come practice .
friday yoga: 8am meditation, 8:45 vinyasa yoga tree telegraph kirtan last sun's 7-9pm
news
 Hi everyone,I've been loving my Sweat and Study classes lately, and the discussions we've been having, ranging from formal meditation to how to bring wisdom to conflicts in everyday life. At the heart of these conversations is a desire, expressed by many of the participants, to integrate our practice of yoga and mindfulness into all our activities, work, and relationships. It is the application of the teachings to our lives that makes the performance of exercises (postures, concentration, breath work, inquiry) worthwhile. I was discussing European philosophy with a friend recently, and we came upon a common question: "The western inquiry into experience and reality is just as deep and sincere as the Asian one we study in the yogic texts, but doesn't seem to lead to liberation. Why not?" It's a complex and unfair question for lots of reasons, but one simple answer is... (read the whole note here) |
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Month-long
workshops reading core texts from
the yoga traditions
The Satipatthana Sutta is a
lyrical and inspiring map of practice
that describes the practice of
intimate attention simply but in
detail. It offers a wonderful overview
of meditation practice, and is
relevant for anyone who wants to apply
mindful awareness to their activities,
whether in formal sitting meditation,
yoga asana, work and relationships, or
personal growth work.
The
first class is up on YouTube. The
second will be there soon.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, July 8-29 (4 Sundays) |
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Friday
morning meditation and yoga Fun, warm, vigorous yoga
class, with mindfulness and bhakti
teachings woven into asana. Expect to
sweat, breathe, move and be still.
Simple instructions, time for silence,
space for the heart to breathe,
soften, see what's here. I make
space for rest and variations so that
everyone can practice at their own
level, and offer a flow that is
challenging but straightforward,
rooted in breath awareness and full
curious presence. |
the songs of the elders
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The Theravada Buddhist tradition is a beautiful, ancient path of meditation and wise action. It has been my primary practice tradition for 12 years, nurturing me through long silent retreats both here and in Asia, and offering solid, trustworthy guidance for a spiritual seeker. Theravada means "The Way of the Elders", and is the oldest living Buddhist tradition in the world. The Theravada monastic tradition has continued in an unbroken line from the Buddha's first disciplies over 2600 years ago. The monastics keep alive the ancient sacred language of Pali, a relative of Sanskrit, the language in which the words of the Buddha were first written down. The Pali chants range from simple phrases that can be used like mantras, to beautiful verses praising the Buddha or reminding us of Dharma teachings, to entire suttas, or scriptures, that lay out the Dharma in clear and inspiring poetry. Singing the words is a profound way to allow them to enter you, and even in an ancient language that few of us can speak, the power and truth of the words comes through. |
I have always loved these chants, and in 2005, Jack Kornfield asked me to research and compile new melodies for them that could be used on retreat. The versions that we have learned from our Thai and Burmese teachers are beautiful, but can also be dry. Many western practitioners (like me) respond to a more... passionate devotional style, and love the Hindu/American devotional chanting of Krishna Das and the kirtan tradition. I am working on a CD of Theravada
Buddhist chants, and will begin
recording this summer. I hope to
create a CD that is both meditative
and uplifting, inspiring practitioners
to learn these beautiful, ancient
chants and bring them to life in the
fire of practice. |
insight meditation & vinyasa
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Friday morning meditation and yoga 8am meditation, 8:45 vinyasa (all levels flow-based asana class) Fun, warm, communal practice, with mindfulness and bhakti teachings woven into asana. Expect to sweat, breathe, move and be still. Come to meditation beforehand, 8-8:40 (no extra charge). Simple instructions, time for silence, space for the heart to breathe, soften, see what's here. Beginners warmly welcome, but movement experience helps. Below are some short writings about the path of Dharma practice and the integration of yoga and meditation. |
what is dharma?
| All of us come to practice (to the yoga mat, the meditation cushion, the ancient texts, the fiery relationship with a powerful teacher) because we want something. Longing for freedom from sorrow and distress we sit through the infinite stretches of silent retreat, the rhythmic toll of daily practice, the years of study, search, and confusion that are the so-called Spiritual Life. We do it sustained by our longing for what's true, by the embrace of a community of seekers, by the teachings themselves, lighting the way. Our practice is called Dharma, a beautiful word that means The Way, Truth itself, and the teachings that show the way. | In the west, we are experiencing a reunion of two great streams of Dharma: Buddhist and Hindu yoga - streams that began together, but diverged through time, geography, and politics, until they seemed like separate paths. Buddhism has come to us with an emphasis on sitting meditation, and yoga with an emphasis on physical cultivation, but their common roots and deep compatibility are now being explored in ways that have been rare for a thousand years. As western practitioners, we can learn from both traditions as we craft an organic spiritual practice that nurtures body, heart, awareness and energy, and can hold all of who we are in a complex world. |
three aspects of practice
| At the heart of every contemplative tradition are three inseparable practices: concentration, inquiry, and opening the heart. In Buddhist yoga, these these core Liberative skills are called samatha ("unification of mind"), vipassana ("clear seeing"), and metta ("loving-kindness"). In Hindu yoga, they are three of the great practices in the Bhagavad Gita: Raja, Jnana, and Bhakti. They can be seen as separate practices, and some practitioners resonate more with one flavor than another, but all three are there in every spiritual path because they naturally give rise to each other. The still mind naturally radiates kindness and compassion. The open heart is naturally curious, seeking to uproot the sources of disease and sorrow. Curiosity itself leads to focus and non-distraction. | Each of the great yogic traditions says the same thing: we are lost, not seeing clearly, and the way to Liberation comes through clear seeing, which wakes us up from the dream of isolation, gain and loss, fear of life and death. This dream is sustained by a deep, grasping thirst, tanha, which clings to what we like, and pushes away what we don't. Constantly pulled into the future by this thirst, the Buddha said, we "wander through the rounds of birth and death, without rest, without reward". It takes practice to notice this thirst clearly enough to begin to make new choices. Both meditation and yoga are mirrors in which we see ourselves and our situation more clearly, both light and dark, and can begin to wake up, finding a simple presence in the middle of it all. And presence becomes freedom. |
how the mind begins to open
| In order to begin to find another way, we start by noticing the activity of the mind. Grasping, resisting and confusion all happen in the mind, and the first step toward freedom is to make some space. We do this either by focusing attention on one thing (like the breath, or body sensations, or sounds), or by repeatedly letting go of anything that pulls us out of the moment and resting with our attention open and spacious. Both of these are methods of samatha, or "unification of mind". | Once some space is available, we begin to see more and more clearly the habits and tendencies of the mind to lean toward or away from experience, and the way that distress arises from this leaning. This clear seeing is called vipassana, which literally means "clear seeing". In the yoga tradition, this liberating witness is the heart of the path of jnana, or luminous knowledge. As presence deepens and stillness becomes radiant, we see more and more clearly whats true, giving rise to profound insight into our human experience, and with it a deep unfolding liberation from fear and suffering. |
& the heart goes with
| One of the blessings of consistent mindfulness and meditation is the softening of the calcified heart. When the habitual clench of fear is released even a little bit, there is a natural upwelling of love and compassion for ourselves and all beings. This natural love is called metta, sometimes translated "loving-kindness" to indicate the universal reach of an open heart. The radiant devotional energy of bhakti yoga springs from the same source. With a mind free from misery and a heart available for life to flow through it, any moment is simple, unconfused and beautiful, and any living being worthy of care and love. | The formal practice of metta is a beautiful mantra-like discipline in which we send blessings of peace, health, and well-being to ourselves, people we know, and to beings everywhere, radiating our love through the whole cosmos. This practice was taught by both the Buddha and the great yoga sage Patanjali, and is another of the many points of ancient integration between the two lineages. When we sing the names of the Divine in kirtan, we are opening to that same blessing, offering our prayer for the well-being of all through song. |
last sunday kirtan at yoga mandala
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Come refresh your heart and re-devote yourself to Bhakti, the beautiful yoga of surrender and praise, at our monthly chanting and meditation gathering.
Kirtan is an easy and accessible practice, with no experience necessary, but can be a deeply sustaining element of a spiritual practice.
2807 Telegraph at Stuart, Berkeley
Every last Sunday, 7-9ish pm
Upcoming kirtan dates:
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Kirtan is a relaxed community practice. We sing, talk, hear stories, drink chai, and sit in silence together. We sing mantras and chants (bhajans) from the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and are learning the Hanuman Chalisa, a beautiful and deeply-loved prayer to Hanuman, Rama and Sita. (Chant sheets available for download below.)
Kids are welcome, but asked to be silent during the meditation (about 20 minutes, usually around 8ish). Feel free to contact me if you're wondering about bringing a child and want more details.
We offer this practice in the ancient tradition of dana (generosity), completely on a donation basis. Your gifts support me, and the guest musicians, to continue offering this practice that we adore, and Yoga Tree, which so warmly donates the space. Your gifts, of money, but also your presence, voice, and sincere practice, are very gratefully received. I look forward to singing with you. |
mira has finished with waiting
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O friends on this path, How long did I stand in the house
of this body and stare at the road? Mira belongs to Giridhara,
Mirabai (trans. Jane Hirshfield) |
chant sheets and texts
somatic experiencing
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Warm, supportive psychological work can be one of the most profound disciplines a yogi can take on. Mindfulness and yoga practice opens doors and windows in the heart and mind that may not have been cracked in many years. Doors that may have been broken, slammed, or locked in early childhood; windows that have become fogged and opaque with age. Skillfully caring for these ancient wounds is a necessary part of any spiritual Path.
A brilliant method for working with the wounded heart (mind, body, spirit...) is the counseling modality Somatic Experiencing. Developed by Peter Levine, it addresses bound energy, or trauma, in the nervous system through concentrated attention, body awareness and a slow, step-by-step approach to contacting and unwinding traumatic residue. SE supports each person's natural ability to heal from trauma by providing a gentle and skillful container for reintegration. |
SE invites skillful integration of traumatic experience without retriggering or getting lost in concepts or story. It can be a profound support for inner work, no matter what our primary discipline is. Many yogis and meditators (like me) use it as a very deep form of supported meditation and inquiry that touches both the psychological and energetic aspects of spiritual unfolding. You can find more info on SE from the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, the organization dedicated to developing this work, and with whom I did my training.
