The Yoga Workshop Reporter

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by Jane C

My understanding is that tantrism, as a tradition, is oral, immanent, and tribal - not unlike the yoruban traditions in Africa that gave rise to Santeria, Voodoo and Lucumi in the west. Or, by another rough analogy - its the "sufism" of classical hindu studies (although I understand there are tantric traditions in Buddhism as well). I think these all have intrigues and problems.

Friend himself delves into Buddhism. And then there's always non-dualist tantrism -- why not just call it monist -- or is that something else entirely.

I'm looking forward to Matrix Jane (thanks!) and it's a great thing to have a resistant mind. A little lonely sometimes (at the top?) .

[Loretta S.]

Originally Posted by SharonNYC

I'm looking forward to Matrix Jane (thanks!) and it's a great thing to have a resistant mind. A little lonely sometimes (at the top?) .

I think you're right that it's good to have a resistant mind, Sharon. In one of those articles that Jane posted, someone said that even really devout Indians take what the guru says with a grain of salt. But Western seekers don't seem to be able to filter out what is part of the system and what is just Indian culture (like the guru administering "instructional" beatings) and they go all whole hog on the guru's every word. Of course, I'm paraphrasing. But I'm one of those grain of salt people. I'm quite turned off on the whole guru thing. In fact, after reading that article last night, I had a nightmare about it. Scary!

[Aline]

Sunday morning in Virginia: This class was listed as what John Friend calls "The Practice" and is a 3-hour class intended for Anusara teachers but in fact open to others too. We spent a lot of time at the beginning working on shoulder position in down dog before taking that alignment to handstands, splits, arm balances, backbends etc. What she wanted is quite different than what I learned from Ana or from Iyengar-style and I'm not sure which I prefer and for what. The other major theme was working on getting backbends out of the lower spine and into the middle and upper back using that same shoulder action. I liked it for those, but for downdog I'm not sure.

There was a lot of "come see". First she calls out a pose and everyone tries it once, then whoever asks a question becomes the demo as she explains how to improve it or modify it, then she shows it again exagerating whatever point she's making then finally we all get to try it again.

The evening (int/adv) class focused on forward bends, hip-openers and lotus a normal class (as compared to the morning, which felt like a teachers' gathering that I just happened to barge in on feeling half intimidated from not being in the in-crowd and half underwhelmed because I know I can fit in just fine)

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Maryland: these were even more fun because I was with friends (Jane and Joy)

The Monday night beginner level was a nice no-pressure chance to concentrate on the shoulder loop thing in downdog and normal standing poses even though the main focus was hip-openers. It's amazing how she manages to spend at least some time with just about everyone in a room that crowded. Even a woman hiding behind a pillar!

At the Tuesday morning therapeutic class she asked what physical problems people wanted to work with, and guess what? Shoulders topped the list. And it was not one bit redundant. Finally I was starting to feel what she was trying to teach us.

Tuesday evening (int/adv). Before we started she talked. She used words like "brilliant" "extraordinary" "shining" and even though she intended for them to relate to us (what???? who, us??? no way!) in my mind those words are a perfect description for her and of her. We covered a lot considering how crowded it was: inversions on a wall but trying to balance (again, shrug-and-melt and the cat tilt being the key to balance) an assortment of standing poses etc. and of course backbends many different kinds.

Wednesday was the Maryland's "teachers's practice" basically a version of what she does at her home when getting together to practice with her friends. Supposedly she was going to just lead and have us follow. But actually she did a lot of teaching. Most of the time we were in action. But whenever a point came up that she wanted to make, she'd jump up and either grab someone, ask for volunteers, or demo it herself, before giving us a chance to put it into practice.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record because here again the main point I came away with was.... "Shrug-And-Melt". Perhaps because it's so radically different from what I've been taught elsewhere and because I love the way it frees up my shoulders and spine. By the end I'm starting to think I finally got it. So I got a change to test that. Towards the end she asked for volunteers. So I did. The pose she helped me with I'd never seen before - it was scary. The key is maintaining that shoulder "shrug-and-melt" or else. From pinchamaryasana you slowly take both straight legs over backwards (with help, LOTS of help) until they're a foot above the floor (of course I had no idea where they were because I disorient when I'm upside down) then all of a sudden she says to bend my knees and surprise! the floor was right there! Letting go of that shoulder loop at any time would have meant disaster.

So.....
"Shrug-and-melt". That seemed to be the main theme of every class with her this time no matter what the level. Only the poses differed. YMMH. I'm sure Jane and Joy's do so you have to read their reports to get a different perspective, okay? All I've written is from my own narrow viewpoint because it's the only one I have.

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by Aline

Tuesday evening (int/adv). Before we started she talked. She used words like "brilliant" "extraordinary" "shining" and even though she intended for them to relate to us (what???? who, us??? no way!) in my mind those words are a perfect description for her and of her. We covered a lot considering how crowded it was: inversions on a wall but trying to balance (again, shrug-and-melt and the cat tilt being the key to balance) an assortment of standing poses etc. and of course backbends many different kinds.

Okay, so I really want the Des experience. So I'll seek it out. And I hope I have some of the same congenial company, including you.

[Aline]

Originally Posted by SharonNYC

And I hope I have some of the same congenial company, including you.

I'll try, Sharon. Thanks to the good old $35 roundtrip Chinatown bus from DC to NY. Hopefully they will still exist next year because what in the world would I do without them?

