Enlighten Up! Yoga does Nick Rosen...and Kate Churchill.

on Apr 3, 2009

Holy Yogi! Nick Rosen, Kate Churchill & Enlighten Up! yoga movie reviewed in New York Times!

I think…after holding off for months…I can officially say…I knew Nick Rosen when. Of course, he has been in the Times a fair amount before…still, the below must represent a special moment for Nick Rosen and Kate Churchill, the yogini behind Enlighten Up!

To read the whole thing, click the image above. Excerpt:

…Approaching the subject through Mr. Rosen is a doubly smart strategy: it allows the uninitiated viewer to explore yoga through a surrogate, and it marginalizes Ms. Churchill’s blatant agenda and rather grating personality.

Yoga appeals to Mr. Rosen as a superb workout more than as a route to enlightenment, and he tours the various studios and methods of the international yoga scene (from New York to Los Angeles and Hawaii before an extended, and fascinating, trip to India) with both an open mind and a dubious eye for its more metaphysical trappings. This clearly frustrates a filmmaker eager to acclaim the “transformative” aspects of the discipline.

As the title indicates, “Enlighten Up!” explores its subject with a light touch and welcome sense of humor. That it ends with a lack of resolution about yoga’s ultimate goal suggests that Mr. Rosen wasn’t the only one to gain some self-knowledge along the way…read the rest.

Trailer, for those of you who haven’t yet seen:

Founder of elephant magazine (founded: 2002, went national as indie magazine, & successfully transitioned online in 2009 [because mainstream magazine distribution is wildly inefficient from an eco-responsible point of view]) is dedicated to "bringing together those working (and playing) to create enlightened society." It's about anything that helps us to live a good life that's also good for others, and our planet. elephantjournal.com (named Top 10 in the US by over 40 sites) and host of "Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis," a national “top ten ‘green’ video blog," Waylon was born in Boulder, Colorado, raised at a Buddhist meditation retreat in Vermont, graduated from Boston University’s top-ranked magazine journalism school; and is a top columnist for Huffington Post, daily bike commuter, workaholic, mediocre climber & best friend of Redford (a rescue hound). His goals in life: to take a long bath tonight with Dwell, The Sunday NY Times, The New Yorker & a glass of Talisker with one ice cube; publish a best-selling novel (and get filthy rich); have 12 red-headed chil'n (and only one wife); run for President (and lose) & have fun all along the way. ~~~ founder: elephantjournal.com | host: Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis. Ft. on 20 sites, incl. Huffington Post. ~ 200,000 unique visitors/month: Google Analytics. ~ Treehugger: Reader's Choice "Eco Ambassador in Culture & Celebrity" + 2010 "Changemaker" ~ Discovery Network's Planet Green: "Green Hero" ~ Shambhala Sun: "Prominent Buddhist" ~ Naturally Boulder: "'07 Entrepreneur of Year" ~ 5280 Magazine: "Top Single '09" ~ MNN: Top 10 US Green Video Blog ~ Beliefnet: Top 10 Buddhist Blog ~ Shorty Awards: #1 Green Twitter in US ~~~ To connect: "elephantjournal on Facebook" "Waylon Lewis on Facebook" & "Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis" on Facebook On twitter: twitter.com/waylonlewis and our award-winning twitter account, named #1 nationally in green: twitter.com/elephantjournal