Hatha Yoga Philosopy

Schedule of Classes

Description of Classes

Fees and Donations

Instructor(s)

What to Wear

How to Get There

Waiver

Frequently Asked Questions about Yoga

Other Things Going On

Contact

MISSION

Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution intends to provide community-based yoga at a price affordable to all.

HATHA YOGA PHILOSOPHY

The core of yoga is the breath--that is, connecting the breath to movement, seeing each pose as a container for the breath. The type of breath we practice in Hatha Yoga is specific: Ujjayi Pranayama (ocean breathing or victorious breath). It sounds rather like ocean waves surging in one's throat... or like the sound Darth Vader makes when breathing under his helmet. I know that isn't a very yogic association, what with Darth Vader zapping entire planets, but it's true! He's got that hissing in the throat. Try it now, if you like: use the same muscle you use to whisper to create a valve in your throat. Then slow down and deepen the breath.

There are a number of sources you can look at to learn about the importance of Pranayama in yoga. Whenever life gets hard or we feel that we need to concentrate on something, we stop breathing. Over a lifetime, this leads to many troubles: cancer, strokes, heart disease... A presentation of these ideas may be found at Holistic-Online.com.

"Hatha" means Sun ("Ha") and Moon ("Ta") which we can interpret as the two directions in which the breath flows: out and in. Therefore yoga is all about the breath.

Secondly (although of equal importance), yoga is about feeling good, right now, in the present. In other words, it is not about straining to fit into the Asana postures... not about feeling inadequate if one can't touch one's toes without bending one's knees... not striving to be perfectly fit with perfect posture and perfect concentration... It is simply the connecting of the mind to the being-present-in-the-body. The goal of our yoga classes is to practice that yoking of mind and body while moving through various poses.

To read a more extended discussion of this second point, I recommend the essays of J. Brown, who teaches some of the best yoga classes in New York City. The essay, "Notes from a Concerned Practitioner/Teacher," is excellent in discussing the importance of the mental state that we cultivate in yoga: a state of contented enjoyment and not that of frustrated self-depreciation.

Finally, it is wonderful to investigate the cultural context that produced yoga. The literature of India is a joy to read. For example:

Bhagavad Gita. This is a central text for yoga. Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, instructs Arjuna on how to take action in life. This is puzzling because Krishna is constantly saying how Arjuna ought to get up and fight in an imminent war, yet the book is regarded as an eloquent argument for non-violence. (There are many translations. I like the one by Stephen Mitchell.)

Mahabharata. This is India's classic epic tale, filled with adventure, heroes, and gods. The Bhagavad Gita is but one chapter in this giant work. There is a filmed performance, directed by Peter Brook, which is absolutely wonderful. Allow about 20 minutes for it to grow on you, then see if you are not hooked.

Also all the ideas of Buddhism and Taoism are highly relevant. Yoga is a meditation in motion. There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

For a print version, click here.

DESCRIPTION OF CLASSES

Generally all the yoga classes last either 60 minutes or 90 minutes--although they often go over by 10 minutes but not more than 10. It is a good idea to come 10 minutes early to get a space and allow the mind to settle. If the class is listed as open-level, then it is a Hatha Vinyasa-style class that anyone of any experience level may attend. We will perform some pose sequences (that will be mildly aerobic). The classes are appropriate for beginners. All poses may be modified to suit the practitioner. The following descriptions are for classes that depart from Hatha yoga.

Every day of the week, in the morning, Cal hosts an Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore-style. This means that you can come in any time between 7:30 and 10:30 and begin practice on the primary series. Cal will offer instruction one-on-one. Together we can modify the series to make it appropriate to your preferences and level. Regarding time, we'll end the session at 10:30, so "last load" (as at the laundry mat) is 9:30 if you want to get in an hour of practice. This yoga format has a number of advantages: you have flexibility of time so that you can begin your day when you need to, you can adjust the sequence so that it perfectly meets your needs, and you can receive direct feedback and instruction from Cal.

Gestalt meets Monday at 3:00. Gestalt has often been referred to as the Western form of Zen and regarded around Rubber Soul as great affordable therapy minus a therapist. While it's not exactly group therapy, this interior yoga is practiced by unique and creative dialogue. This is a time for working with inner conflicts, mind-body phenomenon, and exploring personal growth. Ben's role is to mirror, provide experiments to enhance awareness, and to help guide people into staying present. Here's a interesting interview with a Gestalt pioneer: http://www.esalen.org/air/essays/dick_price.htm

Laughing Club meets Mondays at 8:30. The benefits of laughter are extreme. Believe me. Once our local newspaper wrote an article on these sessions. You must try it out for yourself :) Also here's an NPR article on laughing yoga.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6:30 Ande teaches Kundalini Yoga. This approach to yoga is highly breath-centered. A great amount of air is pushed in and out of the lungs. We love this form of yoga. All levels may attend.

Tuesday nights at 8:30, Book Club will be Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. We will start with the video series from Opra.com and follow with open discussion. Books are available at your local bookstore and we will have some available to purchase at Rubber Soul. Class worksheets will be provided.