[Jane C]

Desiree Rumbaugh doesn’t have any videos, cds, or even audio tapes! She teaches Anusara style yoga. Her background, like many anusara teachers, is Iyengar, and she started out as a dancer. She’s 45, and has been studying yoga since 1987. She is a favorite of many of the video yogis - especially LisaTV, but Aline, Loretta, Renee, Sophie and Lianne have all attended workshops or classes with her. here's her bio - she's based in Phoenix:
http://www.azyoga.net/instruct-desiree.htm

I was lucky to have Aline and Joy/Stargazer with me for 3 days of classes in Washington D.C. last week. We had a blast. We spent alot of time together - ate dinner together every night (usually very late!). It was fun to be with both of them, in and of it self, intrinsically, but I'd also add that it gave depth to the yoga practice. They are both a ton of fun to practice with and I learned so much from them.

I went to 5 sessions, including the much ballyhooed teacher/advanced session called “The Practice”. This was after 4 sessions, and Desiree was all "go jane!", so, I went, and while much of it was (literally) over my head, it was quite useful to me - I could do a fair amount of of it, and what I couldn't do was interesting to watch.

I found Desiree very empowering. I left feeling I could do more than I believed I could do, progress more. I found her instruction very clear - easy to follow, and most of all, there was that fountain of Desiree energy. Desiree wants you to come along in her practice. Honestly, I think she wants more friends to play with -and to really play - Des style, you need a lot of strength and flexibility.

I had a different reaction after each of the sessions, and I think going to a single Des session wouldn't be the same experience. Her energy changed, my energy changed, the room changed.

I very much enjoyed the one theraputic session. She said, several times - theraputic yoga is the most advanced - and I completely saw her point. when you're really working the alignment it takes tremendous concentration.

I made a lot of progress with backbends. I walked away bend-ier. During the first session Des helped me drop back from standing to full wheel - which I haven't done in many years. What was so extraordinary about it was how completely comfortable I felt in full wheel - like I could have hung out for hours. The next night she did alot of wheel variations, and while Aline and f.y.i. JOY outshined me on the particulars, I once again felt very open, lifted, empowered - they were in no way a chore. the Des preps are terrific - but also, she creates a terrific vibe in the room - uplifting.

She has some specific alignment pointers - she believes you should lift your shoulders up high, and then melt the heart in most poses. Another big emphasis was cat tilt in everything everything everything. Shrug/CatTilt/Melt-the-heart She demo'd, or helped me, at one point with half moon. I was so surprised at the cat tilt correction and it *so* worked - I was trying to extend but I also needed to ground and be strong in my core.

Some caveats - there is a lot of emphasis on getting into the more advanced postures. She asks you to take responsibility for not getting injured. I can see where people might get injured with her because the excitement level is so high in the workshop - you want to be able to do the fun stuff - I know I had some twinges the next day - not bad, totally worth it, IMO, but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If my regular Iyengar teacher saw some of the stuff Des was doing - he’d freak (I think). I think its good, as a general rule, to have a solid, safe foundation - the kind of foundation traditional Iyengar provides - but once in a while, its kinda fun to bust out.

I feel like my practice would s-o-a-r if Desiree were available regularly as a teacher. I'm sure even attending her yoga studio is a big help, because on a technique level she has some great ideas, which, if practiced regularly, would help so much.

I hope I have a photo or two - I need to get batteries for my camera in order to upload.

[Videophile]

Originally Posted by Jane C

Several people have said this - and I agree - It seems a shame that these accounts - which often include great workshops/classes with lesser known stars of the yoga pantheon, aren't better organized and archived (the checkins get deleted), so, I hope, with this thread, people will begin to report on their yoga adventues.
I'll start...

Great thread. Have you thought of making this an "Everything Yoga" thread? As you know, these threads are permanently stored in the FAQ section so anyone looking for Yoga info can find it all in one place. Otherwise this thread will eventually disappear also if not permanently "stickied" or be hard to find once other posts are moved ahead of it.

All you have to do is re-title this thread "Everything Yoga" and ask Wendy or Joanna to "sticky" it in the FAQ section. You can then search the internet and VF for anything that has to do with Yoga and copy and paste it to the "Everything Yoga" thread just as some have already done for this thread.

I did this with rebounding and since I started the "Everything Rebounding" thread last November it has had over 5,000 hits. There are links, FAQ, book and video reviews and comments from rebounders. It's a lot of work but well worth it. Every time I saw a post on rebounding that seemed interesting I copied and pasted it to the "Everything" thread so it wouldn't be lost among other posts.

It would be even more worth it for Yoga because there are so many different types of Yoga and people would love to be able to go to just one place to find out about the differences, how and why people do the ones they do, which videos are best for whatever level they're at or whatever they are trying to accomplish, etc. You're already getting plenty of help from other VFers to make this a good "Everything" thread and I seem to remember Joanna mentioning that people have asked often for an "Everything Yoga" thread.

You've already got a good head start so I'll be looking forward to reading the "Everything Yoga" thread in the near future.

Nancy

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by nabrudigam

Great thread. Have you thought of making this an "Everything Yoga" thread? As you know, these threads are permanently stored in the FAQ section so anyone looking for Yoga info can find it all in one place. Otherwise this thread will eventually disappear also if not permanently "stickied" or be hard to find once other posts are moved ahead of it.


Nancy

Well, this isn't really "Everything Yoga" -- not even near, and it was never intended to be. This is just our reports of workshops VF yoginis have attended. I suppose it could be an ongoing "Everything Yoga Workshops" or something like that.

I don't think any of us can even imagine including everything yoga in one thread.

[Videophile]

Originally Posted by SharonNYC

I don't think any of us can even imagine including everything yoga in one thread.

You're right. Guess I'm just stupid.

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by nabrudigam

You're right. Guess I'm just stupid.

Well gee -- I certainly hope you don't really feel that way.

I'm sure Jane is working on a plan for making this thread an on-going one -- even if the experiences recorded are transitory...in a way.