I completed Basic Integral Yoga Teacher Training on May 17th and went back to my hometown in Ojai, California to write my business plan for my studio/shop/counseling center.  When I submitted my plan to the bank I gave the banker a copy of “Living Yoga” and said “watch this before you read the plan”.  She watched it and absolutely loved it.  It also helped her understand the importance of what I am trying to bring into our community and she granted the loan!

I have just completed my qualifying class for Intermediate Teacher Training.  I will fly back home and my studio will open on August 22nd.  I plan to advertise a free showing of “Living Yoga” for the grand opening and I am feeling excited about bringing Swami Satchidananda’s teachings and Integral yoga to our area.

Screening:  Friday at 7:00 p.m., August 22nd
at:  52 Weeks of Peace, 960 E. #52 Ojai Avenue, Ojai CA 93023

Contact:  Prashanthi (Shareen)  805-746-2341      Email: hope_at_52weeksofpeace@yahoo.com

On Saturday, August 9th, at 5pm there will be a screening of Living
Yoga at The Corner Store, located one block from the historic
Eastern Market in Washington, DC.

The Corner Store is a non-profit community arts center and the home of
Kris Swanson and Roy Mustelier, who have been practicing Integral
Yoga for many years.   They serve the Capitol Hill, DC neighborhood
by showcasing artists, filmmakers, sculptors, musicians, poets,
chefs and playwrights in their beautifully restored corner store
home.  Kris and Roy open the doors of The Corner Store to the under-
served children of the neighborhood, where Kris teaches art and
life skills.

The screening will be free, with donations to The Corner Store’s
continuing mission appreciated.  For more information about The
Corner Store, please see http://www.krisswanson.net.

On June 20, some six hundred people filled the Jivamukti Yoga School for the New York premiere of Living Yoga! Guests included Conrad Rooks, Peter Max, Dean Morton, Rabbi Gelberman and a full coterie of IYI notables, teachers, and friends. We had three elevated 8-foot-wide screens with six speakers of surround-sound—that was in addition to the equipment brought by Krishna Das, who opened the program with kirtan.

Krishna Das sure knows how to get ‘em worked up. He’s always a hit, but last night he got the beat going until an unusually expressive entourage of arm-flailing, head bobbing, eyelash-fluttering fans who rose up like cobras to Om Namo Shivaya and Hare Krishna. Jivamukti yoginis were walking around prompting victims “INNNhaaaaaale, EXXXhaaaaale…,” so nobody got hurt.

After the kirtan, Swami Ramananda, the head of the New York Integral Yoga Institute, introduced the film. He was so calm he makes calm look nervous, which was great at Jivamukti, a place where you find yourself peeking out of the corner of your eye and wondering “Is HE famous? Is SHE famous?” And saffron is this year’s black, so he was completely en vogue.

The screening was more of a screaming. This group was primed. You would have thought it was a taping of The Improv, judging by audience response. They even laughed where nothing was funny at all, like when Richard Cripe says he suffered his second heart attack at age fifty, and then a third heart attack the next year, and a fourth heart attack after that–by the time he had his fifth heart attack the room was in stitches. Whatever, everyone loved it.

After the screening the entire audience stayed for a group discussion that included Sharon and David (Jivamukti co-founders), Dr. Amrita McLanahan, Peter Max, Arjuna Zurbel, Ramanandaji, Shiva Kumar (the film’s director) and myself. Most of the 45 minutes or so were taken up with stories about Sri Gurudev from the panel and from IYI folk in the audience.

Shiva had his family there, and my wife and daughter came. This was special for me because at home the message is, “Dad, don’t bother trying to boil water, you’re not going to get it right,” and here are all these people walking up to us after the film bowing and giving us r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Of course, it will not make much difference once we’re back on Long Island and I try to boil water again. The 15 minutes of fame are up. Ah, well.

We are grateful to have had this opportunity to play a small part in telling Gurudev’s great story. When I think of how much I miss myspiritual master, I get a little taste of what it must be like for Gurudev’s many dedicated disciples. Transcendental knowledge is apauruseya: it descends from a higher realm through the intermediary of realized masters. How can anyone with even the slightest sensitivity to the mystery of life not be moved by Gurudev’s mission?

Anyway, a fun time was had by all. But I have to sign off now. I’m late for water-boiling class.

