Mary Corbin: my yoga pages

My Bio

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QUOTE FOR THE DECADE:
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power,
the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
~ Lhamo Thondup, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

BOOKS FOR THE MONTH:
Planetwalker by John Francis
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

"Anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
~ Goethe

MY BIO
Mary grew up in St. Louis, MO and moved to the Bay Area to attend art school when she was 20. She discovered yoga in 1989, when she wandered into The Yoga Room in Berkeley for a class with renowned teacher Rodney Yee. Immediately drawn to the challenges, the philosophy, and the discipline of this practice that paralleled that of artmaking, Mary's curiosity was stoked.

Years of practice have taken her down various paths with extraordinary
teachers. Mary has been most influenced by her early studies with Rodney;
intensive study with David Life and Sharon Gannon of Jivamukti, NY; Yin yoga with Sarah Powers; and the teachings of the 8 Limb Path of Ashtanga as taught by lineage bearer, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Taking a pause from many years of daily practice in the Ashtanga Mysore tradition, Mary currently maintains a daily home practice that is customized to changing daily needs and curiosities.

Mary completed her first teacher training with Yoga Studio Mill Valley and teaches classes infused with philosophy and generosity of spirit within challenging sequences that connect breath to movement and invite inquiry and exploration.

Striking a balance between yoga, art, exploring Earth's natural wonders with friends and family, and enjoying the simple moments with quiet and attentive reverence is her life's path!

CONTACT me at marycorbin@hotmail.com
MY ART PAGES have moved!

Yoga Classes with Mary

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FOCUS of the Year for 2011: The Brahmaviharas:
Unconditional love becomes possible when you practice cultivating the four states of mind known as the brahmaviharas. Collectively, these four qualities of friendliness or loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha) are the qualities of true, authentic, and unconditional love.

YOGA FOCUS of the Month, JAN 2011:

Philosophy: The first Yama, AHIMSA
Asana: Standing poses - Let's get grounded again

Here is my current teaching schedule:

Mountain Yoga, Oakland
Vinyasa Flow, Level 3 (Int/Adv students only)
Tues, 9:30 - 11 am

Backroads, Berkeley
Mixed Level Vinyasa Flow for Staff
Mon/Wed/and sometimes Fri
Noon - 1 pm
(This is a private class but drop-ins are welcome if you are
currently a regular student in one of my other local classes.
Contact Mary before coming to class. Bring your own mat)

FOCUS OF THE MONTH schedule for 2011:
Jan - Ahimsa / Standing (grounding) poses
Feb - The other Yamas / Deep Twists and heart openers:
Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha
Mar - Sauca / Twists, Backbends
Apr - The other Niyamas / Backbends, Hips 1,
Santosha, Tapas, Svadhyaya, Isvara Pranidhana
May - The Yoga Sutras, Book One / Hips 2
June- The Yoga Sutras, Book One cont./The Bandhas / Core Strength and Kriyas
July- The Yoga Sutras, Book Two / Balancing poses
Aug - Chants and Mantras / Inversions 1 and Neck/Shoulders
Sep - The Yoga Sutras, Book Three / Mantra/ Inversions 2
Oct - The Eight Limbs of Yoga /Navaratri/ Chant/ Spine (tinglers!)
Nov - The Chakras / Corresponding poses and Creating a Balanced Practice 1
Dec - The Koshas / Meditation, Kriyas, and Balanced Practice 2

SPECIAL CLASSES:

Private sessions:
Mon - Sat
schedule your time with me by email
marycorbin@hotmail.com

I will be subbing for the following classes:
None scheduled

Subbing for me:

Yoga Workshops and Retreats

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To receive info on upcoming workshops and special classes and announcements, email me at marycorbin@hotmail.com and send me your email address!

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, 2 - 4:30 pm
(this workshop will be repeated in Spring 2010)

Making Padmasana Possible: Opening the Lotus

$35, pre-registration by Nov 1
$40, after Nov 1st (must register by Friday Nov 6)

Yogic texts say Padmasana, or Lotus Pose, cures all disease and awakens Kundalini. In more tangible terms, this classic yoga pose stretches and stimulates the hips, knees, and ankles while creating the optimal seat for meditation and pranayama. But this pose can remain elusive to the seasoned practitioner and the curious beginner alike.

In this workshop, we will access this pose by approaching our practice with care and curiosity. We will start with a brief but warming vinyasa practice followed by an attentive progression of hip openers, as well as preparation of knees and ankles with or without props, and slowly build to the crescendo of Padmasana. Appropriate for all levels of students.

Contact Mountain Yoga to register.

