Open Sky Yoga Center in Rochester, New York

Dear Friends in Yoga,

After a few weeks of teaching in Europe, opening more doors in Belgium, England and France, I'm back to Rochester to launch the Essential Teacher Training, this year with more participants than ever (about 26) from all walks of life but all willing to read the Book of Life...

Two weeks ago i was teaching at the invitation of my friend Mario Battistel, 87 years old, director of the yoga center of Niort, France, still teaching 10 classes a week!

Mario studied yoga with Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten, Judith Lasater and myself for 20 years and also meditation with Arnaud Desjardins and Thich Nath Hahn..... a vital and true yogi who never compromised the teachings and fully embraced the Path.

Beginning March, a series of lectures and concerts, "The Sound of Music" Thursday evenings or weekends. In March, great honor to receive Ellen Koskoff, chair of ethnomusicology at Eastman School of Music. She will speak about the "origins" of music, illustrated with musical examples from diverse traditions. "What in the world is music?" is the title of her show on WXXI for a good reason! Open to all seekers. Then I will give a lecture with lots of opportunities to listen to music from Gregorian chant to electro-acoustic, from jawsharp to Steve Reich....a history of music from a yogic point of hearing. Those lectures will prepare us for Baird Hersey's early June concert of overtone chanting and a seminar on Nada Yoga, meditation on the four levels of sound. (PDF)

Wao is the mantra!

After the success of the shoulder-joint seminar, now the hip joint is jealous so a similar workshop on the hip will be offered by Rick Lynch March 24. (PDF).

Eleanor Goldfarb is offering again her much needed Relax and Renew seminar April 29. (PDF)

Laura Antelmi's Anatomy of Clay is open to past graduates of ETT and serious students wanting to have fun studying anatomy. Only 12 spaces, as it is part of the annual teacher training program. (PDF)

Teacher Training is full this year. We already have a list of candidates and are taking applications for 2013. South Indian journey has only 3 spaces left. I don't say "Hurry" like in most commercials, that would not be very yogic, but still procrastination often invites regrets. By the way did you ever visit www.procrastination.com?

Crete international retreat is still open. As the Greek economy is down, I am sure they will welcome us even more than 2 years ago!The retreat center is listed in the "best world yoga retreats" book published by Tashen and you can check it out on the website www.kretashala.de We fly directly to Herakion and stay right on the beach not far from a traditional village for a week with lots of yoga and Greek salads! July 8 to 15, all you need is to send a $500 deposit and book your flight. (PDF)

Open Sky Pranayama teacher training will be open for registration very soon. Lots of interest. Open only to past ETT graduates and Yoga Alliance registered teachers. This will be an opportunity For past ETT graduates to reconnect and define further Open Sky Yoga as a movement on the Yoga mat.

After teaching in France more about the fluid body, I have been obsessing on Fibonacci series and gold number...relating to the scale of harmonics as well...and also preparing a slide show on yoga and sacred architecture...

Did you know that my credit card (no photo!) also obeys the gold number ratio (length divided by width!)? I am not joking. No, I'm just yoking....

As you can see, never a dull moment for the pilot of Open Sky Yoga. In fact dullness is un-yogic. Connecting with the life force is what generates the juice (rasa) and the joy of living. Searching for creative inspiring authentic programs for all yoga students and teachers flying the open sky is a great mission. For example, Laughing Yoga teacher training (I am not joking again) in June with master "laughter for no reason" Linda Leclerc, open to all. Also, Music for People in March 2013 with David Darling, a way to wake up your inner musician.

Hope to see you soon around the block or with a block under the sacrum....

May the prana be with you!

Francois Raoult

Open Sky Yoga

P.S. I just received this note from my friend and collegue Jim Thompson:

Hello Francois,

I hope you are well, and deepening in practice!



I have a request for yoga teachers, if you don't mind passing it on. Inmates at Attica Correctional Facility are asking for someone to teach yoga on an ongoing basis. If anyone, or even better - if multiple people - are interested, that would be great. I can give them details about the complex process of registering as a volunteer. There also is no yoga equipment there, as far as I know.

Currently I am assisting with a "meditation class" at Attica. On days when I go, I also teach 15 minutes of yoga. The guys are crying out for more yoga, but I can't afford to take more time.

For anyone who thinks they might be interested at all, my cell phone # is 585-703-7739.



Namaste.

Jim Thompson