I am sorry to report that I have been somewhat neglect in posting in the last year. I entered a Masters program in Sustainable Architecture at University of Oregon and I am working pretty much 7 days a week on that right now. I have also been researching ways to streamline the uploading of content so that my posts will not take me as long…especially when posting photos which is the method I will be moving towards in the future because you know what they say…”a picture is worth a thousand words!’
I am off to see the movie The Fall at the Bijou (a local theater here) but more soon-and pictures from our latest trip to San Francisco.
June 21st, 2008
I have the great privilege to be affiliated with a group of yoga teachers that call themselves Street Yoga, and this relationship has afforded me the opportunity to teach and share yoga with homeless youth…youth living on the streets. I have been teaching with Street Yoga for about 2 years now and have had some incredible experiences. Last weekend was definitely unique. As I prepared for this class, I was just thinking through a few things I would talk about…I like to ask the kids questions to keep them engaged and to hear them express themselves…it is amazing to hear them share in an environment where they feel safe.
So I figured I would ask them about life…you know like why they think we are here and that sort of thing. I had this whole thing prepared, how I was going to mention that “if” is the middle word in “life” and that we all have choice and this happens “if” we chose this, and that happens “if” we choose that.
Anyway I show up to Outside In (See photos in Flickr to the right…),to the room where we teach and all of the youth are sitting there on their mats in easy pose with legs crossed in a meditative posture ready to “tune in” and start class! Now let me tell you that in my experience teaching yoga, even adults, this has never happened…there are always questions and outbursts…people taking forever to get settled, but there they were! I would like to think that Street Yoga teaching there for years is really having a positive effect on the energy there, but that’s neither here nor there.
So we start the class. I lead a few warm ups to get everybody loosened up and a few different breath exercises to get the mind open and aware and then I ask the question, I say something like, “So today I thought we would get into a topic that is real and relevant to all of us…what the hell are we doing here? What about this thing called life?”
I was blown away with their answers! So deep, so profound…yet very simple, and clear.
One boy said, “I think we are here to learn a lesson…we have been sent here to this life time to learn something.”
And I asked, “What about to teach.”
And he said, “Oh yes, yes that too. Once we learn what we are to learn, then we teach others so that they can learn what we learned.”
The collective consciousness continues to grow and evolve…everywhere people are becoming more aware of why we are here…it is very inspiring.
I know I learned a lot that day.
September 1st, 2006
The Peace Tour (www.spiritvoyage.com) stopped in Portland this past Friday and gave an amazing concert. My wife Hari Rai and I were blessed to be able to serve and be a part of coordinating and promoting for this very special experience. We were honored to host Karta Kaur at our house who is also on the tour working sound, lights, and is a very talented musician as well.
Here she is set up at her throne behind the sound board.
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And my wife Hari Rai Kaur looked so beautiful that night…
And ladies and gentlemen here he comes now, the man of the hour with all that loving power…the creative force behind the scenes bringing everything together so beautifully with attention to every last detail our very own multitalented, budget conscious decorator extraordinaire…Jaspal Singh!
And I will leave you with this wonderful picture that shows what an effect Snatam’s music has with the children of the next generation…
August 9th, 2006
This morning my beautiful, saintly wife served me a cacao chip pancake breakfast in bed…to celebrate the coming of my birthday on July 29th. I felt like a king! Tonight we will be attending and participating in a 24 hour Chant for peace at a Buddhist monastery (www.greatvow.com). There are a group of us from Portland that will be attending…I will be playing tabla for the 1 hour chant we will be leading at 1:00 AM tomorrow morning.
I have included a couple pictures from this morning’s feast and I will be sure and take a few at the Chant for Peace event tonight….
July 28th, 2006
