are, but it is certainly not the case here. We are accessible by the 7 train which easy to get to from any part of Manhattan. You can take that lucky line to the Vernon-Jackson stop in Long Island City, just one stop out of Manhattan. From there it's a short walk over the lovely Pulaski Bridge to 1104 Manhattan Ave. I come from west Harlem and walk it daily. It is a great way to relax the mind and prepare to practice. Join me in my morning stroll and see for yourself.

As for the actual space, the first word that comes to mind is sweet. The atmosphere is simple and gentle and welcoming. It is a great place for both old and new practitioners. I think you will find it very easy to relax into a meaningful practice and make it your home.

For those of you still unconvinced, or looking for another option, I am adding two open classes in Manhattan to my schedule. These are half led primaries at Bread and Yoga in Inwood on Thursday nights at 8 PM and Saturdays at 11.30 AM starting with a special class on Saturday, September 11th. Bread and Yoga is located at 4951 Broadway directly off the A train. (No walking necessary.)

I hope to be seeing all of you very soon. Remember, you don't have to wait for January 1st to commit or recommit yourself to healthy living. The beginning of the school year marks a rhythm cycle deeply ingrained in our hearts and minds. Take advantage of the natural shift and breath fresh spirit into your life.

The Certificate

2010-07-31T20:20:00.001-07:00

"If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the Self."
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

It is Sunday morning and I have just finished my last led class of this trip. A couple of days ago I went to visit Sharath (my teacher) to remind him that I am leaving on Wednesday to be home in time for an important wedding. At that time he informed me that I will get my certificate. I, in turn, informed my family and close friends.

But what is a certificate and why has everyone been asking me if I will get this paper? After fielding many inquiries about the document, I too began to talk to friends and family of its importance. But what does this paper prove? To many, unfortunately, I think it signifies an ending, a completion. To me, it is a beginning.

I return home to teach with my teacher's blessing, an Authorized Ashtanga teacher. But my learning continues. My teachers, my students, and the One Ultimate Guru, will guide me, and India has her lessons as well. I look forward to returning to her as a student instead of as a teacher, and surrendering to her timely trials.

To those who have supported me in this leg of my journey I give my deepest gratitude. Please reach out to me, especially for yoga therapy, for those who are sick or have pain physically or mentally. I am here for you and I pray you will take the benefit of my learnings.

I'm only happy when it rains.

2010-07-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's about to rain. The storm clouds are ominous and the crows are sweeping overhead. It's the first time I noticed them in India. They were unavoidable in Rwanda. This time there is a warning, but often there is none. One moment it is bright with promise and the next, westerners are running to their clotheslines to save what is savable. I must admit, I have more than once left clothes on the line through two or three rainfalls. The sun is always so deceiving here in its magnificent brightness. And running seems unfairly difficult in our culture here of afternoon laziness.

It's my fifth visit to Mysore, India and I'm staying in an apartment referred to fondly as "the bird perch". It's like a little dollhouse studio plopped on top of an apartment building roof. I have a clear view of all the clotheslines, and treelines, and skylines in the distance.

Perched in my perch waiting for rain I imagine the girl I might have been had I been born in Seattle. I see myself brooding and poetic. I like this version, this slice of me. I can play her very well. She strums one or two chords on an old guitar. She writes lines on scraps thrown carelessly across the bed.

So much has been said about travel, but one of my favorite aspects is the fantastic opportunity to play out the dormant slivers of myself. I've been here a hand full of times now and my Mysore self is beginning to mold. She has her own separate wardrobe which I store here for her in an old tin trunk. She has a special diet and a unique way of sleeping and eating and doing all the things a human does. More and more people know her now and slowly she's being expected to be somebody. And even though that somebody is so very fun and different from the the New York somebody I frequently embody, I am still so divinely grateful for the anonymity left to me here. In a place where new students come and go, some never to return, I am hopeful that I'll always have some space to play out the way I might have been. And today, I'm only happy when it rains.

The End

2009-12-29T05:44:00.000-08:00

It is the final day of my 29 day gift giving challenge and I would like to share some insights gained through this experience. You could divide my month-long adventure into three parts. In the first phase I physically participated in acts of charity. Next, I gave gifts both large and small to friends, family, employers, and even "enemies". In the final chapter of my experiment I made small donations to a variety of causes of interest to me and suggested by others.

My acts of giving included things like giving up my subway seat and giving change to the homeless. I determined my pledge in the morning and kept it in mind all day. During these days I was often reminded of how many little things I do already. Smiling at a stranger, holding a door, and helping with a stroller are all gifts easily given in this city; but now that I had one task in mind I wondered if I should also continue with these other gifts. I found my pledge had the potential of causing me to do less.

However, there were many positives that came out of this phase. One of the my favorite days was when I filled my pockets with change and looked for people to give it to. I'm sure I was helped more than the recipients of my pennies. It was such a different mindset and healthier feeling to look to give, rather than shifting my gaze and avoiding contact. I am now convinced that giving heals the giver.

The clichéd "joy of giving" continued as I entered phase II. I found it so exciting waking up each day and choosing someone to surprise with a gift. And I could tell that although my presents were often small, they truly touched their recipients. In all cases the feeling between myself and the receiver was enhanced; and in one instance I found the ritual of choosing and offering up a gift to completely shift a relationship dynamic.

My last days of giving were more remote, but very educational. I learned about my friends and the causes they support. Here are a list of some of the organizations I made donations to: Shoes that fit, International Rescue Committee, Child's Play, Sweet Baby Zane, Vitamin Angels, Bent On Learning.

As with most things in life, the end of this project is really not the end, but actually the beginning. For me it is the start of a new approach to giving. It is in this spirit that I have decided to commit myself in this next month to keeping a pocket full of change and to standing on public transportation one day each week so that someone else can have my seat.

Want to make your pledge? Go to www.29gifts.org or simply post your goals here.

29 Days of Giving

2009-12-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

I recently read about a 29-Day gift giving challenge and decided immediately to participate. The premise is very simple and doable and a great way to focus ones attention outward on helping instead of getting trapped in any "whoa is me" winter blues. A gift can be anything from loose change, to clothing, to a smile. What makes it fulfill your daily pledge is your intention. I have only just begun and already I have learned a great deal about my tendencies in giving and receiving. To join me in this incredible endeavor, please sign up at www.29gifts.org. You can start at anytime.

Below is an account of Day One of my 29-Day pledge:

Taking the Long Way Home

Day one of my 29-Day Gift Giving Challenge and I almost didn't make it. I left my house eager and excited to give a packed lunch to a needy New Yorker, but had a hard time finding just the right recipient. Early this morning the homeless I saw were sleeping on subway benches. I asked myself if leaving the package near someone would fulfill my personal pledge and concluded that it would not. So, I trudged through my day with my purse exploding container. Later a man on the train was asking for money in the form of a sort of song. I couldn't stop him chanting long enough to find out if he wanted the food, so on I went. At 2PM I finished teaching my last yoga session and my gift was still in my bag. I had two subway options for heading home. One would let me off directly across from my apartment with little chance of running into anyone in need and the other would let me off way across town. I went with the later, vowing to walk the distance and keep my eyes open for the kind soul who would help me fulfill my obligation. Just a few wet blocks and I found him. It was a great relief and perfect conclusion to my day. He was very polite and happy for the food, but he still wanted some change. I was about to walk away, but changed my mind. I don't know why he also wanted money or what he'll do with it. And I'm not sure it matters. He saw someone willing to stop and give and he asked and I gave. I'd been saving up all my giving for this man and even taken the long way home.

www.adventuresinyogaland.com

It's chocolate time!

2009-09-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to say this simply: women need chocolate, crave chocolate. love chocolate. And you guys out there love it too. As some of you know, I have one of the simplest, pared down diets around, and I rarely desire any food, but even I still have that little ache for chocolate. And now I understand why:

The seeds from the Cacao tree used to make pure chocolate have the highest level of antioxidants of any naturally grown product. The problem has always been how to turn the seeds into chocolate that tastes good (not bitter) without altering the antioxidant levels. Now that this has been accomplished through cold pressing you can eat your daily dose (of the right stuff) and feel good about it.

The benefits of raw Cacao are numerous, and I have been experiencing many. The two strongest effects I have noticed are a tremendous boost in a long lasting, non-crashing type of energy and a major curb to my appetite. Since adding this chocolate to my diet I feel an overall upgrade in my wellness on every level. I highly recommend this product and look forward to hearing the positive effects it has on you!

