The Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre is closing today (so says their latest email). It's sad. They've been hit by the economic crisis--student attendance is down, rents are way up. That place, a not-for-profit, feels magic--I only went for one African dance class with Djoniba himself, but it felt like a latter-day, much-beloved set of Fame. Authentic, danced-in, drummed-in, lived-in. A New York institution that's been there for 15 years. Sigh.
Is this just the beginning? Makes me wonder how yoga will be affected. I haven't noticed a shift in class attendance lately--have you? But it would make sense if we started to see studios offering more community classes, maybe some special cards with softer expiration dates. Maybe some of the way pricey studios re-calibrating a bit.
Sadly I won't be reporting on that here. Yoga Journal has been caught up too and is cutting the local blogs. I've really loved posting on the NY yoga scene the last year or so and am so grateful for all of you who read. I do hope to keep in touch. Let me know if you'd like to join my email list for future updates and new yoga-related writing ventures (valerie AT valeriereiss.com). After New Year's this blog's savasana will commence. Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.
However you spend your New Year's Eve, you'll get a detoxing rush from yogi and author Sadie Nardini's uber-vinyasa class with live drumming at Pure Yoga. You'll also do intention-setting and get tips for having a new year with powah (details below). That in mind, Sadie kindly agreed to answer my quick grilling about things like why she teaches, her favorite smoothie spot, and her coolest moment of NYC synchronicity.
If you could sum up the essence of what you would like your students to learn in one word, what would it be?
Fierceness
What's your favorite place to get an after-class juice or smoothie?
Juicy Lucy on Avenue A
What's your favorite asana? Least favorite? Why?
Afternoon Napasana and Seated Cat/Cow tie for most energy restoring, and Plow Pose literally gives me a headache.
What's your most recent yoga triumph?
Press-up handstand, finally
Why do you do yoga?
To be able to endure the intensity of life, and love.
How does yoga help New Yorkers specifically?
It detoxes what they retox through stress, breathing the fumes of a thousand cabs and teaches them how to be the eye of life's hectic storms.
What's the most important yoga tip you'd give non-yogis looking to relax in the chaos?
Be like tea, and change the water you're in: life comes at you, but you have the power to come back at life in any way you choose.
What's your favorite healthy restaurant in NYC?
Angelica Kitchen
Which traits do you most admire in your students?
Perseverance, receptivity and heart
What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in a yoga class in NYC?
A 116 year-old swami smacking my asana with a stick. Or the pet snake.
What's your favorite NYC-synchronicity moment?
The day I chose a random route home, and without missing a step, walked across an intersection, and pulled an oncoming woman out of the path of being hit by a speeding taxi... by inches.
Music in class? Yea or nay? If so, any rules or preferences?
Yea. No speed metal, polka or square dance. Otherwise, anything goes.
Sadie will be teaching New Year's Day at Pure Yoga from 12-2 pm. Class is $25. Call for info or to reserve a spot: 212.360.1888.
I hate to bring it up so soon, but it really is almost here: New Year's Eve. Ack. I was just getting a handle on this whole "2008" thing. So, what's a cleanish living yogi to do on a night of sloshy drinking and overpriced everything? Here are some thoughts:
1) It's a classic and reliable staple: Jivamukti's New Year's Eve celebration. You can choose your evening ala carte or the whole shebang from: a class with David and Sharon, vegan dinner, kirtan dance party, silence and chanting, and a final talk from Sharon and David. Go here and scroll for all the yogic new year deets.
2) You can either add to the spiritual energy or wash your achey head on New Year's Day by chanting the Hanuman Chalisa at Dharma Mittra's studio. All you can chant, any time between 8am and 7pm.
3) Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the fireworks with a New York tour guide.
4) Take to the streets with New York Road Runners' annual four-mile midnight run through Central Park--there'll be a non-alcoholic toast, plus fireworks and a DJ.
5) Om into 2009 at Laughing Lotus with live music.
6) And if that's not hot enough, sweat yourself silly on the Lower East side at Bikram LES.
Got other tips? How are you planning to breathe into 2009?
1) Kula Yoga Project's 7:45 am classes
2) The vegan pumpkin scone I had recently at the Jivamukti Cafe
3) That a new Lululemon is opening on Friday, November 30th in the Flatiron District right near my office (or, um, maybe that is something for the non-grateful, too tempting column).
4) The MELT class Monday nights at the Breathing Project. Hard to describe, wonderfully relaxing to the entire nervous system
5) Souen on 13th Street
6) The Girlie Girl Army newsletters--full of vegan recipes, NYC sample sale info, charity info, and other hip-but-spiritual pointers
7) The Dharma Punx meditation and darshan I went to the other night
8) Organique, an all-organic deli on 23rd street
9) Meditating on the subway
10) You, for reading.
Maybe you're participating in Buy Nothing Day next week, a day that takes a stance against the rampant consumerism that has become the holidays (this year they're proposing extending that to the entire season). Or not. Either way, you'll probably need to buy gifts for family, friends, colleagues, and others—in an economic mind-set that is decidedly chilly. Here are some NYC-based gift possibilities for the yogis in your life, for under $100.
1) Yoga-inspired jewelry from the Satya sample sale. You'll find lovely trinkets at up to 80% off retail—as in charm necklaces for $35 and earrings for $20 and more. Friday December 12th, 13th, and 14th at the 253 Centre Street store. And if you miss the sale (or can't deal with the sale's many opportunities to practice patience), you can drop by a Satya store for affordable, not-on-sale goodies—and get free henna painting and Tarot readings each Thursday eve in December. Contact them for schedule.
2) A Lululemon scuba hoodie. With a new store opening in the Flatiron District any moment now (they were wildly sweeping and polishing when I walked by today), you'll have a fresh shot at well-stocked merch. And those sweatshirts are just about the comfiest thing I own. About $85.
3) Wendyloo ‘s hand-printed yoga mat bags (at right) made at a women's collective in Brooklyn, are functional and beautiful. $78 at Local Labels.com, a business co-owned by a dear friend that's dedicated to keeping NYC-based manufacturing alive.
4) A donation in someone's name to Bent on Learning, a charity that teaches yoga and meditation to kids in NYC public schools. They work with students throughout the city and have impressive roster of involved yogis. For more info: bentonlearning.org
5) Along the same lines you can pop into ABC Home (after checking out their gorgeous new window displays) and donate through Gifts of Compassion, a program that gets money to charities that do everything from save the planet to help moms and kids in Tibet to buy glasses for children in developing nations. You'll get a card for your recipient in a lovely sari fabric bag explaining the donation. They've also got lots gifts in their Mission Market—like gorgeous beaded animals—whose proceeds support needy populations around the world. For more: ABChome.com
For vegetarians or clean-food loving omnivores, Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful. Especially when in the homes of folks who don't share your sensibilities. So if you can escape family obligations, don't have any, or can get the whole troupe away from the stove and into a restaurant, NYC has a cornucopia (seasonally-appropriate metaphor! yay) of T-day veggie options.
I was just clicking around and found this post from Super Vegan, from which I am now shamelessly borrowing--and updating for 2008.
Angelica Kitchen is having its Thanksgiving 5-course Prix Fixe again and it sounds delish. It's $50 and you need to reserve by November 24th. Here's the menu (PDF) 212-228-2909
The lovely Blossom is having a $58 veggie prix fixe. They say to reserve as soon as possible, or no less than 10 days before T-day.212-875-2600
Candle's Cafe 79 is having a four-course meal for $68 from 2pm to 9pm. They've started taking reservations and suggest you book now. (212) 472-0970
And finally, if you want to go the all-raw, vegan route, there's a feast at the divine Pure Food & Wine. $72 for a four-course prix fixe. 212-477-1010
If you decide to get out of town, Jivamukti's 15th annual Thanksgiving retreat at Ananda Ashram is an option. The retreat kicks off with a vegan meal, followed by yoga, chanting, meditation, and satsang.
And if you stay at home and actually, gasp, cook, this book looks great (really love her first one): The Healthy Hedonist Holidays.
If you are a vegetarian (or a turkey-compassionate omnivore), you can seal the deal by adopting a turkey through Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-a-Turkey project. You can even choose the bird you'll be saving from being dinner. I'm thinking Hannah (pictured) is pretty cute.
If you're looking for a soothing, free, mini-respite, check out Pulse Park, an interactive art project in Madison Square Park. You go up to one of two little podium-like stands, hold the handlebars inside and have your pulse taken. It then translates the beating of your heart into pulsing beams of light on the field in front of you. Your pulse will be integrated into 199 other people's in a shifting array of light. When you let go, your heart light will stay in a single beam for a moment. It's a pretty magical New York experience. And apparently the electricity for the whole thing is fueled by biodiesel.
Since it's really hard to explain, you can check it out for yourself from dusk-10pm until November 17th. As a yogi who thinks a lot about heart and breath, I found it especially revelatory to see my inside pumps momentarily translated into light--and then watch it commune with other people's. The artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, told New York magazine that he first had the idea for the piece after 9/11 when he wanted to create something uplifing. Pulse Park he said, "... is meant to bring everyone together, to allow people to express some sort of agency in a public space."
When you're there, remember to look up to see the park's other current exhibit--treehuts.
For a whole lot of us the world looks a little bit shinier today. I was in Brooklyn at an election party watching the numbers, jumping for crazy joy in disbelief and then Mcain (belief crept in), then gorgeous speech (a delicious new shock) from Obama. Sitting next to a yoga teacher, we both talked about how smooth his movements are, how integrated he seems--no front, no obvious knot of tension--just elegance and grace. Pretty cool to have a president who looks like he could be a yogi. And then we heard the whoops--the streets filling with people banging actual pots, honking horns, and saying the name over and over like a mantra: Ohhhhbahhhhhmahhh. There were tears. Relief and yes, hope. A hope for humanity and peace--the best shot we've had in ages.
This post-election pre-amble is to say there's a way to extend your Obama-buzz. On Saturday night is the first Sulha Event for Peace. With incredibly diverse speakers and musicians from around the world, the evening is sponsored by Sulha, a non-profit organization "working to develop a culture of peaceful co-existence and equality amongst Israelis, Arabs, Jews and Muslims." Musicians like Karsh Kale, Parashakti, and Vishal Vaid will be gathering with speakers like Debra Winger and Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Think: incredibly multiculti with poetry and funky grooves for peace. It's produced by Fabian Alsultany, who does the GlobeSonic parties--happy, healthy groove events around the city. All the ingredients for a spiritual but grounded bash for a good cause.
Here are the deets:
DATE: SAT NOV 8, 2008
DOORS: 6PM
EVENT: 7PM -- 11PM
LOCATION: The Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew
ADDRESS: 263 West 86th Street
To get tix for $36, goto: ticketweb.com and enter code FACEBOOK
Otherwise they're $45 in advance | $50 Day of Show | $100 VIP
Also Sulha means "meditate" and the project has been praised by the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu for its effective ideas in promoting peace in the Middle East.
It looks like zombie yoga won't be happening again this year, but you can still get your yoga on this Halloween. A couple of cool-sounding events; let me know if you hear of more and I'll post 'em.
Halloween Midnight Yoga Fest at Laughing Lotus
It's a deluxe version of the studio's usual Friday evening Midnight Yoga. Show up at 9pm for free tarot readings, parade viewing (they're right off the Sixth Avenue parade route) and treats. At 10pm you can show off your tricks in a vinyasa class with live musicians.
To sign up or get more info: laughinglotus.com
Halloween Open Mic Kirtan at Integral Yoga
Yeah, you read that right. For this new event you can "Dress as your favorite singer/songwriter and come out to lead a chant." The event starts at 8pm and a $5 suggested donation includes refreshments.
Here's more info.
UPDATE:
Here's another event: Punk Rock Yoga at East West Yoga
Kick some asana with this lively class on Halloween.
Friday, October 31, 8:30 – 9:45 pm. $19
And in case you're feeling nostalgic or missed it, here's some pretty great video of zombie yoga from 2007:
I'm willing to bet that New Yorkers rent more mats per capita than any other place. That's mainly because though the tubular tote or mat poking out of a bag says "I take care of myself in a cool way," it's also one more thing to schlep around town. Which is why I've been intrigued lately by the ways around this.
Myself, I recently bought a super lightweight, eco Hugger Mugger mat to carry to classes, while my heavy jute/rubber thing is retired for home practice only. But even that seems like a pain sometimes. Some other options:
1) Yogitoes nubby/absorbent towels are suddenly everywhere, covering nasty rental mats across the city. Stacie, my fellow blogger in L.A. recently posted about the founder, who created these when a rental mat "smelled like wet dog." Gaiam also appears to carry a version.
2)I haven't given Yoga Paws a try yet, but they make loads of sense and fit in a smallish handbag. They're just little sticky coverings for your "paws," a.k.a. hands and feet.
3) Lululemon's "Supernatural" travel mat is uber-thin and made from natural rubber; it folds to about the size of a large, thicker manila envelope.
4) Gaiam's reversible travel mat is an interesting towel-mat hybrid, with sticky natural rubber on one side, microfiber towel on the other. And it weighs just a pound.
How are you solving the mat-schlep dilemma these days?
Lying in savasana last Saturday at a class in my Brooklyn hood, suddenly the "Yes We Can" Obama song came on. It's a beautiful tune. But my brain definitely blanched. Politics in yoga class?
"Sometimes it's a time to be internal, but now I think it's time for us to be external," said the teacher as we rose, adding, "Whoever you vote for, just be sure to vote." Pause. "Not that we have to worry in New York."
So. Obama fever is everywhere here, even in yogaland.
If you check out the Obama website, you'll find the Yoga Lovers for Obama Group (who knew?), whose members are holding two upcoming events in Brooklyn--both on Sunday, October 19th. One class is at 3pm teacher at Naomi Jaffe's home. The $20 fee goes to the campaign. It's the second one she's held.
The other class is taught by Tamara Malkin-Stuart at noon in Propect Park, exact spot TBD. It's called Practice for Change and is also a fundraiser.
And finally, Laughing Lotus is dedicating their October call for karmic service to supporting Obama. From their website: "With the change of season in the air we are reminded of the necessity of change in our own lives so we can grow and we wholeheartedly embrace Barack Obama and the huge change he represents for our country."
They add that he "embodies many values that yogis too embrace: compassion, honesty, and economic and social justice." And they list his most compassionate actions, encouraging people to "retain your equanimity amidst the madness, pray for change, and most of all, support your candidate in whatever way you can."
So. What do you think? Do yoga and politics mesh? Is yoga an inherently lefty practice?
Speeding home in a cab last night I glimpsed the shiny, new, colorful Lululemon Athletica store in SoHo. I've been waiting for a while for a full downtown outlet of the upscale yoga/work-out duds store for a while. It looks sufficiently yogini-in-a-Lulustore fun. Like the other three shops, this location will also have free community classes and events.
First one is Saturday, October 4 at 8:30 am—a "Physique 57 mat class" (er, anyone know what that is?) and the next is on Sunday at 9:30—a pun-y "willPower & Grace" class. (You can sign up for either by emailing soho-community@lululemon.com.) For those of us who sleep on weekends, on October 12, the store will start offering free, open-level yoga classes from 8pm to 9pm. Mats are provided and you need not RSVP.
And in case you want to get money from Lululemon instead of the other way around, looks like they're hiring through Craigslist, just in time for the vanishing of Wall Street (a.k.a. the perfect opportunity to breeeathe.). The listed job qualifications for "Educators" actually make it sound like a fun place to work (I say "actually" because I learned long ago that spiritual product does not automatically mean spiritual workplace).
Here are some of their cool pre-reqs: "You’re generous with authentic praise and know how to give solution based feedback" and "You’re dedicated to a healthy lifestyle (not to be confused with total obsession, unreasonable fixation, or aggregated dependence)."
You can get more info and sign up for event alerts for the new store here.
This week I was walloped with a flu. The kind where your skin hurts so badly pajamas feel like spandex and it seems like your internal organs are having their own mini sweat lodge.
