Shravana School of Yoga
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Noah's Newsletter
Namaste,
Though the caliginous Mayan predictions about 2012 have not manifested and the earth remains--turning on its axis, this year has begun profoundly, and with fearsome potency. My family and my career have been both blessed and challenged by massive growth. Anusara Yoga has encountered a time of crisis, breakage, evolution, and emergence. My path is exploding in so many new directions. There's a lot to cover in this newsletter.
In my typical newsletter, I structure things so that the teachings come first and the business comes later. So many of you are so eager to know about the direction of my yoga, so I have reversed the usual order of this newsletter. So expect the full family report a little further below.
FIRST: I am thrilled to announce that Tracy and I have taken a huge leap, and today we signed a lease for our new office and yoga space in the heart of Los Angeles, at 152 1/2 N. LaBrea Avenue. Hold on, hold on! We are not opening a yoga studio! Here, Tracy will have space to work and grow our business (trying to get much work done at home, with a 3.5 year old and 6 month old...well, many of you know how that is). And, I will have my own studio!!! We are scheduling some special programs for the fall. I am hoping to offer programming around then with Sianna Sherman and perhaps another program with Douglas Brooks-- to initiate our beautiful space. But MOSTLY, this space will serve as the Los Angeles home of Shravana School of Yoga! Shravana is the school of yoga that I am collaboratively birthing with my dear friends, co-YogaGlo faculty members, and co-founding members, Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell.
Shravana is the training arm of our respective businesses. Our initial emphasis as a hatha yoga school is in exploring the alchemy of form, flow, focus and function. We are currently immersed in the process of Shravana's creation and evolution, but already we have originated a promising and personal yoga. Our group is neck deep in the actualization of our unique curriculum and programming. And I am honored and ecstatic to be sharing this endeavor with two of the most skillful and creative yoga teachers in the world.
Hatha Yoga in Shravana Shool of Yoga is an integrated philosophy that addresses the body, emotions, intellect and spirit through precise asana, traditional mantras, pranayama practice, contemplation, and meditation techniques. Our classes offer practical ways to access these different aspects of the self and to bring them to dynamic, balanced expression through ongoing daily practice. Many of you have been asking me about Shravana School of Yoga and how you can get involved.
Of course, the first and most obvious answer is enroll in one of our programs to get a first hand taste of what we are cooking up! On that note, Christina and I have a 4 part Webinar scheduled May 8-11. You can participate in this from anywhere in the world. The subject matter is to introduce you to Shravana, if you would like to Learn more/ Enroll. Additionally we will be offering our Intermediate Intensive from May 10-13. There are only a small number of spaces left, so please join us!
Short of participation, I think the most important thing for everyone to know about Shravana, is that we are creating a school with a teaching faculty; not a "system of yoga" that will certify teachers in a style or a defined brand of yoga. Our first goal is to seed the garden of our particular mission, as three founding members.
Together, this team will clearly establish who we are, what we offer, and what you can expect from us. We feel it is essential not to overextend or grow too quickly during our precious and precarious beginning. Shravana will grow organically and radically, once deep roots have taken hold. Over time, we expect our faculty and offerings will grow, and over time, we will surely coordinate and collaborate with other teachers --particularly those whom we have trained, those with whom we have established relationships, and those with whom we feel a particular resonance. But for now, you get us. And we are bursting with excitement.
We expect to launch a beautiful Website and resource for our students sometime this spring (watch for an announcement in May). Our new Website will house information about everything from our schedules to our programming. There, we will sell resources designed to assist our students, and you'll be able to enroll in our programming, if you so desire. For now, we have programming plans for 200hour RYT, "plus 300" RYT and 500hour RYT. Our programs will all be announced soon, but expect to see us in Sydney, Singapore, Maryland, Los Altos CA, San Marcos, Texas, Tucson and Los Angeles in coming months.
The possibilities are endless, and we intend for Shravana to bring a truly unique flavor to the world of yoga.
Now a story, and all the fun family news you have been eagerly awaiting:
Shiva, in the form of a beggar (Bhikshatana), and Vishnu, in the form of a woman (Mohini), intrude upon the lives of the Pine Forest Sages, a successful community of devoted, monogamous families. The Pine Forest Sages are committed to their yoga. They abide by the teachings, perform the rituals and manifest lives of prosperity. They raise children, "work hard to pay the mortgage," are ethically and morally upstanding, and are "successful" by their standards (and notably the seeming standards of today's world--insert equivalent of the "American Dream"). Bhikshatana, handsome and seductive, enters their village. The Sages' wives spy Bhikshatana, abandon their work, and forget themselves. Mohini, irresistible and beautiful, enters the forest. Likewise, the Pine Forest Sages forget themselves and abandon their rituals. The status quo turns upside down. Threatened by these intruders and endangered by the uncomfortable emotions arising inside of each of them, the community of Sages attempts to expel, refuse and ignore Bhikshatana and Mohini; but all attempts are to no avail. Like humans, the Sages are not (nor can they become) masters of the Universe. They were not born to harness such power.
