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This article has everyone so excited! So gather round all you jesters, and greet your Yoga King! His name is Vinnie Marino and he rules the land of sunshiny Yoga! (that’d be California). Hailing from humble beginnings east coast style, young Vinnie grew up in rock ‘n’ rollin NY; a rapscallion upholding the time honored tradition of music and drug addiction. In fact, it was “White Rabbit” Grace Slick (of Jefferson Airplane), Vinnie’s boss at the time, who encouraged him to pursue the yoga cloth. But little had they imagined that would translate into royal robes and a throne! (barf, btw)

So now decades later King Vinnie holds court with a gaggle of “cult-like” admirers, students who come from far and wide for a yoga fix from his highness. Though it doesn’t seem to have reached Bikram-level bootlicking, adoring students, including celebs like Heather Graham, David Duchovny and Jeremy Piven, mob his classes to sweat with the yogis. And sweat they do; his classes, accompanied by a soundtrack of classic rock (natch), are supposedly killer in many senses of the word.

“That class is torture if you’re not really good at yoga,” said Ms. Graham, who dragged her boyfriend, the filmmaker Yaniv Raz, to class on her birthday last year. “It nearly destroyed me,” Mr. Raz said.

Yet, loyal subjects return to pack studios and converge in “mat rage.” At least he keeps his morals in check:

“Coming from New York City, I have really good boundaries,” Mr. Marino said. “I know when to let people in and I know when to back off.”

Thank goodness! Don’t want another scandal on our hands!

So we get it – just a normal, former drug-addicted, NY-accented, non-preachy, singing-inept, rock ‘n’ roll cult-figured dude. Who just happens to teach yoga! A major part of King Vinnie’s appeal is tapping into his drug-addled past and sharing stories of triumphing from the brink of destruction.

“The intensity of a drug addict to find peace is a similar thing to someone getting involved with a spiritual practice,” he said. “I think my drug history lets people know that we’ve all been through some heavy stuff and change is possible.”

Dunno if we agree with the parallels there, Sir Vinmeister, but right on for sharing your real life trials, surely inspiring to others.

Still, we don’t know if it’s the Vinni-nator, the tone of the article, celebrity quotes or what, but our first gut reaction was UGH, “Yoga King”? Really? Mat Rage? And that brunch photo kinda made us want to toss our cookies. Blech and a half. But you know, the whole truth is that we’ve never experienced the majesty of a Vinnie Marino class, and for all we know, it could very well live up to all the hootin’ and hollerin’.

“Part of my appeal is that I’m not preachy in any way,” Mr. Marino said. “I’m a regular New York guy who is teaching yoga.”

Right. It’s unanimous, drugs are bad! But clearly in a growing league of yoga superstars, recovery isn’t a bad gimmick. Nor is “I’m just a regular Yoga Schmo.” We look forward to your memoir Vinnie!

Additional celebri-praise from the King’s website:

He Rocks, They Flock: The Yoga King [NYTimes]

UPDATE: Curious what all the fuss is about? How could we forget, Vinnie plays a starring role in Yoga Journal’s “Ogden” series with the Inappropriate Yoga Guy. Thanks to Margaret in the comments for the reminder.

Is there an IMDB for advertisements we don’t know about? IADB? Come on, who’s the slacker?

Anyway, there we were last night snarfing our guilty pleasures (chocolate and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ – premiere!) when all of a sudden we see Ogden! But he’s not, the ‘Inappropriate Yoga Guy‘, he’s the Inappropriate Burrito-eating Best Man! In an ad for Taco Bell! We weren’t sure at first, but the sweatband clinched it. Oh and the ad entails the groomsmen (one of which is ‘Ogden’) ruining a wedding with their sweaty red faces due to the extreme heat of a new TB burrito. hot. (the commercial has yet to surface on Youtube…sleuths keep us posted)

You tell us… Is it Ogden or some other sweaty dude?

here’s another one for funsies.

His real name is Avi Rothman, and sadly, he’s an actor (sorry yoginis!). He’s got lots of other videos floating around on Youtube and FunnyorDie.com

NSFY (not safe for yoga) NSFW people!

