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WORK TITLE: The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 7/4/1951
WEBSITE:
CITY: Woodstock
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born July 4, 1951, in Washington DC.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Yogi. Activist. Jivamukti Yoga, cofounder, 1986. Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic of the Humane Society of New York City., New York, NY, cofounder, 1999. Jivamuktea Cafe, founder, 2004.
MEMBER:PETA.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Shannon Gannon is a writer, activist, yogi. She began studying yoga, meditation, and bhakti practices in 1969 and began teaching in 1984. Gannon has studied under gurus Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Swami Nirmalananda, and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. In 1982, Gannon met fellow yogi David Life. In 1986 they traveled to India and took a Sivananda teacher training program. When they returned to the U.S., they opened the Jivamukti Yoga Society in New York City. The yoga practice emphasizes five tenets; shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (non-harming), nada (music) and dhyana (meditation). In 1990 they met Pattabhi Jois in Mysore and began to practice Ashtanga Yoga, which they incorporated into their Jivamukti practice. In 1998 they moved their yoga studio to the East Village, and in 2000 they opened a second location in Manhattan.
Gannon is a vegan and animal rights activist. In 1999, she and Life opened the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic of the Humane Society of New York City. In 2003, they established the Wild Woodstock Jivamukti Forest Sanctuary, a 125-acre wildlife refuge in upstate New York. In 2004, Gannon opened Jivamuktea Café, a vegan restaurant and juice bar, in New York City.
Gannon is also a musician, dancer, painter, and choreographer. Throughout the 80s, she played experimental music in Seattle and New York alongside Sue Ann Harkey in their band, Audio Letter. She has collaborated with numerous well-known musicians, including Beastie Boy’s Mike D Run DMC’s Reverend Run. She continues to make music today. Gannon writes primarily nonfiction, essays, and poetry, and contributes a monthly essay on the Jivamukti Yoga website.
Yoga Assists
In Yoga Assists: A Complete Visual and Inspirational Guide to Yoga Asana Assists, yogis Gannon and Life offer an illustrated guide to yoga corrections, adjustments, or, as Gannon and Life call them, assists. In North America, assists were initially referred to as ‘corrections,’ emphasizing that a teacher would correct what a student was doing incorrectly. ‘Adjustments’ is also a commonly used term to describe assists. Gannon and Life prefer the latter term to highlight the mutuality of the engagement, suggesting that the two yogis are interacting with and influencing one another on various levels of consciousness.
The book opens with an introduction that offers background about assisting in Jivamukti Yoga. The remainder of the book is instructional, with photographs and drawn line diagrams to convey the details of the assists. Alongside the images are written instructions, further detailing the instructions for the assists.
Barbara Passy on the Yoga Chicago website wrote: “Practitioners will deepen their understanding of the fundamental principles of yoga assists and apply them in practice and in service to others.” Bernie Gourley on the Introverted Yogi website wrote: “There’s worthwhile technical information to be gained,” adding: “The book does a fine job of presenting the necessary information.”
Simple Recipes for Joy
Gannon’s Simple Recipes for Joy: More than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes is a vegan cookbook, inspired by her years of cooking animal product-free. The book opens with a forward by Kris Carr, a New York Times bestseller and wellness activist. In it, she explains the importance of adopting a vegan diet for health, animals, and sustainability. Following the forward is an introduction by Gannon, in which she discusses her own path to veganism and adds to Carr’s explanations for the importance of a vegan diet.
The book contains over 200 recipes, many of which contain four ingredients or less. The book also contains a FAQ section, cooking tips, what makes a well-stocked kitchen, 30 Sample Menus and how to do a 21-Day Cleanse. A contributor to Epicurean Vegan website wrote: “With beautiful pictures throughout, this is a joyful and delicious cookbook to have.” A contributor to the Veracious Vegan website described the recipes as “as wholesome and simple as can be.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 23, 2018, review of The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being, p. 80.
ONLINE
Epicurean Vegan, http://epicureanvegan.com/ (September 15, 2014), review of Simple Recipes for Joy: More than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes.
Introverted Yogi, https://berniegourley.com/ (July 21, 2016), Bernie Gourley, review of Yoga Assists.
Veracious Vegan, http://www.theveraciousvegan.com (September, 2014), review of Simple Recipes for Joy.
Yoga Chicago, http://yogachicago.com/ (January, 2014), Barbara Passy, review of Yoga Assists.
Interview with Yogi, Activist, and Author Sharon Gannon
by Sharon Steffensen | Sep/Oct Book Review 2014
Sharon Gannon is an animal-rights and vegan activist, world-renowned yogi, and cofounder of Jivamukti Yoga, which she started in New York City with David Life in 1984. She recently published Simple Recipes for Joy: More than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes.
The book begins with an inspiring foreword written by Kris Carr, one of Sharon’s students who attributes her remission from stage IV cancer to Sharon’s lifestyle and dietary advice. In the introduction, Sharon explains how our food choices are influenced by unconscious habits, ignorance, mass media, and culture. She writes about relationships to food, including her own surprising experience as a child and a period of anorexia as a young woman; her first restaurant in Seattle that she opened with two friends; and how she quickly became a vegan in 1982 after watching the British documentary The Animals Film. Mostly, Sharon is passionate about veganism not only for human health and to save the environment, but out of compassion for the poor animals and sea creatures that are slaughtered. As a devout yogi, she believes the enslaving and killing of animals is violent, cruel, and in violation of the teachings of yoga.
Other features of the book include frequently asked questions that people have about veganism, cooking tips, and two 21-day cleanses.
Click here to read more
or buy it atAmazon.com
Simple Recipes for Joy is a work of art with gorgeous photos of food, nature, and Sharon. Sharon created the recipes in her own kitchen for friends and family and for the Jivamuktea Café that opened in 2006 adjacent to the Jivamukti Yoga School in Manhattan. Most of them are not too complicated. In fact, one (quinoa with corn) has only three ingredients, the third being water!
Sharon is coming to Chicago September 20 for a book signing and to lead a master yoga class, sponsored by Samgha Yoga Studio in Lakeview. In anticipation of her visit, we asked her a few questions about her book.
Yoga Chicago: Why do you think people who are otherwise environmentally conscious continue to eat meat even after they hear statistics on how the raising of animals for slaughter devastates the environment in terms of water and land consumption and pollution of the soil?
Sharon Gannon: For many people statistics don’t register. The fact is I really don’t know why people who consider themselves environmentally conscious still eat meat and dairy products. But here are a few guesses:
• Out of habit—they are used to it. Most people don’t like change.
• Meat and dairy products are physically addictive and addicts are usually in denial.
• It is what their friends and family eat; eating is social, people want to be liked and accepted by others—they don’t want to feel alienated from the group.
• They think of veganism as a dietary preference and don’t really understand the serious impact that eating meat and dairy products has upon the environment.
• The environmental movement has not cited the connection between raising animals for food as a leading cause of environmental destruction. Why? I would venture to say it is simply a matter of fear—fear of financial loss. Most major environmental organizations are non-profits that are sustained by donors who are meat eaters. I would also wager that most of the executives who are running these organizations are also meat eaters, not vegan.
• There is a US federal law, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Enterprise_Terrorism_Act) that makes it illegal to damage or interfere with the operations of an animal user industry, meaning any business which exploits animals for profit. You could be put in prison and labeled a terrorist.
• The meat and dairy industries are big business—our economy is based on it. Those corporations have a lot of influence in the government, so the truth about the harm that raising animals for food has upon the environment is not broadcast to the mainstream public. Instead we are flooded with advertising that promotes eating meat and dairy products as if it was good for us and the environment.
• Advertising is very effective in swaying people’s opinion, because the imaging that we are subjected to is downloaded into our consciousness and becomes part of our thought process—so we then think it was our own idea, when in truth we downloaded suggestions.
• We have become so overloaded with suggestions from others that we have become disconnected from the truth we know inside. Most of us have become so desensitized that we can’t feel what our body needs to eat in order to be healthy. Instead, we rely on others to tell us what to eat—doctors, food critics, and advertising agencies hired by agri-business.
YC: I was surprised to read that Eskimos, who have no choice but to eat a lot of animal meat and fat, have the highest incidence of heart disease and osteoporosis in the world. Don’t you think this fact alone would make people stop and think about what they eat?
SG: People are used to being afraid and feeling powerless. Fear is part of our everyday life—just look at or listen to what the news reports. I think people reach a saturation point and just give in to things they know are wrong out of a feeling of low self-esteem—a feeling of being powerless. For example, everyone knows that smoking causes cancer and a high animal fat diet causes heart disease and makes you fat—but these facts don’t stop millions (maybe billions) of people from smoking cigarettes and eating ice cream, etc. People don’t like being told what to do. I think they feel it is their right to do whatever they want even if others tell them it is not good for them or that it will kill them. We have become so conditioned to feeling disempowered and afraid that we find a strange sense of control and empowerment by doing things that we have been told are wrong or “bad” for us.
We don’t have a very mature sense of what real freedom or happiness means. We all value happiness and freedom so highly and don’t want anyone to infringe upon our right to pursue them. But because we do not see ourselves as part of a whole community, we think that we can live in a bubble and what we do doesn’t have a real impact upon the whole. We have a distorted idea that freedom means the freedom to do whatever we want without having to be responsible for the consequences of our actions—how those actions might affect others. We have told ourselves (with the help of parents, teachers, media, and corporations) that we can be happy by depriving others of happiness—hence, eating meat and dairy products; cutting down forests; dumping toxins into streams, rivers, and oceans; and raging war. This is a selfish misguided idea of how to attain happiness and freedom. Yoga teaches that happiness and freedom come to those who bring happiness and freedom to others. We don’t have to be yogis to have heard Do unto others as you would have them do unto you—it is the golden rule.
