Evolution Yoga will be hosting a group show with a theme of the Five Elements for our 5th Birthday Celebration at theSouth End Art Hop 201 1 – Site #42.  Enjoy LIVE! music by the New Nile Orchestra (our very own John McConnell’s band), pirogis by Pirogi Union, fire spinning, face painting, 10+ amazing artists and much more!

There will also be a fundraiser for HungerFreeVT and a community art project. Also, Friday only during Art Hop between 5 pm and 10 pm, we’ll be taking $20 off class cards ($110) and $20 off massages!

Saturday, September 10th – FREE Class schedule!

Kids Yoga Open House!

Sample kids classes with wonderful evolution kids teachers!

9 am-9:30 am Infant/Baby Yoga – 6 wks.-12 mo.

9:45 am-10:15 am – New Explorers – 12 mo.-18 mo.

10:30 am-11 am – Tots on the Move – 18 mo.-2 1/2 yrs.

11:15 pm-12 pm – Kids Creative – 2 1/2 yrs.-5 yrs

12:15 pm-12:45 pm – Kids Yoga – K-2nd grade

Saturday’s Free Adult Classes!

1 pm-2 pm – Prostration & Vinyasa Class with Jamie Ebert

2 pm-3 pm – Feldenkrais Class with Uwe Mester

yogaLIVE! – yoga with live accompaniment

yogaLIVE!
6-8pm / Friday, April 22nd
Evolution Yoga
$25 (or class card + $10)
Register Here

A reminder that yogaLIVE! is fast approaching – it’s this Friday from 6-8pm. If you aren’t familiar with yogaLIVE!, it’s a class I teach every 6 months or so where I’m accompanied on percussion by an excellent musican, Steve Ferraris. What’s been really exciting about these classes as we’ve taught more of them is how the music has really become an integral, underlying part of the the practice.  Honestly, this isn’t easy to do.  In a class like this it would be quite understandable if the class became a percussion performance accompanied by a yoga class, and actually when we first started to figure out how to make the class work, there was points when that was happening for us.  But with practice as we’ve taught yogaLIVE! the percussion has really become this wonderul layer of support to add to the feel and excitement of the class as we move in and out of the intensity of the practice.

some of the percussion instruments for yogaLIVE!

Instead of the percussion being the focus of the class, it really is a percussion accompaniment to add the asana experience. The percussion definitely adds the excitement in the class, but because of the variety of instruments Steve uses, he also is able to play wonderfully supportive music during the mellow parts of the class, and particularly svasana.

If you have been thinking about it definitely sign up! We most likely won’t teach another yogaLIVE! until the winter solstice, which I hope is a really long time away, precluded by an amazing Spring, supper long Summer, and unseasonably warm Fall.

See you on Friday! John

yogaLIVE! with Steve Ferraris on percussion

yogaLIVE!
6-8pm / Friday, April 22nd
Evolution Yoga
$25
Register Here

It’s time once again for another yogaLIVE! class. Right on!

If you haven’t been to yogaLIVE! it’s a combination of me teaching along with the accompaniment of Steve Ferraris, a world class percussionist. Steve has played and taught percussion across the US as well as in Europe with a diverse range of musical groups. Steve will accompany the class on a wide variety of percussion instruments – creating a groove and energy that makes a for a truly unique and fun yoga experience. I have taught  around 10 of these with Steve, and it definitely gets better every time.  It’s really fun.

After class we’ll have snacks and drinks provided so people can hang out  and mingle for a while after it’s over, which is always nice.

The last time I taught this class a couple months ago it sold out, so sign up early to be sure you get a spot — see you there!!

Register Here

If you aren’t able to make it over to Montpelier then come over to Evolution and take a class from Margaret, Patrick, Lindsay or Lydia.  Really, don’t even think about going outside.  Be with your yoga community in Montpelier or Burlington.  :-)

Enjoy your practice wherever you are – John

It was so great to have the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves and the feel of the breeze on the skin.  All accompanied by Steve on percussion.

All the images in the post are from the class.  Thanks to Rachel for posting them originally on the Burlington lululemon facebook page.

Stay tuned for the next yogaLIVE! sometime in the Fall.  John

yogaLIVE! at the Burlington Yoga Conference

Today is the day for Evolution YogaLIVE! class and community party. The class is at 6pm and then potluck starts around 7:30pm.

I was just checking out the weather and it could be a little iffy this afternoon with the possibility of thunder. We’ll play it by ear.We’ll meet at Evolution and then decide whether to practice inside or out. Either way it should be a fun evening with other yogis hanging out practicing and then sharing food, fun and conversation. If you have a class card the cost is just $6 to pay for Steve Ferraris to come play plus a punch on your card. Otherwise it’s $20 for the evening.

Hope to see you all there! John

yogaLIVE! at the Burlington Yoga Conference (Photo by Ben Johnson)

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 17th at 6pm. I’ll be teaching a yogaLIVE! class outside (hopefully!) and then after we’ll have a potluck. This will be a great chance to spend time with the other yogis you practice with but have never had enough time to hangout.

If you’ve never been to one of my yogaLIVE! classes, it’s wicked fun. I teach my class and I’m accompanied by Steve Ferraris on percussion. The live percussion really brings the practice to another level. It’s really Steve and I working together to create a great energy and fun experience. And, on top of that, having the class outside should make for a great time for all.

The practice will be vigorous, but I do want people to bring their friends and have fun together, so I’ll do my best not to make it too crazy.

The cost is just $20 (or $14 on your class card plus $6 donation to the drummer).

