2012 New Years Yoga Workshop Jan 8th 1-3pm with Garry Alesio in Vista CA

From my new Yoga class playlist today... 11/14 Savasana Relaxation Music

From my new Yoga class playlist today... Just the beautiful pure sounds of the ocean washing up onto the shore I used it for Savasana in class this morning and will again tonight as well. There are three seperate cuts each over 30mins .Namaste

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/3d-ocean-environment/id41230533

If You Knew--- Poem by Ellen Bass

If You Knew--- Poem by Ellen Bass

What if you knew you'd be the last
to touch someone?
If you were taking tickets, for example,
at the theater, tearing them,
giving back the ragged stubs,
you might take care to touch that palm,
brush your fingertips
along the life line's crease.

When a man pulls his wheeled suitcase
too slowly through the airport, when
the car in front of me doesn't signal,
when the clerk at the pharmacy
won't say Thank you, I don't remember
they're going to die.

A friend told me she'd been with her aunt.
They'd just had lunch and the waiter,
a young gay man with plum black eyes,
joked as he served the coffee, kissed
her aunt's powdered cheek when they left.
Then they walked half a block and her aunt
dropped dead on the sidewalk.

How close does the dragon's spume
have to come? How wide does the crack
in heaven have to split?
What would people look like
if we could see them as they are,
soaked in honey, stung and swollen,
reckless, pinned against time?

by Ellen Bass

Viloma Pranayama

Viloma Pranayama
'Vi' means against, Loma means hair, viloma means against the natural flow. In Viloma pranayama the inhalations and exhalations are interrupted with brief pauses.
Instructions
Find a comfortable seated posture Gently exhale all of the air from the lungs.
Hold the nose with the thumb and one finger.

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Stage 1
Inhale through both nostrils without restricting the intake in any way. On the exhalation stop when the air when it is half way out. Hold the breath for about 4 seconds before continuing to exhale all of the air out of the lungs.

Finding the half way point can be challenging and takes some time and inner analysis. Enjoy these early stages of pranayama and always practice fine tuning the lower Stage instructions.

When exhaling control the air as it leaves the lungs through the nostrils. Make the outflow of air even on both sides.

Begin to also control the intake of air through the nostrils so that it is even. (This can be quite hard if one nostril is completely blocked. If this is the case just allow the intake of air to flow in as well as possible without obstruction.)

After this is mastered work up to 2 pauses during exhalation. Practice this for a while before increasing the amount of pauses further.

There can be many pauses after exhalation. The exhalation can be done with continuous short fast pauses. This causes a completely different type of energy but does not provide the same insight to different parts of the breath.


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Stage 2
Inhale and halfway fill the lungs then pause for a few seconds before continuing to breathe. Spend time finding the point where the lungs are half full. To do this count on an uninterrupted inhalation. Interrupt half way through the count.

Exhale out of both nostrils evenly. If one nostril is naturally blocked a little try closing the other partially so that they both release the same amount of air at the same time.

After finding a good breathing rhythm and maintaining it for some time introduce 2 pauses during inhalation. Practice this for a while before increasing the amount of pauses further to 3 or 4 pauses during inhalation.


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Stage 3
On the inhalations breath normally. Pause after inhalation
On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.

It is also good practice to reduce the pause for the first few breaths and slowly fine tune the pauses a little longer when there is less internal conflict.


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Stage 4
Pause up to 4 times during inhalation. Pause at the top of the breath Exhale without interruption.


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Stage5
Pause up to 4 times during inhalation. Pause at the top of the breath
On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.


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Stage 6
On the inhalations breathe without interruption. On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.
Introduce a pause at the bottom of the breath

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Stage 7
On the inhalations breathe with interruptions pausing up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.
On the exhalations breathe smoothly and without interruptions.
Pause at the bottom of the breath
Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next breath. Most of the time the breath is held for too long be sensible and gradually increase the durations so that comfortable practice takes place without struggle.