This week started out on a somber note. On Monday, the yoga world mourned the loss of a great light, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, at age 93. We expressed our extreme gratitude for Guruji, adding to the chorus of many other voices offering love and kind words.

As for the rest of the week, well…

We found a new Hippy-Yoga TV show for kids. But, it’s only in the UK. bollocks!

But no worries, Rejoice! There is no more BEEF between Eminem and Yoga! Seeking rehab ‘Slim’ found a new, healthy, practice of his own. And even 50 Cent chimed in, saying he may even give it a try when he’s rich enough to hang out all day with his leg behind his head in a room full of beaitiful people! For now though he’s just going to watch Russell Simmons do it.

And then we bowed  (curtsied?) to what the NY Times decided to deem our new ‘Yoga King‘: His Highness Vinnie Marino, with a “benign cult” following everyone seems to be getting upset about on the HuffPo.

And that’s pretty much what happened this week in yoga…unless you wanna count Ogden’s weakness for Taco Bell burritos.

And so, already Memorial Day is upon us. Have a happy and healthy unofficial kick-off to the summer weekend! And in between suntanning, barbecuing and slurps of brew, don’t forget to remember those for whom we are so grateful and proud, our fallen patriots in the military and the passing of great luminaries. RIP Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Namaste.

Crap. Unfortunately, we really can’t say we couldn’t have seen this coming. After Michigan licensing and the Washington taxes tackle…well.

Right, so here we go… The State has gone ahead and pulled the mat out from under NY yoga studios, those that have been, or were hoping to start, raking in profits from training commoners on the yoga ropes. In fact, the state (more specifically, the Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision) issued a letter insisting studios register for a license or suffer the consequences, the worst of which could cost $50,000 smackaroos.

Cease and Desist: Letters (sedletter_yogateachertrainers pdf) were mailed in mid-April to what we understand to be Yoga Alliance registered studios/schools in NY offering teacher training (not all yoga outlets offering training received letters). The very basic gist is that yoga, and yoga teacher training, fall under what the state considers to be a “vocation” meaning it is subject to the rigmarole and countless hours of mind-numbing paperwork just like the poor bartender training schools have been enduring for years.

Notable Loopholes/Exceptions as cited by Jo Brill:

• Some people object to any licensing at all, although it is important to realize that the NYS Education Department (NYSED) considers it part of their mission to regulate all vocational training in the state.
• There are some exceptions to the law, and some teacher trainers have written to NYSED indicating that they believe yoga teacher training is exempted. NYSED disagrees, as this memo (pdf) makes clear.
• Even if you accept that licensing will be required, the letter seems to imply that teacher trainers must suspend all their programs immediately and until they complete the license approval process, which takes at best eight months and sometimes longer. That of course is a hardship for teachers-in-training as well as to the trainers running the programs. Some kind of grace period is essential to prevent disruption.
• Licensing presupposes fixed premises that meet certain standards (despite the fact that not all teacher training programs have a physical site) and regular filing of audited financial statements.

Lots and lots of questions:

If studios are getting the smackdown, how soon will regulation individual yoga teachers come hurdling down the pike? Will yoga studios really have to cease and desist, like in the middle of current training? Or is that just a big namby pamby big word scare tactic by the state? What about continuing ed workshops? (seriously, we were deliberating budgetary consequences of attending the Street Yoga training this weekend – yeah we know it’s probably too late. ugh).

Is this all legit? Is yoga a vocation? How much does the state get involved besides collecting fees? (maybe consult with YA on that last one).

Chance of a silver lining? The threat we mentioned earlier for yoga therapists may be proved moot by the newly defined regulation, perhaps preserving the “trade”?

And who doesn’t love credibility? Take it away Mr. Davis, (from Yoga City)

“Schools can develop a relationship with the labor department,” he said. “Because you’re a licensed school, students will be eligible to apply for state and federal grants or loans to take your teacher training program.” He added that “it certainly lends more credibility to your program” if you are licensed with the state.”

More credibility!

Director of the BPSS, Carol W. Yates, wrote that, “Yoga teaching is an occupation, whether employed or self employed.” Any training, the letter reads, which provides a student with skills that could potentially be used in a future occupation, must be regulated by the state.

