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Thank you to everybody who made the Boston Conference such a success!
Over 1,400 yogis and yoginis came out to practice with some of the world's best instructors. And with the Boston Conference behind us, all eyes are now on Estes Park.
As a special feature to conference alumni, we asked Deva Premal to share some of her inspiration on creativity and song. After touring non-stop for almost 15 years with her partner Miten, and with CD sales topping the half a million mark,
Deva Premal & Miten are living proof that the power of mantra is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
Also this month is Dayna Macy's exclusive article on feet. These masterpieces of engineering contain 25 percent of all the bones in our bodies, and absorb an average of 10,000 steps per day, enduring the cumulative force of several hundred tons.
They are also the foundation of all standing poses, which is why one of the first poses taught in yoga is Tadasana, or mountain pose.
And, here's the inside scoop on what's coming up in the June edition of Yoga Journal:
Tantric secrets for everyday bliss -
renowned teachers like John Friend, Shiva Rea, and Sally Kempton espouse tantric secrets in their classes;
Happy in your own skin - profiles of women who found healthy relationships with their bodies thanks to yoga;
Inspired style - eco-conscious
yogis demonstrate that what you wear reflects not only who
you are, but what you stand for; Yoga is best for back pain - try these poses.
Namaste,
The Yoga Journal Conference Team
Elana Maggal, Conference Director
Renee LaRose, Conference Manager
Casey Ruby, Conference Coordinator
Heidi Hill, Conference Sponsorship Associate
Estes Park Conference
Registration is now open for the 11th annual Colorado Conference in Estes Park.
Even though the conference does not start until September 25th, we've already had tremendous interest. If you're planning on attending, be sure to sign-up early. This conference will sell out!
This year's special events include a keynote address by Ayurvedic expert Robert Svoboda;
performances by world-class musicians Deva Premal and Miten; a YouthAIDS benefit concert by Michael Franti sponored by The Shakti Foundation.
The Shakti Foundation is a non-profit organization that facilitates inspirational and educational benefits assisting people to reconnect with their innate wisdom, creativity and intuition.
Their mission is to empower individuals, and assist them in making positive changes in their lives, their communities and the world.
Also this year we're revisiting
the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar in our Iyengar Intensive,
taught by Manouso Manos and Patricia Walden. Plus Continuing Education for Teachers,
All-Day Intensives, 3 Beginners Conferences and
even a yoga and rock climbing intensive!
Visit www.yjevents.com for a complete schedule and registration information.
Boston Conference
Audio Recordings from the 2006 Yoga Journal Boston Conference
Recordings of Gessner Geyer's keynote, Living the Yamas and Niyamas in Daily Life panel discussion and Cyndi Lee & David Nichtern's closing remarks and meditation are now
available for free download. Click here to listen.
Photo Gallery
Click here to see pictures from the event.
Conference Blog
See yoga theatre troupe Tripisichore in action, get Ayurvedic tips to ease anxiety, try your hands at some Thai Yoga Massage, and learn how to sequence your home practice.
Click here to visit the blog.
by Dayna Macy
Since I began studying yoga over a decade ago, I've become obsessed with feet.
These masterpieces of engineering contain 25 percent of all the bones in our bodies, and absorb an average of 10,000 steps per day, enduring the cumulative force of several hundred tons.
They are also the foundation of all standing poses, which is why one of the first poses taught in yoga is Tadasana, or mountain pose.
Tadasana is deceptively complex, because learning to stand evenly on your feet is easier said then done. Many of us have tight foot muscles and crunched bones due to ill-fitting or high heel shoes.
Others have collapsed or weakened arches, which causes misalignment up the body, from the foot through the knees, into the hips and lower back. This is why the placement of the feet in Tadasana is so important, and why teachers spend so much time in class discussing it.