To buy a box of Xocai healthy chocolate visit my web site: http://www.mxi.myvoffice.com/laralauchheimer/

Or to learn more about the health benefits and distributing opportunity you can also visit: www.thefivereasons.com and www.mydrchocolate.com

Contact me directly at LaraLovesChocolate@gmail.com to attend a tasting!

A Yogic New Year

2009-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

As we look deeply within, we understand our perfect balance. There is no fear of the cycle of birth, life, and death. For when you stand in the present moment, you are timeless. Rodney Yee

Every culture has its way of marking the passing of time. Some see the opportunity for a new start linked with the seasons and some with the introduction of a newborn brought into this world. Each year I am awed by the cameras documenting the transition from one year to the next in countries all over the world. How similarly silly we all look counting backwards the final ten.

Beginnings and endings are certainly a part of daily life. And one's personal New Year could start at any moment. Many say 'today's the day' or more often 'tomorrow's the day' on a daily basis. And for some a rebirth really does come in that instant. However, unmasking, uniting, and restarting are more easily done in the presence of others striving that way during an energetically opportune period. This is the holiness of the month of Elul.

I have designed a unique four part workshop called A Yogic New Year for this special month. All are welcome and invited to sit, move, breath, and learn with me and speaker Howard Katz on Wednesdays September 2, 9, 16, and 23 from 8PM-10PM at Centerpoint/Atmananda Yoga Studio as we ignite the body, mind, and soul in preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. No matter how limited or advanced your Jewish or Yoga background is, you will undoubtedly benefit from this opportunity to detox and reboot. Although best experienced as a four part workshop, you are welcome to come to any of the sessions.

This is a FREE event brought to you by the Birthright Israel Alumni Grant Initiative and Romemu. Your RSVP is encouraged to guarantee your spot and can be sent along with questions to laracorinne@gmail.com. For more on my schedule visit www.adventuresinyogaland.com designed beautifully by Cameron Northey.

Please learn more about the Birthright Israel NEXT Alumni Grant Initiative at http://next.birthrightisrael.com.

Romemu is a holistic center in Manhattan that seeks to integrate body, mind, heart and soul in Jewish practice. Our offerings are designed to inspire an openhearted and intellectually stimulating community, and individual spiritual path, leading to a more connected and compassionate daily life. More information: http://www.romemu.org

May all sentient beings enjoy happiness

and the root of happiness.

May we be free from suffering and the root of suffering.

May we not be separated from the greta

happiness devoid of suffering.

May we dwell in the great equanimity free

from passion, aggression, and prejudice.

"We are the world"

2009-04-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your patience as I resettled in New York. I have been blessed with an easy transition thanks to the love and support of so many. Those of you who know me, have witnessed the ceaseless way I attacked this city from day one of my return. Many recommended rest and a slow shifting into spring, but right now a great flow urges me forward, and I am deeply invigorated.

Some of the best times I had abroad were working with children, so I accepted immediately when I was invited to teach a Kindergarten class at Bedwell Elementary School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. You never know what kind of mood a class will be in, especially the day before a school break, so I had a lot planned. In short, the kids LOVED doing yoga and continue to talk about the experience with their parents and regular teacher.

I am now hoping to get involved with a remarkable non-profit called Bent on Learning. Bent on Learning brings yoga and meditation to New York City public schools. They reach kids in grades K-12 and give them a chance to reduce stress, increase concentration, and improve overall health. This is an organization I strongly believe in. Yoga teaches naturally how to breath in challenging situations. Slowing the breath gives time for increased clarity and this provides all of us with an opportunity to make more thoughtful choices. What a gift for today's youth!

In the next month I will be doing a number of workshops triggered by my experiences abroad. Proceeds from these presentations will go to Bent on Learning. Contact me if you would like to attend one of these events, or click here to donate directly.

Sunshine is my quest. ~Winston Churchill

Planning my return

2009-03-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

There are under two weeks left until my return to the states and the planning has begun. What energizes me about going back to New York is all the great opportunity I will have to continue on with the kind of work I have begun abroad. Only now I have a chance to enrich my home community.

Here is where you will find me in the coming months:

1) Starting May 2nd I will be assisting Authorized Ashtanga teacher, Zoe Slatoff, every morning except Saturdays and Moondays at Ashtanga Yoga Upper West Side. You will also find me there on Sunday evenings at 5pm teaching Led Primary Series. Please check out the site for details.

2) I will be giving a workshop presentation on the Rwanda experience tailored specifically to the unique needs and interests of each audience. Stay tuned for information on the first event hosted at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center on May 7th. Please contact me if you are a yoga studio, school, or community center interested in booking this one-of-a-kind seminar.

3) I have been awarded the Birthright NEXT Alumni Grant and will be using it to actualize a long dreamed about project. In the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, I will be teaching a class once a week that will demonstrate how yoga can enhance the Jewish experience specifically in relation to the new year.

4) I will be teaching yoga to an HIV positive support group in NYC.

5) I will be teaching a yoga workshop to a kindergarten class in New Jersey and working with the teacher on how she can continue to use yoga in her classroom.

And finally, I will be available for private classes.

Of course, before all that can happen I have two more weeks in this beautiful country!

More next week. Lara

A Weekend of Karma Yoga

2009-03-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was busy with joyous giving. On Saturday Alia and Bruno, hosted a fundraiser at their home (India Song House) for an organization called Odanadi. Odanadi rescues and rehabilitates the vulnerable women and children sold into illegal sex trade, bonded slavery and domestic servitude here in India. Through the practice of semi-classical Indian dance, song, drama, art, karate and yoga, the women and children of Odanadi are gradually able to rebuild their confidence, self-respect, physical and mental strength. Self-expression is of vital importance to their recovery. In addition, Odanadi goes into villages and educates in hopes of preventing the continuation of human trafficking.

There was a huge turnout for this event which was designed not only to raise money, but also to educate about the human trafficking still prevalent today. We watched the Odanadi members perform and heard some of their stories. In the end over 60,000 rupees was raised.

On Sunday I revisited the children at the Asha Kirana HIV clinic. Many familiar faces greeted me as I entered. The smiles widened when they saw the great gift of yoga mats I was able to provide due to so many generous donations. After a gentle yoga practice the children sat down to make drawings for their sponsors. They didn't know what to draw at first, but slowly their creativity emerged. I am still collecting mat donations for the 70 children that pass through this clinic each month. You can support one HIV positive child's yoga practice by making a $7.00 donation to my Pay Pal account under BebiTaurus@aol.com.

Thanks for all of your contributions!

The Practice

2009-03-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

I have avoided writing much about the yoga practice since many of you are yoga practitioners and already have your own experience of the day to day coming to the mat. This week I will make an exception with the hope of reaching those of you who wonder what it is this yoga thing is all about. Perhaps some of you are already taking asana practice at home and wonder why come to India year after year when these days it's hard to walk a block without seeing a yoga studio in the states.

Here in Mysore we sit down each Sunday at KPJAYI (Shri. K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute) for a weekly conference. When my teacher Sharath takes his cross legged seat on the stage the room grows quiet with anticipation. What will he speak about? For one hour we will be blessed with some new knowledge often attained through old stories. Just one glimmer of understanding can make the yoga practice feel completely new in upcoming week.

This Sunday I was reminded of the opportunity practice presents for delving into ones relationship with G-d. In hebrew, the word for soul (nephesh) and the word for breath (neshamah) share the same root. In this tradition we understand words with identical roots to be connected and look for what their relationship can reveal. The relationship between the breath and the soul is one that can be intellectualized but is much better understood through direct experience. It is this happening that I delve into each morning in the stillness of the pre-sunrise hours.

Through focus on the breath (neshamah) I come to know my true self (nephesh). And through knowledge of my true self I come closer to knowing the one truth, the higher power I call G-d, but who is known by many names. This is one of the reasons breath is a main focal point of the practice. Concentration on breath is crucial to attaining yoga- a yoking of the individual and universal consciousness. Too deep? Don't worry. Concentration on breath can also help release muscle and mind tension and bring you into the present moment, which of course is all there really is! It links the spirit, mind and body so that you can live with more awareness and experience less friction. Great benefits come from this such as being able to make decisions more easily and with less regret. There is also a decrease in covetousness, anger, and anxiety and an increase in overall health and sense of peace and calm. All this from paying attention to the breath!