Love,
Yogesvara (Joshua Greene)

Meenakshi said that she felt the film will help build a bridge for
many who don’t know Gurudev or much about Yoga but who know Dr.
Ornish and Dr. Oz (who appear in Living Yoga) through their exposure
on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

She remarked, “It will nourish their cells and souls on a deeper level.”

Joe Sugarman attended the screening and commented, “I was very
impressed with the documentary, the people who volunteered to be in
the movie, the benefits of Yoga and what a great leader Gurudev was.
The lessons taught throughout the film were many. It’s the type of
film you can see over and over and get a lot out of it each time you
see it. I know how hard it is to produce a film of this quality and
with all the effects used so I congratulate you on a job well done.”

I took the course so that I would be better able to put together a pilot study we’re planning to do at the hospital here in Greenville, North Carolina. I’m working with the hospital’s Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab Center to put the program together. It will consist of 10 sessions each 90 minutes long and will focus on rehab patients who have completed their rehab sessions. Initially we want to see if certain functions continue to improve, to see if the participants will participate and do their assignments regularly, and for us to get practice in running these classes. At this point I’m primarily interested in using LIVING YOGA’s “Healing With Yoga” section of the DVD in our first meeting and then using Richard Cripe’s account of his experiences in dealing with heart disease in the second session. I think that these two sections are very powerful.

Thank you so much for allowing us to use the DVD for this purpose.

Don English

This movie was unbelievably amazing! Swami Satchidananda was a great visionary with a big heart and astute mind. What a wonderful blessing for us to have had this master in our presence. I recommend this movie to everyone who wants to experience a greater knowledge from a real ecumenist! — Kamala

A generous contribution to our understanding of Yoga and it’s tremendous impact on our culture. I strongly recommand getting a copy of this film. — Yunjana (on SanDiegoReader.com)

I didn’t know anything about the yoga movement and after seeing the film, I wish I had known about it earlier and could have known Swami Satchidananda. I have little kids and I want to introduce yoga into their lives. Thanks for the awakening!! — Beautiful_Goddess (on SanDiegoReader.com)

Film director Joshua Greene answers questions after the screening.

Brahmi Romero, Joshua Greene, and Paul Orum (Chairman of the Yoga Center Board)

IYTA member Christine Brahmi Romero, director of the St. Mark’s Yoga
Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC., hosted a premiere on May
15th as part of its 30th Anniversary Celebration. The screening of
the film was followed with a discussion with filmmaker Joshua M. Greene.

Brahmi reports:

Our screening went well. Everyone was very moved by the film and
asked such wonderful questions of Joshua at the end. His responses
were amazingly informative and inspiring. He is a truly wonderful
man and we very much enjoyed meeting him.

People were very impressed by the film and the message of Integral
Yoga and Gurudev. As one of the audience members said last night to
Joshua, thank you so much for the service to all that this film
represents.

Seeing the film on “the big screen” was even more impressive. I think
my favorite part of the film is Dr. Amrita’s explanation of the
Integral Yoga class. She is so clear in her description.

Several people sought me out afterward to ask specifically about
taking IY classes. One young woman wants to go to Yogaville for
Teacher Training.

In July, we will do another screening at a local arts venue. (check
back on our event calendar for details)

The program opened with a kirtan led by Shastri Dilip Upadhyay,
priest of the Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads, Chesapeake, VA, formerly
a resident of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram in India who has been
conducting pujas and aratis daily at the Temple and leads bhajans
every Sunday morning, since 1996. He played the harmonium accompanied
by Ancil Patel on tabla. Two other members joined to provide vocals.
This was all organized by Integral Yoga teachers Bhavani & Shankara
Osborn.

Then, Dr. Graham Schweig (who appears in the film) introduced the
film, which was followed by a panel discussion that also included
Swami Priyaanandaji from Yogaville and Dr. Sandra (Amrita) McLanahan
(also from Yogaville), who is featured in the film. Dr. Schweig
reported that:

“The premiere tonight was just great. The house was full and then
some. Packed! Good questions and comments from the audience. I would
say that it was more successful than anyone could have anticipated.
Sri Swamiji has a way of drawing people together, and this was seen
by tonight’s event. Everyone loved the film. The audience is drawn
into his mystique and approachable nature. All in all, it went over
just beautifully! Congratulations on a production that is so
attractive.”

The monks are from the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in VA Beach.