Sarah's Wednesday gentle yoga class is a blend of restorative poses and mildly active poses. You will learn how to incorporate yoga props, such as blocks, straps, and blankets into your practice. Rather than being wholly active or passive, her approach is focused on being receptive to both body and breath. It is appropriate as an introduction for the beginning yoga student or as a challenge to the advanced practitioner who wants to overcome the tendency to push the body unnecessary. Those recovering from injuries or surgeries are welcome too.

On Wednesdays Chet will teach a yoga asana class with an emphasis on form, alignment and sequencing. Each class is likely to have a theme such as standing poses, seated poses and twists, backbends and inversions, or restorative. Over the course of several classes a full range of asana types will be explored. The class is heavily influenced by the Iyengar approach to teaching and all levels may attend.

On Wednesday night and Sunday mornings there is meditation with the Athens Zen Group. At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, they offer a Dharma talk. This is a presentation of thoughts concerning Zen Buddhism. Newcomers orientation is 11:00 on Sunday mornin except on a first sunday of a month.

Sunday nights at 6:30, Cal leads an Ashtanga sequence. The class will be vigorous and aerobic, appropriate for intermediate and advanced practitioners only.

FEES AND DONATIONS

Yoga and meditation classes at Rubber Soul are available for a donation. The suggested donation is $3 to $5. If you would like to donate more, that would be wonderful. If you need to donate less, that is OK too.

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 if you want to stay on for a second class (the "DOUBLE-HEADER") that is encouraged--no need to donate twice.

Donation-based yoga fits with the outlook that we wish to cultivate in yoga. Yoga, ultimately, is about connectedness and union. There is no difference between self and other. One is at one's most selfish when one is giving to another, since that is the best way to help oneself. "You must give it away to keep it."

INSTRUCTOR(S)

Amy Tobin bought Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan with her allowance money when she was 14, and has been doing yoga ever since. An Athenian "local" of the last 25 years, Amy is a nationally certified massage therapist and professional computer nerd. Although she has no formal experience in facilitating spiritual guidance per se, she has read and benefited greatly from investigating books that encompass topics such as spirituality and philosophy and is thrilled to have a forum where others at Rubber Soul can join in an open dialogue and discussion involving the exploration of these ideas and more.

Ande Burke, also named Harsimran Singh, learned Kundalini Yoga thirty years ago and has been teaching for the last five years. He is a KRI certified teacher in Kundalini as taught by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (Yogi Bhajan). Kundalini Yoga is the Yoga of Awareness utilizing asanas (positions), breathing, and Mantra Yoga to propel the outer layers of the self into harmony and to center the soul with the Universe.

Ann Rogers is approaching the one-year mark for her yoga practice. There are scant interests that she has so instantly, wholeheartedly, and consistently embraced--art and shooting the breeze being the only other two. Her 8 am classes are gently intense sequences of Hatha yoga asanas designed to awaken, invigorate, and prepare for the day. She holds a BFA in Painting from the UGA and will be leading the Yoga of Figure Drawing classes on Saturdays in April and May.

The Athens Zen Group is led by a number of people. See their website.

Beginning with lengthy battle with a terminal illness in his teens Benjamin Myers has devoted much of his life to the study and understanding of human potentialities in healing and health. He has been formally trained at the Institute of Gestalt in San Francisco, the BATO collective, the University of California at Berkeley, Seneca Center, and Esalen Institute in existential and group phenomenon.

Cal Clements got into yoga in New York where he studied at Williamsburg's Go Yoga in 2004. He has been semi-obsessively practicing ever since. In his opinion, it is normal to do yoga at least once a day--and twice a day if one wants to begin a revolution. Cal also devotes himself to theater and art. Cal is certified in Ashtanga from Downward Dog in Toronto, Canada.

Charlotte Webb fell in love with yoga about 8 years ago after taking a Bikram class. "I practiced various styles and continue to explore and learn from different teachers. I am currently working on my 200-hour teacher certification with Rolf Gates. The teacher training has been a life changing experience. I look forward to sharing what I have learned both physically and spiritually with others. My class is Vinyasa style and is fairly vigorous. My goal is to create a space where students lean to move from thinking to feeling and become more in touch with their bodies and inner spirit."

Chet Thomas first became a regular yoga student in the late 1980s. After moving to Georgia in the mid 1990s he took a yoga hiatus but in recent years has reinvigorated his practice. Almost all of his yoga experience has been in the Iyengar method, focusing on alignment, sequencing, anatomy and thorough study of asanas. Chet completed a year-long 230-hour training course through LightenUp Yoga in Asheville in the spring of 2006 and is listed as an RYT with Yoga Alliance.

Denise Posnak has performed, choreographed and taught throughout the United States and Hungary. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Chapman University with a degree in Education, she moved to Budapest, Hungary where she taught English and Dance in public high schools from 1998-2000. In 2006 she completed a MFA in dance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where her research included somatic practices in the dance classroom, dance for the camera, and site-specific art. She believes strongly in collaboration of art forms and artists and has collaborated with musicians, filmmakers and visual artists since 2000. She is a certified Pilates instructor and continues her Pilates research through Janice Dulak and master teacher, Romana Krysanowska. In addition to joining the UGA Department of Dance faculty in January 2007, she has served on faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and teaches contemporary dance at Floorspace Athens.