Pre-registration is recommended (but not required). You can pre-register by giving a call to Evolution at 802-864-9642 or signing up for yogaLIVE! the next time you are at the studio. See you there — John

What is it about Phish that draws so many fans and also is a great opportunity for deepening your meditation practice ? 1) Tension and Release – the ability to build the energy of a song, slowly release that energy just to come right back and go even higher. It is a full body experience, the band, the intensity, the sound, the crowd, smiling faces, dancing! It is a constant flow of your own energy as it rises and falls with each song throughout the entire show. 2) Extended Jam – The ability for the entire band to improvise together taking any song as a base, turning it into something unexpected and then somehow bringing you back. Jams lasting anywhere from 1 min to 20 min , a complete journey with many ups and downs. (Many other band also utilize these qualities and they are in no way limited to Phish alone)

If your at a Phish show or enjoying any live music experience, here is a practice of live music meditation:

You have two options for posture and i would encourage that you alternate between them spontaneously.

• Mountain Pose – Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Feel your feet root into the ground. Thighs reach back as tailbone scoops engaging Mula Bundha. Reaching out of your hips as your spine grows tall. Side body long, inner body bright. Shoulders reach back and apart then relax.
• Mindful Dancing – This is a dynamic pose that will be unique for every person. How ever you feel moved and what ever the music is asking of your body, Dance ! Begin to flow with the music. Follow its energy and rhythm, when the music is slow and soft move slow and soft, when the music is fast and raging move fast and raging. Allow there to be no judgment or comments on your movement, allow your self to dance as if no one were watching and you could care less even if they were. Be aware of every movement your body makes, staying present with your body not lost in your mind.

Normally while experiencing live music you would send your energy outward; screaming , clapping , throwing your hands in the air, singing, dancing (in a  subtly different way than used in this practice), taking in the energy from the music and releasing it into the crowd. You also may come in and out of moments with mindfulness; one moment enjoying the full experience of the music, one moment internally judging if you are having a good time or not, one moment recalling an event from the past or daydreaming about the future. These moments happen very fast jumping from one thing to the next melding together creating your entire perceived experience.

In this practice you will take this energy and send it inward stabilizing it with mindfulness.

Begin in Mountain Pose. Bring your awareness to your physical body feeling a sense of relaxation comfort and ease. Let you body and breath settle in its natural state. Now bring your awareness to the sound of the music, let your eyes close and be completely engulfed in the sound. Open your eyes adapt to your surroundings , there may be hundreds of other people around you, stay calm and focused. Allow the external sound to merge with your physical body becoming aware of the music and the sensations that the music produces in your body. Naturally feel the music build on your inhale and fall on your exhale. Allow your breath to ride on the rhythm of the song. This experience will be the object of your meditation, the combination of the external sound and the internal physical sensations. Apply mindfulness to this object, as your mind begins to wander and comment or judge your experience notice that this is happening and bring your attention back. Allowing your thoughts to be in the background without grasping or aversion deepen your concentration on sound and sensation. As the energy begins to rise and fall notice what this does to your body with out actively “doing” anything. In the music let there just be the music. Where you normally would send your energy outward with a yell or motion notice this urge and contain the energy inward as you subtly begin to build inside. While the band is jamming follow the jam note by note staying mindful of every sound and every sensation that sound produces in your body.  As the tension builds around you feel the stillness within as your energy also rises. When you reach a point where you spontaneously need to move break out of stillness into mindful dance.

As you finally begin to release some of your energy make sure that you stay mindful of your actions. Notice how easy it is to allow your body to dance but allow your mind to be bouncing from thought to thought. Once you are comfortable dancing and have your “home moves” which require no effort from your body to remember how to do, it is easy to be lost in thought. Notice when you are no longer mindful of your movement and bring your attention back to your physical body. Be aware of the position of your hands and feet in space. Break out of your pre-programmed “home moves” and allow your body to have a unique movement with every note that is played. Pick a instrument that is improvising in the jam, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, etc …. Focus your attention on that one instrument and allow your body to follow its every movement. Begin to improvise the dance its self as if you were just another instrument adding to the jam. Let the intensity of your movements flow with the intensity of the song. When you feel your energy reaching a low mindfully transition back to mountain pose recharging for the next jam. When the song is over as every one is clapping and screaming stand strong in mountain pose and soak in the experience and energy of the crowd.

Experiment with the flow from mountain to dance and back. Notice what it is like to fully experience the music with out losing focus, no judgment no comments. Bare sound and sensation facilitated by the band and the crowd. This is not so different from a yoga practice. Allowing your body to move and flow staying mindful of your actions and the quality of your thoughts. As with the dance practice, it is very easy to learn a yoga pose so well your body requires very little effort to maintain it. This is where your mind can begin to wander even though you are fully in the pose. When this happens become mindful, bring your attention back to the physical sensations of your body. Be aware of the position of your hands and feet in space. Send you energy inward, go deeper, one pointed awareness.

To learn more please join me at Liberate Music and Yoga Festival Aug 20 & 21 Live Music Meditation at Liberate

Feel the groove flow inwards and outwards and truly be free,

Danny

I’m please to welcome DJ HyFI to Burlington from his trips around the country, spreading music, yoga and love.

Join us on Saturday, July 24th from 6-8 pm on a journey across a sonic landscape of groovin’ beats and lush atmospherics. The journey starts with an hour and a half of asana to live DJ mixing and flows into a 30 min sonic meditation/savasana.

In the yoga portion of the workshop, I will lead you to new depth and in the meditative portion of the workshop, DJ HyFi will be layering and mixing ambient sounds to create a smooth sound scape that will transport you to another dimension.
-Jane Jarecki Lanza

Just relax and let the river carry you along…
$25
6-8 pm
Register: Pre-registration required

Yoga-teacher turned DJ who spends his time touring the country spinning live in-studio at Yoga workshops and events nationwide… DJ HyFi brings it to the next level! To download DJ HyFi’s June 2010 mix for free :: click here ::