UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS & TRAININGS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Tibetan Heart Yoga September Study Group, Sep. 1
Yoga in the Park Benefit for Quilts For Kids Nepal w/ Em Sept. 4
September 11 Detox Workshop with Miles Maeda
Sun & Moon Yoga Meditation Group, Sept 18th
Sun & Moon Yoga September Singing Group, Sept 18th
RESTORATIVE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING COURSE with Leza Lowitz in October
Approaching Ourselves through Sound、Outer and Inner With Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, Dec 4th
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Tibetan Heart Yoga September Study Group, Sep. 1
Wed, September 1st
7:00-8:30pm
Venue: Meguro-ku Kinrou Fukushi Kaikan (Tatami-room)
Map: http://www.megurokuchushokigyocenter.jp/access.html
Fees: 1,000 yen
Facilitators: Masaaki Nakajima and Tomoko Kawahara
All are welcome. NO RSVP necessary -please just drop in!
From September, the monthly Tibetan Heart Yoga study group will be on Wednesday evenings. The venue is in the Meguro area. Please check the map for details. Please note that an admission fee will be charged due to rental fees for the space. The rest of the money will be used to launch and run the Tibetan Heart Yoga Japan official website.
Seva Park Yoga Class for “Quilts for Kids Nepal” with Em
Saturday 4th September in Yoyogi Park
This is an open yoga class inviting one and all to come join Em for a two- hour community sharing yoga class for a wonderful cause. Let us share yoga and give in the spirit of Seva - no donation is too small.
100% of your donation to Quilts for Kids Nepal goes to fund women’s salaries as well as school tuition, school uniforms, shoes, pencils, books and backpacks for the kids.
Quilts for Kids Nepal is a microfinance project based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Its mission is to provide work for economically challenged women and to finance education for underprivileged children.
For more information about the organization, please check out:
“http://www.quiltsnepal.org” http://www.quiltsnepal.org/
When: Saturday 4th September
Time: 10.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Yoyogi Park
Please bring your yoga mat, or towel and invite friends and family. Look forward to seeing you there.
Suggested Donation: 500-1000 yen per person
Please contact Em for more information: breathe@em-yoga.com
Detox Yoga Workshop for the mind, body and soul
With Miles Maeda
Saturday, September 11th at Sun and Moon
Time: 5:00pm-8:00pm
Cost: 4,500 yen
When we begin our journey with yoga, it’s like preparing the soil for a garden to produce an abundance of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. As we deepen our practice, we plant the seeds that we choose to cultivate. And if we want the best possible result with our garden, we create the best possible environment to nurture these seedlings. So similarly in our yoga practice, it is an important step to cleanse the body and mind to properly cultivate the ’seed’ or light of our true nature which yoga reveals.
By doing specific dietary cleanses in combination with asana, healing breaths and meditation, we create the optimal environment for our work with yoga to bear fruit. In this workshop, we will introduce yoga asana designed specifically to heal the digestive system which, if not working properly, is the cause of many illnesses and diseases. We will also learn to use the breath and meditation to heal the major organs and release burdensome thoughts and negative emotions. Finally, we will look at a few suggested yogic cleanses which will aid in our body’s natural desire and ability to repair and heal itself. If we simply lighten the load we place on our bodies and minds, our yoga practice will bear the fruit that will nourish us deep within and eternally without.
Workshop is Bilingual Japanese and English.
To Register: Hit Contact. Email us with the name and date of the workshop in the subject line. Include your full name and cell phone number. Please register early to insure a spot.
Sun & Moon Yoga Meditation Group
Sat, September 18th
4:30-6:00pm
Fees: Donation (500-1,000 yen)
Facilitator: Tomoko Kawahara
*All the money will be donated to YCIP (Yoga Classics Input Project).
All are welcome. NO RSVP necessary -please just drop in!
“The Tibetan Book of Meditation” by Lama Christie McNally is a must read book, not only for yogis, but for anyone who’s interested in their own spiritual growth. In celebration of the release of the Japanese version, translated by Shogo Oketani, Sun & Moon Yoga is launching a monthly meditation group. We will practice some of the meditations from the book together in JAPANESE. The fees will be donated to YCIP. A nice way to practice these meditations in English is to listen to the guided meditation by Lama Christie herself. To download the audio, please go to:
http://www.tibetanbookofmeditation.org/guided-meditations.html
Sun & Moon Yoga September Singing Group
Sat, September 18th
6:30-8:00pm
Fees: Donation (500-1,000 yen)
*All the money will be donated to YCIP (Yoga Classics Input Project).
