No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Team & You

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Day 3 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Team & You   
The most integral part of the #yogabeardsunite fundraising team is You. 

Here is how you can help:

Please donate to our team fundraising page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. Every dollar counts! Even if you can donate $1 this will help us achieve our goal.

Help spread the word. Use the #yogabeardsunite hashtag when you post photos on IG , share our posts on your Facebook, or favorite us on Twitter.

This event is open to everyone, regardless of sex, and it is no matter if you choose to grow hairy or not. You can also join our team and help create your own posts to facilitate the fundraising potential. Thank you for your support and we greatly appreciate your help.

  
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Why No Shave November? Compassion for Others 

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Day 2 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Why No Shave November? Compassion for Others   
A question that may come to mind is, why would we want to not shave during the month of November? We certainly can come up with a ton of reasons why shaving is a good idea i.e., it’s not as itchy, it feels cleaner and smoother and my grandma likes it better when I shave to name only a few. The reason for the campaign of No Shave November is to make a statement, emanating an expression of compassion for others. In yoga philosophy and practice there is an adage (Loka-Samgraha) that encourages us to offer the fruits of our practice such as, good health, positive frame of mind and improved concentration, to the greater good of humanity. This is why I am practicing not shaving for this campaign. It is my hope that our effort to raise money and awareness for others plight may offer the simplest expression of compassion to someone who needs it. Chances are you have had someone close to you diagnosed with cancer at some point in your life. If so then you know how challenging it is when you would like to be able to help but feel like there is nothing that you can do. We cannot guarantee that this campaign will change the course of our life or someone else. Yet by setting the intention that we would like to help, as humble as an intention may be, perhaps together we can make a difference.

Today Greg Nardi explains what Loka-Samgraha means in the video below. 

 
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

What is No Shave November? The Goal

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Day 1 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – What is No Shave November? The Goal

The goal of No Shave November & Movember is to grow awareness about men’s health and cancer by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. We encourage you to donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to aid organizations that help educate about cancer prevention and provide assistance to those diagnosed with cancer. You can help save lives and aid those fighting the battle.

No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

No Shave Yoga Event

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rsz_1rsz_nsyeDuring the month of November I am striving to raise awareness about cancer and to help fundraise for the organization www.no-shave.org. I have created two main events to help this process. One is an actual gathering at Native Yoga Center for a donation based yoga class on November 22nd at 12pm. If you live locally in South Florida you can register for the event at the No- Shave Yoga Event registration page. The other event is an online fundraising social media campaign involving male yoga teachers from around the world. We are collectively growing a beard to support the cause and are posting pictures and words of inspiration on our social media channels. Our team is called Yoga Beards Unite and it consists of @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey. Follow us on Instagram and on our favorite social media channels. These events are open for all to participate, male and female. Your support will help those who are working through the challenge of cancer receive financial and moral support. Help show your support by including #yogabeardsunite on your posts as well. Thank you!

Mysore, Kirtan and Friends

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Today is one of those days that I can’t help but share my excitement about. I set the alarm for 4am and made my way from home to the shala for an early morning practice. Upon returning to Florida several weeks ago from the 3rd series training with Tim out in Encinitas I have been feeling so inspired. Tim and the attendant trainees infused me with a sense of total of verve that that has motivated me to experiment with parts of 3rd I had not yet before. There is something about the series that is so completely physically challenging and yet altogether invigorating. Also, It is really fun to experiment when I am on my own or just a few friends practicing nearby knowing that there is no judgement based on performance capabilities.   
I was winding things down with the shoulder stand sequence and while balled up in Pindasana (a shoulder stand with the legs in lotus folded down against the chest and the arms wrapped around so that we mimic the fetus in the head down position) our good friend and student Carole came in for a surprise visit. She hit a couple of the wrong switches and the whole room lit up with fluorescent lighting and we had a good laugh at the grand entry. Carole started practicing with us 9 years ago here and we would both get to the shala very early in the morning and practice together regularly since then. She has moved up the D.C. area and I have missed her energy so much. It is really great to develop a friendship through repeated years of practicing silently next to someone. You really get to know the person and you develop a bond that goes beyond words. It felt like my morning started off with the right combination of positive vibes to help me find that zest that comes with stoked practice.

I suppose some momentum was created and to top it off Greg Nardi came to practice Mysore this morning with us which was just such a nice treat. Greg is getting ready to offer some workshops this Friday and Saturday here at Native Yoga Center. When we scheduled this event Greg had the idea of combining forces and offering a Kirtan. We both agreed and then realized that some practice would be a good idea before hand. 🙂 One thing that really inspires the Mysore room is the combined enthusiasm of the practitioners that show up. The teacher just gives a little assistance but really the practice and the sweat that comes from the practice is the real “bread and butter” so to speak. I thoroughly love the Ashtanga routines and all the elements of the “limbs” that make it up.
 

