What It Is (Was es ist)

A beautiful Valentine's Day poem, from the German poet, Erich Fried, dedicated to all those who have learned about the ups and downs of relationship, and are still bravely loving, with all their hearts...

It is nonsense
says reason
It is what it is
says love

It is misfortune
says calculation
It is nothing but pain
says fear
It is hopeless
says insight
It is what it is
says love

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is careless
says caution
It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love.

Yosemite's Balanced Rock at the 2011 Yoga Journal Conference

We had a wonderful experience at the 2011 San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference. Part trade show, part Burning Man, part yoga-party, it was a great weekend all the way around. We were thrilled at how well-received our Balanced Rock booth was. Everyone seems to have a deep connection to Yosemite, as we stories of childhood memories, family vacations, and weddings that happened here in the magical Valley.

This video is a glimpse into the spectacle, everything from the deep philosophy of Dharma Mittra to the wild performance of the Shamanic Cheerleaders. Enjoy, and hope to see you there next year!

Feb 26-Inspired Yoga with Arin and Liesa: Movement, Breath and Music

Join us on Saturday, February 26 from 9:00am - 11:30am at Downtown Yoga in Mariposa!

Instructors: Liesa Scholze and Arin Trook. Explore asana, pranayama breathing, sacred song, yoga philosophy and meditation in this inspiring workshop! All levels. Percentage of proceeds to support Ethos Youth Center in Mariposa. $20/person

Visit www.yogainyosemite.com or call 209-379-9453

5027-A, Hwy 140

Mariposa, CA

Wild Yoga in Yosemite

Yoga is inherently wild. The practices and philosophies of yoga were born hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, with dreadlocked sadhus journeying into the jungles and forests of India, exploring the wilderness of both the inner and outer world. It was through communing with the energies of nature that yoga was born, a weaving of individual consciousness with the larger body of the wild world.

Even today, as yoga slips into the mainstream consciousness of America with $100 lululemon pants and designer yoga mats, yoga exists on the wild fringe of culture. We move our bodies in wild ways, explore the wilderness of our untamed mind through the practices.

Our Balanced Rock retreats, workshops and backcountry expeditions work to return to the roots of yoga. Wandering the wild beauty of Yosemite, we find inspiration in our yoga practice here. And while practicing yoga in such a beautiful place is powerful, Yosemite as a “yoga studio” is a bit limiting. Returning to the roots of yoga, we are not just practicing yoga in the Yosemite wilderness—we are really trying to practice with the energy and power of the wild world. Taking Tadasana, the mountain pose, under the spires of the Cathedral Range, we take on the power of these high peaks. Practicing pranayama breathing, we literally become part of the wild world, taking the fresh mountain air into our bodies.

But really, you don't need to trek all the way up to Yosemite to experience wild yoga. Your local city park, the roof of your apartment building--just about anywhere you can draw on the energies of nature to inspire your yoga practice. Yoga, after all, in its literal translation is "union", uniting breath and movement, mind and body, self and nature.

Get outside!

El Portal and Yosemite Community Yoga

February Teaching Schedule

Wednesday, February 2nd 6:00-7:15 Schuyler Greenleaf

Monday, February 7th 5:45-7:00 Liesa Scholze
Wednesday, February 9th 6:00-7:15 Arin Trook

Monday, February 14th 5:45-7:00 Jennie Wheeler
Wednesday, February 16th 6:00-7:15 Arin Trook

Monday, February 21st 5:45-7:00 Heather Sullivan
Wednesday, February 23rd, 6:00-7:15 Karma Yoga with Schuyler

Monday, February 28th 5:45-7:00 Jennie Wheeler

John Muir Was a Yogi

John Muir was a yogi. No doubt about it—wandering solo through the wild sierras, mystical contemplation of the light and life of Yosemite Valley, sinking deeply into the prana of place. Just like the wandering sadhus of India, the dreadlocked forest mystics of India that have given up family and social ties to focus on a deeper yoga practice, John Muir was a spiritual seeker of the forest as well. “The clearest way into the Universe,” says Muir, “is through a forest wilderness.”

OK, so I can’t say as I have ever seen photos of John Muir sitting it the lotus seat of padmasana. I do, however, believe Mr. Muir’s quest for mindful living practices, for deep connection with the wild world, his dedication to social and environmental work for the benefit of all living beings—these are all manifestations of enlightened spiritual practice.

