October is a busy month for yoga workshops in the DC area. Below are just a sampling of the juiciest workshops and happenings in the region. Of special note this month, Kirtan with Jai Uttal at River Road Universalist Church in Bethesda, MD.  Hope you enjoy a few of these yoga gems this month.  See you on the mat!

Sat 10.2.2010 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM Cost: $40, Yoga Chai, DC, * Rasa Lilasana: Moving with the Emotions of Devotion

Sat. 10.2.2010 1:30 – 3:00 PM Cost: $30, Past Tense, DC * Meditation Myth Busters

Sat. 10.2.2010 4:00-6:00 PM Cost: $35, Circle Yoga, DC * Mantra Meditation

Sat. 10.2.2010 1:30 -4:00PM Cost: $40 Quiet Mind, DC * Rise and Shine with a Yogic Sheen (Daily Ritual Workshop)

Sun. 10.3.2010 2:00 PM-3:30 PM, Cost: $25/30, Studio Serenity, DC * Creating a Home Practice

Fri. 10.8.2010, 7:30- 9:00 PM, Cost: $25/30 Tranquil Space, Arlington, VA * Yoga Practice to Live Drummers

Sat. 10.9.2010, 3:30 – 7:00 PM, Cost: $45,Tranquil Space, DC * Anatomy of Pranayama

Sat. 10.9.2010 1:00PM – 3:00 PM, Cost: $38, Yoga Fusion, Chevy Chase, MD * Yoga as a Living Flow, Ignite Your Sva Shakti

Sat. 10.9.2010, 11:00AM – 2:30 PM, Cost: $40, Tranquil Space, DC * Foundations of Yoga Philosophy

Sun. 10.10.2010, 9:00AM – 12:00PM Cost: $50, Boundless Yoga, DC * Seeing Bodies, Yoga Anatomy

Sun. 10.10.2010 1:00PM – 4:00 PM, Cost: $45, Willow Street Yoga, Silver Spring, MD * Yoga Breath and Yoga Nidra, Meditation

Sat. 10.16.2010 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Cost: $30/35, Circle Yoga, DC * Pranayama for Relaxation and Meditation

Sat. 10.16.2010 1:30 – 3:30 PM, Cost:  Past Tense, DC * Meditative Yoga Hike in Rock Creek Park

Sat. 10.16.2010 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Cost: $10, Yoga Fusion, Chevy Chase, MD * Yoga Book Club “The Heart of Yoga” by TKV Desikachar

Sun. 10.17.2010 2:30 – 4:30 PM, Cost: $35, Pure Prana, Alexandria, VA * The Fourth Limb: Pranayama Practice

Sun. 10.17.2010 3:00 – 5:00 PM, Cost: $45, Flow Yoga Center, DC * There’s No Place Like OM: A Chanting Workshop to Find Your Singing Voice

Mon. 10.18.2010 6:30 – 10:00 PM, Cost: $25/35, River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda, MD * An Evening of Kirtan with Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul

Sun. 10.24.2010 11:45AM-1:40 PM, Cost: Donation, Yoga District, 14th Street, DC * Yoga, Willpower & Diet

Sat. 10.30.2010 2:30 – 5:30 PM, Cost: $40, Pure Prana, Alexandria, VA * Sanskrit – The Language of Yoga

Sat. 10.30.2010 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Cost: $38, Yoga Fusion, Chevy Chase, MD * Yoga as a Living Flow: Explore Your Sva Dharma

Sun. 10.31.2010 2:30 – 5:00 PM, Cost: $35/40, Pure Prana, Alexandria, VA * Workshop of Death: A Halloween Yoga Workshop

Photo by FrankH via Flickr with CC License

We are slowly coming out of the August doldrums in DC. The mornings are a bit cooler, the days growing shorter.  On my regular run route, I’m noticing leaves that are beginning to turn.  Kids are back to school and fall will be arriving soon. As Washington slowly returns to life, yoga workshop schedules are beginning to ramp back up. This month MC Yogi will be in town, the DC Global Mala takes place and a number of great workshops are not to be missed.