Sun, April 29, 2007, 1-4 pm
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Mountain Yoga, Oakland
What do the ancient texts of the Yoga Sutras have to do with perfecting your downward dog? How can I do yoga even when I’m not involved in a movement practice?
In this workshop we will use the Eight-Limb path of Patanjali yoga as a framework in which to explore this wonderful body of work. We will enjoy a flowing vinyasa practice, extended explorations of sacred chant, pranayama (breath work),and meditation. We will also discuss selected sutras as they relate to these practices. Our intention will be to awaken an awareness of Classical Yoga and sweeten our experience of yoga as a daily living practice.

Yoga Resources

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RECOMMENDED READING AND LISTENING

THE PRINTED PAGE
ASANA
Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar
The Iyengar Way: an Illustrated Guide, S,M & S Mehta
Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual, David Swenson
Yoga Mala, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
The Art of Yoga, David Life and Sharon Gannon
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga , H. David Coulter
Yin Yoga (Taoist Yoga): Outline of a Quiet Practice, Paul Grilley
Anatomy of Movement , Calais-Germaine
Theories of the Chakras: Bridge to Higher Consciousness, Hiroshi Motoyama
Healing Mantras , Thomas Ashley-Farrand
Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberation of Body and Soul, David Life/Sharon Gannon
Moving into Stillness, Erich Schiffman
The Heart of Yoga, TKV Desikachar
Light on Life, BKS Iyengar
Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, Cyndi Lee

MEDITATION / DHARMA
A Path with Heart, Jack Kornfield
A Heart as Wide as the World, Sharon Salzberg
Vipassana Meditation as taught by SN Goenka, Wm. Hart
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind , Shunryu Suzuki
The Art of Happiness , His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Inner Revolution , Robert Thurman
Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh
The Miracle of Mindfulness , Thich Nhat Hanh
Be Here Now, Ram Dass
Still Here , Ram Dass
Uncomfortable with Uncertainty , Pema Chodron
The Essential Ken Wilbur, Ken Wilbur
Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, Stephen Cope

IN-DEPTH / CLASSICAL
Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, BKS Iyengar
note: there are many other translations
Light on Pranayama, BKS Iyengar
The Bhagavad Gita , E. Easwaran
note: there are many other translations, and Easwaran has translated many classsical texts
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swami Muktibodhananda
there is a multitude of books published from the Bihar School in India along with the Pradipika
Essence of Yoga, Bouanchard
The Shambala Guide to Yoga , Georg Feurstein
The Essential Rumi, translations by Coleman Barks

SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM
Planetwalker, John Francis
Let Me Stand Alone, the journals of Rachel Corrie
We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Alice Walker
Reason for Hope, Jane Goodall
The Legacy of Luna, Julia Butterfly Hill
The Way of Compassion, an anthology from Satya Magazine

DIET AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
*NEW* Yoga and Vegetarianism, Sharon Gannon
Ayurveda: the Science of Self-Healing, Dr. Vasant Lad
Diet for a New America, John Robbins
Conscious Eating, Gabriel Cousens
Spiritual Nutrition, Gabriel Cousens
Animal Liberation, Peter Singer

CONSCIOUS EVOLUTION
*NEW* The Green Collar Economy, Van Jones

LIFE AS A YOGA PRACTICE
*NEW* Tales of Wonder, Huston Smith
The Size of the World, Jeff Greenwald
Learning to Breathe, Alison Wright
Eat, Pray,Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
How We Live Our Yoga, personal stories edited by Valerie Jeremijenko

MAGAZINES
Yogi Times
Yoga International
Satya Magazine
The Sun
PETA's Animal Times
Tricycle
Shambala Sun
Yoga Journal

AUDIO/VIDEO
Fierce Grace,a documentary on the life and work of Ram Dass
Baraka, a documentary by Ron Fricke, a montage of multi-cultural ritual
Ashtanga: the Primary Series with Richard Freeman, video
The Spiritual Path of Social and Political Activism, audio CD, David Life
Chants from India, audio CD, Ravi Shankar
Live on Earth, audio CD, Kirtan with Krishna Das
Jaya Bhagavan, Shimshai and Tina Malia
Stay Human, Michael Franti

Mary's PlayList - Music from my Classes (coming soon!)

YOGA WEBSITES
Jivamukti
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois/Ashtanga in India
Sarah Powers
Rodney Yee
Michael Franti
Jai Uttal
Shiva Rea

Artwork

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BFA, California College of the Arts, Oakland CA
Certificate in Multi-media Design, SF State University, San Francisco CA
FOR COMPLETE BIO AND GALLERY GO TO MY ART PAGES