beginnings and endings
Adventure Club begins in August and ends in early December. It is now full. Thanks for your interest. Note also that you may attend the Monday and Wednesday night lectures (workshops, films) even without being a member of the club.
the punch card
Each
club member has a punch card.
It is used to keep track of the classes you've taken, the lectures
you've attended, the readings you've completed. This way, you can miss
days due to illness or
emergency with no worries, you can even go on vacation. There
are
some overall time limits... but they mainly have to do with how many
months in advance the program is guaranteed to be in service. You can
read about this in the application section below. Adventure Club begins in August and ends in early December. It is now full. Thanks for your interest. Note also that you may attend the Monday and Wednesday night lectures (workshops, films) even without being a member of the club.
the punch card
curriculum
hours
| Session type | Teacher/Location | Hours | Total hours |
| 42 Yoga classes | Cal Clements | 1.5 | 63 |
| 18 Lectures | Cal Clements | 3.5 | 63 |
| 30 Yoga classes | Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution | 1.5 | 46 |
| 8 Yoga teaching practicums | Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution | 1.5 | 12 |
| 8 Individual meetings | Cal Clements | 2 | 16 |
| TOTAL CONTACT HOURS | 200 | ||
Non-contact hours (to be performed on your own time) include the reading of books, daily cleanings, daily charting, & health measurements.
dietary
disciplines
& charting
To
begin
training and also at a second point in the training, students must have
a blood panel taken to get a base measurement. This may
be done at the Clarke
County Health Department. Fast
10 hours prior (you can drink
water). We will make a variety of dietary shifts in a progressive and cumulative manner. Students use charts to keep track.
| Level One | Whole-foods, plant-based diet | This more strict than a vegan diet in that Oreo cookies are not allowed. Grains are eaten in whole form. |
| Level Two | No intoxicants | This includes alcohol, cigarettes, and all other recreational drugs. |
| Level Three | No caffeine | This includes coffee and black tea. Note that decaffienated coffee is not recommended. |
| Level Four | No sugar | Including agave nectar, etc. Fruit is allowed in small quantities, if you like. Stevia is fine. |
| Level Five | 60% raw food | Meaning that 60% of calories comes from uncooked vegetables. Rough estimation is adequate. |
| Level Six | 80% raw food | Meaning that 80% of calories comes from uncooked vegetables. |
Each student must choose a level that they regard as ideal/possible and hold to it for at least one month without infraction (Level One is held throughout the training). For purposes of this training, one cannot mix and match levels. The levels are cumulative. (Note: You don't have to get to Level Six.)
Adventure Club members mark a chart daily, to keep track of behaviors, measure pH twice daily, and other items of interest.
yoga
classes
Yoga
classes
taken with Cal Clements will mostly be ashtanga primary series with
variations. These are offered weekday mornings at 9 am and some
evenings. Students also take classes from teachers at Rubber
Soul Yoga Revolution. Notifiy the instructor ahead of the class of your
participation in Adventure Club and request extra attention. After
class you may ask questions. Note that if you arrive to a
class
late or leave a class early, the class doesn't count on the punch card.
Note
also that classes taken outside of the studio and/or home practices do
not count for these purposes. lectures
On Monday and
Wednesday nights
from 7-10:30, Cal Clements will give a lecture, which
is also a workshop and sometimes a film viewing. The topics
won't
be announced
ahead of time. "Lectures" may include the technical aspects of
yoga
poses, anatomy, human physiology, the history of
yoga, pranayama, meditation, philosophy, ethics, the business of yoga,
teaching methodology, diet and nutrition, the state of the planet, the
cumulative effects of individual human lifestyle choices, the human
response to death, social status and ego, laughing exercises,
mindfulness, theater games, and play. Note that these sessions are open
to the public, as are all the other yoga classes in this program.the
director
Dr.
Cal Clements is the director
of training. He invented Rubber Soul in 2006 and, since then, has
clocked
in well over 2000 hours of yoga teaching. His style of yoga is based on
ashtanga. His classes combine philosophical and historical insight (He holds a Ph.D. in
Comparative Literature) with theater and movement training
(which he
began to study in 1977). He has taken
workshops in yoga from Shiva Rae, Desiree
Rambaugh, Steve
Ross, Dharma Mittra,
Richard Freeman, Tias Little, Chuck Miller, David Swenson, Doug
Swenson, Sarah Faircloth, Glenn Black, and Sally Kempton. His certification
in ashtanga yoga
comes from Downward Dog in
Toronto where he studied under Ron Reid and Diane Bruni.teacher practicums
things
to buy
1.