 
Greg and I had a chance to iron out which songs to sing and and get some practice in before this weekend. Enclosed is a short video from our practice session today. If you are in the South Florida area we hope you can make it. Greg enjoys teaching a well rounded approach to Ashtanga Yoga and his insights will encourage you.

Friday, September 25th he is offering a workshops titled:
Forward bends, Hips, and Knees 5:30pm – 7:30pm Paschimattanasana, or west stretching pose, describes forward bending as a means of opening the subtle channels on the posterior surface of the body.  In this workshop, we will look at the three symmetrical forward bends, or paschimattanasana poses in the beginning of primary series to help us understand the fundamentals of hip and spinal flexion.  We will then build on this foundation to look at asymmetrical forward bends and what they teach us about proper use of the hips and knees so that we can safely move towards advanced forward bending asanas.

Kirtan and Mantra with Greg Nardi and Todd McLaughlin 7:30pm – 8:30pm

On Saturday, September 26th he will offer two workshops:

Backbends 12:00pm – 2:30pm Explore the fine art of backbending.  We will work through a progressively challenging series of backbends that will educate you about the finer points of spinal extension.  Learn how to distribute energy through the entire body during your backbends to avoid overloading the lower back. If you are challenged by the process of deepening your backbends, or are just beginning to explore advanced backbending, this workshop is not to be missed.

Yoga Beyond Asana 4:00pm – 6:30pm This workshop will explore concepts from the Upanishads that shape the eastern worldview.  This paradigm is the contextual framework out of which yoga is born.  As a modern yoga practitioner, you will be able to fit contemporary yoga practice into an ancient wisdom tradition.  We will explore yogic theories and concepts such as conditioned living, the causes of suffering, the means of liberation, and the purpose of life.  Come with an open mind, and you will leave inspired.

All details and registration are available at www.nativeyogacenter.com

Greg Nardi returns to Native Yoga Center

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Everyone at Native Yoga Center is excited for the return of Greg Nardi this Friday and Saturday, September 25th and 26th, 2015. 

Here is Greg’s bio from his website http://www.ashtangayogaworldwide.com 

Greg Nardi, founder of Ashtanga Yoga Worldwide, has spent years of dedicated practice under the guidance of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. In 2003, he was given authorization to teach from Pattabhi Jois, and in 2009, he completed a level 2 authorization course from Sharath Jois. He is currently learning the advanced series under Sharath’s guidance at the KPJAYI.

Greg perpetually studies and practices Yoga, Eastern Philosophy and Sanskrit mantra chanting. He participates in Georg Feuerstein’s Traditional Yoga Studies course and has studied with Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute.

Greg founded Ashtanga Yoga Worldwide, a resource which strives to explore the traditions that give rise to modern Yoga methods, to maintiain the Ashtanga Yoga system as taught by Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois, and to make these traditions and methods intelligible to the Western practitioner.

We have been lucky enough to have Greg teach here at Native several times over the years. Included is a link to the workshop schedule that he is offering this weekend.

http://www.nativeyogacenter.com/ap-greg-nardi–save-date-september-25th-26th-2015-1430421410.php 

One Door Closes and Another One Opens

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One Door Closes and Another One Opens  
Today, Saturday, August 29th, 2015 marks the end of the first Third Series Teacher Training with Tim Miller. As the session came to a close there was a feeling of complete excitement and appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of this community. We had our closing celebration last night at a beautiful home in Solana Beach and found ourselves having so much fun that when asked why didn’t we do this sooner we found ourselves wishing we had. When we arrived today at TT session for Yoga Sutra studies it was a bittersweet moment. The closer we came toward the end the deeper we connected together as a group. We spent the first part of the afternoon studying the fourth chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The chapter is called Samadhi Pada and it seemed a very befitting topic of discussion for the last session. The fourth chapter has some very beautiful sutras that, in my opinion, inspire us to enjoy this opportunity we have to make the most of our lives.