Kate Morrissey has been practicing yoga regularly for seven years. 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 various Hatha yoga teachers in Pennsylvania at Yoga in State College before moving to Georgia and continuing her practice here. She is delighted to join the Rubber Soul revolution.

Sarah Whitaker was thrilled to be accepted to a graduate program here this year because she had already fallen in love with the Rubber Soul spirit while here interviewing at UGA in the spring. She is a certified Pilates instructor and former dancer who knows how great movement can make us feel. Many wonderful teachers in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky and her adopted home of Paris, France have helped cultivate her love of yoga over the past 8 years. She looks forward to sharing it with you.

Susan Mattern-Parkes began practicing yoga four years ago, prompted by midlife angst. Since then she has not ceased being astounded and grateful for its effects on her body and her spirit. She teaches vinyasa yoga, a vigorous, flowing form of yoga that challenges lungs, heart and muscles while it focuses the mind. Yoga is a form of meditation; by centering attention on the breath and on physical sensations, we connect with our bodies and with the world around us. Susan currently studies vinyasa yoga with Rolf Gates and will be be a registered yoga teacher beginning in October 2008.

WHAT TO WEAR and BRING

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--you can wear socks if you like).

Also bring a yoga mat. If you forget or don't have one, you can rent one for a dollar. You can bring water into the practice space.

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 more than halfway down the building, in suite number 1400. Come in through the back door (near the railroad tracks). MAP

Note that in a write-up in one of the papers it was said that we are right next to the wine store, Shiraz. It is the same building, but around on the other side.

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 entry door:

And the inside:

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 "open-level" classes. 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.

Do you have any "house rules" I should know about?

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 that you avoid wearing strong perfumes or deodorants.

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...

Does Yoga have ethical imperatives?

Um... basically, yes. The first and most important of these is Ahimsa or non-violence. Often it is said that the place to begin non-violence is with yourself. But actually it starts with what you eat--this online video shows how our diets are a form of activism.

For excellent thoughts on your power to create ethical change, see the non-violence guide.

How is the studio doing financially?

Quite well!

DONATIONS 2006
January	$226.60
February	$1,089.00
March	$1,640.36
April	$1,651.26
May	$1,879.00
June	$1,711.49
July	$2,000.67
August	$1,987.00
September	$2,209.00
October	$1,681.00
November	$2,224.00
December	$1,630.00
TOTAL	$19,938.38

...

DONATIONS 2007
January	$2,249.00
February	$2,205.00
March	$1,871.00
April	$1,845.00
May	$1,980.00
June	$1,958.00
July	$1,885.00
August	$2,032.00
September	$2,346.00
October	$2,094.00
November	$2,137.00
December	$1,662.00
TOTAL	$24,264.00

 

DONATIONS 2008
January	$2,304.00
February	$2,294.00
March	$2,189.00
April	$2,094.00
May	$2,079.00
June	$1,981.00
July	$1,516.00
August	ongoing
September	...
October	...
November	...
December	...
TOTAL	$14,457.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Generally the studio brings in enough to pay for the space, various expenses, and a stipend for Cal for his role as manager.

Has the studio been reviewed in the press?

Nikita wrote a review in Athensworld.com on December 29, 2006... Christy Fricks discussed the kids class in an article about yoga for parents in November 2006, and Erin Rossiter wrote an article on our Laughing Club in May 2006. Anna Rodriguez wronte an article on prana dance in April, 2007...

What is the music that Cal and Ande play toward the end of classes?

Snatam Kaur is wonderful. The music is absolutely soothing.

What are the words to the chant we sing in the beginning of Cal's classes?

Asato ma Sat gamaya (lead me from the unreal to the real)

Tamaso ma Jotir gamaya (lead me from darkness to light)

Mrityor ma Ambritam gamaya (lead me from death to immortality)

Why does Rubber Soul use the air-conditioner when our world is so troubled by pollution?

Ok, that isn't a frequently asked question... but it is a concern! Rubber Soul Yoga offsets 100% of its electrical usage through windpower and other carbon-emission-lowering projects such as reforestation. Also we offset the pollution that we estimate is incurred due to people driving here to take our classes. About 25 people come each day... so that is 775 visits per month. Let's say that 75% of these visitors drive their own cars (although certainly many people ride bikes or come together) and let's say that the average roundtrip is 5 miles and let's say that these cars get, on average 20 miles to the gallon. That means that cars drive 34,857 miles each year to transport people to the studio. We've put this, along with the 7800 kilowatt hours that we use to run the air conditioner and lights, into the carbon emissions calculator and hit the offset button. You can do this too!

 

OTHER THINGS

We like Floorspace in Athens--dance!

We appreciate Nuci's Space in Athens.

For other yoga centers see yoga-centers-directory.net

CONTACT

You may contact Rubber Soul by writing to calclements(at)yahoo.com. Our address is Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution, 675 Pulaski St., Suite 1400, Athens, GA 30601.

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