Thu 9.9.2010 8:00 – 9:30 PM Cost: Donation, Studio Serenity, Adams Morgan, DC * Psychology of Karma w/Dhanurdhara Swami

Sat 9.11.2010 1:30 – 3:30 PM Cost: Donation, Quiet Mind Yoga, DC * The Non Dominant Side Experiment

9.12.2010 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Cost: Free, Lil Omm Yoga, DC * Introduction to Ayurveda – Motherhood and Ayurveda: Care for Self, Baby and Family based on Ancient Teachings

Thu 9.16.2010 7:45 – 9:15 PM Cost: Free, Circle Yoga, DC * Introduction to Yoga Workshop

Sat 9.18.2010 4:00 – 6:00 PM Cost: $35, Tranquil Space Yoga, DC * Cupcakes & Chakras

Sun 9.19.2010 1:00 – 2:30 PM Cost: Free, Circle Yoga, DC * What is Reiki? An Introduction

Thu 9.23.2010 6:30 – 8:30 PM, Cost $40/50, Tranquil Space Yoga, DC * Autumn Equinox with Live Sitar Under the Full Harvest Moon!

Sat 9.25.2010 1:30 – 4:00 PM Cost: $35, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Ganesh is Fresh with MC Yogi

Sun 9.26.2010 12:00 – 3:00 PM, Cost $35, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Jai Ma! with MC Yogi

Sun 9.26.2010 12:30 – 4:30 PM, DC Global Mala * Tickets and Info here

Sun 9.26.2010 1:30 – 3:30 PM Cost: Donation, Quiet Mind Yoga, DC * What Makes You Move? An introduction to the Musculoskeletal System

Photo by Old Sarge on Flickr via CC license

August brings the dog days of summer to the DC area. The heat and humidity along with the Congressional recess slows the city to a crawl. It seems like the only folks left in town are the tourists. So…while the August yoga gems may be few in quantity, they most certainly do not lack in quality. Enjoy the sultry pace of August, take some down time to rest and restore then hit your mat for a few of the following events and workshops.

Sun. 8.01.2010 3-5PM Cost: $35, Pure Prana, Alexandria, VA * Cool Down from the PittaYour Core, Yoga & Auyrveda

Sat. 8.07.2010 5-6:15 PM Cost: Free,  Circle Yoga, DC * Saturday Sangha

8.08-14.2010 Time: TBD Cost: $210, Yoga House DC, Yoga Week Intensive-a week of twice daily yoga, pranayama and meditation

Fri. 8.13.2010 7-8:30 PM Cost: Tranquil Space, DC * Hip Hop Yoga with DJ Ten

Fri 8.13.2010 8-10 PM Cost: $25 Quiet Mind Yoga, DC * Yoga & Writing

Sat. 8.14.2010 12:30-3:30 PM Cost: $45,Willow Street Yoga, Takoma Park * Healing Yoga and Ayurveda for Your Body Type

Sat. 8.14.2010 3-7PM Cost: $ 50/25,  Boundless Yoga, DC * Seeing Bodies

Sat. 8.14.2010 1-3 PM Cost: $35 Lil Omm, DC * Introduction to Kundalini

Sun. 8.22.2010 9:30AM-4:00PM Cost: $20, Past Tense Studio, DC $ Gimme A Break: Mini Yoga Retreat to Cunningham Falls State Park

Photo via Flickr by The Pack with a CC license.

It seems appropriate on Buddha’s birthday to post about DC’s upcoming first ever Buddhist film festival BuddhaFest. The Katzen Arts Center at American University will host the event June 17-20.

From the event website:

A dozen films plus talks and meditation present a unique mix and fresh take on the principles of Buddhism.

Highlights include a world-premiere film, an Academy Award-nominated documentary, talks by Tara Brach, Lama Surya Das and Sharon Salzberg, and a Picnic for Peace.

This looks like a really exciting event with beautiful films and dharma talks with nationally recognized buddhist scholars. I’m excited to check out a few Buddhafest events.

Photo via StuckinCustoms on Flickr

Once again there are a number of great yoga events in the DC metro area coming up in June. Even better, many of the events listed this month are free. I only regret having to pick between all the great events that fall on the same day.  If you attend an event that you really enjoy, I invite you to review it in the comments, send me an email or DM me on twitter and share your experience. Perhaps you can write a guest post and we can better share all the yoga goodness going on in our community. Have a great June and hope to see you at one or more of the events below. Please let me know if you plan to attend an event–it would be lovely to meet IRL (in real life.)

