Crissy, from Indego Africa emailed me this week, and told me about their awesome new yoga bags.

She wrote,  ”We are Indego Africa – a social enterprise part of the Fair Trade Federation that makes high-quality, gorgeous handicrafts that empower women artisans in Rwanda to lift themselves out of poverty.  While our Yoga Bags are versatile and beautifully made, these products also tell a great story.  All proceeds go towards training programsfor the women in entrepreneurship, management, literacy, computers, and microfinance. Many of our remarkable women care for several children and are the sole providers for their households”.

Check out their newest style of yoga bags, just in time for Mother’s Day. These fantastic bags are handcrafted from Dutch wax cloth and have a zipper all the way up the side for easy packing and unpacking, plus a separate pocket for wallets, keys. You can learn more about their products and see photos and videos of the amazing women at www.indegoafrica.org.

I love this bag, and the women who made it.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Eoin Finn, a Vancouver based superflow surfin’ yogi Blissologist, just released a new DVD, The Pursuit of Happy Hips.  I caught up with him this week and asked him about it.

Lara:  Hi Eoin, It’s been a couple of years since our first interview, what have you been up to? How was Bali?

Eoin: Bali was amazing and so inspiring.  We spent three and a half months there last year.  Even though I love what I do, mostly when we were there we were filming.  We filmed an epic 6 yoga routines and 6 meditation routines for an upcoming project called “Everyday Yoga and Meditation.”  It’s was a huge undertaking to say the least but Bali is no place  where you really want to work; the internet is slow, the pace of life is slow, it’s hot and there is so much yoga and surfing to do.  It was nice to go back this year with little agenda except to really relax and enjoy what we love as individuals and as a couple.  If you have never heard of it, you have to go to the Bali Spirit Festival next year for 5 days of Yoga, Dance and Music.  It was amazing to teach and share in the energy there.

Right now, I am just enjoying being home, surfing, doing yoga, taking in the culture of Vancouver and spending time in my hammock under all these amazing cherry blossoms.  May is going to get busy editing again.

L: I know you have an awesome new DVD you just released, The Pursuit of Happy Hips. Tell us about it.

E: The Pursuit of Happy Hips turned out better than we could have expected.  It came about from my 6 years of working with Olympic Athletes and lululemon elite ambassadors.  They all really love the benefits of yoga because it brings balance back to their lives and to helps them excel at their activities.  Because they travel so much they asked if we could make them a DVD they could do on the road.  This was the original inspiration.

These athletes have insane fitness levels so sometimes they want a yoga routine that is challenging for their fitness, but sometimes they are just tired from training and traveling so the yoga needs to be more restorative.  As a result some routines are more mellow and some are physically challenging.

Also, even on the more challenging routines, I went deep into alignment and took a slower approach.  My deal with the athletes is that if they ever hurt themselves when they were training on the road, I would do their competition for them.  I didn’t have much desire to go off a ski jump doing a million flips or go down a bobsled run headfirst so this slow, detailed approach is key.

I also love the music and the audio tracks laid down by other teachers to Olympians Tracey Delfs and Insiya, my wife.

The DVD is so good for the general public and not just Olympians.

L: Why the Hips?

E: First off, we don’t just focus on the hips only making sure the routines address the needs of all parts f the body and mind, but there is definitely an emphasis on hip opening and balancing.

The original idea for this hip focus comes from the athletes themselves.  Most of the Olympians talked about restricted range of motion in their hips them because they use their legs so much as such a power source.

On a  deeper level, the pelvis is functionally the foundation for the spine, and so much of our health is related to our spine.  It is also the connecting place between the upper and lower body and it is a place where culturally we feel so many taboos.   In a really simple sense, opening up the hips is such a fast track to deep bliss and that’s what we are all about.

L: The DVD is shot so well, with scenes in Whistler, and Vancouver.   Absolutely gorgeous.  I love practicing outside with you guys every week at my home with the DVD.  Tell me about the different sections, Easy Street, World Champion Hips, Hot Chocolate, All Downhill – How are they different?

E: Yeah, as I mentioned some routines are super mellow and some really challenge your fitness.  We expanded on the ski map idea and rated the routines in terms of green dots for the more mellow ones and black diamond for the more challenging.  I am big into nature and even though it makes for extra challenges shooting outdoors, I think great scenery is the key.  A big part of Yoga for me is about connecting to Nature.

