BHAKTI FEST IS COMING

Bhakti Fest is...

a 3-day music festival celebrating devotion through chanting, yoga, meditation and community in beautiful Joshua Tree, California

Friday, Sept 11 - Sunday, Sept 13

come "be in the bhav" with us!

www.bhaktifest.com

OPENING CEREMONY & CONSTANT KIRTAN

opening fire ceremony begins at NOON on Friday, Sept 11th...at 1pm Kirtan begins and continues as "constant kirtan" until Sunday night, 10pm. this is the first time such a gathering has scheduled constant Kirtan by so many great artists!

SANCTUARY

in the sanctuary building, discourses, seminars, trainings and dance opportuinties continue throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

on Sunday, Sept 13th from 12:30-2:00pm... meet yogitoes founder Susan Nichols at our NEWHIPPIE lecture on Bhakti Yoga - a dialogue on devotion and divinity

we hope to see you at there!

tell your friends and spread the word about this revolutionary spiritual event!!!

OM shanti, peace

the yogitoes family

NEWHIPPIE is our new yoga philosophy division, whose intention is to bring messages of compassion, awareness and unity consciousness to the planet. check it out at www.newhippie.com

there's no such thing as a free yoga class!*

Recently a friend approached me at a party, excited to share the news that he has recently discovered yoga!

I could see in his eyes and feel in his energy that he had opened that cosmic Christmas present that held inside this tool for total transformation... He was coming to join me on this yogic path! woo hoo!

"Awesome!" I yelped! "Where are you practicing!? I want to take a class with you ASAP!"

"At the free yoga studio!" He replied excitedly.... "ya know... the donation one in Santa Monica where you don't have to pay."

My excitement plopped on the floor about as quickly and loudly as my butt had earlier that morning in titthibasana (firefly pose)...

<--- you know... THAT one where your butt smacks your SKIDLESS on the regular

well... needless to say, I pulled myself up and I had a little chat with my friend, explaining that "donation" does not mean "free!"


In my neighborhood there are a plethora of DONATION-BASED yoga studios, and more on the way!

...to name a few...

BHAKTI YOGA SHALA
www.bhaktiyogashala.com

BRYAN KEST POWER YOGA
www.poweryoga.com

YOGA CO

www.yogaco.com

HOME SIMPLY YOGA

www.homesimplyyoga.com

...and coming soon

YOGIS ANONYMOUS
www.yogisanonymous.com



Sooooo... you get the picture.

There are a LOT of donation based studios cropping up everywhere! Which make me think that we all need to have a little crash course on what "donation yoga" means...

Donation yoga was started as a way to allow practitioners to choose what they feel the class was worth to them. I seriously doubt that ANYONE can walk out of a yoga class and not feel as though it was worth something to them.

Generally, your teacher will be paying rent on the studio for that time slot and does not get "paid" to teach that class. All the money they make, is the money that you put in the box at the end of the class. That is their livelyhood.

Sometimes there will be a sign, letting you know what the "suggested donation" is, but if you really can't figure out how much is right, think about the following:

1. MAKE IT COMPARABLE - a drop-in class at non-donation studios is usually somewhere between $15-$20

2. SHOW SOME LOVE - can you REALLY put a price on the inner peace you just attained, let alone the workout you just got!? If you leave class euphoric, let the teacher know by showing some love in the donation box! If you were expecting to put in $15, leave a $20 instead!

3. DONATE FOR THE WEEK/MONTH - if you are like me, you never carry cash. this USED to be a turn off to donation studios for me, until i realized that i could just write a check for the classes i was planning to take that month and keep a little mental tally of how many classes I think i should have gotten for that sum! PLUS.. it feels really good to shove a three figure check into the box with the ones and fives!

4. FEEL LUCKY WHEN IT'S ONLY YOU! - If you happen to show up for a class and you are the only one there, consider this.... you are getting a PRIVATE class that your teacher probably charges upwards of $100 for when scheduled. I definitely understand that you may not have wanted a private in the first place, but hey... enjoy the individualized attention and if you CAN, show your thanks with your donation...

5. COME TO CLASS NO MATTER WHAT! - If you are having financial hardship, don't let that be a reason for you NOT to practice.

Bryan Kest shared a story once about a guy who took his class every day for years and one day left an envelope in the box with a check for $7,000 and a note that said (something like) "Bryan, I've been in a really dark time for a while, and the only that got me through was being able to take class from you. But I've never been able to even drop a dollar in the box. And now finally I am in a comfortable financial situation, thanks to this practice. So here is a little backpayment." Bryan was so touched and said, " ya know... this is why i do it!"

Ally Hamilton (who's new studio 'yogis anonymous' will be opening Sept 1st) says "We do not want financial limitations to prevent you from developing and maintaining a strong and healthy yoga practice. We've chosen to be true to our yogic principles of love, trust, and generosity of spirit by using the honor system and asking that you donate what you can afford and what you feel these offerings are worth to you."

So, i guess the best rule of thumb is, give from the heart! and... it's not free.
_______________________
* amendment to the title
"there's no such thing as a free yoga class, except for lululemon's free yoga classes they offer weekly in their stores!" :)
(they bring in great teachers from your community and its a fun way to try new styles and teachers you have been wondering about... for free!)
www.lululemon.com/santamonica/santamonicablvd/events
- this is the link to the santa monica store... search for your local store for events in your area!-

WANDERLUST in pictures...

The backdrop to our Wanderlust weekend at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe...

2000 feet up at the top of this mountain was High Camp, an outdoor venue where teachers like John Friend and Duncan Wong held class.

Looking (way) back at The Alpine Village and beautiful Squaw Valley...

Susan Nichols, founder of yogitoes and New Hippie which hosted the discussion Human Evolution: From Duality to Unity Consciousness facilitated by Leanne Whitney (at the Alpenglow Room).

Q & A afterwards with Leanne Whitney.

Lululemon sporting their SKIDLESS... a big seller as the temps were HIGH!

...And here being put to good use!

Susan, Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul.

Sianna Sherman/MC Yogi yoga class finale! The energy was as high as the altitude!

'DANCEFLOOR' - a new use for SKIDLESS!

MC Yogi, DJ Drez, vocalist Nikko and the amazing AcroYogis (as John Friend looks on)!

The one and only Annie Carpenter!

The Yo Yo Yogis - Alex and Terri Cole

(check out their 100 Studios in 100 days adventure http://yoyoyogi.com/wordpress/)

High Camp meadow off season is GLORIOUS!

Gold Coast stage at High Camp with Andrew Bird performing... breathtaking!

Michael Franti came down with appendicitis... a few of us sent him a little get well card...

The first year of Wanderlust was beautiful, melodic, inspirational and just plain fun!
I can't wait to see what creators Jeff Krasno and Schuyler Grant have planned for next year...
Om Shanti!

Back