The S.A.D. diet (Standard American Diet) doesn’t promote happiness or freedom; it causes human disease, environment destruction, and poverty, and it relies on slavery—taking away the freedom and happiness of billions of others. How can we expect to be happy by causing so much unhappiness in the world? What we do as individuals does matter—it matters a lot—in fact it creates the reality in which we live.
Eskimos may not have a choice when it comes to what they eat, but most of us do! When you have a choice it is always better to choose kindness over cruelty—it will lead to happiness and isn’t happiness what we all really want?
YC: I was also surprised to read that it takes so much grain to feed an animal for slaughter (12 to 20 pounds of grain plus 100 pounds of fish to produce only one pound of beef), that if people reduced their meat intake by only ten percent, it would free up enough grain to feed all the people in the world. Ten percent is a small amount to give up. Why aren’t we doing at least that?
SG: Well, some of us are. I can only try to do my best to live as an example—you know, try the “Gandhi experiment,” and be the change I wish to see in the world. As a teacher and a writer I have wonderful opportunities to communicate and share my findings with others who are interested in hearing my story. I am all for education—education that emphasizes the positive and leads to happiness, not doom and gloom. But I think ultimately people have to come to these realizations on their own, but education will definitely help someone make informed decisions.
YC: I was saddened to read that in the U.S. ten billion animals and 53 billion sea creatures are slaughtered each year for American consumption. People say they love their pets, but how do you think they can they eat other animals without feeling any guilt?
SG: The simple answer is they don’t see the connection. I must admit, I didn’t always see the connection. I was one of “those people”—I used to eat meat.
Human beings have been eating other animals for a very long time—and keeping pets. It is fundamental to our culture. We justify ourselves for upholding this prejudice against other animals by using the Bible and other religious scripture. Our culture has always sanctioned the enslavement and exploitation of other animals and the Earth. We view the Earth as belonging to us. Ownership is a powerful motivator. We use the word resources when referring to the Earth. It is common and acceptable to think of other animals, as well as trees and rivers, as resources, commodities waiting to be harvested. We subject ourselves to propaganda that instills in us that animals exist to be used by us. We did the same thing to black people and women not that long ago. We think slavery is over (at least in the more civilized Western world), but slavery is not over; it is very much alive and well. Billions of animals are enslaved, the Earth is fenced, and rivers dammed. But here’s some good news: These behaviors like slavery, environmental exploitation, eating meat, speciesism, misogyny, and racism might be long-standing in our culture, but they are not hard-wired in us—they are learned behaviors, and that’s good news, because what is learned can be unlearned.
YC: What will it take for society to reach a tipping point where meat eating will be widely discouraged?
SG: You ask good questions but some really tough questions! I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t and don’t want to pretend to. But I’m all for putting our heads together and creatively imagining what it might take. Perhaps if we had a president who was a vegan—while he was still in office—that might help. (You know Bill Clinton is a vegan now?—wish he were then.) It is true that celebrities do have a lot of influence. You know in the Bhagavad Gita there’s a sloka (BG III.2) that says, “A great person leads by example, setting standards that are followed by others all over the world.” Personally I know that to be true. Just look at Russell Simmons and how much he has been able to spread the vegan message in the black community—it is wonderful.
Another thing that might take us to the tipping point is mass extinction—not of wild animals but of ourselves. Our lifestyle is causing our own demise. Life-threatening human diseases caused by diet are definitely on the rise—perhaps when more people make the connection that all of this suffering is man-made and so can be unmade by we men and women, then we will find ways to live more harmoniously with each other, other animals, and the Earth and see ourselves as interdependent. We will become more other-centered rather than manically self-centered. But right now, kindness and compassion are not in vogue. But people like you and me and your readers are changing that—through our vision—imagining a world where kindness and compassion for others motivates our actions.
YC: How do you handle social situations, so many of which revolve around food that is usually not vegan?
SG: First of all I simply don’t eat any food that is not vegan. I do my best to be a joyful vegan and not judge or condemn others who are not vegan. It is always good to develop communication skills. Communication is a two-way experience. So you have to be a good listener, you have to have empathy and genuinely try to feel what the other person is feeling. You have to respect them and hold no animosity towards them. You have to be kind. Lightness and humor are good to help break the ice when it comes to communication. Remember, people are attracted to others who are happy, bright, and passionate.
Sometimes in a social situation, someone might ask me, why aren’t you eating the meat? I try to come up with some provocative responses like, “I don’t eat meat cause it is just way too expensive.” They may come back with, “What?—it’s free, the host is paying for this banquet, you can eat as much as you want.” To that I might laugh and say—still way too expensive—karmically! I don’t want to come back as a pig or a cow in a factory farm next time around. Or I may say, “I don’t support rape or child abuse.” They usually laugh and respond with, “What?” And then I get to explain to them the horrors and abuse that every animal raised for food goes through.”
YC: With so many delicious recipes in the book, I was surprised to read that your favorite meal is tea and toast. Please explain.
SG: It is true that tea and toast is my favorite meal—it is very satisfying, yet light and —so simple, easy to prepare, and pretty much available anywhere you go in the world. Tea and toast gets me through the day. I can pretty much live on tea and toast and do. I always have tea and toast for breakfast and don’t eat during the day until dinner, which is usually at around 8:00 p.m.—late for most people—yeah, I know, but it works for me.
YC: I spent just as much time looking at the photos as I did reading the book, including all of the editorial and most of the recipes. I especially love the cover photo, a reenactment of the tea party in the garden with Alice (in Wonderland) and the Mat Hatter. What was the photo shoot like? For example, how did you coordinate the cat sitting on the table turning to look at you as you were pouring the tea, just as the cup became full? How did you manage to keep the candles lit, even though it was outdoors? Did David finally get a bite out of the cupcake?
And inside is a photo of a bear cub and a cat both sniffing a three-tiered tray of sandwiches and vegetables as a wild turkey looks on and a deer in the background stares straight at the camera. Did that really happen?
SG: You are so sweet! The photo shoot for the cover happened quite gracefully and organically. The photographer, Jessica Jsoo, tried to get my darling Miten, the kitten, to look at the camera, but he kept looking at me. There wasn’t much wind that day—so the candles pretty much stayed lit. And yes, David ate the cupcake and most all of the cupcakes—but we made him wait until after the shoot was over.
We do live in a wild forest sanctuary so the deer and turkeys are usually close by. The baby bear in the photo is an orphan we named Orphie. He was lonely and lost and had been hanging around all summer. We did most of the photos outside because of the light and Orphie kept bothering us all day. When we were setting up to shoot the different dishes we would turn our backs and he would dart in trying to steal the food. We kept shooing him away until finally at the end of the day we decided—hey, why not let him in?—this might make a good picture. So we loaded up the three-tier platters with some sandwiches, which were very stale by then, it was the end of the day—you can see the crusts flipping up. We threw a few vegetables on and to be on the safe side, put some sunflower seeds on the bench as we knew he really liked them. It worked—he was enticed to come over. He put his paw on the bench, planning to climb up. Nicolas, the curious cat, made him present —it was a magical moment for sure and Jessica caught it.
…………………….
Sharon Gannon is a student of Brahmananda Sarasvati, Swami Nirmalananda, K. Pattabhi Jois and Shyamdas. She is a pioneer in teaching yoga as spiritual activism and is credited for making yoga cool and hip—relating ancient teachings of yoga to the modern world. Sharon has produced numerous yoga-related DVDs and is the author of several books, including Jivamukti Yoga, The Art of Yoga, Cats and Dogs are People Too!, and Yoga and Vegetarianism. For more information, visit jivamuktiyoga.com and simplerecipesforjoy.com. To get tickets for Sharon’s master class and book signing, visit samghayoga.com.
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Home > Nutrition > Nutrition > Healthy Eating > An Intimate Discussion With Sharon Gannon
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an intimate discussion with sharon gannon
by donnalynn civello, chhc, aadp
Nutrition | Interview | | Healthy Eating |
eating for life
When we think about “eating for life,” we seldom think about what that really means as humans. In veganism, to truly “eat for life,” is to eat in a way that both enhances and sustains life – all life. In other words, “eating for life” should NOT ONLY enhance ones own life, but should be supportive of ALL life forms. Herein is our biggest misunderstanding as humans: “what constitutes life?” Well, no one understands this concept better than Sharon Gannon, co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga School based in New York City.
Sitting down with Sharon Gannon is an opportunity to be in front of one of the world’s greatest yoga teachers whose primary mission is to spread the love of compassionate eating and compassionate living.
When asked about her philosophy towards achieving personal happiness, Sharon explains, “It is important to live simply and work hard to uplift the lives of others and in doing so, we ourselves, uplift our own lives.” Sharon applies this beautiful philosophy to her cooking and shares her secrets towards happiness and compassionate living with us in this exclusive interview with Yogi Times.
Donnalynn: You've been involved in many special vegan endeavors over the years, but what made you decide to develop your own cookbook?
Sharon Gannon: When I moved to Woodstock, NY in 1999 I found myself for the first time with a house, which enabled me to entertain friends and family - so I started to cook for them. When it was decided that dinner was a success, I wrote down the recipe. Over the years those recipes accumulated and in 2006, we opened the Jivamuktea Café in New York City and I continued to develop more recipes to be served on its menu.
