February 13, 2014
E-News from LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health Magazine
FEBRUARY 2014 | ISSUE 196
February 2014 Issue
Photo: Kate Belle
From the Editor
By now, we have all received numerous offers for discounted bouquets of roses to send out or schedule for delivery on Valentine’s Day. Whether you have ordered your bevy of blossoms or are a rose-tinted scrooge, for many people the 14th of February can be a complicated day. Whether this date on the calendar is accompanied by dread or anticipation, if we step back, take a deep breath, and survey the scene, we can appreciate that the most powerful message is one of connection.
We could write about or speak about love endlessly, from every angle, but the most powerful inquiry is: How are we connected to ourselves, to our hearts, our desires, our passion, our witness, our clarity? How do we connect with discernment and openness in every interaction? How do we love more? Whether that means picking up the phone or listening more intently? And how do we do all of these things with kindness?
I believe there is a challenge to kindness; it is a practice. It is far too easy to slip carelessly into something else and allow our frustration, our lack of connection, our hidden agendas, our secrets, our egos to drive us in a different direction. The truest forms of connection, love, and even kindness are bold, courageous, and ask of us to bare ourselves.
There is a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye that never fails to bring me to tears.
Fittingly, it is called Kindness.
It begins, “Before you know what kindness really is/you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment/like salt in a weakened broth./What you held in your hand,/what you counted and carefully saved,/all this must go so you know/how desolate the landscape can be/between regions of kindness.”
She later states, “Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,/You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing./You must wake up with sorrow./You must speak to it till your voice/catches the thread of all sorrows/and you see the size of the cloth.”
The final stanza, “Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,/only kindness that ties your shoes/and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,/only kindness that raises its head/from the crowd of the world to say/It is I you have been looking for,/and then goes with you everywhere/like a shadow or a friend.”
May kindness be our greatest lover, connection our everyday companion, may we be open to the tears that fall and the joy that ravishes us.
Tie your shoes with kindness,
Felicia Marie Tomasko, RN
LA Yoga Magazine, Editor in Chief
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Upcoming Events
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Noah’s Ark at the Skirball. Climb aboard a floor-to-ceiling wooden ark filled to the rafters with whimsical, life-sized animals made of up-cycled, re-purposed materials. Children and families are welcome to take an interactive journey together. Ongoing. $10, free on Thursdays. Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
6:00 P.M – 8:00 P.M. Love Is Love. Special Valentine’s day workshop on Yogi Bhajan’s teachings on Love. Singles, couples and friends all welcome. Ra Ma Yoga Institute. 304 Lincoln Blvd., Venice.
8:00 P.M. Align presents: Awakening the Heart - A special full moon and Valentine’s Day connection. Immerse yourself in an incredible space illuminated by Light Art and journey deeper into your heart with this 3-hour workshop featuring Kundalini Yoga, Guided Energy Work, Partner Meditation and a Sound Bath with multiple Gongs. Watch Video. Bergamot Station Art Center 2525 Michigan Ave. Building i, Santa Monica.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15
8:30 A.M – 6:00 P.M. Mighty Body Band Certification. You can become MBB trained and certified at the YogaFit Studio where they will be offering Mighty Body Band classes starting February 15th. For more information on the MBB certification please call Miguel Latronica 847-977-1811 or email. YogaFit 1540 Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles.
12:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. Yoga Tasting. A day to sample free yoga classes. Valentine’s Day treats will be served so introduce yoga to someone you love. Classes range from Healthy Happy Back to Inversions to Kundalini Yoga. Santa Barbara Yoga Center. 32 East Micheltorena St., Santa Barbara.
1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Valentine’s Partner Yoga. Let your love for yoga and your Valentine shine through! Deepen the bond with your partner as well as your yoga practice in this joyful heart opening class. $20 per person. Mission Street Yoga & Pilates. 1017 Mission Street, South Pasadena.
2:00 P.M. – 5:15 P.M. Essential Yoga Saturday. Part One: Intro to Partner Yoga, Tantrica Yoga, and Meditation. Part Two: The Sacred Practice of Yoga Korunta. C Fitness Ladies Workout 72270 Hwy 111 Ste. B2, Palm Desert.
6:30 P.M. I Just Wanna Dance! This show features a variety of dance styles from Bollywood to Hip Hop. A portion of proceeds will benefit Pratham and SAHARA. Indian food, chai, and dessert will be available. $20. Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Redondo Beach. Click here for more info.
7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. Synergy Yoga with Amanda Dykann. Synergy is a healing art that incorporates Partner Yoga, Acro Yoga and guided Thai massage. Everyone is welcome at all levels of flexibility. Hot 8 Yoga 1422 2nd Street, Santa Monica.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16
8:30 A.M – 6:00 P.M. Mighty Body Band Certification. You can become MBB trained and certified at the YogaFit Studio where they will be offering Mighty Body Band classes starting February 15th. For more information on the MBB certification please call Miguel Latronica 847-977-1811 or email. YogaFit 1540 Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles.
