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Exclusive Content for Yoga Journal Conference Alumni and Friends -- February 2010 |
Thank you to everyone who attended last month's San Francisco Conference. It was a memorable weekend with almost 2,500 yogis filling the Hyatt in downtown San Francisco. 
But more importantly than the countless downward dogs and pigeons we saw during the conference, we'd like to take this opportunity to share how much the conference was able to give back to those in need. A warm heartfelt 'thank you to all who contributed.
Also in this month's Teacher Spotlight, Gary Kraftsow shares his journey that started at 19 when he traveled to India to attend Madras University and studied privately with a well-known mystic and scholar of Saiva Siddhanta, the Saivite Tantra of south India, V.A Devasenapathi. Namaste, The Yoga Journal Conference Team
Revisit the sights and sounds of the
San Francisco Conference San Francisco Photo Gallery San Francisco Audio Recordings Conference Updates Boston Conference Sheraton Boston April 6 - 11, 2010 Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday, Feb. 19th The event will feature more than 40 world-renowned yoga teachers such as including Seane Corn, Ana Forrest, Gary Kraftsow, Shiva Rea, Rodney Yee and many more. Choose from more than 100+ yoga classes and workshops in all styles for students of all levels. 
New this year is a special 3-day Continuing Education for Teachers Immersion plus an evening event with world renowned author
Deepak Chopra.
A limited number of VIP tickets for a meet and greet reception with Dr. Chopra and priority seating are available. Register now for this amazing opportunity!
Find out more about the conference including special events online at yjevents.com/boston10. Wanderlust 
If you didn't pick up your 2010 Wanderlust tickets at the SF Yoga Journal conference, here's a second chance!
The 2nd annual Wanderlust Festival returns to the stunning peaks of Squaw Valley USA in Lake Tahoe, CA from July 29 - August 1, 2010.
This four-day yoga and music experience is a feast for the body and the senses - a place to relax, unwind, bend, dance, revel and contemplate.
Featured teachers include Seane Corn, Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, Duncan Wong, Elena Brower and Schuyler Grant, along with many more.
The full music lineup also was just announced at www.wanderlustfestival.com! A limited number of advance-priced yoga + music tickets went on-sale February 16.
Prices start at $340 for a three-day Seeker pass and $420 for a four-day Sage pass.
Lodging packages are available as well, so snap yours up before the discount expires. See you on the cable car!
(note: Wanderlust is not affiliated with Yoga Journal nor a Yoga Journal event) Teacher Spotlight: Gary Kraftsow Editor's Note: In addition to his classes, Gary is teaching a 3-Day Continuing Education for Teachers Immersion at the Boston Conference. Click here for details. 
Yoga offers a process of transformation, with the potential to eliminate the symptoms and causes of suffering, and help us actualize our full potential at every level. My understanding of yoga, and of the deeper impulses towards faith, devotion, realization and actualization that are inherent in the human condition have been shaped by my teachers of yoga and world religions, and by my personal experiences.
My journey began over 30 years ago at Colgate University where I was majoring in religious studies. Early into the didactic training I was hungry for a deeper experiential understanding, and so, at 19 I traveled to India to attend Madras University. Here I studied privately with a well-known mystic and scholar of Saiva Siddhanta, the Saivite Tantra of south India, V.A Devasenapathi. During this same time, I began my study of yoga with T.K.V. Desikachar, son of T Krishnamacharya. I had a rare opportunity while studying in Krishnamacharya's home to combine insights gained from the mystical teaching and practices of Saivite Tantra as taught by VA Devasenapathi with the very practical science of yoga as taught by T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya, who himself was a Bhakta in the Visisthadvaita lineage. Back in the United States, my studies continued with respected scholars. Among them were Kenneth Morgan, a leading authority on the study of world religions, and M. Holmes Hartshorne, one of the foremost scholars on Soren Kierkegaard, often described as the "Father of Christian Existentialism". These foundations of learning have given me a unique opportunity to understand the human condition from the perspective of diverse cultures, and appreciate the universal relevance and applicability of Yoga. Having completed my studies at Colgate in 1976, I returned to India for two years to deepen understanding of yoga philosophy and practice. Having been a gymnast in high school, the asana came easily. I found myself most interested in the study of pranayama, chanting, and various source texts of the yoga tradition. After returning from India, I began doctoral studies in a program on psychology and religion at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under Dr. Raimundo Panikkar. Panikkar was perhaps one of the greatest teachers I ever had. In addition to being a Catholic priest and a Vedic scholar, he had multiple PhD's, was a scientist, a world renowned scholar of world religions, and a world leader in interfaith dialogue. Beyond all of these impressive credentials what impressed me most was his living example of integrated spirituality. Panikkar has been very influential in my life. I was able to complete the course work for my doctorate, and receive a master's degree, focusing on health as a paradigm for spiritual transformation, before he retired. When he left the University, I returned to India for another year to delve deeper into yoga, and in particular, Viniyoga, and the practical tools of spiritual integration and transformation, including meditation and tantric yoga. Impressed by Panikkar's knowledge of science, and guided by Desikachar who was himself an engineer, I also began a serious study of the science of Yoga Therapeutics. When I left India, I settled in Hawaii and started Maui Yoga Therapy, where I continued to refine my understanding of yoga for a modern context as I worked with hundreds of students. I continued to explore and learn, traveling to study further with T.K.V Desikachar and another influential teacher, the great Tibetan Buddhist master, Kalu Rinpoche. I pursued a deeper study of Vajrayana, the great Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and also served on the board of the Maui Dharma Center for nearly 20 years. 
In 1983 my ability to train teachers in this lineage was recognized, and I was awarded the Viniyoga Special Diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris, France.
In 1999, Maui Yoga Therapy morphed into the American Viniyoga Institute (AVI) where we have continually evolved our professional training programs, including our Viniyoga Teacher Training, a Foundation for Yoga Therapy Training (a recent addition) and the AVI Viniyoga Therapist Training. As the American Viniyoga Institute evolved, so did my transmission of the teachings into two books, Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation, and two DVDs, Yoga Therapy for Low Back, Sacrum, and Hips and Yoga Therapy for Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders. A highlight of my 30-plus year study of yoga and its potential for health and healing was the invitation to develop a protocol for the National Institutes of Health Study on "Evaluating Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain." The study demonstrated the positive effect of yoga on low back pain and was accepted by and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The birth of my son Matteo started one of the more transformative experiences in my life. Just as he has deepened my appreciation of life, so too, in a different way, did my diagnosis with a life-threatening brain tumor in 2004. It was yoga that sustained me through the experience of diagnosis, multiple surgeries, and long recoveries with multiple complications. I couldn't do asana or pranayama or chanting, and yet it was the inner dimensions of Yoga practice that were fundamental to my stability and recovery. My intention is to continue my work to make the ancient teachings of yoga relevant for people with health and life challenges, and to make the wisdom transmitted to me through remarkable teachers accessible in our modern context. I am pleased to join with others in the yoga community as we develop standards for the education of Yoga Therapists. The American Viniyoga Institute continues to grow and offer training opportunities for aspiring teachers and Yoga Therapists and for Western health care professionals who are eager to learn more about yoga and Yoga Therapy. The potential of yoga to help any individual actualize their full potential, no matter what their health or life challenge, motivates me to continue to innovate and share. |
