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Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
This email includes an invite to a Fall Potluck on the 13th after Mysore. All are welcome even if the workshop is not your thing.
Please RSVP if you are coming to the workshop. Please pay in cash whenever possible.
Many of you have been asking when and if Kathy will visit this Fall. (Because I said she was coming a couple months back) It’s a pleasure to say yes and welcome her the week of Monday November 14th through the Friday the 18th. Some of you have made lasting connections with Kathy by now and will be looking forward to re-connecting with her. She is a wonderful teacher and I always feel renewed during and after her visit.
The fee for the workshop is a sliding scale of $50-$75 dollars. As usual All the fee’s go direct to Kathy. Everyone in the NEY community is welcome even if you need assistance with the fee. Donations are welcome.Some scholarship has already been promised. It’s a benefit to us all that she can come so please participate even if you are short on funds. It really makes a difference to you, me and everyone when we all get a chance to connect with such a strong teacher. She is interested in seeing all of us so please come out.
The class schedule for her time will be something similar to her previous visits-
Sunday Potluck on the 13th- After the Mysore class. Randi, please bring chai. Everyone else do as you normally do- it’s always awesome.
14th Monday- 8-10AM and 530-730PM
15th Tuesday 8-10AM and 530-730PM
16th Wednesday 8-10AM only
17th Thursday 8-10AM and 530-730PM
18th Friday 7-9AM Group Yoga Talk and asana practice followed by a bon voyage breakfast, location TBA.
Possible Saturday Mysore at 9AM
This schedule might be altered in the next week to meet Kathy’s requirements. All the details will be sorted long before she arrives.
Thanks Kathy, can’t wait to see you. Casey
Hi There,
Thursday October 10th is a Full Moon and Near Easy Yoga will be closed.
Thursday evening from 630-830PM a small group is meeting at Near East Yoga for a dzogchen meditation. Everyone is welcome to attend. The time will be spent both sitting and reflecting on a method put forth by Keith Dowman when he visited a few weeks ago. If you want to know more please attend the meditation. This work is very suitable for the ashtanga yogi.
Our good friend Kathy will be in Portland in under a week. Many of you have let me know you are coming. Please continue to do that and at this point every class is open. I will let you know if they begin to fill up. She agreed to add Wednesday night and Saturday Mysore to her schedule. Friday morning at 7-9AM will be special as well so please try to attend.. This event will be a great opportunity to get some intimate teaching time with her. Thanks Kathy.
See you all soon and often, Casey
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Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Near East Yoga is now carrying T-Shirts! Screenprinted in town by Robin Forsythe, we have a rainbow of colors, sized for men and women, for a price of $20 each. Next time you come to the studio, come pick up a shirt for yourself. To truly feel “one” with the studio, wear your new shirt while practicing. Near East (the shirt) is on you, and you are in Near East…you are one with yoga…Ommmm….
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Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Hello friends,
Some days inspire me a lot and today is one of them. I happened to encounter Heather, my boss from Maverick Sports from 10 years ago when the place was first opening. It was nice to see her and we had a chance to reminisce about that time. It was fun to think back to 2001 and have 10 years of perspective to view those times. Maverick Sports was instrumental in the establishment and survival of Near East Yoga. Although the place was a roller coaster ride in general the 6.5 years I was there gave me a chance to learn how to support other yogi’s, make and income and know what it means to hold space for yoga. It also kept alive a tradition of ashtanga yoga in Portland that has been quietly going on for 2 decades. In the time since Maverick’s, Near East Yoga bubbled along and in June 2012 will be ten years running. Maverick Sports is now LA Fitness and the space that housed it on 20th and Overton is empty and idle. It was an exciting time and I am grateful for what I gained and retained from a place that is now a memory.
An element that carries on is the friendships made back then that have lasted till now and continue. I want thank all of those folks. Jenn Christianson took my second ever yoga class there with only one other person in the class who I only met that one time. On the 18th we will have practiced together for 10 years. I always remind and thank her in this season, just not so publicly. Josh, Ngan, Piper, Brett and Melinda are all from Maverick’s. Charisse was too. Jason served his time there as did Jen and Alice from Yoga Pearl when Maverick’s was just a temporary sheet rock box built in the middle of a construction zone, while they waited for their own shop to be completed. Had I not gone for the Maverick’s position I was going to take the job they had offered me at “Yoga in the Pearl” as it was called then. This would be an entirely different letter, relating the results of entirely different karma. That would have been fine too but it never happened.
What has happened is fantastic. On Thursday I am going to Fargo to present a workshop at Ecce Yoga in Fargo ND operated by old friends and Maverick’s alum Brenda Weiler and Derek Harnish. They started in ashtanga yoga Fargo 4 years ago and are doing well supporting the method. I recently had the pleasure of serving a fine and well trained ashtangi visiting from their school. Of course I was thrilled to meet her. In October Charisse opened Near East Yoga Spokane and has done a marvelous job capturing the spirit of Ashtanga Yoga and offering it to the yogi’s in her community. There are others of course involved in the growth and support of this yoga and they know I am thinking of them. Those names will be named but will have to wait until June 14th 2012 when we celebrate 10 years of Near East Yoga. For now I want to just savor that the support and encouragement we received from Dave Fox and Heather. Without them it would not have happened.
