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I write this having just returned from three days spent at the "Art of Vinyasa" yoga
conference.
I return with so many thoughts regarding so many issues... this is my futile attempt at writing
them down. Firstly I recall my intention for doing this, for writing these things down.
This is for others to see but, at the same time, not.
This is for me to remember who I am, was, and what I was going through but at the same time not.
This is to honor the experience I went through, and, in writing down my thoughts, to recall what
it is that I went through.
This is to help me organize my thoughts and thus plan my next step. and to take it.
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Shiva rea - Shiva Rea
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This conference came at a time of great change for earlier that week I ceased to be in an
intimate relationship. My thoughts, thus, hovered around questions such as "why did it
end?".
The outcome of any relationship is due to the actions of both (in the case of two) people.
Thus, what could I have done such that it would have resulted in a better outcome? Is breaking
up a bad outcome when both people went into the relationship wanting to make it last? Should it
not be possible to resolve any and all issues?
My questions were endless and my doubts in lasting, healthy, relationships were growing by the
minute.
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Jonny Kest - Center for Yoga
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With such questions in mind I headed toward Miami. I must admit that my outlook on this
conference was not good. Despite being involved in yoga for over a decade, my idea of vinyasa
was that of a sequence of poses done quickly and repetitively with higher risk of injury due to
the little attention being paid to the form in each posture. ... The fact that the conference
was being held at the Trump beach hotel did not help remove my fears that I was going to regret
having spent so much money and time for this.
I was somewhat wrong.
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Duncan Wong - Yogic Arts
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Shiva Rea was the teacher for my first class. I was already slightly late and as I walked in everyone
was performing some sort of african-dance to jungly music as she talked on the microphone... way too
much like an aerobics class. I pushed back my gag reflex and told myself that if I am going to swallow
a frog I may as well swallow a big one (in other words: go with the flow). After generating some good
body heat we started to do some flowing yoga poses, the only thing that really kept me interested was
the fact that many of them were new to me. I focused on the poses and on the sun that was shining
straight on me, causing to sweat profusely (I always wanted to use that word).
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Matty Pesendian - Shadow Yoga
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Soon I was so soaked in sweat that I had to remove my shirt and use a towel I happened to have with me.
The music changed, the flow changed, Shiva Rea masterly oriented the poses and I found myself deeply
engaged in the session, the body being my tool for present awareness.
When savasana (relaxation) came about I was ready. This was an excellent physical-oriented yoga
session.
(Later that day I was to experience an even more liberating session led by Shiva Rea, this time of
Trance Dance)
Without more than 10 minutes to replenish my bodily fluids I found myself in my second 2 hour session,
this time the teacher was Jonny Kest who only stood out from the crowd due to his brown "Yoga Teacher"
shirt. With the aid of numerous factoids such as "did you know that the majority of americans will go
this whole week without bending back once?!", "they just published this study that...",
Jonny led us through another excellent, demanding, asana routine, with strong emphasis on the
breath.
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Monica Schmidt - Monica
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My doubts were being quieted, the teachers were very good and I was learning a lot in terms of asanas
and exposure to different teaching styles. Teacher after teacher I kept on getting pleasantly
surprised. Each teacher had enthusiasm, expertise, and, more importantly, joy. Each teacher was happy
to be there, to teach, to talk to the participants. I found very little teacher-ego and plenty of
joy-of-living.
Sincere yoga practitioners are some of the very best people to be around and I enjoyed the intervals
between sessions (meeting yoga-related people in the hotel and at the beach) as much as the practice.
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Nicki Doane & Eddie Modestini - Yoga On Maui
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I was, however, to be further surprised. By the end of the second day (that is 4x2 + 3x2 = 14 hours of
Hatha Vinyasa yoga) I found myself returning to questions I had before the conference.
In particular, what do I want to teach people when they come to a yoga class? Just a routine of poses?
Just a good aware feeling? The physical routines bring the body to a great point but that is not all I
want. In fact, I had been shying away from intense hatha yoga sessions and the struggle to conquer new
poses because that is all it is... a struggle for circus tricks.
So the third day was such a blessing. |
Srivatsa Ramaswami - Srivatsa
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When I signed up for the classes I had zero knowledge of the teachers yet I managed to chose two
back-to-back sessions, for the last day, both led by students of the great Krishnamacharya.
Both teachers were very lucid people and both centered their sessions around the essence of doing yoga.
The reason for doing yoga.
Both teachers began with a simple, enlightening and centering discussion on yoga and followed this up
with a purposful, intention- and heart-centered, set of asanas. The first one left me dazed, the
second finished me off and had me nearly in tears. In short, this was an amazing pilgrimage of a
weekend.
I returned to my home with renewed energy and motivation for my practice and for
connecting with love to all I meet.
From the physical effort to the dispelling of spiritual darkness, I was led through a vinyasa, a
journey for which I, with bowed head and palms together, thank every teacher, yogi, and yogini I
came in contact with, straight from the anahatha - my heart center.
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Mark Whitwell - Heart of yoga
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