Some say that sickness like this is a "cleanse"--the body burning off extra emotional and/or physical toxins. So here are some ways to heal and take advantage of the pending flu/cleansing season, locally. (Disclaimer: Listen to your doctor, not me.)
1) Get Juiced
I generally buy the alkaline/acid theory of illness--that the body should be more alkaline than neutral to fight disease. You can get a Ph level pee tester at High Vibe, a great little raw supply shop in the East Village. But more immediately, start slamming the green juice--it's alkalizing and has the minerals you need. There's a sweet health food store on Flatbush & St. Marks, New York Naturals, that makes a lovely organic all-green. And in Manhattan there's the pricey but manna-like pressed green juice at Liquiteria. A good green is hard to find.
2) Supplement
Someone recommended Source Naturals Wellness Formula, and I like to think that those gigantic, smelly horse pills did accelerate the healing. You could also go to the amazing Kamwo Chinese herb emporium in Chinatown--for acupuncture in their clinic and advice on what might help the snot party.
Next month is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Aside from a tide of pink consumer goods that donate varying amounts to the cause, the month also brings some cool-sounding yoga-related programs.
Om yoga has two big things going on. One is a free class on Tuesday afternoons for women before and after treatment for any kind of cancer. In association with the Libby Ross Foundation, the class is billed as gentle, balancing, and restorative.
The studio is also offering a cancer-related teacher training for already certified yoga instructors October 17-19th. Teachers will learn to address specific physical concerns of survivors as well as give appropriate emotional support.
As a survivor of cancer myself (lymphoma), I found yoga an invaluable part of my healing. I took a class at Integral Yoga, which was part restorative practice, part group sharing. It was wonderful to be in a nurturing environment with people who were thinking about illness in a similar framework as I was--more "how can i grow from this?" than the "why me?" I encountered in other groups. And all the subtleties of yoga seemed larger because I was so sensitive and physically fragile--pranayama and gentle stretching made such a difference.
Please pass this on to teachers and survivors who might be interested. Has the potential to be a great service--there's certainly not enough of this kind of thing around.
This is so cool: Sun Salutations for world peace! You can do a whopping 108 of them with your fellow yogis and yoginis on Sunday, September 21 for the Global Mala Yoga for Peace Event.
You'll be down-dogging and up-dogging to live kirtan in Battery Park to create a "mala" of asanas--108 beads on a mala, 108 poses in the park. Afterward, the (remaining) participants will form a giant human mandala, or "peace wheel" to "establish a feeling of peace and wholeness." Integral Yoga Institute and Jivamukti are supporting the day in NYC.
The $20 cost of participation will be donated to an organization that's about peace (they don't specify which one). And this is a simultaneous-ish (give or take a timezone) global event happening everywhere from Iceland to St. Louis to Tokyo.
You'll need to bring all your own supplies--mat, water, snacks, etc. And organizers emphasize going at your own pace and stopping when you need to. (Which for me might be after, um, five? Maybe 10 since it's world peace.)
And afterward--if you're able to move--there'll be a kirtan with Krishna Das at Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew.
I spent last night boogying at Omega Institute to a long list of A-list chanters--Deva Premal & Miten, Wah, KD, et al. The big surprise of the "ecstatic chant" evening was MC Yogi, my new favorite, hilariously fun kirtan-ist--think Beastie Boys meets Krishna Das. And lucky you, he's having a CD release party at Jivamukti in a couple of weeks where you can hear some tracks.
I know all those Buddha Bar albums and plenty of people from Madonna to Sting have merged pop and yoga, but MC Yogi (a.k.a. the adorable Nicholas Giacomini) is the first that I've seen merge kirtan and hip hop. And he's got quite the posse as backup: Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Bhagavan Das. And last night Sharon Gannon chanted along with him.
Sample lyrics: "Ganesh makes everything possible because elephant power's unstoppable... He writes the pages from the sages chants, dropping Vedic science so we can comprehend all the many ways that we can to transcend, singing jai to Ganesh who's a yogi's best friend... If you think Ganesh is super fresh when I say jai, you say Ganesh!"
Even though this kid is from California, this short new album feels like the ultimate fusion of yoga and NYC. It's also surprisingly educational--he makes rapping about Hindu deities little learning opportunities as well something to awaken your inner Fly Girl.
I've been really grooving on listening to chant lately—in class, playing during my home practice, and on the subway. I feel like it puts me in a little bubble that screens out the grittier influences of the city. If you feel even sort of the same way, Jivamukti is there for you with two events coming up in September.
There'll be two events featuring the ethereal yet deep chant ofBaird Hersey & Prana (they often play with Krishna Das when he's in town), called "Sound from the Heart." They're almost trippy to listen to, they definitely know how to shift the energy—and possibly our brainwaves—into a more relaxed state.
This from their website (I could regurgitate it but they really say it nicely): "Prana is a nine voice, a cappella, overtone singing choir. Their sound is a unique mixture of western vocal music and the musics of Tibet, Mongolia and India. Applying the ancient traditional techniques of multiphonic chant, and throat singing to the natural singing voice, they each sing two mellifluous pitches at once, creating beautiful rising harmonies, shimmering vocal textures, and high arcing melodies."
They're playing an evening of singing meditations on Saturday September 6th at 8pm and then the next day will offer a singing workshop from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Prices and more info are here: PranaSound.com
Also, on a more last-minute note, I'm headed up to Omega for a day of "ecstatic" chanting with the usual suspects (KD, Deva Premal, etc.) on Labor Day. I recommend it possibly prematurely, but it sounds really fun—a 12-hour concert.
With the Olympics bringing extra attention to the plight of Tibet, it's especially timely that monks are in NYC creating intricate, sacred sand mandalas. It's an ancient art that represents the transitory nature of life—stunning art that will be swept away when it's done.
You can check out these glorious creations now through Sunday at East West Living. You'll also be able to sit and meditate with the Tibetan monks in exile who have created them.
The visit supports the monks' US tour and their Gaden Ngari Monastery and Orphanage, which helps the exiled Tibetan community. It's free (or by donation) to see the mandalas, but for a $50 cash contribution, you can schedule a private healing session with one of the monks.
The closing ceremony promises to be especially auspicious, with sacred music and blessings on New York City. Schedule is below. Call 212-243-5994 if you want to schedule an appointment.
Thurs, Aug 21 - Sat, Aug 23
noon-8 pm: Public Viewing of the Mandala Creation
Sunday, Aug 24
Noon-6 pm: Public Viewing of the Mandala Creation
6pm: Closing Ceremonies
I don't know about you, but summer's winding down always makes me a little wistful. But I'm taking heart in some outdoor yoga still happening around the city:
Yoga on the Pier and Kayaking in the Hudson
Sponsored by Lululemon and the Manhattan Kayak Company, the first 20 people to sign up will get to stretch out on Pier 66 and then hit the Hudson. When: Wednesday, August 20th from 4:30-7:30pm Where: Pier 66, Hudson River Park at 12th Ave. and 26th St. To sign up: You'll need to RSVP at the store on 64th and B-way (but hey, it's free!)
Laughing Lotus Yoga in the Park
Ok it's not the park, but rather a park on 10th Avenue bewtween 14th and 15th Streets. But it's free yoga with the LL crew, known for their joyful vinyasa practice. No need to sign up, all levels welcome. When: August 20th & 27th; September 3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24th; and October 1st--7pm to 8pm Where: The park on 10th Ave between 14th and 15th Streets To sign up: No need. They'll have some mats, but you're encouraged to bring on. For more info on teachers, etc., go here.
Yoga in Riverside Park
A bit higher up on the Hudson in Riverside Park, this is billed as "An Evening Salute to the Sun." Again, good for all levels--but you need to bring your own mat. When: August 20th @ 6:30 Where: The Plaza at 66th Street in Riverside Park South, on the Hudson River between 62nd and 72nd Streets. To sign up: No need. Call 212-408-0219 for information. Or go here and scroll down.
I keep missing these, but you shouldn't. You can catch one of the yoga-inspired Journey Dance classes I've raved about--happening in Long Beach, Long Island next weekend. And this one takes place near the train-accessible beach. Fun, conscious dance + blue waves and white sand + LIRR = fun way to spend a Sunday (August 17th).
This one is taught by Trinity, a lithe, enthusiastic teacher, at the JCC in Long Beach. Not the most romantic-sounding locale, but it's right by the beach and your class of let-go dancing will be followed by a "beach party" with your fellow dancers.
Trinity is also teaching some classes for R&R participants (not a workshop) at Omega in September in case you become Journey Dance-addicted like me (though I've never been to a Trinity class, only Toni).
Call here (917) 517-7724 to register and get directions or go here for all the info: or email Trinity: Trinitydances@gmail.com
It's $20 in advance, $25 day-of. Dance is rain or shine. The beach part will be canceled if it rains.
And, if you need an enlightened beach read to take with you, definitely grab "Enlightenment for Idiots" by former Yoga Journal-ite Anne Cushman. It's a wonderfully fun novel with a yoga teacher protagonist. You may recognize the spiritual yet unavailable men in her life. You might also identify with her trip to India in which a famed guru messes up her knee and then tells her it hurts because she's not spiritually evolved enough. It's smart, witty, well-observed chick-lit with real soul. Here's the Amazon link for it.
Go Tango magazine (now only online) for staying relevant with this article about women getting "happy endings" at mainstream NYC spas--or trying to. In a conniving, sure-to-get-people-fired bit of undercover (or, you know, not) bit of reporting, one woman allegedly convinces a Cornelia Day Spa masseur to take a trip well south of her trapezius.
Fascinating. This seems relevant here because yoga and the healing arts are so connected. And the lines between massage and other kinds of touch really are a bit blurrier than most of us would like to admit. Though the subject of this article clearly sees the line and tramples it. And keeps running and running....
Mostly I'm shocked at the extent to which the story names names--of spas and the masseurs who declined. Serious chutzpah all around. I guarantee this is unleashing an onslaught of chat in the massage world--especially in NYC--where so much work has gone into differentiating sex from massage, therapeutic touch from erotic touch. This is an important, crucial distinction that has allowed millions who need healing touch to get it without fear of anything "unseemly" or unwanted happening. No doubt this will be seen as a step backwards. And maybe it is.
But for the SATC set is this just another step in equality? Bullying (usually) male healers into "going there," in the hopes that one will? Or does the switched gender dynamic make it less annoying (a.k.a. harassing)--i.e., what's a little moaning and unsubtle hinting versus the pup tents that every female massage therapist has been invited to visit in her career?
Or is this stuff even for real? Just as much a fiction as Holly Hunter's dutifully thorough masseur in the film Living Out Loud? I mean, the 10th Street Baths? Ok, maybe not so shocking. But Cornelia? The Great Jones guy who may or may not have offered up himself and his girlfriend after declining advances? Am I that naive, or does this have a whiff of the dairy farm?
What do you think about women soliciting masseurs for sex? Bad for massage, good for women? No big deal? Other?
I'd be especially interested in hearing from men in the healing arts--is this unusual, common, annoying, fun?
New York: What I Did on My Summer Vacation or How to Stay Juicy in NYC
This week's post is in video form: I had an amazing yoga vacation and I'm struggling to bring it back home--how do YOU stay soft and open in flow when you're in NYC? Here are a few things I'm trying.
So, Pure Yoga. People have been buzzing for months about this new ginormous 20,000-square-foot studio that opened recently on the Upper East Side. Three stories, 19 kinds of yoga, 85 classes a week (I nod to Sun reporter Gabrielle Birkner, from whom I am swiping these numbers. She wrote a thorough Pure article the other day). Basically, it's your sweet local studio on steroids, in $300 jeans.
Last night I stopped by to check it out and holy mama, it's Exhale meets Equinox (the owners) meets the W Hotel. All cool beige stone, rock gardens, tawny smooth wood, and twigs-as-room-dividers, the place feels like Gattaca for yogis. The mothership has landed. I was skeptical when I first heard about it. But there is something gorgeous about seeing how mature, fully realized--in a commercial way--yoga has become. Baby's grown.
The women at the front desk (note to studio owners: make sure these people are welcoming) couldn't have been nicer, and descending into the smooth, spa-like space felt open yet womby. The whole place is below ground level, so if you need a sun-filled studio, this ain't it. Almost late (and why am I always almost late for yoga in NYC? The irony thuds me every time), I skidded into the devastatingly fancy--in a simple way--locker room (though are they lockers if they look like they belong in a Roche Bobois showroom?). Changed quickly and went to studio #1.
Seeing that I’m up in the Berkshires right now doing yoga, chanting, drumming, and dancing at Kripalu (yay), I thought I’d feature a guest this week, yoga instructor Carla Dharani Ardito. She’s teaching a pranayama (yogic breathing) workshop at Integral Thursday night, and I asked her to write a little breathing exercise for the sticky summer subway—the spot that’s often the ultimate test of my alleged compassion and patience.
Here’s Carla:
“First, place both feet on the floor (if your legs are too short, then toes gently pressing on the ground will suffice). Close and relax your eyes, soften your tongue, sense your body sitting, and feel yourself upright yet soft. Ease your back into the curved subway seat. Scan the body and let go of all the muscles in the body not involved in sitting up and your internal organs—especially the heart and the brain.
Now feel your belly moving gently in and out as you inhale and exhale. If you do not sense this movement at first, continue to work on releasing and softening the entire body. Eventually you’ll sense this subtle movement. Imagine a sleeping baby’s belly moving up and down, smoothly and evenly.
Once you are calm and centered, send those feelings out to the entire subway car.
You may notice a change in the environment brought about by your yogic ability to center yourself and bring forth the peace that is truly at the center of every human being.
The NYC subway is no rival for the power of a peaceful warrior.”
So last night I made my second pilgrimage (if midtown counts) to see Amma, the Indian hugging saint. She's still in town today and tonight into the wee hours. Check here for info.
Yesterday was an incredibly long, stressful, hair-tearing, forgetting-to-breathe sort of day. But then I had therapy, where I was reminded about stillness and love and a quiet mind. And then around 9pm, I hoofed it to the hottest spiritual event in town right now: Amma, hugging equally stressed, tired, sweaty, seeking New Yorkers.
This time for me was different. There was the similar thronging, swaying mass during Amma's singing and chanting. And lots of folks with yoga mats slung over their shoulders. The pain in people's faces seemed much plainer than it does on the subways. Not sure if it was my filter or if in her presence our harried people set down a veil or two.
After the singing, I watched Amma pet a man in a wheel chair with a breathing tube. He was dapperly dressed, probably almost fully paralyzed, and she ran her hand over his forehead, petted his arms, smoothed his leg, with such mounting joy and caring. I watched his eyes close and his body relax.
Soon it was my turn. Last time was sweet and short. This time, she beamed at me and held me close whispering into my left ear over and over what sounded like "Madonna." I felt like I was swaying and dreaming on some other plane that was soft and distant. She let me go, smiled her round, nose-ringed smile and pulled me back in, murmuring the same chant. She placed an apple, a Hershey's kiss and a red rose petal shaped like a heart into my hand and off I went.
As I sat in my post-huggal bliss stew, I listened to recorded lectures by her over the loudspeakers. I was able to hear her better, receive her message about compassion; how if we have a hard time loving people, we can start with inanimate objects; how our indifference is even harming the honeybees. She said she prays that the chatter of gunfire will be replaced with the chirps of birds. Love, love, love. I started to get it, like rain on a roof. Love, love, love.
It wasn't until talking to someone later that I realized "Madonna" was probably "my daughter"—but I still like the idea that both Mother Mary and the Material Girl are now mingling in my soul with Amma.
You can get your own dose today, tonight, or take a roadtrip as she continues her tour.
For those weekends not spent in a bucolic summer wonderland you can add a new activity to your agenda: yoga in McCarren Park pool (pictured, right, when not filled with yogis).
