This Week at the Shala

Spring is finally (hopefully) under way and the sun should start shining any moment. To celebrate this spirit of growth and renewal, Yoga Shala PDX has some pretty exciting new happenings.

The Late Spring/Summer schedule is now on our website. http://www.yogashalapdx.com/schedule.html In addition to these fun, energizing, and meaningful classes, we have immersions every morning- a great way to start the day! Shadow, Vinyasa, and Iyengar are the styles of yoga offered. http://www.yogashalapdx.com/immersions.html

We are continuing to offer our Beginners’ Yoga Sampler. This gives students a chance to explore teachers and styles, a chance to discover what is right for them. For those who wish to learn more about a particular style and teacher, we offer a four-week Yoga Fundamentals course. Michael Stirling will be teaching Ragas of Springtime, a six-week course dedicated to the exploration of North Indian Classical Music. Sign up for these fantastic courses now! http://www.yogashalapdx.com/courses.html

The Shala is so happy to have welcomed six teachers to the our family in the past few months: Adriane, Danielle L, Erin, Jennifer, Mary, and Shawn. http://www.yogashalapdx.com/instructors.html Come explore their teaching styles and personalities through our May Special- Purchase a 5-class card during the month of May for only $25. That’s a $30 savings! The card is to be used for taking classes with these six teachers. It can be used to take one class with each of them, all five with one of them, or mix-and-match. After purchasing the card, just drop by any of their classes within 30 days. You don’t have to be a new student to enjoy this card! 

To see or buy some fun, unique, adorable, and meaningful artwork, stop by either of our locations to view “Elephant Festival.” These colorful paintings are done by local artist Bishop Lennon. http://bishop-art.com, http://bishopart.etsy.com/ Each elephant has its own personality; enjoy getting to know them all before choosing one to take home!

 

May Workshops and Courses

Southeast
Portland Spring Public Sitting
with Emily Carson
Sunday, May 1, 7 – 8:15pm

Sliding scale $10-30 · No pre-registration required

A Public Sitting with Emily Carson is much like a traditional satsang or Buddhist sitting group. Emily begins with an opening teaching—sometimes dharma talk, sometimes guided meditation, sometimes prayer—and then responds to questions. You are invited to participate if you wish, or just sit in the meditative space.

For more information: http://soundofrain.org/sittingsretreats.html

SANSKRIT III:  Mantras and Chanting with Kate Fine & Nandini Ranganathan

Tuesday, May 3, 5:30 – 8:30pm • $60

Learn to chant, with correct pronunciation and with understanding, the mantras relevant to yoga practitioners. These include: Gayatri, Patanjali’s chant and others. Time and interest permitting, we will do the chant for Surya Namaskar.

Prerequiste: Introduction to Sanskrit or with Instructor’s consent.
Teacher Training required workshop • 3 hours

About Nandini & Kate

Southeast

Birth Prep for Partners with Shana Celnicker-Chong

Saturday, 1:00 – 4:00pm, May 14 • $75 per couple

This workshop is designed to help you and your partner prepare yourselves for the life-changing event of labor and birth. We will journey through the process of labor stage-by-stage, practicing positions, breath work, and pain coping practices to give you tools needed for any challenges you may face. This workshop is for pregnant women in their last trimester and their partners.

         

North Williams, TT 
Ragas of Springtime with Michael Stirling 
6-weeks, Mondays, May 9 – June 20, 7:15pm – 9:15pm 
$108 before May 1st, $120 thereafter. $20 drop-in with previous experience. 
No class May 30th due to Memorial Day HolidayNowhere in the world has the science of sound and music been investigated with such depth and sophistication as in ancient India, where a unique cultural tradition of yoga, spirituality and music has developed. The Vedas teach that music is the most important of the art forms, with the body as the instrument of expression. Thus, vocal music is given the highest significance.Raga is a musical language that is at the heart of Hindustani classical music. India’s classical music today, exists as a direct descendant of the ancient traditions; passed on orally from teacher to disciple in the Guru-Shishya tradition. Raga singing is a highly devotional, classical and improvised musical form. The word, derived from Urdu, loosely translates as, ‘imagination’. The form allows for the greatest range of expression by the vocalist. Lyric content is concerned with divine love, the separation of lovers, nature and the seasons.The class is taught in the Kirana style of North Indian classical vocal music ~ which traces its history back in time over 700 years ago to the colorful era of the mogul kings and to the legendary saint and singer Gopal Nayak, who worshipped Krishna, embraced Sufism and blended these elements into a spiritual form expressed in the language of music.

In Ragas of Springtime students will increase their knowledge and broaden their understanding of the general elements of North Indian Classical Music (raga & tala) and its ancient cultural and historical elements. Ragas of Springtime will explore the colorful seasonal ragas: Raga Basant, Raga Megh and Raga Mian Ki Malhar.

Raga Class will be accompanied by tambura (the essential drone instrument) and tabla (a set of two small hand drums).

“One of the undeniable beauties of Indian Classical Music is its strong connection to nature and especially the binding relationship of Raga melodies to their appropriate time of day. An elegant curve of melody, a subtle lowering of pitch, or an assertiveness attached to a particular note help to define the effect of a Raga. There are Ragas for all the times of day and night as well as seasons and when they are sung at their appropriate time, their effectiveness is noticeably enhanced.”
– Terry Riley, Disciple of Pandit Pran Nath

Teacher Training Elective 12 hours.

About the Instructor: Michael Stirling
Vocalist Michael Stirling began the study of North Indian classical vocal music (Khayal singing of the Kirana Gharana) with Pandit Pran Nath (Guruji) in 1983, subsequently traveled with him to India and became his disciple. After Pandit Pran Nath’s passing in 1996, Michael continued study and practice of this celestial art form with Guruji’s senior American student, the highly regarded composer and performer, Terry Riley. Michael has accompanied Pandit Pran Nath and Mr. Riley in classes and concerts in America, at the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas and in India at the dhargha of Sufi Hazarat Inayat Khan in New Dehli and at Diggi Palace in Jaipur; in California and elsewhere. Michael has also studied and performed with sarangi virtuoso Ustad Hafizullah Khan, vocalists Sri Karunamayee, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Lakshmi Shankar, the American bansuri artist Steve Gorn, tabla/esraj artist Benjy Wertheimer, Gurubhai tabla player/vocalist Rik Masterson, dhrupad vocalists Uday Balwalker, the Gundecha Brothers, kirtan artists Shantala (Benjy & Heather Wertheimer), Gina Sala, Snatam Kaur, Shanti Shivani and others.

At the urging of his teacher, Michael offers instruction in North Indian classical vocal music to individual students and small groups in Portland, Oregon (he has taught at Marylhurst University, University of Portland, Community Music Center, First Unitarian Church, Amrita: A Santuary for Yoga, Yoga Shala of Portland, Beloved Festival, and other locations.