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Stage 8
On the inhalations breathe with interruptions pausing up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.

On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds. Pause at the bottom of the breath

Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next breath. Most of the time the breath is held for too long be sensible and gradually increase the durations so that comfortable practice takes place without struggle.

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Stage 9
On the inhalations breathe without interruption. Hold at the top the inhalation. Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next part of the breath.
On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.
Pause at the bottom of the breath
Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next inhalation.

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Stage 10
On the inhalations breathe with interruptions pausing up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.
Hold at the top the inhalation. Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next part of the breath.
On the exhalations breathe smoothly and without interruptions.

Pause at the bottom of the breath
Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next inhalation.
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Stage 11
On the inhalations breathe with interruptions pausing up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.

Hold at the top the inhalation Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next part of the breath.

On the exhalations pause up to 4 times each time for 2 or 3 seconds.
Pause at the bottom of the breath Hold as long a possible without having a negative effect on the next inhalation.

It is also good practice to reduce the pause for the first few breaths and slowly fine tune the pauses a little longer when there is less internal conflict and a comfortable breathing rhythm.
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Based on a book by B.K.S Iyengar
Light on Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing


In grattitude to http://www.yogapranayama.net for this offering

The Four Ashramas of Yoga.. The traditional Indian culture promoted four Ashramas, or stages of spiritual life,

The Four Ashramas of Yoga
The traditional Indian culture promoted four Ashramas, or stages of spiritual life, that provided a simple framework of life planning for the spiritual aspirant. Each Ashrama defined a level of spiritual practice based on the duties and responsibilities required at each stage of life. The four Ashramas allowed the Indian culture to participate in and actively support a rich spiritual life, as well as gave the individual comfort and clarity to progress along the path of Self-realization. These four stages need not be practiced in a sequential order, and while they were traditionally discussed as lasting 21-25 years, the duration of the Ashramas will vary with the individual.

Brahmacharya (Student)
The first quarter of spiritual life is spent as a celibate student, closely studying with a spiritual teacher (guru). In this stage the focus is on yogic training, mental discipline, and learning about spiritual, community, and family life. This Ashrama creates the foundation and overview of spiritual practice that follows in the three other stages.

Grihasta (Householder)
The second quarter of spiritual life is spent as a householder, creating and supporting a family and fulfilling one’s worldly interests and duties. The most appropriate path of yoga for this stage is Bhakti and Karma Yoga, and other practices that can be performed in the context of worldly life and service to others. During this Ashrama one utilizes the training, discipline and knowledge gained from the Brahmacharya Ashrama to live a complete life and to enjoy worldly pleasures. The Householder’s challenge is to “Live in the world but allow not the world to live in you.” He or she must view life as a great teacher and strive towards a spiritual life in the midst of worldly temptations and distractions. The Householder path is also considered the most important Ashrama as it supports all of the other three Ashramas.

Vanaprasthya (Hermit)
In the third Ashrama, one begins to withdraw from the world to establish a state of hermitage. This is a transition stage, moving away from fulfilling the needs of the family and society to deepening the practices started as a householder in preparation for the forthcoming renunciate stage. A quiet living space is sought, a simple yogic lifestyle is practiced and the close ties with family and community are reduced to the role of a detached counselor.

Samnyasa (Renunciate)
In this last Ashrama, the yogi/ni retreats from all involvement in all worldly pursuits and seeks only the attainment of the unitive state of Self-realization. Becoming a Sannyasin requires committing to a set period of practice and the taking of spiritual vows, usually including a vow of poverty and the abandonment of physical possessions. In order that all their time, energy and focus could be expended on spiritual practices, the Sannyasin cannot stay in a household, he has to stay in a temple or live in forest or ashram, relying on charitable donations for food.

