On April 28th I arrived at the Mount Madonna Center in the Sierra foothills 25 miles from the city of Santa Cruz, CA. Mount Madonna is a yoga community and retreat center founded by students of Yoga Master Baba Hari Das. One of my primary goals for being here is to vacation from “Big City” life and to be closer to nature.
Mount Madonna offers a work exchange program in which outsiders are given a taste of living in a yoga community. In the coming weeks I will post some of the photos and thoughts of life at Mount Madonna. In this post let me show you around the facility.
Photo captions Please click back and forth for a better view.
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Welcome, the Entrance Sign; Surrounding Groves; Map of buildings
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The Aum Grove; Lion’s Head Waterfall; Community Building for meetings and meals
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The School, for ages Pre-school to 12th grade; The Temple Founder’s Stone; The Temple Entrance
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The Hanuman Statue in the Inner Temple Sanctum; Buddha stone Niche; Pine Grove
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My home for 8 weeks; even in Paradise, a Cafe ; Hanuman, the Hindu God of Service and Valor
When I arrived to San Diego in 1997 I had no idea that I would sit down permanently, or that I would open a yoga studio. Two studios and 11 years later (!!!) I have tied up the loose ends of my time here and will be moving onto another phase of my life and career. It has been a wonderful blessing and learning experience to live in “America’s Finest City”. The 7 years of owning the Astanga Yoga Centers and the 2 years with the Yoganic Studio have introduced me to many extraordinarily beautiful people. All of you hold a special place in my heart! I do expect that our paths will cross again.
Thank you San Diego! You have truly made my decade!
Please enjoy these photos taken at a “Bon Voyage” event given in the home of Nancy Caciola and Richard Cohen. Muchas Gracias to all you party planners and well wishers! Please click on the photos back and forth for a larger view.
Those who “model” yoga poses know that a good photo is a combination of lighting, skill of the photographer, and some understanding of the postures. For every good shot there are many attempts. I have been blessed in my career as a yoga instructor to have worked with several fine photographers.
As I move into maturity I would hope the outcome of a photo session would likewise reflect that maturity. I feel in these photos photographer, Yvonne Venegas, has captured the essence of my yoga in 2009. Life in middle age has many gifts not the least of which is no longer needing to prove oneself. I look forward to aging gracefully and embracing the strength and power of the “crone” years.
Thanks to Yvonne, her father and daughter for the beautiful outcome of Photos Spring 2009. Many thanks to our Gurus, K Pattabhi Jois & T Krishnamacharya, and to all of you who have shared thus far in my yoga journey.
After 8 months of study, experimentation with different styles, and practicing yoga together I am pleased to certify six beautiful ladies as Yoga Instructors. The emphasis in the course has been the techniques of the Krishnamacharya lineage which includes rigorous Ashtanga Vinyasa, precise Iyengar techniques, and therapeutic Viniyoga methods. I feel confident that the newly certified Yoga Teachers will have the knowledge to use yoga in ways that will be beneficial to many students by addressing the needs of their students. By meeting the qualifications of the Yoga Alliance, the new instructors can be certified as RYT’s (Registered Yoga Teachers). Please enjoy the photos of our graduation ceremonies and festivities. You can click on the images for a larger view.
Course Instructors: Anne Nowell and Skyler Myers
Course Participants: Samantha Smith, Lisa Marchesini, Anne Nowell, Adesh Kaur, Skyler Myers, Keryna Johnson, Janet Dehart, Jennifer Shultz
Graduation Smiles!
Keryna Johnson
Janet Dehart
Jennifer Shultz
Samantha Smith
Adesh Kaur Khalsa
Lisa Marchesini
Artist Laura Rogan gifted the graduates with beautiful henna tattoos.
Kirtan (devotional music) performer, Thierry, performed on sitar and harmonium, leading the group in devotional chanting.
Happy Graduates: Lisa and Adesh
Happy Directors: Anne and Devi Kirn (Yoganic Studio’s Assistant Manager)
Congratulations Ladies!
Please enjoy these new instructors as they offer classes through out San Diego.
On a cold December afternoon (yes, even in San Diego there is winter!) our Teacher Training group met to complete their course work with a final exam. In order to become registered as a Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance, there is a specific syllabus involving practical, theoretical, and philosophical criteria. In the past 7 months our group has logged 200 hours of training in the teaching of asana as fitness and therapy, in studying the necessary philosophical and theoretical foundations of yoga, and participating in related studies such as Ayurveda and Anatomy.
The photos show the practical teaching portion as well as the written Q&A and essay examinations. I am happy to report that all the candidates did exceptionally well in their exams! Please excuse the poor lighting in the photos. Stay tuned for graduation!