The great thing about this DVD is we started with 2 1/2 hours of routines that get edited down into sub routines. Our past DVDs have had about an hour and a half, so there is tons of different material for each routine

We also have 2 others coming up on the new blissology.com website when it launches in mid May.  One of them is free with thePursuit of Happy Hips DVD called ‘Tantric Trail ‘ and the other is ‘Double Diamond Hips’ which, as the name suggests, involves super deep hip opening with half and full lotus variations.  I’ve been testing it a lot this week and I feel high every day!

L: What’s coming up for you?

E: Always lots.  I was listening to Deepak Chopra’s Radio show and he interviewed the author of a book called ‘Well Being, the Five Elements’ and he said that only twenty percent of the population enjoy their work.  That’s insane, because my work is my art and my offering, I love it.I think one of the main things I want to do is get the Blissology idea out in the world since I feel it is a key philosophy that can help give voice and momentum to the environmental movement and bring more kindness into the world.  I just got a U.S. Visa which is amazing because I have never been able to teach in the U.S so I really look forward to sharing what I do there.  May is going to find me in our Vancouver Island home a lot where we will be surfing, yoga-ing and editing the Every Day Yoga and Mediation DVD series.  We may line up a couple of classes in Cali.

Mostly I want to write.  I seriously pray every time I get on a plane that the plane can not crash until I write some of the books I have in mind.  It is my life mission to get it down on paper.  Writing is my big, big passion.I also want to practice and spread Hammock Enlightenment.  I think it key for saving the world.  I want to set up our relaxation sites in different cities we visit.Other than that, spending time with Insiya and considering starting a family… Wow, did I say that?!?

Thank you so much for chatting with us today.  People can find you at your blog and website, www.eoinfinnyoga.com, where you have more free yoga downloads, info about your Teacher Trainings, and YES Retreats.  You’re also launching www.blissology.com, which we’ll look out for in the coming months.

You can pick up a copy of the DVD at Amazon.  To win a FREE copy of Eoin’s new DVD, look for Eoin’s audio interview coming out here on Yoga Peeps next week, with details on how to win.

It’s my understanding, you cannot do for others or the Earth, without first doing for yourself. Everything ripples out from there.  Which is why I’m so excited about these yoga peeps in New York City.  Doing yoga, dancing, raising their vibration, and rippling that out to the world.  That is truly where all of the healing of Planet Earth begins.

Here’s what Social Workout wrote about this gathering, “Earth Day celebration at The Standard, produced by our friends at Flavorpill: Note the wood-paneled “Highline Room” above, with picture window looking out at sun setting over New Jersey. That’s Elena Brower of Virayoga fame at the front, talking about the the Hindu goddess Kali. After deep savasana, a crowd of conga drummers files in with deejay. Ensued: Yogis dancing barefoot, drinking coconut water, and eating organic chocolate. Meanwhile, downstairs in the biergarten, well-dressed financiers drink wheat beer and eye the various Ferraris left casually at the curb”.

I’m stoked that practicing yoga in a beautiful venue, with an awesome yogin (Elena Brower), is just as popular, as sipping cocktails and Ferrarris.  Therein lies a shift.

Peace, and Happy Earth Day.

I had wonderful time speaking with Jane Austin, PreNatal Yoga teacher, at Yoga Tree, in San Francisco a couple of months ago.  I found her to be relaxed and cheerful, with a sort of inner confidence.  Such an important combo for me, and for women in pregnancy, as we are going through a massive life expanding transition in our lives.

Round about the time I chatted with Jane, I found out I was pregnant, with my second child.  I was elated, but with that elation comes all the intensity of having another life grow inside you – extreme fatigue, nausea, insomnia, massive discomfort doing just about everything and anything, especially towards the end, when the baby inside is so big.

That being said, I am so happy to be pregnant, and to be of service to the beautiful life inside of me, and to have to ability to expand to birth him!

As with any massive discomfort, I am always looking for ease, and freedom, which is why I was so stoked to get Jane’s new PreNatal Yoga DVD.  Jane, a childbirth educator, doula, midwife, has been teaching prenatal yoga in SF for 15 years.  She was such a joy to practice along with.  Her constant smile infuses confidence in even the most unsure, and awkward mama-to-be.

