FREE online service to list/find yoga classes

The first fruits of my participation in the Orkut social network was learning about a free online service where teachers can list information about their classes and students can find information about classes. It is just getting started, but, I think it has a lot of potential. I'll definitely recommend the service to the yoga teachers I know that do not already have an online presence. In fact, even those teachers with an online presence could benefit by participating in this service.

If you are a student, you can go here to search for available classes. If you are a teacher, you can go here to create a free account with the service which you can use to post and update your class schedule for inclusion in the searchable database of classes.

Similar to the limited focus of my blog, the current class content of this service is limited to a few studios/teachers mostly in San Francisco proper. Unlike my blog though, it only takes a critical mass of teachers signing up and submitting their class schedule information for this service to become a valuable one for the entire bay area. Please spread the word about this service to your friends and teachers in the yoga community.

Namasté

Orkut online community for BAYoga

If you would like to take a more active role, I encourage you to join an online community where anyone can post information and events for all community members to see. The only catch is that participation in the Orkut social network is by invitation only. However, I am already a member. So, you can contact me to request an invite.

There is already one main Yoga community with hundreds of members within Orkut. I recently created a new community just for BAYoga which has the same focus as this web site. Which is providing information about teachers, centers, and events in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Namasté

White Lotus: Dance & Yoga Retreat

I'm not familiar with the teacher, Bill Stewart, leading this retreat. However, I have heard great things about White Lotus and many teachers I respect are affiliated in some manner with the place.

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Karma For Kids

Karma For Kids is a challenge for yoga practitioners (typically adults) from around the country to intensify their yoga practice within a 90 day time period to raise money and awareness for Camp Okizu, a summer camp for children with cancer and their families.

I heard about this program while attending a workshop at the San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference. It sounds like a really good cause to me. It would be a wonderful way to hold an intention in your heart during your yoga practice and raise some money for a good cause at the same time. Check it out.

Namasté

Yoga Centers College of Yoga

Yoga Centers College of Yoga is a new teacher training program put together by Aadil Palkhivala. Aadil is an amazing teacher. I just completed my second workshop with Aadil at the Yoga Journal conference in San Francisco. He has an incredible foundation of experience in Iyengar Yoga. On top of that, he has integrated the Purna Yoga teachings of Sri Aurobindo.

His training program is not a local bay area one. It is in Bellevue, Washington. However, this program looked very interesting to me. It would involve a significant commitment though. Completion of the two year program would involve several trips a year to the center for intensive training sessions and all told you would end up logging more than 1700 hours between the intensives and your ongoing training/apprenticeship time at home. Needless to say, this program exceeds the requirements for the Yoga Alliance 500 hour standard.

Namasté

Friday Evening Kirtan in San Jose

The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment hosts a Friday evening kirtan from 7:00 to 9:00pm about once a month. It is scheduled for the first Friday of the month for the next several months. I have never been to one of these, but, I plan to go this coming Friday, February 6th.

Namasté