As with all parables and fables, we are meant to see ourselves in this story. The flaw of the Pine Forest Sage is the peril of any intimate relationship. The fire of creativity, which once burned bright has cooled, and the Pine Forest Sages have not noticed. Their behavior (despite the fact that they intend to live lives of integrity and go to measures to do so) represents complacency, security, the value of the status quo; they take each other for granted and they suffer from a fundamental lack of generative energy. They cannot see that that they could be making more of their lives--endeavoring to more growth.
Eventually, the Pine Forest Sages come to understand that although they cannot beat the system, their true nature is freedom, and accordingly, each Sage has a choice. The Pine Forest Sages then choose to turn back to each other with newfound agitation and urgency. Ahh passion!! Together they re-create and revel in their own intimacy. As they turn back to each other, adding a newness to what was once (and still is) very familiar, Bhikshatana dances.
In this most famous of moments, the image that we yogis call "Nataraja" is born. Shiva dances victoriously and ecstatically on top of "forgetfulness," affirming passion's place in the balance of all beings. And yet, our Dancing Shiva is not without a strong foundation. The Sages' foundation was not lost; but their forgotten passion was found.
And so, you might ask, what do I mean to tell you by going on and on about these Pine Forest Sages? We, each of us, work so hard to make ends meet every month, to achieve "success." We fall hard into the patterns of daily life and routine, even while keeping integrity in the forefront of our minds. We go through the motions in our lives. In marriage, we inadvertently take each other for granted. In life, we inadvertently forget ourselves on the path to achievement.
The Pine Forest Sages remind us that to live yoga is to aspire to more than just success. To live yoga you must aspire to growth and greatness. Yoga binds us to a life of creativity, conscience and curiosity. We balance this with our foundation, and we do not get stuck. Otherwise, sooner or later, Bhikshatana and Mohini will be coming to rock our world. And rock it they do (and have and will).
As for my immediate family, we are healthy and enjoying a playful and beautiful adventure. We are also overwhelmed and stretched in every direction. Madeleine is a thriving 3.5 year old, intrigued in school and interested in many of the fun activities American children participate in (music, dance, yoga, ice skating). Oliver is an unbelievably happy and sweet 6 month old. He spends most of his days smiling and laughing. He has such a charismatic and charming disposition. Our babies remind and demand that Tracy and I laugh and play every day. They constitute our true blessings and wealth. They are the true measure of our success.
Tracy is busier than ever, forming new businesses, getting ready to launch our new Website, leasing office space, working with the Shravana team, attending to our domestic fires, and generally persisting and prevailing as my biggest hero and most enduring love. Together, we have been re-vamping my calendar, evolving our individual and collective vision(s) and performing the daily rituals required to pay the bills and bring more yoga to more people throughout the world.
The crisis of Anusara Yoga has been well played out on the internet at this point, and I have no interest in getting into it here. My personal statement, if you have not read it, is available Here. Obviously, this has been an extremely difficult time for myself and for many of my friends and colleagues. I do not mean to dismiss or diminish that. I am ever grateful to John Friend, and I feel confident that we will collectively look back at this time, when our lives and teaching careers became interrupted, and see that this was the very moment and opportunity for our kula to become more creative, more generative, more accountable and more responsible for our actions and words. Some sage words from my friend, Emma Magenta, in hopes that we will all rise further toward greatness this Spring. "Yoga is getting in touch. Getting in touch with everything. The point for me is not to transform everything into bliss. The point is to experience everything fully and remain grounded while doing so. That means bliss and misery both." Many of my newsletters have explored this proposition. Yoga is all of the rasas, all of the time. That we can honor the yoga and honor each other in the midst of it all is crucial.
In this time of evolution and transition, I am continuing to teach and honor my Anusara Yoga program commitments. I will be offering immersion modules in Los Angeles (part 3; May 30-June 3), and part 2 and 3 in Japan (June/July and December). I am offering 50 hour teacher training modules this summer in Flagstaff, AZ (June 18-24) and in New Zealand (August 13-19). I have also added a more advanced 45 hour TT to my schedule, which will take place in our new Los Angeles studio this fall. Finally, I will be offering some advanced teacher training in Pennsylvania with Naime Jezzeny and Sue Elkind in November of this year.
For now, any Anusara program you participate in with me will continue to count toward your Anusara accreditation.
At the same time, if you request it, study with me also will count towards credit with Shravana School of Yoga. It's an awkward time, but most of my students are still craving growth. In this way, I will attempt to offer the best of all worlds.
In this way, it's not about a particular brand and yoga can prevail.
My wish for each of you this Spring is that you find the yoga of creativity and passion; find the yoga that extends beyond the foundation, ritual and complacency.
Do the yoga of greatness and aspire to the yoga of growth.
With an overflowing heart, Noah
Though the caliginous Mayan predictions about 2012 have not manifested and the earth remains--turning on its axis, this year has begun profoundly, and with fearsome potency. My family and my career have been both blessed and challenged by massive growth. Anusara Yoga has encountered a time of crisis, breakage, evolution, and emergence. My path is exploding in so many new directions. There's a lot to cover in this newsletter.