My job as Founding Director of a yoga school demands that I write lots of procedure/how-to manuals, so I was used to doing this kind of thing. A cookbook is definitely a procedure manual. I spend most of my time writing these days and currently have many books in the works. A couple of years ago I contacted a literary agent to help me publish the cookbook. He took it around and we received so many rejections that he advised me to publish it myself. Then one day last summer I received a phone call from a wonderful person at Penguin who said that she had heard I had a cookbook and they might be interested in publishing it, could I come in for a meeting? And so it went. It is all because Megan Newman, Vice President and editorial director of Avery/Penguin who took a chance with me that the book is a reality. It is because of Megan Newman that my first vegan cookbook, Simple Recipes For Joy was born.
Donnalynn: Can you tell us a bit about your food philosophy and how it relates to one's overall happiness?
Sharon Gannon: Live simply; make compassionate choices when it comes to food. The best way to uplift your own life is to do all you can to uplift the lives of others. If we ourselves want to be free and happy then it is crucial that we understand that by enslaving and harming animals we will never be able to achieve our goal. What we do to others will always come back to us. You can’t expect to be happy by causing unhappiness to others. When there is a choice, it is always best to choose kindness. Veganism is simply the kinder choice.
What you eat should not just be “good for you” but it should contribute to your happiness—it should make you a happier person. Everything we do should contribute to happiness. The SAD diet—(the Standard American Diet) can only make you sad. Eating meat and dairy products is the SAD diet. It causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes and makes you fat. Raising animals for food destroys the environment. And those animals are not happy-- they are enslaved and live humiliating, fearful lives of abuse and tremendous suffering. Billons are murdered every year. That’s a lot of suffering—all for no good reason. Veganism turns sadness into joy—Simple Recipes for Joy!
Yoga has the power to make you a kinder person and a happier person. The secret to happiness is to make others happy. The most important thing that any of us can do at this time is to dare to care about the happiness and well-being of others, including other animals and the Earth. Simply put, by being a vegan (eating a plant-based diet) you can contribute to more joy and happiness in the world. Yoga may not be for everyone—but veganism can be—at least for every human being. Not everyone can stand on his or her head but everyone eats. To make kind choices when it comes to food is something simple and easy that we all can do to reduce the overall violence and suffering in the world today.
Donnalynn: Please share about your personal journey to veganism and how it empowered you to do the work you do today?
Sharon Gannon: Throughout my early adult years I was an on again off again vegetarianism. I actually was trying not to eat any food and live on air. In 1982 I saw a British documentary movie, The Animals’ Film. The film probed into the relationship between human beings and other animals. It exposed in graphic detail the cruel, exploitive, and inhumane way that we treat animals using them for entertainment, food, clothing and military as well as scientific research. I was shocked. The movie changed my life in a way that no experience before had—I was turned upside down—and questioned everything I was doing with my life. The education that the film provided made me ask the question, “If I wasn’t contributing to stopping the insanity I saw depicted in the film, what was the value in anything I was doing?”
I took a vow to spend the rest of my life finding a cure for the disease of speicieism—the horrible prejudice against animals that had infected myself as well as most of humanity. Veganism was the obvious first step. Yoga came shortly after. Yoga gave me a voice and validation, because within the yogic teachings is a logical platform for veganism and animal rights/environmental activism.
Donnalynn: What advice would you give to new yogi's in terms of adopting a clean, vegan diet for the first time?
Sharon Gannon: Get a vegan cookbook and start experimenting. Have fun with it. Can’t get motivated? Then watch an animal rights film like “The Animals Film” or “Earthlings” or “Cowspiracy” or “Glass Walls”. Or read chapter five of “Yoga and Vegetarianism”. In other words—get smart—educate yourself.
Donnalynn: Where can readers sample some of the recipes from your book?
Sharon Gannon: The organic vegan Jivamuktea Cafe in New York City! You can also check out simplerecipesforjoy.com for some of the recipes, which are available on the site for free downloading.
Donnalynn: What would you say needs to be the key "ingredient" in vegan cooking?
Sharon Gannon: Joy and simplicity. I think a meal should be able to be prepared in less than an hour and it should be prepared happily. If you are upset—it is best not to enter the kitchen. The emotions of the cook are transferred into the food. While cooking you should keep your mind on God. Before eating, offer your food to God and ask for God to bless the food as prasad. Eat only prasad (food that you have offered to God first) as it contains not only physical nourishment but spiritual nourishment as well. Without spiritual health, no true physical health can be possible. Eating prasad will cure you of selfishness, anger, greed and all those nasty annoying things.
Donnalynn: Any plans to expand your cookbook to a cooking program or interactive youtube video series?
Sharon Gannon: I have made a few Youtube cooking videos for our followers to enjoy.
Donnalynn: what will you do next - yoga or food related?
Sharon Gannon: I’m working on a performance piece with David Life and violinist Tim Fain, and will go on tour with the book. Then we will continue to teach our annual Master Classes in NYC, our month long teacher training course in India, and four teacher training courses next year. In between I will be working on completing a couple of new books—stay tuned!
Also read more on Shanon Garron here: the yogi's guide to peaceful eating
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Home > Nutrition > Nutrition > Healthy Eating > The Yogi’s Guide To Peaceful Eating...
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The yogi’s guide to peaceful eating
by donnalynn civello, chhc, aadp
Nutrition | Healthy Eating
vegan guru sharon gannon shares her inspiration and philosophy behind her new cookbook, “The Jivamukti Vegan Cookbook”
No one understands clean, satvic food better than Jivamukti’s own Sharon Gannon. A devout and gentle vegan, Sharon believes in life-sustaining food prepared in a non-harming, non-violent fashion. As Sharon states, “I feel that being a vegan—eating food that doesn’t cause harm to others and doesn’t harshly impact upon the planet contributes to helping make me a more compassionate, happy and calm person. That is the energy that I would like to contribute to the planet.”
Sharon took her passion for veganism and cooking to a new level when she launched the JivamukTEA Café NYC back in 2005. All the menu items at the café were of her divine creation and today she is taking that inspiration and compiling all of it into her new vegan cookbook, “The Jivamukti Vegan Cookbook” to be released in 2012.
As a self-professed Jivamukti girl myself, and a holistic health coach, I tend to spend most of my time at the JivamukTEA Café here in New York City with my clients. Since I am an avid fan of Sharon’s cuisine, I asked her if she could give us a sneak peak into her cookbook even before her publisher sees it! Much to my surprise, she agreed. ;)
Anxious (with pen and paper in hand), I was hoping she would also agree to turn over all her secret recipes in draft form but I might have been a bit optimistic with that one! Having said that, Sharon has kindly agreed to give us an advanced preview of her most decadent chocolate mousse recipe. Trust me, it does not disappoint.
Here’s a bit of my interview with Sharon. And straight from the mouth of the guru, here’s what she had to say.
Donnalynn: “How did you come to do the work you are doing now, Sharon?”
Sharon: “I guess, I was just trying to do my best and then good things started happening and it kept getting better and better. I have the best job in the world—my work makes people happy—I am so grateful.”
D: “How does veganism and eating a clean diet manifest in your work?”
S: “Everything that we do impacts upon ourselves and others. We create reality by how we live. How we treat others will impact upon us. Whatever we do will eventually but inevitably come back to us. So why not do all we can to uplift the lives of others—it will result in a win-win for everyone. I want to be happy and free so it doesn’t fit into my plan to cause others to be unhappy and be kept as slaves. Animals raised for food are slaves and they are all unhappy. Yoga teaches us that whatever we want for ourselves we can have—if we provide it for others first.”
D: “How did your new cookbook come about?”
S: “Well, as you know, I love to cook and my inspiration for cooking is that I want to help free all animals from cruel exploitation. I am an abolitionist who abhors slavery and since veganism and animal rights are my passion, I want to prepare the most amazing vegan food for people so that they will never even consider eating dead animal flesh or drinking the milk intended for baby animals.”
D: “I understand that your cookbook is not yet released but can you give us some idea of what we can expect? (Translation: I am hoping that I can walk away with the very coveted recipe for spicy tempeh! You can always dream big, right?!)
S: “I can say that the cookbook has been 10 years in the making and features recipes inspired from vegetables grown locally on our own large organic garden as well as wild foods picked from our “forest sanctuary” on a 121-acre wild forest preserve in Woodstock. I would also have to say that communing with nature has been the best part of producing this cookbook. For example, over the past few days, as we have been shooting the photos for the book, it is amazing that bears, deer and turkey are all interested in our project—there was actually a black bear standing 10-feet from us for most of the afternoon while we were shooting the Sprilina Millet dish outside!”
D: “hhhmm… that all sounds wonderful, Sharon. Any other specifics you would like to share with us (hint-hint… spicy tempeh recipe—I am determined!)
S: “Oh yes, of course, Kris Carr (author of the best selling book, Crazy Sexy Diet and Crazy Sexy Cancer) has written the foreword—she finished it on Monday. The book has much more than just the recipes, and Kris's inspiring foreword, it has a Q&A section about vegan nutrition—like stuff about how to get enough protein and calcium, etc… Also moral issues are covered—for example, if all of life is sacred and plants also feel pain then what is the difference between eating a carrot or a chicken wing? I also included some biographical info on my own journey. And lastly, I would say that I prefer my own cooking best. The cookbook is filled with my original recipes—some are quite unique in that you won't find them in other cookbooks or in other restaurants besides the JivamukTea Café, for example the famed Spirulina Millet.
… And spicy tempeh… Where’s the love?! At any rate, The Jivamukti Vegan Cookbook is due to be released 2012 and will most likely be available online and in most bookstores as well as featured at the Jivamukti Yoga School in New York City.
