Retreat to Vrindavan, India

The March 2012 retreat to Vrindavan was one that I had been dreaming of for years and I feel so glad that it happened. Vrindavan, is a spiritual oasis disguised within a sea of chaos. An extremely holy city, Vrindavan is the location of many of the pastimes of Lord Krishna, who's stories we heard much of while there. We stayed at the very comfortable and accommodating Jiva Institute, where we had our meals, relaxation, ayurvedic massages, space for daily yoga classes, and an unlimited supply of filtered water. Satyanarayana Dasa (Babaji), Jaya, Arun, Kamela, and the rest of the staff and residents of Jiva made us feel so at home. We couldn't have been better taken care of (or fed!).

During our days in Vrindavan and visiting the surrounding areas (Mathura - the birthplace of Lord Krishna, Radha Kund, Agra - to see the Taj Mahal, and other small villages not even found on a map) we saw so much! Please enjoy the photos below for a small taste of what we experienced in India.

Visting a small village outside of Vrindavan. The whole town came out to see Babaji for a meeting in the small, open air temple and to show us around. You can see here how the cow dung is dried and then stored to be used in a variety of ways.

At Care for Cows, truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth. These rescued cows are all so well cared for and loving.

Everyone is happy after a visit with the cows.

We make the long drive to visit the Taj Mahal. Truly beautiful.

Giving donated clothing to local children, who were thrilled to be getting these items. They would run in joyfully to each pick out something special.

Yoga every morning in Babaji's beautiful library.

Celebrating at the Durga temple in a small village.

Visting the Giriraj diety at Govardhan Hill. Giriraj was sheltering his most humble devotee from the intense sun.

Meeting and honoring friends everywhere we went.

Eating dinner at night in the small, mosquito-free indoor space that we began calling "the cafe."

Many many rickshaw trips began with intense negotiation about the fees.

Our last night was celebrated with an amazing Odissi performance in Babaji's library, turned stage.

Bye, Jiva Institute! See you again soon!

If you are interested in coming along on the next trip to Vrindavan, scheduled for March of 2014, please get in touch!

Thanksgiving Morning at Yoga Trek

This year's Thanksgiving morning class at Yoga Trek was so much fun to teach and such a beautiful practice to witness! We had a wonderful group and a very full studio. What great energy and what a perfect way to start off a day that can be chaotic for so many people. Thank you ALL for coming and contributing to the experience. I hope to see you again really soon!

Portland VegFest 2011

This past weekend I found myself back in Portland for this year's VegFest. For two days a wonderful group of vegans, vegetarians, and our friends took over a section of the Portland Convention Center and the city's many veg-friendly establishments. In the past four months, I have been fortunate to have made four trips (yes, one a month) to Portland and have fallen in love with the city and it's ultra-friendly inhabitants. With no more trips planned there this year, I will definitely be missing it! However, this last trip for VegFest really packed in so many reasons why I love the city. I saw so many people who were strangers four months ago, but who I now enthusiastically call friends, I visited some of my favorite businesses, and I even had the opportunity to spend time with some of the real veg pioneers who have been making vegetarian food business a reality for over three decades!

So, it was total icing on the cake that I had been invited to speak about The Yoga of Veganism at this year's VegFest. It was a thoughtful, inspiring, and dedicated group who attended the Saturday 11am talk. I was so touched to run into the talk's attendees throughout the weekend to hear how the teachings of yoga have impacted their lives. I hope that everyone I met will continue to keep in touch in some way and that I will see you all again!

Below, you can find an edited video with some parts of the talk given at VegFest. This talk included so much that is so close to my heart. Please enjoy!

2011 Chicago Walk for Farm Animals

Yesterday I had the great fortune to participate in the 2011 Chicago Walk for Farm Animals. These nationwide walks benefit Farm Sanctuary organization, who advocates for the treatment of our forgotten brothers and sisters living lives of confinement away from our eyes. I was unable to stay for the entire event, as I had to teach the regular Saturday morning class in Oak Park, but I was able to show up early and lead a short yoga session at the beginning of the day's events. It was a ton of fun with a really enthusiastic group of participants. It's not everyone who will go out on a Saturday morning and do yoga (some for the first time ever) on a patch of wet grass in Lincoln Park!

When I arrived at the usual Saturday morning class, I had to mentally change gears. I almost couldn't figure out how to teach this group of students sitting patiently in a studio... no one was even dressed as a pig! Over the course of the short previous yoga session, that had come to look quite normal. Funny how the mind works.

