Creating Connections: Día de los Muertos

by Meredith Paterson

Happy Halloween! What are you doing tonight to celebrate?

A skeleton does half-lotus-- look ma, no muscles!

 This past weekend, I had the great treat of being in downtown San Antonio and taking part in some of the Día de los Muertos festivities that were being held at El Mercado.

Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and around the Southwest on November 1 and 2 and is a celebration of the lives of friends and relatives who have passed. It is a regional version of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day celebrations that take place around the world.

Offerings, ofrendas, on an altar at Mi Tierra
restaurant in San Antonio.

During these days, graves are cleaned and decorated, and beautiful altars are created in homes and public spaces to honor the deceased. The altars include offerings, ofrendas, such as marigolds, sugar skulls, favorite foods and drinks of the person, objects that the person may have loved, and poems and stories in honor of the person. Families and friends get together to share memories and stories of loved ones. 

"People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed...

A large altar built on a truck in the
San Antonio Farmers' Market Buiding

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.^[2] Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well."  from Wikipedia

I love this holiday for so many reasons. Though death is in its title, it is a celebration of life, beauty, creativity, and art. Most importantly, it is time set aside to consciously remember those who are no longer with us in person, and to remember them with humor and full-spirited love. The holiday embraces all aspects of our existence, the light and the dark. It gives us permission to be something other than somber as we reflect on and send out prayers for those who have passed.

 Here is a recipe for pan de muerto for your Día de los Muertos celebration.

Online Yogiños Classes Now at YogaVibes!

by Meredith Paterson

Today, we are so excited to announce our collaboration and partnership with YogaVibes.

Yogiños: Yoga for Youth classes are now available on YogaVibes so that you and your family can take a class anytime, anywhere. 

Download the classes and have a yoga party at your house!

These unique classes were filmed in partnership with the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, and each class weaves together art, storytelling, yoga, music, love, and loads of fun!

Here are descriptions of each of the classes:

Ahila demonstrates mudras.

Mudras:
In this FREE yoga video, we explore some of the Hasta Mudras that are associated with the Hindu deity Vishnu and his beautiful consort Lakshmi. Designed for ages 4 & up.

Lakshmi: The Heroine of Generosity:
Join kids and families of all ages on an adventure about the greatest form of wealth: the art of generosity. Learn mudras, breathing, poses and cultural narratives inspired by an original work of art of Lakshmi who is known for bestowing wealth, prosperity, and abundance of knowledge, kindness and generosity. Music credits: "I am OHMazing" by Hunter James (words by Beth Reese and first verse of Upanishads); "Jai Ma" by Donna De Lory; "Ganapati Om" by Donna De Lory; and "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (48 mins.) Designed for families with yogis of all ages.

Beth and the Yogiños discuss Ganesha's vehicle
in the "Super Friends" video.

Super Friends:
Reflect on people and pets who are special. Learn about several heroes and their companions or vehicles. In Sanskrit, a vehicle is called a vahana. Surrounded by original works of art, we will meet several heroes and heroines - Shiva, Parvati, Lakshmi, Vishnu and Gansha - through sight, sound, breath, and poses or asanas that reveal how friends and pets are special to us and how we are special to them.  Music credits: "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (47 mins.) Designed for ages 4 & up.

The Courage in Me:

Meredith discusses the courage in our hearts.

Learn one of the ancient stories of Garuda, half-man, half-eagle, and the heroic tasks he had to take on moments after his birth. Inspired by the works of art surrounding us in the galleries of the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, we use breathing, asana (yoga poses), and partner work to look inside our own hearts to find the courage we need to face difficult situations. Music credits: "Toco el Sol" by Albert Del Rio (lyrics by Beth Reese). (35 mins.) Designed for ages 6 & up.

Creating Connections: Yoga Rocks the Butte!

by Meredith Paterson

Mark your calendars now because this February 10-12, 2012, Yoga Rocks the Butte will be happening in the insanely gorgeous Crested Butte, Colorado. If you haven't visited Crested Butte before, go go go! Beth and I were there this summer for a Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® training at Yoga for the Peaceful, and it is not an overstatement to say that we both fell in love-- the people, the yoga, the mountains, the food, the people. We immediately scheduled our next trip.