Happy Full Moon, Casey
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Hi There,
Attached to this email is a flier for Jacob’s upcoming Acro Yoga preview for his workshop at Breightenbush in October . It’s on Sunday from 4-6. He has been traveling the world for a year learning all kinds of new stuff do do check it out. These events are very fun and I wish I was around to enjoy this one. Your non-ashtanga friends and family will love it.
Tuesday September 27th is the new moon and Near East Yoga will be closed.
On Wednesday the 28th following the 5:30PM Mysore class a couple who has been traveling the US by bike will be teaching an impromptu yoga class at NEY. It’s based on donations which I believe help them continue their odyssey. Check out growyogafarm.org for details on what they are up to and definitely stick around for the class. I am sure they have plenty of stories to tell and insights to share after coming from the east coast by bike. Stephen and Jacob will be the hosts for this event. Tell your friends!
I am going out of town early Sunday Morning with Lily (Napa, family time, Wine tasting) and will be away till Thursday’s Mysore class. The studio is open for practice but the Monday and Wednesday morning instruction will only be from 8-10 AM. Sarahji, Dena and Allyson will be covering for me. Thanks you guy’s. One day is a moon day so It wont seem like I was gone at all.
Enjoy the last days of summer and be enchanted by the ever shrinking circle of light. The Fall will soon burst forth with all our sweaters and pies. Peace, Casey
PS- Dena will be coming on to support Thursdays at 9AM and Sarahji will be moving to Wednesday night. With luck we will have Dena one other day as well. I am really happy to have such able people supporting the studio and my personal practice.
PPS- If I signed Near East Yoga up to be on a bowling league would any of you be interested? Haha, I hope so. Im thinking Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night and Grand Central or Hollywood.
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Sunday, September 4th, 2011
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Sunday, September 4th, 2011
Hey There,
Sorry for the late notice regarding the Labor Day Holiday schedule-
Both Morning and Evening times are unsupported and open. If you have the means feel free to practice at a time that suits you. I am practicing during the evening and if you require guidance or adjustment I will be happy to assist you. If the door at the street is locked enter “#2212″ on the intercom and the door will unlock. If the studio is locked call me at 503-890-2212 for instructions on how to enter. Enjoy the final holiday of the summer and the last until Thanksgiving!
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Dennis will be introducing the basic precepts of ngondro on September 12th at 6pm. I asked him to do this so we could engage in simple preparations for the upcoming Keith Dowman seminar. The following are my thoughts about Keith. His website is www.keithdowman.net if you want to check out the texts he has translated and his personal essays.
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I attached the flier for the up coming Keith Dowman Dzokchen seminar and I’d like to offer my views on what he represents to me as a student of yoga and hopefully inspire one or a few of you to attend his workshop. Keep in mind that the workshop is happening at 40th and Hawthorn not at NEY. It costs $120 dollars but scholarships are available. The dates for the seminar are September 30th and October 1st and 2nd.
Since returning from India in 2008 my focus as a student of classical yoga along with Yoga Sutra has been directed toward Buddhism specifically Vajrayana and Tantra practices of the Tibetan yogis. My great friend and teacher Dennis “Lokanath” Skipper began to encourage the practice of Ngondro in 2006 and since May of 2008 I have made a diligent effort to practice it both formally and informally in my daily affairs.
Ngondro translates from Tibetan as “preliminary” and is the basic sadhana (practice) that monks and nuns undertake to prepare them for the subtler “pointing out instructions” that come from Lama’s and Rinpoche’s. Over time sitting with and reciting the ngondro I have been profoundly affected by the memory of the pristine concepts and not a moment goes by that I am not considering what I have learned from a few short pages and working at making it the seed of my actions. Ngondro is a difficult as it is rewarding. The breath work alone resulting from chanting has allowed me to retain accomplishments made from years of pranayama practice. My faults are greatly illuminated in the practice as well which has been hard to experience but all the same very rewarding since the practice offers resolution for them as well.
Before now I have been slow to write anything about ngondro for two reasons, one is that I don’t know enough about it and the other, stemming from that, I don’t want to accidentally turn people off to it by reflecting it with my limitations. I think we all are able to understand what it is if we allow it in and reflect upon it personally. I am here to encourage that. The written teachings of the yogis can accomplish far more than I can. That said, this year, under the counsel of Dennis who has years of experience and an encyclopedic knowledge of yoga teachings, I have shared the opening stages of the practice to a few people. Those who have taken it on as a practice will confirm it’s power and value in daily life. For this reflection I am greatly pleased and relieved. More than anything I hope to both share this method and support a sangha where the knowledge and benefit can be shared.
