Yoga Sleuth woke up early one cold Friday morning for a journey on the G train to Jaya Yoga Center in Park Slope.  It was my first time at the studio, but not my first class with Stacey Sperling.  When I lived in Hells Kitchen, my roommate and I took Stacey’s class religiously.  Here at Jaya Yoga, it was clear that many of the students were neighborhood yogis with the same type of devotion.  

The studio is in an unassuming brick building on the corner. I entered to find a simple but cozy lobby. After checking in, I made my way into the spacious studio space.  It was wonderfully warm (not hot, thankfully), and smelled pleasantly like a sauna thanks to hot stones sitting on the radiator.

The room began to fill with students.  They all seemed to know each other, and Stacey greeted each one with her usual warmth.  I seemed to be the only non-regular in the bunch, but I felt very welcome.  The other students were very friendly, and the energy in the room was very happy and relaxed.

We began with some Pranayama.  With our eyes closed, Stacey asked us to inhale, then pause for a “beat” before exhaling and doing the same. I thought this was a wonderfully simple and unfussy way to teach Pranayama.  The names and elaborate instruction of many breathing exercises can be a bit daunting to many students, and this method had us practicing without making a production out of it.

When we were done with the breathing exercise, Stacey told us that the “focus of the month” at Jaya Yoga was Handstand, so we would be doing a lot of preparation with our arms and hands. As a pianist, I am always weary of wrist and finger exercises, but Stacey led us through wrist stretches and strengtheners in a way that allowed me to take my time and be comfortable.

We continued warming up with easy twists, lunges, and some basic vinyasas. By then, we were warm enough that one of the students requested that the fans be turned on. This was the type of class where that happens when it’s asked for!

After the warm-up, Stacey led us through an interesting exercise using a strap around our forearms. Holding our arms overhead, Stacey asked us to reach the strap higher while still keeping the shoulders in their sockets.

This was challenging, but as I experimented with it, I found myself using muscles in my shoulders, back and arms that I forgot existed.  When we got into Vrksasana (Tree) a few poses later, she asked us to recall that reach in the strap a moment ago.  With this in mind, I felt myself immediately grow taller in my tree. After a sequence with more standing balance poses, we came to sit.

At this point, Stacey began a short discussion about fear.  She said that this had been inspired by a discussion with one of the students before class.  The student had told her of her love for snowboarding and winter sports, something she had previously feared.  Stacey said this struck a chord with her because she has always been frightened of this herself, and that this fear bothered her.  She went on to say that this concept seemed apt with January’s theme being Handstand, which many people are afraid to try.  

Then she asked who was a little afraid of inversions in general, and seven or eight students in the class raised their hands.  Stacey said that maybe we don’t need to go around conquering every fear in life as if it’s a battle.  “But,” she asked, “is this fear something that gets under your skin?” If so, she said, how many thoughts and stories and possibly imaginary obstacles rise up out of that fear? She cited students insisting that they would fall forward if they straightened their arms in an L-shaped Handstand…something that would be physically quite difficult to do.  


At this point, some students spoke up about their own struggles with fear. Stacey listened with great interest and empathy to each student’s input. She made it clear that she is still learning about this stuff as well.  Those students who were scared to try the inversion didn’t have to feel silly or cowardly, because even their teacher admitted to having fears that are difficult to deal with. The message was that there will always be things we’re afraid of, and there is no need to make them bigger by beating ourselves up about being afraid in the first place.  

I really loved this class for several reasons.  Firstly, Stacey Sperling’s energy and instruction is very warm and sincere.  Though she surely has a large number of students every week, she makes each student feel special.  It is clear that she cares about your experience and about what you have to say even if she has just met you. 

Second of all, rarely do you find a basics level class that is truly well thought out and planned.  In many studios, the basics class is either more advanced than expected, or it is glazed over and seen as a brief stepping stone to intermediate classes.

Stacey understands that the basic level is actually quite difficult for a lot of students, and that many people who have a regular practice will stay in that level for the rest of their lives.  She managed to make the practice interesting and fun while keeping the difficulty at an entirely appropriate level. 

Lastly, after seeing the headline “Is Yoga for Narcissists?” in the New York Times that morning, the friendly community vibe of the class was very heartening.  No one was showing off.  We were just getting together to learn and to enjoy a beautiful practice with the ever genuine and heartfelt Stacey Sperling.

Single Drop-in classes are $15.

--Abby Payne for Yoga Sleuth

For Yoga Sleuth’s final class of 2011, I decided to choose a bit of a Wild Card. As yoga can often be found in unusual or unexpected places, I thought outside the mat, choosing a session not at a studio or a gym, but at a Ballet School! Yorkville’s Ballet Academy East, to be precise; and a lunchtime class with BAE Faculty Member Rebecca South-Woods.

I went to the front desk a little nervous, wondering if this yoga would be tailored to dancers, and if I’d feel out of place in a class of ballet students. But not to worry, as soon after, the spacious studio filled up to a healthy midday total of 8 yogis who, along with Rebecca, welcomed me warmly; and any remaining fears were soon assuaged by a class that was every bit the Asana I’ve always known and loved.

Rebecca inquired about my practice as the students picked from a box of yoga “toys.” I told her about my pesky Sacroiliac joint pain, and she assured me she would bear it in mind throughout our class, keeping an eye out for anything that might compromise me.

“Anybody itching for something in particular?” Rebecca asked the class. One student asked if we could work with blocks between the thighs (to work on our leg strength, alignment and rotation), and I threw in a request for my beloved twists. “Sounds good!” said Rebecca, plotting a course for our class as we all grabbed for the soft blocks.

“Make sure that your fingers are spread apart from one another, and each knuckle gets a chance to press into the ground,” said Rebecca as we warmed up our spines in cat/cow. “Notice your own rhythm here, starting to tune in to what your own breath is doing today. Instead of listening to what your mind wants you to do, or even what I want you to do, see what your breath is saying this afternoon.” We melted back into a wide-legged Child’s pose as soft eastern music began to reverberate through the studio.

After a lunge twist, we grabbed our blocks, squeezing them between our thighs as we came to stand in Tadasana. “Keep thinking about that block, drawing in towards the thighs.”  For a real challenge, we kept the block between our thighs for the entire subsequent Vinyasa. “Press those feet into the ground, draw your arms back just a little bit more so your chest expands,” cued Rebecca as we readied for Cobra.

“And then push into those arms a bit as you squeeze the block. Then lift your hands up. Keep squeezing that block as you lift your hips up and back.” We kept hugging into the block during a long Down Dog, and even played with trying to keep the block in place as we jumped forward. (Mine flew several feet, to everyone’s amusement!)

Next we stepped the right foot to the outside of the right hand for a wide legged lunge. “Take a moment to stretch out all that beautiful work you did with your inner thighs,” said Rebecca. “And if you’d like, roll the back toes under and extend that back leg off the ground.” Finally we lowered the forearms to the ground for a lengthy foray into Lizard pose.

“Start to think about the places you fall into that are your habits,” suggested Rebecca. “And see if you can try a little bit of a change today. Do you always have that back leg slightly bent? Maybe straighten it a little more. Do you always allow that right knee to open up? Maybe you can draw it in just a little bit more towards your body. Don’t judge, just be aware.”  From there we took the knee back down to the ground and brought the right hand to the inner thigh, taking a gentle twist to open the hip flexor and the psoas muscle.

“We did all that closing up at the beginning, and now we’re opening it up,” said Rebecca as our outstretched arms took us into Virabhadrasana 2. “Allow the external  rotation to happen at the thighs. Give that feeling of space so that you can drop the tailbone down and lift the pubic bone up.” From there we reached back into a reverse warrior. “Open up through your ribcage, all of those intercostal muscles, give them that extra breath and space.”

Rebecca did indeed have our talk about my SI joint in mind throughout class, as she stopped by frequently to recommend adjustments and modifications to protect my lower back and sacral area. “Is this ok for you?” she asked me in my seated spinal twist, recommending that I stretch my bottom leg out rather than tuck it under. After a blissful respite in pigeon (“We’re just so ready for it!” smiled Rebecca), it came time for backbends, and Rebecca suggested that I kick my ego to the curb and substitute supported bridges for half or full wheels.

And this wasn’t reserved for yours truly; all the students got tremendous attention. Rebecca came around to each of us frequently to make adjustments and suggestions, based on her observations of our individual practices, while deftly continuing to lead the class as a whole.
For our penultimate posture of the class we lowered to the mat for supine twists, one ankle on the other knee to intensify the stretch.

Finally we came to Shoulderstands, counting down 8 breaths to Savasana, and the end of our last practice of the year.

“There may be a place in your body that may need a little more awareness, a little forgiveness. Bring peace and calmness to that space,” said Rebecca. And with that we rested, grateful to see 2011 out with a great teacher.

A single yoga class at BAE is $17, mat included; Note that Rebecca South-Woods alternates the Friday noon class with Angel Vasquez.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

This sleuth started her movement career as a dancer, so it was wonderfully nostalgic to re-visit an old haunt, a bastion of the downtown dance scene called Dance New Amsterdam (DNA for short). I treated myself to a class with Hunt Parr intriguingly titled “Mind Body Dancer® Yoga.” Don’t be intimidated by the title; this class is accessible even to those with two left feet. Hunt’s warm and calm demeanor could put anyone at ease.

On this blustery January night, the wiry, muscular Hunt invited us to notice how we respond to the cold. “It makes some sad, and others happy,” he observed. “Pay attention to what’s going on for you. If you have ‘monkey-mind,’ thoughts flinging all over the place, just observe that.” I was glad that he allowed us a generous few minutes to focus inward before moving us into a well-choreographed warmup sequence of twists and gentle lateral, forward, and backward bends.

“My concept for today is the idea of moving deliberately,” he announced. In accordance with this theme, Hunt allowed us plenty of time to savor the transitions as we progressed through a slow standing flow with all the usual culprits, plus bound versions of Extended Side Angle, Triangle, and Half Moon.

His cuing got me focused on the process of moving, rather than the arrivals. From Downward Dog, he invited us to “take a journey up to the front of the mat, connecting each step with a figure eight motion of the hips,” and then to “wind your way up to standing.”

“Deepen your breath to build tapas,” he crooned in a challenging sequence that moved us from “skier’s pose,” a version of chair with hands clasped behind backs, into an ever-deepening series of forward and backward bends.

“Imagine your many layers of coats and sweaters falling down your back,” he suggested as we lifted our chest in a standing backbend. I enjoyed his way of interspersing gentle backbends like locust and cobra throughout class rather than feeding them to us all in a lump as some teachers do.

Hunt has a great sense of timing and rhythm, leading us through repetitive sequences at first more static, and then building to a faster flow with each breath. I was impressed with how well his class adhered to the essence of yoga, to calm and unite mind and body. I felt like he made the practice and the philosophy behind it very accessible to dancers who aren’t necessarily drawn to the practice for the spiritual benefits.

I appreciated Hunt’s non-aggressive approach to the movement. As a dancer, his instincts to complement his students’ busy performance and rehearsal schedules with rest and rejuvenation along with strength and stretching were right on. Though I never broke a sweat in this class, I felt completely warmed up inside by the breath-centered flow. He encouraged us to take “breaths to explore” in many poses which gave me the time to connect to my own body.

DNA has an ample supply of clean yoga props, so our class included supported versions of bridge and Shoulderstand with sacrum resting on a block. Hunt shared an enchanting trance-notic playlist that he told me later was accumulated in part from spotify.

We cooled down with a series of seated forward bends resting our heads on blocks - which is surprisingly comfortable! Hunt gave me a nice grounding pressure on my shoulders and palms that brought me deeper into relaxation during Savasana. We finished with a reprise of our opening seat, a welcome chance to re-connect body and mind before re-emerging into NYC’s hustle.

$16.50/class; discount cards available. For more information about Mind Body Dancer® programs click here.

--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

In contrast to the brisk January cold that was outside, Katonah Yoga is a place of warmth. Sleuth has only visited the new studio a handful of times, but is always greeted each time in a familiar and friendly manner when entering the studio. Today, Abbie Galvin, who has studied very closely with Katonah owner Nevine Michaan for years, would be leading our practice. Like Nevine, Abbie also peppers her class with metaphors, exuding enthusiasm and providing excellent information for good alignment and “sacred geometry.”

Katonah Yoga is unique in that it combines traditional Hatha yoga postures and meditation with classical Taoist Chinese theory, and focuses on clear instructions on the structure ane mechanics of the body.

Starting us off in a Down Dog Abbie encouraged us to “walk the dog” and move around until we became centered in the posture. She walked around the room adjusting each student, paying attention to the slightest detail from one yogi putting too much weight into their left palm to another not opening up their armpits enough. “The armpits are also an expression of our lungs,” she told us.

From Downward Dog we glided into Pigeon, but Abbie asked us to stay upright, to bring our hands onto blocks and get our hips to 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, and to make sure our we were breathing fully in the left and right lung, “looking ahead to the future” before folding forward. Coming back up from Pigeon we swung our back leg around for an Ankle to Knee.

Once again, Abbie had us put our hands on to blocks and stay upright before folding forward. She encouraged us to feel a backbend in the pose and to move forward from the crease of the hips so we could bend in half like a piece of origami.

As we held these poses Abbie moved around the room pointing out various habits and how each student would try to compensate in the pose. “Beautiful! Beautiful!” she called out enthusiastically as each student came into a fuller expression of the posture.

As we came into Plank pose, Abbie encouraged us to ensure that the wrists were at a ninety degree angle. She held a block against a student’s wrist to demonstrate the correct and precise alignment. Then we turned each wrist around one at a time so they were facing the back of the room, and went a few times turning the wrists forward and back.

