‘Yogawoman’ and the new face of yoga

Just as yoga has had a powerful effect on women’s health, women have led a major transformation of yoga, a spiritual path originally intended for men.
The quiet revolution is documented in “Yogawoman,” which will be shown Saturday, March 10 in a free screening hosted by Yoga Community.

Yoga was brought to the west from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now women are leading the way, among them Anne O’Brien of Glen Ellen, an instructor at Yoga Community.

The studio’s Lisa Murray said the event will honor O’Brien, who appears in the film and is featured on the March cover of the influential national magazine “Yoga Journal.”

Murray said the photo is pretty big deal. “In the yoga world, it’s like getting your picture on the cover of “Rolling Stone.’”

O’Brien has taught for nearly 20 years, trains teachers throughout California and Mexico, and is completing her first book, “Modern Yoginis,” on the contribution of Western women to the practice of yoga.

The film features interviews with her and other women on how the “new” yoga is replacing the male-centered, rigid style with a distinctly feminine practice that honors intuition, family, connection, community and the cyclical nature of women’s lives.

“It documents women’s role in yoga,” Murray said. “Yoga was designed for men. Now it’s 90 percent women, not just in the West but all over the world.”

The 6:30 p.m. event is free, but donations will be accepted for the Valley of the Moon Teen Center yoga program. There will be very limited chair seating. The studio has many blankets and other props to make floor seating more comfortable. Tony Coturri and Susan Sterns will be pouring tastes of Coturri wines, and light hors d’oeuvres will be offered.

Yoga Community is located at 577 5th Street West in the West Plaza shopping center. For more information contact 935-8600 or Yogacommunity.net.