The beautiful thing is that it works the other way too. If you are a practitioner having trouble connecting with the breath, don't underestimate the power of surrender. Give the practice up as an offering to a higher entity and watch as the breath spirit fills your body and mind.

So why wait? Start practicing now. As my teacher says, only lazy people can't practice yoga. All others can. You don't have to put your feet behind your head to be a yoga practitioner. And if you can put your feet behind your head, that doesn't mean you are doing yoga. So, don't be discouraged. You can try for yourself and observe what changes in you. Nothing happening? Don't worry, "all is coming".

Making Progress

2009-02-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been three weeks since I arrived here in Mysore and I must say I have made some progress. This is very exciting, especially considering that this is not a country that works at a New York City pace (or even a Savannah, Georgia pace for that matter!).

So, here is what is happening and what steps are next:

Today I made my fourth visit to Asha Kirana, an HIV clinic here in Mysore. On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, HIV positive children come from all over India to get blood tests and medicines. By 11 am the waiting room is full of kids and their guardians waiting for their turn to see the doctor. To ease their anxiety during this time I have started teaching them yoga. They are very receptive and even excited to practice yoga together. Afterward they are so quiet and calm. They all crowd around to say personal thank yous and shake my hand. It's an outpouring of love that is beyond anything I have earned.

The program is so successful that Asha Kirana would like to make it an ongoing practice. I will be here through March, but am looking for someone to come with me and continue to teach when I am gone. I am also looking for yoga mats so that each child can practice properly. Many of the yoga students here leave their mats when they return home. I am hoping they will donate these used mats to the Asha Kirana program. Another option is to donate the cost of a new mat. They are sold here for Rs 250 or about $6.25. I have set up a table at OM Cafe here in Mysore so that students who leave after breakfast can make a donation on their way out. Please email me at laracorinne@yahoo.com if you would like to buy a child a yoga mat. I will send you updates on the child you have sponsored.

A slightly more complicated project is to set up a sewing organization for women in need of employment. My hope is that they will eventually make mat bags that will be sold at the shala, as well as cloth shopping bags that will replace the plastic so many use to carry their fruits and vegetables. This is going to require workspace, sewing machines, materials, and hard workers, but it can be done.

Finally, I am also helping Chethana Trust, a mental health facility, to sell their chocolates. These goodies are made by the mentally challenged and the profits go towards making these men and women financially independent. They take great pride in their work and look forward to becoming productive members of the community as their earnings come in. So far Anu's, Tina's lunch place, and Edelweiss Austrian Cafe have agreed to sign on. I am also in negotiations with a wholesaler who may sell the chocolates as gifts for corporate events.

As you can see, there is a lot to be done. Not everyone can get away for long periods of time, or part with large sums of money, but everyone can contribute something, whether it be time, knowledge, or helping to form a new connection. Pick one thing you are good at and make a pledge to make a difference!

Find out more about small commitments that bring big change soon at www.thepledgepage.com.

Also coming soon: www.adventuresinyogaland.com

Practice, Practice, Practice

What is it about this place?

2009-02-14T05:14:00.000-08:00

What is it about India? Stepping off the plane I recognize the smell. It's incense mixing with the dry air. The ground is dusty dirt. Bollywood songs blare out of rickshaw speakers. I know I have arrived, and I can't stop smiling. The streets are crazy. "No one at home would believe this," I always think. A picture would not do it justice. You need all five senses to set this scene. Cars and Motorcycles driving in every direction with no regard for lanes. We squeeze through impossible spaces to get ahead. A cow sits gracefully, serenely in the middle of the road as buses whiz by. Only in India.

Men huddle around a tiny counter sipping steamy chai out of little glass cups. Every couple of minutes someone lifts the a jug into the air and lets the water fall into his mouth without ever touching the spout. A man smokes cigarettes and pees by the side of the road. This is India.

The women are in dancing sheets of color. Rolls of belly flesh peek out. Their hair is long and braided. Some sweep streets with brooms made of twigs. Many are hidden inside. They smile and the sun shines off their gold nose and ear rings. This is India.

And this is India: In the morning I wake up and I am happy. I give thanks for another day my soul, my consciousness has been returned. I lie on the floor and breath for a moment letting the night's grip on my body slip away. I go to yoga practice. As I raise my arms in the first movement of Surya Namaskara A (Sun Salutation A) I give thanks again, this time for this miraculous instrument I call my body. Each day I really am amazed at the arch of the arm, the picture of the hands in prayer before me.

Each day another opportunity to use this gift of life for good. A chance to ease suffering and increase freedom. A chance to honor the earth by not taking for granted her many offerings. So many chances to do good. So many choices to make.

And this is India too: Today a man I see everyday has a blockage in his heart, and though he works long hours and with constant kindness, he can not possibly pay the 200,000 to 300,000 rupees -- $4,500 to $7,000+ it will cost for his surgery. His name is Guru and he is the corner coconut man here in Gokulam. This too is India.

If you've been wondering what you can do to make a difference, help Guru. Maybe that's why you happened to read this blog today. Click here and scroll down to give any sized donation.

What is it about this place? Nothing. This is a place like all others. You can leave it or you can touch it. You can make it better or you can make it worse. This is a place like all others. A place where anything is possible.

Moving Up

2009-02-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

There is a shared concept in Judaism and Yogic Philosophy that a person is either moving towards his goal or away from it. The idea that he is standing still is an illusion. I don't want to lose all the good momentum I built up in Rwanda, so I am making the choice to go forward with work I did there and see how I can best incorporate it into my new setting. It is my third trip to India, but I am seeing Mysore with brand new eyes. As I look around, I wonder how I could have been here twice before and never asked the questions now running through my mind. I never thought of India as a place with AIDS even though, all places are touched by this problem and traditional cultures clearly face issues of stigma for those infected. It has been a fight to get doctors to treat infected patients with compassion and equality. And just in the last couple of years has India developed the laws needed to safeguard its HIV positive school children against discrimination in the classroom.

Thanks to the help of my friend Tracy, founder of Operation Shanti, I was able to visit three HIV-Aids clinics yesterday and was glad to hear that progress is being made. The individual staff members were excited to show me around and eager to answer my many questions. I knew I was truly welcome when they wouldn't let me leave without first having a cup of sweet chai. It will take a couple follow up visits at least to find out more about these different communities and how I can best serve them with my skills and resources. But I am up for the challenge.

It is yoga that has brought me here and yoga that has opened my mind and heart and allowed me to see beyond my own needs and desires. It would be thoughtless of me not to mention my great teachers, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Saraswathi, R. Sharath, and Acharye Hema. I give thanks to you and pray that through the practice of selfless action, constant analysis and devotion, I will never have the chance to foolishly believe I am standing still. I will always be moving up.

Click here for the final pictures of Rwanda.

And here for my first shots of India.

How to be a Warrior

2009-01-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

Be like Sean Casey. Sean Casey believes in something. He believes that gay people around the world should be safe. Since in many countries gay people are in danger of being killed or arrested for their sexual preference, Sean Casey goes to countries such as Rwanda, Pakistan, Lebanon, and coming soon, Afghanistan to help those people who live in constant fear. Sean Casey doesn't sit around in his pajamas watching TV and thinking about what he could be doing but what a pain it would be to actually do it. He just does it. I want to be like Sean Casey.

Sean Casey is a suspected spy in some parts. He's now in Rwanda where the general line about homosexuality is, "Oh, we don't have that here." He is openly gay in a place where it is basically illegal. He is a warrior for a cause he believes in, traveling a good 80 percent of his year to help people who live with out protection. Sean Casey is pretty cool.

Sitting next to him I wonder to myself what, if anything, I feel that strongly about. To go to Afghanistan you have to really freak your parents out. You may even be just a bit scared yourself, and you would have some valid reasons to feel that way. Afghanistan is a place you go because you have to. You go there because what is driving you is so strong it gives you no choice. If you had a choice, you'd stay home. Who are these people who risk their lives and distance themselves from their loved ones to go to the most desperate corners of the earth and give help where help is needed? I want to know more about them.