“If the training involves teacher training…we do not view this as exempt,” Yates wrote. “We view yoga as more than recreation and athletics. Yoga is a specific system of exercise for physical and mental well being. It goes beyond recreation and athletics.”

Er.. that’s a good thing right? Like, that’s kinda what we were asking for was acceptance, so such programs like the one at PS 217 can flourish? Right?

Oh it is a toughie isn’t it.

Highly recommended further reading:

Invaluable Resource Page by Jo Brill – presents the full picture, letters and memos from the state, breakdown of the sitch, useful info for contacting state officials and everyone’s favorite Yoga Alliance President and CEO, Mark Davis (rmdavis at yogaalliance.org)

Great recap post at Yogoer

YogaCity has super rundown replete with journalistic quotes from NY teachers as well as Mister Yoga Alliance, Mark Davis, who claims no responsibility. (argh-worthy note: the link just goes to the Yoga City “news” page, no permalinks guys?)

UPDATES TO COME:

Because we’re yoga dorks who twitter, we hear from one lkaminoff that there will be notes posted after Yoga Journal’s Business of Yoga conference tomorrow and Fri, which will surely be largely slathered in regulation chatter.

to be continued…

have an opinion? take the poll (scroll down)

Let’s see… there’s yoga for elders, yoga for kids, yoga to restore, yoga to rehabilitate, yoga to invigorate, yoga for gravity-dissers, yoga for DOGs, for barking out loud! (booo, hiss) Why not yoga for Big Bods? Fat Yoga? (why is fat a bad word anyway?) By now if you haven’t heard about the NY Times article tossing a healthy-sized spotlight on new classes that cater to the chubbier lot, well then here’s your big slice of Yoga Dork commentary pie.

Here’s the scoop: there are plenty of thicker yogis, or yogi hopefuls, out there who feel a little intimidated by the mass media image of wistful skin and bones slender yogs wearing butt-enhancing spandex. Seriously, though, who isn’t intimidated by that?

So a few yoga visionaries decided to do something about it and started up specialized classes with titles like Yoga for Round Bodies (Whole Life in Seattle) and specifically suited studios like MegaYoga, and Buddha Body Yoga (both in NY).

Says Megan Garcia of MegaYoga:

“A lot of plus-size people are very embarrassed about sweating and struggling in front of people,” she said. “They try to be very well groomed and not stand out. Yoga can get very sweaty and awkward, so it’s easier to do when you’re surrounded by people who look like you. You don’t want to be the one sweaty, fat person in class.”

While some may find a problem with singling out the biggest yogis, we think it’s a superb idea. Why not make yoga accessible to everyone? Besides, it’s yoga! Not a class serving ho-hos. Kelly McGonigal, the editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, disagrees….

“There’s something wrong that we’re doing as a community if people have to be shunted off to these classes designed for their size,” said Ms. McGonigal, 31, who has a Ph.D. in psychoogy and is an instructor at the Avalon Art and Yoga Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

Pfft. Saying it’s not cool to “segregate” (what a nasty word) is kind of like inferring yogis of the cushi-er form is something to be ashamed of. Nowadays there’s specialized yoga for literally everyone else! (as noted) Do we have to descend into a no child left behind discussion? Seriously.

Happily, we can personally report the appearance of many more rotund yogsters in class lately. Not sure why, could be the teacher, could be the overall mass acceptance of yoga these days, but there is a surge in the less fantasy-sized Barbie heinies swaying in down dog. It is lovely.

Truth is, there’s yoga for weight loss, sure, but there’s also yoga for LIFE. Who cares what size yoga pants you wear?

Striking a Pose for Girth [NYTimes]

Further Reading: elephant journal has an informative post on Heavyweight Yoga: DVD – proving yoga is for everyone, even the “volumptuous” Additional perspectives from virtual yoga dorks: Yoga For Bigger Bodies [Yogoer], and the jiggly one’s Yoga for the Bigger-Bodied [Jiggaroo] Also, remember plus-sized Yoga on The Biggest Loser way back when?