Sharon Gannon
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Sharon Gannon
Background information
Born
July 4, 1951 (age 67)
Genres
New-age, experimental, electronic, hip hop, world music
Occupation(s)
Philosopher, yoga teacher, animal rights advocate, singer, songwriter, author, painter, choreographer, dancer
Instruments
Voice, body, violin, harmonium, sharonophone
Years active
1970–present
Labels
White Swan Records
Sharon Gannon (born July 4, 1951[1] in Washington, D.C.) is a yoga teacher, animal rights advocate, musician, author, dancer/choreographer and painter. Along with David Life, she is the co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga Method which contributed to the exponential rise in popularity of yoga in the west during the late 20th century. The Jivamukti Yoga Method distinguishes itself as a path to enlightenment by promoting compassion for all beings, challenging the modern belief that enslaving and exploiting animals and the natural world is our right as the dominant species. The Jivamukti Yoga Method teaches its students that they must be willing to promote the happiness of all beings without exception if they wish to realize their fullest capacity for joy. Jivamukti students are encouraged to adopt a diet that eliminates all animal products (vegan) as this is the diet that causes the least amount of harm to the earth and other beings, humans included. Core to the teachings of Jivamukti Yoga is the concept of shunyata or (emptiness) which is found in the ancient yogic scriptures. This idea can be simply stated as: everything you see and experience in the world comes from your perception of it. If you want to change someone or to change the world, you start by changing yourself by changing your views. When you begin to embrace this concept and put it into practice then you cannot find solace in complaining or blaming others. You are freed from seeing yourself as a victim of others or of circumstances. According to Gannon: "How you treat others will determine how others treat you. How others treat you will determine how you see yourself. How you see yourself will determine who you are."[2]
Jivamukti Yoga is taught worldwide at Jivamukti Yoga Schools, and affiliated centers, which are in NYC,[3] Charleston, Washington, DC, Toronto, London, Moscow, Stavanger, Munich, Berlin, Bern and Sydney. She has taught many high profile yogis and yoginis, notably Sting, Russell Simmons,[4] Donna Karan, Madonna and Christy Turlington. As musician she has collaborated with such luminaries as Run DMC's Reverend Run, the Beastie Boys' Mike D, Bill Laswell and Don Cherry. She has written and appeared in many books, most notably the international bestseller Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul[5] which she co-authored with David Life, and the ground-breaking Yoga and Vegetarianism[6] the seminal work which investigates the link between extending kindness to animals and our own material happiness and spiritual liberation. A lifelong advocate for the rights of animals, she is an outspoken advocate of ethical vegetarianism (veganism).[7] She was nominated for the "Gutsiest Woman of the Year 1999" by Jane Magazine and awarded the Compassionate Living Award by Farm Sanctuary in 2008.[8]
Contents [hide]
1
Yoga Teacher
2
Animal rights advocate
3
Musician
4
Author
5
Dancer and choreographer
6
Bibliography
7
Discography
8
References
9
External links
Yoga Teacher[edit]
She has studied yoga, meditation and bhakti practices since 1969. Her gurus are Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati,[9] Swami Nirmalananda, and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.[10] She started teaching in 1984. Her teaching blends scholarly study, innovative activism, artistic pursuits and a highly disciplined asana and meditation practice. Shyamdas, a leading figure in bringing the bhakti teachings of the Vallabhacharya Pushti Marg sampradaya to the West, has been highly influential to her spiritual practices and the development of the Jivamukti Yoga teachings. She has received initiation into the Pushti Marg directly through Shyamdas and Shri Milan Goswami. Gannon has taught yoga and meditation throughout the United States as well as in Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, China, England, Egypt, France, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, and the United Arab Republic. Her high profile students include Sting, Trudie Styler, Christy Turlington, Russell Simmons, Joan Jett, Willem Dafoe, Madonna, Mike D., Donna Karan, Michael Franti, Geshe Michael Roach and Christy McNally.
Since 1993 she has presented annually at various national and international conferences in American, Europe, China, Australia, Mexico and South America, hosted by The Omega Institute, Yoga Journal, Asian Conferences and others. In 2009 she began organizing the Jivamukti Tribe Gathering,[11] a yoga conference that focuses on the Jivamukti Method where the advanced Certified teachers from around the world present. It is held in a different location each year. Additionally, along with David Life she teaches a one-month intensive Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training course every year in the US at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck NY and in Europe and Central America at various locations.
Animal rights advocate[edit]
As a yogini, teacher, musician, author and artist, she is first and foremost an animal rights activist.[12] In all of her writing and teachings she incorporates a vegan message as well as a call to abolish our species' exploitive treatment of animals. She is the author of Yoga and Vegetarianism, an exploration into the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali to discover why and how a vegan diet is the diet of enlightenment. She is the author of Cats and Dogs are People Too!, an investigation of the corporate profit-driven insensitive attitudes that result in commercial "pet food" and the health risks to companion animals who are fed it.[13]
In 1999, together with David Life and Janet Rienstra, (of META Records) she established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic, which was the first free spay and neuter clinic in New York City, at the Humane Society of NYC.[14] The clinic continues to operate on monetary donations largely raised by yearly fundraisers by Jivamukti Teachers. The clinic to this date has reduced the number of pets who would normally be euthanized in the New York Area by 37%.
In 2011 along with David Life she presented a multi-media interactive presentation at the Guggenheim Museum Lab in NYC as part of the museum's project "Confronting Comfort in the City."[15] Her radical presentation focused on practical ways to extend comfort to the many animals who we share our urban areas with including migrating birds, feral cats, and pigeons.
In 2004 along with David Life, she was recognized as "Friend of Ferals" by the Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats. The Farm Sanctuary awarded Gannon and Life the 2008 Compassionate Living Award. She is a long time vanguard member of PETA, working with them on various projects and campaigns to help make this world a kinder place. In 2003 she appeared on a video screen in Times Square behind the New Years Ball performing a Yoga Asana and advocating Veganism as a step toward world Peace.[16]
Along with Life she has established The Wild-Woodstock Forest Sanctuary, a 121-acre Wildlife Refuge in upstate New York to provide protection for the diverse species of animals and plants who reside in the Northeast area of the United States, which include white tail deer, black bear, turkeys, foxes, raccoons as well as a large variety of birds, snakes amphibians and other reptiles.
Musician[edit]
Gannon is a vocalist, violinist and founding member of the Pacific Northwest-born art rock collective Audio Letter, whose debut album It Is This It Is Not This was praised by Ann Powers of Rolling Stone Magazine, as a "philosophical and musical stew different than any other aural communication in Seattle." Gary Reel, writing for Art Express Magazine (1981) "Audio Letter brings to a ritualized tavern experience a level of self-consciousness usually reserved for art galleries, museums, and "fine" art. It is not really an art band but an "anti-rock" performance group. It is not for entertainment, enjoyment, or background for drinking or sexual rites. Audio Letter's mesmerizing internal sounds and action serve as a sophisticated intellectual statement concerning American mass culture…presenting a strange electronic dream which moves counter to our modern urban nightmares." With contributions from Run DMC's Reverend Run, Beastie Boys' Mike D and the late Don Cherry, the album was remixed[17] and re- released as Neti Neti in 2003. Yoga Journal called the result "luminous and ethereal"[18] whilst Billboard noted its "flawless musicianship".
In 1979, long before Seattle was known for Cobain and Cornell, vocalist/violinist Sharon Gannon and guitarist Sue Ann Harkey formed, as Gannon describes it, "a stream-of-consciousness experiment" which they dubbed Audio Letter. Although other musicians would drift in and out of their orbit, the duo remained a constant as their experimental nature allowed Gannon to incorporate her interests in alchemy, meditation, and Eastern philosophy into their work.
Relocating to New York in 1983, Gannon and Harkey became fixtures in the downtown experimental and world music scene. Audio Letter's wholly improvised gigs in East Village venues like Life Café and 8BC attracted a growing number of fans including legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, drummer Denis Charles, and artist/musician David Life. Collaborations with Cherry, Charles, and Life resulted in Audio Letter's first album, released in 1987.
The daughter of an opera singer, Gannon is a John Zorn-influenced veteran of punk bands (Pyche-Run) and electronic collectives (Body Falling Downstaris and Sean Dinsmore's Dum Dum Project). She has collaborated with the Beastie Boy's Mike D on both Neti Neti and Bill Laswell's album Asana II, as well as with Run DMC's Reverend Run, DJ Cheb I Sabbah and the late Don Cherry on Neti Neti . Other credits include work with Jai Uttal on MC-Yogi's album Elephant Power, backing vocals for Wynne Paris, Shyam Das and David Newman and a turn as featured singer with Sean Dinsmore's Dum Dum Project. She collaborated with Raven Recordings to produce Sundari: music for a Jivamukti Yoga Class. Gannon produced the CD Jai Ma for White Swan Records, a collection celebrating female singers, including Donna De Lory and Deva Premal, for the label's acclaimed Yoga Masters series. In 2009, she served as Executive Producer on Kelly Britton's critically acclaimed album, Refuge.[19]
In 2010, Gannon released her first solo album, Sharanam on the White Swan Record Label, collaborating with Parisian producer/composer Ferenz Kallos (Gypsy Kings, Mercedes Bahleda). Guest artists appearing on the album include David Life on vocals and theremin, cellist Noah Hoffeld (Bebel Gilberto, Mark Ribot) and trance DJ Fabian Alsultany on bass. Sharanam is hailed by Sting as "inspired, daring and essential." Legendary Rock Producer Rob Fraboni says that "Sharon is a visionary who embodies insightful wisdom and a deep understanding of music and sound." Composer John Zorn says that "Sharon heals the world through her life and her music." Sharanam features three interpretations of the beloved mantra "Lokah Samastah Sukinoh Bhavantu," including a propulsive remix courtesy of the Dum Dum Project's Sean Dinsmore. The ethereally expansive "Govinda Fly" and "Hare Krishna" showcase Gannon's celestial, operatic soprano.