I left Rwanda this week and said goodbye to some pretty amazing warriors. Some I met just briefly and others I encountered early on and saw on a daily basis. Many I've mentioned in my weekly postings though a good deal remain unnamed. My students are among them. The women I taught are heros. What they have seen and survived would turn the strongest toward despair, but they carry on with beauty, grace, and laughter. They are warriors and they are my heros. They have shared their stories, given their time, and taken a risk by trying the practice of yoga, an exercise they had never heard of, with a young woman they had never met. I wonder if I could do the same in their position.

How to be a warrior? Be like Sean Casey, or be like them: take a risk, don't fear, be present, be open, be a beginner, believe in something, make it happen, be persistent, smile, laugh, love... LIVE

(Pictures from Rwanda and Stories from India coming soon.)

I am a humble witness or Let's go Clubbing

2009-01-22T04:02:00.000-08:00

Today my Canadian friend Logan (aka Little Bit) said goodbye to Rwanda and began her journey back to her hometown. I knew this day was coming but I was still sad as the hours approached. In honor of Logan I finally said yes to a night out past 9pm. On Saturday we sipped drinks at our house and then climbed in a cab to Car Wash, a local bar. It felt great to sit outside under the open sky and enjoy the company of friends. I looked around at all the faces surrounding me and smiled. A chill of sadness at my approaching departure swept through me, but I moved back into the moment and was filled with sense of calm.

Under the Rwandan sky I had sat just days earlier during a rare nighttime blackout. The stars so often hidden came out in numbers to play. Trusty Orion with his three starred belt was front and center, but I was sad to discover the rest of the patterns of light were unrecognizable to me. Where was the Big Dipper? I made a note to brush up on my Astronomy and then looked up again. My eyes soft, I limited my vision to the dark arch above and had such a visceral realization of how small I am. Like the stars above I am a speck of light. I am the tiniest part of the universe and yet contain the whole universe inside me. It humbled me to see the big picture, to remember I live on a spinning world floating in space. It is a world that lived before me and will continue on long after I am gone. And though my life in this incarnation is short, my actions ripple across continents in ways unknown and my body will do the same.

So, though Logan is in Canada now, at one time we danced at New Cadillac Club in Rwanda. Lights flashed and beats bumped like in any club. I stood outside the crowd and remembered dancing in Spain, in Boston, in India. I laughed to myself thinking about how recognizable the scene was before me. People are dancing in London and New York too. A girl is turning towards her girlfriend to avoid a predatory dancer. Someone is spilling a beer. The songs may be different but the desire is as universal as the stars we share, to let loose and be as big in our movements as we feel in our hearts. To break barriers.

I danced with Africa on Saturday and I cheered with Africa three days later as we watched Obama take his oath. All across the world young and old were hanging on to every word, investing hope and faith in a man who has already broken so many barriers. Though we live in different countries, our desires are the same, to have peace and safety, access to food and shelter, freedom to speak and worship as our soul commands. We dream of a president who isn't afraid to dance.

Connections

2009-01-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's been two months, but suddenly there is a shift and I am making some new connections. This week I met with two people who I have been wanting to link up with since I got here. These two new souls have expanded my world exponentially. They are beautiful, kind, and full of knowledge and experience. And I am eager for the weaving patterns that describe their lives. I first met with Richard Niwenshuti who is Managing Director of Business Council for Peace. His organization helps female entrepreneurs in post-conflict countries to expand their businesses. Richard is working with twenty businesses here in Rwanda.

In my slower days I have been doing tons of reading about aid in Africa. Many people have written recently hypothesizing as to why the millions in aid sent to Africa seems to have done so little for the people who so desperately need it. Writers like William Easterly, author of The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Effort to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good" talk about some of the major mistakes that have caused this money to end up either in the wrong hands or in unsustainable projects. Issues include corrupt governments, bad planning, and our failure to ask the people we are helping what would most benefit them. The most successful projects have been those that include the input of the people we seek to be of service to, and that give them the resources they need to succeed once aid is not as prevalent. Micro-Lending, invented by Muhammad Yunus, has helped the poorest of the poor to get out of debt and grow their businesses. His book, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle against World Poverty, is an excellent read.

Richard's company, Business Council for Peace, understands the mistakes that have hindered so many well intentioned do-gooders from making real change. They have thoughtfully analized the the programs currently available and found the group they believe will most benefit from the kind of aid they provide. Business Council for Peace is designed with the knowledge that it is the success of small and medium-sized businesses that will revive suffering countries and keep their people employed. They believe "MORE JOBS MEAN LESS VIOLENCE". And they specifically focus on female entrepreneurs because women are known to pass their skills on to the next generation, creating a legacy of knowledge. Please see the business for peace website at: www.bpeace.org.

I was connected with Richard through Anne Kellett who is the sister-in-law of Marilyn Zeigher who is a pre K assistant at the Jewish Community Center in Tenafly where my mother works as Program Supervisor. Being this far from home, I was eager to pursue any connections, however thin, that I could make out here in Rwanda. The other person I courted with more than a couple emails is Savannah Keith. Savannah is the Country Director in Rwanda for a non-profit called The International Education Exchange (IEE), www.educationexchange.org. One of my yoga students knows Stephen Paletta, the founder of this extraordinary program. He connected me to Savannah.

Savannah is overseeing the program from here in Rwanda. International Education Exchange pairs schools in the U.S. with schools in developing countries. Their mission is to "prepare the next generation for the global community" through these partnerships. The IEE is also helping the Rwandan government to build classrooms, set up high speed internet, and construct athletic fields. In addition, they are erecting libraries and even training teachers. You can read all about what Savannah is doing on her beautiful website, www.savannahkeith.com.

This past week I read a book called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It tells a true story of the unbelievable difference that just one person can make. Richard and Savannah present yet another example of what the faith and persistence of a single being can accomplish. They are not superhuman, but rather much like the rest of us. Their only difference is they don't give up. They are present and energetic in their approach to life and because of that they are able to touch people and make positive and lasting impacts. I hope you will look at their websites and support their missions.

Richard and Savannah, if you are reading this I thank you. This week you shared your time, thoughts, and stories with me. You fed my mind and body as we exchanged ideas over Rwandan buffet. You touched my heart and gave me the boost I needed in order to continue giving to others. I am so glad that our paths have crossed and our stories are now connected.

Namaste

Slow

2009-01-12T06:25:00.000-08:00

slow slow go the rainy days in Kigali. The new year has brought with it some new challenges, but with each one a lesson is learned. I think the long Christmas break caused some set backs in our progress here. Our seamstress women are backed up with a large order and can not break for yoga twice a week in the middle of the day as they once did. They are also now being payed by piece instead of by hour, so many choose to continue to work instead of participating. In fact, we don't want them to break for class if it will mean taking away from their small income. So, we look for solutions. Perhaps it would be better to schedule class in the hour before work and offer a breakfast after. (Do we have the budget?) Maybe we can have class during an already established break or after work... All of these ideas will have to be discussed with one of their English speaking supervisors so we can root through problems that may arise with these time slots, such as cooking the daily meal, or picking up children from school. Finding answers to these questions takes time in Africa where things move very slowly.

In the spaces I am able to document my findings. Every hurdle here is one I will be able to avoid should I design a program like this one in the future. I am learning how different NGOs work by meeting with members from many of the non-profit organizations here. It is such a blessing to have access to people who are willing to share their knowledge. I don't think there is a better way to learn!

When things are slow, I feel like a bear that is devouring everything. As I take in the wealth of information surrounding me I am consciously storing up for my return to New York, a place too fast for days like these.

Silence Part II (a different kind)

2008-12-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

I went to two Genocide Memorials this week, the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Belgian Memorial. The first floor of the Kigali Memorial was a walk through the history of Rwanda leading up to the 1994 genocide, and a detailed accounting of what happened during and after the three months of incessant killing. It seems before you can kill a whole race of people, you must get a certain amount of support. The tactics are ones we've seen repeated over and over again throughout history: demoralizing cartoons, hate radio, lies designed to incite fear. Then there was a campaign to differentiate between "them" and "us". In Nazi Germany Jews were forced to wear yellow stars. Here in Rwanda the label on your identity card could mean life or death.

Upstairs on the second floor of the Memorial were walls dedicated to telling the stories of genocide around the world. Inscribed on a glass plaque was the question so many are asking: What did the world mean after the Holocaust when it said "never again"?