Partially sponsored by The L magazine (that lil pocket-sized mag in the orange bins) and Yoga Works, on July 12th & 26th and August 9th and 23rd from 10am to 3pm, there will be workshops, a "wellness marketplace" and yoga classes in that giant cement (non-water-filled) pool next to McCarren Park in Williamsburg. Classes include Jhon T's Atmananda sequence, Big Apple power yoga (which a friend of mine loves and I need to try), and Punk Rock yoga. Integral Yoga will be offering chanting workshops and Yoga Works is hosting a bunch of intro yoga classes for beginners.
You'll need to bring your own mat or towel (make it a cushy one) and there's a suggested $5 donation.
Brooklyn-based multi-media artist and yogi Shana Dressler is removing obstacles all the time. Right now she has the help of the subject of her latest photo exhibition, website, and book--Ganesh, the Hindu deity who blasts barriers. All those elements are part of Discovering Ganesh, a sweeping, ongoing project produced by her company, Swimming Elephant Productions.
Her outrageously beautiful photos of Ganesh show the elephant in many guises--from a sign selling cell phones to glorious temples. Most were taken at the Ganesh Chaturthi, a 10-day festival in India of epic proportions.
To catch a pre-glimpse of her exhibit, Discovering Ganesh, before it goes on tour in September 2009, check out her fundraiser this Thursday, June 26.
Discovering Ganesh's mission is not only to celebrate Indian art and spirituality, but to support an organization called Scojo Foundation that gives rural Indians access to affordable eyeglasses. This might sound like a small obstacle, but it's not: "For India's working poor who work with their hands--embroiderers, weavers, tailors, mechanics and barbers--the loss of sight means the loss of their jobs and income for their families," writes Shana.
The event will also be filled with goodies--they'll feed you yummy vegetarian appetizers, mango cheesecake, and "crystal-infused," alcohol-free drinks. And you'll be able to enter raffles for things like gift certificates at East West, The Chopra Center, a 2008 Yoga Passbook, a Thai bodywork session and more. You'll also get to groove to "Indie-Hindi songstress" Falu. Yoga studios throughout the city are involved and helping out.
When: Thursday June 26, from 6:30 to 8:30 Where: East West Living @ 78 Fifth Avenue (at 14th Street), 2nd floor, Buzzer #2 Cost: By donation (suggested donation: $50) More info and to sign up:discoveringganesh.com/scojofundraiser
It was incredible to see so many people doing yoga in the middle of Times Square during the solstice yoga event. The first class had more than 350 people, with the rest in the 100-200 range. That's huge. Though lots of people signed up ahead, some joined right off the street--you could tell by their non-yoga outfits of dresses or chinos.
As guest speaker at the event, I gave the same talk three times (which I've posted after the jump, below). And people seemed to actually listen, which was cool and great fun.
Before my last talk of the day, the military recruiting station dead ahead of me started displaying giant video of swooping fighter jets and glamorized war scenes--behind the savasana-prone students. The anger I began to feel actually helped quell my nervousness and fuel me; I thought, Man, we need this. We need movement and spirit and love so badly, as counter to exactly THAT.
Many thanks to Gary and the Times Square Alliance, the yoga studios, sponsors (including Yoga Journal), and everyone else who made the day so smooth and organized and successful.
As requested by some lovely folks, here's the text of my speech/essay/guided meditation:
The city is alive and breathing with yoga right now. Here's a smattering of yoga stuff happening around town:
1) Tomorrow night, June 20, the new documentary, "Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda" will be premiering at Jivamukti. Before the movie, Krishna Das will do a 30-minute kirtan (chanting and jamming). After the film there will be a panel discussion with the two filmmakers, Sharon Gannon, David Life and Integral yoga's Swami Ramananda. The event will benefit the o-kill shelter Integral Yoga or Jivamukti
2) Times Square Yoga on the Solstice
In its second year, this metaphor-made-literal day of FREE yoga classes literally in the middle of Times Square is completely perspective-altering and amazing. And this year, yours truly (me) will be speaking in little 10-minute talks/guided meditations.
Time: Classes throughout Saturday. Check www.timessquarenyc.org for times.
Place: In Times Square, at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets
Cost: Free
To sign up: www.timessquarenyc.org
3) Pure Yoga Opening
The much ballyhooed Pure Yoga--what will be the city's largest studio--will be opening on June 25th. New York magazine has a great page of some of the instructors in their fave postures here (see image at right).
4) Krishna Das Concert. If a little 30-minute warm-up at the Living Yoga event isn't enough, you can see a full-length Krishna Das kirtan to shake your hare ramas at St. Paul's Church on Saturday. Go toKrishnaDas.com for info.
And there's more, but will save some for next week. Know of any cool yoga happenings? Let me know or comment below.
It's not even officially summer, and already the city smells like a urinal and feels like a Bikram class. Which is why, apparently, I thought it would be a great idea to start a new Bikram practice. This morning.
The good news about doing yoga in a 400-degree room when it's 95 degrees outside is that when the door opens it feels like a Swiss Alps breeze. The bad news: So. Much. Sweat.
This all started with my friend Jenn contemplating the 30-Day challenge program that a bunch of the city's Bikram studios offer; it's uber-intense and usually cheaper than a regular monthly pass. A friend of her friend's recently finished and blogged about it. I thought it could be a good way to jumpstart my practice--seeing as lately I'm most familiar with Sitonmyasana. But semi-sanity prevailed, and we agreed to three classes a week for a month at the Park Slope Bikram studio.
The last time I did Bikram I vowed never again. It was right after 9/11, downtown, the air still filled with that smoke. The teacher was in full-on sargeant mode, yelling at one student not to look so glum. When she plowed ahead with the "spread your arms like an airplane" script for locust, the class plunged into shocked silence and I thought, "This ain't my kind of yoga."
But alas. I was still missing the love from this morning's teacher. And man, that place stunk like curdled cat litter cheese. But the heat, the sweat, the repetition. All so hard but ultimately good (I think). And at the very end of class when we were bathing in our savasana puddles, the instructor said, "Give yourselves a lot of credit. What you're doing by just being here is loving yourself." Either that, or the other thing. But I'll be back with that intention, yelling and all.
Though most of us think of yoga as a very physical practice, there's so much more to yogic tradition. One of these "mores" is yantra--a sacred geometrical symbol from the Tantrics of ancient India. They're used for meditation, and each one correlates to a planet or deity and a particular mantra, or sound.
If you followed that far, you might want to check out Sarah Tomlinson's yantra painting workshop this weekend at Jivamukti. It sounds very cool. You'll spend the day choosing, drawing, and painting your yantra--and then meditating on it.
Each symbol represents "a quality you would like to enhance within yourself," Sarah told me in an email. "i.e., devotion/courage/strength/passion etc." She'll also show you the matching mantra for your Tantra-inspired yantra (though you won't have to say that three times fast), to really drive home the quality you've chosen to focus on.
The idea is that meditating on these symbols will help you feel more centered and "awaken dormant energy." Sarah, who recently published the book, "Nine Designs For Inner Peace," calls it "visual yoga." She provides the paint and paper, you bring pencil, eraser, compass, ruler, and paintbrushes.
It sounds like a nice, crafty, yogic way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
The Planet Yantra Painting Workshop is this Saturday June 7, from 10:00 am to 6:00pm, for $125. You'll need to pre-register: Jivamuktiyoga.com or call 212-353-0214 ext 0.
As New Yorkers, we already have a naturally smaller environmental footprint than, say, people almost anywhere else. We live bunched on top of each other, we take public transportation, we have smaller spaces to heat and cool, our residential recycling program is decent, etc.
Well, if you've been looking to step it up a notch, check out the new guidebook, Greenopia New York City--tagline: "Eat, Shop, Live Green." I picked up the plump Zagat's style book at Whole Foods Body the other day, and I'm impressed. There are ratings of eco dry-cleaners, spas, restaurants, retailers, grocers, architects, pet stuff, and more. Most of the categories have a "leaf" rating based on how well a particular place meets the rather scrupulous green criteria for each section.
I don't know about you, but this is the kind of information I obsess over and am so glad to have some help with. For example, ABC Carpet & Home's skin care section gets 4 leaves and the Body Shop gets 1 leaf. Having read the labels at both places, that makes sense to me. There's also info on Farmer's Markets and CSA's; green day trips, and a chart for choosing seasonal, local produce.
The book is printed on glossy recycled paper with organic soy ink, of course. There's not much in the way of yoga, but it does include things like Jivamukti's cafe and shop, Lululemon, Integral Yoga's Apothecary, and the Brooklyn-based Omala yoga clothing store. In the next edition, I'd love to see eco ratings for studios.
To go totally tree-free, check out Greenopia.com (there are also guides to L.A. and S.F.). The site is filled with lots more content and other ways to treat the planet, the city, and your body just a little more kindly.
In addition to being a yogi, writer, New Yorker, crafty girl, and a spirit living in a material world, I'm a survivor of cancer. A kind of cancer that has no "cure." Meaning, in the three years since I was successfully treated with chemotherapy, I must regularly go in for various tests and proddings.
I'm down to an annual scan, which is a blessing, though I'm noticing that going so long in between ratchets up the anxiety to a whole new, triplex level of dread and fear. So, what's a good yogi to do? She breeeeeathes. When she remembers.
The other night when my doctor told me my CAT scan would be moved up a week due to some slightly disturbing blood results, I held it together at work long enough to find a pranayama and meditation class at Integral Yoga. It was only when I was sitting in the tiny room on the 4th floor with only two other students and the teacher, Gordon, that it occurred to me that if I was a normal NYer, I'd be at a bar now, two sake-tinis in.
But instead, I listened to Gordon's patient instructions to feel the breath moving across my upper lip, to expel all the "bad air" in a vigorous kapalabhati, to balance the hemispheres of the body with a slow, easy alternate nostril breathing.
And, amazingly, I felt better. Less crazed with fear, more aware of my body, with my breath to keep me going. I get my scan results tonight. My breath is going to be my BFF today as I pretend to be a functional employee. And hopefully I will have happy news to report. And if for some reason I don't--sake-tini, anyone?
UPDATE: Whew. All is clear and well. Opportunities to breathe in the city abound. Here are some at Integral:
Last night, over an AMAZING meal at Pure Food & Wine (vegan, raw, fancy, and deliriously delicious restaurant on Irving Place), some fellow Yoga Journalites (and non-NY-ers) asked me what I do to stay balanced in this crazy city of ours. It got me thinking.
Top 5 Quick Ways to Stay Balanced in NYC
1) Grab Nature When You Can: When walking, route yourself through parks, down the leafiest streets, near the biggest trees. And take in the smells, sights and sounds of plants and critters and the soft respite they offer.
2) Go for Softness: Someone once told me each city's energy is affected by the type of stone beneath it. NYC's granite is some hard-ass rock energy. Too much can rattle our nerves and ability to feel compassion. I do things like: take a restorative yoga class, duck into a Tui Na massage, get a facial, carry bottles of lavender and rescue remedy in my bag.
3) Eat Well: It's not hard to find delicious food here. But I usually feel better when it's of the non-pizza variety (though sometimes a drippy slice is just thing). When you feel off, go for the plants: stop into Bonobo's, Souen, City Bakery (past those cookies to the local veggies), Angelica's, Liquiteria (the green pressed juice is mana), Blossom. And Organique on 23rd is a great lunch spot for organic meats and veggies, when animal protein is what you need.
4) Take in Beauty: Depending on your perspective, NYC can look like Law & Order or Woody Allen's Manhattan. To make sure you catch the latter, get yourself to the water (it's easy to forget we're surrounded), preferably at sunset. Notice gargoyles. Go to Top of the Rock. Walk by Barney's windows. Stop by Alice in Wonderland. Have tea at the Morgan Library.
5) Get Out: You don't have to have a manse in the Hamptons to escape. Every sane NY-er knows she needs to leave at least once a month. Grab a train to Cold Spring and hike, take a ferry ride, day trip to Fire Island, walk on the Long Beach boardwalk, even spend a local, peaceful day at the New York Botanical Garden.
What's on your list? How do you stay sane and happy here?
Hee that is in a towne in May loseth his spring. ~George Herbert
Yes, it certainly feels like I'm loseth-ing the beautiful day in towne in my gray cube. Which means my mind starts to stray over to thoughts of how I can play. Herewith, some yogic summercamp options from the two local-ish yoga retreat biggies, Kripalu and Omega (I'll cover more spots soon). I've picked the ones that are nearly guaranteed to be great.
1) Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
It's an abundance of Berkshire-based yoga riches at this retreat center.
Now that I have your attention.... I wandered into the Lincoln Square Lululemon last night, and while I was paying for my $83 hoodie (hey, it's purple! and fuzzy!), I noticed a sign-up sheet for a "Better Sex Through Yoga" class they'll be hosting at the store--free--on Sunday morning (May 4).
It's taught by Jacquie Noelle Greaux, a woman who wrote a book of the same name. All levels of yogis are welcome, and the class is 9:00am to 10:30 for all you earlier risers and/or Upper East Siders. You can RSVP in the store, by email (lincoln-square-community@lululemon.com), or just bring your sexy self to class.
Also, Satya Jewelry's sample sale begins today! It's from 10am to 6pm today, Saturday, and Sunday @ the Christopher Street store. Go and revel in spiritual ironies as you fight for your majorly discounted Buddhas and oms! (But seriously, really good stuff at fantastic prices.)
A couple of weekends ago, when I went up to Kripalu in the Berkshires for some yogic R&R, I took a yoga-inspired dance class called JourneyDance.
It was in the DansKinetics time slot, but this wasn't my momma's yoga-twirling. I usually just go for the live drums and groove in a corner. But the drums started thumping in the cavernous main hall, and the teacher had us roll around on the floor. And I was like, "Well, I can warm up with the class." And then she had us start moving like water, and I thought, "Ok, I'll be water for just a sec, then I'll go to the corner."
But man, if this sistah of a teacher, Toni Bergins, didn't have me up and moving with her--and about 50 other people--the whole time. Usually I'm kind of cheezed out by new-agey, "love yourself" classes. But this woman was my age-ish and sounded like a happy, spiritual Ani DiFranco (with a dash of Michael Franti). She moved like a hip-hop yogini with enormous energy, totally comfortable in her own skin. The girl channeled some seriously inspiring shakti. And her self-love message? So not cheezy.
Soon I was bouncing up and down, yelling to random partners as instructed: "You are so creative!" and "Well thank you very much!" "You are so wiiild," "You are so sensuous!" "Well thank you very much!" We whooped and built imaginary shamanic fires, burned excess psychic gunk, and danced around them, all to the drums, which were beating in my cells. Then she chilled us all the way back down to the earth.
Whew. Amazing. I caught her again last weekend when she taught at Atmananda (nee Centerpoint) in NYC. Totally different vibe at night, with a much smaller crowd, and no drums, just some funky non-live music. But equally deep and cleansing and fun. She's on tour and will be coming back to NYC for another event on June 7th. (It isn't listed on the site yet, so just drop her an email). You must go. Really.
It's not cheap (like $50 for two hours). But if you think of it like therapy, which it is, but more fun and better exercise, then it's a freaking bargain. Go, dance. Feel alive. She's also giving teacher training in her method at Kripalu in June, in case you get converted and want to spread the high-vibing, heartful, booty-thumping word.
Yes, it's officially spring out there. Thank the great green goddess. That was a long one, no?
Well, you can celebrate with a little bit of internal spring cleaning. The folks at Yoga People's Brooklyn Heights studio told me about a two-day workshop (or one if you prefer) they're having this weekend that sounds really lovely: "Root to Rise: The Power Of Organic Energy."
It'll be taught by Anusara-ginis Tara Glazier and Jorja Rivero. On Saturday, they'll be covering backbends, standing poses, and inversions, with an eye to waking up your prana (life force) from its winter slumber and getting those juicing flowing.
Sunday is about grounding all of that expansion by opening your hips, doing some twists, forward bends, and restorative poses. The aim is clarity, strength and oomph.
It costs $100 for both days, $50 for one day, and $55 if you schedule within 24 hours of the workshops. For more info: yoga-people.com or register at 718-522-9642.
