BARBARA BORIS Yoga

Dharma is from the Sanskrit root dhr, meaning to uphold, support, sustain. As B.K.S. Iyengar writes in Light on Pranayama, it is “the code of conduct that sustains the soul and produces virtue.” At Estes Park [Yoga Conference] in 2005, Mr. Iyengar said, “That which has fallen, that which is falling, that which may fall, dharma holds it up.” In the body, the spine is like the dharma––it is that which keeps us from falling, that which holds us up.

From an article by Iyengar Institute of New York’s own Genny Kapuler, “The Spine: Form & Function” on the IYNAUS website:

http://iynaus.org/research/spine-form-function

ASANAS TO BE PRACTICED TO INCREASE YOUR IMMUNITY
RIMYI Pune October 2009
(H1N1 virus – Bird Flu Epidemic)

We will be practicing the MORNING SEQUENCE
tonight, 6 p.m. at Woodstock Yoga Center.
Don’t worry if you can’t hold the asanas this long.
We will work with what is possible for you and your ability.

Come on by and have your Weekly Yoga Flu Shot!

MORNING PRACTICE
Duration approx 1 hour

• Uttanasana             5 minutes
• Adho Mukha Svanasana    5 minutes
• Prasarita Padottonasana    3 minutes
• Sirsasana            10-15 minutes
• (5 minutes straight and 10 minutes sirsasana cycle)
• Viparita Danasana on your cot (!) [we'll use 2 chairs] with head down 5 minutes
• Sarvangasana        10 minutes
• Halasana            5 minutes
• Sarvangasana Cycle    5 minutes
• Setubandha Sarvangasana    5 minutes
• Viparita Karani        5 minutes
• Savasana with Viloma or Ujjayi pranayama 10 minutes

EVENING PRACTICE
Duration approx. 45 minutes

• Sirsasana             10 minutes
• Sarvangasana        10 minutes
• Halasana            5 minutes
• Setubandha Sarvangasana    10 minutes
• Savasana with Viloma or Ujjayi pranayama 10 minutes

My Journey Into Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar

Times of India

The 94-year-old iconic yogacharya B K S Iyengar walks down memory lane,
going right back to when he started.

I am neither a Sanskrit scholar nor a philosopher; am purely an ardent student of yoga, involved in sadhana for nearly 80 years, exploring its depth in order to gain and understand rightly the beauty and majesty of the vast ocean of yogic knowledge along with experiential wisdom. My uninterrupted sadhana has not only burnt all types of impediments and obstacles, it has also kindled the flame of wisdom within. (more…)

Cassia Berman,  April 5, 1949 – forever

I just got this awesome letter about Cassia’s death and I want to share it with all of you.
We are missing her light so much. OM.

Dear Ones,

As you may have already heard, on Friday, March 9, Devi’s day, our dear friend Cassia Berman left Earth (as she insisted we capitalize this planet to show our respect: “After all, the other planets are capitalized!”)

Like the many magical things in Cassia’s life, her death was incredible. Only three weeks ago she had been slammed with the the news that she had lung cancer!  Despite this diagnosis and a surgery to relieve water around the lungs and to secure a biopsy, she was in remarkably little pain. So, when the hospital nurses were pressing her to take heavy medication, she refused, saying: “I have a high tolerance for pain.” However, the nurses insisted she take something–even a Tylenol. Cassia then asked her friend, Geeta Agerwala: “I have never taken Tylenol. What will it do to me?” !!  Geeta very surprised, replied, “Nothing but make you feel better.” So Cassia decided to try some Western medicine! (more…)

OM Yogis!
Is this just squiggles to you? By Sunday evening it won’t be!

Come attend the Sanskrit 101 Workshop at Woodstock Yoga.
This Workshop is designed specifically for the new Woodstock Yoga Teacher Trainees…
but you might be interested in coming too!

The workshop is THIS SUNDAY, February 26, 1:30-4:30 at:
WOODSTOCK YOGA CENTER
6 Deming Street , Woodstock
845 679-8700
Cost is $40.  (Woodstock Yoga Center teachers – $30)

SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE!

Please shoot me an email (bxboris at yahoo dot com) so I know how many copies to make of the handouts. There will be LOTS of handouts!!!! Bring notebook, pens, paper, your glasses (!). This will be all reading/ chanting/ drawing/ writing.

Bring the following books: Light on Yoga, Light on the Yoga Sutras (both by BKS Iyengar), Yoga the Iyengar Way (Mehta), the Preliminary Course (Geeta Iyengar). Yoga Sutras & Preliminary Course available for purchase at Woodstock Yoga.

There will be asana breaks in between sections.

Here is a rough OUTLINE of what will be covered:

INTRO

• why Sanskrit is important and relevant to yoga practice
• aural tradition and the power of sound
• warm up voice exercises

OM

• chanting vs. singing
• why we chant OM in a yoga class
• The Mandukya Upanishad on the Four States of OM
• drawing OM
• chant OM 108 times

SANSKRIT ALPHABET

• scientific organization
• positions in the mouth
• aspirated consonants, long/short vowels, s’s
• transliterations/ common spellings
• practice chanting (mouth yoga!)