The Belgian Memorial was set up in a similar fashion. This once school house was the site of the murder of 10 Belgian UN soldiers. The room where they were killed is preserved as a Memorial and features a plaque to honor those who died and a chalkboard covered in words from their family members. The subsequent rooms are filled with placards that educate about genocide awareness and prevention. One poster lists the sites of known genocide: North America 1492-, South America 1500-, Australia 1824, South Africa 1902, Armenia 1915-1918, Manchuria 1930, Holocaust in Europe 1933-1945, Pakistan 1971, Uganda 1971-1979, Cambodia 1975, Iraq 1980-1988, Former Yugoslavia 1991-1999, Rwanda 1994

Unfortunately they will have to remake this document to include the latest example of what happens when the world remains silent- Darfur.

DARFUR

Darfur is an area in Western Sudan that has remained largely undeveloped and neglected by the central government. There are six million people who live there, a little over half of which are black Africans. The rest are Arab. In 2003, two loosely allied groups began a rebellion in Darfur calling for the rectification of social and economic grievances. Fearing other regions would rise up, the government decided to exterminate the black Africans of Darfur.

They enlisted an Arab militia known as Janjaweed to implement this policy of genocide. On the website for The United Human Rights Council they describe the actions of the Janjaweed. "They are armed by the government and sent into various African villages where they proceed to kill civilians of all ages, burn down houses, destroy crops and livestock, carry out mass executions, target vital infrastructure, and commit wide-scale rape. Reports coming out of the region speak regularly of such brutal acts as men being chained together and thrown into burning huts, women being raped in front of their loved ones, and children being kidnapped from their families." Over 400,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced.

You can end your silence now by going to protectdarfur.org, darfurgenocide.org, savedarfur.org, africaaction.org, sudandivestment.org, or anca.org

RWANDA

The two major ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi, intermarried, shared customs and language, and were in many cases impossible to tell apart. There is actually no proof to confirm ethnic diversity and some believe physical distinctions resulted from the contrasting eating habits of different classes. The rulers were made up mostly of the Tutsi minority, but Hutu also ruled. When the German colonialists and missionaries arrived in 1897 they decided the Tutsi were a superior race and made all Hutu inferior. At the end of World War I Belgium took over Rwanda and solidified the racial divide. Skull and other measurements were taken and identity cards were issued. During World War II Rwanda became a UN trust territory with Belgium as the administrative authority. Property was taken from the Tutsi and redistributed. Hutu began to have more power.

Following independence in 1962, the Hutu seized power. There was violence against Tutsi and 200,000 fled to neighboring countries. Discrimination and brutality against Tutsi continued and those who left remained in exile. Many joined together under Paul Kagame to form the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). They put pressure on the Hutu President Habyalimana to sign an agreement that would formalize power sharing and give those in exile the right to return. Hutu extremists were against this accord and began making plans for the extermination of all Tutsi. On his way back from a peace meeting with Tutsi rebels, Habyalimana's plane was shot down. The killing of Tutsi civilians began almost immediately. The efficiency with which large numbers of Hutu convened with arms and lists of Tutsi suggests long term planning.

The head of UN mission in Rwanda, General Romeo Dallaire, argued that with a just small addition of troupes he could get the area under control. Instead the UN ignored his pleas and pulled all but 250 of his men out. What followed was 100 days of mass killing. The RPF eventually took control but over 800,000 were dead by then.

BOSNIA

In 1992, the US recognized the independence of Bosnia a mostly Muslim country with a Serb minority. Claiming protection for this minority, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic attacked Sarajevo using snipers to shoot down civilians including over 3,500 children. They proceeded to round up Muslims and orchestrate mass killings. The Serbs also terrorized Muslim families by using rape as a weapon against women and girls. They destroyed Mosques and historic architecture. Despite these actions the world community remained Silent. President Clinton's NATO ultimatum imposed a cease-fire in Sarajevo, but the worst genocidal activities were yet to come. In, Srebrencia, a supposed Safe Haven, U.N. peacekeepers stood by helplessly as nearly 8,000 men and boys between the ages of twelve and sixty were slaughtered. Activities like this were being repeated all around Bosnia evidenced later in mass graves. On August 30, 1995, finally an effective military intervention was launched. And in October a peace accord was declared. By that time, over 200,000 Muslim civilians had been systematically executed, 20,000 were missing and 2,000,000 had become refugees. They have still not recovered.

CAMBODIA

In 1962 Pol Pot who had become the leader of the Cambodia Communist Party was forced to retreat to the jungle to escape the wrath of Prince Norodom Sihanouk, leader of Cambodia. In the jungle, Pol Pot formed an armed resistance movement that became known as the Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodians) and waged a guerrilla war against Sihanouk's government. In 1970, Prince Sihanouk was ousted due to a U.S. backed right military coup. Sihanouk then retaliated by joining with Pol Pot to oppose Cambodia's new military government. That same year, the U.S. invaded Cambodia to expel the North Vietnamese from their border, but instead drove them deeper into Cambodia where they also joined up with Pol Pot.

From 1969-1973 the U.S. bombed North Vietnamese sanctuaries in eastern Cambodia killing innocent civilians. As a result, peasants fled to the capital, Phnom Penh. These events led to the economic and military destabilization of Cambodia. Pol Pot took advantage of this opportunity and seized control of Cambodia. Once in power, he began a radical experiment to "purify" his society of capitalism, Western culture, religion, and relationship and form a Communist society of extreme peasantry. The educated, wealthy, and religious were executed immediately along with their families. Those not killed were forced into slave labor working fields for 18 hours a day and dying from malnutrition and disease. The Vietnamese, Chinese, and Cham Muslims were specifically targeted along with other smaller ethnic groups. In the end, 2,000,000 were dead.

THE HOLOCAUST

In January 1933 Hitler came to power. During his rise, he blamed the Jews for Germany's defeat in World War I and all the hardships that followed. He also spoke of Germans with blond hair and blue eyes being the Master Race and rightful rulers of society. Hitler passed laws removing Jews from schools, jobs, and even from benches where non-Jews sat. Anti-Semitic slurs began appearing in newspapers, posters, movies, and radio. By 1938, Hitler had expanded the Nazi Reich into Austria. After Kristallnacht, a night of burned synagogues, mass arrests of Jews, and 90 Jews killed, Austrian and German Jews attempted to flee. However, most Western countries maintained strict immigration quotas and showed little interest in receiving large groups of Jews.

The war began in 1939 as Germany invaded Poland and forced the Jews into ghettos where tens of thousands died a slow death from hunger and disease. Hitler soon ordered the opening of concentration camp Auschwitz. Meanwhile, he invaded Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and France. In 1941, Hitler went into the Soviet Union and killed all those Jews living together in tiny villages. Auschwitz II was under construction. It would hold four large gas chambers used for mass extermination. The Germans were already gassing Jews in the back of trucks in Russia.

The year 1942 marked the beginning of mass murder on a scale unprecedented in all of human history known as The Final Solution. Over two million Jews already in Poland were sent to be gassed. Although the Nazis attempted to keep the death camps a secret, reports filtered out. Definitely unconcealed were the mass shootings throughout Russia which the New York Times reported had already killed over 1,000,000 Jews. The Jews in America finally responded by holding a rally at Madison Square Garden. Seven months after that the U.S. Congress held hearings concerning the U.S. State Department's inaction. In 1944, a Jewish inmate who escaped Auschwitz gave a report to the Papal Nuncio in Slovakia which was forwarded to the Vatican. Thus far, Pope Plus XII had not issued a public condemnation of the Nazis. He chose to remain silent. The tide of war had turned against Hitler, but the gassings increased.

On April 30, 1945 Hitler committed suicide. By now most of Europe's Jews had been killed. Four million were gassed and Two million were shot or died in ghettos. Six million unnecessary deaths.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

There is also a time for silence and a time not to be silent.

picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/Rwanda1#

Silence

2008-12-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

What is the longest you have ever remained silent? Could you do it for 4 days? It is not as easy as you may think.

As Christmas approached and those around me were eating more, I decided to scale down and prepare for a 4 day fast. In the week approaching I ate fruit and nuts, making sure to eat lots of both. I have done this before and found it extraordinarily difficult and incredibly rewarding. I noticed a huge change immediately upon starting fruits here. I felt much clearer and less troubled. I felt released from social demands and completely in myself.