In my typical newsletter, I structure things so that the teachings come first and the business comes later. So many of you are so eager to know about the direction of my yoga, so I have reversed the usual order of this newsletter. So expect the full family report a little further below.
FIRST: I am thrilled to announce that Tracy and I have taken a huge leap, and today we signed a lease for our new office and yoga space in the heart of Los Angeles, at 152 1/2 N. LaBrea Avenue. Hold on, hold on! We are not opening a yoga studio! Here, Tracy will have space to work and grow our business (trying to get much work done at home, with a 3.5 year old and 6 month old...well, many of you know how that is). And, I will have my own studio!!! We are scheduling some special programs for the fall. I am hoping to offer programming around then with Sianna Sherman and perhaps another program with Douglas Brooks-- to initiate our beautiful space. But MOSTLY, this space will serve as the Los Angeles home of Shravana School of Yoga! Shravana is the school of yoga that I am collaboratively birthing with my dear friends, co-YogaGlo faculty members, and co-founding members, Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell.
Shravana is the training arm of our respective businesses. Our initial emphasis as a hatha yoga school is in exploring the alchemy of form, flow, focus and function. We are currently immersed in the process of Shravana's creation and evolution, but already we have originated a promising and personal yoga. Our group is neck deep in the actualization of our unique curriculum and programming. And I am honored and ecstatic to be sharing this endeavor with two of the most skillful and creative yoga teachers in the world.
Hatha Yoga in Shravana Shool of Yoga is an integrated philosophy that addresses the body, emotions, intellect and spirit through precise asana, traditional mantras, pranayama practice, contemplation, and meditation techniques. Our classes offer practical ways to access these different aspects of the self and to bring them to dynamic, balanced expression through ongoing daily practice. Many of you have been asking me about Shravana School of Yoga and how you can get involved.
Of course, the first and most obvious answer is enroll in one of our programs to get a first hand taste of what we are cooking up! On that note, Christina and I have a 4 part Webinar scheduled May 8-11. You can participate in this from anywhere in the world. The subject matter is to introduce you to Shravana, if you would like to Learn more/ Enroll. Additionally we will be offering our Intermediate Intensive from May 10-13. There are only a small number of spaces left, so please join us!
Short of participation, I think the most important thing for everyone to know about Shravana, is that we are creating a school with a teaching faculty; not a "system of yoga" that will certify teachers in a style or a defined brand of yoga. Our first goal is to seed the garden of our particular mission, as three founding members.
Together, this team will clearly establish who we are, what we offer, and what you can expect from us. We feel it is essential not to overextend or grow too quickly during our precious and precarious beginning. Shravana will grow organically and radically, once deep roots have taken hold. Over time, we expect our faculty and offerings will grow, and over time, we will surely coordinate and collaborate with other teachers --particularly those whom we have trained, those with whom we have established relationships, and those with whom we feel a particular resonance. But for now, you get us. And we are bursting with excitement.
We expect to launch a beautiful Website and resource for our students sometime this spring (watch for an announcement in May). Our new Website will house information about everything from our schedules to our programming. There, we will sell resources designed to assist our students, and you'll be able to enroll in our programming, if you so desire. For now, we have programming plans for 200hour RYT, "plus 300" RYT and 500hour RYT. Our programs will all be announced soon, but expect to see us in Sydney, Singapore, Maryland, Los Altos CA, San Marcos, Texas, Tucson and Los Angeles in coming months.
The possibilities are endless, and we intend for Shravana to bring a truly unique flavor to the world of yoga.
Now a story, and all the fun family news you have been eagerly awaiting:
Shiva, in the form of a beggar (Bhikshatana), and Vishnu, in the form of a woman (Mohini), intrude upon the lives of the Pine Forest Sages, a successful community of devoted, monogamous families. The Pine Forest Sages are committed to their yoga. They abide by the teachings, perform the rituals and manifest lives of prosperity. They raise children, "work hard to pay the mortgage," are ethically and morally upstanding, and are "successful" by their standards (and notably the seeming standards of today's world--insert equivalent of the "American Dream"). Bhikshatana, handsome and seductive, enters their village. The Sages' wives spy Bhikshatana, abandon their work, and forget themselves. Mohini, irresistible and beautiful, enters the forest. Likewise, the Pine Forest Sages forget themselves and abandon their rituals. The status quo turns upside down. Threatened by these intruders and endangered by the uncomfortable emotions arising inside of each of them, the community of Sages attempts to expel, refuse and ignore Bhikshatana and Mohini; but all attempts are to no avail. Like humans, the Sages are not (nor can they become) masters of the Universe. They were not born to harness such power.
As with all parables and fables, we are meant to see ourselves in this story. The flaw of the Pine Forest Sage is the peril of any intimate relationship. The fire of creativity, which once burned bright has cooled, and the Pine Forest Sages have not noticed. Their behavior (despite the fact that they intend to live lives of integrity and go to measures to do so) represents complacency, security, the value of the status quo; they take each other for granted and they suffer from a fundamental lack of generative energy. They cannot see that that they could be making more of their lives--endeavoring to more growth.