Tongue scrapper
Stainless Steel Tongue Cleaner
2. Neti pot Himalayan Institute Ceramic Neti Pot, White/Yellow
3. Eye cup Glass Eye Cup
4. Ear swabs, such as Q-Tips
5. Dental floss, which could be the normal kind and/or you could try the little plastic "flossers"
6. Skin-scrubbing brush
7. Enima bag Enema Bag
8. pH test strips PH TEST TAPE
2. Neti pot Himalayan Institute Ceramic Neti Pot, White/Yellow
3. Eye cup Glass Eye Cup
4. Ear swabs, such as Q-Tips
5. Dental floss, which could be the normal kind and/or you could try the little plastic "flossers"
6. Skin-scrubbing brush
7. Enima bag Enema Bag
8. pH test strips PH TEST TAPE
reading
list
Read 8 of these
books in any order you like. (You can click on the image to
get
the book.) When you've completed a book, schedule an appointment with
Cal Clements to discuss the ideas. 
also:
Hot: Living Through the Next 50 Years on Earth. Mark Hertsgaard
The Great Oom. Robert Love
Slaughterhouse. Gail Eisnitz
Happy for No Reason. Marci Shimoff
Lick the Sugar Habit. Nancy Appleton
Eat to Live. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
The Food Revolution, John Robbins
Note: You can't choose books that you've already read or that aren't on this list.
fees
On
the whole, this is
a donation program, but there are some absolute
fees and objects to purchase. Here's how it works:1. To begin, write a check for $108. This is non-refundable. It holds your place in the program and serves to indicate your intent to complete it.
2. Then have blood drawn at the Health Center. The full panel costs $35.
3. Then you are given your punch card. Classes you take begin to count toward certification. For each of these classes, donate as you normally would for classes at Rubber Soul.
4. There are books to purchase. Each time you complete one of your 10 books, create an appointment with Cal Clements. This 2-hour meeting is a time to over the reading, charts, progress, and any questions/thoughts/feelings. The fee for each of these meetings is $20. (There are 10 of them.) (Note: If you schedule one and miss it, you must pay $10 extra the next time. If Cal misses one, you may have a $10 discount the next time.) (Note: If you come to your appointment without the fee, there is a $10 late charge.)
5. Cleaning implements must be obtained. You keep track of health & dietary disciplines on your charts (which are free). These are reviewed in the individual meetings (above).
6. The lectures nights are free.
7. At some point in the journey toward the end, a second blood test must be taken (another $35).
8. To graduate, you must pass a final exam with a C or above. These exams are slightly different for each student based on the readings but they generally cover the names of yoga poses, anatomy, yogic philosophy, etc. The test fee is $40 for one student. (Note that if you don't pass the test, you have to pay the fee again for each following attempt.)
certification
At
the culmination of
the program, once you have met all the
requirements, then it is possible that you will receive certification
as a Rubber Soul Yoga Teacher and Emeritus Adventure Club Member. Note
that this is a possibility and not an actual one-to-one,
cause-and-effect event. This is because, ultimately, certification is
given by Cal Clements, the director, based on his confidence
that you have done the work to the utmost of your abilities and are now
ready to honor the title. The certificate is given based on
the spirit that is developed during the process. Note: The Adventure Club is not affiliated with any outside agencies. It stands alone, as an end in itself, purely on the authority of the program director and the work we do at Rubber Soul. Also note that certification is not required to teach yoga in the United States or probably anywhere. It isn't like massage therapy but more like dance or martial arts.
ok,
i want to do this
Admissions are now closed. But you can answer these questions purely as a thought experiment.Name:
Age:
When and how did you come to yoga?
Describe your yoga practice (years of, frequency of, style, intentions, etc):
Discuss your health and physical issues:
Discuss your diet, issues with food, and intentions for nutrition and ethics of eating:
How do you feel about holding a vegan diet throughout the course of the training?
Discuss your relationship to legal or illegal drugs:
Are you smoking? (If yes, explain.)
Are you drinking? (If yes, describe and explain.)
How does yoga relate to your spiritual life?
When you consider enrolling in this program, what difficulties to you envision?
How do you see the state of the world and your part in making change?