I did make one exception for Christmas eve when I accompanied my fellow yoga teacher to the only really nice hotel in the area, the Serena. We walked the dark hilly streets of Kiyovu to get there and when we arrived I turned to Eunice and said, "so this is where they put all the lights". In a city with no street lamps, it was a bit shocking to see so much light in one place. The Serena had obviously taken Christmas very seriously. But if so, where were all the people?

We made our way to the empty bar and enjoyed some long awaited extravagance. For many reasons, some that I haven't quite figured out yet, Rwanda is a very expensive country. The drink prices are equal to those in New York and some products can be doubly expensive. As I sipped my Johnny Walker Red and watched the band set up I couldn't help wonder where everyone was. Some people, I found out were downstairs at the buffet dinner, but the truth is there just aren't that many foreigners here. And those that are here tend to remain to themselves. You can see evidence of this as you walk the streets and come across other Westerners. They will pretend not to see you unless forced into a 'hello'. (I try this out daily.)

Fortunately, I met a young woman about to start a one month volunteer mission in Tanzania. Fresh off the plane from San Francisco, she was more than happy to make friends. I talked with her for awhile and then met up with her the next day when we traded a tour around the city center for a couple hours of movie watching in her air conditioned hotel room. What can I say but that it really is the little things?!

The next day as Eunice (the other yoga teacher) left for her one week holiday in London, I began my stint of silence. With no one here to disturb me it was easy to spend most of the first day in bed. I wasn't hungry and I am drinking water so thirst was not a problem either. But it didn't take long for my mind to grow uncomfortable with forced stillness. What to do with no food, computer, books, music? Could I just lie still and be? It is amazing the things the mind will come up with to get me to quit. It fights very hard against silence. But without that fight, there would be no lesson.

Each time I fast I learn so much about my inner character. I discover how little I really need. When I awaken from my solitude I slowly begin to take in again. A day of juice that would have seemed like punishment before is now a taste bud's holiday. But there is more than that. With the layers of clutter peeled away, I am able to view my surroundings with extreme clarity. Seeing things as they are, instead of through the filter of ego and perception that normally dominates, I feel full in my newly born self and able to act with precision and clarity.

This is the gift of silence. It is a true rest which when done properly leaves one with a deep energy and excitement about life. After this kind of rejuvenation, zoning out in front of a TV does not seem restful at all. In fact, the bombardment of meaningless information (though sometimes quite enjoyable) is not restful for the inner mind and body at all.

One should never fast for longer than a day with out being under the supervision of a teacher. And anyone of inappropriate age or with physical or mental issues affected by food should certainly seek another route. However, anyone can shut off the TV, radio, etc. and sit for a short time in silence. Just five minutes twice a day is a good way to start. During this time you can watch as the mind sends all sorts of thoughts into the consciousness. Don't judge. Just observe. This is the beginning of Silence.

The Flame

2008-12-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

I am late in posting this week because it has taken me a couple extra days to get my thoughts together on the matter that I want to speak about. On Friday a dream of mine was actualized when an article about my volunteer work here was published in The Jewish Standard, a North Jersey newspaper. As I expressed to those I urged to read it, this documentation of my experience here in Rwanda was particularly important for me because I knew it would reach my family and their community. I knowingly put a strain on my family when I made the choice to come here and I feel strongly that articles like this one help to validate what I am doing. This paper in particular is delivered to the Jewish Community Center in Tenafly where my mother works as a Nursery School Supervisor. As I predicted, her boss read the column and even wrote an email to the rest of the staff encouraging them to do the same. I think that may have put just a little smile on my mom's face.

It did not, however, make everyone happy. I debated sharing this, but after our cancelled demonstration at the Milles Collines, I wrote candidly about the orchestrated campaign by the Born Again community here to get the word out that yoga is devil worship. It would be dishonest of me now if I omitted a related occurrence that happened, I believe, as a result of this article in the Jewish Standard. On Saturday evening I received a hate email from someone I don't know but who appears to be a religious Jew. The email, in its two sentences asks why I have decided not to reproduce (I haven't) and if I consider myself to be a crazy Jew or a crazy yogi nut. To that I answer that not only do I consider myself to be both, but think that each of these aspects have made the other stronger.

I experience this every Friday night when I light my Shabbat candle and am able to be still as I stare at the flame and meditate on prayers of peace. I thank my yoga practice for helping me to be in the present moment and therefore see G-d in all things. This has made me a better person and a better Jew. When I read from my prayer book my mind is focused and clear. I wonder if my emailer can say the same. In return, my Jewish upbringing has helped my yoga practice. I recall clearly how the repeated recitation of the Prayer for Peace helped me through a time when I was struggling with a difficult yoga pose. And each morning my call of Modei Ani, reminds me to thank the Lord for the gift of a new day, and gives me the strength to make it to my 6 am practice.

The beautiful merging of both my worlds has never been sweeter than last night at my Chanukah celebration. The only Jew, I cooked latkes for 7 Rwandans, and 1 Australian. They don't sell apple sauce here so I made some. Creme Fresh was our sour creme. The children especially were confused about the strange food in front of them, but tried everything. The big success was the introduction of the traditional Chanukah game, Dreydl, where one spins a four sided top and either wins or loses his anti depending on which side the Dreydl lands. We played for butterscotch candies but by the intensity of their reactions you would have thought my guests were playing for gold.

When night came I snuck into my room for my Skype date with my parents. Most of the guests had left but two remained. I heard them sitting at the table decoding the complexities of their language with my Australian housemate. Then the conversation shifted. She spoke of the Buddhist faith and when it seemed language and cultural barriers would make it impossible to explain her beliefs she slowed down. Gradually they came to understand. I looked to the Chanukah candles and as I watched them fade to their last flicker I couldn't help but think of all the obstacles to a night like this ever occurring. Here we were gathered around a Chanukah table in Rwanda: Christian, Buddhist, and Jew. The Menorah went black and another light emerged.

(http://jstandard.com/index.php/content/item/a_different_kind_of_outreach/)

(http://picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/Rwanda1#)

An Average Day in an Unaverage Place

2008-12-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

People keep asking about what an average day is like here so I thought I would oblige them and write a little more specifically (and I hope not too boringly) about the day to day. There are four basic groups that I teach during the week and there are the children that I teach on Sundays. For this entry I will focus on a typical weekday. There are the Ichuzuzu women who meet on Monday, the Ineza women who meet Wednesdays and Fridays, the WE-ACTx clinic staff who meet Monday thru Thursday, and our house staff who also meet Monday thru Thursday. We go to each group except for our house staff who practice out on our back porch. Each group is different in size, style, and structure.

Getting Rwandans to try yoga has proven to be a bit of a challenge due to an opposition campaign being led by born again Christians who have very successfully gotten the word out that yoga is Satanism. Rwandans, who are for the most part a very religious and very obedient people, have taken the warnings against yoga extremely seriously and stayed far away from the practice. It is because of this unfortunate phenomenon that out of the 400 people invited to our yoga demonstration yesterday only two showed up: an American woman and her son.

It's a true credit to the creators of this yoga program that it has gotten off the ground at all and that we have as many students as we do. In order to counter the suspicions against yoga we have taken a very physical approach to the practice and refrained from including any parts of the ancient system that could be misinterpreted as religious or as is being claimed anti-Christian.

Yoga has its origins in India and therefore is touched by Indian culture and religion. These are interesting topics to learn about, but it is not necessary to do so in order to be a yogi. In fact, what yoga can provide is a way of getting in closer touch with whatever religion or spirituality you already subscribe to. It does not ask you to be Hindu which doesn't even take converts. It does ask you to breath with a length and depth that can unlock tiny muscles and release trapped energy. When bodily energy is released, one of the ways it can materialize is as emotion. In a country that has experienced a recent genocide, you can imagine how many buried emotions lie hidden under the layers of protection our ingenious bodies provide. When they are released, it can be quite overwhelming and similar to the purging experience offered at so many of the churches here. So when a pastor describes the yoga experience as a mingling with evil spirits, you can see how it is so often believed to be so.

With that said, let me steer you back toward the day to day: I wake up each morning to my very reliable alarm clock of bird calls and sun. The sunrise is an event here and all the animals come out to play. No amount of curtain closing or hiding under my blanket can keep the morning out nor would I want it too. The morning is the best part of the day. I give thanks that a new day has been allotted to me and stumble into the kitchen to boil the water and prepare the press for my ritual cup of Rwandan coffee. It is so good.