And a Poll for Your Pleasure

So much hard hitting news this past week, we’re kind of overwhelmed, and distracted. So…ah, what’s going on this weekend?

If you’re in NY you may be aware of a little thing called the Yoga Journal Conference, which started today and is om-ing on through Monday the 18th. While we are in NY and are indeed huge yoga dorks, regretfully, you will not find us in attendance. If you read our post about yoga retreats earlier this week you can guess why. If you have not, the $800+ price tag should give you a clue.

However, you may catch us crashing the free open-to-the-public events happening during lunchtime both Sat and Sunday:

Saturday, May 16
1:00pm-2:00pm: Free Community Class

Inner Power: Flow from Grace “creative fusion of vigorous vinyasa, profound philosophy, and deep meditation” (all in an hour mind you)
Instructor: Ashley Turner
All Levels

Sunday, May 17
1:00pm-2:00pm: Free Community Class
Vinyasa Flow (we know Marco and he rocks, and an hour is plenty of time to whoop your ass, er transform you)
Instructor: Marco Rojas
All Levels

The classes are first-come first-served, based on space…so, on second thought, maybe you won’t see us there.

Perhaps we’ll make it over to McCarren Park in Brooklyn for a Hosh Yoga hosted FREE Event!

Free Yoga in the Park

Date: Saturday, May 16th
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: McCarren Park (corner of Bedford Ave and Lorimer St)
Cost: Free

Hosh Yoga is a super newbie non-profit (as of April 29) and relies on donations, so if you’re in the giving spirit please send a few bucks their way. or at least check them out on twitter

Big thanks to elephantbeans for reminding us about the free YJ conference events… check them out for info on other upcoming free events like the NY Yoga & Raw Food Expo (May 29-May 31).

Have a great weekend everyone! Maybe see you on the mat.

Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois (July 26, 1915 – May 18, 2009)

All good things must pass. Nothing lasts forever. Of course. But there are still some things we like to take for granted, that we hope will never leave us. Today we, and yoga dorks all over the world, mourn the passing of modern Ashtanga Yoga founder, luminary and guide, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. We’d heard he was sick and wished him peace and health. But as if we needed another reminder of our own vulnerability to the power of the universe, Guruji took the next step in life and passed on at approximately 2:30am local time, reportedly in his home, in Mysore, India.

Words can not express our profound gratitude and respect for the man responsible in forging the path for Ashtanga, as well as (and especially for) helping expand yoga in the West. We send condolences and virtual compassion to his loved ones, and to all who loved him and were moved by his mission.

As it so happens, it seems our internets have been moved to silence in a show of solidarity. And so we blog from our phones, because troopers we are, dammit, and we sure as hell won’t give in without first saying our peace, and bittersweet goodbyes.

Those of us still with our feet planted on the living Earth, let’s rejoice in all Guruji has shared and let us practice with sincerest intention and remembrance.
We know our next sun salutations will be a little brighter, in honor of the light Guruji has shone. Namaste. Rest in peace.

Please share your memories, condolences, stories in the comments.

Further reading and remembrance: elephant journal
Great round up of responses at Ashtanga News

Follow the outpouring of messages and steady stream of news on Twitter

UPDATE: Even more thoughts

• Not Ending, Just Beginning by Tina Zym
• Short Yoga Journal blog post
• Barry Silver’s wonderful musical slideshow memorial
• Waylon Lewis for Huffington Post
• The Hindu newspaper
• Drishti Blog
• Yoga Body
• Svasti
• Linda’s Yoga Journey

Earlier…Pattabhi Jois is Ill: Send Guruji the Very Best to Let Him Know You Care

Related…Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Dies at 91

“Do your practice and all is coming.” Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Tons of sympathy and words of kindness are swirling around the virtual yogasphere in honor of Guruji’s life. We spoke yesterday in remembrance of Ashtanga patriarch Pattabhi Jois, and thanks to yogi tweeter @davekennedy for alerting us, we can share with you this heartfelt tribute in slide show format created with love by Barry Silver.

