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Namaste! Welcome to our November Edition of Conference Connection.
We are delighted to announce that you can now listen to the keynotes and panel discussions from the recent 2007 Estes Park Conference:
- Pre-Conference Opening Keynote by Gary Kraftsow "Ancient Insights for Modern Healing"
- Panel Discussion: "To Choose or Not to Choose?" with Maty Ezraty, Gary Kraftsow, Elise Miller, and Eddie Modestini
- Panel Discussion: "Do You Need a Guru?" with Barbara Benagh, Judith Hanson Lasater, Aadil Palkhivala, and David Swenson
- Pre-Conference Closing Keynote by Matthew Sanford "Trauma, Yoga, and Healing"
- Opening Keynote Address by Timothy McCall, M.D. "Yoga as Medicine"
Visit
YJEvents.com to listen.
We asked four of our instructors what Yoga Journal Conferences mean to them. Click below to watch their replies.
5th Annual San Francisco Conference
Hyatt Embarcadero
January 18-21, 2008
Popular classes are filling up at the upcoming San Francisco Conference. We don't want you to miss out, so register soon!
You've heard about our celebrated Main Conference - 2 days, 35+ master teachers, over 16 hours of stellar quality yoga. But have you explored the other conference tracks?
We also offer a Beginners Conference, All-Day Intensives, Continuing Education for Teachers, Kids Yoga and a 2-Day Business of Yoga Workshop.
New this year are the Yoga as Medicine Intensives. From yogic relief for cancer patients to sleep improvement, back care and depressurizing high blood pressure, the eye-opening Yoga as Medicine day will commence with remarks by Timothy McCall, Yoga Journal's medical editor.
Also JUST ADDED on Monday is a lunchtime keynote by Dean Ornish, founder, president, and director of the non-profit Preventative Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, CA. As a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Califorina, San Francisco, he has studied the impact of lifestyle changes on disease reversal. Dr. Ornish will speak on "The Power of Yoga as a Doorway for Transformation: Personal, Genetic, & Social". Free and open to public. Pre-registration required.
Our benefit concert will rock the Hyatt Regency on Friday night this year with a solo performance by native San Franciscan, Michael Franti. Net proceeds benefit YouthAIDS and Power to the Peaceful. Musician and social activist, Michael Franti will also share his thoughts in a keynote address on Saturday (open to conference attendees only). Also not to be missed is kirtan with Suzanne Sterling and Shiva Rea's Yoga Trance Dance with DJ Dragonfly Saturday night. Net proceeds benefit Trees for the Future.
Click here to register and for more information.
2008 Boston Conference
Sheraton Boston
May 16 – 19, 2008
We are thrilled to announce that Designer Donna Karan will open our spring Boston Conference with a keynote address about how she became an advocate for well-being supporting her
Urban Zen Initiative (www.urbanzen.org).
Registration for the 2008 Boston Conference opens in less than one month -- early December.
by Diane Anderson
While doing Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) the other day, I noticed how differently my two legs held me. One side felt markedly weaker than the other. On one side, my body felt strong and stable and able. The other was embarrassingly wobbly and feeble. I lost my balance and fell out of the pose. Falls are always a disappointment. They don't always hurt my body but they usually, at least temporarily, hurt my pride. The beauty of this fall, however, was that I was able to get right back into the pose, and enjoy that my body could do what my mind wanted it to do. I was grateful for this fall.
It brought me back to my breath, which guided my movement. I sailed through the standing sequence by listening to inner source.
A recent trip to Yosemite reminded me of the beauty of falling things:
falling leaves, falling acorns, falling temperatures, falling stars. Back in San Francisco, seasons aren't as dramatic or spectacular as other places, but the inconsistent weather can be enough to make one fall apart. In the span of one week, trick-or-treaters were shivering under down parkas and wool hats on Halloween night; three days later, the entire city was basking in sunshine and wearing sunglasses, shorts, and sundresses. Fall in this part of the world is a reminder to be prepared for anything, whether it's a late Indian Summer or a sudden cold snap. So Autumn reminds us that seasons change, and we have the opportunity to embrace uncertainty. Just as we transition from one asana to the next, we must roll with the changes Mother Nature dictates. Instead of falling to pieces, fall in love with the fluctuations and the ever-changing climate of your practice and your life.
Diane Anderson is a senior editor at Yoga Journal.
Editor's Note: Jason will be at the upcoming San Francisco Conference.
Click here for more information.
FAQ's with Jason (or, more honestly, Jason interviews himself)
When did you hang-up your ice-skates, stow away your skateboard and unroll your sticky mat for the first time?