She starts out with a meditation connecting with our breath, and our baby, which I loved. Then we moved on to some arm strengthening (for holding our new babies, and our toddlers).  Then came hip openers, which felt absolutely divine.  My particular favorite was the one legged squat, with hip rolls.  After that one, I felt like I had a mile more real estate inside my hips.  Exactly what I want for birthing, and just for all around better posture.  The amount of weight we carry forward in pregnancy can pull our bodies forward and down.  By opening the hips, we stand more upright, are more stable, and can more easily access a full squat, an awesome birthing position.

The class moved on with balancing poses, and came back down to hips and final relaxation, and more baby centered meditation and visualization.  I love this part, because I tend to focus on my body, and forget about the little life growing inside me.  It was so good to connect with him, and to feel him inside of me responding to my love and attention.

Jane feels like a good friend.  Knowing that she has two children of her own, and has been helping women go through the process of pregnancy and birth for over a decade, helps me like her even more, and trust her unconditionally.  She gives us helpful reminders like,

“This is the breath that will birth your baby”

“You are a mother now. See your baby inside of you”

“It’s impossible to birth your baby through buns of steel, you need to get juicy”

The music, is smooth, consistent, and nonintrusive.  The women in the video are all very pregnant, and are real students in Jane’s classes.  She teaches 4x a week in at Yoga Tree, and does Teacher Trainings twice a year.

I practice daily, am a yoga instructor, and have a fairly athletic practice.  I loved this Prenatal DVD practice because as I felt honored, and understood, with where I am now (at 5 months pregnant), where I’m going ( birth), while acknowledged for my strength (as a mother).

In conclusion, I totally LOVE it, and recommend it to all mothers to be, even if it’s your second or third time.  Find Jane’s DVD, and teaching schedule online at: www.janeaustinyoga.com

Thank you Jane!

Kelly McGonigal’s new book,  Yoga for Pain Relief
was just released.  You can find it on Amazon.

Kelly is a good friend, and Stanford psychology instructor and prominent yoga teacher, in Palo Alto, California.  In this book, she shows readers how the wisdom of yoga and the latest skills drawn from mind-body research can end the physical and emotional suffering of chronic pain. Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical  strategies for ending pain.

This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep
relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological
techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve
pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic
pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself
again.

About Kelly:

Listen to her YogaPeeps.com interview here.

Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is an award-winning instructor at Stanford
University in Palo Alto, CA, where she teaches yoga, psychology, and
healthy back classes. She is a leader in the field of mind-body
science and she provides teacher trainings and continuing education
for yoga, fitness, and health care professionals. McGonigal is
editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and a
frequent writer for publications such as Yoga Journal and IDEA Fitness
Journal.

Visit Kelly Online:

www.kellymcgonigal.com
And on twitter: http://twitter.com/kellymcgonigal

“This book is devoted to teaching you yoga practices that will help
you unlearn habits of suffering and create new healing habits of mind
and body. Yoga emphasizes the innate capacity each person has to
experience health and joy. Yoga practices are the tools to awaken this
capacity and heal your pain.” —Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., from Yoga For
Pain Relief

I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to you for supporting Yoga Peeps with your love, energy and donations.  Your listening and feedback means the world to me.  You are all up to wonderful things simply by practicing yoga, and I am honored to be a part of your journey.

I am reaching out to you, because my goal is to continue my work with Yoga Peeps. Presently, I am caring for my 2 year old son, Luca, as a stay at home mom.  Many of you have heard him in the background of the interviews.  I began this Yoga Peeps podcast just before becoming pregnant with him.  Sadly, there is a chance that the interviews you download from Yoga Peeps will end, as I have been unable to financially support myself from this work.

I invite you to consider how much Yoga Peeps has enhanced your yoga journey.  Are you, like me, incredibly inspired and educated through the stories you hear?  Has your life, like mine, been positively changed as a result of these podcasts?  Are you a better instructor or practitioner as a result of these interviews?

If so, my request, is that you make a donation to show your support.  Consider giving $5 a month, $25 annually, or simply paying $1 for every interview you have listened to.  The truth is, without your financial contributions, I simply can not continue to offer these interviews.

It takes me 10-15 hours from the first email inviting someone to an interview, to the final interview editing and online for you to listen to.

Know that your donation will allow me to balance both nurturing my son, while continuing to produce meaningful work that is life changing, both for myself and potentially, for you.

Please go to YogaPeeps.com and make your donation today.  Just click on the “Make a Donation” button on the right hand side of the page– it’s very easy.  Share the over 70 Yoga peeps interviews with your friends, and our circumstances will be quickly transformed.