In the Yoganic Teacher Training course we have studied this excellent book, authored by Ray Long MD, as the text for our Yoga Anatomy course. Dr. Long describes the book as “Your guide to Functional Anatomy”. As any student of Anatomy can testify, it is a subject that may seem tedious with the memorization of Latin terms. The following photos depict the book’s use of computer graphic imaging, which offers the yoga student a clear break down of the muscles and bones and their actions in the yoga asanas. I highly recommend this book, which can be purchased at www.bandhayoga.com
Virabhadrasana II: skeletal bones; muscles of the torso
This posture opens the hips and helps to develop strength and stamina in the limbs. Virabhadra is an aspect of the Hindu god, Shiva, in his role as a warrior and protector. The psychological attitudes developed by this asana are courage and fearlessness.
Siddhasana: muscles, bones of the lower leg, abdominal organs
A siddha is one recognized as having developed a high level of control over the mind and body. This intermediate posture requires flexibility in the hips and knees. It provides a stable base for extended periods of pranayama and meditation.
Massage Circle
Our Teacher Trainees practice palpating the muscles of the shoulder girdle, a fun way to learn the location of various muscle groups.
Anatomy course instructor, Dave Garza, demonstrates flexion of the ankle. Dave has an extensive background in a diverse range of massage techniques, martial arts, and yoga. An instructor in the massage schools of San Diego, he is a talented and passionate lecturer. Thank you, Dave, for your insightful and fun Anatomy instruction!
In September as part of the Global Mala Yoga Project, I was invited to attend a gathering for yoga students and friends at the US-Mexican border. This event was sponsored by the Border Meet Up Group as part of their regular programs. The yoga class, shared through the fence, was intended to bring awareness of border issues and to help establish friendships among yoga students in both countries. My friend, Fergal O`Doherty, brought in the Irish influence to our multinational experience.
Increasing awareness of who and what we are at the level of “Pure Being” is one intention of yoga practice. This level of “Being” is shared by all, irregardless of nationality, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Yoga is a very pertinent technique to help us experience this state of “Being” or to help break through the “borders” of our limiting personal beliefs.
It was a lovely multi-cultural sharing! Muchas gracias to the organizers and participants of this special event. For more information on upcoming Border Meet Up events go to www.bordermeetup.org
The term, karma yoga, implies a realization of the essence of Life by the service to life. Karma yoga is most often defined as selfless service. Great karma yogis include Mother Teresa, Gandhi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ammaji; those who give tirelessly for the benefit of others. At the lay level, those persons who take up the role of parenting and stirve to do it well are, in my opinion, karma yogis!
In August our Teacher Trainees participated in a work day at Drikung Kyobpa Choling, a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center in Escondido. The director of the center, Drupon Samten Rinpoche, is indeed a karma yogi. With his assistant, Ani Chodron, he has planned and built a beautiful temple almost single handedly. They are currently expanding the Center to accommodate more functions and to serve the increasing Southern California population of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners.
On this hot August day we donned our work clothes, hats, and gloves to help organize and create space for the ongoing construction at Drikung Choling. Sweaty and dirty, yes, but so lovely to experience what community energy can accomplish! And as you see by the photos, we had fun as well! Click on the photos for a larger view.
Iyengar Yoga as developed by the Indian master, BKS Iyengar, is one of the more structured of the yoga asana systems, with great emphasis on precision. As a teenager Mr. Iyengar learned the basics of yoga asana from his teacher, T. Krishnamacharya. He is a nephew of Krishnamacharya by marriage and lived in the household of his teacher for a number of years. Iyengar later went on to study the asanas in great detail through personal practice, and published one of the first comprehensive books about yoga asana, “Light On Yoga” in the 1970’s. The Iyengar tradition uses equipment (or props) as a way of deepening one`s experience in the yoga postures, as well as making use of props in therapeutic situations.
On August 2&3 Yoganic teacher, Kim Kolibri, a certified Iyengar instructor, presented workshops on Iyengar sequencing and use of props. Kim is an especially gifted verbal instructor, inspiring with her understanding and execution of Iyengar’s techniques. In the following photos we have documented some of the work and “play” of our Teacher Training group on this weekend. Click on the photos if you wish a larger view.
Anne has recently returned from a 6 month sabbatical in Chennai, India. Her classes there involved Vedic studies at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram and philosophy studies at the Theosophical Society International Headquarters. Anne is very grateful for this opportunity and wishes to share as much of this wisdom as possible with students and friends in the US. Please contact her if you would like to offer a workshop or other teaching experience.