12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. Larchmont Farmer’s Market. Every Sunday at the Larchmont Farmer’s Market, Le Petite Retreat will be handing out special invitations to their spa including coupons to save $20 on any $100+ treatment.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17
6:30 P.M. – 7:45 P.M. Candlelight Hot Yin with Olivia Kvitne. Golden Bridge Yoga kicks off it’s new 3rd floor studio of hot yoga classes with a yummy yin class led by studio’s Yoga Coordinator, Olivia Kvitne. See the full schedulehere. Golden Bridge Yoga. 1347 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Noah’s Ark at the Skirball. Climb aboard a floor-to-ceiling wooden ark filled to the rafters with whimsical, life-sized animals made of up-cycled, re-purposed materials. Children and families are welcome to take an interactive journey together. Ongoing. $10, free on Thursdays. Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21
February 21 – 23 Empowering the Healer with Dr. Daniel Ryan. In this intensive, spiritual medium and chiropractor Dr. Daniel Ryan offers his experience and gifts to provide participants with the tools to reconnect and sustain the connection with spirit. $1,175 seminar only.
Calliote Canyon Retreat Center, Ojai.
7:00 P.M. SunLight Chair Yoga Workshops. Chair Yoga Community Class and Workshop for Sivananda Yoga Teachers. Learn to do yoga in chairs, to use as a prop for support (standing and/or seated). Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center 13325 Beach Ave, Los Angeles.
7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. Dare to Be: The Simplicity of Meditation. Join Richard Miller, PhD, as he shares the nondual teachings of awakening through gentle Body Sensing movements and guided Yoga Nidra meditation and relaxation techniques to reveal and celebrate the mystery of being, and being in the world. All levels. YogaWorks Hollywood 1555 Vine St, Los Angeles.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22
February 21 – 23 Empowering the Healer with Dr. Daniel Ryan. In this intensive, spiritual medium and chiropractor Dr. Daniel Ryan offers his experience and gifts to provide participants with the tools to reconnect and sustain the connection with spirit. $1,175 seminar only.
Calliote Canyon Retreat Center, Ojai.
Shamanism with Shaman Durek. Make contact with helping spirits and call on power animals and spirit guides for healing and protection. $350.
9:00 A.M. – 5:30 P.M. Introduction to iRest Yoga Nidra. iRest provides tools to aid in deep relaxation, stress reduction and increased resiliency. Richard Miller, PhD is the founding president of the Integrative Restoration Institute. Veterans Memorial Complex 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City.
1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Phoenix Rising Workshops: Elevate – Rise – Soar. Cultivate the Phoenix Rising energy within you with Himalayan Healing Energy practices from Yuan Miao’s Dakini lineage. Engage in sacred mantras, mudras, visualization, and intention to elevate your consciousness. Loyola Marymount University – St. Robert’s Hall Auditorium. 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles.
2:00 P.M – 5:00 P.M SunLight Chair Yoga Workshops. Chair Yoga Community Class and Workshop for Sivananda Yoga Teachers. Learn to do yoga in chairs, to use as a prop for support (standing and/or seated). Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center 13325 Beach Ave, Los Angeles.
Kino MacGregor LA Workshop. Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Kino MacGregor returns to Los Angeles for a special workshop series. Portion of proceeds is donated to Yoga Gives Back. Freebies donated by Larabars and Zico Coconut Water. Omkar108 1154 Washington Blvd., Culver City.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23
February 21 – 23 Empowering the Healer with Dr. Daniel Ryan. In this intensive, spiritual medium and chiropractor Dr. Daniel Ryan offers his experience and gifts to provide participants with the tools to reconnect and sustain the connection with spirit. $1,175 seminar only.
Calliote Canyon Retreat Center, Ojai.
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Pranayama. Richard Miller, PhD, will teach the ancient principles of the art and science of pranayama, mudra, and bandha to improve health and vitality. Yoga Everyone 28914 Riverside Drive #204, Agoura Hills.
2:00 P.M – 5:00 P.M SunLight Chair Yoga Workshops. Chair Yoga Community Class and Workshop for Sivananda Yoga Teachers. Learn to do yoga in chairs, to use as a prop for support (standing and/or seated). Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center 13325 Beach Ave, Los Angeles.
2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Acoustic Hip Hop Flow led by Kevin Slocum aka “Konscious.” Live music and Yoga $25 per person re:form YOGA 2653 Gateway Road, Carlsbad.
