Please join us for an evening of yoga and fashion at Bija Yoga, the gorgeous new Union Square studio

Thursday, February 16
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Bija Yoga, 20 East 17th Street, 2nd Floor
(between Union Square West and Fifth Ave.)
RSVP Required: Info@WellandGoodNYC.com

When yoga teacher Veronica Perretti opened her stunner of a studio last October our jaw hit the ground. Bija made it onto our list of NYC’s Most Beautiful Yoga Studios.

The line-up of teachers also wowed us. Isaac Peña, beloved creator of Sankalpah and a Well+Good fave, is a Bija regular. During this evening of flexibility and fashion, we’ll take one of Peña’s signature healing classes—the perfect antidote to winter stiffness. After class, we’ll meet Keli Lalita Reddy, Mantralogy’s creator, and shop the Spring collection.

6:00-6:30
Arrive and shop the Mantralogy Trunk Show. All pieces will be 25% off!

6:30-7:40
Stretch your winter-weary limbs during one of Isaac Peña’s legendarily healing classes. (First-time Bija students only; RSVP required)

7:40-8:30
Meet New Age Renaissance woman Keli Lalita Reddy, a co-founder of Mantralogy, which creates yoga street wear and produces Mantra Music. Hear about Reddy’s inspiring journey from punk rock musician and co-founder of Equal Vision Records, to yoga teacher, Ayurvedic healer, and fashion entrepreneur.

During the fashion-focused after-party, sip a variety of BluePrintCleanse juices and nibble on their brand-new raw BluePrintBars.

Attendee Perks!

Raffles! Bija Yoga will raffle off a 10-class card to one lucky attendee. Mantralogy will be raffling off its signature tees. And BluePrintCleanse is sending one lucky attendee home with a 3-day cleanse, a t-shirt, and The 3-Day Cleanse, a book by its founders. Please RSVP in order to be entered to win!

It’s 25 percent off night! Bija Yoga is offering 25% off all packages; Mantralogy is offering 25% off all apparel.

To secure your spot, please email Info@WellandGoodNYC.com with your first name, last name, and e-mail address. If you are RSVPing for a friend, please include their information as well.

Mantralogy Presents:
Basking in the Ocean of Bhava

with Shyamdas
and Jivamukti Yoga with John Smrtic

The bhava is the enlightened devotional mood and to the bhakti yogi, is the prize to be relished. In this rare opportunity, we will journey to a lush, tropical setting to cultivate, embellish and bask in the nectar of divine love. This sacred retreat will touch on all aspects essential to the intoxicating feeling of being in love, and being loved, by God: association with the seekers, daily kirtans, afternoon bhajan and discussion of the lilas of Shri Krishna and insight into the profound devotional scriptures and mystic poetry, and a daily 2 hour Jivamukti Yoga asana practice focused on obtaining the prize – devotion to God and ecstasy.  Additionally, attendees of this retreat will have special evening access to evening kirtans with Deva Premal and Miten!

The retreat includes:

Daily kirtan and satsang with Shyamdas
Special access to evening kirtans with Deva Premal and Miten
Daily 2 hour Jivamukti Yoga class with John Smrtic
7 nights’ accommodations
3 meals per day
Full beach access
Use of the infinity swimming pool
Wi-Fi access throughout the main building

Shyamdas has lived in India for nearly 40 years exploring the arts of puja and celebration. A prolific translator and writer, he has more than 20 books on bhakti yoga—the yoga of devotion—and sacred chant, divine service, puja, and Vedanta. He originally studied with Neem Karoli Baba and later with His Holiness Goswami Prathameshji.  Shyamdas has also studied classical Indian music and specializes in classical dhrupada music of the mystic poets of North India. His numerous CDs include Beloved Chants and Cool Dual. Shyamdas teaches and performs internationally and has performed with Sting, Mike D, Paul Simon, and Madonna.
John will utilize teachings from Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutra and even the lilas of Shri Krishna as a springboard to launch us into our daily Jivamukti Yoga practice. Each session will include an uplifting yet challenging asana practice from an intelligently sequenced vinyasa format, blissfully intertwined with a thematic Bhakti Groove music mix to keep us in the bhav! The extended class format will also allow for deep relaxation and meditation, to start each day off just right.
Bio:
John Smrtic, J.D., E-RYT, is an Albany, NY based Jivamukti Yoga teacher who has spent a rare 600+ hours in front of his teachers and Jivamukti founders, Sharon Gannon and David Life. Soaked in this direct transmission, John is passionate to convey their teachings and method as purely as possible. Using these teachings and traditional yogic scripture as a foundation, John blends wit, music and challenging, intelligently sequenced asana from a vinyasa format to make each class a unique experience.　 John has gained acclaim for his class music mixes, affectionately referred to as Bhakti Groove. Check John out at www.bhaktigrooveyoga.com

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

For rates and registration, click here.
Accomodations
Travel Info
Shuttle Schedule
Map of Grounds

Take a look at this article by Jahnavi Harrison from the latest issue of Pulse (pulseconnects.com), a magazine dedicated to asian art and dance. The article focuses upon the Indian sacred music scene, as it exists today.

From Nov. 30-Dec.4 Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the premier art shows in America will host over 2000 artists, including The Mayapuris!

As a part of the new Art Basel event, YogArt, The Mayapuris and Trevor Hall will accompany yoga classes on Wednesday through Sunday with live music. All yoga classes will take place on the lawn of the Loew’s Miami Hotel in South Beach. Come and decompress among sculptures by world-renowned artists! Bring yourself and a friend. Yoga mats will be provided.