Author[edit]
Sharon is a prolific writer, mostly focusing on non-fiction, essays and poetry. She is sought after for interviews because of her skill at answering questions in both an informative as well as engaging and often humorous manner.
BOOKS: Sharon has co-authored three books on yoga with David Life:
Yoga Assists, a complete Visual & Inspirational Guide to Yoga Asana Assists (2013) U.S. Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing
Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body & Soul (2002), Foreword by Sting, U.S. Publisher: Ballantine Books, Russian Publisher: Sophia Publishing (2003), Italian Publisher: Edizioni Mediterranee (2005), German Publisher: Vianova (2010)
The Art of Yoga (2002), Foreword: by Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, U.S. Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang
Sharon is the author of:
Simple Recipes for Joy: Over 200 delicious vegan recipes, (2014) Publisher: Penguin/Avery, Foreword by Kris Carr, Italian Publisher: EIFIS EDITORE (2015)
Yoga and Vegetarianism (2008), U.S. Publisher: Mandala Books, Foreword by Ingrid Newkirk. German Publisher: Theseus Verlag (2012), Japanese Publisher: Kirasienne (2012), Italian Publisher: EIFIS EDITORE (2012)
The Jivamukti Chant Book (2003), U.S. Publisher: Jivamukti Press. Also translated into Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese languages.
Cats and Dogs are People, Too! (1999), U.S. Publisher: Jivamukti Press. Italian Publisher: EIFIS EDITORE (2014).
Freedom is a Pycho-Kinetic Skill (1981) Publisher: Patio Table Press
OTHER writings
Sharon contributes a monthly essay, the Focus of the Month, focusing on yogic topics, which provides guidance for Jivamukti Yoga teachers worldwide—available on www.jivamuktiyoga.com. She is a past editor of Patio Table Magazine, published in Seattle, Washington, by Cityzens for a non-linear future. She is also a member of the Woodstock Poetry Society.
Sharon's essays, short stories and poems have appeared in many publications, including the following:
How Do You Pray, edited by Celeste Yacoboni (2014)
Journey of the Heart, an anthology of spiritual poetry, edited by Catherine Ghosh (2014)
The Poetry of Yoga, Volume I, edited by Hawah, (2011)
What Comes After Money, edited by Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan (2011)
Arcana V: Music, Magic and Mysticism edited by John Zorn (2010)
The Vegan Cook Book (published in German), by Sandra Forester (2009)
Toward 2012, edited by Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan (2008)
Semiotext(e) SF, edited by Peter L. Wilson, Robert A. Wilson & Rudy Rucker (1989)
Semiotext(e) USA, edited by Jim Fleming & Peter Lamborn Wilson (1987)
Sharon has written for a number of magazines, including Yoga Journal, Origin, Mantra, and Chronogram.
Dancer and choreographer[edit]
Gannon holds a BA in Dance and has studied ballet, modern, classical and various forms of Indian and African Dance. During the 1980s decade she directed and choreographed for her Seattle, Washington based dance company: Moon-Food as well as dancing with/for her long-time dance collaborator: Kathleen Hunt on many occasions, most note worthy being a world premier of polish composer, Krzyszof Penderecki’s multi media concert Marzena performed in Seattle Oct 1988 with Penderecki himself.
Since 1979 Gannon has been a pioneer in developing the genre of “Asana Dance”—incorporating yoga positions into modern dance/ballet choreography. Her choreography is featured in the Video: Asana: Sacred Dance of the Yogi. Most recently she presented, Guruji, an asana dance for four dancers at the Omega Conference in NYC Oct 2008, which can be viewed on YouTube along with several other archival dances by Gannon, which are posted there.
Bibliography[edit]
Simple Recipes for Joy, Avery Publishing, 2014. ISBN 1-58333-559-5
Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul,with David Life, The Ballantine Publishing Group, 2002. ISBN 0-34544-208-3
The Art of Yoga, with David Life, Stewart Tabori & Chang, 2002. ISBN 1-58479-207-8
Yoga & Vegetarianism, Mandala Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1-60109-021-8
Cats and Dogs are People too!, Lantern Books, 2002. ISBN 0-9655884-6-7
Yoga Assists, with David Life,Premier Digital Publishing, 2013. ISBN 1-6246705-4-7
Discography[edit]
It is This it is Not This, with Audio Letter, 1987
Neti Neti, Audio Letter Remixes, 2003
Sharanam, White Swan Records, 2010
Sharon Gannon is a 21st century Renaissance woman who excels in many artistic, spiritual and social mediums. Sharon is best known for creating, along with David Life, the Jivamukti Yoga Method--a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings.
The Jivamukti Yoga method emphasizes asana, Sanskrit, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism. Jivamukti’s passionate focus on the original meaning of the Sanskrit word "asana" as seat, connection—relationship to the earth is as practical as it is radical at this time of global crisis and consciousness shift. Blessed by her teachers Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Shri Swami Nirmalananda, and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, she is a pioneer in teaching yoga as spiritual activism and is changing the way that people view, spirituality, life, themselves, each other, animals and the environment.
Sharon has produced and appeared on many yoga-related DVDs including and music CDs including the 2003 release of Neti Neti and the 2010 release of Sharanam, her solo début album, produced by Ferenz Kallos on the White Swan Label. She is a prolific writer and has authored several books: Jivamukti Yoga, (also translated into German, Russian & Italian) The Art of Yoga, The Jivamukti Chant Book, Yoga and Vegetarianism (also translated into German, Italian and Japanese) and Cats and Dogs are People too! Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Toward 2012, Arvana V: Music, Magic and Mysticism, What comes after Money?, Semiotext(e) and Yoga Journal. She writes a monthly essay called the Focus of the Month, which can be read at www.jivamuktyoga.com
YOGA JOURNAL Magazine has called her an innovator and VANITY FAIR gives her credit for making yoga cool and hip. JANE Magazine nominated her as Gutsiest Woman of the Year and THE FARM SANCTUARY awarded her the 2008 compassionate living award. She is a long-time vanguard member of PETA and has helped with many of their campaigns.
She travels extensively teaching and presenting at American, European, Canadian, Asian, South and Central American and Conferences. She resides in a 121-acre wild forest sanctuary in upstate NY, USA.
Meet the Innovators: Sharon Gannon & David Life
Holly HammondAug 28, 2007
Sharon Gannon and David Life's Jivamukti Yoga Center in lower Manhattan hosts hundreds of students a day and more than 100 classes a week. It draws fast-track New Yorkers and celebrities looking not just for a workout but for a spiritual experience. Classes blend challenging vinyasa (flow) with Sanskrit chanting, Vedic teachings, rock music, and skilled personal attention. The center has been featured on the BBC, ABC, PBS, and in the New York Times and New York magazine. Gannon and Life work hard to show that yoga is not just about health and fitness, and that spirituality can be congruent with the high-energy, vibrant lifestyle of New York. They say their goal is to deliver yoga to as many people as possible.
The two met in 1982. In 1986 they traveled to India and took the Sivananda teacher training program, then returned to open the first Jivamukti Yoga Society on Avenue B. Many people were surprised when the God-centered, incense-scented vibe proved to be an immediate hit. In 1990 they began to practice Ashtanga Yoga with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore and in 1998 moved their studio to its present location in the East Village. In the summer of 2000, Jivamukti opened a new center on the upper east side of Manhattan. Among their new projects is a book about Jivamukti Yoga.
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"Many yoga teachers today cheat their students by not emphasizing the importance of a vegetarian diet and its relationship to the practice of yoga," says Gannon. Life comments: "Many people are into yoga on many levels, for many different reasons, but that doesn't change what yoga is. Yoga is always the same; it is pulsation beyond body and mind. Yoga teachers need to assume their seat and teach with the authority of the lineage and the compassion of a bodhisattva."
The gurus and founders of the Jivamukti Yoga method are Sharon Gannon and David Life. They met in 1983 in New York City and in 1984 created Jivamukti Yoga.
In 1986 they traveled to India and met their first guru, Swami Nirmalananda. On subsequent trips, they met their guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and later in upstate New York, they met their guru Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. Each of their gurus guided them further on their individual spiritual paths, and the teachings of their gurus helped shape the development of Jivamukti Yoga. Sharon and David studied with their gurus for many years and received their blessings to incorporate their teachings into the Jivamukti Yoga method. They have also studied with many other prominent yoga teachers.
David Life becomes a a sannyas (renunciate) initiated by Swami Nirmalananda, as Sharon looks on.
The role of the guru is to expose the seeker’s misperceptions and guide the seeker toward self-knowledge. Resting on this tradition but operating on a world stage, Sharon and David have illuminated the deeper, esoteric truths of yoga, linked them to present-day culture and lifestyle, and encouraged practitioners to let go of what they think they know and embrace the path to liberation in this lifetime. Through the innovations of Jivamukti Yoga, Sharon and David have brought the ancient teachings alive, going to the root of their wisdom and making it relevant to the contemporary world. They are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation, demonstrating that yoga is a living tradition, a complete system for accessing the lasting happiness that is available to all beings. They incorporate their profound talents and experiences as artists, performers and musicians into their teaching styles, making their teachings compelling, exciting and empowering.
Sharon Gannon & David Life featured in the June 2007 edition of Vanity Fair Magazine.
Sharon and David have been featured on the Today Show and PBS in the United States, as well as in numerous in-person and print interviews and articles around the world. They have been recognized as “innovators in yoga” by Yoga Journal, and Vanity Fair credits Sharon and David as “making yoga cool and hip.” Time magazine named Jivamukti Yoga one of the important forms of hatha yoga taught in the world today. They have traveled extensively, teaching and presenting at American, European, Canadian, Asian, and South and Central American conferences.