The structures and meanings of the Ashramas have changed over the years due to the loss of caste system and through the influence of Western culture. The distinctions between the Ashramas have over time become blurred, and their overall importance has become diminished. The deeper yoga practices, once only taught to renunciates, are now becoming available to Householders who wish to practice a hybrid path. Unfortunately, these changes have produced a level of confusion and misunderstanding in the modern world of yoga, as the levels and types of yoga practices are missing an overall context. Reviving the idea of the Ashramas will not only provide this missing context, it will also give modern yoga practitioners a valuable long–term plan for their progress along the path of yoga.

A New Yoga Class Music Playlist 8/1/2011

Divine Connections 8:28 Medwyn Goodall Dolphin Quest
Sacral Nirvana 5:35 Oliver Shanti & Friends Best of Oliver Shanti & Friends: Circles of Life
Pacific Drums 6:04 Drumspyder Kytheria
Khaleegi Stomp (Thievery Corporation Remix) 3:56 Transglobal Underground Desert Grooves 3
He Ma 3:43 Brenda McMorrow Ameya
Supreme Illusion (Nickodemus Remix) 4:02 Thievery Corporation ESL Remixed
Nama Sankirtana (Yoga Mix) 7:12 Ghandharva Cafe Yoga Salon
The Road 3:45 DJ Drez Jahta Beat
Arunachala 7:01 Steve Ross Grace Is the Name of the Game
Ong Namo - I Bow 5:42 Gurunam Singh The Journey Home
Waves of Delight 8:18 Gandalf Lotus Land
Ocean 8:05 Mirabai Ceiba Ocean
Balearic Blue 6:34 Blank & Jones Relax Edition 2 (Sun) - EP
Dawn Shimmer 8:13 Deuter East of the Full Moon
The Legend of Kristy Lynn 7:09 Rudy Adrian MoonWater
Dream Thirty 30:26 Liquid Mind Dream - A Liquid Mind Experience

My New Yoga Class Music Play List for July 19th Enjoy

My New Yoga Class Music Play List for July 19th Enjoy

Last Summer Rain 7:47 Diatonis Ambient Life
Ardes Bhaee 8:24 Mirabai Ceiba Jamtse - Love & Compassion
El Gato Loco (feat. Jef Stott) 4:06 Drumspyder The Nekyia Vol. 1
Nines Over Easy 7:51 Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience
Pacific Drums 6:04 Drumspyder Kytheria
Supreme Illusion (Nickodemus Remix) 4:02 Thievery Corporation ESL Remixed
Soulsmooth 5:09 Mahara Mckay Café del Mar, Vol. 14
In a Daydream (Acoustic) 4:00 The Freddy Jones Band The Freddy Jones Band
Night Highway 5:33 Andrey Denisov Café del Mar, Vol. 14
Ong Namo - I Bow 5:42 Gurunam Singh The Journey Home
Ocean 8:05 Mirabai Ceiba Ocean
Wavepool 1:00:00 Robert Rand Wavepool

Insight & Presence A Yin Yoga & Mindful Meditation workshop with Garry Alesio and Leslie Baron July 17th 1:30-3:30 PM offered Free as a gift to all

Insight & Presence A Yin Yoga & Mindful Meditation workshop
With Garry Alesio and Leslie Baron
This "Free" workshop is offered in gratitude as a gift from Garry,Leslie and PLAY "Please Register early spaces are limited"
July 17th; 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM P.L.A.Y. Yoga Studio Carlsbad CA
Peaceloveandyogastudio.com

Lightening Up for Spring.. Carlsbad.patch.com

Lightening Up for Spring carlsbad.patch.com

I was delighted to contribute to this edition of the Carlsbad Patch written by Megan Pincus Kajitani A P.L.A.Y Yoga Family member

I love to offer insights to help people get inspired about their lives. One way I practice this myself is to recommend getting 30-45 minutes less sleep. (Yes, less sleep!) Give yourself extra front-end-of-the-day time. Wake up before you need to, rather than squeeze out that last minute of sleep. Then prepare a wonderful breakfast of grains and fresh fruit, or even a baked sweet potato or brown rice. Get it all set, then go shower and dress, then sit quietly without the distractions of TV, computer or phone. Close your eyes and imagine the moment as a spa-like experience. - Garry Alesio, yoga teacher and personal trainer