what we did so far this fall
| Date |
Workshop |
Game |
Film |
| Monday, August 1 |
Downward Dog |
tossing ball in wheel pattern |
"Ashtanga, NY" |
| Wednesday, August 3 |
Chaturanga Dandasana + 2 blenders |
circle games |
Edward Clark, "Nonviolence Includes Animals" "Laughing Clubs in India" |
| Monday, August 8 |
Anatomical position, movements fo the body, the knee |
7 and 3 energy circles |
"Everything's Cool" |
| Wednesday, August 10 |
Psoas, how tight hips can affect the knee and what to do about it |
jumping rope |
"A Touch of Greatness" (inspired teaching of Albert Cullum) |
| Monday, August 15 |
Shoulders: scapula, rotator cuff stabilization in certain yoga poses |
eye contact |
"Crazy, Sexy Cancer" |
| Wednesday, August 17 |
206 bones in the human body |
Mr. Hit |
"The Yes Men" (world poverty and the WTO) |
| Monday, August 22 |
6 core movements of the spine, sequencing gentle yoga |
3 circles of energy and walking city streets |
"Dying to Have Known" (Dr. Max Gerson) |
| Wednesday, August 24 |
Handstands + carrot juicing |
trips and falls |
"The End of Poverty?" |
| Monday, August 29 |
Organs of the human body |
(none) |
"Temple Grandin" |
| Wednesday, August 31 |
You are the clock: breath, tick, tock: Calling out a vinyasa sequence |
"Who killed King John?" |
Paul Grilley's anatomy concepts: compression and tension |
| Monday, September 5 |
Eight limbs of Ashtanga: definitions and thoughts. Five Yamas. Five Niyamas |
"Who killed King John?" |
"The Age of Stupid" |
| Wednesday, September 7 |
Calling out vinyasa sequence |
Mr. Hit |
"Whale Warrior" |
| Monday, September 12 |
Utthita Trikonasana & making adjustments |
Circle eye-bridge game |
"The Yes Men Fix the World" |
| Wednesday, September 14 |
Memorizing Sanscrit: eight limbs, five yamas, five niyamas |
Circle with medicine ball |
"Forks Over Knives" |
| Monday, September 19 |
Pranayama: nadi shodhana, kapalabhati, holotropic, laughing... |
Laughing in a 20 minute block |
2 episodes of "Better Off Ted" and PETA's "Meet your Meat." |
| Wednesday, September 21 |
Inversions: Adho Vrksasana, Sirsasana, Urdhva Danurasana, Utanasana, Sarvangasana |
(none) |
"Arctic Tale" |
| Monday, September 26 |
Meditation, assists with floating to Adho Mukha Svanasana |
(none) |
"Manufactured Landscapes" |
| Wednesday, September 28 |
Anatomical names for movements of the body, calling yoga poses, Pincha Mayurasana |
(none) |
"The People Speak" (Howard Zinn and class struggle) |
| Monday, October 3 |
Calling yoga poses using Sanscrit names & adding meaning to the class |
(none) |
"Flight from Death" |
| Wednesday, October 5 |
The lymphatic system (immune system, lymph, and stress) |
Who killed King John? |
"Killer Stress" (studies with baboons and the impact of social stress on immunity) |
| Monday, October 10 |
Shavasana, offering adjustments in this pose, placing eye pillows, etc. |
(none) |
"Fast Food Nation" |
| Wednesday, October 12 |
Anatomy of the spine, back pain and disc issues, yoga poses related to backbending. |
Jiggling and a talk on meditation |
"Connective
Tissue and tensegrity" (an excerpt) and much of "The Power of
Community" (about Cuba's response to severe oil shortage) |
| Monday, October 17 |
Body symmetry, individual posture assessment |
(none) |
a bit of "Naked in Ashes" |
| Wednesday, October 19 |
Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society of America |
(none) |
(none) |
| Monday, October 24 |
Teacher practicums with meaning |
(none) |
"A Crude Awakening" |
| Wednesday, October 26 |
The business of yoga, with a focus on donation |
(none) |
The director's thoughts on producing "Earthlings" |
| Monday, October 31 |
"God is a trickster," philosophy of yoga, hacking the system |
(none) |
"The Matrix" |
| Wednesday, November 2 |
Downward dog: assists. |
(none) |
"Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" |
| Monday, November 7 |
5 most common injuries in yoga; poses to watch for; insurance claim reports; how to respond to injuries. |
(none) |
"Butterfly" (Julia Hill and Luna) |
| Wednesday, November 9 |
Authority
in yoga: Claims made in Ashtanga vs. Ralph Waldo Emerson; Issues of
creating authority for oneself as a yoga teacher; What is "Guru?" |
(none) |
"Yoga Gurus" |
| Monday, November 14 |
Goddesses (Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Lalita) & shakti, philosophy grounded in meditation |
(none) |
"Sita Sings the Blues" |
| Wednesday, November 16 |
Inversions (and feeling the subtle energy of a pose) |
(none) |
"No Impact Man" |
| Monday, November 21 |
balance poses, the 5 Koshas, Zora Neale Hurston's version, the great chain of being |
(none) |
"First Amendment Project" |
| Wednesday, November 23 |
Jumping forward and back (review) and other curiosities |
(none) |
"Soundtrack for a Revolution" (Civil Rights) and "Tell Them Anything You Want" (Maurice Sendak) |
| Monday, November 28 |
Sanscrit names for yoga poses: shout and do |
(none) |
"The Hobart Shakespeareans" (inspired teacher and selfless servant) |
| Wednesday, November 30 |
Restorative yoga |
(none) |
"McLibel" |