After a couple sips and some email checking I am back in my room and on my mat for my daily yoga practice. This is a very special time for me and imperative if I want to have the energy and balance to teach others. I take my time. When I'm finished I have my shower and some fruit and tea. Sometimes I even splurge on another cup of that oh so satisfying coffee. Then I have time to read, write, and study which I do a lot of. I also chant daily.

If it is my day to teach the house staff that will happen next. They are usually just two and probably my most rewarding class of the week. It is great to be able to teach a small group like that and give them the attention they deserve. The yoga we teach all our classes is called Ashtanga. It deals with a set sequence of poses that are repeated in the same order on a daily basis. As the student progresses and their stamina and flexibility increases they are given more and more of the sequence. The amount of time it takes to learn the first series of poses can vary greatly from person to person and there is no rush. The true reward lies in the discipline of daily practice and in the intension behind each breath. Although the structure repeats itself each moment offers something new that only presence can capture.

The second class of the day are the Ichuzuzu or Ineza women. Both are groups set up by WE-ACTx. These are, for the most, part HIV positive women who managed to survive unspeakable violence during the genocide that often included rape. They live with chronic conditions that are worsened by their limited resources. Many eat once a day or even as little as every other day. When they do eat, it is often a hard donut. Ichuzuzu women are those who use the clinic. Ineza is a co-op of seamstresses set up by WE-ACTx to give talented, hard working women a chance to earn a living. They make beautiful bags in bright patterns that are sent to western countries and sold at high prices. Twice a week we carry their sewing tables to the back of the room to make space for two rows of yoga mats and a ton of laughs. This is definitely our rowdiest group, especially on Fridays when they have "weekend syndrome". But in between the bouts of laughter, they are making time to push their bodies. Each week they shatter the limitations they had previously designed for themselves and make new ones we inevitably break again.

Then we haul the heavy bag of yoga mats over to the WE-ACTx clinic where we make yoga available for the staff. It's usually about 4:30 when we finally get everyone together for our final class of the day. Unlike the other groups, this class is mostly men. They are very strong and fun to challenge. We are able to move at a fast pace and they enjoy burning off the residue of the day's work.

Tired but happy Eunice and I stroll home never able to resist a comment or two about the pleasure of our evening walk. We arrive to a home cooked meal set out and ready to be devoured. We eat, feed our guard, do our dishes, and sip our nightly cup of hot garden picked mint water. Emails are answered. Books are read. And hopefully sleep is had. Cause in just a few hours we will do it all again.

Life and Death

2008-12-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

This week started out with a trip to church. Rwandans are famous for asking visitors about prayer and religion. I have answered honestly about being Jewish, but no one here knows what that is. Many missionaries have come here both before and since the genocide so there is a mixture of different Christian denominations and there is also a Muslim community. I had heard the catching melodic tunes bouncing out of church walls as I walked down the street and was interested in seeing what the Sunday experience was for my students. So, when the invitation was extended I quickly accepted.

We slipped in late at 10am. The band was live and electric and the congregants were singing and swaying to familiar tunes. I smiled. Their enthusiasm was contagious. A man squeezed in next to me and explained his role as translator for foreign guests. He would explain each song, sermon, and speech as they rolled along. Interestingly, there was a guest minister from Germany at the church who would be giving his sermon in English with a Rwandan translator backing him up for the crowd.

His sermon was about gratefulness which excited me. I was even more enthused when he mentioned that he would be using the Old Testament which I am somewhat familiar with. I straightened my spine in alertness and receptivity. And then he spoke. My first thought was that I would indeed need an interpreter. My second was that if I couldn't understand the minister's heavily accented English, his Rwanda translator was bound to have some difficulty as well. My assumption was accurate, but my reasoning was off. The trouble with the translating stemmed not from the voice, but from the content. The parables of barns and seeds of evil that would not grow in gratefulness did not translate but the minister's ignorance of his audience did. Determined, he plowed on.

As the sermon climaxed the band took over and the minister began to walk around. There were cries and exclamations for Jesus coming from a woman in the front. I struggled to see the face attached to such emotion, but I couldn't pick her out. Instead my eyes landed on a body being carried out of the church. I wondered if someone fainted which has happened in the heat of a crammed Yom Kippur service at my hometown synagogue. But then I noticed that it wasn't the only lifeless body around. The minister was pressing his fingers into chosen congregants' faces and blowing on their foreheads. He was staring fiercely at them and some were dropping down to the floor. My expression must have been one of concern because my translator turned to me and whispered, "Don't worry. They will be okay. They simply can not stand in the face of G-d, " and then went back to dancing.

The week ended with a trip to Murambi, home of one of the biggest genocide sights and memorials in Rwanda. My housemates and I took a two and a half hour bus ride down to Butare and then another bus Murambi. Beautiful does not describe the rolling African hills that sailed beside us. At Murambi we employed the drivers of motoscooters that knew our destination all too well. We were about to be at the site of one of the most horrific killings imaginable, but dirt road was lined with big leafed trees and the wind was running through my hair. I was smiling as children and adults stopped what they were doing to wave at the muzungo (westerner) riding by. I was happy to be in Africa.

The moto stopped at large school back dropped by the kind of scenery that makes you curse your imperfect camera. We were greeted immediately by our guide one of just four survivors from the tragedy that took place here. I knew that I was going to see dead bodies. The perpetrators of the genocide had thrown the dead in a mass grave. Later the grave was dug up so that the victims could be accounted for and buried according to regulation. However, when they unearthed the skeletons, they found that they had been preserved due to large quantity of limestone in the soil. It was then decided that the remains be placed on tables in 24 of the school rooms open for viewing.

Without warning a door was opened and there they were. Dead people. I gasped. The stench was nauseating. I pulled my shawl up to my face. I wanted to scream. My mouth opened but my throat was clenched. Ribs. Shoulders. Pieces of hair not yet rotted away. Could I do this? Could I really stand here in front of this? I hoped I wouldn't faint. The guide said her husband and children were in this very room. A couple tears plopped. I felt sick. We moved on to the next room. The same. And the one after that also more bodies. A dismembered head. A child. It started to feel unreal and for a moment I marveled at my brain's ability to disengage, to make me think I was on the set of a movie. I had to tell myself once more that what was in front of me was real. I had to face that one day I too will be bones. I took one more look and said goodbye. We had seen about 10 rooms and we didn't want to see anymore. The guide said it was okay; "They are all the same anyway."

We decided to take the walk back toward the buses, and we were just steps down the beautiful dirt road when the children started running. A pack of them gorgeous and giggling came toward us like gift from G-d I thought. The hugs were endless and the smiles wide. They held our hands and giggled at our whiteness. There was no time for mourning.

In front of me was Life.

Museca (Love) and Moracosi (Thanks)

2008-11-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

MUSECA

Slowly slowly I feel my heart opening. I witness my guard coming down. I feel more love.

Today I walked through the streets and got to really see what life is like here on a Sunday afternoon. I was not in the center of Kigali, and not in my fancy neighborhood Kiyovu, but in a regular suburban area. I got a real sensation of being in Africa.

Afterwards I went to our Sunday class at the Mosque. I was early so I was able to sit and relax with the children for awhile. I bonded with one little boy who I had met before. He is mute and deaf but we were able to communicate through action. He particularly enjoyed being the guardian of my camera and taking pictures of me and the other children. Then all the children wanted to use the camera and I couldn't dream of saying no.

MORACOSI

The other notable event this week was American Thanksgiving. I am the only American volunteer with this program at the moment so I decided to go ahead and celebrate with my international friends. The day started with a trip to the market accompanied by our house cook, Seraphine. She speaks a bit of English but is more comfortable in French so we brought my little dictionary along. We took the hike up our hilly neighborhood streets and over to the center of town where the buses converge stopping to gather lovely yellow flowers that had fallen off some trees. These I would use to decorate the table. The men loading the buses eyed Seraphine and persistently tried to draw her into theirs. She resisted, holding out for a near full vehicle that would surely be leaving the soonest. We grabbed a spot but switched when we found the window wouldn't open. It would be a very hot ride the way they pack in bodies into these mini-van looking buses.