Truthfully, I was an unlikely candidate for the world of yoga. The (very condensed) story goes like this: I grew up in Toledo, Ohio and I spent the vast majority of my time skateboarding and playing hockey. An enormously complex set of variables lead me to San Francisco, CA where I studied philosophy at San Francisco State University and worked in a warehouse loading catering trucks. As the math worked out, I thought I had enough credit hours to graduate with my degree and, to my surprise, I had one unit to finish. My girlfriend at the time suggested that we take a semester of yoga in the kinesiology department and-kicking and screaming-I acquiesced.
And, what happened? Was it love at first class?
Heaven's no! Far from it… Yoga revealed my tightness, my impatience, my imbalance, and my injuries. It was-by far-the most difficult thing I had ever done. Plus, I went into the practice with the notion that everything was going to be peaceful and blissful. So, I felt guilty and abnormal because I didn't fit the stereotype of what I thought I "should" feel when I practiced.
Why did you keep practicing?
Didn't I make it clear that I needed the credit hour to finally graduate??? And, truthfully, as challenging and frustrating as the practice was, I felt clear, grounded and content afterward. It was bitter medicine, but it worked. I just felt whole and safe and spacious after each class. I also realized that the frustration, imbalance, and injuries were normal aspects of life that I had accumulated over the years. Even more, by learning to sit with these discomforts I reduced the power that they had over me. I also got to know who I was a little more clearly.
I still get frustrated once in a while. I still injure myself on occasion. I still feel imbalanced at times. I think these are normal, unavoidable things in life. Through my yoga practice, I've begun to accept these things about myself and I have the ability to respond to these states with greater compassion and skill.
What type of yoga do you teach?
This is a hard question to answer because I'm a little outside of the box, though I incorporate elements from a few different lineages. I'm going to answer by giving you a few different elements-like a well-mixed cocktail. Then, maybe, you'll have an understanding of my sensibilities.
First, I teach from my experience as a practitioner. I love the practice and I spend some part of each day exploring how my body, mind, and breath feel. Some days these elements feel smooth, integrated and serene. Other days, they feel fatigued, ragged, and disorganized. So, as a teacher, one of my main goals is to simply get students to listen to what's happening inside of them. I'm interested in developing self-knowledge and awareness by learning to listen to what is happening inside without an agenda. Without needing to change, modify, or control the present moment. Then, through deep observation I encourage students to shift poses and patterns in ways that create more freedom and integrity.
The second influence of my teaching is my study with Rodney Yee. Although I don't spend much time with Rodney anymore, my study and apprenticeship with him formed the foundation of my practice and teaching. I'm still-in very round about ways-learning from him.
My teaching is also influenced by my study with Ramanand Patel and other teachers in (or formerly in) the Iyengar lineage of yoga. I love the nuance, precision and adaptability of this practice.
To make matters juicier-and round out the taste of our yoga cocktail-I incorporate vinyasa elements into my teaching. I like to move at a moderate, consistent pace and allow my students to wake up their entire body and build a cleansing heat.
Just to make it feel official, can we read your bio? See your accolades? Figure out why you're teaching at these high-profile YJ gigs?
Certainly. Here you go:
- Jason Crandell teaches vinyasa-based yoga with humor, down-to-earth sensibilities, and attention to detail. He regularly teaches at Yoga Journal conferences and does workshops around the country. In addition to being Yoga Journal's "Basics" columnist in 2005, he has contributed several feature stories in Yoga Journal this year and has been in Natural Health, Yoga For Everybody, 7x7, and San Francisco Magazine. Jason has studied primarily in the Iyengar tradition, but his love for vinyasa yoga keeps him moving.
"It is teachers and practitioners like Jason that will take the art of yoga and teaching yoga to its next step." Rodney Yee
"(Jason) has a knack for explaining extremely subtle body movements in a way that anyone can understand. With his low-key charm and deadpan humor, Crandell puts students at ease right away." Yoga Journal
"The best. His patience and knowledge of backbends was worth the whole cost of the conference." Beginning student attending 2006 San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference
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Calling All Yogis and Yoginis!
Do you hope to grace the cover of Yoga Journal, or daydream about modeling for Master Class?
Come to our open modeling auditions at the San Francisco Conference and show us your skills.
Please come prepared with snapshots of the following poses: Downward-Facing Dog, Warrior I (shot in profile),
Standing Forward Bend, Full Backbend, Headstand or Shoulderstand, and a headshot.
We don't need professional photos, simple snapshots will do. We will not accept DVDs, or photos on disk or CD.
Details about where to submit your photos will be included in the onsite brochure at the conference.
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Upcoming Conferences
San Francisco 2008
Hyatt Embarcadero
January 18-21, 2008
Registration Now Open
Save the Dates
Boston 2008
Sheraton Boston
May 16-19, 2008
Registration opens in December
Estes Park 2008
YMCA of the Rockies
September 21-28, 2008
South Florida 2008
Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa
November 14-17, 2008
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