My Yoga Class Music Play List 3/21/2011

Speechless 6:30 Diatonis~ Edge of the Dreamworld
Tower of Song 5:37~ Leonard Cohen The Essential Leonard Cohe
Teardrop 5:31 Massive Attack~ Mezzanine
Natural High 4:49 Tosca ~Natural High
Walking Through 6:13~ Kaya Project~ Walking Through
Africa 4:46 Cottonbelly~ X Amounts of Niceness
Marisi 6:38 Cantoma~ Cantoma
World of Guitars 4:37 Chaouzo Tunnel~ Chill Zone, Pt. 2
Harmonic Oasis 5:31 Kevin Wood~ Scenic Listening
The Long Way Back 4:47 7and5~ Trading Stories
Have a Little Faith 3:54 Michael Franti & Spearhead~ All Rebel Rockers
Track 4 6:57 Sigur Rós ( )
For Love of Woman 6:16 Robert Beau Michaels~ Tantra Bliss
Wavepool 1:00:00 Robert Rand~ Wavepool

2011 PLAY Yoga Studio 3 week Immersion Class Series with Garry Alesio (the second weekend) Sunday March 13 1:30-3:30

Immerse Integrate Inspire This Sunday March 13 1:30-3:30
Step into exciting second part of the Three Part PLAY Immersion Series with Garry Alesio
This Sunday we will focus on Hip Opening/Mobility and Backbends level one. We will also enjoy a playful energetic review of highlights from our Core Strengthening and Yoga workshop from the w...eek before. You are invited to attend one or all of Immersion Workshops.
.

My Yoga Class Music Play list for Tues Feb22 6pm PLAY 2 class at Peaceloveandyoga Carslbad Ca

An Ending (Ascent) 4:26 Brian Eno Apollo:
Opal 8:18 Adham Shaikh & Catherine Potter Fusion
Ha Yah 5:41 Erik Wøllo & Kouame Sereba Bako -
Earth Tribe 5:36 Didjworks collective unconscious
Bamboo Dub 6:01 Shaman's Dream SATORI - Eastern Yoga Grooves by Yogitunes
Soulsmooth 5:09 Mahara Mckay Café del Mar, Vol. 14
Night Highway 5:33 Andrey Denisov Café del Mar, Vol. 14
El Alba 5:44 Steen Thottrup Café del Mar, Vol. 14
Peaceful Heart 4:28 Gandalf Calling Wisdom
Light and Truth 9:54 Jeffrey Koepper Luminosity
Summer Fields 7:19 Rudy Adrian MoonWater
Wavepool 1:00:00 Robert Rand Wavepool

My Yoga Class Music Playlist 2/21/2011 for my classes at Peaceloveandyoga..YogaOceanside..YogaBranch..YogaVista Studio..Shadowridge Yoga

An Ending (Ascent) 4:26 Brian Eno Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Bamboo Dub 6:01 Shaman's Dream SATORI - Eastern Yoga Grooves by Yogitunes
Opal 8:18 Adham Shaikh & Catherine Potter Fusion
Soulsmooth 5:09 Mahara Mckay Café del Mar, Vol. 14
Night Highway 5:33 Andrey Denisov Café del Mar, Vol.
El Alba 5:44 Steen Thottrup Café del Mar, Vol. 14
Peaceful Heart 4:28 Gandalf Calling Wisdom New Age
Light and Truth 9:54 Jeffrey Koepper Luminosity
Summer Fields 7:19 Rudy Adrian MoonWater
Moment of Grace 10:58 Liquid Mind Liquid Mind VIII: Sleep
Rapture 16:49 Kip Mazuy Elements Of Ecstasy