This event also marked the debut of my newly-purchased Flip camera which I intend to use often now that I have it! There are so many things that I want to make videos of. The above is my first attempt at video editing. Many thanks to my friend, Mark, took much of the yoga class video. I think I learned a lot making this and have ideas about what to do differently next time.

Thank you all for coming out and participating and, most of all, for acting as voices for the voiceless! And thank you to the organizers who invited me and to the many friends who recommended me for the duty!

Doga Fundraiser for One Tail at a Time

You may know that I share my life with rescued dogs and cats. Pets are such an important part of our families and our lives and it's really necessary to take the opportunity to bond with our furry best friends. Even better that we could donate the proceeds from this class to One Tail at a Time rescue!

Thanks so much to Yoga Tree for donating the space to hold class, to the ladies from Fido To Go (Chicago's Premiere Gormutt dog food truck) for stopping by with treats afterwards, and to Heather at One Tail at a Time for bringing it all together! Love to all of you!

Vegan Cooking & Yoga Retreat

What a wonderful time we had on retreat at the beautiful Stronghold Retreat Center in Oregon, IL held from Friday May 20 through Sunday May 22, 2011! Despite the prediction of storms, the weather was perfect and our diverse group of both the yoga- and vegan-curious assembled for a weekend of fun, connection, and delicious vegan food! It was a wonderful time with a great balance of free time and activity with lots of opportunities to ask questions about cooking, yoga, and more. Many wonderful connections were made and I hope to see you all again in the future! This retreat could not have been possible without the dedication of my fellow retreat hostess, Chef Kim Gracen, of the world-famous Chicago Diner. I hope that we can do it again sometime! (See more photos on Facebook!)

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your inspiring talk during the retreat.... linking yoga with veganism! You did this in such a sweet, gentle way... I know everyone agreed with your approach and loved it! It was a Treat of a Lifetime to be there!" - Tina C.

Yoga for Students at OPRFHS

One of my regular yoga students, who is a high-school teacher, kindly invited me to give a yoga demonstration and class to the World Cultures class at Oak Park River Forest High School. Having almost no experience with teaching a classroom full of teenage boys (which this class mostly consisted of), I as unsure about how the day would go and was actually pretty nervous. In the end, we all got along great and had a great time, even doing a partner pose together without too much resistance!

Before Savasana (final resting pose), I advised the students that this would be the most difficult pose, as it requires complete surrender of the body and the mind. After a fully silent 5 minutes, we released the pose and the difference in the students (and the surprise of their teachers) was evident! What a fun group! Thanks so much to Marci for giving me the opportunity to come out and share yoga with the students!

Doga at Dog Day on the Green

On Sunday, August 29, 2010, I had the opportunity to share the practice and teachings of yoga with the attendees of Dog Day on the Green, a yearly event sponsored by the Chicago City Clerk's office. The event was a huge success and was a great time for both dogs and their human caregivers alike! The event works well to promote responsible pet-ownership as well as rescue, which is a cause that is close to my heart as my own beloved mix dogs (as well as the resident cats) are all rescued.

Our Doga class was near the beginning of the day and was immediately followed by a great Q&A with members of Safe Humane Chicago as well as John Garcia from Best Friends' Dog Town in Utah (pictured)! It was such a treat to be surrounded by inspiring, dog-friendly folks and hope to seize the opportunity to get involved with even more positive volunteer activities in the future. I also hope to continue to offer regular Doga classes as an opportunity for you to reconnect with your canine companion and to offer you both some coveted one-on-one time!

One-Day Retreat at Wedrose Acres

Despite the rainy forecast, on September 19th, we arrived at Wedrose Acres Animal Sanctuary in Gridley with sunshine in our hearts and were soon joined by nearly 100 others who each contributed their own light. We enjoyed a lovely reception from Tobein, the selfless caregiver at Wedrose Acres, as well as a delicious vegan lunch provided by Upton's Naturals. There was time for a few hours of relaxation and visitation with the animals before a fun-filled asana practice in a pasture full of singing crickets surrounded by the sounds of nature (with the occasional donkey chiming in). From the experienced to the brand new, all of the yogis dedicated their efforts that day to something meaningful to them and in the end, we raised $1000 for the continued care of the animal residents of Wedrose Acres! A great success and we hope to return in the spring (and hope that you will join us)!