View the slideshow (archived)

Also, a message from Guruji’s Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore:

May 18, 2009
Guruji passed away today at 2:30pm (Indian Standard Time). Thank you for all your condolences and prayers. Please kindly refrain from contacting the family directly at this time.

Students may come and give respects to Guruji’s soul on Sunday, May 31, 2009 in Mysore.  Venue and further details to be announced.

Event tonight, from YogaCity NYC :

• Fire Ceremony to Honor Guruji JIVAMUKTI YOGA SCHOOL 841 Broadway, 2nd floor (at Union Square) New York tel: (212) 353-0214 Sacred Fire Ceremony & Sanskrit Mantras in honor of Sri K Pattabhi Jois tonight at Jivamukti. Event will be lead by Manorama and there will be a talk by Ruth Lauer-Manenti. The ceremony is open to all. Please dress modestly and bring a shawl. 7:45 – 9:15 PM

How will you remember him? The best way we know how: practice, practice, practice

Repost and update of internet response:

• elephant journal
• Ashtanga News
• Leslie Kaminoff – eSutra blog
• Not Ending, Just Beginning by Tina Zym
• Short Yoga Journal blog post
• Barry Silver’s wonderful musical slideshow memorial
• Waylon Lewis at the Huffington Post
• The Hindu newspaper
• Drishti Blog
• Yoga Body
• Svasti
• Linda’s Yoga Journey
• LifeDivine
• Elephantbeans

Recommended viewing: Interview with Pattabhi Jois in yoga documentary “Enlighten Up!” now even more poignant. (YogaDork review)

Earlier…This Too Shall Pass: Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Dead at 93

Many might remember talented rapster Eminem as a pale-skinned misanthropic, oft homophobic, misogynistic, Moby-bashing grump*. Well, lovelies, that was the old Marshall Mathers, before Rehab. Before he found Yoga, on his path to ‘Relapse‘… er something like that.

Yes the very same 8-Miler who’s been known to have a keen habit of slinging some other choice four-letter words, has come to the light side. For realz. Apparently Mr. Mathers’ other habit was popping sleeping pills (a main topic on his new album), an addiction he’s since replaced with yoga. (Word has it ‘Slim’ also gained a few pounds over the years, which could also help explain his new yogic ways.)

But…could E have been yoga-ing for years in secret?! There was chatter way back in 2003 that perhaps the shady one had attempted the downward dog, but of course those rumors were quickly dismissed by reps. Heaven forbid. But yoga is cool now! Even 50 Cent is doing it! Kinda. The video below shows Fifty at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival (in his Vitamin Water House mind you) rapping on about doing yoga with Russell Simmons, or more accurately, having enough money to wrap your leg around your head in a room full of beautiful girls. (5:14 mark)

“When I get really really rich, I’m gonna do nothing but put my leg behind my head. When you get that kind of money Russell got you do nothing all day but put legs behind your head with other really beautiful people. Like a room full of beautiful models, and you just sit there and you put your leg behind your head and go ‘look I can do it too’ “

Ah. mmhm. Well, we’re just glad the image of Yoga has improved from bald-headed ambient softies (no offense Moby- we’re still fans).

And there is no more BEEF between Yoga and Rapperville! right? Shout out to our main yoga dawg Russ Simmons.

[Bloomberg]

*adjectives expressed are of collected opinion from internet, etc. and not reflective of all yogadorks.

video via rashaentertainment.com

Are we turning kids to robotic blobs with a steady diet of mind-numbing TV and dull-inducing video games? Some UK “educationalists” think so, and the programmers at the BBC agree: emotions must be embraced!  So they’ve culled a secret weapon to teach us all a lesson.

They’re already calling it the next Teletubbies: New children’s TV show, Waybuloo, aims to unlock the layers of imagination and emotional development by encouraging at-home participation in yoga exercises and hugs to find happiness, also known on the show as “buloo.”

From the BBC Press Machine:

‘Waybuloo is not just a series, it’s a philosophy for a happy life.’ It claims that the Piplings embody a range of emotions including love, wisdom, happiness and harmony and ‘personify positive emotion’ by floating.