That is essentially the function of the initial stages of the ngondro- to encourage and support the generation of wisdom and merit via taking and offering refuge. This alone is a precious gem and a gem that can be perfectly duplicated. The process continues on from there but I will not spoil it by offering my feeble words. It’s not about my words anyway. We all have our lives to live and understand. Ngondro is by design very personal. A personal attempt to engage it will reveal personal insights. We all need that experience and which can only come from within.
What does this have to do with Keith Dowman? Keith is a translator of Tibetan Buddhist lineage teachings living in Nepal. He speaks a writes very clearly about these concepts but avoids the trappings that often distract and confuse the western student. In winter 2010 I had read a few of his translations and was blown away. He took the insights from my practice which I had no idea how or where to employ and set them on fire. I am not the only one. He is revered in the Buddhist community. I wrote him and invited him to Portland. Via a fluke of mutual association with Dennis and others he happened to have a old friend here in Portland and agreed to come teach.
You might be wondering if his teaching is for you. Considering that my goal is to continue to support yogis, the ngondro and develop in my own practice, the opportunity to have that for yourself is highly possible. This may be, as it was for me, a way to leverage some growth in both your asana and meditation practice and life for that matter, that in my view is unlimited. As mentioned before Dennis will be at Near East Yoga on September 12th to cover the basic precepts of ngondro. With that and some personal practice and reflection any of us will be well suited to make use the shelter of a wise knower like Keith Dowman. and…I feel duty bound to inform you that a great sage is coming and to take shelter with him.
With metta, Casey
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Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Hi There,
Happy Summer! Hope you are getting out and enjoying it and getting your practice in as well.
Friday has a schedule change for the remainder of summer- after the 7AM group primary (which has been hopping!! I love it), the 9AM time will be open practice time.
If you have questions about yoga, meditation or pranayama you can meet me at 9AM on Fridays. Letting me know about it in advance would be nice. I will be suggesting it to some of you. It’s always a good time to look deeper into the next stages of practice.
I have also been dedicating that time (and others) to my personal sadhana of reciting yoga sutra and other chants I have been connecting with over the years and am very open to sharing that time with you. I love reawakening my desire to know the yoga on that level. The study I have been undertaking of the yoga sutra this year has been revealing and very inspiring. Chanting it adds an entirely new element.
Make sure you say hello to the new sign board set up outside. I am really proud of Near East and the great energy you bring there. I’d like people to know we are there. If it works to inform more than a few I will put it away for a while.
I’m still a fan of the small group.
See you all soon and often. Casey
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Monday, July 11th, 2011
Happy Birthday Guruji!
Thursday the 14th is the full moon day of July and both the birthday of Sri K Pattabhi Jois and the day to celebrate the birth of all guru’s. Come celebrate this once a year event with the Near East Yoga community.
Bring a small, vegetarian offering of food, or flowers for the altar. We will be reciting rounds of Hanuman Chalisa and Sri Ram kirtan starting at 730AM . Then we will eat and visit, finishing in time to get to work or class. Everyone is welcome.
Below is my personal reflection on the Moon Day and celebrating Guruji-
In our daily practice of ashtanga yoga vinyasa krama the spirit of Guruji lives on. What he intended for us as yogis is embedded in this magnificent vehicle. The practice gives us direct access to the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and the full manifestation of ashtanga yoga, if we choose to surrender to it- what a profound gift to be given and surely one worthy of a day devoted entirely to a Guru.
Resting from daily asana, combined with the opportunity for personal reflection, the full and new moon days give light to a simple yet elegant teaching- asana or no asana, we are the seer. The “seer” or drashtu to borrow from Patanjali, of sun, earth and moon, body, mind and soul.
Via a practice of being the direct witness of the churning of those heavenly bodies and the churning of our earthly bodies we can experience the churning of our mind which is infinite, un-fillable, spacious and the window of being aware when the mind is clear and settled. We discover that beyond mind there is no churning and we can rest there. Practice is a choice and once executed is thereby the cessation of all other possibilities- this is nirodah, the beginning elements anyway.
In practice we are both observing the churning and aware of it at the same time. We can get close to understanding there is a foundation to ourselves that is untainted, the part that does not churn. It is in the vision of the cosmic churning that we can recognize we are fully aware and that the churning is within us if by “us” we mean the part that is not churning- wow. I love that I can access this logic and direct my energy toward abiding in it in this lifetime. Thank you Guruji for your life and work.
All the great masters make this point in one way or another and offer us a vehicle for attaining such an experience- so we will also celebrate them on the 14th. Guruji, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, our guru, for his part, offered us a fire to light our way and to offer to others. If you are touched by this fire and now are on fire yourself, then please celebrate his auspicious birth and life and your auspicious connection with him in this life where ever you are. Please feel very welcome to join the Near East Yoga community in celebration if you can.
Peace, Casey
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Monday, July 4th, 2011
As I get more Internet savvy, the ability to post to the NEY blog gets easier. I just got an app for my iPhone that allows me quickly add information, saving me from needing to do it at my desk. Here’s what I would have posted yesterday if I had had this app-
July 4th schedule is open practice at 9am only. Enjoy the lovely summer festivities!
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