In 1999, Sharon and David (together with Janet Rienstra of META Records) established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic of the Humane Society of New York City, which was the first free spay and neuter clinic in the city. The clinic continues to operate on monetary donations raised primarily by yearly fundraisers by Jivamukti Yoga teachers. The clinic has reduced the number of pets who would normally be euthanized in the New York City area by 37%, as well as inspired other organizations to offer free and/or low-cost spay and neuter programs. Sharon and David have been proud Vanguard members of PETA pretty much since its inception. In 2004, they were recognized as “Friends of Ferals” by the Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats, and in 2008, Farm Sanctuary awarded Sharon and David their Compassionate Living Award. In 2003, Sharon and David established the Wild Woodstock Jivamukti Forest Sanctuary, a 125-acre wildlife refuge in upstate New York to provide protection for many diverse species of animals and plants who reside in the northeast region of the United States, which include white tail deer, black bear, turkeys, foxes, raccoons, as well as a large variety of birds, snakes and other reptiles, and amphibians.
Sharon and David have co-authored three books on yoga: Jivamukti Yoga, Practices for Liberating Body & Soul (2002), which includes a foreword by Sting and has been translated into Italian, German and Russian languages, and The Art of Yoga (2002), which includes a foreword by Ravi and Anoushka Shankar. Their newest collaboration, Yoga Assists, is available in both ebook and print edition
Jivamukti Certified Teacher
Sharon Gannon
Advanced Certified
Shady, NY
USA
simplerecipesforjoy.com
About Sharon
Sharon Gannon is a 21st-century Renaissance woman, an animal rights and vegan activist and a world-renowned yogini, perhaps best known as the founder, along with David Life, of the Jivamukti Yoga Method. She is also an accomplished writer, dancer, painter, musician and chef. Sharon has devoted many years exploring the role of diet in promoting physical, emotional and mental well-being as well as spiritual development. She lives in a 125-acre wild forest sanctuary in Woodstock, NY.
A student of Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Swami Nirmalananda, K. Pattabhi Jois, and Shyam das, she is a pioneer in teaching yoga as spiritual activism and is credited for making yoga cool and hip—relating ancient teachings of yoga to the modern world. Sharon's book Yoga and Vegetarianism has been called the "seminal" work on the subject, exploring the relationship of veganism to the teachings of yoga.
Sharon is a musician and is a featured vocalist on many CDs including Sharanam, which is her 2010 solo album, produced by Frenz Kallos. She has produced numerous yoga-related DVDs and is the author of several books, including Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body & Soul, The Art of Yoga, Cats and Dogs are People Too!, and Yoga Assists. Her latest offering is Simple Recipes for Joy: More than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes, a beautifully illustrated cookbook with recipes that are featured in the Jivamuktea Café in NYC.
Sharon's writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Toward 2012, Arcana V: Music, Magic and Mysticism, What comes after Money, Semiotexte, Yoga Journal, Mantra, and Origin. She writes a monthly essay called the Focus of the Month.
Most people know Sharon Gannon as a yoga teacher but she is also accomplished in the culinary arts. Sharon has devoted many years exploring the role of diet in promoting physical, emotional and mental wellbeing as well as spiritual development. Her first spiritual teacher told her that if she was interested in enlightenment then her first task must be to master the art of cooking. With a conviction in the yogic principle of ahimsa (non-violence) she believes that without a vegan diet it is difficult to make progress in the practice of yoga. The Jivamuktea Café is an expression of her passion for organic and vegan food prepared in a compassionate spiritually charged atmosphere. With her book, Simple Recipes for Joy: More Than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes, she shares recipes and wisdom regarding the role that preparing and eating food has upon our health, happiness and spiritual evolution.
Sharon Gannon
Co-Founder, Jivamukti Yoga
Gannon is a renowned yoga master, instructor and animal rights activist. In 1984, she and her partner David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. They are pioneers in teaching yoga as spiritual activism/activation. The JY Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism.
Jivamukti's passionate focus on the original meaning of the Sanskrit word "asana" as seat, connection, relationship to the earth is as practical as it is radical at this time of global and consciousness shift. The Jivamukti Yoga Method is taught worldwide at Jivamukti Yoga Schools in NYC, Detroit, Toronto, London, Berlin and Munich. The Jivamukti practice is also available on DVDs Yoga Journal has recognized Gannon and Life, as innovators in Yoga and "The New York Times" says, "Without Jivamukti, yoga in the U.S. would still be the obscure practice of a few."
"Time Magazine" recognized Jivamukti Yoga as one of the nine methods of Hatha Yoga taught in the world today. JY is featured in the acclaimed documentary film: What is Yoga? Sharon is a featured yogini in various books: "Yoga" by Linda Sparrowe, "American Yoga" by Carrie Schneider, "Yogini" by Janice Gates and "Women to Women" by Christina Lessa.
Good Sex: An Interview with Sharon Gannon
By Anna Louie Sussman
Image Left: Sharon Gannon, co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga Worldwide and author of “Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Diet of Enlightenment” (2008). Image Right: The cover of her book.
Sharon Gannon with her partner David Life (left), co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga Worldwide.
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Sharon Gannon, the co-founder of the popular Jivamukti Yoga school in New York, author and outspoken vegan has long taught that veganism, as part of a lifestyle dedicated to avoiding the harming of all living beings, leads to spiritual enlightenment. Like the barefoot priests of Latin America’s liberation theology movements, Sharon Gannon’s philosophy links spiritual oppression with one’s material condition. It’s not just healthy and good for the environment, she explains, but the first step on the road to world peace.
In her book Yoga and Vegetarianism, Gannon grounds the vegan lifestyle in yogic principles. She elaborates on the relationship between the five yamas, or directives, of the guru Patanjali’s yogic philosophy, and the practice of veganism.
“Yoga teaches that our prejudices against others pose the biggest obstacles to our enlightenment and that any spiritual practice we undertake must help us to overcome these prejudices,” Gannon said. “So Patanjali gives these five directives (called yamas) to help us overcome prejudices towards others,” including what Gannon calls “speciesism,” or the view that humans are separate from and superior to other living creatures.
It gets rather personal in the chapter called “Good Sex,” in which she unveils the abusive sexual practices involved with raising animals for consumption.
“The sexual abuse of animals is ingrained in our culture, and it expresses itself in the practice of breeding, genetic manipulation, castration, artificial insemination, forced pregnancy, routine rape and child abuse, which all fall under the category of ‘animal husbandry,'” she writes.
In one passage, she walks the reader through the life cycle of a dairy cow, from its days spent in a tiny stall to her continually forced insemination by syringe to ensure a steady flow of milk and ultimately to the slaughterhouse. Easy reading it is not.
Gannon generously shared further insights into the relationship between veganism and good sex in a written interview with Red Flag.
An Interview with Sharon Gannon Author of Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Diet of Enlightenment
Anna Louie Sussman: You observe that the consumption and instrumentalization of animals parallels how men sometimes treat women. Can you please explain why you decided to call chapter 5 “Good Sex” and what you meant by that? For people who haven’t read the chapter, what are those parallels?
Sharon Gannon: I think “Good Sex” is not only a catchy title but it aptly describes what brahmacharya actually means. Brahmacharya does not translate literally as celibacy. Brahma is the name of the Hindu god of creation and charya refers to a vehicle—we get our English words car and chariot from the Sanskrit word charya. Sex is potent. It is perhaps the most creatively potent experience we can engage in, as it can result in actually creating/manifesting a new being.
It also sheds light on what is perhaps the most hidden of all the cruel perversities associated with raising animals for food—horrid sexual abuse—the opposite of good sex.
Most people don’t see animals, certainly farm animals who are raised to be slaughtered and eaten, as having a sexual life. Somehow in their denial they think that animals just kind of grow like apples on a tree and are there for the pickin’.
The truth is that all animals raised for food are sexually abused at the hands of farm and slaughterhouse workers—and we are talking about billions of beings every day all day all over the world. This sexual abuse is so prevalent and so common that it is regarded as business as usual. The phrase “animal husbandry,” which is used by the agriculture and farm industries, pretty much says it as it is. It is at the same time a dirty secret and an openly acceptable practice. Adult animals are routinely masturbated, raped, and artificially inseminated in farms and factory farms. Tethered baby “veal” calves, desperate to suck, are sexually taken advantage of by farm workers and many animals in slaughterhouses are also raped by slaughterhouse workers for “fun” before being killed and dismembered.
ALS: When did you first become aware of these linkages between the way humans treat animals and the hierarchical relationship between the sexes? Why do you think so few people make that connection?
SG: Many human beings treat animals as if they were inanimate objects devoid of feelings, intelligence, consciousness or souls. I don’t see an animal as an “it.” I see other animals as people—male and female persons, each a distinct individual with feelings, thoughts, memories and ambitions. We should not forget that we (human beings) are animals too, and all animals are not the same, there are differences. I see human beings as different from other animals in the same way that I see a cat as different from an elephant and an elephant as certainly different from a bluebird. The differences are mainly in outer form; inside in our minds, hearts and souls we are much the same.
Why don’t more people make the connection? Animals can be bought and sold. It wasn’t that long ago when we bought and sold other human beings, and it wasn’t that long ago when a man owned his wife (or wives) and his children. With ownership comes the privilege to do whatever you want with the thing you own—it is your property. I think that basically it comes down to low self-esteem. Those who crave power over others lack self-esteem. Misogyny and Speciesism—they seem to go hand in hand, who knows which came first? They are both the outcome of low self-esteem.
My theory is that sometime in our distant past we did not live in patriarchical societies where men dominated women like today. There may have been a time when women were regarded as special beings because they could magically manifest a new being—give birth to a child. Perhaps at that time the connection between sex and procreation was not understood. When animals were confined it became apparent how sex led to pregnancy. People started to breed animals and this, I suspect, is when the magical, “special” quality that was reserved for women wore off.
ALS: Do women and men respond differently to these ideas? If so, what sorts of responses do you get?
SG: I have found that just because women are female doesn’t mean they aren’t misogynistic. The cultural indoctrination goes deep. Many women when they wake up and realize the misogyny, which underlies our culture, react with anger towards men. In a similar way many people when they wake up to the realities of animal abuse react with anger towards all non-vegans and definitely against the animal user industries. The interesting thing is that most of the men who have an interest in yoga are also open to embracing both feminism and veganism—perhaps these men are ready for a course of radical deprogramming. With the yoga practices one is not so seduced by anger and blame.
In my experience when the truth is revealed about animal abuse, both men and women react first with disgust, followed by horror, incredulousness, sadness, guilt and shame, and some close down after feeling powerless and not wanting to see, hear or know anything more. Some take a next step and respond with anger, at the slaughterhouse workers, or the corporate multi-nationals who profit from animal abuse, or their parents for eating meat, or meat eaters in general. Those who stay and are willing to follow their feelings to the next level usually are able to let go of the anger enough to feel empathy towards the animals who are being abused, and if they stay with this exploration longer the empathy gives way to compassion. It is at this point that real progress can be made towards putting an end to speciesism.
I remember after the courageous book Dominion came out, I was so intrigued that such an articulate, pro-animal rights book could have been written by not only a conservative Republican, but by the senior speech writer for President George W. Bush, that I was determined to meet this man. I contacted him and then traveled to Washington, D.C. to see him. He invited me to the White House to meet the president, which I declined saying that I was more interested in meeting him and that that was the reason for my visit. He appeared flattered and very graciously invited me to his modest home in Arlington. The first thing that he said to me while we were sitting together in his living room was, “I am very surprised that you, a yoga teacher, would be interested in animal rights and have read a book like mine!” To which I replied, “Me? what about you, Mr. Speechwriter?” So from the get-go we connected quite well and became friends.
ALS: There’s immediacy to how you tell the story of the cow’s life. Can you tell me about researching and writing it?
SG: In Chapter 5 of the book, I tell the life story of a typical dairy cow in order to give the reader the opportunity to make a connection to what actually happens to a dairy cow and thereby tap into the reader’s innate empathy. I feel it was painful but also necessary to write it in the way I did. We human beings are a bit strange in many ways, one of which is that when we hear about one animal being abused we feel outraged, but when we hear about billions of animals being abused we tend to tune out and feel powerless. I wanted to encourage people and help them see that they aren’t powerless. I wanted them to see milk as far from the benign food that we have been conditioned to see it as. I wanted to expose the truth of the misogyny and speiciesism involved in the dairy industry—that a female is kept as a slave—a sex slave—confined, raped, abused and degraded because she is a female and can be exploited for being a female—she can be forced to produce milk and birth babies.
Also I used the story of a cow because I wanted to make an impact in the yoga world. I knew that many of my readers would be vegetarians, but they drink milk and consume other dairy products because they feel that this is in accordance with a yogic lifestyle. They ignorantly think that this involves no harm to cows and that by consuming dairy products they are still following the dictates of ahimsa (non-harming) as described in the yoga sutras. Many people have said to me after reading the book that it was chapter 5 which did it—made them go vegan. Okay, so mission accomplished, good.
The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being
Publishers Weekly. 265.17 (Apr. 23, 2018): p80.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being
Sharon Gannon. TarcherPerigee, $17 trade paper (112p) ISBN 978-1-5247-0517-6
This eclectic book from Gannon (Simple Recipes for Joy), dancer, musician, and cofounder of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, presents a spiritually uplifting 10-week program of practices inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs. After beginning with a short chapter on mental exercises such as giving blessings, Gannon introduces the core physical practices of her program: meditation, breathing (pranayama), and dancing (based on aerobics) that are intended to help elevate one's spiritual awareness. The title refers to a 10-minute series of yoga-based spinal movements. Gannon's "mystery and magic" approach--particularly her attempts to draw links between Indian yoga and ancient Egyptian spiritual practices, without evidence beyond her intuition--may not appeal to some readers, but much of the information will be useful for the general seeker, including easy-to-follow exercises and key wisdom about the spiritual path (such as reduction of the ego, kindness, and the importance of daily practice). Black-and-white photos of the author illustrate various poses, and a glossary of Sanskrit terms is included for comprehension and further study. Gannon's simple advice will be welcome to all spiritual seekers, but some of her expert poses shouldn't be attempted by beginners without a yoga teacher's guidance. Those already exposed to the spirituality of yoga (or Gannon's work in particular) will be most likely to find this uneven book helpful. June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being." Publishers Weekly, 23 Apr. 2018, p. 80. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536532946/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b79419cf. Accessed 28 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536532946
COOKBOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: SIMPLE RECIPES FOR JOY BY SHARON GANNON
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 BY EPICUREAN VEGAN
Simple Recipes for Joy CookbookI am delighted to share with you this fabulous cookbook, Simple Recipes for Joy: More than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes by Sharon Gannon, founder of Jivamukti yoga and owner of Jivamuktea Cafe in New York City’s Union Square. You might be asking, What on earth is Jivamukti yoga?! Well, in 1984, along with David Life, Gannon created this type of yoga that combines hatha yoga and vinyasa-based-physical style yoga with adherence to five central tenets: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (non-harming), nada (musis) and dhyana (meditation). Social activism, animal rights, veganism and environmentalism is also a major component to the practice.
“Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. Jiva mutki is a Sanskrit word that means to live liberated in joyful, musical harmony with the Earth. The Earth does not belong to us—we belong to the Earth. Let us celebrate our connection to life by not enslaving animals and exploiting the Earth, and attain freedom and happiness for ourselves in the process. For surely, the way to uplift our own lives is to do all we can to uplift the lives of others. Go vegan!”
—Sharon Gannon
Don’t be too fooled by the whimsical cover; Gannon takes veganism, her yoga and her recipes very serious. The forward, by the crazy, sexy vegan herself, Kris Carr, is an informative, poignant and compelling opening that highlights the importance of adopting a vegan diet for the health of humans, animals and Mother Earth. Gannon’s passion and heart comes through in the pages of her introduction, where she discusses her path to veganism and why it is so imperative for us to go vegan to not just better our health, but to save the animals and the planet. If you’re a longtime vegan, you may find it gets a little redundant, but for a new vegan, it’s such an awesome resource, especially when you might need a hand in explaining to others the importance of a vegan diet. Packed full of facts and figures, Gannon’s introduction should be read by every meat-eater on Earth. In addition to a plethora of recipes, Gannon also includes an informative FAQ section, Cooking Tips, what makes a well-stocked kitchen, 30 Sample Menus and how to do a 21-Day Cleanse.
As the title says, many of these recipes are very simple. The seasoned vegan might scoff at some of the simplicity of a few recipes like the Vegan BLT on page 238, or the “Toasts” chapter, but the beauty of these recipes, is that it shows new, or thinking-of-becoming, vegans who might have the misconception that veganism is difficult. There are plenty of unique recipes, however, that will challenge your taste buds and maybe even introduce you to flavors and ingredients you’ve never tried before. I’m anxious to try the Maharini Dal on page 61, the Spaghetti and “Meat Balls” on page 104 and the Hippy Carrot Cake on page 282. There’s something for everyone from tons of soup recipes, pastas, grains, sandwiches, desserts and lots more. With beautiful pictures throughout, this is a joyful and delicious cookbook to have.
So far, I have made . . .
Lemon-Lentil Soup, page 65
Oh, lentils! Love them! This soup, ladled over basmati rice is a flavorful, lemony dish that is easy to prepare.
Lemon-Lentil Soup, Simple Recipes for JoyCaesar Salad with Tempeh Croutons, page 128
Fabulous! The dressing is tangy and delicious and I love using sauteed tempeh as croutons.
Caesar Salad with Tempeh Croutons, Simple Recipes for JoyCornbread, page 256
Made with coconut milk, this cornbread is moist, delicious and ever-so fluffy! And talk about simple—it was ready in no time at all.
CornbreadSo, I’ll bet you want to win a copy for yourself, or for a friend, right? Well, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me why Simple Recipes for Joy would be the perfect addition to your cookbook library. (It also wouldn’t hurt to like my Facebook page, while you’re at it.) The cookbook will be released September 16th and I will giveaway a copy Friday, September 19th, so get your comments in by midnight, MST on Thursday, the 18th. Good luck!
Simple Recipes for Joy by Sharon Gannon
Sharon Gannon, the founder of Jivamukti-style yoga and the Jivamuktea cafe, has put together a collection of recipes that embody the practices of ahimsa, a nonviolent yoga principle, to produce simple, nutritional, vegan meals. My friends in New York City have always told me about the Jivamuktea cafe as it is one of the best places to get fresh, vegan food in the busy city. Now, for the first time, Sharon reveals the secrets behind the cafe's acclaimed menu.
In the first twenty or so pages, she talks about how the meat and dairy industry have brainwashed most Americans. "In America, Froot Loops, a highly processed, high-fructose, genetically modified, corn-based breakfast cereal, is cheaper to buy per serving than a piece of real organic fruit." She states, "Everything that is good for us and good for the environment has been stigmatized with the label alternative while foods that are harmful to our health and the health of the environment are called normal or standard and that is sad." Agreed.
She goes on to talk about the impact on the environment and all life on this planet. She states, "When you have a simple choice to be kind or cruel, why not choose to be kind and, by doing so, contribute to raising the level of joy and happiness in the world?"
