Finding Contentment on the Go
As published in Shades Magazine (November 2011) by Jo Kelly
If only contentment were as easy to pick up as that yummy soy latte at your local cafe! Contentment, known in yogic terms as santosha, is an age-old goal, and for most, is about accessible as the Holy Grail.
Though santosha may be one of the niyamas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, it’s a concept that concerns us all – and seems to elude most. Here are a few tips for the urban seeker on how to find your daily dose of santosha, just as easily as your daily cuppa joe.
Seeking to Clear a Path Between Yoga and Islam
Mimi Borda adjusted some classes at her yoga studio in Jackson Heights, Queens, to address the concerns of Muslim students.
NY Times, April 8, 2012 | By SARAH MASLIN NIR
As a community activist in Queens, Muhammad Rashid has fought for the rights of immigrants held in detention, sought the preservation of local movie theaters and held a street fair to promote diversity.
But few of those causes brought him anywhere near as much grief and controversy as his stance on yoga.
Mr. Rashid, a Muslim, said he had long believed that practicing yoga was tantamount to “denouncing my religion.”
“Yoga is not for Muslims,” he said. “It was forbidden.”
But after moving to New York in 1997 from Bahrain, he slowly began to rethink his stance. Now Mr. Rashid, 56, has come full circle: not only has he adopted yoga into his daily routine, but he has also encouraged other Muslims to do so — putting himself squarely against those who consider yoga a sin against Islam.
Yoga for NYC Taxi Drivers!
By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
Thomas Lowery clomped down the hallway in his jeans and Timberland boots, 6-feet-2 and 290 pounds and 54 years old, until he reached the classroom. It was an improbably delicate place, a dance studio with blond wood and mirrored walls. Mr. Lowery cut down his strides to pick a path between the nine purple mats arranged on the floor.
“Taxi Yoga,” declared the flier in his hand. “No more Road Rage. Become a Road Sage!”
Yoga Journal Conference, NYC!
Just two weeks to go until Yoga Journal’s annual conference at the midtown Hilton in New York City. Yogis of the city, unite!
Bright lights, bright yogis!
I’m particularly excited for this one because A) it’s been about five years since my last YJ Conference (Boulder was beyond gorgeous) and B) I was given a scholarship by the magazine for my charity work with under-served populations (read more on the Project Surya website). Woo hoo!
As a result, I’ll be experiencing two full days of classes from some of the most engaging and respected teachers in the American yoga community. I’ll be all the more ready to bring back some valuable wisdom to my community. Thank you, Yoga Journal, you rock!
To view all the classes on offer, from Sanskrit to Anatomy, Asana to Meditation, click here!
There are quite a few free special events taking place as well, including meditation and forum discussions.
It should be an incredible weekend, so if you have some time in the city and are looking to network, explore, shop or learn, it looks like there’s something for everyone!
Pure Genius! The world’s first AIRPORT YOGA ROOM. Cheers, San Francisco!
You’ve just spent 5 hours in a teeny airplane chair, making small talk between chugging water and exploring eighteen versions of the neck roll. Deep breathing keeps your mind balanced, but your body is singing for an open space so you can get back in the asana groove.
Not to worry. If you’re traveling through San Francisco Airport’s newly-greened Terminal 2, you’ll have the luxury of the millennium’s most innovative airport amenity at your fingertips (and yogi-toes): The Yoga Room.
The yoga room is graced with calming lights, rentable mats, ceiling to floor mirrors, and a floating wall meant to symbolize “a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind.” The space cost upwards of $20,000 and Yoga Lovin’ reckons it was worth every penny!What better way to escape the frenetic energy and consumer-culture of an airport than a nice comfy room for spiritual nurturing? Not to mention all the physical benefits of yoga postures for the frequent traveler.
If asana isn’t your conscious traveler’s technique of choice, T2 offers a Berman reflection room as well – a space intended for silence and meditation.
So make sure to book your flights through American or Virgin Airlines – because those are the only two domestic carriers who have the honor of offering this chic new terminal and all its bliss.
(and if you’re *not* traveling through Terminal 2 this trip, here are a few on-flight postures you can do in the meantime!)
(photo credit: msnbc.com)
Zen Yoga, Dubai
The tallest building in the world - one of Dubai's many eerily large ode's to modern metal and glass.
When the external vibe just isn’t happening, there’s only one place to go – internal!
My first trip to Dubai felt as empty as the hundreds of skyscrapers surrounding us, so my travel buddy and I hit up one of the most highly rated yoga studios in the city, Zen.
With three locations throughout the bustling metropolis, Zen sounded like just the right spot for getting a taste of this city’s yoga offerings. With a one week pass, we saved a significant amount of dosh only after three classes – if you’re planning on being in the city a while, we definitely recommend the pass. Just be mindful of holidays as the studio doesn’t stay open 7 days a week.
Bikram in Kathmandu
(written April, 2009)
For some reason, since teaching in Thailand, I’ve had a really hard time getting back into my daily practice without the help of a video or scheduled class. This is a bit worrying as the most important aspect of yoga is of course … practice! You can wax lyrical about the physical and psychological benefits, you can ponder for lifetimes the spiritual implications, but if you’re not doing the breath-work, the postures, the meditation, it’s all in vain.
Meditation: Calisthenics for the Brain
Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice.
Brain imaging of regular working folks who meditate regularly revealed increased thickness in cortical regions related to sensory, auditory and visual perception, as well as internal perception — the automatic monitoring of heart rate or breathing, for example.
The study also indicates that regular meditation may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.