The Essentials:

Where – Loew’s Hotel Miami, 1601 Collins Avenue, on the beachfront lawn

When – Dec 1-4 Sunrise Sessions begin at 9:00, Sunset Sessions at 5:30

Cost – $40-$50

Tickets and detailed schedules available at: http://www.yogartevent.com/

Also to psych yourself up before the event, check out this interesting article form the Miami Herald entitled “YogArt classes blend yoga art and music at Art Basel”

With sadness, we heard of the passing the other day of Jagjit Singh. Whilst many in the Western kirtan world may not have heard of him, those that had were deeply touched and often transformed by his deep and soulful singing. He was most well known for singing ghazals – love poetry in Urdu, written by Sufi mystics of India and Pakistan, but he often presented kirtan and more well known devotional songs also.

He was one of the hardest working musicians in India, performing hundreds of concerts each year. On the path of bhakti, we try to offer whatever we do with sincerity, focus and devotion, and in this regard he was certainly an inspiration.

We wanted to post a little sample for those of you that have never heard him sing and encourage you to seek out more of his recordings. Here he sings one of the most loved songs about Radha and Krishna, ‘Jaya Radha Madhava’. This is sung every day by many Krishna devotees as a deep meditation.

The summer may be fading, but our love for kirtan is evergreen! If you are craving kirtan, please join us next weekend at Ananda Ashram in upstate NY for a blissful weekend of chanting with some of the most loved kirtaniyas on the East coast, including Karnamrita, Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits, Shyamdas, Wah and a host of devotional musicians.

There will be two full days of kirtan, including optional yoga classes, meals and guided woodland walks on the beautiful ashram campus. See below for the full schedule, and we hope to see you there!

After our wonderful tour of the north east the Hanumen are calling on the name of Rama to leap over to the west coast for a joyful evening of kirtan. In collaboration with Bhakti Babe aka Sarah Garney, and local yoga studio, Paradise Found. we’ll be at the Unity Church of Santa Barbara on 14th September. Please join us – this will be our only date in the West before we all split again and head home.

SITA & THE HANUMEN

With Gaura Vani, Benjy Wertheimer, John de Kadt and Jahnavi Harrison (Sita)
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 7:30pm
Unity Church of Santa Barbara
227 East Arrellaga Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Doors open at 7pm
Tickets $20 in advance/$25 at the door
premium seating $30 in advance/$35 at the door

Tickets available at:
Paradise Found
17 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 564-3573

SITA & THE HANUMEN FACEBOOK Event Page: http://on.fb.me/hanumensb

We’re heading into fall now, and as leaves turn on one coast, we’re heading out to Bhaktifest in California, for a wonderful weekend that celebrates the bhakti yoga community on the West Coast. This is the third festival at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, and this year promises to be bigger than ever.

The evening crowd last year!

All of our Mantralogy artists will be leading kirtans over the festival, as well as many others, and we are excited that many of our friends and collaborators will be there to chant together. Two guests that we are really excited about are Radhanath Swami, who attended last year and gave some beautiful lectures and kirtans, and for the first time – Sacinandana Swami, a vibrant and devoted bhakti yogi who has dedicated the past few decades to teaching others the how, what, why, when, and where of chanting. Be sure to attend their talks if you can!

Though it’s always a sweltering event, we feel the cool shade of sanga with other bhaktas, who are said to be like wish fulfilling trees, hanging low with fruit and offering shelter to all. Please come and see us at the Mantralogy booth, where we’ll have all of our T shirts and CDs, as well as smiling faces!

Our booth last year, enthusiastically manned by Rasa and Sachi.

Remember this from last year?

Mantralogy is a US based team, combining our record label and clothing line that are based in Albany, NY, as well as the Mantralogy artists who live and travel all over the US and further afield. There has been such a rapid growth of interest in kirtan and bhakti yoga in the US, and we’ve been excited to be a part of that adventure.

However, things are blossoming elsewhere too. Here in my homeland of England, Kirtan has most commonly been known through the activities of the Hare Krishna movement in the UK – notably reaching the top 10 in the pop charts in the 1970s with a full on kirtan – unthinkable these days (or perhaps to be repeated!?) Over the years, Hare Krishnas have also been seen dancing and singing in the streets, wearing orange robes, and looking happier than any average English person usually permits. Just kidding.

Though it’s always been acknowledged that the US has had more of a headstart with the kirtan boom, the UK is following close behind. This weekend saw the first ever Bhakti Music Festival, taking place in the Somerset countryside. In a field, surrounded by cows, 300 people turned up to spend the weekend chanting and attending workshops on meditation, healing arts and kirtan from many different traditions. Almost the same number of people were on a waiting list for the sold out event, which had to be restricted due to venue limitations.

English summer weather couldn't dampen spirits.

I attended with my sister Tulasi, and we did kirtan on both days to a wonderful group of chanters. We also got to support others too, like Narayani, who has been tirelessly touring the UK in with her one-woman mission to capture the country with love for kirtan.

Kirtan inside the main 'Bhakti Barn'

Other tents facilitated workshops and smaller kirtans.

Kirtan throughout the day was well attended by the 300 festivalgoers.

Mantralogy stickers and As Kindred Spirits CDs alongside other local artists.

Festival organiser, Naomi - seen from within the 'Bhakti Barn' where kirtan was held.

The festival was organised as non-profit, with all proceeds going to charity. Organisers said they hoped it marked the planting of a new bhakti seed in the UK, and that it could one day become an event of the likes of Bhaktifest. I interviewed Naomi ‘Hari Pyari’ Francis – the festival’s mastermind, midway through the event: