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. Bu
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