Yoga Rocks the Butte includes yoga from luminary teachers such as Shiva Rea, r.r. Shakti, Twee Merrigan, Shannon Paige Schneider, Micheline Barry, Monica Mesa, and more. Plus there will be music from Dave Stringer, Govindas and Radha, Steve Gold, DJ Drez, and many others. And as if that's not enough, there are packages that allow you to combine yoga with skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing. Throw in spa time, excellent lodging, organic food, and breathtaking scenery, and blend to create your own potent elixir! (I think I want to schedule a couple of weeks there now.)

Yogiños: Yoga for Youth will be there offering workshops and kids' and family programs so that you can bring the whole family for a weekend of winter wonder!

Check out the event page on Facebook for the latest on the schedule of events and additions to the lineup.

Creating Connections: BreatheCure Conference

Today, I want to bring your attention to a exciting opportunity that is happening right here in Texas this month. The BreatheCure (BTC) Conference will be held at Rice University on October 29, 2011.

The BreatheCure Conference will feature presentations and workshops from yoga teachers, medical professionals from many different fields, health and wellness professionals, authors, and more. 

"The BreatheCure Conference curriculum was chosen specifically to serve as prevention and complementary treatment of cancer and other illnesses and to offer alternative wellness techniques to professionals and the general public as integrative medicine emerges into mainstream treatment protocols.

BTC Conference supports the illness-to-wellness community using a platform of educational lectures and classes for professionals and the general public to use as a means of enrichment. Our nonprofit Breathe the Cure is dedicated to teaching that proper breathing is a complementary treatment to disease and a tool to transform mindbody.

We believe that change comes from a healthy mind, body and planet and support deep breathing techniques and mindfulness as a healthy lifestyle and a tool that alleviates many symptoms of disease."

The 2011 BreatheCure Conference is a collaboration between Breathe the Cure® founder, yoga professional and legislative yoga advocate Jennifer Buergermeister from Jennyoga/CuraYoga and the Texas Yoga Conference, who partnered with Amy Garratt and Julie Byrd, co-founders and Yoga Studies Directors of Balance Your Body Yoga as well as BYB Pink Ribbon Recuperative Yoga.

Presentations include

Angela Caughlin: Journaling Through: Unleashing the Power of the Authentic Self
Alejandro Chaoul Ph D – MDACC Integrative Medicine: Current research in cancer
Michael Brant DeMaria PhD, Sounds True: In the Flow: Caring for the Caregiver Through Movement, Laughter, Music and Relaxation
Feather Jones, Herbalist: Tea for Healthy Lives
Anita Kruse: Purple Songs Can Fly Project
Laura Kupperman: Yoga for Survivors™
Marije Miller, Heartmath Solutions: Reduce Stress & Feel Better with HeartMath®
Melissa Smith: Thai and Fly Yoga – Playtime to Wellness
Roger & Albina Rippy, YogaOne: Breathe Into You: Healing the Literal and Symbolic Heart Through Movement and Breath.
Lisa Ware: Creating Wellness through the Art of Energy Healing and Reiki Therapy

and many more






The keynote speaker at the conference will be investigative journalist Barry Estabrook, author of Tomatoland. I have heard several interviews with Estabrook about his new book, and his stories about our food system viewed through the lens of the tomato are eye-opening and bewildering.

Registration for the 2011 BreatheCure Conference is $175.00 for the general public and $150.00 for students, teachers, and seniors. BTC is donating twenty percent of all proceeds from the conference to Pink Ribbons Project, a Houston-based nonprofit that saves lives and improves the quality of life for those touched by breast cancer.

