Jivamukti in Whistler

(Tina on left)

After living in Bali for a year and a half I very much missed 3 things: tall trees, mountains, and yoga. I rented a car and embarked on a week long solo camping trip through British Columbia visiting a friend first in Vancouver then hitting the road on the Sea to Sky Highway towards Whistler.

Once in Whistler I was incredibly fortunate to drop in on Jivamukti yoga teacher Tina James' class. Oh, how dry I was for passionate discussions and beautifully led asana. She is full on—wild about preservation of land, animals and community.

Tina relocated to Whistler from NYC, her heart calling her to native American lands and people. Five years and she is still in Whistler, bringing vedic insight to locals and tourists who may have no clue what they're dropping in on. Her stories of living in India delighted me and I was filled with the feeling I love most— being part of the global tribal community.

Check her out!




JIVAMUKTI YOGA CENTER WHISTLER
Tina James
9213 Lakeshore drive.
, Whistler B.C. Von 1b9
Phone: 604 9381533
Website: www.worldyogawithin.com
E-mail: tinajames.1@virgin.net

Current Shananigans and Seva Yoga

I've been teaching at Seva Yoga, a cool Austin, TX donation only yoga studio which has been receiving lots of juicy attention. Tons of classes every day of the week and well trainer teachers in exchange for whatever the student can afford to toss in the Seva money jar. I like this.

Change the equation. Trade, barter, donate ... when I read these words I know I'm about to meet some groovy people.

Yoga gifts us with hidden joys, one being community. Before yoga I felt icky. I didn't understand why. I had never been in a supportive community, open and strong, which collectively pondered the spirit of life and laughed about it. I had no idea I had family worldwide, hundreds of friends waiting to be met, who love just because of the simple common factor: life should be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. Only through yoga did my eyes open to a world of enticing beings who challenge the norms of even the super abnormal. Wild, free, and insightful yogis, seekers, and artists. I could say it changed me but what yoga did was open me. Expand me. I began to fly.

These feelings and experiences do not allow for one to turn back to the old life. I could call doing so impossible. What happens is a washing, a bathing of all which does not serve health, happiness, and freedom. It is a wild ride and a feeling of mind blowing insight. The most revered washing in my life was with people. Old relationships which hurt and held me down dissolved into nothing. I was no longer attached to family, friends, and love. I surrounded myself with greatness; singers, yogis, writers, the wise. I realize what it means to consciously be surrounded by interesting and inspiring beings.

These experiences draw me to places like Seva Yoga.

Free Yoga in Austin, TX

Thanks to AustinYogaTeachers.com I came across many free yoga classes in Austin I hadn't heard about!
Some free classes I didn't find in the list:
Yoga Vida 707 : Friday @ 7pm
Yoga Vida 3620 Bee Cave Rd. : Friday @ 6:30pm
Empower Yoga offers $5 classes Fridays— ALL classes are $5!!!

Free and Donation Yoga Classes
There are free & donation yoga classes offered in the Austin area! Here are a few:
Amala Foundation Sanctuary Sundays 7-8:15pm The 36th Chamber of Yoga (donation)
AOMA (email) Meditation, Sundays at 5pm, 512-492-3034
Austin Kula Yoga - Open Teacher Practice, Sundays 3-5pm; Shanti for the Heart, last Sunday each month 6:30-7:30pm
Black Swan Yoga, all classes are donation based
Blanton Museum of Art , Third Thursdays at 6:30pm (free)
Burly House
Barton Springs, Robert E. Lee side, Kriya Hatha Yoga w/Athuai, 512.928.2281, Saturdays, 10:30-11:30am, donation
East Side Yoga Free:Saturdays 8:15am Intro; donation: Sundays 9:30am Meditation, 10:30am Hatha, 2pm New Teacher Class
Esquina Tango (donation), Sundays 11am Hatha Flow, Wednesdays 6pm Vinyasa Flow,
Fridays 5:30-6:30 Happy Hour
Charles MacInerney leads a Free outdoor Yoga class each month on the Full Moon
Kundalini Yoga at Tara House (donation) email for details
Power Yoga Flow (donation)
Outdoor Yoga (donation)
Ruta Maya
South Austin Cancer Center - Tuesdays 2-3pm
Saturday mornings at the lululemon store
Seva Yoga Daily donation classes
Soma Vida Saturdays through August 9am
Sanctuary at Amala Foundation Mondays 7:15pm-8:15pm (donation)
Sundara Yoga Therapy Thursdays 7-8:15pm The Art of Self-Healing (donation)
The Vortex, Mon/Wed noon-1pm (suggested donation $7)
Yoga in the Park, Shipe Park, Wednesdays 6:30pm (donation)

Lululemon Salutation Nation

Lululemon hosted Salutation Nation at Austin, TX's Festival Beach on August 6, 2010. The way it works: all around the US yogis gather and practice at the same time.

As we all practiced with Christina Sell, a spunky and hilarious certified Anusara yoga instructor, under the trees, protected from the scorching Texas sun, I thought, 'Groovy...this is yoga. Out of the studio and into the grass—let's practice in nature more often!'

Gioconda, another Austin favorite yoga teacher, practiced with a pink cast on her left arm (broken wrist) and smiled the entire time. Rock on sister! Kids, men, women, puppies... there was so much vibrant energy in the park that day!

After class local businesses including Snap Kitchen fed us freebie dishes such as Tofu & Sambal, Ginger Salmon, and Veggie Lasagna. Well fed and feeling bright, my boyfriend and I left the park with a feeling of community in our hearts.

Much gratitude to all ya'll who pulled this off!

Ruta Maya Free Yoga With Pam

New to Austin, TX, I'm doing what I usually do new in town— attending every pseudo–hippie event or class, beginning to find my groove in my new surroundings. Ruta Maya coffee house is an Austin, TX favorite for community classes, music, and local art.

I woke at 7:40am, remembered Ruta Maya's Monday 8:00-9:00am yoga class, hopped in the car and headed South on Congress. About 25 yoga students, from beginners to advanced, sat on their unraveled mats which covered the entire floor! This coffee house is large and even has a stage for the bands who come and play.

Pam, a sweet, straight forward and clearly spoken yoga instructor, guided the class through a sequence of salutations, twists, and hip openers. The class was planned very well and Pam offered everyone pose variations depending on flexibility and experience.

I hope you can attend a free class at Ruta Maya! It's a kind gesture to tip your teacher and Ruta Maya asks that you purchase a coffee or tea after class to supliment the cost of their awesome space. No biggie for a well thought out class! Here is their schedule:

Yoga Is Always FREE at Ruta Maya with Coffee House Purchase

Yoga Class Schedule at a Glance

Class	Day	Time
Hatha Flow Yoga	Monday	8 to 9 AM
Happy Hour Yoga	Monday	5:30 to 6:30 PM
Vinyasa Yoga	Tuesday	9 to 10 AM
Hatha Flow Yoga	Wednesday	8 to 9 AM
Happy Hour Yoga	Wednesday	5:30 to 6:30 PM
Hatha Flow Yoga	Thursday	9 to 10 AM
Hatha Flow Yoga	Friday	8 to 9 AM
Family Yoga for Kids	Saturday	10 to 11 AM
Hatha Flow Yoga	Saturday	12 Noon to 1 PM

How Yoga Works at Ruta Maya

1. Show up for class and set up your mat.
2. Return to the counter to make your purchase.
3. You may get your purchase at this time OR bring your receipt back to the counter after class to collect your purchase.