Kino MacGregor LA Workshop. Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Kino MacGregor returns to Los Angeles for a special workshop series. Portion of proceeds is donated to Yoga Gives Back. Freebies donated by Larabars and Zico Coconut Water. Omkar108 1154 Washington Blvd., Culver City.
On The Horizon
February 27 – March 2 Wanderlust O’ahu. A 4-day festival of yoga, live music, beer and wine tastings and epic surf & outdoor adventures. Join the Wanderlust community for an all out ecstatic celebration in this striking natural setting. Inspired to dive deeper into your practice? Combine the Wanderlust Teacher Training with your festival experience. Turtle Bay Resort. North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii.
February 28 – March 2 Renew U Super Seminar. A three-day seminar in Los Angeles offering an extraordinary opportunity to gain powerful new life strategies and tools from leading success coaches. Make 2014 your best year yet. This is a bilingual event in both English and Spanish. Auditorium at LAX Marriott.
March 2 7:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. Poses on Paseo. Whether you are an experienced yogi or first-timer, everyone is encouraged to come enjoy this two hour all-levels outdoor yoga practice featuring five valley instructors from various yoga disciplines: Johnny Yuhas, Jayne Robertson, Bronwyn Ison, and Stephan Kaleda. $25 online registration/$30 day of event. 100% of funds go to Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine. The Gardens of El Paseo, Palm Desert.
We’re honored to be the sponsor of Yoga Chat with the Accidental Yogist on killradio.net every
Wednesday from 1:00-3:00pm Pacific.
Here’s the link to this week’s podcast featuring interviews with kirtan
singer Manika Kaur, “Tipping Sacred Cows” author Betsy Chasse, and Raw
Living Expo producer Laura Fox:
*Life: Raw, Sacred, and True*
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by clicking here.
Prepare to Fly with India.Arie
Many a yogi’s playlist has included a heartfelt composition by Grammy-winning soul singer India.Arie since her 2001 Motown Records debut, Acoustic Soul. Her exploration of life is definitely a spiritual one and it’s possible to sing along. In “I Am Not My Hair,” she sings, “I am not my hair. I am not my skin. I am not your expectations. I am the soul that lives within.” These are the attitudes we spend a lifetime cultivating.
In her own life, she’s been taking it to another level. After a four year hiatus from recording and touring, 2013 welcomed her latest album, Songversation; a highly anticipated release by those who follow her positive messages and powerful voice.
India.Arie took time to come back to her inspiration, her practice, and it shows in her songs, her stage presence, and her dedication. In this month’s issue of LA Yoga, we visit with India.Arie as she talks us through her transformative spiritual journey that led to her latest album. Read the full article on LAYOGA.COM
Animals in Need: Meet Emma
Emma’s crystal clear blue eyes are a window to her loving soul. Believed to be used as only for breeding, she is tentative to touch until she knows and builds trust. Emma is looking for her forever home that will lavish her with attention and help her regain confidence. Emma needs to be adopted to a home without dogs, and preferably no other cats. Emma is spayed, chipped and current on all shots. She is estimated to be about 5 years old.
Southern California Siamese Rescue is a 501(c)3 all volunteer rescue dedicated to finding homes for Siamese and Siamese mix cats. We work with shelters and individuals to save these cats before they are euthanized in the shelters or killed on the streets.
For more information, to view all of our available cats and to contact us, please visit our website.
Interested in sponsoring our pet adoption section? Call 310-306-1785.
The Power of Affirmations
In this month’s issue of LA Yoga we explore how affirmations can reshape your brain and thus cause you to incorporate behavioral changes which will help you do everything from having more successful working relationships to managing your finances.
Wondering where to begin? Try repeating this affirmation three times, “I am the very source of abundance and love itself.” Repeat it on awakening, so that the day begins on a positive note and you call to mind what it is that you want to cultivate in your life. Repeat the affirmation three times before going to sleep, or possibly even repeat it as a mantra, so that it filters through your unconscious as you sleep and you drift off feeling positive and upbeat.
For five easy ways to use affirmations in your day to day life, visitLAYOGA.COM.
Kino MacGregor Returns to Los Angeles
Without any background in movement training, Kino MacGregor tried her first yoga class when she was nineteen. Three years later, she joined Govinda Kai’s Mysore-style classes in New York City and became a dedicated Ashtanga yoga practitioner. After seven months of traditional Ashtanga practice Kino traveled to Mysore, India to meet her true teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (“Guruji”).
She is one of a select group of people to receive the Certification to teach Ashtanga Yoga by its founder Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India and practices through the Fourth Series of Ashtanga Yoga.
Kino MacGregor returns to Los Angeles for a special workshop series atOmkar108. Portion of proceeds is donated to Yoga Gives Back. Freebies donated by Larabars and Zico Coconut Water. February 22 and 23 at Omkar108. 1154 Washington Blvd., Culver City.