Eventually, the Pine Forest Sages come to understand that although they cannot beat the system, their true nature is freedom, and accordingly, each Sage has a choice. The Pine Forest Sages then choose to turn back to each other with newfound agitation and urgency. Ahh passion!! Together they re-create and revel in their own intimacy. As they turn back to each other, adding a newness to what was once (and still is) very familiar, Bhikshatana dances.
In this most famous of moments, the image that we yogis call "Nataraja" is born. Shiva dances victoriously and ecstatically on top of "forgetfulness," affirming passion's place in the balance of all beings. And yet, our Dancing Shiva is not without a strong foundation. The Sages' foundation was not lost; but their forgotten passion was found.
And so, you might ask, what do I mean to tell you by going on and on about these Pine Forest Sages? We, each of us, work so hard to make ends meet every month, to achieve "success." We fall hard into the patterns of daily life and routine, even while keeping integrity in the forefront of our minds. We go through the motions in our lives. In marriage, we inadvertently take each other for granted. In life, we inadvertently forget ourselves on the path to achievement.
The Pine Forest Sages remind us that to live yoga is to aspire to more than just success. To live yoga you must aspire to growth and greatness. Yoga binds us to a life of creativity, conscience and curiosity. We balance this with our foundation, and we do not get stuck. Otherwise, sooner or later, Bhikshatana and Mohini will be coming to rock our world. And rock it they do (and have and will).
As for my immediate family, we are healthy and enjoying a playful and beautiful adventure. We are also overwhelmed and stretched in every direction. Madeleine is a thriving 3.5 year old, intrigued in school and interested in many of the fun activities American children participate in (music, dance, yoga, ice skating). Oliver is an unbelievably happy and sweet 6 month old. He spends most of his days smiling and laughing. He has such a charismatic and charming disposition. Our babies remind and demand that Tracy and I laugh and play every day. They constitute our true blessings and wealth. They are the true measure of our success.
Tracy is busier than ever, forming new businesses, getting ready to launch our new Website, leasing office space, working with the Shravana team, attending to our domestic fires, and generally persisting and prevailing as my biggest hero and most enduring love. Together, we have been re-vamping my calendar, evolving our individual and collective vision(s) and performing the daily rituals required to pay the bills and bring more yoga to more people throughout the world.
The crisis of Anusara Yoga has been well played out on the internet at this point, and I have no interest in getting into it here. My personal statement, if you have not read it, is available Here. Obviously, this has been an extremely difficult time for myself and for many of my friends and colleagues. I do not mean to dismiss or diminish that. I am ever grateful to John Friend, and I feel confident that we will collectively look back at this time, when our lives and teaching careers became interrupted, and see that this was the very moment and opportunity for our kula to become more creative, more generative, more accountable and more responsible for our actions and words. Some sage words from my friend, Emma Magenta, in hopes that we will all rise further toward greatness this Spring. "Yoga is getting in touch. Getting in touch with everything. The point for me is not to transform everything into bliss. The point is to experience everything fully and remain grounded while doing so. That means bliss and misery both." Many of my newsletters have explored this proposition. Yoga is all of the rasas, all of the time. That we can honor the yoga and honor each other in the midst of it all is crucial.
In this time of evolution and transition, I am continuing to teach and honor my Anusara Yoga program commitments. I will be offering immersion modules in Los Angeles (part 3; May 30-June 3), and part 2 and 3 in Japan (June/July and December). I am offering 50 hour teacher training modules this summer in Flagstaff, AZ (June 18-24) and in New Zealand (August 13-19). I have also added a more advanced 45 hour TT to my schedule, which will take place in our new Los Angeles studio this fall. Finally, I will be offering some advanced teacher training in Pennsylvania with Naime Jezzeny and Sue Elkind in November of this year.
For now, any Anusara program you participate in with me will continue to count toward your Anusara accreditation.
At the same time, if you request it, study with me also will count towards credit with Shravana School of Yoga. It's an awkward time, but most of my students are still craving growth. In this way, I will attempt to offer the best of all worlds.
In this way, it's not about a particular brand and yoga can prevail.
My wish for each of you this Spring is that you find the yoga of creativity and passion; find the yoga that extends beyond the foundation, ritual and complacency.
Do the yoga of greatness and aspire to the yoga of growth.
With an overflowing heart, Noah
Monday, April 9, 2012
Webinar with Christina and Noah in May
Live the Light of Yoga: Path of Practice Essentials
A Shravana School of Yoga Webinar with Christina Sell and Noah Maze
Tuition: $100
May 8, May 9, May 10 & May 11
7:30 pm Central Time
To register--
This 4-part webinar is perfect for yoga students and teachers from any yoga system or tradition who want to deepen their yoga practice through mantra, ritual, inner work and meaningful conversation. The course, modeled after the Shravana Path of Practice Intensives is designed to help students clarify their spiritual aims and is a great opportunity to learn about the Shravana School of Yoga's vision and mission with two of its founding members, Christina Sell and Noah Maze. Known for their clarity, passion and commitment to transformational educational experiences, Noah and Christina, along with Darren Rhodes founded the Shravana School of Yoga in January 2012 as a way to bring traditional teachings to modern life through creative, innovate and experiential programming. In this course, Christina and Noah will facilitate 4 hour-long discussions designed to provide an opportunity for people everywhere to share in the light of the teachings and in the joy of the practice.