All are welcome. NO RSVP necessary -please just drop in!
Come and join our joyful and friendly kirtan gathering! In kirtan, we recite sacred Sanskrit mantras to loving melodies over and over. Since we chant the names of deities, kirtan is sometimes thought of as a religious practice. It may be for some but others create their own unique experience through the ancient practice of chanting. What we really sing, honor and celebrate through kirtan is our own divinity - inner sacredness and the inner light that we all have.
Thanks to everyone who joined our past gatherings, the money we raised for YCIP has reached 64,000 yen in total. Many thanks for your love and continuous support!
RESTORATIVE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
20-Hour Certification Course with Leza Lowitz
OCTOBER 2010 20-Hour RTTC Certification Course
October 2, 11, 16, 23, 2010.
Saturday October 2, 4:30pm-9:30pm (5 hours)
Monday October 11 11:00am-5:00pm (National Holiday-5 hours w/lunch& breaks)
Saturday October 16 4:30pm-9:30pm (5 hours)
Saturday October 23 4:30pm-9:30pm (5 hours)
Japanese interpretation will be provided by Tomoko Kawahara.
Space will fill up soon, so register soon by hitting Contact and answering the application questions, below.
Why Restorative Yoga? Why Now?
Daily life is incredibly stressful, especially in an urban environment. We spend a great deal of energy just trying to survive, often running on adrenaline (the “fight or flight response”) until we burn out. Now more than ever, we need a slower, deeper yoga practice that helps us regain our equilibrium and combat the stresses of modern life. Restorative yoga is one such practice that invites the body’s “relaxation response,” calms the nervous system, and quiets the mind. Restorative Yoga is a deeply relaxing, “passive” practice of Hatha Yoga in which we let go of physical, mental and emotional tension by practicing yoga poses in a fully supported environment, holding the poses for longer durations of time, and focusing on the breath. Supported by a variety of props such as bolsters, blankets, blocks, belts, sandbag weights, and other props, this practice helps us regain the equilibrium of the body/spirit, allowing deep relaxation, surrender and opening. This practice is perfect for those who have injuries, are recovering from illness, those with physical limitations, or those who simply want to relax and regain harmony and balance in their lives.
COURSE CONTENT
In this teacher training, you will learn: What is Restorative Yoga? How does it work physiologically, psycho-spiritually, and emotionally? Proper use of Props: How to set up each pose. How to spot and correct common mistakes in prop usage Restorative sequences for different effects Many original restorative postures developed by Leza Specific poses/practices for specific therapeutic needs (insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc). Pranayama for Restorative yoga How to design a Restorative yoga class around a specific theme or focus. How to incorporate other forms of yoga therapy into Restorative yoga, such as Thai Yoga Massage, Visualization, Guided Meditation, Yoga Nidra, etc.
COURSE FORMAT Classes will be part lecture, part practice, part demonstration in which students will set each other up in the poses and practice with each other, and part question and answer period/discussion.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Leza Lowitz has been teaching and practicing Hatha and Restorative yoga for over a decade. She was the first teacher to introduce Restorative yoga to Japan in 2003. (When Sun and Moon shipped all the props from America, customs officials held them for months because they had to test every pillow and eye bag for hidden drugs!) She has offered her highly popular Restorative yoga classes at workshops and on retreats internationally. She appeared on “99 Size” teaching Restorative yoga in 2004. She is a writer and certified yoga teacher who has studied many yogic and healing traditions with many illustrious teachers and masters from all over the world. She is the owner of Sun and Moon Yoga and author of the best-selling book Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By and Sacred Sanskrit Words: For Yoga, Chant and Meditation (with Reema Datta) in addition to 15 other books.
What to Bring:
The studio has everything you will need for this training. No need to bring bolsters, blankets, weights, yoga mats, eye pillows or anything else. Just bring a notebook and water. You will be given take-home handouts after the end of each session. No recording will be permitted
How to Apply:
If you are interested in attending this training, hit Contact and send in a request with RTTC OCTOBER in the subject. Include your full NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER and PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BRIEFLY AND FROM THE HEART.