As I mentioned some months ago, my long-time boyfriend was a yoga virgin. No more. A couple of weeks ago, of his own free, non-nudged will, he went and signed up for Jivamukti's beginner series.
When he got back from the first class, he sent me an email with the subject "Jivamuktilicious." I clapped, so relieved his first time had been good. For so long I had been hesitant to introduce him to yoga for fear that he'd have a bad experience; for this control freak, it was just too much responsibility. But here's what he wrote me:
"So i had my first ever yoga experience... I was greeted by a mellow, smiley young woman, who looked up my name on the computer and asked if it was my first time there. "Yup, I need to rent a mat, right?"
Once that was all taken care of and I was changed into my jammies [ed note: In lieu of anything stretchy, I told him his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt would be fine.] I went into this little room, about the size of a small studio apartment and people were laying out their mats. There were about ten or twelve of us, about 40% men, 60% women. One woman looked like she was in charge and I asked her what to do. She was an assistant and told me to get some blankets which seemed utterly mysterious, were we going to take naps? And some blocks and straps which were even more mysterious and seemed a little S&M.
Our teacher then arrived, the lovely Narayani aka Nicole Nichols whom had been recommended by the guy who took my Visa card number on the phone when I signed up. "Is anybody here for the first time?" I and another woman raised our hands....
We started with some omming, which was kinda cool since the teacher did it with authority and everyone just followed, including me. She also talked about finding enlightenment through yoga, saying it could be achieved in the here and now. She may have said it was through connecting the body and soul to the earth, or maybe that was just my interpretation.
This week is turning into mini awards season around me. On Sunday I found out a friend won a Pulitzer for her amazing reporting at the New York Times. (Bob Dylan also scooped up a Pulitzer--how cool is that?) And then Tuesday I learned that both sites I'm involved with were nominated for Webby Awards. Very different things, but all exciting nonetheless!
The place I do my day job--Beliefnet.com--was nominated in the Webby Religion and Spirituality category. And YogaJournal.com was nominated in the Magazine category--along with other fantastic sites: New York magazine, National Geographic, Make, and Dwell. Big stuff! Yay, congrats YJ.
I grew up in Quaker schools where competition was not encouraged, in the name of equality, two central Quaker tenets. So I've never really allowed myself to express my competitiveness (ok, unless you've played a boardgame with me, in which case--is that a vowel lodged in your ear? Sorry!).
But as we all know, recognition is nice. When it involves me, even tangentally, I've found it's especially lovely if I can circumvent my ego and recycle that joy by plunking it into my self-love piggy bank. Clink!
If you'd like to help turn the YJ "bank" into an actual win by voting for us between now and May 1st, that would be extra-clinky.
I also just finished reading the Madonna profile in Vanity Fair's Green Issue tonight (oh lordess, that shiny woman does some sort of magic yoga). And it closes with two clichéd, but moment-appropriate quotes from her Madgeness: "If your joy is derived from what society thinks of you, you're always going to be disappointed." The cure? "You just have to keep doing your work and hope and pray someone's dialing into your frequency."
Amen sistah. And thanks, dear readers, for dialing into the YJ frequency.
Stacie just brought an amazing-looking upcoming photo exhibit to my attention--The Searchers. Done by artists Sasha Bezzubov and Jessica Sucher, it captures a strand of Western spiritual tourism in India. The kind that you may be familiar with--the kind where sightseeing means ashrams, temples, and festivals. The type of tourism that seeks yogic, often guru-lead transformation, following in the footsteps of The Beatles, Ram Dass, Krishna Das, Elizabeth Gilbert, and countless others.
The lovely photos range from scruffy white guys in orange robes (I had to squint at a couple I thought might be ex-boyfriends), to elegant images of orchids climbing cracked walls, a haunting altar photo of Osho, and deity-scaled palaces populated with human-scale yogis. In their statement, the artists write: "we photographed transient seekers and lifetime converts, architecture in the communities they found, and the spiritual practices they engage in."
They add that this work builds on their other projects in different countries, looking at "young Western travelers visiting the developing world, their relationship with their host country, and what this means within the larger questions of history, economy, race, and idealism."
Mark your calendar and catch the exhibit:
Front Room Gallery
April 11 – May 4, 2008
147 Roebling Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718. 782. 2556 http://www.frontroom.org
And selections from the Searchers will also be exhibited with Front Room Gallery at
Bridge Art Fair
March 27 – March 30, 2008
@ The Waterfront
222 12th Avenue
& 269 11th Avenue http://www.bridgeartfair.com
I've managed to catch whatever my cubicle neightbor has been sick with--I'm fevery and in need of some neti-potting (or yogic humming). So I'll keep this week kind of short and just let you know about a pair of conference-type things that might interest you.
One is the New Life Expo, the weekend if March 28-30. Frankly it's always seems a little cheesy to me and asking around I've heard that it's dwindled in stature in recent years. But lots of speakers and panels on things like vibrational healing, chakra balancing, and holistic sexuality.
What might be more up the yogi's alley is the same company's Yoga and Raw Food Expo June 6-8 (and just now realizing it's all run by the same group as NY Yoga magazine--my post last week. I don't plan these things, but info tends to come in clusters that way--an energy thing?). But anyway, It promises to be three days of "yoga classes, lectures, music, food" at the Hotel New Yorker.
Not a comprehensive list of who will be involved in the latter yet, but somehow the idea of eating fresh raw food and doing tons of yoga sounds so very, very nice right now. But maybe most appealing is the idea of warm, balmy June.
Sniffle, sneeze, cough, ommmmm. Stay warm!
P.S.
Remember, you can always drop me a line about what you'd like to see here--yoga listings, info, etc. When I'm feeling better, I can even do some actual reporting (!) if there's something you'd like to find out. valerie at valerie reiss dot com
After attending my first "Green Drinks" night--networking for the eco set--I sat on the train thumbing through a magazine I've read only a couple of times, New York Yoga Magazine.
It's one of those free newsprint publications mostly filled with articles by the same people who advertise in the magazine. Some decent event and studio listings, though, plus a silly syndicated humor column I've long appreciated by "Swami Beyondananda," and a helpful article or two. But tonight I stumbled upon something novel--a yoga crossword puzzle. 1. down is "Tortoise pose," 3. across--"A knot in the body or mind that blocks the free flow of energy or prana and distorts our view of reality."
It's a cool way to brush up on your Sanskrit and yoga trivia. And even though I'm a crossword junkie, this one is actually pretty hard since it doesn't rely on old vowely standbys like Brian Eno and NAFTA for its answers.
You can download it here: nyyogamagazine.com when you click pages 26 -40.
It's also sort of timely to be talking about this, as just a couple of weeks ago, NYC hosted the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, a totally insane exercise in speed solving (Bikram for your brain?) covered really well by NPR here.
Let me know what you think of the yoga crossword--and how fast you solve it.
Fearless. What does that mean, exactly, in a city where fear is a kind of sixth sense that helps us navigate? Even though it sometimes seems vital, with the help of yoga and meditation, I'm working on trading fear for a relaxed readiness.
We can all re-think our fear systems at Omega Institute's annual Being Fearless conference next month.
On April 11, 12, and 13 at a midtown hotel, an array of spiritual luminaries will assemble for our collective enlightenment. In years past, this conference has had keynote speakers like Al Gore and Malcolm Gladwell. This year's teacher roster is even more eclectic than usual, including: Rev. Michael Beckwith of "The Secret," yogic rockstar Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, author Anne Lamott, politician Robert Kennedy, Jr., Mia Farrow (yeah, I know), Valerie Plame Wilson (!), and the amazing Iyanla Vanzant.
I'm not sure I've dropped much fear in my last three years attending, but I have danced with Gabrielle Roth, heard Malclom Gladwell pumped for spiritual advice, had my aura photographed, and took a nap on something called a "Biomat" that's supposed to align every last chakra with its crystal essence. Or something. Last year after a heart-opening workshop I even thanked a favorite, beloved author for changing my life. She didn't miss a beat, immediately asking me for a bathroom. Ouch. NYC armor: re-activate.
Painful lessons aside, it's always weird and lovely to dip into the waters of yoga and soul and step out into midtown. Kind of like leaving a single yoga class times 100. I highly recommend checking it out, even if only for the pupu platter appeal of tasting a little spiritual-yogic something from a lot of fascinating someones.
If you're into crafty projects that are functional, not to mention spiritual, then you'll definitely want to check out the mala-making workshop at Satya Jewelry on Saturday, March 8.
Kundalini yoga teacher Hari Kaur will guide attendees through the process of beading a Japa Mala, those pretty Indian necklaces with 108 beads that inspired the Catholic rosary. They're part meditation tool, part beautiful accessory.
The day-long event is scheduled to start with some Kundalini Yoga at Golden Bridge Yoga (the Nolita Satya and GG are attached) and then mingle meditation and mala creation. It'll wrap with a moment to meditate with your finished mala.
The idea is that if you're in a meditative space while stringing the beads--semi-precious stones said to hold energy and intention--you'll create a powerful personal talisman to remind you of the sacred everywhere you go.
When you sign up for the workshop, you'll need to select the beads for your mala. There's rose quartz (for unconditional love); carnelian (to ward off fear); fancy jasper (about interconnectedness); and jade (the "stone of dreams").
It's about this time of year that the subways seem more crowded, the skies more bleak, the people as warm as my icy fingertips. In other words, it's the perfect moment for a winter escape. Take a vacation day or two, meld them on to a weekend and voila, sanity mostly restored. Some ideas to get you started:
Woodstock, NY
This is my favorite insta-getaway. Hop on a bus and two-and-a-half hours later you're in the midst of tie-dyed storefronts and nearby trees. If you stay at the sweet Woodstock Inn on the Millstream, you'll be walking distance from Bliss Yoga, an often jam-packed studio with great teachers. Not to mention Pegasus, my fave cute-yet-comfy show shop. And if you stay at Dharma House, you can bake in the sauna after a soak in the massive tub.
Kripalu Center, Lenox, MA
A little more of a trek (I always pop an anti-motion sickness pill), this is also a bus-able destination. There's not much like standing on that back porch and looking over the snow-dusted landscape. Except maybe taking a fantastic morning yoga class, eating a yummy veggie lunch, and soaking in a 10-person hot-tub for as long as you can stand. Kripalu.org
American Yogini, Jamesport, NY
Can't vouch for this one personally, but I'm on the mailing list and am quite tempted. It's a spot out in the Hamptons that offers yoga, raw juice fasting, and other options. The photos look lovely and Alison Shore Gaines, who leads the fast is a respected long-time Kripaluite. AmericanYogini.com
When I first heard about CityStretch, a new guidebook to NYC yoga, I had a total V8, I-should-have-thought-of-that moment. We have guides to just about every possible niche here--from restaurants to nightlife to erotica shops. And now, there's yoga.
Though I haven't gotten my paws on one yet, one of the authors is a friend of a friend. Just released by a pair of New York yoginis, the book includes a comprehensive array of yoga studios. Each description has price of classes, style, level, rating, and a chatty review. There's also a handy icon guide to amenities like showers, bottled water, secure storage and towels. Some reviews have a sketch of a hand in gyan mudra to denote "top picks" that are "worth the schlep." (You can see sample pages here.)
It definitely appears that this is a very "scalable" (oy, one too many marketing conversations this week) concept that could spread to any city. The real "value-add" (aak, I can't stop!) here is that the guide includes coupons to classes worth more than $450 at studios that include: Yoga Works Westside, Yoga Center of Brooklyn, Golden Bridge, The Breathing Project and the Chopra Spa.
All seemingly worth the $15 cost of the book, which you can only pick up at the CityStretch website right now.
I'm planning to order one. Will you let me know if you do? Would love to have reviews of the reviews.
Maybe I'm late to the party, but I recently discovered Reality Sandwich, a nifty online magazine with the tagline, "Evolving consciousness, bite by bite."
Though they're not NYC-centric, right now there's a spicy little conversation going on about the first offline "Evolver" event, "Wake Up and Dream," an all-night mini-fest at our own Jivamukti last weekend.
Apparently, in one session, "Asanas and Ayahuasca," Sharon Gannon and the site's Editorial Director, author Daniel Pinchbeck, had quite the debate, inflaming some attendees, who later took their feelings to RS's comments sections. Said one: "I was disgusted at the evolver event... by the toxic, ego-driven double talk of Sharon Gannon."
As only an anonymous web-poster can, "WNB" went on to spew some toxins of his/her own. The next person jumped in with "You've got to wonder, when your own buttons get pushed, why those buttons were so itchy to get triggered." And others expressed more judicious or "libra" thoughts about the evening.
I have to say, it's kind of refreshing to see New York yogis talking about issues of ego and judgement, veganism and McDonald's, all sparked by what sounds like a lovely, trippy, Burning Man-esque evening. Hopefully next time I'll be able to give you a heads-up beforehand.
It looks like the site launched nearly a year ago, getting its name from an Allen Ginsberg poem. They've got all kinds of funky, spiritual, eco, artsy features including "Ayahuasca and Kabbalah," "The Ancient Future of Food," and "How to Save the World By Pooping in a Bucket." The site notes that it has plans for a social network, meaning the convos will only get juicier and the connections broader.
Did anyone out there make it to the event or know much about Reality Sandwich? Would love to hear your thoughts.
To think about the brain, you have to use the brain. Which evokes the profound question that yogis and gurus an sages have been asking all along: Who is thinking that thought?
If your circuits still work after that, you'll be excited to know about Brainwave NYC, a festival around the city that aims to ask "how art, music, and meditation affect the brain." Answers are in the form of "more than a hundred public events, ranging from an exhibition of contemporary art and a cinema series to cutting-edge concerts, performances, talks, and panels."
The events, which started earlier this month and reach into April, range from visionary art to the "psychobiology of meditation" to a family yoga class and are sponsored by orgs diverse as The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, CUNY, and The Museum of Natural History, and more.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
What happens in our brains as we die, from the Tibetan Buddhist perspective. With Dr. Ramon Prats.
RMA Saturday, February 9, 4 p.m., $15
Bokara Legendre in conversation with Jean Houston, one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement.
RMA Wednesday, February 13, 6:30 p.m. $15
The Interfaith Experience
With visionary artist Alex Grey. This conversation takes place in the galleries during RMA's weekly K2 Lounge on Friday nights.
RMA Friday, February 22, 7 p.m., Free
Family Yoga
Action, stillness, and more action! Train your mind to control your body by playing fun yoga games.
RMA Saturday, February 23, 2 p.m., Free with Museum admission
The Neuroscience of The Groove
Quartet for Percussion and Brain Waves
Premiere of a live performance/experiment with drummers and electroencephalographs.
Science & the Arts, CUNY Graduate Center, Monday, March 24, 6:30 p.m., FREE
Train to Happiness
French biologist-turned-Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard in conversation with Mind and Life Institute pioneer Bennett Shapiro on their work with His Highness The Dalai Lama on cognitive function.
RMA Monday, April 14, 7 p.m., $25
Raghavan Iyer: 300 Curries
What effect do spices have on the way we see and taste the world? Followed by a tasting.
RMA Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., $25
(I'm extra-psyched about these events because I spent five months interviewing almost two dozen brain experts for this recent article on enhancing your brain function.)
Stocks are falling, real estate is crashing, something called the Dow (not to be confused with the tao) is swinging wildly. And the core heart of all this trading, sweaty, money-drenched panic is New York City. This is partly the reason I signed up for "Financial Yoga," a class held at Integral Yoga taught by Wall Street veteran-turned-spiritual-financial adviser, Claire Kinsella.
Kinsella started the class by asking us to share our first money role-models, because, she said, our childhood is likely informing our current relationship to cash. Unsurprisingly, there was nary a happy story. One woman described her father keeping his salary a locked-door secret, another said her mom was so debt-averse she advised her daughter not to go to college because of the loans.