Says Sarah Colclough, of children’s channel CBeebies:

‘In each show you learn about friendship, co-operation and citizenship. ‘The heart of the programme is about encouraging children to be happy. ‘We were looking for a concept that would bring together that elusive notion of children’s emotions. It is an extremely distinctive programme in that way.’

‘Waybuloo’ had its big small screen debut Tuesday on CBeebies. Not sure when/if US kidlets will be blessed with the “hippy’ TV treatment, but if it blows up overseas you can bet your free-lovin’ behind on syndication (or copycats). By the way, those fuzzy little muffins up top are the “Piplings,” featuring, in no particular order of importance – Lau Lau (imagination-purple), De Li (love-pink), Nok Tok (wisdom-blue) and Yo Jojo (happiness-monkey).

Through these characters, their travels and interactions with live kids on the show, lessons can be learned on how to float get in touch with your feelings.

OMG what hippies! (we are sarcastic). Kids, (and parents) do try this at home.

how can you not love this little one –>

Yoga Moms and Dads, we don’t have mini yoga dorks running around, is there any yoga-like kids programming on US TV? (We can’t imagine it’s this cute.)

[DailyMail UK]

Okay, I’m excited – and that’s putting it mildly!

This year, my husband and I will be celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Has it really been that long already? It seems just like yesterday, although my husband may beg to differ!

Anyway, we’ve decided to go all out and celebrate by going on a Mediterranean cruise – whoopee!

We’ve booked the flights and cruise and, being totally obsessive by nature, I’ve also been doing research on the various ports that we’ll be visiting. Not only that, but I’m also doing research on the cruise ship since we’ll have a couple of days at sea and I want to know what kind of activities are offered on board.

Well, guess what? They have daily yoga classes – every morning from 7 to 8 am. I’m definitely going to have to check this out. Of course, I don’t intend to go to yoga class every day. After all, I’m going to be on a cruise, which means lots of fun, frivolity, sightseeing, and relaxation – not to mention eating!

But in most cases, we won’t get into port until 8 am, which will hopefully give me time to get in a yoga practice before charging back to my room for a quick shower and heading off to whichever exotic location we’ll be visiting that day.

Of course, this yoga on board idea sounds great right now, but I wonder if I’ll have the willpower to carry it through. I just might be distracted by visits to our various ports of call – Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini…I can hardly wait!

I’ll let you know how I did when I get back – tanned, relaxed, and – if I don’t get to those yoga classes – probably overweight from stuffing my face with all that delicious food!

Tags: cruise, yoga on board, at sea, vacation, cruise activities

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So it finally happened. I got a response. It must have been yesterday that I found out. I got a call from my friend Gaston, a charmingly French-Canadian artist and animator. He was excited about something. That much I could tell. His Quebequois comes out quite significantly when he’s worked up, you see, so it took me a while to decipher the sudden cascade of rolling syllables. After an embarrassing third time through, I realized he was trying to tell me that he’d just received an acceptance email from the coordinator of the Commercial Animation program we both applied to.

Naturally, I was instantly terrified, in spite of my own impatience to hear back. If he had received a response, probably so had I. The period of hoping and waiting was over. Good, you’d think, but no. It hit me that I could no longer go about my life wishing blindly for approval in a blissful responseless limbo. Apparently, the verdict had been reached; I just had to read it.

Honestly, I felt incredibly jealous too. As it stands, Gaston is a better artist than I am. That’s a fact. I had no doubts that he’d get in. My fate, however, wasn’t so certain. So to hear that my friend (and rival) was successful while I was possibly not so fortunate didn’t exactly entice me to check my email.

Gaston’s eager promptings won out and I logged into my inbox. There, waiting for me predictably, was an email from the co-ordinator with the cryptically ambiguous subject heading “Your 2009 Commercial Animation application.” Still, it could go either way. I was one click away from personal success, but also one click from losing hope. The unopened email was a gut-wrenching Schrödinger’s Cat of possibility. And it didn’t help that Gaston would be somewhat a witness to my failure, should it go that way.