Fri. 6.4.2010 Cost: Free, Studio Serenity, DC * Yoga Book Club “Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle

Sat. 6.5.2010 5:00-7:00 AM, Cost: Free, Radiance Yoga, Alexandria, VA * Morning Sadhana

Sat. 6.5.2010  6:30-9:30 PM Cost: Free, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Mix and Meditate Party

Sat. 6.12.2010 1-3:30 PM Cost: $25/30, Past Tense Yoga, DC * Yoga & Biking in Rock Creek Park

Sat. 6.12.2010 7:30-9:30 PM Cost: $20/25, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Kirtan with David Newman

6.18-20.2010 Time TBD Cost $150/3 sessions, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Yoga and Ayurveda with Maria Garre

Fri. 6.18.2010 9:45-11:55 PM Cost: $25, Flow Yoga Center, DC * Yoga Trance Dance

Fri. 6.18.2010 7:00-8:30 PM Cost: $20/25, Tranquil Space Yoga, DC * Hip Hop Yoga with DJ marq few

Sat. 6.19.2010 6:00-7:30 PM Cost: $15, Circle Yoga, DC * Monthly Drumming Circle

Sat. 6.19.2010 2:00-5:00 PM Cost: $40/45, Sacred Space Yoga, Rockville, MD* Tantra: The Fire in the Soul with Brendan Feeley

Sun. 6.20.2010 2:00-4:30 PM Cost: $40, Willow Street Yoga, Silver Spring, MD * Sequencing Your Home Practice

Sun. 6.20.2010 1:00-3:00PM Cost: $10, Lil Omm Yoga, DC * Summer Reading & Seva Group with Carolyn Butcher– “The Not So Big Life” by Sarah Susanka All class fees donated to Citizen Effect

Sun. 6.20.2010 Noon-2:00 PM Cost: $30/35, Sacred Space Yoga * Walt Whitman as Trantric Philosopher–Yoga Flow & Poetry at Seneca State Park

Sat/Sun 6.19-20.2010 2:00-4:30 PM Cost: $70, Shakti Mind Body Studio, DC * Anatomy  and Physiology for Yogis

Fri. 6.25.2010 Studio Serenity, Cost: Free, DC * Movie Night “Shortcut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela”

Photo Credit: Madaboutasia via Flickr

Sunnyside Farm CSA

Saturday was the first delivery of farm produce from Sunnyside Farm in southern Pennsylvania. Dru Peters delivered veggies picked fresh from the farm Saturday morning.  Dru and Homer Walden have been farming for years on leased land and last August, acquired the property that is now Sunnyside Farm.  A group of neighbors and friends came together to form Sunnyside’s first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) season. I’m thrilled to be part of the group. CSAs have been growing in popularity in the DC region and elsewhere as a convenient way for urban and suburban-ites to get fresh produce. CSAs also provide small farmers with a steady income source.

Sunnyside has been providing pasture raised beef, pork and poultry for some time.  This year was their first season for vegetables.  Saturday’s bounty included French breakfast radishes, four kinds of heritage lettuces including: Deer Tongue, , Tom Thumb, (Dru informs that this variety was grown by Thomas Jefferson)  Black Seeded Simpson and my favorite name… Drunken Woman.  Also Ruby Red swiss chard and Michihli chinese cabbage.

So..lots of stir fry and salads for me this week. I am looking forward to what the season will bring and to Saturday mornings with Dru.  Also on the horizon, a field trip to Sunnyside to see where our veggies are grown.

Time again for yoga gems. May is going to be an exciting month for DC area yogis. Not only do we have DC yoga week to look forward to, but May brings celebrity yogis Shiva Rea and Dave Romanelli to our area. I will confess that I am a Shiva Rae crazy yoga fan grrrl so, I will definitely take advantage of a class or two with her.

If you have an event that you think should make the list, please comment, email or DM.

I hope to see you on the Mall on May 15th or some of the events listed here.  Let me know if you plan to attend–I would love to meet you.

Sun 5. 2.2010 12:30-3:00 PM Cost: $35, Flow Yoga Studio, DC * Yoga and Kirtan Fusion Move and Groove with Gopi Kinnicutt and Gaura Vani

Sun 5.2.2010 12:30-3:00 PM Cost $40/45, Circle Yoga, DC * Ayurvedic Sense Cleaning

Fri 5.7.2010 7:00-8:15 PM Cost: Free, Studio Serenity, Adams Morgan DC * Yoga Book Club, Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater

Sat 5.8.2010 6:30 PM Cost: $45, Sacred Space Yoga, Rockville, MD * Yoga + Miracles: With Wine Anything Is Possible! with Dave Romanelli (Yeah Dave)

