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I'm back! Yes, it was too cool meeting you, Gordon! I am sorry I missed you teacher's speech, I was busy helping MY teacher sell CD's and bansuri's as people were filtering out from Deva's workshop. Highlight of that.. due to the bizarro confluence of events, I ended helping Duncan Wong with his bansuri that he was buying, and he helped me out with my icky bicep tendon issue. He is a firey cool dude! ( I didn't take his workshop, but Megan did, so I knew who he was.) I am pooped, but will get pics up tomorrow if I get a chance. Megan is still in NYC, it was so nutso that I did not get any pictures of her ( boo), but maybe she has some from her workshops.

I just have to say, though... I had a workshop with Mark Whitwell (didn't really know much about him) and was BLOWN AWAY.


For all y'all out there, Gordon is not only brilliant ( which I expected ) but very witty and funny.

More later,

Marianne

Here's some pics.
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/20749719

Thanks, guys. Hi Sri Sri Erich -ji.. I missed you in NYC.. it was at that very Sheraton I first met you, and Tilak and Carie and Bhakti, 3 years ago! I can understand why you don't do those deals anymore, they are really kind of nutso.

The weekend turned out differently than I planned.. I came down with a cold a couple days before, so I ended up doing less sessions and a lot less asana than I thought , but it was for the best. I was not going to miss the concert with Manose at the Rubin Museum, so went to that.. it was great, just him and a tabla player and his friend Marina playing tambour in a beautiful acoustic space . Go visit this musem if you get a chance, it's awesome.
http://www.rmanyc.org/index.xml?context=/ After the concert, we all went to this restaurant around the corner, it was in Chelsea, called Cafetera, for drinks and food. Very fun, Mansoe is like Erich, attracts very cool and interesting people and loves to go hang out, etc.. Shared a cab back with him and Marina, they showed me how to paly tambour in the taxi, way cool. I just felt like the bomb, getting out of the taxi with them and carrying the tambour into the Sheraton, you should have seen it, you guys. But, didn't get back until midnight to the hotel, where Megan ( Peguinasana) was already asleep.

So did not get my fanny out of bed for kundalini with Gurmukh at 7 am . I made it to Rod Stryker. at 9 , .that one was pretty strong, lots of long held poses, backbends, etc. I liked it, felt there were a lot of similarities to the Anusara stuff, but with more emphasis on the breath, bandhas, etc. He was very nice.. Babs, I told him you had recomended him to me, he was very sweet and said nice things about you.

Since the main reason I went this time was for the music, and wanted to pace myself, I only took one other session that day.. that was the one with Mark. Whitwell. Loved it, loved it. I was supposed to take one with Gary Kraftsow after that one, but I was really feeling crummy. I tried to make myself do it.. I have heard such great things about him, and it was on shoulder, neck, and upper back stuff ( anyone who plays instrumetns has issues around that ). I went in and put my mat down... but it was in this humoungous room with about 200 people, the lights were bright and hurting my cold-infested eyes, I was feeling a little claustrophobic from being in those rooms with no windows all day. Then when he started writing stuff on the chart paper and talking about alignment and muscles and ligaments and stuff... well, Mr. Voice just started yelling in my head, "GET OUT!! GET OUT!!" .. so I did. I think, too, that I was in a totally different space from the workshop with Mark, and just not up for technical stuff. I am kind of sorry I couldn't stay, though, I'm sure I missed out on some good stuff. I went back to the room and took a long nap, then Megan and I had dinner and went to the panel discussion and then the concert with Deva, Miten, and Manose, which was fabulous.

I actually switched out of Sean Corn, who I was supposed to have the next day, and did another session with Mark ( just not up for any more strenuous asana, although I really like Sean,) and also did a pranayama one with Dharma Mittra. That was cool, he also did some chanting with some people he had with him, too. Then finished up with Deva /Miten workshop, which was great.. many less people than in the concert, and more work on vocal improvisational stuff, we even did a sufi circle dance. Then I helped Manose sell CD's and flutes, which has sort of bceome my deal when I see him.. it's fun, and then he can talk more to people and I can help them try out the flutes, show them how to get the sound and where to put their fingers, etc. That's how the Duncan Wong interaction came about.. he was trying one with Manose, then went to get $$ to buy one, but when he came back I was minding the store, so I helped him a bit. Then Manose came back, and we went out and got some food.. ....said goodbye ... they are going to South America next. Back on the train and home to Randy, who unfortunately now has my cold!

I agree with Gordon on New York. It undeniably has awesome art, music, food, etc. but it's just so intense and crazy and crowded, especially in midtown. The Chelsea neighborhood where the museum was was more up my alley, actually.

I had a great great time with Megan , too... and amazing amount of positive energy and enthusiasm crammed in a tiny package, which only seems to intensify it and make her shine more brightly . I wish there had been more time, and that Megan, Gordan and I actually could have practiced together... I'm sure they would have lots to teach me, for sure.. but then that's just something more to look forward to another time.