A Yoga Fundraiser To Benefit The Lypps Family Sat March 12 2-4pm

A Yoga Fundraiser To Benefit The Lypps Family
Sat March 12 2011..2-4pm
YogaBranch Vista CA
www.YogaBranch.com

Yoga Class Music Playlist 1/27/2011

Summer Fields 7:19 Rudy Adrian MoonWater
Satyam Shivam Sundaram Featuring Gunjan 4:07 Thievery Corporation The Cosmic Game
Africa 4:46 Cottonbelly X Amounts of Niceness
Sun People (Earthrise Soundsystem Remix) 7:32 Nickodemus Sun People Remixed
Dourbiha 6:04 Mo Mo Earth 'n' Bass - Volume One
Indra 5:47 Urban Nature Coming Home
Floating 5:55 David Gordon Buddha Groove 4
Sometimes 9:12 Red Buddha Raindance
Atonement 5:22 Kevin Wood Kindred
Coming Home 5:54 Urban Nature Coming Home
Tropical Rainforest Paradise 1:00:34 Ethereal Dreams Pure Deep Relaxation
""Tropical Rainforest is one hour long uninterrupted""

The Quiet Strength of a Woman's Body By Kino MacGregor

In a political year where the United States had the first viable female contender for the Oval Office, the question on the tip of every woman's tongue is what defines a strong woman. Is a female leader one who learns to master a man's world? Or is there some other essence that is at play in a woman's claim to empowerment?

Far from being a respite from the politicized arena of gender politics, the yoga world sometimes makes deeply held assumptions about male and female roles more evident. Contemporary dogmas of what's possible for men and women contribute to what every yoga practitioner believes is possible for male and female bodies. If you're a woman, you might wonder whether you're the wrong shape, size, weight or gender to actually be able to catapult your woman's hips through the air and resign yourself to being flexible. But this type of thinking undermines a true sense of power for either gender.

In yoga there is an unfair assumption that all men effortlessly perform gravity-defying lift-ups, and all women snake their way into all manner of flexible positions. While the mindset of teachers, students and traditions often perpetuates some very traditional gender roles, the reality of yoga practitioners tells a different story. There are men who are hypermobile and unable to lift their butts off the ground, and there are women who are stiff as a board but able to balance unwaveringly in a handstand. One of yoga's greatest lessons is that there are no universal standards for bodies, and that all bodies, genders, races and ages have the ability to benefit from and master this ancient practice.

That being said, if you're a woman it's still easy to discount yourself when you peer into the lexicon of masterful yoga DVDs from strong, skinny men like Rodney Yee, David Swenson, Richard Freeman, Chuck Miller and Sharath Rangaswamy. Your child-bearing hips and soft curves may look nothing like these master teachers' sinewy legs. When you look for evidence that women can actually be strong in the yoga world, you dig into the very essence of femininity. Sometimes it seems like women who can perform gravity-defying feats and achieve political success have overcompensated in toughness to excel in a male-dominated world. Locking down traits typically associated with femaleness like softness, openness, emotionality, and tenderness means that powerful women are often feared for their harshness. The word "bitch" is often indistinguishable from assertive when applied to a woman's presence. Some people are even afraid of Ana Forrest, and many call Hillary Clinton an ice queen.

Trading quintessential female traits to succeed in a man's world devalues the essence of a woman. The complexity of gender is such that there are no easy answers to what constitutes essential male or female traits. My personal journey into yoga led me to ask the very difficult question of whether there is a natural strength in a woman's body that is different, but not less, than a man's. I began my journey into yoga nearly ten years ago as the stereotypical flexible girl with no strength. In awe of the mysterious lift-up, arm balances, handstands and vinyasas, I looked critically at my extra cushioning around the bum, small arms and petite frame, and blamed my shape and gender for what I could not easily do. Male teachers in the Western world, meaning well, simply let me slide, saying that they did not expect women to actually match men's strength. Movement-based, scientifically-backed anatomy books state that women's bodies have a lower center of gravity and therefore have a different set of rules to work with, thereby casting women as the physically weaker gender. Science, stereotypes and points of view could have created an artificial limit, but I dug deeper.