Though we didn't do any actual asana, Kinsella went over the financial organization system she's created, Financial Safety Space, explaining how she's aligned each kind of money transaction with a chakra. For example, the root chakra—the one that grounds us to the earth—is all about income streams, the money that comes in to nourish and support. The third chakra in the solar plexus (normally associated with power), is, she said, related to contracts—debt, taxes, legal issues, etc. Heart chakra is about home, marriage, and child expenses, etc. It's really quite cool.
She recommended creating a filing system for your finances that reflects this notion. She showed her us her file box filled with a rainbow of chakrically-coded file folders. For each chakra/money issue, she also recommends a corresponding chant and yoga posture: For dealing with financial contracts and debt—all third chakra-related—we chanted Ra and Ram, and she suggested doing Upside-Down Triangle pose to open that chakra.
To learn more, you'll need to contact her and take one of her classes, which she teaches around the city.
One of the most potent things she said was, "The number-one reason people get into debt is loneliness." For a second there was dead silence, as we all surely combed over our own recent emotion-spurred splurges. Like every financial planner she suggests writing down your expenses, but unlike any other, she also suggests writing the feeling you had when you made them.
Powerful stuff for, er, interesting financial times.
You know, I know, NYC is to inner calm what writhing, naked, nubiles are to chastity. Making it the perfect place to practice finding stillness, some say. (Hey, the celibate Gandhi allegedly invited hot women into his bed so he could not touch them).
And this week we get a little help from New York magazine's "Peace + Quiet" issue--subtitle: "finding calm in the urban squall." (My source two weeks running--if anyone's counting--but no worries, not three.)
The package kicks off with a piece about my Beliefnet office mate Martha Ainsworth (hi, Martha!), who's officially trying to become an "urban hermit"--think: prayer and vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience--all while working a regular job, commuting, and socializing like (almost) the rest of us.
Then there's a handy guide to free yoga (something I've been meaning to write about for a while). You can grab free classes at Integral, Yoga Sutra, Atmananda (wait, hadn't they switched their name to Centerpoint? Are they back now? Oh, that Jhon T.), and Yoga to the People. There's even a section about chanting in NYC.
All of this is a little extra-spiritual, not the usual yoga-lite spa-y froth. It's refreshingly real. I might add to the list for how we can all cope with/escape subway rider rage and related stressors:
- Actually go to a Quaker meeting. I went to elementary school at Friends, host to the aforementioned meetinghouse, and so got silence drummed into me early and often. I recommend it, whatever your beliefs. There's 16th street ; a Morningside meeting; and a Brooklyn meeting.
- Get up early on Sunday and walk around. Before the brunch crowds hit.
Which reminds me of Digable Planets' great '90s ode to NYC Sunday peacefulness. Some lyrics:
Butterfly searchin for a relax
pullin from the jazz stacks cause it’s sunday
on the air is incense
sounds to the ceiling
tryin to get this feelin since monday
lookin out the window
watchin all the people go...
buggin off the calmness in the apple
who me i’m coolin in new york
i’m chillin in new york
the hoods is on my block
and the brothers at the court
the baseball hats is on
and the projects is calm
dream times extended
(Ladybug)
and highly recommended
(Butterfly)
but early birds like me’s up checkin out the scene
the early worms job, forget about your job
just come dig the essence while the decadence is hidden
when people act like people, the theory is in picture
if you know the norm it’s like hades transformed
on sunday's early hours the city sprouts its flowers
so get with the rhythms while you gettin with the planets
vibe off the jams but don’t take em for granted
just chill
Last week's New York magazine reported on Equinox gym's "War of the Yogis." Apparently, the posh sports club chain has teamed up with Pure Yoga, a studio chain in Hong Kong, to open a 20,000-square-foot space on the Upper East Side come spring.
It would dwarf even some of NYC's largest studios: Om Yoga is 11,500-square feet; Jivamukti is 12,000. That's some serious yoga space—they better have some amazing classes, deep pockets, or fantastic karma, or else the NYC real estate market can't possibly support this.
The article says the high-sheen place will have five rooms of simultaneous yoga in different styles. And no more pretending not to fight over mat space—you'll be able to go online and reserve your very own parking spot within a class.
The quote Equinox gave New York is incredibly telling: "we will continue to expand and pursue an aggressive yoga strategy." And the Pure Yoga site describes its retail shops like this: "Our interiors are ergonomically designed for the ultimate shopping experience." Erm, "aggressive yoga strategy"? Yoga, ergonomics, and "ultimate shopping"? WWPD (What Would Patanjali Do?)
Well, I know that yoga here is not exactly "pure" to its roots—nor do I think it needs to be—but sometimes it seems that it goes so far off the rails here that it's helpful to remember the original intentions of yoga's first shapers. Yoga has a do's and don'ts list, and one of the "do's" is ahmisa—not harming others. A subset of ahimsa is called vaira-tyagah, giving up hostilities. One site translates it like this: (vaira = hostility, enmity, aggression; tyaga = abandon, give up).
So, Equinox, maybe there's another, more collaborative—ahimsa-matic?—way to come here as a yoga monolith? Though it's yet to be seen how they'll affect the yogascape, it sort of feels like a fancy WalMart threatening the livelihoods of the smaller, humbler studios that have been around for years. What do you think? Do we have room for a studio like this?
Someone once told me that wherever you are on New Year’s Eve is a reflection of how the year ahead will follow. Superstitious or not, it’s a good excuse to choose your celebrations consciously. That way, if you’re planning on bathing in a magnum or Vueve, at least it’s a choice. For other options, here’s a taste of NYC’s offerings for ringing in 2008 sober and still and with a yogic openness to the changes to come.
Where:Jivamukti Yoga, 841 Broadway, 2nd floor When: December 31, 9pm to 12 am What: Sit in “mauna,” yogic silence, till midnight with Sharon Gannon, David Life, and fellow yogis, and then chant like crazy in a kirtan with the band Lokah. Snack out on chai and vegan treats. How Much: Free! More Info/Sign-Up:www.jivamuktiyoga.com
Where: Laughing Lotus, 59 W. 19th St., 3rd Floor When: December 31, 10 pm - 12 am What: Midnight Yoga with Kate. A class set to live music, with prompting to inspire your vision for the year ahead. How Much: $20 More Info/Sign-Up: Reservations required. 212-355–1600 or laughinglotus.com.
Where: Golden Bridge Yoga, 253 Centre Street When: December 31, 10 am - 11:30 am and/or Januray 1st, 4pm - 5:30 pm What: Kundalini Yoga with tea and cookies to "let go of the past and bring in the new year filled with focused energy, renewed potential and hope for a peaceful and harmonious 2008." How Much: $18 per class More Info/Sign-Up:goldenbridgeyoganyc.com.
Where:Om Yoga, 826 Broadway, 6th Floor When: December 31, 5:30 - 8 pm What: Class with Cyndi Lee, surrounded by candlelight, set to the new OM yoga mix CD. Post-class treats. For all levels. “You can come and detoxify before you toxify! Or use this class as a reminder of the in-between.” How Much: $40 More Info/Sign-Up:omyoga.com
Where: Hot Nude Yoga When: December 31, 9:30 pm - 1:00 am What: If you’re male, gay, yogic, and not at all shy, this could be the place to be. Mingling begins at 9:30, class starts at 10. How Much: $40 More Info/Sign-Up:hotnudeyoga.com
Where:Dharma Mittra When: Events throughout the day—and the next. Check site for details. What: December 31st will kick off with an afternoon meditation for world peace, and there’s a 6:30 New Year’s class with Dharma. January 1st is the Annual All-Day Chant of 108 Hanuman Chalisas, a free chantathon event. How Much: Prices vary. More Info/Sign-Up: dharmittrayogacenter.com
Where: East West Yoga When: January 1st, 12pm – 4pm What: A yoga workshop with Sadie Nardini and Ariel Towne “to clear yourself on all levels, and realign yourself to your highest intentions.” After yoga class, there will be a lunch break, then Feng Shui expert and lifecoach Ariel will help you clarify what you really want for the year ahead. How Much: $65 in advance, or $75 at the door. Yoga class can be taken seperately for $25, or Shui workshop only for $50. More Info/Sign-Up:eastwestnyc.com
The votes are in, if you're into that sort of thing: Citysearch has published its winners for best yoga studios this year, as voted for by Citysearch readers, plus one editorial pick. Though some of the votes are surely due to heavy lobbying (I once knew a massage therapist who constantly shilled for positive votes on the site), chances are it's falrly legitimate stuff. Here's a terse summary of the list. Go here for the whole thing with details.
Audience Winner: Sonic Yoga (for the third year in a row)
Editorial Winner: Laughing Lotus
Runners-Up:
1) Yoga Effects
2) Levitate
3) Yoga Works Midtown
5) World Yoga Center
6) OM Yoga Center
7) balance yoga
8) Laughing Lotus
9) Jivamukti Yoga
10) Bikram Yoga NYC
I haven't been to all these places, but it starts me wondering, what do New Yorkers want in a yoga class? What makes a studio "best"? I mean aside from competent teachers, cleaniness, and affordable rates? Do we want something specific from our classes? Is there stuff we tolerate here that would not fly in fly-over country? Vice-versa?
Things I love in a yoga studio (and possibly one reason I'm so grumpy about most NYC studios):
- A clear, loving vibe.
- Space! Once I have to squeeze my mat between moviestars (or yogis who act like them), I'm audi.
- Convenience: the best teachers only teach at 2pm on Tuesdays? Yikes. Lunchtime yoga, plenty of classes to make the rush hours less wall-to-wall.
- Classes that don't cost as much as rent.
- Teachers who are alive and present and don't seem like they've taught this class 8,000 times, even if they have.
- A touch of the spirit. I don't need constant chanting or mat-side preaching, but some bookend oms (beginning and end of class), a well-selected quote and a reminder or two that we're not just here for our butts is always welcome and helpful.
- Permission to move at my own pace, even if it means throwing off the look of a synchronized room.
- Permission to rest.
- A "yay, you!" reminder at the end of class--when my brain has already moved on to berating myself for not coming more often, a reminder that coming at all is a triumph is helpful.
- An abundance of sincere--but non-intrusive--smiling.
- A sense of community, that we're all in this together.
Bonuses:
- A mid-savasana neck-tug or shoulder smoosh. Massaging of any sort, really.
- The smell of essential oils
- Bean-bag eye pillows
Hey last-minute shopper. Yeah, you. Well, despite Seaweedgate, I'm still quite smitten with Lululemon's incredibly comfy, well-constructed, cute yoga/workout/hang-out clothes (and yep, they're a YJ advertiser, but I swear I'm not being paid off in Scuba hoodies--if only). And now there's one more place to buy their stuff in our sleety city--just in time for the holidays.
Though it's not technically a store, but a "showroom" on the second floor of an office building in Union Square, the weeks-old shop is tiny but ample. It's also teeming with great potential gifts. In fact, I just scooped up a pair of sturdy, sparkly pink leg-warmers for a friend who I'm hoping will embrace her inner Irene Cara.
The store is also planning on holding the occasional yoga class. I looked around the snug place crammed with bags and mats and tops and pants and undies and was like, "Um, where?" The helpful shopkeep pointed to the clothing racks--"Well, everything's on rollers." Ah, the Canucks have embraced small-space NYC living. She said they may even have midday classes, but for now you'll need to contact the store for details.
If you can't quite picture yourself sun-saluting among racks of covetables, they've also got a cute little community table with fliers to many of the eight-zillion Union Square yoga studios.
So, happy shopping and staying sane in the next week. Don't forget your slow, even breathing at the family dinner table. Maybe take a look at Lulu's great "manifesto" before setting off for the beloved people who know exactly how to challenge your equilibrium the most.
I get a very cool weekly email from the Girlie Girl Army, which seems to serve a yoga-y, fashion-y, animal rights-y contingent of young women in NYC looking for shelter, bling, peace, puppies, good jeans, and vegan recipes. An odd blend, to be sure. But it's like a thinking, spiritual woman's Daily Candy.
Anyway, this week it held a tidbit about an online charity auction benefitting Farm Sanctuary, a no-kill animal shelter (one of the very few in the country) in upstate New York and California.
Lots of celebs seem to be pro-Farm Sanctuary. Especially the conscious, health and yoga-oriented set. Here's a sampling of the bevy of incredible biddables based in NYC. Most online bidding ends December 17 (though some close earlier)--these could be the perfect gifts for the person who has everything--except backstage passes to Carlos Santana.
The perfect holiday gift for the aspiring--or new-to-NYC--yogi in your life is the Yoga PassBook. It's a booklet of coupons for more than 300 free yoga, dance, and pilates classes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens with a smattering in Long Island and New Jersey. The bulk of them are in--shocker--Manhattan. That's a whole lotta chances to find a new favorite studio or teacher.
Most of the coupons are good for two free classes per studio, with some lasting a week or a month at more generous (and presumably less populated) studios. The site that sells them, Health-Fitness.org, lists the long roll call of participating studios--from Area Yoga to Zawacki Dance (plus tons of popular places like Exhale, Golden Bridge, and Jivamukti). Most of the passes are for yoga studios, but it's kind of neat that you can also indulge in an occasional Tango or African dance class. Some of the passes get you free private or semi-private Pilates sessions.
For the Pilates-inis and plain-old fitness geeks in your life you can get The Pilates PassBook and The Fitness PassBook. I just called and the very nice man told me that if you get two of the $75 Yoga PassBooks you get $10 off, or if you buy any three, you'll get a fourth one free--good reason to grab four friends and a calculator.
All the coupons you'd order now are good for 2008, with no weird blackout dates or classes or anything. I've bought these before, and they really are a cool way to sample the city's offerings. And you only need to go to around six classes to justify the price of a book--seriously better guilt odds that a month long studio pass or gym membership that you know you won't completely use.
I feel a little late to the studio with my new favorite discovery, but here it is: YouTube. I've been poking around more and more lately--especially since the Gossiping Cats video, and there's an abundance of yoga related content. (Plenty of it cribbed from Yoga Journal, natch.)
And it started me thinking about yoga in New York City--I found some really cool stuff that ranges from beautiful to perplexing to hilarious to nutty. A sampling:
Though the origins of Thanksgiving are murky at best, politically indefensible at worst, and dietarily overstuffing at medium, it's a nice moment to remember gratitude. Remember that?
Here's my list of things I'm thankful for this year, as an NYC yogini/health-striving gal:
1) Being Cancer-Free. This time three years ago I was bald, chemo'd, and in a kind of frozen zone. Now my hair is big once again, my veins are running clearer, and I can feel the warmth returning to my life. Yay. This subversive cross stitch, BTW, made my day.
2) Whole Foods Whole Body Store. I know, WF is the new Starbucks, it's gobbling the-little fish food stores in its Jaws-like maw. But damn it's like delicious soul-porn standing in that store sniffing Zum soap, checking out new yoga mats, and dreaming of a bathroom big enough to hold all the giant-tubbed fantasies this place provokes.
3) Cheap Tui Na Massage. The savvy girls around here skip Bliss and go straight for the dollar-a-minute Tui--Chinese massage places that require no appointment or huge budget. My work-area fave: Asia Tui Na Massage on 28th near Park. Ask for Mai. But really they're all good.
4) Living in This Yoga-Rich City.
I love this city when I'm not hating it, and a lot of that has to do with the absurd riches of everything except trees: Indian food, bra shops, movies you can't see in a mall, and, of course, yoga. I love that I can do Kundalini or Integral or Kripalu or Bikram or Anusara or whatever my body needs that day.
5) Hi-Vibe. This amazing little raw food haven has everything from divine shea butter to anti-oxidant-rich goji berries. But mainly stands as a reminder of the optimal health we can strive for, even here.
6) My Man. He doesn't do yoga (but he's open--still need to sign him up for a beginner course). And he has a habit of eye-rolling when things like The Secret come up, but he constantly surprises me with his willingness to grow and change and listen and talk and do my dishes.
7) Rice, the Restaurant. I eat here way too often, but the black beans with brown rice and lovely clean vibe gets me through all the psycho stress of producing content that helps people relax.