All sessions will be recorded live and will be available for download to registered students so it is not necessary to be present for the live presentation.
Course Outline:
Session #1- High Vision and Clear Aim - What is your Highest Vision? How can aim serve to expand your possibilities rather than limit them? How does knowing why you stand for assist you in your spiritual journey?
Session #2--The Power of Ritual- Mantras, Puja and Conscious Acts of Devotion- Learn a simple puja ceremony along with four traditional mantras that will help you invoke your spiritual intentions and innate power.
Session #3- The Spiritual Experience of Being Fully Human- Learn simple, effective tools based for integrating the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of who you are. Come into a deeper understanding of who you are and how to live with greater acceptance and clarity for you and your needs.
Session #4- Developing and Deepening your Personal Practice- How many times have you heard that you should "take your yoga off your mat" and yet wondered about how best to do that in the midst of your busy life? This session explores how to bring yoga principles into your life and will help you open your heart and mind to a fuller, richer and more meaningful life of practice.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Continued Reflections- Ready, Fire, Aim
I have been so thrilled by the response to the workshop that Noah and I are giving in San Marcos in May. We are over half-full and I know it is going to be so fun. Kelly and I have been spending as much time as we can down at the house and studio doing small projects to get things ready for a new group.
A few things we have been doing in our not-so-spare time:
A few things we have been doing in our not-so-spare time:
- CUBBIES-After the last week there we realized we needed a way for the students to keep their belongings on site but since the yoga room is small, we wanted as few bags and shoes as possible to crowd the entry way. So we have bought some cubbies which we will put in the house in the office so that each person can have their own cubby for the week they are at The School.
- FANS-I met yesterday with a guy who is going to install three ceiling fans for us in the studio so that we can keep the air circulating in the room while we practice. (However, please be warned- May is warm here in Texas and the studio will be warm and so plan to sweat in good cheer!)
- FURNITURE--We bought some furniture to add to the house so the office has a display for some of the bronze statuary for sale, the guest room has a desk, my bedroom now has a dresser and a place for me to sit as well as an actual mattress as opposed to an inflatable one. kelly's acupuncture room will get some shelves soon and in the not to distant future we will have a second treatment room set up with a massage chair.
- GOODIE BAGS-I am working on a goodie bag for the students who attend the program and so soon, those of you who have signed up will get an email requesting a t-shirt size. So that is underway also. I will give it a trial run on this event and hope that it will pick up speed in the future.
We have had lots of rain this spiring and so the yard is green and the flowers are blooming and could use some TLC but again, this is a very one-thing-at-a-time kind of project or as Manorama says "pade pade" or "Step by step."
One thing that has been really touching my heart these days is the amount of enthusiasm and excitement that people feel for the Shravana School of Yoga. So many folks are asking me and Noah and Darren about how to get involved. One thing to know is that everything we are creating is very much a work-in-progress. In a perfect world we would have been able to take 6 months off of work to get a vision together, to write curriculum and to roll out our programs in an organized and complete way. As we all know, things are generally at least a few degrees off from that kind of "perfect". At least in my life, that is the case.
And so we have been in a much different kind of process, honestly. Instead of Ready, Aim and Fire. It may be more like Ready, Fire and then Aim. Maybe even more accurately, the process has actually been Fire, Aim, Get Ready.
Truth be told, one thing that is very real for me in all of this is a sense of caution in creation. My own exit from Anusara Yoga back in October brought with it a lot of soul searching as well as a lot of contemplation about how to move forward and steer the ship of my teaching work in a way that was honest, simple and direct. I examined my involvement and my choices and the outcomes of each from so many angles. It was big work. And as we all know, several months later more big work came into the equation as Anusara Yoga and the Anusara Yoga community faced its biggest challenge to date.
All of this has given me so much personal, professional, psychological, sociological, spiritual and social food for thought. In so many ways, I feel cautious about creating new structures since so many old wounds are fresh and the best future direction is not obvious. However, one thing I noticed in our Spring Intensive is that the best balm for some of those wounds is the practice itself- On the mat. In conversation. Up close. Personal. Real. No Facebook forum can do it. No website can do it. No logo, no special name, no certification, and no new group to join can do what practice does for us when we come together in the spirit of awakening.
And so, while I know the structures of the company are slow to evolve and we have disappointingly little concrete answers to tell people about "how to get involved" and "who we are exactly" we do have vision. We really do. If it is one thing we are big on, after all, it is vision.