Ayurveda Aphrodisiac Recipe for Valentine’s Day
Sexy Scoops
Almonds and coconut are beloved in Ayurveda for their ability to rebuild vitality and strength in all of the tissues, and are especially renowned for building sexuality and libido. Honey adds sweetness and sesame warms the body from the inside.
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw cashews (or sunflower seeds)
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (divided into two 1/2 cup segments)
½ cup carob powder
½ cup honey
Grind nuts and seeds to a powder using a food processor or Vitamix. Set 1/2 cup coconut aside and place remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Use a small ice cream scoop to form one inch balls, then roll each ball in the coconut. The final product should look like little snowballs.
Find two more recipes to spice up your Valentine’s Day on LAYOGA.COM
The Urban Zen Experience at YogaWorks
YogaWorks is honored to partner with the Urban Zen Foundation. YogaWorks offers a Level 1 Urban Zen integrative training program that incorporates yoga therapy, Reiki, essential oil therapy, contemplative care and nutrition as a holistic approach to modern western science.
This foundational program focuses on treating the patient, not just the disease. Learn to take care of a loved one at home, further your education in the health and wellness industry or as a medical professional. Learn more about Urban Zen on LAYOGA.COM.
Come sample the Level 1 training and meet the trainers in March for these special workshops.
Saturday, March 15 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. South Bay studio
Sunday, March 23 6:30 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. Westwood studio
Saturday, March 29 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Montana Avenue studio
Contact YogaWorks to inquire more about the program.
Renew U Super Seminar
Today’s leading success coaches, bestselling New York Times authors and transformational teachers will be gathering for the 4th Renew U Super Seminar. This unprecedented three-day seminar in Los Angeles offers an extraordinary opportunity to gain powerful new life strategies and tools for making 2014 your best year yet. This is a bilingual event in both English and Spanish.
Presenters include, Marianne Williamson (pictured), Ray Blanchard, Mabel Katz, John Gray, DC Cordova, Janet Attwood, Stuart Emery, don Jose Ruiz and more.
February 28 – March 2 at the auditorium at LAX Marriott. Purchase discount tickets.
‘I’m Down with You’ Now Available as a FREE Download on iTunes
‘I’m Down with You’ is a photography book and documentary film that tells a story, visually and in words, about the incredible people with the gift of an extra chromosome. They are in fact not “disabled” but “abled” in their ability to love without hierarchy, have a strong self-esteem and to impact everyone they touch with an uplift found too rarely in our world these days.
Today ‘I’m Down with You’ is now available as a FREE download from the iTunes iBookstore so you can read it on your iPad, iPhone or Apple computer.
By removing the cost, the barrier has been removed to everyone on these platforms to be able to relish and share in the joy this community offers our world each day.
Thank you for downloading it, sharing your reviews and ratings, and of course offering it to all of your friends, colleagues and family.
Bhakti Fest Retreats to Maui
Treat yourself or a loved one to a long weekend in paradise with Saul David Raye (pictured), Dawn Cartwright, Divine Harmony and special guest Ram Dass. From March 12-16, enjoy full-body yoga workouts, soothing meditation classes, enlightening tantric workshops, ecstatic nightly kirtan, satsang with Ram Dass, and interpersonal astrology readings all on the sacred sanctuary of Maui.
For retreat info, offerings, accomodations and prices, visit Bhakti Fest: Come to Paradise
The 4th Annual Shakti Fest will take place at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, May 16-18, 2014.
Purchase tickets for Shakti Fest, Bhakti Fest Midwest in Madison Wisconson, June 20-22 and Bhakti Fest West, September 4-7 in Joshua Tree at discounted prices.
Giveaway: Tickets to ‘Visitors’, a film by Godfrey Reggio, Philip Glass, and Jon Kane
Presented by Steven Soderbergh in Black and White digital 4K projection,VISITORS reveals humanity’s trance-like relationship with technology, which, when commandeered by extreme emotional states, produces massive effects far beyond the human species.
LA Yoga is giving away 3 pairs of tickets to either Friday the 14th or Saturday the 15th’s show of VISITORS. 7:30pm or 9:45pm showings and Q & A with filmmaker Godfrey Reggio. Nuart. 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles.
To win tickets, email us and let us know why you’d like to see this film.
Astrology: Be Yourself This Valentine’s Day
Expect some fiery emotions and strong expressions of individuality on February 14, coinciding with the Full Moon in Leo. Happy Valentine’s Day! Make sure to select that gift with the utmost care this year. Leo is a sign of our individual pride and desire to radiate power. At best, that power is an offering to others. At worst, it is a demand from them. Use your power wisely.
For more on what to expect for your Valentine’s Day Full Moon, visitLAYOGA.COM
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