My ninety-three-year-old master teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, said one day in a group conference in Mysore, India in his iconographic broken English: "Yoga changing. Now some women very strong. Correct asana performing possible. Before, not possible. Now possible. All women doing all asanas o.k." Krishnamacharya, all of our teachers' teacher, was the first Brahmin to allow women into the secret study of the Indian sacred texts and is also quoted as saying that women are the future of yoga. In the arena of a quickly equalizing realm of power, it is fitting that women's role in yoga also changes and evolves. The basic teaching in yoga is the unification of extremes, and in that light it is appropriate that both men and women are asked to move towards a balance between strength and flexibility. When I attempted to experience this balance in my own body, I was pushed to the very limit of my physical, emotional and spiritual potential. Just as in any situation that pushes the envelope of possibility, existential questions as to the nature and reality of my being took form and shape in my daily practice.

After years of practice and mastery over seemingly impossible postures, there is now no doubt that women have an equal type of strength, too. Marianne Williamson says that a true woman's power is magnetic, attractive and visionary. A woman's body receives, nurtures, gives, produces, holds, bears, bends, grows, shrinks and sometimes even breaks, only to rebuild. Rather than an exposed sexual organ, in the heart of every female form rests a womb that is a great, silent and dark potential for life. This darkness that draws its archetype from the lunar cycle pulls energy, tides, change, life force and fertility to it. Where a man's body has muscles to push, thrust and engage, a woman's body beckons, seduces and contains. It is in this crucial difference where women must find their strength in the yoga practice and in life: Not in emulating the deep belly thrust of a man's world, but in tapping into a uniquely feminine way to engage the world will women touch the mystery of true female power.

If women deny the reality of the female body, including its cycles and birth potential, then the feminine soul is still held in highly contentious chains. If female yogis simply grunt, grin and bear it while toughening their skins, then their feminine softness is enslaved by the tension in their jaws. Instead real female strength comes from embracing the softness and solidity of every curve. Having practiced the challenging Advanced Series of Ashtanga Yoga continuously for the last five years, I find that endurance, pragmatism and grace are well within the domain of my woman's body, strength and soul. A man's strength is louder, directed outward, striving, reaching and sometimes fighting. It's not to say that women don't fight or aren't violent, but that in a woman's body violence takes on another form. A woman's sometimes smaller body cannot simply mimic male form in the physical world to succeed. In order to perform the same feats of strength with the graceful heart of a woman, the female body must learn to access its natural reserves of strength by honoring the female form in and of itself. This strength lies not in forceful thrusting, but instead in determining exactly how and where to work, with a perfect mix of strength and grace.

For most of my life I have carried the residue of the 1970s feminism in my genes, and on a subtle level, fought and vied for male power while never really loving the men in my life. Yoga has given me the gift of real and total self-adoration; in that sphere I rest as a strong woman with a sense of the beauty and power of my woman's body. A woman who loves herself is also able to love and celebrate men as they truly are. In every handstand, arm balance, backbend, and gravity-defying lift-up, I do not seek to replicate the male form, but instead to allow the flow of my female life to course through my veins, muscles, body, mind and soul.

Women are the great gatekeepers of the world. Our "yes" permits entry to the inner space of our bodies, while our "no" draws lines of approval and disapproval. In our ability to choose, to gather and to draw, we find our true empowerment: Not in emulating the boisterous strength of men, but instead shining like the full moon on a clear night, we are graceful, iconic, powerful, beautiful, mesmerizing, enchanting and captivating. In the yoga practice strength must come for women as well as men. When it comes, it is not at the expense of the graceful female form but as an enhancement of it--for it is a quiet strength that lies within every woman's body.