She later tackles frequently asked questions about the vegan diet, offers cooking tips, and details how to stock your kitchen to prepare for cooking. The recipes include soups, pasta and sauces, dressings, salads, dips and spreads, grains, beans, tempeh, tofu, and seitan, vegetables, potatoes, toasts, sandwiches, smoothies, teas, and desserts.
So what about the recipes? The recipes were so simple that I had a hard time imagining how to make a meal out of them. I found the 30 sample menus in the back of the book really helpful as they put these simple recipes together into two- to four-course meals. I tried four of the recipes.
The first one I made was a real winner! The Curry-Tahini-Shoyu Noodle Soup is a one-pot meal filled with fresh vegetables, aduzuki beans, tofu, and udon noodles. It is so delicious! It's a mildly spicy Japanese country stew that is perfect for a chilly evening with friends and family.
Next, I made the Pasta with Pesto. It was super easy to make and turned out great. It was an oily, basil-rich sauce with a touch of nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy, chunky consistency. It wrapped around and coated my fusilli noodles just right.
Next, I tried The Most Simple Dressing. All you do is add olive oil and lemon juice over greens and you are done. The only flaw with this recipe is that it doesn't state how much greens to use. My advice is to use at least an entire pound of greens with this dressing. I only used a bowl and it soaked my greens so much that they were almost inedible.
Lastly, I tried the White Bean and Kale Soup. Everything about this soup sounded good -- a warm broth filled with cannellini beans and kale. It turned out to be a wholesome soup, but lacked a bit of flavor. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a simple, wholesome soup, but if you are looking for a lot of flavor, you may want to add a bit of paprika or even sriracha to it.
So, all in all, the recipes in this book are about as wholesome and simple as can be. In some cases, I thought they were a bit too simple. If you are a new cook looking for very healthy, plant-based recipes, then this book will give you a solid foundation from which you can continue to build. If you are a very seasoned vegan chef, then you may be a bit bored with the simplicity of the recipes. But, no matter what, I'm sure you will love the pictures and you will learn something in the 300+ pages. This hard-backed book is very professionally done and the layout makes it very easy to read and follow. The book goes on sale today on Amazon for $29.86. Order yours now here.
Full Disclosure: Although the cookbook was provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.
Book Review
by Barbara Passy | Mar/Apr Book Review 2013
Hellbent: A Bikram Yoga Journey
Yoga Assists
Hellbent: A Bikram Yoga Journey
By Benjamin Lorr
Reviewed by Barbara Passy
Benjamin Lorr’s Hellbent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendance in Competitive Yoga (2012) introduced me to the discipline of Bikram. This book is a great way to learn about its practitioners and teachers. Yes, there are descriptions of competitive yoga events. But there are far more encounters within–where yogis come face to face with their own truths and work to resolve contradictions within their lives. Inside Bikram Yoga, Benjamin explains the multitude of gifts that this practice has brought to people who were in great pain and in need of emotional and physical healing. He covers the roots and history of this practice and addresses its founder as well. He is clear-eyed and unwavering with respect to himself and his interests in the practice. He gets his friends onto the mat as well. The book is a memoir for modern-day yoga in America.
Watching Benjamin evolve from a newbie into a more senior practitioner is fascinating. His Bikram teacher training experience provides context for all who are considering that path. Listening him recount the stories of others is addictive. Teachers and gifted practitioners can recall minute details that the rest of us might just forget. The most interesting parts of this book beyond these perspectives is where Benjamin discusses the science behind heat and sweat as it applies to yoga. In a later section, he dives into the placebo effect in both a scientific and philosophical manner. He also looks at biases that blur the lens between teacher and student in a fresh new way.
There are some very wise words in this book that I will remember for a long time. In a later section, a yogi named Luke talks about things he witnessed that appear to be incredible, and he says, “The first thing to remember whenever you see someone do the incredible–and this includes incredible suffering–is they have been working at it for a very, very, long time and they started from a place very, very close to you.” These are the insights that we need to remember as we move forward in our lives on the mat.
Yoga Assists
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By Sharon Gannon and David Life
Yoga, as a North American practice and lifestyle, has becoming increasingly popular with more than 20 million Americans now flocking to yoga classes. In the U.S. alone, it’s a $7-billion-a-year industry, with more than 25,000 studios, as reported by The Globe and Mail in August 2012.
Yoga has also evolved. Initially in North America, yoga assists were called “corrections.” The idea was that the student was doing something wrong and the teacher could manipulate the wrongness away. Later came the word “adjustment,” which the authors concede is a little better, conveying the student is on the right track and some adjustments are needed.
In Yoga Assists , world renowned Jivamukti Yoga practitioners Sharon Gannon and David Life use the word “assist” to convey an act of mutuality with a larger, more universal significance. They communicate the idea that in yoga two beings are interacting together on various levels of consciousness to foster a decrease in avidya , “mis-knowing,” and an increase in vidya , or the knowing principle. With practical, hands-on instruction and detailed illustrations (demonstration is enhanced on the iPad) Sharon and David demonstrate the giving of yoga as an art.
“Yoga assists are not static,” says David. “They comprise a flowing dance of body, breath, and energy, a mutual intention. They are based on continuous focus and awareness of the relationship between partners in the process. In each encounter between yoga student and teacher there is an equation of reciprocity.”
Through this book, with the “assistance” of Sharon and David, practitioners will deepen their understanding of the fundamental principles of yoga assists and apply them in practice and in service to others.
Sharon and David are the creators of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The Jivamukti Yoga method emphasizes asana, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting, and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism, and political activism. There are 12 Jivamukti Yoga schools around the world, in the U.S., Canada, and England.
Sharon and David have co-authored three books on yoga: Jivamukti Yoga, Practices for Liberating Body & Soul (2002) , with a foreword by Sting and translated into Italian, German and Russian and The Art of Yoga (2002 ), with a foreword by Ravi and Anoushka Shankar.
Yoga Assists is available from Premier Digital Publishing for $9.99 (eBook), $11.99 (Enhanced eBook), and $29.99 (trade paperback original).
BOOK REVIEW: Yoga Assists by Sharon Gannon and David Life
Posted on July 21, 2016
Yoga Assists: A Complete Visual and Inspirational Guide to Yoga Asana AssistsYoga Assists: A Complete Visual and Inspirational Guide to Yoga Asana Assists by Sharon Gannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an illustrated guide to making yoga assists, or what are often called corrections or adjustments. The style is Jivamukti Yoga, and the book is written by its founders. The postures will be familiar to practitioners of any form of Hatha Yoga, but the action of the teacher (or assistee) may be quite unlike what one is used to.
This book offers some valuable information for any teacher of yoga, though many—probably most—will find the overall approach unsuitable. (If it is suitable, more power to you; you’ll want to read and re-read this book.) However, even if you’re not likely to use this style of teaching, there’s worthwhile technical information to be gained.
I’ll explain why this won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. First, many of the assists are highly invasive, by that I mean they involve being at an intimate distance with the student for an extended period of time. If you primarily teach experienced students who know and trust you, these invasive assists may be helpful. However, if you’re teaching beginners in studio sessions, one may need to be selective about what one uses and what one doesn’t. The ultimate goal is “chitta vritti nirodhah” (calming mental turbulence) and not to contort the student’s body into a perfect version of the posture. If, instead of facilitating the student’s look inward, you make them feel awkward and self-conscious, you’ve missed the mark. If everybody in question has achieved a monkish state of mind, this won’t be an issue, but history (and many a lawsuit) suggests that this is often not the case.
The second issue follows from the discussion above. By manipulating the student toward some objectively perfect version of the posture, you may encourage them to think that is important—that it’s important to you and that it should be important to them. This may have adverse ramifications such as driving away students who are far from the perfect expression of the pose or making it difficult for them to internalize santosha (contentment with where one is presently.) Being so hands-on may be at odds with one’s philosophy. Not only does it discourage contentment and gradually advancement toward better form, it also detracts from the notion that it’s about the student looking inward. (In other words, so much hands-on assistance thrusts the teacher onto the spotlight of what should as much as possible be the student’s private time and space.) Corrections are needed to avert injuries and to help the student improve, but this level of contact is more intense than required for those goals.
Still, I found this to be an informative and worthwhile read. It’s not every assist in the book that is invasive, and the ones that are still have their use with students with whom one has built trust and rapport, and particularly in workshop settings. The assists are optimized to be stable and safe, which is why they are often close and handsy—at least for those of us who were taught to start with verbal instruction, move to non-touching gestural instruction, and—only when necessary–put hands on the student (and then with care to be at an angle so as to not make the student uncomfortable.) Overall, the book does a fine job of presenting the necessary information.
The authors use both photographs and line drawn diagrams to convey the details of the assists. The organization is logical. After a section of general background, the book proceeds through poses using the standard groupings with which Hatha teachers will be acquainted (standing, forward bends, twists, back bends, inversions, and relaxation poses.) There is textual explanation in a form consistent from one asana (posture) to the next to support the graphics. The poses are the most common of the classic asana, and they cover a good number of the basics that one will teach in classes. They also provide some insight into how to apply the same principles to intermediate and advanced poses that aren’t included.
The book does have its faults. One of them is to wedge in irrelevant information. This can be seen from the get-go with an introductory “Go Vegan” rant. There’s also a bit of a tendency to muddle science with pseudo-science, but all that matters for the most part is basic anatomy–and that’s handled well enough. This isn’t so much criticism as forewarning, but you may find some of the commentary to be like those YouTube parodies of yoga classes—you know the ones that are hilariously far out. But just occasionally.
I’d recommend this book for yoga teachers or intermediate / advanced students who want to increase their understanding of alignment.