DESCRIPTION OF CLASSES
If
the class is listed as "Yoga," then it is a Hatha yoga
class that anyone of any experience level may attend. The exact style
of the class may vary based on who is teaching it and what they love
about yoga (and life). See the teacher biographies.
On Monday mornings at 10:00,
John teaches a yoga class especially for beginners. He writes, "If you
have never tried Yoga this is a safe place to start. Everyone
will feel at home here including men and women who have never been to a
Yoga class. If you are just beginning your practice, have never
practiced, or want to restart your practice please join us. If you
are flexibility challenged or have injuries that restrict movement or
simply feel like you might not be the Yoga type we will find a
meaningful practice for you. In Yoga it is often said that it is the
journey, not the destination that is important. The asana, the breath,
and the movement that we make now is the one that delights and that
matters, not the perfect pose of the future. As your instructor I am a Yogi who is flexibility challenged, but enthused about every pose and movement."
Cal's Monday night "Yoga Jump" is a yoga fusion class with both new and
traditional poses to free the body and spirit. You can expect to jump
rope, at a minimum. Some practioners may break a sweat.
On Sunday mornings there is meditation with the Athens Zen Group.
At
10:00 a.m. there is a Dharma talk. This is a presentation
of thoughts concerning Zen Buddhism. Newcomers orientation is 11:00 on
Sunday mornings except on a first sunday of a month. Look at their
website for more information.
FEES AND DONATIONS
Yoga
classes at Rubber Soul are available for a
donation. The suggested donation is $5. If you'd like to donate
less, that
is OK too.
The suggested monthly donation is somewhere between $20 to $100,
depending on your budget and (generally) what makes you happy.
Feel free to
come to class as often as you like.
Yoga has a cumulative
effect--one that accumulates best when practiced daily. Note
that you can stay on for a second class (the
"DOUBLE-HEADER")--no need to donate twice.
INSTRUCTORS
The Athens Zen Group
is led by a number of people.
See their website
for a wide variety of details, including training session schedules.
Cal
Clements
began to stretch and work on mindfulness as a dancer and theater
artist, starting in 1977. He began the official practice yoga in
New York in 2004 with Jason Brown and has keep the practice going daily
ever since.
In his
opinion, it is normal to do yoga at least once a day--twice a day
if one wants to begin a revolution. Cal is certified in Ashtanga Yoga
from
Downward Dog in Toronto where he studied with Ron Reid and Diane Bruni.
He has taken workshops with Shiva Rae, Chuck
Miller, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Desirée Rumabugh, Doug
Swenson, Sarah Faircloth, Glenn Black, and Steve Ross.
He attended the Ultimate Clown School (the descendant of the Ringling
Brothers school) in 2007 and most recently trained in physical theater
with the Flying Actor Studio in San Francisco. He has four university
degrees, including a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and a Masters of
Library Science. Cal leads the "Adventure Club,"
which is Rubber Soul's yoga teacher training extravaganza.
John Rogers writes,
"Originally from Seattle, I came to Athens in 1985 to play music and
goof off. I fell in love with the culture, music and arts in
Athens but most of all with the Athenians who seem to make friends so
easily and, except for a few short stints on the West Coast, I have been
here ever since. I worked for many years as an electrical contractor
and owner of Red Electric and later Mister Sparky but after 17 years of
contracting I was ready to do something new and am currently a student
studying literature and art. I am trained in Sivananda Yoga and usually
teach classes oriented toward beginners. However all levels are welcome
in my classes."
Kate Morrissey has been
practicing yoga and meditation since 2000. She began with a home
practice in Wisconsin before practicing Vajra yoga at Shambhala
Mountain Center, a residential meditation center near Ft. Collins,
Colorado. Vajra yoga, founded by Jill Satterfield in New York, combines
Buddhist mindfulness, meditation, and visualization practices with
Hatha yoga. Kate went on to study with Bikram yoga teachers in
Pennsylvania at Yoga in State College, working her way through Yoga
Alliances's now defunct "independent track" for yoga teachers in 2004
before moving to Georgia and continuing her practice here in 2005. She
has been involved with the Rubber Soul Revolution since its inception
and a teacher since 2007. She received
certification from Atlanta's Peachtree Yoga specializing in a mixed
style of Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga in 2009. She has helped with a
Shivananda teacher training and Rubber Soul's Yoga Adventure Club, and
continues to find fresh delight in doing yoga and practicing with the
Zen group. She also is a licensed master of social work, and offers
mind-body counseling at Rubber Soul.
Leasa Weimer hails from
Boulder, Colorado; when she wasn't tele-skiing, hiking or mountain
biking, she was practicing yoga. She then moved to Europe and
lived/studied in Norway, Finland, Portugal, and South Africa while
tasting the various international styles of yoga. In 2008, in pursuit
of a Ph.D., she moved to Athens and
discovered the "brilliant energy" of Rubber Soul. She recently returned
from a six-month research trip in Oxford, England. Leasa has a Yoga
Alliance teacher certification from Shoshoni mountain ashram in
Rollinsville, Colorado. Teaching from the heart, she incorporates a creative hatha style with pranayama and meditation.