Tias Little, director of the YogaSource studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico and a master anatomist describes the placement of the feet in Tadasana this way:
"Stand with your feet parallel to each other and hip-width apart. To make sure that you are on the center of your heel bones and not riding your inner or outer heels, lift one heel at a time and carefully reset it. Try not to rest your weight back on your heels; instead,
pitch it slightly forward to the front of the heel bone, aligning the center of your pelvis and the center of your cranium over the heel bones."
"As you press down into the anterior heel, elongate your toes by grounding forward into the ball of the foot, especially at the base of the big toe and the base of the little toe. This action forms a triangular base for the foot and stretches the sole, much like stretching a skin to make the head of a drum.
As a drumhead must be stretched equally and with full extension in all directions to create good resonance, the sole must also be fully stretched."
"To fully 'pump up' your arches, you also need to lift the muscles of the lower leg that attach to the arch. Probably the most important of these is the tibialis anterior, which runs along the outer edge of the shinbone, crosses to the inner front shin above the ankle, and attaches near the base of the big toe.
Combined with the lift of the other lower leg muscles, activating the tibialis anterior is like pulling on a tightly fitted riding boot. This sensation of lift travels from your inner arch along your outer shin up to the knee and then up the inner thigh,
all the way up into the pelvic floor. With all this muscular activity, you need to take care to keep your toes lightly extended, instead of clenching them against the floor or flexing them up toward the ceiling."
Learning to balance your feet in Tadasana will help you with every other standing pose. Paying attention to alignment and balance will also begin to wake your feet up. As your feet become more alive, you may find you have more balance and energy; maybe even a little more spring in your step.
Some foot care tips:
- Walk barefoot in your house. This helps with joint mobility.
- Roll your feet over a tennis ball. This helps remove knots and tension.
- Wear well-fitting shoes. The shoe should have adequate arch support and the toe box should have plenty of room (you should be able to wiggle your toes).
- Skip the high heels. Or at least, save them for special occasions.
- Stretch your feet out in both directions. To stretch the arch, kneel with toes turned up and sit on your heels. To stretch the front of the foot out, sit in Virasana.
- Reduce calluses. If calluses are causing you problems in your standing poses, soak your feet and use a pumice stone to slough off rough skin.
- Give yourself a foot massage. Lavender oil is especially soothing for tired, overworked feet.
Dayna Macy, a writer and musician who can be found at www.daynamacy.com, is the Communications Director of Yoga Journal.
Editor's Note: In addition to a special concert with Deva Premal and Miten at the upcoming Estes Park conference,
they will also be teaching Satsang: Meditation with Music and Chanting and
A Voice Celebration.
SING YOUR OWN SONG
By Deva Premal
Sing your own song
Beat your own drum
Fly on the wind, it'll carry you
Dance your own dance
It's a beautiful chance
Fly on the wind, it'll carry you…
Why hesitate
When there's nothing to fear
Why do we wait
With the moment right here
Be your own light
Keep your heart strong
And sing your own song.
These are the lyrics of a song written by Miten, my partner in life, love and music. As simple as they may seem, they contain a profound truth, one that I certainly can relate to.
My whole life started to blossom when I discovered my own "song". First, we need the courage to sing it, and through that courage, an affirmation arises which gives us the trust to own and to honor our song.
"Song" is a metaphor for our creativity, which is our unique gift to the world. It manifests itself in countless ways, and we know we've found it when we find ourselves having fun singing it.
Unfortunately, the ego values only difficult tasks, and the concept of "If I can do it this easily, then it isn't worth while" is ever-present in all of us today. Consequently, this causes us to carry around the weight of an excessive burden upon our shoulders.
The ego is always ready to whisper in our ears: "Anyone can do that," causing us to feel as though our efforts are not valuable. In my opinion, one of our greatest challenges is to go beyond our ego in order to share our most precious gifts and realize our true talents.
The animals and plants give us such a great example of how to be content with our god-given traits; each one seems at ease with their own particular gift. I have never seen a bird striving to be more beautiful,
or trying to sing a more challenging song than the one it's been blessed with. I believe that creativity comes naturally when we do not focus on perceived images of success: recognition and profitability. I believe that true success comes from humility.
