Haṃsa Free School of Hatha Yoga

Hubbub (hubbubgroup.org) is a two year research project funded by the Wellcome Trust, the world’s largest private not for profit grantmaker for research on human and animal well being. Our mandate is to investigate emerging trends surrounding rest and busyness. What does it mean to be rested? To be active? To be busy? 

In November, we’ll be conducting a small pilot study of a new mobile phone–based platform for tracking rest and exploring its meanings. We’re looking for 15–20 individuals of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and physical conditions, to work with us. Here’s what is entailed: 

For three weeks starting Sunday, 1^st November you will receive notifications on phone your five times a day asking you to comment on your state of being. Responding to the questions takes less than three seconds. You’ll also wear a bracelet that we’ll provide that collects information on your heart rate. When you respond to one of our prompts, you’ll also get to see how other people in the group have responded. And you’ll get to participate in a series of six yoga classes, two each week, designed to explore the rhythmic alternation of vigorous activity and rest.

There is no cost to participate in the study, and the included yoga classes are free for study participants. We’ll kick off on Sunday, 1st November, with a meeting at Iyengar Yoga Zentrum Berlin from 12:30 to 16:00. If you sign up to participate, it is essential that you come to this meeting. Then the first three weeks of November, there will be two 75 minutes practices a week:

Monday 2,9, 16 November 07:30-08:45
Saturday 7, 14 and 21 November 15:00-16:45.

On Sunday 22 November 14:00-16:00 we’ll meet one last time. We’ll spend about an hour reviewing the study as a group and then we’ll do a short final practice together. If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with study coordinator Josh Berson josh@hubbubgroup.org