Gaston’s continued manic enthusiasm finally caught up and, covering my eyes, I clicked the letter. Peering through the cracks of my fingers, the first word at the top of the page I read was “congratulations” and instantly I knew: I was in. Trusting that it didn’t read something like “Congratulations on utterly failing to impress us,” I allowed myself a period of sober celebration involving yelling, whooping, running around, and occasionally jumping in the air for a manly arm-pump. Then I calmly returned to the phone.

So that’s it. I received the official acceptance letter in the mail this morning. But I feel kind of weird now. You see, this is a bit of a first for me. Despite drawing being my love, I’ve been terrified of applying for art school since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I’m not really an artiste, you see. I’m a doodler at heart. I cover notes and pages with sketches and cartoons and characters. I had no method, no theory and, until this year, I had no formal training.  But pursuing art and cartooning has always been a bit of a dream since grade school. I guess I always figured it would stay that way: just a dream – intangible, unreachable, and separate. And yet, here it is, very real and decidedly imminent. It feels great.

When I began the painful process of application, I said that this was me chasing my dream. But I really didn’t know what that meant until yesterday. I really am chasing the dream. And for now, it looks as though I’m enjoying a reasonable amount of success at it too.

Tags: Commercial Animation, artist, cartoons, drawing, acceptance letter

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I have come a long way from my fear of the Neti Pot or – in other words – “Nasal Cleansing.”

This time, when I arrived back in Los Angeles from Vancouver, the heat wave was still lingering. I had come from weather that was in the 60’s to 100 degrees. “Hot” was not quite the word I chose to use to describe the weather in L.A.!

Back home, however, between the heat, the sudden blossoming of flowers, and good ol’ Los Angeles Dessert winds, my sinuses went wacko. I would sneeze incessantly ten times in a row, my eyes would itch, my throat would tickle, and my chest tighten.

Needless to say, the first thing I unpacked was my faithful Neti Pot.

I cleansed twice that night, especially before going to bed. But my symptoms were only relieved a little, so I didn’t sleep well that night.

Over the next few days, I cleansed three to four times a day. It was such a relief to not have to carry Kleenex around with me at all times or resort to antihistamines.

Well, on the fourth day, I added a new product I had found at my last Eco Expo. It’s called “Varcho Veda’s Neti Wash Plus,” and it’s a liquid that is to be added to the usual water and salt mixture. I only used ¼ of what they specified but – WOW – what a find! It was amazing. I had never felt clearer after cleansing, and my nasal passages felt cooler with each breath I took.

That night I had one of my best night’s sleep in years. I could breathe. I mean, it was totally different this time. I have dealt with sleep Apnea for many years, but this time I didn’t feel like I was constantly waking up. I was really surprised by how effective the wash was.

I’m going to keep this cleansing up daily to see if it really makes a difference to my Apnea. In my next blog, I’ll let you know how it’s going.

Tags: neti pot, nasal cleansing, allagies, nasal passage, sleep apnea, deep sleep

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By the time you read this blog, my husband and I will be on our Mediterranean cruise – bliss.

But before even boarding the cruise ship, we have to contend with a nine-hour flight to Frankfurt and another two-hour one to Rome, where we’ll pick up our cruise. Ugh (to the flight, not the cruise).

Being a white-knuckle flyer, to say that I am not looking forward to this part of our trip is an understatement. I firmly believe that if God meant us to fly, he’d have given us wings! I hate flying – the take-off, the landing (I always plant my feet firmly on the floor of the plane to “help” the pilot land!) and all the parts in between. And when the turbulence starts – oh help. It’s the only time in my life when I get very, very quiet. My husband says that’s why he likes to fly with me – he can actually get a word in!

This time, however, I intend to be prepared. I remember reading one of Christina’s blogs where she mentioned how she had focused on calming her energies with some yoga breathing techniques and stretching exercises during a flight.

So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask Christina to recommend some breathing and stretching exercises so that I can calm myself down and perhaps even sleep en route. Now that would be wonderful. My husband can fall asleep even before the plane takes off – although he wakes up pretty quickly when I grab hold of his hand in a vice-like grip during take-offs and landings!

It’s going to be interesting to see what type of yoga I can do in the restricted space of an airline seat – and what kind of reaction I’m going to get from my husband. I suspect he won’t complain at all if it means he can keep his hand from being broken!