1. PLEASE DETAIL YOUR YOGA PRACTICE AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE: (HOW MANY YEARS, STYLE, WHERE?)
2. WHAT IS YOUR RESTORATIVE YOGA EXPERIENCE AND WHY DO YOU WISH TO TAKE THIS TRAINING?
3. WHAT IS YOUR INTENTION FOR THIS TRAINING? PLEASE BE SPECIFIC.
4. PLEASE LIST ANY INJURIES OR MEDICAL CONDITIONS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.
Payment instructions will be sent upon receipt of your request. Early application is strongly suggested.
Sound Workshop: Approaching Ourselves through Sound、Outer and Inner
With Christopher Yohmei Blasdel
Where: Sun and Moon Yoga, Meguro
Date: December 4, 2010
Time: Saturday 5:00pm-7:30pm workshop
Followed by a Concert 8:00pm-9:00pm
Cost: 4,500 yen workshop, concert 2,000 yen (both for 6,000)
This afternoon intensive workshop will concentrate on the process of listening and awareness to the world of sound: both those that surround us in our environment and those that are within. Through active listening, we learn to let the world around us make an impression on our soul: through active speaking or singing, we learn how to make our own impression on the world. This workshop will include listening exercises as well as a talk and demonstrations on the use of sound in Zen Buddhism as a tool for enlightenment, including, time and weather permitting, a “sound stroll” in the back alleys of the neighborhood. The workshop will be followed by an evening solo shakuhachi performance.
WORKSHOP
1. Outer Sounds
Sound Introduction & Ear Cleaning
・ Prioritizing our auditory senses: sounds vs. sight
・ Orientation: learning to listen: exercises to sensitize the ear
・ Listening to our bodies
2. Talk/demonstration: Sound as a vehicle for enlightenment. The use of sound in Buddhism as a means for attaining awareness of the higher worlds:
The Shakuhachi and the single tone.
3. Inner Sounds
Listening to the body
・ Tones and chakras
・ Sound and health
・ Body balance through tone
Workshop taught in English and Japanese by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel
CONCERT: The evening concert will consist of a selection of traditional meditative shakuhachi solo works along with exciting contemporary shakuhachi compositions.
Note: (One may attend the concert without attending the workshop)
Advanced registration required. Workshop limited to 18 people.
REGISTRATION:
Advanced registration required. To register, hit Contact and send in a request with SOUND WORKSHOP or YOHMEI CONCERT in the subject line, including your full name and cell phone number. Register early to ensure a spot!
Please specify which workshop you wish to attend (Date, Time, and Workshop Title). Incomplete registrations will not be processed.
If you do not receive a confirmation reply within ONE WEEK, your registration has not been received. If that is the case, please re-send your registration request.
Instructor Profile:
Christopher Yohmei Blasdel began the shakuhachi and studies of Japanese music in 1972 with Goro Yamaguchi. In 1982 he received an MFA in ethnomusicology from
Tokyo University of Fine Arts, and received his professional name “Yohmei” from Yamaguchi in 1984. Performing in Japan and around the world, Blasdel maintains a balance between traditional shakuhachi music, modern compositions and cross-genre work with musicians, dancers, poets and visual artists. Discography includes Navarasa (2010), Breath Play (2007), Visionary Tones (2005) and several other CDs of traditional and contemporary music. He has composed and performed music for NHK documentaries and various films. He co-organized the World Shakuhachi Festival ’98 held in Boulder, Colorado and was artistic director of the Fukuoka Gendai Hogaku Festival, 2002-2003. His semi-autobiographical book, The Single Tone: A Personal Journey through Shakuhachi Music (Printed Matter Press, 2005), originally published in Japanese as Shakuhachi Odessei by Kawade Publishers, 2000 and winner of the prestigious Rennyo Award for non-fiction), details his experiences learning and playing the shakuhachi in Japan and around the world. He presently teaches Japanese music at Temple University in Tokyo and is Artistic Director of the International House of Japan, Inc. Blasdel also holds a third-degree black belt in Aikido.
For more information, please see http://www.yohmei.com.
ALSO See the Close-Up in Sept 5th issue of Metropolis magazine
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/754/body_and_soul.asp
Please scroll down to the end of the page.
When Registering for our workshops: If you do not receive a confirmation reply within ONE WEEK, your registration has not been received. If that is the case, please re-send your registration request. NAMASTE