Kino MacGregor

Timeline of Events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life

A TimeLine Of Events in Martin Luther Kings Jr's Life

Born on at noon on January 15, 1929.
Parents: The Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr.
Home: 501 Auburn Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia.

1944
Graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and was admitted to Morehouse College at age 15.

1948
Graduates from Morehouse College and enters Crozer Theological Seminary.
Ordained to the Baptist ministry, February 25, 1948, at age 19.

1951
Enters Boston University for graduate studies.

1953
Marries Coretta Scott and settles in Montgomery, Alabama.

1955
Received Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts on June 5, 1955.
Dissertation Title: A Comparison of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Wiseman.

Joins the bus boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1. On December 5, he is elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, making him the official spokesman for the boycott.

1956
On November 13, the Supreme Court rules that bus segregation is illegal, ensuring victory for the boycott.

1957
King forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. On May 17, Dr. King speaks to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington, D.C.

1958
The U.S. Congress passed the first Civil Rights Act since reconstruction. King's first book, Stride Toward Freedom, is published.

On a speaking tour, Martin Luther King, Jr. is nearly killed when stabbed by an assailant in Harlem. Met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, and Lester Grange on problems affecting black Americans.

1959
Visited India to study Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence.

Resigns from pastoring the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to concentrate on civil rights full time. He moved to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

1960
Becomes co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lunch counter sit-ins began in Greensboro, North Carolina. In Atlanta, King is arrested during a sit-in waiting to be served at a restaurant. He is sentenced to four months in jail, but after intervention by John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, he is released.

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee founded to coordinate protests at Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

1961
In November, the Interstate Commerce Commission bans segregation in interstate travel due to work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Freedom Riders.

Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) began first Freedom Ride through the South, in a Greyhound bus, after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation in interstate transportation.

1962
During the unsuccessful Albany, Georgia movement, King is arrested on July 27 and jailed.

1963
On Good Friday, April 12, King is arrested with Ralph Abernathy by Police Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor for demonstrating without a permit.

On April 13, the Birmingham campaign is launched. This would prove to be the turning point in the war to end segregation in the South.

During the eleven days he spent in jail, MLK writes his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail

On May 10, the Birmingham agreement is announced. The stores, restaurants, and schools will be desegregated, hiring of blacks implemented, and charges dropped.

On June 23, MLK leads 125,000 people on a Freedom Walk in Detroit.

The March on Washington held August 28 is the largest civil rights demonstration in history with nearly 250,000 people in attendance.

At the march, King makes his famous I Have a Dream speech.

On November 22, President Kennedy is assassinated.

1964
On January 3, King appears on the cover of Time magazine as its Man of the Year.

On February 2, King is arrested in Selma, Alabama during a voting rights demonstration.

After President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law, Martin Luther King, Jr. turns to socioeconomic problems.

1966
On January 22, King moves into a Chicago slum tenement to attract attention to the living conditions of the poor.

In June, King and others begin the March Against Fear through the South.

On July 10, King initiates a campaign to end discrimination in housing, employment, and schools in Chicago.

1967
The Supreme Court upholds a conviction of MLK by a Birmingham court for demonstrating without a permit. King spends four days in Birmingham jail.

On November 27, King announces the inception of the Poor People's Campaign focusing on jobs and freedom for the poor of all races.

1968
King announces that the Poor People's Campaign will culminate in a March on Washington demanding a $12 billion Economic Bill of Rights guaranteeing employment to the able-bodied, incomes to those unable to work, and an end to housing discrimination.

Dr. King marches in support of sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee.

On March 28, King lead a march that turns violent. This was the first time one of his events had turned violent.

Delivered I've Been to the Mountaintop speech.

At sunset on April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. is fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

There are riots and disturbances in 130 American cities. There were twenty thousand arrests.

King's funeral on April 9 is an international event.

Within a week of the assassination, the Open Housing Act is passed by Congress.

1986
On November 2, a national holiday is proclaimed in King's honor.