Deepest gratitude for listening, for your financial contribution, and for supporting the yoga community.  May your gift  to us, be returned to you infinitely.

Namaste.

Chandra has spent most of her life in service to humanity, disseminating the ancient knowledge of how to achieve radiant health and spiritual development through the science of Yoga. She is the founder and director of the North Carolina School of Yoga, and the Senior teacher and Disciple of Sri Dharma Mittra. Chandra was born in Miami, and raised in New York, where she met her Guru and Teacher, Sri Dharma Mittra. After intense study, immersion and practice of the eight limbs of Yoga, she was accepted and initiated by Sri Dharma as Chandra Om (meaning ‘Moon’, ‘Luminous’, ‘Bright and Shining’), and remains with him to this day. Chandra was initiated into the family as a religious student who devotes herself to her teacher and the practice of spiritual disciplines—one who renounces the world in order to achieve liberation.

Visit her online at:www.ncschoolofyoga.com

In 1981, Rodney began to study yoga full time at the San Francisco Iyengar Yoga Institute and at The Yoga Room in Berkeley.  In 1987, after becoming a certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, he opened the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA, with Richard Rosen and Claire Finn.

Presently, in addition to teaching at Yoga Shanti, Rodney leads teacher trainings, workshops, and retreats nationally and internationally with Colleen.  In Spring 2007, Rodney and Colleen were co-chairs and panelists for the Urban Zen Initiative, a forum dedicated to integrating eastern healing arts into the western medical paradigm.  They are now helping to run the Health and Wellness branch of Urban Zen, a world-wide initiative of Donna Karan’s.   Rodney has also been featured in over 30 video titles and numerous audio recordings with Gaiam.  He has written two books, Yoga: the Poetry of the Body and Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee, both in collaboration with Nina Zolotow.

Colleen is  graduate of Jivamukti’s Teacher Training program in 1998, she has been teaching ever since. Colleen has been featured in both The New York Times and New York Magazine and in November 2003, was on the cover of Yoga Journal. A consummate student, Colleen has traveled throughout Europe and Asia studying alternative medicine and spiritual healing. Colleen holds a certification in Shiatsu and lived in Calcutta, India working with Mother Theresa at the Home of the Destitute and Dying.

Colleen owes tremendous gratitude for her studies of bhakti and vinyasa to David Life and Sharon Gannon. She also offers thanks to the many other teachers with whom she has studied, as well as to Rodney Yee, who remains her principal teacher. Five years ago, Colleen opened Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor, New York.

Rodney and Colleen are raising and being raised by four awesome children, Evan, Adesha, Rachel, and Johanna.

Visit them online at:
www.gaiamyogaclub.com
www.yogashanti.com
www.yeeyoga.com
www.urbanzen.org

Seane Corn’s classes combine a vigorous, fluid vinyasa or “flow” style with emphasis on intention and prayer — a mix she says encourages an inner journey toward self-awareness, acceptance and empowerment.

Seane has been featured in magazines including Glamour, Self and Allure and has become one of the most sought-after yoga teachers in America. Her clients have included Sting, Heather Graham, Ashley Judd, Drew Barrymore, David Duchovny, Elizabeth Berkley, Sally Field and Dr. Caroline Myss.

Seane was first introduced to yoga during the late ’80s, as a teenager waiting tables at David Life’s Life Cafe in New York City. She became close with David and with her fellow waitress Sharon Gannon, who together with Life later opened the Jivamukti Yoga Centers.

In 1992, Seane moved to Los Angeles and began studying at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, where she learned from some of the most renowned teachers in the country including Patricia Walden, Rodney Yee, Richard Freeman, Eddie Modestini, Tim Miller, Maty Ezraty, Chuck Miller, Lisa Walford, Erich Schiffman, John Friend and Shandor Remete. She also trained in India under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and studied with the spiritual teacher Ammachi Barbara Soloman and Mona Miller.
Seane teaches at Exhale in Venice, Calif., and travels extensively teaching workshops, conferences and retreats internationally. She is a devoted supporter of programs for at-risk girls and women and has joined with her friend Ashley Judd in supporting fundraising and awareness-campaigns for the educational nonprofit YouthAIDS.  She is also co-creator of www.offthematintotheworld.org

Visit: www.seanecorn.com