2011 BTC Conference Sponsors include: Breathe the Cure, Texas Yoga Association, Texas Yoga Conference, Balance Your Body Yoga, Jennyoga/CuraYoga, YogaOne Studios, Wisdom & Co., New Living, Luke’s Locker, OneYoga USA, Pink Ribbon Recuperative Yoga Training, 002 Magazine, Kingwood Yoga and Wellness Center, Yoga 4 Kids, Expedition Balance, Origin. Magazine, JCC Houston, Yogiños: Yoga for Youth, Ligmincha Texas Institute, Yoganonymous, Luna Bar, Body Dynamics, The Motherhood Center, Ekam Yoga, Mind Body & Soul, Sedona Tea Blends, Pure Rain, PerfectMind Yoga, Your Body Center and Aerobifit.

Creating Connections: YogaVibes!

 by Meredith Paterson

This past weekend, we had the OHMazing™ opportunity to work with YogaVibes to film some Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® classes among the inspiring carvings and sculptures in the galleries of the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. We filmed several classes that revolved around ancient Indian stories and myths depicted in the art. We can't wait for you to see them!

YogaVibes streams videos of yoga classes from teachers all over the world. They have videos from exceptional teachers in many different styles of yoga, and they have many different levels to choose from. You can search their site by instructor, style of yoga, difficulty level, and length of class.

They also offer hundreds of free short videos so that you can find a teacher you love or learn exactly how to do a specific pose. Check out our friend Melissa Smith teach a partner-assisted stretch in one of the free videos.

Here is a description of YogaVibes's mission from their website:

"YogaVibes draws on the exciting diversity of studios around the world, filming inspired teachers in a real-class environment. We partner with instructors you know, and instructors you'll want to know. We believe in the beauty and power of each teacher's voice and feel honored to be the vehicle to share their gifts with a wider audience."

Check out YogaVibes as a great way to discover new styles of yoga, inject some variety into your home yoga practice, and to try some yoga together with your family.

Creating Connections: Yoga Energy Activism

by Meredith Paterson

In every Yogiños class, we talk about making OHMazing™ choices. OHMazing™ choices are choices that support ourselves, others, and the environment. The mindfulness that youth learn through yoga helps them pause to check in with each decision that they make and ask themselves whether the choice is an OHMazing™ one. They learn that they have control over their own actions and reactions.

The always-inspiring yogini Shiva Rea has started a program called Yoga Energy Activism (YEA) that is a great way to start a conversation with your family about the OHMazing™ choices you make in terms of energy. I first learned about this program through the wonderful Monica Mesa at Yoga for the Peaceful in Crested Butte, CO, and I think it is a brilliant way for whole families to work together to apply what we learn in yoga to serve ourselves and the world off of our yoga mats.

Yoga Energy Activism is a multi-layered program that addresses many aspects of our energy use, both how we use and often deplete our personal energy and how we use technology. The program asks us to take Energy Regeneration Days reconnect to cycles of nature and to our own internal cycles while reducing our use of fossil fuels. By tuning in to what's happening inside and outside, we become more mindful of each choice that we make and how those choices impact others.

Work together as a family to plan your Energy Regeneration Days

Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 27) is the new moon and is one of the days that YEA recommends for an Energy Sabbath. What can you do tomorrow to be mindful of your energy usage? Try committing to 3 hours of energy regeneration. Join with others on the YEA (Yoga Energy Activism) Facebook page.





Some ideas from the Yoga Energy Activism website for creating an Energy Regeneration Retreat for your family:


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Join us in creating these special days to be with your loved ones and take a technology fast. Make simple steps to create less waste, use less water and contribute to decreasing your carbon footprint.

So let's restore energy!  Create your own Energy Regeneration Day - a retreat that includes
* unplugging and going solar or candlelight  (all electricity except your refrigerator) and accounting for your carbon footprint by retreating or supporting Global Green's carbon offset program
* tuning in (regenerating your energy in your own way through the yoga, being with your loved ones, resting, creating, playing)
* clearing up -  fasting (from food and-or technology), feasting (with eco-positive vegan food) and trying to go for Zero Waste.

Now is the time to take responsibility for our inner and outer world so that we can wake-up from the inertia that is preventing positive change and realize the natural gifts of prana that are inherent in the elements of the sun, water, earth, and air that are being depleted and poisoned.