Counseling sessions with me are also grounded in Buddhist and yogic psychology. In addition to formal SE, we can address issues arising in spiritual practice and engage in meditative inquiry. This orientation grounds our work in a wide and ancient lineage of liberation and inner development. |
rates and scheduling
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I am offering sessions currently on a generous sliding scale. It's my hope that this allows folks with many levels of resource to come, and allows me to deepen my skill as a practitioner through the honor of working in an ongoing way with clients. If you think sessions might support your unfolding or spiritual path, please call and we can talk more.
Sessions are 75 minutes, and cost $70-45. (Pay what you can afford on that scale.)
I see people at the East Bay Healing Collective, which is a lovely community Dharma space that I help run. It's at 1840 Alcatraz at Adeline, in South Berkeley, a few blocks from Ashby Bart.
Call or send a note for more info: 510 984 4008 or email me at [email protected]. |
current projects
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Current work includes a
contemplative
installation/opera/party to premier
at UC Davis as part of my PhD there.
I don't know what it's about yet,
but I think it performs at midnight,
has dance music, songs, and stories. I'm also working on a CD of Buddhist chants (see Songs of the Elders, under Now) with Geoffrey Gordon. |
Much of my creative work nowadays is writing - a natural result of being back in school. You can read some under the "writing" tab. There's recent newsletters, writings about Dharma/yoga, some denser theoretical papers, and a handful of poems. |
past work, audio & video
dharma & poems
academic writing
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recent writing about music and
contemplative practice
Inverted
Bowls: Buddhist contemplative
practices as political protest
vocabulary Her Heart Can Lift Mountains by Beating: Form and Formlessness in Contemplative Theater Reason Exhausted: art, home, and a life in zen Mother Chord: from Death in Venice to Dead Man An analysis of Haydn's Sonata op. 49 An analysis of Hugo Wolf's Die Verlassene Magdlein You Are the Music
While the Music Lasts: improv,
zen, time
I am currently a PhD student in Performance Studies at UC Davis with a Designated Emphasis in Performance and Practice. I am studying the intersections between live performance and contemplative practices, weaving in my loves for yoga and meditation, free jazz improvisation, postmodern dance, performance art, and lyric nonfiction.
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dharma & yoga
  
Sean’s teaching is dedicated to the
integration of yoga and meditation,
and draws on 18 years of practice in
both. He was a monk in Burma in
2002, and has studied with many
wonderful teachers including Jack
Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein and
Eugene Cash (Dharma/meditation),
David Moreno and Alice Joanou
(yoga), and Steve Hoskinson (Somatic
Experiencing). Sean teaches at Yoga
Tree and SF Insight, and leads
kirtan, offering the practice of
Bhakti Yoga as an integral aspect of
a heart-centered Path. Sean is in
training to teach meditation &
Dharma with Jack Kornfield. |
arts
   
Sean Feit is a classically trained
composer and multi-instrumentalist.
He studied music composition at
California Institute of the Arts
(BFA, 1993), focusing on Renaissance
polyphony and opera, and Cornell
University (Graduate Fellowship,
1995-6), beginning to develop a
contemplative performance
vocabulary. He lived for a year in a
Zen monastery, absorbing the radical
stillness and listening of that
ancient practice, and has been
committed to Buddhist practice for
18 years. [this page has
a length bug, so you have to
reload the page to read the rest
of my bio... I'll fix it someday!] In SF, Sean studied modern dance with Kathleen Hermsdorff, performance and Contact Improvisation with Keith Hennessy and Jess Curtis, butoh with Katsura Kan and others, classical piano with David Arden, Alexander Technique with John Ingle, and Authentic Movement with Bill McCully. Sean co-directed RUJEKO Performance Collaboration with Keren Abrams from 1997-2005 and produced six full-length pieces integrating site-specific movement, live music, and text. RUJEKO performed in public spaces in the city and in nearby rural/park land, as well as in formal theater spaces, creating a ritual performance language deeply informed by meditative practice, and became known for their willingness to stretch time, expectations and comfort in pursuit of image and immediacy. In addition to solo and directing work, Sean has danced or made music with Scott Wells, Angus Balbernie, The Bodycartography Project, Seth Eisen, AVY K Productions, and Leslie Seiters Little Known Dance Theater, for whom he created the score for The Way to Disappear (2005). Sean is a member of Keith Hennessy’s critically acclaimed company, Circo Zero. His music for Circo Zero's Sol Niger (2008) was called “brilliantly charged” (SF Bay Guardian), and “bold, dazzling and filled with fresh insights” (Beyond Chron). Sean’s music for Sol Niger won an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Sound/Text 2007-8. [email protected] / 510 984 4008
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You can also like me on Facebook, and you'll get just event invites (to kirtan and performances), but not so much Dharma and poems. (Of course you can unlike me anytime.)
[email protected]510 984 40085133a West St, Oakland, Ca 94608 |