VOCABULARY

• common yoga words to know and their roots and meanings
• practice pronunciation

MANTRAS

• vedic vs. traditional vs. KD vs. new age
• Invocation to Patanjali
• lokah samastah sukhinoh bhavantu
• saha na vavutu
• asato ma sad gamaya

YOGA SUTRAS

• yogas chitta vritti nirodhaha
• stira sukham asanam

HOMEWORK

• Teacher Trainees will have homework
• As a guest to the Workshop you can elect to do it or not.
• If you want Yoga Alliance Credit towards your E-RYT status you must do the homework.

OM OM OM
AUM AUM AUM

(by Sunday you will understand the difference in spelling!)
See you there,
Barbara

Hari OM.
Have a great holiday today. There will be NO Sunday Class.

TOMORROW’s MONDAY LEVEL I CLASS will be:

MIXED LEVEL I-II IYENGAR YOGA CLASS
TIME CHANGE: 11-12:30
Mountain View Studio
2o Mountain View Avenue
Woodstock,  12498

see you there.

Here’s a little Christmas Cheer for you all.
Stay posted for more exciting news about the changes for the new year.

OM!

By the way, this little video was originally made for Indian Nickelodon (kids) TV, and I’m sure they passed it by many Indian Censor Panels to make sure that it was politically correct and not offensive. The comments on YouTube by Indians find it very funny. Enjoy. I’m sorry if I offended anyone.

from the Washington Post (!) written by his Jewish daughter (!). A fantastic memoir. So beautiful. Enjoy!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/interfaith-childhood-growing-up-the-jewish-daughter-of-a-hindu-guru/2011/12/13/gIQA316xtO_story.html

p.s. I was at the wedding. It was wonderful. Mazel tov! and Radhe Radhe!

Woodstock Music Circle and Simla House, Inc. are presenting a fall season concert of North Indian Classical Music. We hope to see all of our friends and neighbors to celebrate the changing of the season and a chance to hear one of India’s most unique and in-demand instrumentalists in the intimate setting of the Kleinert/James Arts Center in the heart of Woodstock.

Concert of North Indian Classical Music
Snehasish Mozumder – Mandolin
Ray Spiegel – Tabla

Saturday, October 29, 8:00 p.m.
Kleinert/James Arts Center
34 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY, 12498
$20.00 admission
Doors open 7:30 p.m.
info: 845-679-8865

Snehashish Mozumder, a master of the musical form known as “raga”, is from Calcutta, India. He plays an unusual instrument for Indian Classical Music, the Mandolin. Snehasish has made a name for himself by performing ragas worldwide in many important concerts, festivals, and recordings in recent years. He has performed several times in the Woodstock area and has developed a fan base in the Hudson Valley among musicians, audiences and mandolin enthusiasts. In addition to Indian Classical and light classical music, Snehasish plays in fusion bands and leads his own band called SOM.

Ray Spiegel began learning tabla as a child and is a disciple of the late Ustad Alla Rakha. He has recorded and performed with many of India’s well known musicians including Aashish Khan, Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Manilal Nag, and Barun Kumar Pal. He has also played and recorded with the Grateful Dead, Diga Rhythm Band, Bon Jovi, Bill Cosby, and many other jazz and pop artists. Ray lives in the Hudson Valley, and is the founder of the record label, Simla House ®.  He leads the Ray Spiegel Ensemble, and performs in other Indo-jazz groups on the vibraphone and tabla.

SHYAM DAS’s LAST WOODSTOCK KIRTAN BEFORE GOING BACK TO INDIA
“LOVE SONGS TO KRISHNA”
Friday, October 21, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Barbara Boris & Martin Brading’s Home
21 Witchtree Road,
Woodstock, NY 12498

Please RSVP. Parking is limited. You might have to carpool. Thanks.
bxboris@yahoo.com to RSVP thanks (for a head count…)
Please bring some prasad (food to offer to Krishna) and then we all share in it.
Vegetarian Vaishnav only – which means NO EGGS, onions or garlic.
One year the kirtan/bhajan was so divine it turned into a CD! Come!
CD’s will be available for purchase.

OM Aboard!!!!!
THE 2011 Fall BOAT FULL OF BHAJAN SAILS AGAIN ON
OCTOBER 15th, 2011 at 3 p.m. SHARP!

Join us on our “Boat Full of Bhajan” cruise. We leave on Saturday, Oct. 15th from Athens (Near Catskill) New York 3:00 p.m. for our amazing three hour Kirtan Cruise!
It will be a pot luck sail with Shyamdas, Sruiti Ram, Ishwari, Arundhati, Erhen and others.

This is how it works:

1. If you want to join the Oct 15th cruise from Athens, email Shyamdas ASAP at iamshyam@aol.com This event will quickly sell out and only a limited amount of kirtaneers can fit on the boat so register soon.
2. There will be a $40.00 charge per person. All profits go to Food for Life in Vrindavan.
   You can  check out their website at
 www.fflvrindavan.org/
3. Make the check out to “Sacred Woods” and send to Shyamdas’s office in Indiana.
   Be sure to put your email address on the check or in the envelope so we can tell who you are!
   Sacred Woods
   112 N.Walnut Street,
 Suite 1000
   Bloomington, IN 47404-4903
4. After they receive your check, the final details will be sent to you.

and…..

SHYAM DAS’s LAST WOODSTOCK KIRTAN BEFORE GOING BACK TO INDIA
Friday, October 21, 8:00 p.m.
Barbara Boris’s Home Yoga Studio
21 Witchtree Road,
Woodstock, NY 12498

More info to follow. Please RSVP. Parking is limited. You might have to carpool. Thanks.