Another misconception is that creativity is limited to acts such as painting, singing and poetry.
Everything we do has the potential to be a creative act, depending on how one approaches it. If perceived properly, cleaning a room in a loving and prayerful way can be a work of art or a "song" of creativity.
In my case, my "song" is the singing of mantras. Music has played a huge role in my family life and in my school education. I had some natural talent for it, and a good ear when I played violin or sang, but even so, it always felt like a task to practice every day.
I never thought to make music my life, nor did I have any aspirations to do so.
Later, during my years in India at the Ashram of my spiritual master Osho, I discovered the bliss of participating in the sacred music that was central to the meditations there. I especially loved singing devotional songs that graced the evening meditations.
I cherished those evenings and still do. For the first time I had no musical score to follow, and consequently could make no mistakes and it came easily to me.
Then, life brought Miten and I together, and "coincidentally" he was one of the musicians creating this amazing music every night. We naturally began singing together, and within a year I found myself singing harmony with him,
and playing keyboards in some of the meditations.
My education in music theory and my trained ear now began to serve me well. I discovered I was a natural harmony singer, inventing my own lines, and surprising myself and even my mentor. For a few years, I was Miten's apprentice, still very shy of my own voice and never daring to sing solo,
but secretly waiting for the time when I would "come out" and reverse the roles: him singing harmony to my lead.
Unfortunately, whenever I tried to sing solo, I sounded weak and insecure, no matter how much encouragement I received. One day, the mantras came back into my life: I came upon The Gayatri mantra again, which had been "my mantra" as a child. As soon as I began to sing it,
there was no trace of shyness or self-consciousness and my voice suddenly sounded "right". I felt like I had arrived Home, and after a while I saw that my song was even touching other people. This was a most unexpected gift; one I had not anticipated at all.
Even now, after receiving so much loving feedback from so many people, and seeing that my offering is being received and honored,
the ego still creeps in occasionally, attempting to devalue everything by whispering the words, "It came too easy." Now I'm learning to smile at this little "monster" and I keep singing regardless.
Singing is such a great way for us all to open the channel to God. Our voices are healing instruments, often ignored, taken for granted, and much suppressed. This is the result of our 21st century techno society, where everyone flicks a switch, but no one participates.
On a physical level, singing vibrates all of our bodily cells, charging them up with chi, creating a deep and relaxing sense of healing. For me, it's the purest form of prayer, because it is giving and receiving at the same time.
It is the bridge to the Divine; our sacred tool. Now I come to see, that even writing this article is part of my learning to sing my own song.
I hope it gives you inspiration to sing yours.
Deva Premal & Miten have toured the world for the past 15 years, holding concerts and workshops all over Europe, Asia, and America.
They have shared their unique sound with a wide range of audiences from all walks of life and will be bringing their "Yoga of Sacred Song & Chant" to the Estes Park Yoga Conference on September 29, 2006.
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Study with Yoga Works!
Yoga Works is pleased to offer a 10% discount on our 2006 Teacher Training programs! As a gift to Yoga Journal conference attenddees, mention this ad between May 15th - July 1st and receive 10% off our 4-week or 10-week training sessions this year. Choose from one of our great programs in New York, Los Angeles or Orange County!
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At Yoga Works, our mission is to provide yoga teachers with the foundation to teach skillfully with compassion, integrity and safety,
while honoring his or her unique voice and style. For a complete listing of our fabulous 2006 training, (as well as event and class schedules)
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For details on this special offer, email teachertrainingny@ yogaworks.com and mention this ad. Hope to see you at the studio!
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Save the Dates
11th Annual Yoga Journal
Colorado Conference
Estes Park, CO
Sept. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006
Registration Now Open
San Francisco 2007
Hyatt Regency
January 19 - 22, 2007
Registration Opens Fall '06
Grand Geneva 2007
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
May 4 - 7, 2007
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