8) Subways. Not driving. 'Nuff said.
9) Oko and Flurt. Ok, it's not exactly fro-yo weather anymore, but I still adore this low-fat-ish probiotic-y frozen treat.
10) Dharma Mittra's "Psychic Development & Meditation" Classes. The yoga master may be a little extreme for some tastes (he loves to lecture about all the "corpses"-a.k.a. meat--in your fridge), but he can bring a room together, remind me that I'm a soul first, do-er second, and do a little chakra-cleansing in the process.
So, what are you, dear yogi, grateful for right now?
The weather is finally snapping like it should. Which of course has me accelerating ahead into a holidaze. Mental gift and wish lists are being made. Travel plans being plotted. And I’m already scheming which beautiful piece of Satya Jewelry will go to which recipient (including me, of course).
Normally I can afford only a rare piece of this “yoga-inspired” jewelry—a lotus ring here, a sparkly pendant there. But Satya’s annual sample sale (read: insane, yet friendly cluster-f#$%) allows for an abundance of riches to rain on many income brackets.
Though I just called today and was told by a nice woman that they haven’t set a date yet for the sale, she did say it would probably be happening either the last week in November or the first in December. And she said to make sure I was on their email list (I am, natch) and that there would be a week’s notice.
So, all of you yoginis who like your baubles to reflect your practice and hold some meaning, sign up now so you’ll know the second they set off the starting om. Click here and scroll down.
And definitely go here or visit one of their three Manhattan locations (the Nolita outpost is connected to the Golden Bridge studio for a two-fer experience) if you haven’t checked out their lovely, eclectically spiritual trinkets—Buddha pendants, om bracelets, garnet earrings, tree of life necklaces. Each one comes with a description of the symbol and materials. For example, a lovely pair of earrings is explained thus: “Invoking the energy of the cosmos, these cherry quartz drops help to provide clarity to our thoughts, while the pure silver beads cool and calm the mind.”
It might be a whole lot of brilliant marketing, but I really do like the idea of wearing reminders to stay peaceful and in my heart. And Satya nails the organic-yet-elegant vibe in such gorgeous ways. If you won’t be in NYC during the soon-to-be-announced sale, they often have a mini sample sale of their website.
Plus, a percentage of sales goes to children’s yoga endeavors through the Satya Foundation.
For most of us busy-as-bees New Yorkers, squeezing in a regular yoga class can be as much of a skill as hailing a taxi in the rain—at 5:30 on a Tuesday during a cab strike.
This is why the goddess invented lunchtime yoga. So that in between meetings and assignments and conference calls we can get our stretch and move and breathe on. Yoga studios all over have started to catch on to this phenom—one owner says these are some of her most popular classes. The extra good news is that many of these shortened sessions are cheaper than full-length classes.
So you don't have to, here's a roundup of quickie lunchtime yoga classes—you can always eat your actual meal al desko when you get back.
Breathing Project
This Lunchtime Flow yoga is a "gentle, yet invigorating, one-hour yoga class focusing on balancing stretching with strengthening," according to the Chelsea studio's website. Every Wednesday at 12:30, $10. Click here for more info:
Yoga Sutra
This studio at 42nd and 5th offers a 45-minute Vinyasa class open to all levels—perfect for
Vinyasa, open to all levels. At 12:15, Monday through Friday. They've also got an hour-long Ashtanga class and an upcoming lunchtime Iyengar sesh. Click here for more info.
Yoga People
For those of you who work closer to Brooklyn Heights than Midtown Manhattan, this studio has a one-hour open Vinyasa class at lunch. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2pm. $14 (regular classes are $17). Click here for more info.
Laughing Lotus
Gaze at vibrant walls during lunch in Chelsea at this 60-minute "Flower Hour" open Vinyasa class. 12:30 to 1:30. Click here for more info.
Integral Yoga
Another 45-minute class for speedsters with tight schedules and/or watchful bosses. All weekdays at 12:15. These are classes with less instruction and "not for new beginners." Click here for more info.
Sonic Yoga
This Hell's Kitchen studio, voted #1 by City Search users, has a 60-minute "Flow 1" class at 12:30 weekdays. The site says the class "has a stilling quality that leaves you refreshed and restored." Click here for more info.
Levitate Yoga
Breathe off the stress at this "Quickie" class Monday through Saturday, 12:30 to 1:30. A calm hatha studio. Mixed levels. It's $12—classes here are usually $18. Click here for more info.
Om Yoga
Near Union Square? Rush into this one-hour "Express" class for all levels during weekdays. It's $12—classes here are usually $18. Click here for more info.
It seems almost any time a new yoga studio opens here, there's some sort of dustup—whether it’s because one relocates a little too closely to another, or there’s some financial slipperiness, or as is the case with a new Brooklyn spot, teachers defect abruptly en masse from a studio to start their own nearby. It’s not very yogic, but it is very New York—and human.
But out of a recent ruffle of feathers in the latter case, as reported in this week’s New York Observer (the story was published online last week), comes a new studio that’s got Brooklyn yogis all excited. Three teachers from Cobble Hill’s Area yoga are planning to open Mala Yoga on Thursday, November 1st. It’ll be just a few blocks from Area at 162 Court Street, 2nd floor, at the corner of Amity Street.
As per the Observer, those teachers are: “Stephanie Creaturo, 37, who teaches mostly Basics classes; Angela Clark, 30, who tends to teach so-called Open classes, which cater to more advanced students; and Christina Hatgis, 40. All three have a reputation for down-to-earthness and humor—two qualities often lacking in the spiritually elevated.”
The idea is that it will be an unadorned, mixed style community studio. And apparently the journalist-heavy clientele will follow its teachers here.
As you may know, being a natural girl in NYC is no mean feat. Even with the rise of all things eco, everywhere you turn there's a gust of bus exhaust, a PVC yoga mat, a tempting Sephora full of intoxicating beauty products--chock full of parabens and sodium laurel maybethedeathofyou-ates. And the more you do yoga, the cleaner you are, and often, the more sensitive. Which is why I was especially excited to discover an actual organic hair salon (just because it's in the name, ahem, John Masters, doesn't mean it's all natural).
A friend of a friend referred me and when I called to make an appointment that friend once removed just happened to be there for a trim. Weird NYC moment, non?
Anyway, last Friday I went to funky, tiny, but elegant Grace Heaven salon in the East Village and was treated to an all-natural hairwash by Ashley and a great shaggy cut by Jane, the owner. The 10-year-old place only seats two people so it's very cozy. As Jane snipped and dried, I was fed organic peach iced tea, apple slices, and a divine raw chocolate from a cafe called Bliss in Sedona, Arizona. (Jane just returned from the raw food festival there.)
Chatting was easy, the cut fab, and for a change I didn't leave wanting to dunk my head under a faucet to get the product stink out; they styled my hair with rose-scented shea butter. Yum. Next time I'll go back for eco highlights.
I'm still a little skeptical of organic hair styling products for my big curly hair (though I'm planning on getting some of that shea butter stuff), but Jane has a list on her site that she swears by--and doesn't appear to be shilling for anyone except your health and locks.
I don't know of any other totally natural hair salons in da city. Do you? Do tell.
If you missed the Dalai Lama last weekend, not to worry. Because: a) Though it was lovely just to be near His Holiness, you needed a blackbelt in Buddhism to fully enjoy the three-day, spoken-in-Tibetan teachings and b) MeditateNYC is coming to a St. John the Divine near you.
I’ve gotten emails and postcards from three different people on this event, so I thought you should know about it—mainly because it seems incredibly accessible to both hardcore meditators and the meditator-curious. On Sunday, October 21, from 1pm to 6pm, a wide variety of Buddhists will be teaching a plethora of meditation techniques. A detailed schedule is pending, but lots of people with Bhante and Roshi in their names will be instructing and the day will be "interspersed with movement and music."
Oh and it’s all free—sponsored by by the New York Buddhist Council and co-sponsored by the Interfaith Center of New York and the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
And following the event is a week of meditation Open Houses, which sounds really quite neato. With dozens of meditation groups and dharma centers around the city opening their doors, this is a veritable restaurant week for meditation. Surely one of the schools involved will meet your sitting style needs. And the idea that we can sample away is certainly appealing. Go here for more info: MeditateNYC.org
I’ve recently decided I want to commit to a meditation practice myself. I just wrote an article about the brain and found studies that show the brains of meditators are actually bigger in certain areas than the brains of non-meditators. If the stress-reducing, heart-rate lowering effects weren’t enough, you can add that to the list of reasons of why you should try and sit once in a while. This fest certainly seems like a gentle way to start.
Without sounding all desperatey, I’d love to start hearing from you about any yoga-related events I talk about, or any of the ones that I don’t. It’s much more fun if I can figure out how to meet your NYC-yoga –knowledge needs. And tips on events (ahem, free press if I write about it), are always welcome. To email me outside of the comments: Valerie at ValerieReiss dot com. (But with the appropriate @ sign and all—just trying to fake out the spammers.)
Send an email to the address listed here and they'll reveal the mysteriously undisclosed class location in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Oh, and you'll be filmed for a short yoga zombie movie. Of course.
It's unclear what kind of yoga this will be--an hour of corpse pose?
For more info on the free event--and tips on dressing your pre-Halloween zombie best, click here. If you dare...
P.S.: If you go, please, please let us know how it went! And if you have pics, let us know in your comments and we'll contact you.
A couple of months ago I tried out the Core Fusion class at Exhale Spa—the one near Columbus Circle. The exercise hybrid combines dance, yoga, pilates, and calisthenics for a whole-body workout favored by yogic celebs.
Walking in, I see about five receptionists at a shiny white console. Being sans socks (it was a flip-flop day), I was told to buy a grippy-bottomed pair for $10 (note: bring your own non-$10 socks).
The basics class was in a spacious, carpeted room (hence the socks—you don’t use mats, so things could get grimy fast). A giant skylight washed the room in natural light and the instructor was perky, dark-haired, and equipped with a head-set microphone. One wall was mirrored and lined with a ballet barre.
Already I felt out of place; I'm used to a more hardwood-and-incense vibe. But a friend told me that if she could afford it (single classes are $30 bucks each), she would make it her only exercise. This should have been a sign—she has the energy of a three-year-old and the body of a teenager.
The class started with fast music and hand-held weights. There was marching, arm-swinging, and some serious—but friendly—aerober-vibes. I was wondering if I had stumbled into an advanced class by mistake—until she welcomed us to the basics class. Darn. Then we were at the barre, doing lunges on tippy toes—again and again and again. “The idea is to completely exhaust the muscles,” said the teacher. Mission accomplished.
Then we stretched, did leg lifts, knee bends, etc. Out came papaya colored squishy mats that we leaned on against the wall while locking our core and doing leg lifts—Jane Fonda meets mulabhanda. Camel was the only recognizable yoga pose, but little touches were sprinkled throughout—chaturanga, bhandas, etc.
For all the pain and sweat I was in, the teacher was really encouraging us to listen to our bodies and back off if anything felt wrong. She helped me modify a few things because of my hip problems (mmm, labral tears), and adjusted us all throughout.
Bottom line: Personally, I prefer my classes a little, well, easier. But if you want the physical benefits of yoga without all the spiritual accouterments—and want to solidify the ever-wobbly core (and tush, and arms, and thighs) AND have the cash to invest—Core Fusion is for you.
Exhale has locations throughout the city and country. Click here for more info.
What’s your experience with Core Fusion? Love? Loathe? Other?
Because the Dalai Lama is the ultimate bodhisattva, or as yogis might say, practitioner of ahimsa, the contest is this:
Describe the most profound act of kindness you've ever witnessed or received.
If you write a story that Beliefnet's editors like best, you'll score tickets to see His Holiness in person. Click on over here to enter.
And if you don't feel like getting all writerly, tickets are still available, here, starting at $80. His Holiness will be teaching on the Diamond Cutter Sutra and Seventy Verses on Emptiness by Nagarjuna.
Spiritual as it can be, yoga starts with the body—our sinews, synapses, and systems. Which is why it was so cool to go on a yogi-guided tour of Bodies. . .The Exhibition at South Street Seaport with yoga teacher Amy Matthews and Breathing Project founder Leslie Kaminoff last Saturday. The donated bodies, impeccably dissected by Chinese doctors, are injected with silicone and “plasticized” so they’re preserved, viewable, and (most important) totally odor-free. I was relieved to find it more fascinating than yucky.
The event was to promote Leslie's new book, Yoga Anatomy (Amy contributed). Instead of the usual sketches of people in yoga poses, the drawings in his book are done with X-ray vision—each asana is shown skin-free for a glimpse into how each bone, muscle, and organ might look in various poses.
Though most of the three hour tour wasn’t terribly yoga-specific, it was clear this wasn’t an ordinary audience—"Oooh, look, a psoas!" he said excitedly as we gathered like kids at a petting zoo. And unsurprisingly, Leslie spent the most time at the diaphragm display—"the most important structure of the body"—pointing to how the balloon-like structure anchors to the heart. Amy also explained how the idea that we’re made of "parts" is really artifice: The body is one deeply connected system that doesn’t know it has a spleen or a clavicle.
Another thing Amy explained is why most pranayama is done through the nose instead of the mouth—on one body without a face (less gross than it sounds), she pointed out how the bones of the nose curve in, creating a spiral that pulls in air with more velocity—and efficiency—than the mouth.
The exhibit is an amazing way to recast your practice. You can do it on your own, or pick up Leslie's book to help. I’ll certainly be thinking about the puzzle-piece fit of my organs in my next Down Dog.
Do you think about your internal anatomy when you practice? How so? How does it help?
Instead of jaunting to your usual Saturday yoga class next weekend, you can grab your mat and hit the Here Comes the Sun yoga festival in Central Park.
Held at Rumsey Playfield from 11am to 4pm, there will be an array of overlapping classes to choose from—everything from Sarah Ivanhoe's "Detox Flow" classes to yoga for better sleep, to a meditation session with Alan Finger.
After you’re yoga’d out, you can munch on “tastings” supplied by the likes of Quaker Oats and um, the Almond Board of California (who knew?) and get mini-makeovers at L’Oreal’s “Goddess of Beauty and Light” area (seriously). And at 3 pm, you can rock out to a Joan Osborne mini-concert (she's pictured at right). I saw her in Prospect Park this summer, and man alive, she has a lovely voice. I really shouldn’t have held that one awful song against her (“And if God was one of ussss…”).
The incredibly random assortment of sponsors attests to yoga’s ubiquity in this city—and advertiser friendliness. There are the usual suspects like Josie’s restaurants, Satya Jewelry, and Yoga Works, but it’s also backed by The New York Post (?!), Lean Cuisine, and Sealy mattresses.
Yogis (and Pilatis—is that a word yet?) of all levels and preferences will be served—a beginner area is on hand as well as massage, facial care, and some vigorous sounding vinyasa classes.
It’s like the Oregon Country Fair, but with yoga, in Manhattan, and totally commercial! Am I bad for being skeptical? Well, even if it’s very L’Oreal’s Because-I’m-Worth-Itasana, it’ll probably be a lovely day in the park, Brooklynite Joan Osborne is bound to be amazing, and hey, how often do you get to do yoga with masses of New Yorkers? Sounds like the perfect girl-date, really. It’s $25 in advance, and $30 day-of.
Oh and also, next weekend I’m planning to check out a cool event co-hosted by the Breathing Project and the “Bodies... the Exhibition.” You’ll get a yoga anatomy-oriented tour around the exhibit (it’s the one where they’ve plasticized the inside and outside of real bodies so you can see everything). I’ll post on that next week. It’s Saturday at 1 pm. More here.
Thanks and have a fab week—and let me know about anything coming up that you’re psyched about yoga-wise in da city. Namaste.
In light of war raging in our name, a day of peace seems both insignificant and like a breath of gentle air.
The United Nation’s International Day of Peace Vigil on September 21st, is a 24-hour-period meant to "demonstrate the power of prayer and other spiritual practices in promoting peace and preventing violent conflict," according to the IDPV website. "These worldwide spiritual observances will also help raise public awareness of the International Day of Peace and directly support the establishment of a global ceasefire."