Seraphine pointed out embassies and other buildings of note along the way. I was filled with a warm thankfulness and the deepest desire to rid her of her painful memories. We talked about her children both biological and adopted and her husband who died as she gave birth to her littlest one. And then we arrived. The market was as colorful and packed as I remembered it, only now I had a local guide. I followed Seraphine as she navigated through the aisles giving stern "no's" to inflated prices. Again the thankfulness swelled as I watched her in action. It would have been more than difficult to shop with out her considering the language barrier and my ignorance of the local prices. I imagine I would have ended up spending at least double.

And then, we were homeward bound. We got off the bus at a different spot than we got on and I followed Seraphine as she weaved through secret shortcuts until finally we were home. I must admit I didn't recognize much until we were almost standing in front of my house. We unloaded and prepped for my Thanksgiving feast. Seraphine was kind enough to relinquish control over her kitchen and even eager to see what the strange American was doing. I wished she could have seen more, but most of the cooking had to be done closer to dinner when she was already gone. I made string beans with slivered almonds and red onion, roasted eggplant, zucchini, and cauliflower, candied carrots, and pasta with an eggplant, tomato, basil sauce. I managed to secure some left overs so she could try my creations the next day. The carrots were her favorite.

Dinner was great! My Canadian housemate invited her friends and they contributed mashed potatoes, an incredible salad, and chocolate cake with ice cream. We had also had a local guest Egide who is a student and friend. I was able to skype with my family and the connection was so good it was like they were right here.

I went to bed feeling super satisfied and slept like baby!

Don't forget to check out the pictures!

http://picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/Rwanda1#

Laughter

2008-11-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

This week was different than the first. I finally have some basics down. I can say "good afternoon" and "thank you" and some simple yoga phrases. I have also figured out how to walk into town and back. These feel like huge accomplishments in a culture so foreign to me.

I have begun to lead some of the yoga classes. It is a more difficult task than I would have imagined. I must give the other teachers credit for how well they have succeeded teaching our students. I continue to learn from them as I begin to bring my own skills and style into the class. Rwandan women love to laugh and especially enjoy making light hearted fun of my many mispronunciations. There is an element of sadness and confusion when I am not sure what I have said wrong. It is unnecessary and I am working to laugh at myself right along with them.

I don't feel the same freedom for sadness as I once had. When the emotion approaches I am quickly reminded of the stories around me and the courage the people here have shown. They smile although they have been victims of the worst of human nature. What do I have to feel sad about?

Today I went to the market with the other yoga teacher, Eunice. It was my first big non work related outing. We took the bus which is more like a van. They managed to squeeze 20 of us in there at one point. I think they would have fit more if needed. To signal for a stop passengers knocked on the roof.

The market offered anything you can imagine, from produce to hardware to second hand clothing. My eyes were huge trying to take it all in. Unfortunately, I was not able to get many pictures. A good amount of the population here do not like having their picture taken. Then there are many who encourage it for a price. Please check out the few pictures I got at http://picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/Rwanda1?pli=1#

More to come!

The First Week

2008-11-14T23:54:00.000-08:00

Almost a week has passed since I arrived. What would you like to know? We are teaching a traditional yoga called Ashtanga. It is known for being a high intensity practice. On average, our students eat one meal a day. They sometimes run out of fuel, literally. However, overall they show remarkable strength and courage. We ask them to move their bodies in strange ways. We urge them to continue when they feel they can't go on. They laugh a lot. They laugh at the shapes our bodies make and at the words our lips can't yet pronounce. We are a sight!

They need yoga clothes, some kind of power/energy bars, and complimentary bottled water. If you know of anyone who can provide these items please let me know! If you have any doubt about the link from yoga to recovery, the proof is here. We are witnessing the changes and they are being documented. I am proud to be a part of this extraordinary process.

Please cut and paste this link to see pictures from this week.

http://picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/Rwanda1?pli=1#

You can expect updates each Saturday. Send me your questions so I know what information to provide.

Weekend enziza! (Happy Weekend!)

I Have Arrived

2008-11-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

I am sitting on my porch in my new home on this beautiful Rwandan morning. It rained yesterday and last night, but it is calm and cool now. The birds are singing and I hear a rooster crowing in the distance. All around me are bright flowers and big leaves. I am in Africa.

What it means to be in this place I do not yet know. It is hilly and beautiful and filled with people in a mix of costumes I'm sure I will come to understand. Some wear the colored and patterned fabrics that we've come to know and others dress more modern. The languages spoken are also mixed, but there is definitely a good deal of French and I am wishing I studied more in the days before I left. I will have to catch up now.

Yesterday I saw the WE-ACTx clinics and participated in my first yoga class with the eager students. They were the clinic staff and a young boy. They did not hold back when expressing their gratitude. They are happy to love and be loved and are immediately warm and affectionate.

For now I have my own room. There are just five of us here at the house and dinner is cooked for us and eaten all together. We have a full staff of Rwandans to tend to our garden, laundry, cooking and cleaning. We have a driver as well, and a guard at the house at night (which is also common in India).

I am relaxed and glad to once again be close to nature and filled with space. I wish everyone lives free from fear, pain, and suffering.

May peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.

What Now?

2008-10-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Arbonne does it Rwanda style.

Totally green company, Arbonne International has agreed to donate ALL October proceeds to WE-ACTx.

There is no better time to buy all your holiday gifts and change over to SAVE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY products. We must show our leaders that they should make the right choices for our planet by setting the right example in our homes. There is NO better way to do that than by buying products from socially conscious companies.

At Arbonne you can purchase vegan products that have NEVER been tested on animals and support bringing yoga as healing to the women and children of Rwanda. All you have to do is go to: www.newyorkcity.myarbonne.com. Click shop online, register as a client, and go shopping!

The BIG Night

2008-10-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that Rock for Rwanda raised nearly $1,000! That is a great start to my WE-ACTx fundraising campaign. The success of the event was due to our fabulous bands and the overwhelming support of the many friends who came out on Monday night. Some of our friends were lucky enough to win our raffle prizes which included tickets to the Sunshine Movie Theater and a One Month Membership to the Reebok Sports Club.

Click on the link below to see pictures of our event!

http://picasaweb.google.com/BebiTaurus/AdventuresInYogaland?authkey=kFj1o-BEoGI #

Mike Rocket joins the show!

2008-09-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Mike Rocket plays rock, pop, and jams both solo and with his band The Stars in venues across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. His music is appealing to all audiences and has been heard on THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO and on THE EARLY SHOW on CBS as well as on many NY, NJ, and PA radio stations. Often called "the hardest working man in rock and roll," Mike is a invaluable addition to the Kenny's Castaway's event.

Please check out his music at www.mikerocket.com or www.myspace/mikerocket

Kenny's Castaways

2008-09-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled to announce that we have set a place and date for the WE-ACTx fundraiser. The event will be held on October 6th at 8pm at a truly remarkable venue called Kenny's Castaways. Kenny's is located at 157 Bleecker St, New York, NY. To find out more about this historic venue (Bruce Sprinsteen played his very first New York gig here.) check out their web site http://www.kennyscastaways.net/ or call them at 212-979-9762.

The WE-ACTx fundraiser will be a night of great entertainment. I am so glad to have two of my favorite singer/songwriters lined up to play.

Daniel Zaitchik takes his audience on a ride with songs that tell of both the haunting and hysterical moments of life. He can be sensitive and serious, witty and fantastical all in one line. Playing piano and backed up by his golden goddesses, Daniel has truly created his own genre.

Gonzalo Silva has been catching the attension of commuters around the world for over a decade with his soulful pop tunes and unique style. He turns the bass into the leader of all instruments and woows the masses with his husky sound and memorable lyrics.

To get a preview of these great artists check out: www.myspace.com/danielzaitchik.com and www.myspace.com/gonzalosilva.

We expect to add more great names to the night, so check back soon for updates!

Getting Started

2008-09-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from three beautiful months in India and am now planning my next adventure. Those of you who know me know that I am extremely excited about going to Rwanda where I will be teaching yoga to HIV positive women and children through an organization called WE-ACTx. My main objective for the next two months is to raise as much money as possible for this very worthy NGO. If you would like to contribute, you can send your tax deductible donation to:

WE-ACTx

Rwanda Yoga Program

584 Castro St. #416

San Francisco, CA 94114

Read more about WE-ACTx by going to www.we-actx.org.