School of Yoga- now Shravana School of Yoga --was born out of a vision to bring traditional teachings to modern life through a dedicated pursuit of hatha yoga. We consciously chose the word School because we hoped to function as a school as opposed to as a trademarked yoga system or as a church or as a spiritual community. Our vision for Shravana is that each class at each event will come together and learn tools for deepening their life of practice through asana, meditation, scriptural study, pranayama, mantra and other personal growth technologies. We will create conscious learning communities where the priority of community is anchored in the direct experience of being together in intimate, practice-oriented settings. These intensive experiences will train people in how to create and sustain meaningful connections in their local communities and help each one of us to grow in an authentic way. Our vision is to nurture strong, independent, mature practitioners and teachers in whom the seeds of yoga are rooted through practice, study, reflection and collaboration.
One thing to me is that I look at it as a life's work. And so I am not in a big hurry. To serve a vision like this means that I, too, must be seated in my own life of practice. So that is a huge priority for me these days as I look ahead. I am finding my way to a different pace of teaching so that my inner life is something I have time and energy to tend to and I can model that as a teacher and leader. Like I said, it's big work.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Update on Progress
Hello! Christina here.
So many folks have been asking me and Darren and Noah about School of Yoga- about what we are, what we are doing and how to get involved. We are working hard to get that information defined and available and it is all happening in the midst of our already full lives. I will be writing more on this blog as a way to centralize the message about what we are up to and how things are progressing and to give you a way to connect with us and each other as we are in this development phase of the project.
Mostly, the three of us have been in full swing with our very busy teaching schedules and in our not-so-spare-time we have been working to organize the business so it can move ahead fluidly with the structures in place to last a lifetime. I think these last few months have been some of the busiest, most stressful, and also inspiring months of my adult life. One of the first things we have been dealing with is our new name: The Shravana School of Yoga
When Darren and I first formed the school we wanted a name that was easy to pronounce, inclusive and left room for us to grow, change and evolve. Thinking simply, in a blinding flash of the obvious, we said, "Let's call it School of Yoga!" Done. So in our enthusiasm, we bought domain names, made logos and websites and so forth and got up and running. Yippee, right?
Shortly thereafter Noah joined forces with us which has been a wonderful and exciting development. Yippee again!
And then we got our first lesson in business ownership. The name School of Yoga is too generic to even get a bank account with, much less to trademark. The very thing we wanted for reasons associated with our vision- a simple, inclusive and generic name-- is not consistent with the way we need to actually function as a business. So, to be clear, we are NOT trademarking a yoga style but we are trademarking the name of our school which will help us do things like get a tax ID number, open bank accounts, form business entities, etc.
So we brainstormed and came up with a name to put in front of School of Yoga- Shravana. So we are officially The Shravana School of Yoga now and as soon as we can get it all together- logos, websites, etc. and so forth you will see the name in use, the marketing materials match up and all that stuff will come into being. (In the meantime, we are a little mismatched and not-so-dialed-in with all of our bells and whistles in place. be patient and think of it as charming, if you will. Perfectionists like myself have to lean into this a bit since I like things finished and checked off the list and this is just not going to conform to that ideal!)
Look over to the left of this article and you will see some interesting notes from Dr. Douglas Brooks and Dr. Katy Poole about the name and its implications. As one might predict when one joins forces under such a name, our team has been knee-deep in our own learning about what it means to listen, to stand by our word and to allow that process in ourselves and in each other to take its necessary time, attention and spaciousness. Seems like the name has invoked itself already. Not that we have been perfect at it, mind you. Listening is a practice, that much is clear. And business is its own kind of sadhana.
So, Tracy, Noah's lovely wife and business partner, is hard at work on getting a lot of the legal part of the business up and running and she is also working with some great web designers to create a new website for us. Look forward to a site with a full list of our program offerings, a great forum for connecting with one another, a centralized place to register for our trainings and workshops, and a place where future graduates will be listed, etc. In the meantime, keep checking in here for updates and on my blog, my website, Noah's website and Darren's website. All of our programs will be listed there as well.
I just finished a program at my place in San Marcos, TX. We had an amazing five days together. We had students from all over the country and two from Canada. We started every day with puja, pranayama and meditation. After a short break I taught a long morning asana class, we had lunch and then came together for an afternoon session. Manorama joined us for the weekend to teach Luminous Shabda, or sound as an entry point to the Light of Consciousness, more commonly known as Introductory Sanskrit Studies. To call her teaching Sanskrit is selling a bit short, I think , as she teaches so much about studentship, about the Path of Awakenning through that medium.
It was so great to be together with no Immersion agenda, no Teacher Training goals (all of which are also great, mind you.) and just share in the Light of the Teachings and in the practices. We had plenty of onsite down-time together because we have a community-space right next to the yoga building so people could have tea, coffee, eat lunch and just unwind together. All in all it was a great week. Here are a few pictures.
Soon, this will sign will say Shravana School of Yoga San Marcos!
Here is Manorama chanting.
Ganesh on the puja.
Another Ganesh in the corner.
We shared a group dinner on Friday before satsang with Manorama.
Here we are getting ready for Manorama to teach.
