where do i go? what do i do??

when everyone you know seems to want to schedule their events on the last few weekends before the holidays, this is what you get: scheduling chaos!!

and you know you live in the yoga capital of the world when your facebook event list looks something like mine. mind you, this is just for THIS FRIDAY and SATURDAY!:

Yogi Lunch Friday 1:00pm
Partner Thai Yoga Friday 7:00pm
Yoga Side Of the Moon Friday 7:45pm
Summoning Shakti Friday 8:15pm
Kirtan Bliss at Rising Lotus with Daniel Stewart & Friends Friday 8:20pm
Friday Night Kirtan with Joey Lugassy Friday 9:00pm
Beach Yoga for the Kids of Nicaragua w/Jay CO Saturday 10:00am **
Karen Shuman's Yoga One Year Anniversary Saturday 10:00am
Intro to Yoga Tantra FlowTM Workshop: Exploring the Chakras Saturday 1:00pm
Pacquiao vs. Cotto Saturday 6:00pm
Casa de Milagros Fundraiser Saturday 6:00pm
Survivor: Yogabear Island Saturday 7:00pm
Deva Premal and Miten Saturday 7:30pm
David Newman Durga Das Saturday 8:30pm

** popped up on my facebook page after my original post!

i mean, i want to go to all of them, but how can i be in five places at the same time? argh!

maybe if both you and i split the list, you can tell me all about the ones i DIDN'T get to! hmmm... that might work...

here's friday's list:

1. Yogi Lunch Friday 1:00pm - every friday, atma and taruni invite everyone from the yoga community to meet them and their friends for lunch at govinda's vegetarian buffet in culver city (at the hare krishna temple). not only have i met some really interesting people each time i've shown up, but the lunch itself is healthy and inexpensive. it's always a win-win situation.

2. Partner Thai Yoga Friday 7:00pm - deon dewet will be teaching this workshop at silver lake yoga in silverlake. the thought of partner yoga AND thai massage sounds delicious. and the fact that it could be with some random stranger makes it an adventure :) however, getting to silverlake from the westside during the friday evening rush sounds painful... but then again, the thai massage would help relieve the stress, wouldn't it?

3. Yoga Side Of the Moon Friday 7:45pm - this is a 2-hour vinyasa flow class taught by andres salcedo at exhale venice. according to the flyer i picked up, it'll go something like this:
"... Creating a dynamic flow based on simple asanas, you will embark into a yogic exploration through the sound of Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" surrounded by atmospheric soundscapes and carefully placed sound effects that will help you achieved (sic) a natural psychedelic emotional state. The workshop will start with a simple warm up series, followed by a flow inspired by the sound of the album and created on the spot based on the energy of the group, ultimately leading to tranquil and peaceful relaxation of the body, mind and spirit..."
i've taken daniel overberger's class with dark side as the soundtrack; it might be interesting to experience how andres spins his class to the same music...

4. Summoning Shakti Friday 8:15pm - this is a late-night women's bonding event with bekah finch and susannah weaver at yoga blend in burbank. here's how the website describes the evening:
"Do you feel disconnected from your body?
Would you like to feel more sexy, more grounded, more radiant and just more WOMAN?
Through sacred circle, yoga, breath, meditation, sound, massage, self study and more we will learn to not only understand and honor our bodies and their cycles, but learn to love and celebrate them! From this harmony of wholeness we are able to experience more satisfying relationships, expanded awareness, and a deeper connection to nature, self-love and to our authentic purpose as empowered women."
i am woman, hear me om! :)

5. Kirtan Bliss at Rising Lotus with Daniel Stewart & Friends Friday 8:20pm - daniel and his posse have been traveling far and wide around town, sharing the love with all who attend their kirtans. but their kirtans at rising lotus in sherman oaks, daniel's home studio, always seem to draw the largest crowds and generate the most bhakti. so if you've never chanted with them before, this is THE place to catch them! by the way, this might be an opportune time to listen to the friends daniel will have with him this time: "Joining us for the first time Arielle Silver on Vocals and Cooper Madison on Tablas! also Jeff Harris on guitar, Angela on flute and Darby Orr on Bass!"

6. Friday Night Kirtan with Joey Lugassy Friday 9:00pm - this is joey's usual second-friday-of-the-month time slot at bhakti yoga shala in santa monica. according to his facebook invite, the following musicians will be joining him: Josh Brill - Guitar, Ena Vie - Vocals, Ambika Leigh - Vocals, Eddie Young - Cello and Bass, Deepak Ramapriyan - Violin, Ben Marciano - Flute, Matthew Hufschmidt - Drums. OMG, such an amazing group!

as for saturday, here's what i have to choose from:

0. Beach Yoga for the Kids of Nicaragua w/Jay CO Saturday 10:00am - jay's going to be teaching a yoga class on the beach in santa monica to raise funds to provide disease-free drinking water to kids and their families through the nicaragua surf yoga volunteer adventure project. meet jay and the class at the end of bay st (just south of pico) "on the grassy knoll under the trellises next to the beach." and yes, it's ok to be jealous of the fact that we can still practice yoga on the beach in november here in southern california :)

1. Karen Shuman's Yoga One Year Anniversary Saturday 10:00am - karen took over annie's yoga studio in sherman oaks a year ago, and to celebrate the occasion, she's holding a party at her studio -- renamed karen shuman's beyond yoga -- complete with a full-day schedule of classes and vendors. here's what she posted recently:
10:00-10:30am Yoga with Ropes Karen S.
11:00-11:30am Hatha Flow Dario
12:00-12:30pm Gentle Therapeutic Yoga Monique
1:00-1:30pm Iyengar Andrea
1:45-2:15pm Gentle Hatha Avalon
2:30-3:00pm Kundalini Yoga Alana
3:15-3:45pm Tai Chi Rapha
4:00-4:45pm Meditation w/ 4 elements Anthony
5:00-5:30pm Group Healing Mutiam
~ Mini Healing Sessions (no pre-registration, come early to sign up for a session)
ROOM A - 11-1pm Tarot Card Readings w/ Vee / 1-3pm EFT w/ Brian Guzman / 3-5pm Hypnotherapy w/ Shauna Krikorian
ROOM B - 1-3pm Massage with Suzy Harbulak / 3-5pm Massage with Avalon Solange
~ Enjoy healthy food and beverages!!
~ Don't forget to bring your gently used Business Clothing for our clothing drive in support of Urban Possibilities!!
ENTIRE DAY IS DONATION!!!

2. Intro to Yoga Tantra FlowTM Workshop: Exploring the Chakras Saturday 1:00pm - isabelle du soleil will be teaching this balancing flow class at yogaglo in santa monica. according to the yogaglo blog:
"Join us for an amazing Energetic Vinyasa flow & Meditation Workshop to awaken, ignite and balance your 7 chakras or energy centers. The chakras are the keys to a greater physical, mental, psychological and spiritual balance..."
i know i could always use some balance to smooth out my crazy day!

3. Pacquiao vs. Cotto Saturday 6:00pm - so far, i've missed every other televised fight of the pinoy boxing wonder, manny "pacman" pacquiao. and it looks like i'll have to miss this one, too. which is really too bad, because i've been invited to watch the pay-for-view HBO telecast at a friend's house... who'll also be providing filipino food to go with the experience! darn :( i'm sure i'll see the highlights on the news the next morning... and see if the vegas oddsmakers correctly predicted that he'll win it handily. (and yes, i know the fight has nothing do to with yoga -- and, in fact, is totally non-ahimsic -- but it's a plug for one of my people. yay!)

4. Casa de Milagros Fundraiser Saturday 6:00pm - ashley turner and ted mcdonald have put together a fundraiser at yogaglo in santa monica for casa de milagros, an orphanage started by mama kia near machu picchu in peru. not only will the money raised help pay for mama kia's medical expenses (she was recently diagnosed with bone cancer), as well as support the orphanage and the two soup kitchens she runs, but the highlight of the event is that KCRW DJs jason bentley and jeremy sole, plus uber-DJ carmen rizzo, will be spinning music the entire evening! to get a feel for what the music will be like, you can check out jason and jeremy's archived shows at KCRW.com as well as carmen's music at carmenrizzo.com.

5. Survivor: Yogabear Island Saturday 7:00pm - yogabear is a nationwide non-profit organization that provides free yoga to cancer survivors. jennifer pastiloff, director of the southern cal chapter of yogabear, has been devoting all her time to promoting this fundraiser that will be held at yogaco in santa monica. the evening will start with a yoga class taught by jennifer, with live music provided by erica rhodes on cello. after the class with be an amazing raffle with prizes provided by lululemon, exhale, whole foods, robert sturman, local restaurants, and many more!

6. Deva Premal and Miten Saturday 7:30pm - the last time deva premal and miten were in LA back in 2007, i attended their magical performance outdoors on the lawn at LMU. this time, they'll be chanting with bansuri artist manose at the historic barnum hall theater on the santa monica high school campus to promote their new CD, in concert. you can check the event flyer at the yogaworks website for ticket purchase information. if listening to them live doesn't bring you instant bliss, i'm afraid nothing else will.

7. David Newman Durga Das Saturday 8:30pm - i've been fortunate enough to have been to a few of david newman's kirtans -- in washington DC while i was visiting my sister, in philadelphia (david's home base) while i was visiting my daughter, and at least twice here in LA, my own home base. and every performance has been better than the last! this time, he's going to be chanting at bhakti yoga shala in santa monica, which is quickly becoming a tour stop for every major kirtan artist, including jai uttal, gaura vani, and now david newman.

so which one(s) will i go to? i'll let you know after i figure out how to be in more than one place at the same time!