Looking again to Muir’s writing, we find his yogi philosophy strong in the oft quoted reflection, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything in the universe.” The original root word yoga is most easily translated from Sanskrit as “union”. And is this core concept of union, of yoga, not at the core of what Muir is saying ? He was on a life-long path to unite with this magical place, Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Muir described Yosemite Valley many times as a “temple” and the backcountry of the Sierras his “church”. Again I am reminded of the very essence of contemplative practice in Muir’s famous words, "I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."

It is with this in mind that we continue our work here at Balanced Rock. Whether leading a backcountry climb of Mount Hoffman or tapping away at the keys of this computer, we strive towards the cultivation of mindfulness in all of our daily practices. We work to reawaken the deep union (or yoga) of all living beings, to use creative expression, like Muir’s words here, to share insights and inspire connection. Although they are big shoes to fill, we do see ourselves walking the same path as Muir, working in the next generation of Muir’s lineage.

We joke at times about our mission here at Balanced Rock being “world peace”. Although this may seem an overly grand vision for a group of backcountry yogis and yoginis, there is some truth in this joke. We live in a world that is in need of support and healing. The first step in our process of restoration and reconciliation begins inside us—learning to reconnect with our own selves, lost often in the buzz and busy-ness of modern life. Only from a calm and complete space can we venture forth to sculpt the world we wish to with, in peace and health and harmony.

At the core of what we are doing here at Balanced Rock is our mission to reawaken and foster deep connection with the wild world. We believe that the combination of immersion in the wild world with the exploration of contemplative practices is a key developing this connection. If we are to address some of the deep-seeded social and environmental issues of our age, we must go at this with our whole selves. It is not enough to be educated in the facts and scientific foundations of global climate change (although this is important). The cultural and social evolution (or revolution) that is needed, must engage us not just in the mind, but in the body, emotion, and spirit of each individual. At Balanced Rock we are working to open our hearts to the great growing world.

Yoga and Ecology by Dennis Eagan

This excellent article comes by way of Balanced Rock instructor and WildYoga founder Dennis Eagan. For more information on Dennis, visit his website at www.wildyoga.com or see Dennis' Balanced Rock trip, "Energies of Nature."

Yoga and ecology both stem from the same seed: the awareness that all things are entwined in a single sacred web. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word, yug, meaning to join together. It refers to the integration of the body-mind and its union with the divine, but yoga also speaks to our connection to the energy field that sustains us. Every being inhabiting this planet represents a sutra or thread in the vast, complex tapestry we call the biosphere.

Both yoga and ecology are by their very nature sustainable practices. Sustainability is the conscious management of an ecosystem to insure that system’s productivity and resilience to disturbance are both maintained. In other words, how much can be harvested (think energy here) from that environment without upsetting its ability to bounce back from the physical challenges imposed upon it.

Many schools of yoga expound on the merits of blood, sweat, and tears as a means to ascend the mountain of enlightenment, but the emphasis on one’s dedication to practice or tapasya should not be confused with burning calories or profuse sweating. Too much effort leads to an unbalanced practice. An excess of heat and perspiration can leave us dehydrated and low on electrolytes, compromising our energy reserves or productivity, and leaving us more susceptible to colds and flu, less resilient.

Balance has always been the keystone of yoga. In a balanced practice, surrender equals effort, or as we say in yoga, Isvara pranidana merges with tapas. Then the physical body feels restored and rejuvenated after a yoga practice, and the mind is cool and calm; both productivity and resilience are maintained.

Life throws many stressors at us that can weaken the body-mind connection and disrupt the flow of the life force. A well-balanced yoga practice helps us face the challenges of aging, fighting off a virus, maintaining a family and career, and living in a world often dominated by fear.

The most productive and resilient ecosystems are also the ones with the most diversity. Though much of the focus on yoga in America is on asana practice, yoga provides a diverse curriculum with seven other limbs to ground and stabilize our practice. Living the precepts of the yamas and niyamas, pranayama, and the meditative aspects of yoga are all necessary for a well-integrated practice.

Ecology is the study of the energy flow between organisms and their environment. Yoga is an energy practice that promotes conservation of energy (the true yoga master is aware of each and every breath) and pratyahara or self- study. Look deep enough inside and we see that all things are indeed connected. In the words of Laura Cornell, founder of the Green Yoga Association, “Yoga is Ecology.”

Dennis Eagan
Wild Yoga
PO Box 304
Coloma, CA 95613
(530) 626-6353
www.wildyoga.com