And for anyone interested in the next program here, Noah and I are teaching a 4-day asana intensive in May. We have 27 slots left. Here is some information:
For the Love of Practice
An Intermediate/Advanced Intensive
with Christina Sell and Noah Maze
May 10-13, 2012
San Marcos, TX
An Intermediate/Advanced Intensive
with Christina Sell and Noah Maze
May 10-13, 2012
San Marcos, TX
Please join Christina Sell and Noah Maze for a 4-day asana intensive designed to help experienced students connect to the love of practice in an intimate and personal setting. Each day begins with puja, pranayama and meditation. The morning asana sessions explore strong, dynamic postures and the afternoon sessions focus on cooling, more contemplative work. During the breaks students can enjoy relaxing on the property, exploring the charming town of San Marcos, TX or playing in the San Marcos river nearby.
The intensive is aimed at helping participants deepen their practice, expand their capacity and strengthen their connection to what lives at the foundation of their relationship to yoga.
This intensive is not appropriate for people recovering from injury or illness. Students should be able to push up to urdhva danurasana with straight arms unassisted, kick to the wall for handstand unassisted, practice a 5-minute headstand and a 5-minute shoulder stand. Also important is the ability to be of good cheer in the face of challenge and the willingness to respect and honor one's limits. A sense of humor is also quite useful.
Daily Schedule (all days but Sunday*)
8:45-9:30 Puja, Pranayama and Meditation
10:00-1:00 Asana
1:00-3:00 break
3:00-5:00 Asana
* Sunday will end at 2:00, after asana practice and a closing circle.
Space is limited to 33 students.
Please reserve your space soon by registering atwww.schoolofyogasanmarcos.com. Look under events!
Tuition: $450
School of Yoga San Marcos
400 Centre Street
San Marcos, TX 78745
School of Yoga San Marcos is located in San Marcos, TX. San Marcos is a small town located approximately 35 minutes south of Austin, TX and 45 minutes north of San Antonio, TX. Hotels in town are affordable and there is a limited amount of local housing available in Austin, TX on a first come-first serve basis. Out of town guests will need a car. We have kitchen facilities onsite for heating simple lunches and students are encouraged to bring their lunch and eat on the premises. Tea and coffee are provided onsite as well.
Christina Sell and Noah Maze are known internationally for their passion for practice, their dedication to community, their ongoing studentship and for offering workshops and trainings of the highest integrity and professionalism. They met in 2000 while studying Anusara Yoga under the guidance of John Friend. After serving the Anusara Yoga community as certified teachers and leaders for many years, they began teaching together in 2007. Christina and Noah, along with their friend Darren Rhodes, developed the Shravana School of Yoga in 2012 as a way to freely and creatively offer their insight, understanding and expertise to a new generation of teachers and practitioners. For more information about Noah visit him online at www.noahmazeyoga.com. For more information about Christina Sell, visit her online at www.christinasell.com
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Living the Light, A Hero's Journey... Path of Practice Intensive Part 2 begins
"There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our heart."-Chandogya Upanishad
Each round of these intensives gets more sophisticated. The asana is more advanced. The contemplation is more resonant. Practice is undeniable accelerated. The mantras have made their way into our cells. The very practical work on self has begun to identify our inner critics that have been preventing us from living fully in the light. You can see it. There is a certain brightness in the two minute handstands. The light of the heart must be solar.
We begin practice with our hands together at our hearts. The gesture is both prayer and ownership. Prayer in the form that we recognize a light much greater than our individual shine, ownership in the form that we claim our unique spark and contribution. Surya Namaskar is an offering to the light. Asana practice is one way of calling in the fire required for transformation. There was a certain glow yesterday even in the belly down backbends... who likes nakarasana and still eyes were twinkling.
One way of translating the Gayatri Mantra is "Let us meditate on the highest light so that we can transform our own". Our own light... our own light... own our light...own our light. This is School of Yoga. This is the unique offering of School of Yoga. Be YOU. Shine. Shine light on your shadow. Find your dark, find your demons, find your life script, find your old stories, find your anger, find your weakness, find your malice, find your shame. Use it for fuel. When we start to breakdown the tensions around some of our not so pretty... all of the sudden we have an extraordinary amount of propellent for practice. Mr. Lee used to say "leave no stone unturned". Some of those stones are frickin' heavy, never the less we work to uncover all of ourselves.
"Furthermore, we have not even to risk the journey alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world." -Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces
Living the Light is the Hero's Journey
GO on then Hero... get shining.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Place Between
Working towards the final form.
When doing asana, there is "that place" before the final form of the pose. That place where the work has to be sustained, the place where you are hovering between where you have been and where you are attempting to go. It is a time when you can feel a little lost and perplexed. I have heard Christina Sell say "that place" is actually harder than the final form of the pose. With the final form, many times there comes a steadiness once the form is achieved. It is the entry and exit that can yield some of the hardest challenges. The transitions are when we need to be the most alert, aware and patient.
It can be extremely hard to stay the course and not give up, when you are not sure if you will make it to the other side. I think it is one of the reasons I am so into asana. Its a place where I can develop strength and dexterity, not only of my body but also of my mind and dare I say it, even my heart. And, it does not have to just be about advanced asana. The final form of a lot of the poses on the level 1 syllabus are really hard, for example: revolved parsvakonasana. That is one dang hard pose. I am very stuck in "that place" between keeping my hips square and keeping my heel down. So tricky. Of course, things get more precarious and the stakes go up as the asana gets more advanced/complex.