   
 Tim then read to us the portion of the Ramayana when Hanuman realizes that he is going to take the leap of faith and jump for Sita in Lanka. As the story was being read I couldn’t help but feel that this was a perfect metaphor for where we are at this transition today. Anytime we encounter new and exciting information there is a zeal that is ignited and serves as a catalyst for change. There is also often a sense of foreboding though when realizing that we will be on our own again and trying to implement the techniques that were introduced. Hence, it is up to us to make up our minds to know that we can achieve our dreams and aspirations. We can utilize our minds to recall the acquired inspiration and use that as fuel to maintain our motivation along the road ahead. In the story Hanuman remembers he has the ability to rescue his teacher’s beloved and sets in his mind that he has already succeeded before he even makes the infamous leap across the great ocean. This story is so wonderful and poignant.  
After having a heartfelt graduation ceremony we dried our eyes and relaxed our jaws from smiling so much as we listed to each student share their thoughts and feelings upon completion. It seemed now the only thing left to close the training was sing the Hanuman Chalisa, and that we did! We put out hearts and souls into it and and there was such an amazing feeling of harmony and connectedness that we were left feeling totally charged up. All I can say is that it blew the doors off of any kirtan experience I have encountered thus far. It was like I could feel the zing in everyone’s voices.

 

 
We then tied all of the loose ends with a group photo and a chance to give everyone hugs and farewell wishes goodbye. In the past during these type of group events I have felt bummed to say goodbye and like I didn’t want to leave. What was different about today was that I genuinely feel thankful for the time we had and know we are all going to see each other again. Generally there can be sadness when saying goodbye to friends and relatives because we will miss them, and we want to continue to be beside them. I feel though there is a link that binds all of us together and even though we are apart we are connected through love and devotion. I can hardly wait to see my wife and children and feel like they are the most important thing to me. As I was walking to my car I saw a man changing the diaper for his baby in the back of his car with the hatch up. I couldn’t help but stop and contemplate because in that moment I felt that the time we have in each stage of life with our loved ones is so precious. I can actually say that I can’t wait to get home and change some diapers!

Full Moon on the Rise

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Full Moon on the Rise  
Today is Friday and our second to last day here at the Third Series Teacher Training with Tim Miller. I arrived at the studio for the 6:00am Pranayama routine. I didn’t miss a session in the entire two weeks. This has been one of my favorite parts of this two week immersion with Timji. Yesterday Tim asked if it was getting any easier for us? I did feel a slight bit of lightness in today’s practice. Like anything, you just have to do this everyday to feel comfortable with it. I am really looking forward to practicing more at my own pace to be able to develop my relationship with it. The pranayama is truly an incredible form of concentration and meditation. The intricacy of the coordination required combined with the delicacy of relaxing the mental and physical agitation that arises is priceless. What a gem of an experience.

  
I stored up my Primary series practice for today and I am so glad that I did. I remember a good friend of mine, Tim Feldmann (“Little Tim”), telling me how challenging working all the way through Intermediate and adding a portion of Advanced into the morning routine can be to maintain on a daily basis. You know how someone can give you clue that you know one day you will probably know what they mean but you can’t quite fathom yet? I think I now understand what he was saying. This is some intense work. You wake up feeling every single fiber of your being and then have to find the courage to repeat it all over again. Yet what an inspirational process. So when Friday came around today, and it was time to do Primary, I felt like I had been the greatest gift. When you feel all “beat up” the Primary series is like a soothing bath or a nice gentle walk through the park. Well, I still sweat like there was no tomorrow and speaking of which tomorrow is a full moon. I think Tim might have planned this perfectly to coordinate with the full moon rising just as we are closing this session. It couldn’t be a better conjunction of planets and stars and…some rest.

  
After class I snuck down to the beach for a surf. The water was so glassy and there were about a million people in the water. The sets were coming through about once every 20 minutes with about 2 waves per set. So if you do the math that gives you about a one and one thousandth chance of catching a wave. Non the less the weather was so beautiful and the water felt like a recharging salt bath set to the best temperature. I also had the chance to have breakfast at Swami’s cafe right across from Swami’s beach and Paramahansa Yogananda’s Hermitage. I LOVE Encinitas! Outside of Juno there is no other place I would like to live. Clearly everyone else feels the same way which makes for some crowded conditions.

  
This afternoon’s Teacher Training session was so great. We finished our investigation of the poses of the finishing series and concluded with Uthplitihi right at exactly 5pm. Tim orchestrated this masterfully. It was timed so perfectly. He also read from the Srimad Bhagavatam which is a hefty text from the genre of Indian literature called the Puranas. It is an ancient scripture that espouses the path of Bhakti Yoga which is the path of devotion. I took notes while he spoke to keep myself alert and I enjoyed the stories that he shared from it. We sang a Hanuman Chalisa to put the the theory to practice and Tim made joke that we were going to have to sing a Chalisa tomorrow without looking at the words as a test. I have a feeling we are going to pass with flying colors.