An Introduction to Breath-Centered Yoga | Leslie Kaminoff

The process of breathing is at the functional core of any mind-body practice. In this class, author and yoga educator Leslie Kaminoff will lead participants to a progressively deeper understanding of the vital forces at work in the human breathing mechanism. Topics covered will include the basic anatomy of breathing, the mechanics of spinal movement, coordinating the three diaphragms (bandhas), and how to stretch and strengthen the key structures of the breathing body. Ample time will be devoted to individual concerns and questions.

Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with thirty four years' experience in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy. He leads anatomy and yoga methodology workshops for many of the leading yoga associations, schools and training programs in the world. Leslie's book Yoga Anatomy, (co-authored with Amy Matthews), sold out its first print run of 19,000 within one month of its June 2007 release, and has been a top-selling yoga book ever since. With many international translations, and the release of the newly-revised second edition of Yoga Anatomy, there are currently over 500,000 copies in print.

Leslie is the founder of The Breathing Project, a non-profit educational corporation dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and education in New York City, where from October to June, Leslie can be found teaching his highly respected year-long courses in Yoga Anatomy. His courses are also available online to a worldwide audience at yogaanatomy.net. Currently there are 1000 students from 39 countries participating in this growing online community.

Leslie has also helped to organize international yoga conferences while serving as Vice-President of Unity in Yoga, and was part of the ad-hoc committee that established national standards for yoga teacher training. Prior to the formation of The Yoga Alliance, Leslie was a strong voice in the ensuing national debate regarding the application of those certification standards. This dialogue resulted in the creation of e-Sutra, an influential e-mail list and blog that has an active worldwide membership, and IYEA (The Independent Yoga Educators of America). His personal website is yogaanatomy.org.

Leslie has also released two innovative instructional products: The Human Kinetics DVD "Breath-Centered Yoga with Leslie Kaminoff" and the Sounds True Audio CD "Freeing the Breath - Health, Relaxation and Clarity Through Better Breathing."

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Laura Pauli

Laura Pauli’s culinary career began at a small unassuming cooking class at Home Chef in San Francisco in early 1997. Six years later, she graduated from the French Culinary Institute led by culinary gems such as Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, Alain Sailhac, and Andrea Robinson, MS. In New York, Laura cooked for and assisted some of the world's best chefs including Mario Lohninger (Danube), Morimoto (Morimoto & Iron Chef), Mark Franz & Emily Luchetti (Farallon), Michael Romano (Union Square Cafe), Mario Batali (Babbo), Marcella Hazan, Jonathan Cartwright (White Barn Inn), Martin Heierling (Bellagio, Sensi), Dave Pasternak (Esca), Richard Reddington (Redd, Auberge du Soleil), and Alice Waters (Chez Panisse).

After working as back kitchen chef on Jacques Pépin's PBS cooking show, "Fast Food, My Way", she moved to France where she cooked her way around the country: from the Côte d'Azur cooking at the Cannes Film Festival to a lobster boat in Brittany to the world famous Pierre Hermé Patisserie to the 3 Michelin star Four Seasons George V. Laura cooked for the legendary Olivia De Havilland and was the chef at the chateau featured in the DaVinci Code movie. She returned from France to work on Jacques Pepin’s most recent PBS television series, "More Fast Food, My Way,” as prop and food stylist. Laura’s first book, “My Keyboard for a Cutting Board ~ Adventures in a French Kitchen v1.0,” highlights her first three months cooking in France. She now splits her time between Paris and the San Francisco Bay Area providing culinary consulting, private chefing, teaching cooking classes and leading market tours.

Laura offers three hands-on cooking classes during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Hands-on classes are offered on Tuesday at 11 am and 4 pm and Thursday 4 pm, subject to change. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center. You also will have the opportunity to harvest produce you use from our organic garden, Tres Estrellas.

For more information and registration, please click here.

Concert | Marshall Chapman

Marshall Chapman is an American singer-songwriter-author who was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. To date she has released twelve critically acclaimed albums, and her songs have been recorded by everyone from Emmylou Harris and Joe Cocker to Irma Thomas and Jimmy Buffett. (complete list) Her 13th album is being released in 2013, called BLAZE OF GLORY (release date is May 28).

2010 was a banner year for Chapman. In January, she landed her first movie role, playing Gwyneth Paltrow's road manager in Country Strong. In February, her musical Good Ol' Girls (adapted from the fiction of Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, featuring songs by Matraca Berg and Marshall) opened off-Broadway. Later that fall, Chapman simultaneously released a new book ("They Came to Nashville") and a new CD, Big Lonesome.

They Came to Nashville was recently nominated for the 2011 SIBA Book Award for nonfiction. The Philadelphia Inquirer named Big Lonesome "Best Country/Roots Album of 2010," while Paste Magazine calls it "her masterpiece."

Of her three rockin' albums for Epic, the Al Kooper-produced Jaded Virgin was voted Record of the Year (1978) by Stereo Review. Her album, It's About Time… (Island, 1995), recorded live at the Tennessee State Prison for Women, drew rave reviews from Time, USA Today and the Village Voice.

Marshall's first book, "Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller" (St. Martin's Press) was a SIBA bestseller, 2004 SIBA Book Award finalist, and one of three finalists for the Southern Book Critics Circle Award. A softcover edition was released in 2004.

Marshall is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun and Nashville Arts Magazine. She has also written for Southern Living, The Oxford American, W, Town Magazine, the Bob Edwards Show (Sirius/XM), Performing Songwriter, and Vanderbilt Magazine.