Since his first Ashtanga class in 2003, Nicholas Rynearson's
practice of yoga has grown with teachers from diverse traditions,
including Iyengar, Anusara, and Jivamukti Yoga. His classes feature
sanskrit chanting, challenging asana sequences and attention to
alignment. He feels strongly that the principle of non-violence
(ahimsa) is the foundation of all yoga practice and invites his
students to explore their capacity for compassion toward themselves,
other living beings, and mother earth. Nicholas is grateful to his
teachers in Princeton, Northampton, New York and Athens; he bows to the
lotus of feet of Emily, the guru who first opened his heart to the
spiritual dimension of yoga, and Jen, whose friendship and devotion are
a constant inspiration.
Rebecca Van Damm has been
practicing a range of yoga styles for about 10 years including Hatha,
Vinyasa, Jivamukti, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and most recently Sivananda,
in which she received her formal certification in November 2009 right
here at Rubber Soul. She loves doing yoga in classes, alone, with
friends and by DVD. When it comes to her practice, Rebecca is both a
purist and an anarchist: One the one hand, she values conforming to a
strict set of standards designated by experienced and wizened yogis. On
the other hand, she sees yoga as a place to express herself and help
others do the same. Off the mat, Rebecca fronts the band Major Love
Event and is studying to be a holistic health coach at the Institute
for Integrative Nutrition.
Maya Angelou said she doesn’t trust any revolution where love is
not allowed. Luckily for Maya, love is abundant at Rubber Soul Yoga
Revolution! Sarah Whitaker was
impelled, compelled, and propelled to make her home in Athens, in large
part due to the community and warmth she felt as an out-of-town visitor
to Rubber Soul. She strives to make her classes joyful and accessible
in the hopes of cultivating even more of that spirit in the
world. Her relationship with yoga has been seasoned with the
wisdom of her many beloved teachers but especially Gérald Disse
and Linda Munro in Paris and Cal, Lorrie, and Lal here in Athens. On
the mat, her yoga practice centers on the themes of lightheartedness
and mindfulness. Off the mat, her yoga practice centers on bringing a
yoga-mind to her Ph.D. program in Educational Psychology, collecting
hobbies, and volunteering at Daily Co-op. The newest yoga posture she
is trying to master is to smile widely when startled out of her skin by
loud noises--like the train whistle out back.
Velisa Rios is a new
arrival down south, moving here from NYC fresh off her 200hr Vinyasa
Flow certification from Sonic Yoga Center for Yoga Studies. She spent
the last few years living in Brooklyn where she worked days for a
international advertising agency, her focus being online
marketing, and spent nights exploring the spiritual and physical
benefits of yoga and meditation. Velisa and her boyfriend, who moved
here to farm with the folks at Athens Farm 255 restaurant, have
long-term plans of developing a retreat-style farm that combines yoga
with the healthy lifestyle of local farm-fresh food. In her spare time
she enjoys reading, cross training, eating vegetables, and adjusting to
her new pace of life. Velisa is incredibly eager new instructor who is
very excited to meet each you as soon as possible. Om shanti!
SUGGESTIONS (and gentle
understandings) FOR STUDENTS
1. We're
pretty easy-going, but we do request that you arrive 10 minutes early,
take off your shoes when entering the
studio, turn off the ringer on
your phone, and avoid wearing strong perfumes or deodorants.
2. When you enter the practice space, settle
in and possibly sit in stillness (rather than talking to
friends--although talking is not absolutely prohibitted).
3. Wear
exercise clothing. Form-fitting shirts are best so that during
forward bends or inversions your top won't fall around your face. We
practice barefoot (in general--that is--you can wear socks if you
like).
4. Bring your yoga mat. If you forget or
don't have
one, you can rent
one for a dollar. If you use a rental mat, spray it with our mat cleaner--except when it is
raining. If you ride a bike or walk and therefore you'd like
to
store a mat at Rubber Soul, we have a shelf for that (under the rental
mats).
5. When returning the blankets, stack them neatly--the fringe side to
the wall. If you
unfold the blanket, here's the folding order: First long, then short,
then short again.
HOW TO GET THERE
Rubber
Soul Yoga Revolution is located in the Leathers Building at 675
Pulaski Street (in Athens, Georgia). Pulaski runs alongside Phoenix
Health Foods, the 40 Watt Club, Snow Tire, and Athens Blueprint. Then
it crosses Prince Avenue and ducks into a neighborhood. The Leathers
Building is about three blocks into this neighborhood, just before the
railroad tracks. We are about halfway down the building, in suite
number 1200. Come in through the back door (near the railroad tracks).
here's a MAP.
The building looks like this:
Walk
around the right side of the building, along the railroad tracks.
As a rule, we place a wooden sign on the railing right in front of our
door that says, "YOGA."