The idea is that groups around the world pledge to contribute to peace and non-violence in some way for 24 hours, or whatever time they can give that day. The site has a list of pledged events for 2007: There’s a presentation in Cameroon on Mother Theresa; a "snapshot for love and peace photography competition" in Hong Kong; and a day of prayer and fasting in Jakarta. Plus dozens of others.
If you're in NYC you can honor the event at a three-day festival sponsored by Jivamukti Yoga School. Sharon Gannon and David Life are proposing that people go vegan for the day—to be peaceful to animals and raise awareness of the fact that the process of raising, killing, and shipping animals to eat is a huge contributor to global warming. You’d be in stylish company—Sting, Trudie Styler, Christy Turlington, and others have already committed to forgo creatures and their biproducts.
To further support this mission, Jiva will host a yoga class, celebration, and dinner (vegan, of course) on the 21st, Russell Simmons and Julia Butterfly Hill will help host); a "Dance of Liberation" is on the 22nd and there's an "It's Easy to Be Vegan" brunch on the 23rd.
If you can't make it over to Union Square, you can go vegan with your own posse—or self—or check out any on the non-yogic peace events throughout the city to show your dedication to ahimsa.
I’m here to do yoga in the air. Unnata Aerial Yoga, held on the fringes of gentrified Williamsburg inside a gigantic warehouse space, is more Ringling than Om. The home of S.LA.M. (STREB LABORATORY for ACTION MECHANICS)—it's got 25-foot ceilings, a trapeze, super-thick gym mats, and primary colors. Holy after-school gymnastics flashbacks, dude.
I have no idea what to expect, but the teacher, Unnata creator Michelle Dortignac, is enthusiastic and gentle. It’s a mite distracting to be practicing next to the trapeze class; people are flying through the air and being yelled at: “Legs out! Grab it! Let go!” then smacking down hard on the red mat. And in a different class on the other side of us, women are shimmying up about 10 yards of fabric and dangling in dancerly formations. I remember stored away wisdom: “the best place to meditate is in a train station”—or, um, a circus?
Thankfully, we have nothing to do with the terrifying trapeze, but rather "silks," loops of poly-blend fabric hanging from a rig mechanically lowered from the ceiling. The bottom of each loop is about three feet from the floor.
After some warm-up poses and brief instruction, half of us grab a loop. We place the fabric over the fronts of our shoulders and under our shoulder blades and lean back. Pop! went my spine—no need for the chiropractor this week. Then we switched—while the other half of us hung and swung, my group did asanas.
Then back to the loops for side stretches; standing on it like a hammock, sliding backwards into a supported Shoulderstand and doing sit-ups; and hanging upside-down in Baddha Konasana, which was remarkably less disturbing than I anticipated. Eventually we slip into a “Grab it!”-inflected Savasana. I feel very opened—it was amazing to get gravity to do so much of the stretching—even if some of it felt hugely awkward as a first-timer.
Afterward I chat with Michelle, an Om-certified yoga teacher. She created this “Frankenstein of a class” in
2002 after merging her loves of yoga, dance, and the circus act called Tissu/Silks. Though I’m not sure I’ll be racing back—I couldn’t quite click with the silks—a fellow new student buys a 10-pack of classes, saying this was some of the best stretching she’s ever had. For those of you who want to give it a twirl, here are the deets. And Michelle is planning to hold classes in Manhattan soon—I'm curious to see how the form will evolve without those hollering trapezers.
New York: Make the Bird Happy—Train to Teach Yoga in NYC
It’s back-to-school time, even if you haven’t bought a shiny new binder in decades. So those of you who have a little bird on your shoulder tweeting, “You should teach yoga,” well, now’s your chance. A lot of the deadlines for fall term courses have passed, but you can use this time to plot your next move. Here are a few of the city’s premier 200-hour certification programs that are registered with the Yoga Alliance. Go here to check out San Fran’s offerings.
Om Yoga “Weekend Warrior” Teacher Training Dates: Spring term: January 11 , 2008 through April 20, 2008 Basic schedule: Every weekend Application deadline: December 14, 2007 Styles taught: OM Yoga Price: $3600 Teachers involved: Cyndi Lee, Joe Miller, Zack Kurland, Judith Hanson Lasater, Janice Clarfield The deal: New Yorkers can get even busier with this four month training plus an independent, on-site study period that lasts between two weeks and three months. But they’ll be getting a rich foundation in this lively, Buddhist-influenced Vinyasa style, plus the basics in anatomy, alignment, pranayama, Sanskrit, and “voice awareness.” Find out more:omyoga.com
Integral Yoga Institute-New York Dates: There are four ways to train: Day, Sunday, Evening, or a program that combines the above. Evening: September 26, 2007 – February 2, 2008. Sunday: October 14, 2007 – May 17, 2008 Application deadline: Rolling Styles taught: Integral Yoga Price: $2700 Teachers involved: Kali Morse, Mitra Somerville, Rudra (Richard) Sisco, Chandra/Jo Sgammato, and more. The deal: This 25-year-old program in the heart of the West Village has an emphasis on traditional yoga, with lessons in the basics of asana, pranayama, and meditation, but also includes yogic diet and nutrition; Raja Yoga (psychology of mind); Karma Yoga (selfless service); Bhakti Yoga (devotion); Jnana Yoga (self analysis); and Sanskrit. All of it is influenced by the teachings of late guru Swami Satchidananda. Find out more:iyiny.org
Lotus College of Yoga at Laughing Lotus Dates: Fall term: September 8th - December 16th (their spring schedule is not available yet) Basic schedule: Saturdays and Sundays Application deadline: It was August 3 for fall, call for spring deadline Styles taught: Vinyasa Price: $3,600 Teachers involved: Stacey Brass, Bryn Chrisman, Sarah Tomlinson, Nancy Elkes, Heather Heineman, Manorama, Heathyre Mabin, and Janine Kelly. The deal: Jasmine Tarkeshi and Dana Flynn, co-founders of Laughing Lotus, offer a detailed course to teaching Vinyasa-style yoga. Classes, offered in their vibrantly painted and spirited studio near Chelsea, include the required basics plus “movement as medicine and prayer,” mantra, mudra, and “timeless yogic teachings lift the veil of the mind and liberates the Spirit to Freedom and Cosmic Oneness.” There’s also a focus on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, chanting, and group discussion. Find out more:laughinglotus.com
It’s a Sunday in August, so there are only four of us at Levitate, a new-ish studio near Times Square for a two-hour workshop, “Yoga for Writers, Artists and All Creative Souls." “I discovered that yoga practice helped my writing practice, and my writing practice helped my yoga practice,” says instructor Barbara Benedict, a creativity coach and former TV commercial producer.
She gives each class a theme; today is “home.” We begin with a two-minute freewrite on “Home is…” We scribble away. Then tells us the one rule: After each person reads her/his writing aloud, we are to say only, “Way cool.” My words feel cramped, yearning; home is especially “up” for me these days. They "Way Cool" for me anyway.
Then we do cat/cows and other warm-ups. She reads a quote from Twyla Tharp: “Art is the only way to run away from home without leaving home.” We write on “What is home to you right now?” Two minutes fly. My words are still tight, pained.
We do standing poses-—Triangle, Tree, Warrior II. “In this pose,” she says of the latter, “your back foot is the past, your torso is the present, and your front hand is the future.” I laugh. My future is aimed at a sign across the street that says, “Latitude.” “Ah,” she says, “Guess you need a to give yourself a little more latitude.” It’s a testament to my stress levels that this interpretation hadn’t occurred to me.
We move into Kapalabhati and alternate-nostril breathing. Then a five-minute freewrite on “I can find home . . .” When we read this time, to my surprise, I cry. It’s as though the yoga and the writing are conspiring to open me. “You’re not the first,” Barbara says gently. She hands out little packets of custom-made M&Ms. “The antidote to your to-do lists,” she says. Each tiny candy is printed with “I GET to do it!”
More asana. And then, blissful Savasana. When we rise, we write again. This time the whine in my pen is gone. I feel clear, like still water. She reads O’Henry’s last words: "Turn up the lights. I don’t want to go home in the dark." It feels like someone's flipped my switch. Way cool, indeed.
Barbara teaches this class all over the NYC area. She also does creativity coaching on the phone in the Kaizen-Muse tradition. For more info: www.barbarabenedictnyc.com/.
As my friend Loren was stretching on the grass at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens recently, she peered through her Down-Dog legs and saw a field of people behind her doing the same. So of course I had to go the next week for some scenic, organized yoga.
The funky, hand-hewn park—celebrating its 20th birthday this year—rests on a green lot next to the East River (the picture at right was taken earlier this summer). Saturday morning was windy, cool-ish, with a Simpsons-blue sky. Dogs frolicked, sculptural metal windchimes rang, and the river looked rough, steel-gray, open. What was most wonderful, though, was the yoga.
There were about 40 of us—a much more diverse crowd than I usually see in classes. As the teacher—young, cool, in white sunglasses—guided us through deceptively simple poses like triangle, half-moon, and Warrior 1, her tiny adjustments were specific and helpful. She had us pull us from our crowns, raise our hearts, align our hips, and be gentle with injuries. By the time she got to my all-time favorite pose, Garudasana, or Eagle, I was like, aha! She’s Kripalu-trained. (It's where I started my yoga practice 15 years ago; they have a unique way of adjusting and moving through poses.) She told us to imagine we were eagles perched high, swaying in the wind.
And for a refreshing New York change, it was not a Vinyasa class! The poses flowed into each other, but without feeling elaborate, strained, or over-conducted.
She let us have the full sivasana too, laying on our mats in the bumpy grass. By the final om and namastes, we all seemed light enough to bob on the river surface. My boyfriend, still a yoga virgin, was watching nearby. “If I had known it would be that easy to follow,” he said. “I would have joined in.”
And I felt ready to follow the teacher, Monique Schubert, anywhere. Socrates will host two more classes this summer in what remains of August—Saturday the 24 and the 31st at 11 am (Monique plans to teach the latter). Directions are here. And Monique, it turns out, is indeed Kripalu-trained (she handed out catalogs after), and teaches at a small studio near my house in Brooklyn.
Been to any great outdoor yoga classes the summer? Share below.
(An unrelated P.S.: The NYT just did a story about how Union Square is so full of yogic and healthy options these days—Whole Foods, the Green Market, Jivamukti, Om, etc.—it’s now being called the “Wheatpacking District.” Ah, and I remember the pre-smoothie days when it was known as Needle Park, for all its resident junkies.)
Sometimes in the canyons of blogland, it can get lonely. Especially when a blog is in its infancy and the most you can hope for is a couple of comments per post unless you're expressing some extreme opinion about, say, Lindsay Lohan.
So I'd thought I'd feel around for fellow New York City bloggers. Others who navigate this cement jungle, which is often a little rough on the yogi who's been rendered tender by a particularly soul-sweeping round of sun salutes. When I was in the midst of fighting cancer a couple of years ago (I won), the amazing Elena Brower, who runs the Virayoga studio, said to me, "If you get through this illness, in this city, you will be a warrior." Indeed. Spoken like a battle-tested urban yogini herself.
Another teacher suggested, in a sweaty, August class, that the true test of a supple, healthy heart chakra is that it's able to open and close like a pair of breathing lungs. If we walk around totally open anywhere, but especially in this city, we'll get creamed. But if our hearts can be like Levelor blinds (I'll take credit for that metaphor), we'll have the freedom to be open when we want and tough when we need.
Here's a collection of some NYC-based yogis—asana-ing and living to write the tale.
Souljerky
Blogger Spiros Antonopoulos tracks yoga and culture. A recent post: South Park Zen.
Bread, Coffee, Chocolate Yoga
A personal blog by "Felkins" about yoga, carbs, and life in Brooklyn. Lately she's been focused on her iPhone.
The Yogascope Kaleidoscope
Manhattan yoga teacher Carl Horowitz has a blog that details breathwork in various postures.
I've always been a fan of East West books near 14th street, even when it was a scrudgy little place that felt like it needed a bath. Since it opened in 1977 it's been crammed with books on yoga, mysticism, veganism, tantra, alternative heath, and the like. For me it was a great (and rare) place to pick up incense in a pinch; I never made it to the yoga studio I knew was inside. One multi-million dollar renovation later, and it's now a chic, glittering palace of spiritual books and stuff—complete with vegetarian café with wifi and a large yoga section with mats and raw silk zafus.
The new space feels like Whole Foods' younger, literary, more Zen cousin. And in October, they'll add finishing touches to the outside and the little snack café will expand to an actual restaurant.
I stopped by the other day for a look-see (sometimes I slip in when I need to calm down and get a hit of spiritual materialism—the antidote to material materialism), and after handling a chunk amethyst and sniffing jasmine oil, I went out the door, into the one next door and up to their equally reno'd yoga studio. I could have licked it for its loveliness. Pale bamboo floors, Hagrid-high ceilings, and two surprisingly roomy studios, one facing a quiet back courtyardy thing.
I talked to Grace at the front desk, who couldn't have been nicer. Turns out the place was sold in 2005 from the Himalayan Institute to a company owned by one of Swami Rama's students. And their events are now getting bigger—apparently last month Tibetan monks did a sand mandala on the floor of the café. Plus, of course, they've got a slew of yoga classes, from Kundalini to Vinyasa to plain old Hatha. I haven't had a chance to take a class there yet. Check out their schedule here. Later this month they're hosting a "bio-energetic" conference with the U.N.'s recreation council—with speakers on healing, astrology, feng shui, and more. Who knew?
Have you taken yoga at East West? Are you a fan? Grossed out or inspired by the spiritual materialism thing? You can comment below (and please do!).
So often yoga seems like a middle-class, white-female, grown-up thing, especially here. But perhaps no one needs a good yoga class more than the kids and teens packed into overcrowded New York City public schools that may not have recess or a gym. This week my colleague, the lovely Ashtanga teacher and studio owner Eddie Stern, dropped me a line about Bent on Learning, a non-profit run by friends of his (he's on the board) that teaches yoga to nearly 1,600 kids, grades K through 12, in Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan schools and youth centers. And it's been at it for the last seven years.
This fall the group is starting its most ambitious project yet at the Lyons Community School in Brooklyn—classes in every grade for an entire school including teachers, who will have separate morning sessions. That’s 30 classes a week and an integral part of the curriculum.
A typical class varies, said Bent co-founder, director, and yoga teacher Anne Desmond in a phone chat, but in general they take place in a classroom, desks pushed aside, mats unfurled (recently Gaiam started donating mats to the program). The littlest kids imitate animals and the teens keep a yoga journal, tracking their thoughts and progress over 10 to 15 weeks.
“The transformation is amazing,” Anne said. Classes emphasize loving-kindness and respect for self and others. Students have told her the yoga has helped with everything from calming down for the SATs to believing in themselves.
The organization, run on donations, has a fundraiser gala in spring (Moby, Beastie Boy Mike D., and members of Cirque Du Soleil have performed at past functions) and a letter-based fund-drive in the fall. Seems like a worthy cause, indeed. To find out more or donate: Bentonlearning.org
After ages of dating vegan yogis, four years ago I started up with a man, I'll call him T, who's lovely and smart and kind, but more prone to meditating on politics and Roman history than his inhale and exhale. Which is fine, really. But lately he’s gotten stiff, achy, and curious. He actually wants to try a class, for reals.
Which is great, but the thought of him going to a basic session in this "my-mat-was-here-first" city makes me fear for his hamstring safety. And selfishly, I want improve the chances of him liking yoga: I've actually taken a few "basic" classes lately, and they were anything but beginner ("Trikonasana!" "Lock mulabanda!").
It turns out the city abounds with mini-series for beginners. Herewith, a sampling of those that sound good to me. I'll let you know what he picks—and how it goes. Also, please, suggestions on classes or tips for T welcome.
