Thanks to those of you who responded to the last post, now you’ll all be able to get in on the big neti action. Maybe once you beef up your neti practice, you will appreciate my obscure humor in the last post. (Yes, that *is* a picture of a candlelit dinner with Big Neti. And yes, the other picture shows the two of us snuggled up in bed. You and your Big Neti will fall in love all too soon and you’ll know just what I’m talking about!)

Good news and bad news: the discount wasn’t as high as I hoped–only 5%, but it applies to your ENTIRE PURCHASE! Yay! At least I think that’s how it works. Y’all let me know if there is a problem, ok?

Have fun!

Anyway, somehow I started to wax on poetic about my new giant neti pot which I got about 6 months ago and how much it has changed my life. I mean it. Changed. My. Life. I swear by this thing. The wild part is, he responded with equal enthusiasm! He had recently gotten the big kind, too, and couldn’t believe the difference.

Apparently, I’m not alone! The big neti pot is where it’s at, but nobody seems to talk about it. So, I’m talkin’.

Now, I’ve been using neti pots for years. I mostly used what I had access to: the cute little ceramic numbers from the generic yoga studio or health food store that hold maybe a cup or two of water. This amount, split between both nostrils, makes for a paltry jala neti experience. I guess I was pretty excited about jala neti when first discovered it and I practiced it regularly for a time. I must have been impressed with the result even from the little pot because I even gave everybody in my family some cute hand-thrown ceramic neti pots one Christmas. (Poor guys: they all looked at me like I was nuts, but smiled and thanked me and probably never tried it. I can’t really blame them. You’re either into this kind of thing or you’re not.)

Enter the new neti pot. I got it about 6 months ago for my birthday and it has been…lifechanging. It’s made by healthandyoga.com and I even tried to get a discount code for y’all, but I had to become and affiliate and it just seemed like too much of a pain. I can still get it if there is an outcry from y’all. I’m registered as an affiliate, but I have to put their button on my website to make it easier for you and for you to get the discount, and I was reticent about making this forum commercial in any way. But, then again, it’s great to save money. So, just submit a comment that you want me to do it and I’ll see what I can do about getting you 15% off or something.

Anyway, this pot. I feel like I want to tell you guys about this pot the way I used to want to tell girlfriends about some new guy I’d been seeing. That’s the excitement factor around here. It’s shiny and nice and quiet, but most of all…it’s big. Size matters. And it can go again and again and again. I usually fill it twice in a session–once for each side. It’s incredible.

What more could any girl ask for?

[Note: it's a great idea to talk to a qualified yoga instructor if you are interested in starting a jala neti practice. Despite what you'll read on the internet, it *is* a practice, not something to take up now and then when you're feeling congested. It does so much more than 'clean the sinuses' or whatever they say. And, if you're a renegade and are gonna watch youtube and try it anyway, please please PLEASE dry your nasal passages gently and thoroughly afterward. Your head will thank you.]

In response to the newcomer energy in class, I’ve had to contextualize a few of the things we do at our studio that are unique–er, “unique” in the sense that they are *so* traditional and rootsy yogic they feel radical to us in comparison to the contemporary, commercial American yoga scene.

Take, for instance, our mandala chanting. Yes, we make it short and sweet. Yes, we provide a pithy explanation every time. But for me, it is one of the most important aspects of practice. Chanting orients the entire session, setting the tone for whatever practice follows.

To me, it’s serious stuff. Here’s a (sadly) not uncommon scenario: it’s morning and I’m all shined up and ready to rock it on the yoga mat, only to find myself–COMPLETELY UNINSPIRED! You know the feeling: uh-ok-i-guess-i’ll-do-some-(sigh)-Pawanmuktasana-and-then-see-what-happens sort of thing.

It is tamas central, folks. Closed channels. Animal realm station on the BART train of the 6 realms. I mean, obviously, I know I’m going to pull myself out of it and will be stoked by the time breath is in full swing or later when it’s time to sit and yet, I’m thinking, “but how (oh HOW?!) am I going to get there this time, again, today?!” Essence nature is in there and I’ve gotta smuggle Her a file so she can break out of jail or something before limited ahankara notices.

Enter chanting.

Hands in supplication, there I am with no choice but to actually contemplate the innate mystery of Nature with my mind, voice and body (Oms): its totally Unbound, Flexible and Limitless Variegation (Ganesh chant), the Truth of its Wisdom (Sarasvati), and the Graceful Force and Power of Gratitude and Auspicious for Unbroken Living Wisdom (Guru Stotram). Oh yeah, and how could I forget the Teacher-Student Prayer which harmonizes me with everyone else I’m practicing with in this Fortunate Community of all practitioners throughout time? What a family. How many others have sat in this pose and opened their voices just like me today? How could I *not* open up?!

Boom: instant gratitude! With that, it is easy to practice.

So, yes. At Yoga Mandala–and every day–we chant with heart. It’s either that or fake it, folks, and I’m not that kind of girl.

Sri Lalita’s Hatha Yoga class is at 4:30 at Yoga Mandala.

This is just a quick one to let you know I’ve got a great sub for my usual 4:30 Sunday class at Yoga Mandala for a brief period. I’ll be out for May through the first part of June.

Kamesh, the studio manager, really went out of her way to find a nice sub. Isaac is a really sincere yogi who studied in Bihar. Check out his class. I would if I could, but if I could…well, then I’d be teaching, right?

Anyway, come June 21st you can count on me to be back in the temple for rich, Sunday afternoon helpings of nutritious hatha yoga asana, pranayama and meditation suitable for summer. Please join me then.

We know that building and maintaining strength and flexibility the spine is key to health, longevity and a sense of vitality. However, we sometimes forget that the neck is part of the spine! In many exercise and yoga regimens, the neck is often overlooked.

In this brief, 45 minute class, we will discuss the basics of neck care. We will learn basic yoga postures and easy strength training to gradually increase range of motion and strength in the neck, affording greater stability and circulation to the structures in the neck and helping to prevent injury and tension. This simple regimen can be practiced almost anywhere.

Location: ALIVE Chiropractic
4223 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA
Date: January 14, 2009
Time: 6:30-7:15 p.m.
Contact: (510) 457-5874

Now that we have been on Daylight Savings Time for a bit, I’ve gotten used to the fact that our regular Sunday afternoon yoga class at Yoga Mandala occurs during magic hour. While my favorite place to be at sunset is probably outside gazing at the amber horizon in quiet contemplation, I don’t make that happen very often. It’s usually a busy, but soft time at home when I’m feeding and bathing my boy and ushering him gently off to bed. That’s why I’m so pleased that my public class falls at this time. To be in the mandir practicing through the sundhi–the joining of the opposites of day and night, in this case–feels so rich.

At this wintery time of year, our yoga practice is focused on keeping the cold, rough vata down (especially since it can be so windy in the afternoons here in the Berkeley winter) without letting the gluggy kapha stagnation accumulate. To that end, we have been focusing on P I, II & III series plus some long, steady holds in standing postures to open the channels and really let the asanas marinate. This allows the core warmth to be gently circulated and distributed throughout the body. Since winter seems to naturally lend itself to introspection, I’ve been enjoying highlighting forward bending and hip opening in a gradual, but consistent way.

Our class is a Hatha I-III and I’m always pleased to see the regulars and the brand new folks alike. If you’ll be new to the studio, let me know. My hatha class is strongly flavored by my favorite practice–Adi-Yoga–as I am ongoingly studying that with my esteemed teacher, Dharmanidhi.

Location: Yoga Mandala
2807 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
Time: Sundays 4:30 p.m.
Contact: 510.486.1989