Once again, the asana practice is a wonderful metaphor for life. The transitions of life can be the most uncomfortable and hard to endure. The place between many times can feel like the darkest and scariest. It is the time when we are not sure of the outcome, but we have to stay the course in order to get to the other side. It is in the most complex moments of my life that I try to remember the patience, strength, and flexibility it takes to navigate skillfully.
Everyday is an opportunity to work towards the final form, our best self. Some days are better than others. Some days I fall hard and flat on my face in the transitions. Some days I do not get as roughed up. On the other side though, I may be a little raw but I actually tend to be steadier and a little more free. The funny thing is though, just like in asana, there is always more. The "final form" can always yield more. There is always the invitation to go deeper, refine more.
I am headed off to teach a workshop today. We have some tricky transitions and lots of time for studying the poses. I am very excited. Here is my plan, but I guarantee it will change. Please share your thoughts. How do you use yoga to navigate skillfully?
AMV
AMS
uttanasana
surya a 3x
surya b 3x
utkatasana
crescent
utkatasana
lunge with twist
garudasana
brigitte's cross
tadasana with hands interlaced behind head (working with plugging in and opening upper back)
anjaneyasana with hand interlaced behind head moving towards straight arms
via 1 with hand interlaced behind head moving towards straight arms
makrasana
prasaritta padottasana
parsvakonasana
revolved parsvakonasana variation
bhujagasana
sirasana 2 with variations
malasana
malasana lunge
bakasana
jathara parivarttasana
eka pada koundiyasana
parsva bakasana
sirasana 2 to bakasana
sirasana 2 to parsva bakasana
supta virasana
pigeon
pigeon with thigh stretch
setu bandha
urdhva danurasana 3x (walking hands toward feet)
dwi pada viparita dandasana
partner work to standing up
headstand dropover to urdhva D to standing up
link it all
(sirasana 2- bakasana-dropover-urdhva d-stand up)
AMS
SPG
janu sirsasana
uppa vista konasana
paschimottanasana
savasana
When doing asana, there is "that place" before the final form of the pose. That place where the work has to be sustained, the place where you are hovering between where you have been and where you are attempting to go. It is a time when you can feel a little lost and perplexed. I have heard Christina Sell say "that place" is actually harder than the final form of the pose. With the final form, many times there comes a steadiness once the form is achieved. It is the entry and exit that can yield some of the hardest challenges. The transitions are when we need to be the most alert, aware and patient.
It can be extremely hard to stay the course and not give up, when you are not sure if you will make it to the other side. I think it is one of the reasons I am so into asana. Its a place where I can develop strength and dexterity, not only of my body but also of my mind and dare I say it, even my heart. And, it does not have to just be about advanced asana. The final form of a lot of the poses on the level 1 syllabus are really hard, for example: revolved parsvakonasana. That is one dang hard pose. I am very stuck in "that place" between keeping my hips square and keeping my heel down. So tricky. Of course, things get more precarious and the stakes go up as the asana gets more advanced/complex.
Once again, the asana practice is a wonderful metaphor for life. The transitions of life can be the most uncomfortable and hard to endure. The place between many times can feel like the darkest and scariest. It is the time when we are not sure of the outcome, but we have to stay the course in order to get to the other side. It is in the most complex moments of my life that I try to remember the patience, strength, and flexibility it takes to navigate skillfully.
Everyday is an opportunity to work towards the final form, our best self. Some days are better than others. Some days I fall hard and flat on my face in the transitions. Some days I do not get as roughed up. On the other side though, I may be a little raw but I actually tend to be steadier and a little more free. The funny thing is though, just like in asana, there is always more. The "final form" can always yield more. There is always the invitation to go deeper, refine more.
I am headed off to teach a workshop today. We have some tricky transitions and lots of time for studying the poses. I am very excited. Here is my plan, but I guarantee it will change. Please share your thoughts. How do you use yoga to navigate skillfully?
AMV
AMS
uttanasana
surya a 3x
surya b 3x
utkatasana
crescent
utkatasana
lunge with twist
garudasana
brigitte's cross
tadasana with hands interlaced behind head (working with plugging in and opening upper back)
anjaneyasana with hand interlaced behind head moving towards straight arms
via 1 with hand interlaced behind head moving towards straight arms
makrasana
prasaritta padottasana
parsvakonasana
revolved parsvakonasana variation
bhujagasana
sirasana 2 with variations
malasana
malasana lunge
bakasana
jathara parivarttasana
eka pada koundiyasana
parsva bakasana
sirasana 2 to bakasana
sirasana 2 to parsva bakasana
supta virasana
pigeon
pigeon with thigh stretch
setu bandha
urdhva danurasana 3x (walking hands toward feet)
dwi pada viparita dandasana
partner work to standing up
headstand dropover to urdhva D to standing up
link it all
(sirasana 2- bakasana-dropover-urdhva d-stand up)
AMS
SPG
janu sirsasana
uppa vista konasana
paschimottanasana
savasana
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