I just received this notice from Chinnamasta about the passing of her beloved, Mukunda Stiles.
Mukunda and I worked together on the board of Unity in Yoga, and kept in touch over the years. I knew he had been quite ill recently, but had thought he made a recovery when I saw he was teaching again.
He will be missed.
If you have any remembrances of Mukunda you would like to share, please post them as comments below.
The FOUNDATIONS of UNDER-STANDING
A weekend symposium in New York City
Sat-Sun, November 22-23, 2014, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Helen Mills Event Space, 137-139 West 26th Street NYC
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from anatomy and movement pioneers Tom Myers, Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews co-presenting a transformative weekend symposium.
Using lavishly illustrated lectures and movement explorations, this workshop is for anyone with feet, especially movement teachers and manual therapists of all kinds.
28 bones wrapped in a fascial bag, our uniquely human foot is a marvel of engineering – and it needs to be: such a tiny base of support under a tall and gangly skeleton with a high center of gravity.
Tiny changes in the position of our foot bones can make huge differences in functional ability and pain. Learn to see proper positioning and response to guide your clients or students into dynamic, responsive feet that hold the body up easily and tread lightly on the planet.
WORKSHOP TOPICS INCLUDE:
I am thrilled to offer a second opportunity for online students to participate in my biweekly live online chats. I now offer a Tuesday 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) chat, in addition to the 7:00 p.m. ET chat that’s been going on for years.
Here’s a little taste of this afternoon’s exchange:
Student A: I have a question about the Foundation class (editors’s note: “Foundations and Origins” is the first Practices class). When you asked us to place the attention on the chest in the inhale and on the belly on the exhale, my breath turned automatically to ujayyi. Is that what you wanted us to do? I don’t think I have a “ujayyi-always pattern” but with this exercise even if I tried to come to a neutral breathing it will go again to ujayyi.
Student B: Anytime I slow my breath it seems to be ujayyi!
Leslie: Ujayyi is really helpful when it’s needed to slow down and stabilize the breath.…It’s also something that many people tend to over-do, even when it’s not needed.…We like to be in control, and we use the breathing to accomplish that.
When we get away from the idea that there’s a “right” way to do these practices, and simply use them as a way to experiment, it really frees us up.
If you simply ask a student to slow down their breathing so that it matches a slow movement of the body, they will discover ujayyi naturally.Student C: Why is it that we can breathe longer when we go from top to bottom?
Leslie: To make the belly move first, you need to restrain the ribcage, which means you have to figure out how to release it for the rest of the bottom-to-top breath.
When you start at the top, you are only releasing the ribcage – not restraining, and then releasing.…I usually don’t teach ujayyi. I let people find it on their own, then get them to notice what they are doing.
If you’re already an online student, please join us for the next live chat, Tuesday January 28, 2014 at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. ET. If you’re not and would like to join us, you can sign up at YogaAnatomy.net.
Foggy. That’s what it was for most of the five days of my stay in Vancouver! Fortunately the students at Y Yoga were far from it and the week-long training was challenging and engaging in equal parts.
And the FOOD! We have never had such impeccable meals, not a dud among them. Still craving a repeat of the sushi at Samurai and cocktails at Lolita.
I can now say with assurance North Carolina and I are a great fit! For my fourth visit I taught a 25 hour teacher training at my friend Stephanie Keach’s Asheville’s Yoga Center. For my new friend, Hollace Stephenson, we sold out a Monday afternoon/evening in Charlotte hosted by her Yoga Shala. Aside from excellent barbeque in both cities, it was a beautiful time of year to be in that part of the country.
There was plenty of hands-on training and fascinating exchanges with experienced teachers. We’re already discussing plans for a return visit to both studios, and I’m looking forward to returning next year!
We can’t think of a better place for pranayama than on the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula, amidst cooling sea breezes and under glorious clear skies! We hope you won’t miss this unique opportunity to study with Leslie in an intimate intensive, exploring your breath en plein air.
Don’t miss the early reg deadline: Participants who place a deposit by December 1 save $200 and those who pay in full by December 1 save $300!
Read more at oneyogacollective.com or contact Laura for more information.
Where better than the seashore to experience the way you can let your breath go, wait, feel the body’s need for air, and allow the inhalation to arise again on its own? If you’ve always wanted to study with Leslie, this is your chance. Spend a week in Maya Tulum with Leslie Kaminoff exploring your breath, finding space in your body (plus margaritas)
Don’t miss the early reg deadline: Participants who place a deposit by December 1 save $200 and those who pay in full by December 1 save $300!
Read more at oneyogacollective.com or contact Laura for more information.
I just finished a weekend workshop at the Yoga Sanctuary in Toronto, sponsored by new friends, Ashley and Bryon, who run Body Evolutions.
One of the highlights was the opportunity to work with a young woman with a 75° thoracic c-curve scoliosis stabilized by Harrington rod surgery. We played with combining warrior stance with asymmetrical arm movements to identify the most unstable combination. By varying the vector of her arm movements, she was able to activate long dormant muscles, helping to relieve some chronic pain under her right scapula.
It was very rewarding to help her discover how much rib cage movement she still had and experience freer breathing as a result. Lydia was able to snap some photos documenting her curve flattening out during this exploration.
All in all it was a fabulous weekend with a roomful of experienced teachers and studio owners. I look forward to returning to Toronto soon.
More photos available on Flickr (photo credit: Lydia Mann) .
You know those footprints in the sand? They can provide a great deal of information about your relationship to the earth. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to study with Leslie in an intimate intensive. He’ll help you get grounded and guide you while you explore pathways through all the arches in your feet and through the rest of your body.
Don’t miss the early registration deadline! Participants who place a deposit (only $395) by December 1 save $200 and those who pay in full by December 1 save $300.
Read more at oneyogacollective.com or contact Laura for more information.
Leslie’s approach to breath-centered yoga grows out of and reinforces the natural spirals and beautiful asymmetries in all of us. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to study with Leslie in an intimate intensive retreat. Explore the waves, water and spirals we come from.
Don’t miss the early reg deadline: Participants who place a deposit by December 1 save $200 and those who pay in full by December 1 save $300!
Read more at oneyogacollective.com or contact Laura for more information.