Laughing Lotus
This sounds promising and I like that it’s taught by a man, Paul, for my man. Shouldn't make a difference, but it might. The four-session course includes philosophy, breathing, and meditation, and asana. Saturdays: September 8th, 15th, 29th & October 6th. 3:00 to 4:30 pm. $60 for all four.
Levitate Yoga
This series promises poses, terminology, and "etiquette." Agatha teaches it. You need to book ahead. Tuesdays: August 7 and August 14. $25.
Om Yoga
The ever-popular and vibrant Om has a six-week series that pledges to teach alignment, breathing, stretches, and a variety of poses. $120 for the six-week series. Pre-registration required. The next round runs Tuesdays, Aug 14 - Sep 18, 7:15-8:30am.
Integral Institute
Love this relaxed, authentic studio. A 4-week course for beginners is $65 and taught by Nirupama Vedaprakash. It offers all the basic poses plus pranayama and meditation. Wednesdays, August 1–22, 6:30–8:30 pm.
Yoga Works
Though I can't track down an intensive newbie series at this chain, it offers a special beginner package that includes two weeks of unlimited classes, a personal consultation, and a one-year subscription to Yoga Journal (I swear they didn't make me put this in here!). Plus, their "Just Beginners" classes are free.
If you're a yogi in NYC and you're drawn to practice for even remotely spiritual reasons, you've probably heard about Ammachi, or Amma, or Sri Mata Amritanandamayi's visit to the Manhattan Center last week. For the uninitiated, she’s a Hindu guru and humanitarian known as the "hugging saint" who has raised kajillions in funds for the myriad hospitals, schools, and charities she's helped create. Many say Amma is the human incarnation of the Divine Mother; she may be the ultimate living karma yogi.
She's done most of this work by hugging people, which she does by the thousand. Her basic message is: help others. And many who have felt her embrace are filled with the compassion necessary to do so. Call it shakti (energy), call it magic, call it wishful thinking, but even from the fat program from last week’s events, it's clear she’s touched many in the NYC yoga community and beyond. Ads fill the program from companies as diverse as the DMV ("Not all journeys take us down the road to enlightenment. Sometimes we just need to renew our driver’s license.") and Integral Yoga Institute—and many of them thank "mother" in moving testimony.
I waited six hours for my hug, surrounded by fellow yogis, business people, hipsters. When she finally pressed my head to her billowy, sari'd bosom and whispered "ma, ma, ma" into my ear, I felt something soft and sweet in me, and it wasn't just her spittle. It was a tiny sip of an ocean of love we could all use a little more of here. It's something I'll try and remember the next time I hit a rush hour yoga class with more mats than space.
If you missed her this time, you can take classes in her meditation technique: AmmaNY.org.
The weekend after July 4th, the city is always a little less wall-to-wall people—and this includes yoga classes. So, being a rare soul in town (I’m saving those precious vacation days for August), I decided to start exploring my new-ish neighborhood—Prospect Heights, Brooklyn—and found a great new Saturday yoga-shop-snack route. To follow along:
Stop 1: Park Slope Yoga Center, 792 Union St.
I'd heard that this studio was good, but usually crowded. So this morning I walked over to Park Slope, a few minutes and about 8,000 tax brackets away. A guy setting out new schedules said they’d added six new sessions and were "back up to 70 classes" a week—ranging from open vinyasa to prenatal. The registration experience upstairs left some friendliness to be desired and the people in the waiting room looked cheery as a Monday morning subway ride, but once we filtered into the spacious, sky-lit studio, things immediately felt better.
The teacher, Beth, had us chant "hari om," and talked about the importance of all the paths of yoga, bhakti included. The class was a basic hatha flow that left me balanced and light—if a tad sticky, the fans remained still.
Stop 2: Brooklyn Industries, 206 5th Ave.
It seems like every hip yogini and yogi in the city has a cute, affordable canvas bag from here—if not a great winter jacket or comfy fleece dress. Still sweaty, I perused the "mega sale" racks and almost bought a purple down coat for $59. But there’s a reason people don’t buy down in July.
Stop 3: Heaven. I mean Oko, 152 5th Ave.
If you live anywhere near Brooklyn—like Ohio, say—you need to come to Oko. It's a new frozen yogurt and tea shop that's redunkulously delicious and all-natural. It's also incredibly eco—from the floors to the "eco-tainers" made of corn that your divine, refreshing "Greek-style" fro-yo comes in. Order the original flavor. Top with mango. Merge into oneness. Yum.
Stop 4: Home
Nap.
What's your favorite weekend yoga/relax route in da city?
As a native New Yorker, I've always been a little miffed at being presumed to loathe nature. In movies and on TV, we kvetch about mud on our Manolos and bugs on the screen door.
In truth, though, we crave the outdoors more than any Portland-dweller. Trees are my best friends. Grass is my long lost luvah. And doing yoga outside feels like it was meant to be—expansive, free, intimate—like skinny-dipping in a lake. Which is why it's so delicious that it's finally outdoor-yoga-class season. And it seems like there are more places than ever offering a patch of grass (or roof) in the great, dirty, balmy outdoors.
Last month there was Times Square yoga during the solstice—an amazing way to literally experience calm within the chaos. And as summer trots on, there are plenty other quieter (relatively speaking) options.
Starting July 9th, the lovely Laughing Lotus gals start their outrageously popular Rooftop Yoga classes, Mondays till August 6th. (Pictured at left.)
Throughout the summer Om Yoga will be sponsoring a class Wednesdays at 3pm in Union Square Park. Here's more info.
Levitate (a sponsor of the Times Square event) also has a roof class at sunset every other Thursday in July and August—you must pre-register.
Lululemon Athletica (home of the best sweatshirts on the planet) is sponsoring a class every Thursday at 6 p.m. through August in Bryant Park. Beginners be warned: it's almost impossible to hear the instructor unless you're very close. And last week the class was stopped halfway through Tree Pose as stormy clouds loomed. But the grass was sooo soft.
Central Park Yoga (meet at the northeast corner of 81st and CPW) is on Sundays at 9 a.m. It's taught by Lisa Langer—she teaches all over the city—and is only 45 minutes.
I'm guessing there are zillions more—do you have a favorite place to practice outdoors in our sweaty jungle?
Valerie Reiss is a freelance writer and Holistic Spirituality Editor at Beliefnet.com. She was articles editor at Breathe magazine and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times and Newsweek. She's a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. You can reach her at: Valeriereiss.com.
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The Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre is closing today (so says their latest email). It's sad. They've been hit by the economic crisis--student attendance is down, rents are way up. That place, a not-for-profit, feels magic--I only went for one African dance class with Djoniba himself, but it felt like a latter-day, much-beloved set of Fame. Authentic, danced-in, drummed-in, lived-in. A New York institution that's been there for 15 years. Sigh.
However you spend your New Year's Eve, you'll get a detoxing rush from yogi and author 
I hate to bring it up so soon, but it really is almost here: New Year's Eve. Ack. I was just getting a handle on this whole "2008" thing. So, what's a cleanish living yogi to do on a night of sloshy drinking and overpriced everything? Here are some thoughts:
Maybe you're participating in 
For vegetarians or clean-food loving omnivores, Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful. Especially when in the homes of folks who don't share your sensibilities. So if you can escape family obligations, don't have any, or can get the whole troupe away from the stove and into a restaurant, NYC has a cornucopia (seasonally-appropriate metaphor! yay) of T-day veggie options. 
If you're looking for a soothing, free, mini-respite, check out 
For a whole lot of us the world looks a little bit shinier today. I was in Brooklyn at an election party watching the numbers, jumping for crazy joy in disbelief and then Mcain (belief crept in), then gorgeous speech (a delicious new shock) from Obama. Sitting next to a yoga teacher, we both talked about how smooth his movements are, how integrated he seems--no front, no obvious knot of tension--just elegance and grace. Pretty cool to have a president who looks like he could be a yogi. And then we heard the whoops--the streets filling with people banging actual pots, honking horns, and saying the name over and over like a mantra: Ohhhhbahhhhhmahhh. There were tears. Relief and yes, hope. A hope for humanity and peace--the best shot we've had in ages. 
It looks like 
I'm willing to bet that New Yorkers rent more mats per capita than any other place. That's mainly because though the tubular tote or mat poking out of a bag says "I take care of myself in a cool way," it's also one more thing to schlep around town. Which is why I've been intrigued lately by the ways around this. 
Lying in savasana last Saturday at a class in my Brooklyn hood, suddenly the 
Speeding home in a cab last night I glimpsed the shiny, new, colorful Lululemon Athletica 
This week I was walloped with a flu. The kind where your skin hurts so badly pajamas feel like spandex and it seems like your internal organs are having their own mini sweat lodge. 
Next month is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Aside from a tide of pink consumer goods that donate varying amounts to the cause, the month also brings some cool-sounding yoga-related programs. 
This is so cool: Sun Salutations for world peace! You can do a whopping 108 of them with your fellow yogis and yoginis on Sunday, September 21 for the 
I spent last night boogying at Omega Institute to a long list of A-list chanters--Deva Premal & Miten, Wah, KD, et al. The big surprise of the "ecstatic chant" evening was 
I've been really grooving on listening to chant lately—in class, playing during my home practice, and on the subway. I feel like it puts me in a little bubble that screens out the grittier influences of the city. If you feel even sort of the same way, 
With the Olympics bringing extra attention to the plight of Tibet, it's especially timely that monks are in NYC creating intricate, sacred 
I don't know about you, but summer's winding down always makes me a little wistful. But I'm taking heart in some outdoor yoga still happening around the city:
I keep missing these, but you shouldn't. You can catch one of the yoga-inspired 
Go Tango magazine (now only online) for staying relevant with 
So, 
Seeing that I’m up in the Berkshires right now doing yoga, chanting, drumming, and dancing at 
So last night I made my second pilgrimage (if midtown counts) to see 
For those weekends not spent in a bucolic summer wonderland you can add a new activity to your agenda: 
Brooklyn-based multi-media artist and yogi Shana Dressler is removing obstacles all the time. Right now she has the help of the subject of her latest photo exhibition, website, and book--Ganesh, the Hindu deity who blasts barriers. All those elements are part of Discovering Ganesh, a sweeping, ongoing project produced by her company, 
It was incredible to see so many people doing yoga in the middle of Times Square during the 
The city is alive and breathing with yoga right now. Here's a smattering of yoga stuff happening around town:
It's not even officially summer, and already the city smells like a urinal and feels like a Bikram class. Which is why, apparently, I thought it would be a great idea to start a new Bikram practice. This morning. 
Though most of us think of yoga as a very physical practice, there's so much more to yogic tradition. One of these "mores" is yantra--a sacred geometrical symbol from the Tantrics of ancient India. They're used for meditation, and each one correlates to a planet or deity and a particular mantra, or sound.
As New Yorkers, we already have a naturally smaller environmental footprint than, say, people almost anywhere else. We live bunched on top of each other, we take public transportation, we have smaller spaces to heat and cool, our residential recycling program is decent, etc. 
In addition to being a yogi, writer, New Yorker, crafty girl, and a spirit living in a material world, I'm a survivor of cancer. A kind of cancer that has no "cure." Meaning, in the three years since I was successfully treated with chemotherapy, I must regularly go in for various tests and proddings. 
Last night, over an AMAZING meal at 
Hee that is in a towne in May loseth his spring. ~George Herbert 
Now that I have your attention.... I wandered into the 
A couple of weekends ago, when I went up to 
Yes, it's officially spring out there. Thank the great green goddess. That was a long one, no?
I've managed to catch whatever my cubicle neightbor has been sick with--I'm fevery and in need of some neti-potting (or 
After attending my first 
Fearless. What does that mean, exactly, in a city where fear is a kind of sixth sense that helps us navigate? Even though it sometimes seems vital, with the help of yoga and meditation, I'm working on trading fear for a relaxed readiness. 
It's about this time of year that the subways seem more crowded, the skies more bleak, the people as warm as my icy fingertips. In other words, it's the perfect moment for a winter escape. Take a vacation day or two, meld them on to a weekend and voila, sanity mostly restored. Some ideas to get you started:
When I first heard about 
Maybe I'm late to the party, but I recently discovered 
To think about the brain, you have to use the brain. Which evokes the profound question that yogis and gurus an sages have been asking all along: Who is thinking that thought?
You know, I know, NYC is to inner calm what writhing, naked, nubiles are to chastity. Making it the perfect place to practice finding stillness, some say. (Hey, the celibate Gandhi allegedly invited hot women into his bed so he could not touch them). 
Someone once told me that wherever you are on New Year’s Eve is a reflection of how the year ahead will follow. Superstitious or not, it’s a good excuse to choose your celebrations consciously. That way, if you’re planning on bathing in a magnum or Vueve, at least it’s a choice. For other options, here’s a taste of NYC’s offerings for ringing in 2008 sober and still and with a yogic openness to the changes to come. 
The votes are in, if you're into that sort of thing: Citysearch has published 
Hey last-minute shopper. Yeah, you. Well, despite 
I get a very cool weekly email from the 
The perfect holiday gift for the aspiring--or new-to-NYC--yogi in your life is the 
As I 
The weather is finally snapping like it should. Which of course has me accelerating ahead into a holidaze. Mental gift and wish lists are being made. Travel plans being plotted. And I’m already scheming which beautiful piece of 
It seems almost any time a new yoga studio opens here, there's some sort of dustup—whether it’s because one relocates a little too closely to another, or there’s some financial slipperiness, or as is the case with a new Brooklyn spot, teachers defect abruptly en masse from a studio to start their own nearby. It’s not very yogic, but it is very New York—and human. 
As you may know, being a natural girl in NYC is no mean feat. Even with the rise of all things eco, everywhere you turn there's a gust of bus exhaust, a PVC yoga mat, a tempting Sephora full of intoxicating beauty products--chock full of parabens and sodium laurel maybethedeathofyou-ates. And the more you do yoga, the cleaner you are, and often, the more sensitive. Which is why I was especially excited to discover an actual organic hair salon (just because it's in the name, ahem, John Masters, doesn't mean it's all natural). 
If you missed the Dalai Lama last weekend, not to worry. Because: a) Though it was lovely just to be near His Holiness, you needed a blackbelt in Buddhism to fully enjoy the three-day, spoken-in-Tibetan teachings and b) 
It's almost Halloween, so put on some tattered clothes, smear on fake blood, and.... grab your yoga mat? Yep, apparently!
A couple of months ago I tried out the 
At my day job at 
Spiritual as it can be, yoga starts with the body—our sinews, synapses, and systems. Which is why it was so cool to go on a yogi-guided tour of 
Instead of jaunting to your usual Saturday yoga class next weekend, you can grab your mat and hit the Here Comes the Sun 
I’m here to do yoga in the air. 
It’s back-to-school time, even if you haven’t bought a shiny new binder in decades. So those of you who have a little bird on your shoulder tweeting, “You should teach yoga,” well, now’s your chance. A lot of the deadlines for fall term courses have passed, but you can use this time to plot your next move. Here are a few of the city’s premier 200-hour certification programs that are registered with the Yoga Alliance. Go 
It’s a Sunday in August, so there are only four of us at 
As my friend Loren was stretching on the grass at 
So often yoga seems like a middle-class, white-female, grown-up thing, especially here. But perhaps no one needs a good yoga class more than the kids and teens packed into overcrowded New York City public schools that may not have recess or a gym. This week my colleague, the lovely Ashtanga teacher and studio owner 
"Know that your true nature is bliss." — Amma
The weekend after July 4th, the city is always a little less wall-to-wall people—and this includes yoga classes. So, being a rare soul in town (I’m saving those precious vacation days for August), I decided to start exploring my new-ish neighborhood—Prospect Heights, Brooklyn—and found a great new Saturday yoga-shop-snack route. To follow along:
As a native New Yorker, I've always been a little miffed at being presumed to loathe nature. In movies and on TV, we kvetch about mud on our Manolos and bugs on the screen door. 
Valerie Reiss is a freelance writer and Holistic Spirituality Editor at 
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