Driving Through Bogota

Peace, Love and Vegetables

Morning Walk

Just behind the the apartment we I am staying in is the top of a mountain. Bogota is built about 2625 meters or 8612 feet above sea level. It took a bit of time to adjust to the altitude but once I did it was great. Below are some pictures from my morning walk.















Peace, Love and Vegetables

Bogota Streets

Below are some pics from walking around Bogota today.














Peace, Love and Vegetables

Colombia and beyond...

Yesterday I started a tour of South America, 5 countries in about 3 1/2 weeks. It is a fun time to be teaching Jivamukti...the focus of the month is Brahmacharya and Veganism. When I travel I try not to teach too many workshops. I can only take so many backbending or inversion or standing workshops and I am sure others feel the same. I prefer to teach Open and Basic classes when I am on the road which means I have to teach the focus of the month. This can make it more accessible for different ages and levels. However it can be challenging. The focus of the month is usually a bit more intense then most people are use to. Especially when the focus is similar to this months. One of the benefits for myself, teaching an open class with a challenging focus in an area I have never been to and may only know a few people, is that I must find creative ways to grow and be comfortable in what may not be a very comfortable situation. Everywhere I go people seem to think their community or culture is very different from the rest of the world. In some obvious ways they are correct but for the most part we live in a world culture. "Jules you dont understand my family going back many generations has been eating meat, we barbecue we have large family dinners with a roast, my mom always made me chicken soup." Guess what? that is pretty much the same everywhere especially in affluent countries. According to the USDA, America is the largest beef producer and the second largest beef exporter (although wikipedia says it is Brazil, then Argentina both countries I will be teaching in). Americans are no stranger to a meat based culture, and being an American with Latin roots I am definitely no stranger. People always assume I have been vegan forever, since birth, that somehow I have it easy. Not true. I became vegetarian when I was 18 and vegan when I was 19. I have an aunt and uncle who have been vegan for many years. They were never shy about the issue and it always made me a bit uncomfortable. I resisted it for many years and it was not until I was in my last year of high school that I met someone who really motivated me to become vegetarian. He was incredible smart, a graffiti artist and very much loved being a counter culture type of person. I was drawn to the fact that his food choices did not make him a "not cool" person. That he was able to hang out, go to parties and not feel like he had to convert or argue the food issue. It allowed me to drop my psychic barriers and go a bit deeper and investigate vegetarianism on my own. I needed someone who was not going to hit me in the face with the message. Some people need that but I did not. What I needed was someone who was willing to be an example, have the info and hold the space for me to ask questions and explore. Of course my aunt and uncle had been doing it the whole time but I was not able to see them as cool until a bit later. I try to infuse that feeling of holding a safe space, whenever I am teaching. Bringing a sense of where I have come from, what my community and culture is like and how it is the same as the one I am in. Find some common ground and from there gain the trust that is necessary to broach the sensitive subjects in a short period of time. That comes from strong and intelligent sequencing (some humor always helps). The practices of asana, meditation and chanting all help to build that strong bind that will allow us to be a spokes person for the animal without being ashamed or afraid or feeling like our story is too different from other stories. Let our lights shine so that others have the confidence to do the same...brahmacharya-pratishthayam virya-labhah (PYS II.38)
When one does not misuse sexual energy, one obtains enduring vitality resulting in good health.

Hip Hop Asana at the Yoga Journal Conference NYC 2012

I am very excited to be leading two classes during the main part of the conference in April 2012. One of the classes I will be teaching is of course Hip Hop Asana. The class will also double as a fundraiser for The Andrew Glover Youth Program (AGYP) in the Lower East Side. It is a probation program that I use to attend and played a fundamental role in who I am today by keeping me out of jail. All the money that I make for the class will be donated directly to AGYP and there will also be a chance for people to donate at the conference or through Yoga Journals website. The money will be used to provide legal counsel for young adults unable to pay for it themselves. All the music for the class will be played by an incredible DJ Derek Beres of EarthRise Sound System. The warm up of the class will be a Hip Hop dance led by Alex Febre my brother...it is going to be crazy... In order to get people excited about this class I will be shooting a video Saturday on what is HHA. Please check in over the next few weeks to see what going on...

Celebrate Living Retreat

20th Year that this amazing event is happening at Ananda Ashram in Monroe NY. Teaching it with Julies Kirpatrick who is also my mom...awwww....daily sanskrit, asana delicious vegan meals and nightly vedic fire ceremonies. For more information please call Jivamukti at 212.353.0214 or visit www.jivamuktiyoga.com or check it out on

FB http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=278983798780962

Jivamukti Global Satsang

Tonight is the last night here at the Jivamukti Global Satsang / World Peace Conference. It has been such a great time. Today I had the joy of listening to two incredible beings Gabriel Cousens and Will Tuttle. After a tasty vegan feast for dinner Chloe Jo Davis and Alexandra Jamieson gave a beautiful talk on finding love in our communities. They were followed up by the one and only Julia Butterfly Hill. Author, activist and world changer if you are not sure who she is please visit www.circleoflife.org The evening would not be complete without some chanting and we had some of the best. First up was a group called The Jais. Started by Rama himself Jeffrey Cohen. Next up was Donna Delory who's voice is so crystal clear. This is a one of a kind conference.

Peace, Love and Vegetables