Tags: long flight, yoga before flight, yoga on flight, stretching during a flight, breathing technique

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Today I thought I’d DQ something different, to borrow a phrase from the beloved dairy chain. Circumstances conspired this week – what with helping three friends move on the same weekend – to make it exceedingly difficult to attend one of the Yin sessions at the studio. In my infinite cunning, however, I remembered my copy of The Gift of Yoga, YogaHub’s very first yoga DVD.

I admit it, when it was given to me, my interest and involvement with yoga was zero. I never got around to checking it out. For that I’m sorry to those of you whose blood and sweat went into producing it. I think you know who you are.

But times have changed, and in this busy week, the DVD proved a godsend.

Before I go on, however, I’d like to begin by congratulating Christina and Segovia on a commendable production. I’m impressed, truth be told (a late compliment, I know, but a compliment nonetheless). I would also like to commend John Sovec on creating an engaging yet accessible and non-threatening workout for us hopeless cases.

The Gift of Yoga is a beginner’s instructional DVD detailing a 30 minute workout. It was similar to the Intro Vinyasa classes I attended some months ago but less gruelling and discouraging. It started with seated poses and stretches, then warmed up to standing poses and down-dogs. All really basic stuff; nothing I hadn’t seen before. Though I was still sweating and a little shaky by the end (sad, I know), I felt like this was something I could improve on.

You see, more and more it’s occurring to me that my flexibility is nil. I can’t do forward bends to save my life. I can’t raise my arms above my head without compressing my shoulders painfully. And my hips often don’t allow the kind of mobility required of simple seated poses. Often I shake or twitch. It’s embarrassing.

Doing yoga from home, however, made it a little simpler. Being self-conscious by nature, I assume most people are judgmental – and negatively so. Practicing John’s routine in the comfort of my basement a few times a week might bring my flexibility up and make the studio sessions easier. At least, that’s the new plan.

We’ll see how this goes, really. But for now, I found the DVD liberating and moderately enjoyable. This may just be a way to continue yoga without getting intensely discouraged.

Tags: gift of yoga, John Sovec, yoga DVD, yoga at home, beginners, DVD for yoga practitioner

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What a Difference an Instructor Makes

GymBuddiez |

After my first class with Yin Yoga, when I was quite surprised by the instructor, I was not feeling at all at peace with the experience.

However, whenever I try a new form of yoga, I like to experience it several times before I really know if it will benefit me at this time of my life. Each one of us is unique and the journeys we take as individuals inspire us to grow in different directions that in turn enable us to have the greatest effect on how we share or teach others.

With Yin Yoga, I knew in my heart that I would need to experience it through other instructors before making a decision. So I signed up for a Yin Yoga class at YYoga in North Vancouver, BC. The class was taught by Nico Luce, the co-owner of the studio.

Whenever I take a class, I like to be further up front so that I can hear and see the instructor, especially when it is a form that I am not familiar with. There were at least 25 people in the class and we spent the entire time on our mats.

Nico began the class with meditation and then went into asanas that were held for approximately five minutes. It was very much a learning experience on how to use our breath and trust our bodies to release the tensions in every area.

Nico was very, very clear on ensuring that the positioning of our bodies was correct to prevent any chance of strain or injury. He was also specific on what one might be feeling or the sensations that one may feel during a particular pose. During the class, as our bodies melted into each asana, he would speak of global balance and the sharing of peace and compassion.

His beautiful, nurturing spirit filled the room, touching all who were present. This is the type of instructor that a beginner – or someone who has hesitations about yoga – should come to for a solid introduction to yoga. For those of us who are experienced yogis, we can also benefit from a teacher like Nico, whose knowledgeable instructions remind us how a few simple adjustments can make a huge impact on our personal practice.

My experience with this class has convinced me to delve further into the benefits of Yin Yoga. By keeping an open mind, I was able to find a great instructor whose passion and commitment will continue to resonate with me as I continue on my life journey.

Thank you, Nico, for sharing your beauty with us.

Tags: good yoga instructor, patience, yin yoga, meditation, open mind

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