Energy Regeneration Retreat
3 hours, 12 hours half-day (sunset to sunrise)  24 hour day

* Turn off and unplug all electronics and appliances (except the refrigerator)
* Take a technology fast - a healthy break from computer, cell phones, tv, games
* Rest, be with lovers,  family, friends,  read, reflect, create, play, be quiet, be festive
* Use ghee lamps, soy or beeswax candles or solar charged lamps for necessary light
* Create light from natural sources
* Gather with friends and family and celebrate using as little energy as possible to create meals
 (Cook the day before or foods not-requiring energy to prepare)
* Go for zero or as little waste as possible by composting and recycling
* Any meals are created with food that has minimal or no packaging and are vegetarian or vegan (the environmental effects of meat, fish and dairy)
* Create a meal with as little packaging as possible
* How few times can you flush
* What is your shortest reasonable shower or go greywater.
* Reduce water consumption: flush one less time / cut 2-6 minutes off your shower
* Use a bike or walk for transportation – if a car is necessary, try to reduce your travel to 1 gallon of gas (approx 25 miles) or use carbon off-set
* Replace TV and video games in your family with outdoor or other non-electronic activities


Personal Energy Regeneration
* Unplugging from social media, computer, cell phone for a few hours to a whole day!
* Reading
* Journaling
* Longer meditation and yoga practice
* Fasting: eating once or twice a day, or juice fast, or fruit + vegetable fast

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Let us know what you notice about your energy use in the comments below.

Creating Connections: MC Yogi

by Meredith Paterson

MC Yogi with some of the stars
from the new Yogiños DVD

This past Friday, we had the long-awaited premiere of our new DVD Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. The event was everything we could ever have wished for and more. The Yogiños, the stars of the DVD, got to walk down the red carpet, and then they got to see themselves on the big screen for the first time. I could not stop watching them watch the film. And the best part was watching them reconnect with each other after nine months.

Amanda prepares for
the concert

The night culminated perfectly with a unforgettable concert by MC Yogi with Amanda Giacomini and Robin Livingston. We had planned to hold the concert outside on the street in front of the museum, but a glorious, much-needed rainstorm hung over Dallas that night, so we moved inside. MC Yogi started the concert by saying that the gods and goddesses that surrounded us in the gallery had conspired to move the concert inside so that they could see it, too. He was absolutely right. What a privilege to sing and dance to the stories of the deities as they watched over us. I think every person in that gallery was moved on Friday night.

The best word I know to describe the experience of the concert is inspiration-- the old meaning of the word. To breathe life into. Thank you thank you to MC Yogi, Amanda, and Robin for breathing new life into me. 

 

I dare you not to dance. 

The last group of fourth graders that I taught always had one question at the beginning of class. "When do we get to hear that Elephant song?" And yes. I played it every time.

Which song most inspires you?

Check out the sequence from MC Yogi and Amanda in September's Yoga Journal!
See the trailer for the new Yogiños: Yoga for Youth DVD featuring MC Yogi's song "Give Love"

Creating Connections: Divine Feminine Yoga Telesummit

by Meredith Paterson

In our Monday posts, we'll be letting you know about people and organizations who are spreading yoga and healing around our world.  Follow these OHMazing™leaders, share them with your friends, and help them continue to make the world a healthy, thriving place for our future generations.

Today, I want to tell you about a FREE teleconference that is happening all this week. It is called the Divine Feminine Yoga Telesummit, and it is sponsored by Barefoot Yoga (a wonderful environmentally-friendly yoga products retailer). You can join at any point this week and call in via phone or Skype. If you can't make the calls, they will send out recordings after the fact.

Each day this week brings another incredible speaker. When you go to the website, scroll down to learn more about each speaker. Saraswati and Kate Clere McIntyre will speak on Tuesday, September 13 about their new film Yogawoman. Patricia Walden will speak on Thursday, September 15 about "Yoga for All Ages and Stages of a Woman's Life." Shiva Rea will speak on Friday, September 16 about Yoga Energy Activism (YEA), a great concept for reducing our energy use and simultaneously recharging ourselves in accordance with the rhythms of nature.  And many more.

 To access the free calls, sign up via their website.

Comment below to let us know if you participate in the calls and what you learn!