Sun 5.9.2010 12:30-2:00 PM Cost: $45, Sacred Space Yoga, Rockville, MD * Chocolate-Covered Happiness with Dave Romanelli (Yeah Dave)

Sun 5.9. 2010 2:00 – 4:00 PM Cost: , Studio Serenity Adams Morgan * Chakra Healing Workshop: Fourth and Fifth Chakra with Gopi Kinnicutt

Fri – Sun 5.14-16, 2010 Flow Yoga Center, DC * Living Vinyasa Flow w/Shiva Rea

Sat 5.15.2010 thru 5.22.2020 * DC Yoga Week, Free and low cost yoga all over DC

Sat 5.15.2010 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Free, Washington Monument, DC * Yoga on the Mall with Shiva Rea

Sat 5.15.2010 6:00-7:30 PM Cost: $15, Circle Yoga, DC * Drumming Circle

Sun 5.16.2010 3:00 -6:00 PM, Cost: $50, Ananda Shala, Frederick, MD * Prana Flow Master Class with Shiva Rea

Mon 5.17.2010 9:00AM – 6:00 PM, Cost: $145, Ananda Shala, Frederick MD * Pranafication All Day Retreat with Shiva Rea

Sat 5.22.2010 12:30 – 3:30 PM Cost: $40, Circle Yoga, DC * Healing Yoga for Your Body Type: Yoga & Ayurveda with Liz Chabra

Sun 5.23.2010 12:30 – 3:00 PM Cost $40, Circle Yoga, DC * Building the Force of Inner Radiance with Liz Chabra

Sun 5.23.2101 1:00-3:00 PM Cost: $10 Donation, Lil Omm Yoga, DC * Yoga Book Club, The Power of Less, Leo Babuta

Fri 5.28.2010 7:30-9:00 PM, Cost: Free, Studio Serenity Adams Morgan, DC * Movie Night: What the Bleep Do We Know?

Sat 5.22.2010 3:00 – 5:00 PM Cost: $30, Radiance Yoga, Alexandria, VA *
Discover Your Life Purpose…and What to Do With it! with Peggie Arvidson

My yoga practice has been a circuitous, meandering path. I took my first yoga class sometime in 1990. I was a law student in San Francisco and my yoga of choice at the time was ashtanga. Hot, sweaty, cardio-pumping ashtanga yoga. No chanting, no oms, no incense for me. I wanted a structured sequence of poses so I knew what was coming next and at the end of class I felt like I had a workout. Anything the slightest bit “woo-woo” would cause me and my yoga buddy to snicker from the back of the room.

Over the past twenty-plus years I have drifted away and come back to yoga many times. I feel certain that this time, I’m back for good. Like most things in life, my yoga choices today are much different than they were all those years ago. Today, I look for an unstructured freer formed flowing class that engages all of my senses. Today, I like all the bells and whistles, the aroma of incense, an engaging playlist, inspiring thoughts from the instructor and if there is tea after class… all the better. Sometimes the asanas are just something I’m willing to endure in order to experience all the other goodies.

The good news is that I found the studio of my dreams and a teacher who inspired my most recent and fervent commitment to yoga. The bad news is that studio is a six hour drive away in Connecticut.  I will wax poetic on my studio love in another post. The point is, that I figured that with a few trial classes, I’d soon find a new yoga home and move right in.

It hasn’t exactly happened that way.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of wonderful yoga studios in the DC area.  The yoga scene in the nation’s capital has grown impressively since I moved here in 2002. You can really find nearly anything you are looking for in yoga here. But…like a gypsy, I’m unable to call just one studio my home.

I follow instructors from studio to studio, I roam around curious about what cool workshop is being offered where. Is it that I have commitment issues? I don’t think so,  I discovered that I was not going to find an exact replacement for my Connecticut studio. Just like people, studios and communities are unique and special. Instead in my wanderings I seek to find bits and pieces of what I love up north in each of the classes that I take here. I’m recreating some of what I’m searching for in my evolving home practice. My ultimate goal is to someday become a teacher myself and create my own version of what it is I’m looking for.

The happy upshot of all of my roaming is DC Dharma. I wanted a space to share my discoveries and learning and hopefully grow and enhance the metro DC yoga community in the process. But sometimes I question whether the yoga gypsy lifestyle is the best path. Does my inability to choose, one studio, one teacher limit my growth as a yogi?

What about you? What has been your yogic path? Where do you consider yogic bliss and where did you find it?  Please share in the comments.
Namaste.

Photo via Pringle Hill on Flickr