The
interior of Rubber Soul looks like:
We lock
the doors once class begins so plan to come early.
WAIVER
All
students must sign a waiver. We have these at the desk. If you are
under 18, you need to have a guardian sign it. If your guardian isn't
coming to the first class, then print the waiver
out and bring it along.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I'm new to yoga;
what level class should I take?
Try any
of the classes listed as "Yoga." You are welcome to join in. The first
few classes may feel a bit awkward, but soon you'll have a good sense
of how it is done. Why not give it a try and see how you like it? At
any time you can modify poses or rest. Also the Gentle Yoga class is an
excellent choice.
How
does the library work?
Our
library is entirely straight-forward. You lend us three of your most
favorite books. Then you may borrow one book at a time. If ever you'd
like your books back you can have them--so no worries!
Is Yoga a religion?
Not
exactly--you can practice it alongside your religion (or atheism)
without conflict. You don't need to "believe in" anything. And yet
there are certain concepts and practices in yoga that are...
spiritual.... with metaphysical implications... Yoga Journal has an interesting article on this topic.
Does Yoga have
ethical imperatives?
Um...
basically, yes. The first and most important of these is Ahimsa or
non-violence. The thoughts below come from the non-violence
guide.
Fair Trade.
Fair Trade ensures that farmers, artisans and other producers in poor
countries get a fair price for their goods that covers the cost of
production and guarantees a living wage. Fair Trade also encourages
environmental responsibility and reinvestment in communities.
Fair Labor. Sweatshops
and child labor are a growing problem in the clothing and textiles
industries. And popular products like coffee, fruit, chocolate and cut
flowers are often grown under brutal labor conditions. Sweatshops exist
around the world including the U.S. The cheapest products often come
with the greatest human costs. Ask questions, get educated and make the
most humane choices.
Organic.
There are many reasons to support organic products: You can
help protect people, the environment and animals. Organic products
ensure that chemicals are n’t sprayed and dumped on farm
workers, on the land and in our waterways. This protects people, the
planet and precious wildlife. Pesticides are poisons designed to kill
living organisms. They can be harmful to humans causing cancer, birth
defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation. Promote health... including
your own. You can support small family farms. Although more and more
large scale farms are going organic, most organic farms are still small
independent family farms. You can help save energy. More energy is now
used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and
harvest all the crops in the United States.
Vegan.
Vegan foods contain no animal products (meat-free, egg-free and
dairy-free). More and more people are choosing a Vegan lifestyle. The
reasons are varied and many. They include bettering human health,
ending farm worker and factory worker exploitation, ending industrial
racism, saving family farms, protecting the environment, ending global
warming, ending world hunger, using energy and resources more wisely,
conserving land, protecting wildlife, preserving our oceans and
waterways, and being kind to animals. Choosing Vegan products helps
meet all of these goals in a powerful way. A Vegan lifestyle expands
your circle of compassion to include the meekest among us. It opens
your mind and heart to those who rely entirely on your capacity for
compassion. The Vegan choice is one of the most far-reaching personal,
practical and ethical choices you can make.
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase
chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a
vegetarian diet." -Albert Einstein
Renewable Energy.
Wars are fought for resources. To build a world that is safe and secure
and to preserve the planet for future generations, we need to make
Nonviolent energy choices -- solar, wind, wave, geothermal, biofuels
and other renewable choices. If these choices aren’t readily
available to you, offset some of your energy use by conserving energy
and buying “green” energy credits through your
utility company.
Recycled.
We need to remember that when we throw something away, there is no such
thing as “away.” Use less, reuse and recycle. And
buy used, reused and recycled products whenever possible.
Tree-Free.
Consider using recycled lumber products and paper products whenever
possible. Forests are under tremendous pressure from logging for wood
and paper products. Paper production can be very harmful to human
health and the environment. Consume products with less packaging, use
recycled products, recycle what you do use and consider tree-free
papers like kenaf and hemp.
Car-Free.
Take a bus, ride a train or get on the subway. Better yet walk or ride
a bike. Use mass transit and your own energy to get around.
Cruelty-Free.
We have the compassion, intelligence and technology to move beyond
hurting people or animals for the production of food, clothing,
cleaning products and personal products. Industries that make a profit
by hurting others do so with the consent and support of those who buy
their products. Make the kind choice, buy cruelty-free.
Buy Local.
Be the watchdog and champion of local businesses. Buying local supports
small businesses, creates local jobs, and keeps more money in your
community. You have the opportunity to make sure your local businesses
treat people, the planet and animals responsibly. They are members of
your community unlike the giant retailers who, with little oversight,
crush local businesses, take money from your community, and exploit
people, the planet and animals for profit.
"We all live, now, with both the pain and the possibility we carry in
our hearts, with both the despair and the hope that we may yet learn to live
in harmony with our precious and endangered Earth. There is
not a person alive today who does not, at some level know that we are
facing these two directions, and understand how much is at stake." John
Robbins, The
Food Revolution .
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