Coming into a shorter Dog we then moved back and forward from Down Dog to Upward Facing Dog with the wrists in reverse position. This is one of the most intense wrist stretches I’ve ever experienced (and I study trapeze).

For Extended Side Angle Abbie asked us to keep our hips at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock once again and to turn the torso as though it was on a spit. Again she watched several students closely and advised them on more effective alignment of the pose.

Sleuth had made a New Year’s Resolution to work on opening up her tight thighs and psoas muscles. Dear reader, be careful what you wish for! Because in Abbie’s class we got to hold lunges for quite some time, again centering the hips, straightening the back leg all the way with a slight backbend in the chest. Sleuth felt the burn, resolution surely intact.

Going to the wall we then worked on what Abbie termed “squares.” Squares are similar to L-shaped Handstand at the wall, but Abbie requested we use blocks for our hands to get height. She assisted us by putting her feet between our shoulderblades so we had something to resist against, to help create beautifully lengthened and even-sided backs.

The second version of this was Forearm “Squares” in which we took an L-shaped Handstand, but had our forearms on the floor - similar to a headstand shape, but with our heads off the floor. Abbie encouraged us to take our personality out of pose and to be the archetype of the pose instead.

For Sleuth, the most delicious moment of the class was the assisted Wheel at the wall. Abbie had me grab her ankles, come up into a wheel, walk my hands to shoulder height while an assistant held a belt around my upper thighs and a second assistant person lay back underneath my wheel and put her feet between my shoulder blades.

Abbie told us the Wheel should look like the arch of the foot. This was the most luxurious stretch and my breathing felt full and deep. Sleuth would have stayed there until dinner time, but unfortunately the trio had to assist other people.

As each person completed their assisted Wheel Abbie instructed us to sit in Virasana with hands in reverse Namaste. As she assisted various Wheels she kept her hawk eyes on those in Virasana. “Don’t let your left lung collapse,” she told me at one point.

To finish up we were to take a Paschimottanasana, folding into our relaxation. As I left (fifteen minutes after end time) Abbie was still diligently teaching and providing individual information to various students in the room.

Drop-in classes are $20. New Student Special: 3 for $30 (good for 1 month).

--Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth had just seen the newest Sherlock Holmes movie.  As she sat in Alison West's Thursday Level 2/3 class she recalled the scenes where Holmes envisions how a whole sequence will play out, move by move in high def 3-D.  And, how at the end, Holmes will be as relaxed as a Zen Master for several minutes or at least until the next adventure begins.

Sleuth decided that’s just how West must think. She’s got a restless intellect and investigates an idea fully until the case, or in this instance the class, is closed.

We begin by sitting in Sukhasana with our legs crossed at mid-shin. We chant Om and then start the Gayatri Mantra. West begins to lead the chant in a lively pace then stops after the first verse and tells us in her staccato-like English accent (I think she must have been a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fan as a child) to get on the same beat. Already she’s attentive to the precision of our output.

This week she is focusing on doing strong abdominal work to lead us into backbending.

Like any good investigator, West starts with deceptively simple clues. They are the poses that set her plot. Bridge variations to sensitize and stabilize the lower back muscles and simple leg extensions to begin alerting the abdomen to the task at hand.

We roll back and forth on our mats from Paschimottanasana to Halasana with our arms overhead to add difficulty and then move on to full legs lifts with wide legged variations.

Each time West gives us a variation she invites us to think about the differences that those variations bring about. In Jathara Parivartanasana we proceed with bent knees and then straight legs to our palms and then straight legs out to the side. Each pose works the abdominal muscles in different ways. The leg to palm variation taxes our hamstrings more than the others.

Throughout our work, West offers cheery information about muscle lengths, gravity, difficulty and alignment. She’s looked at all the angles as we take Navasana straight up and then with twisting variations.  As the class goes on we take Lolasana with leg variations and Vasithasana and Plank with arm and weight distribution variations. While she joins us in many poses, her keen eyes still see my derriere hiked up in a forearm plank.

The plot now changes pace and we stand to take Parsvottonasana and Virabhadrasana III. Once again, we go in and out of the poses in different ways. My mind is completely absorbed as I face these difficult personal explorations. West watches each student deep in his or her own mystery and then calls for Handstand to lighten the room, give a pause to her students and start a new chapter.  

We’ve been working on abs, lengthening them and strengthening them. Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The climax happens in rapid succession…Standing Bhujangasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Standing Dropbacks, Setu Bandha in Sarvangasana and then Parsva Sarvangasana.

Then a rest in Savasana to absorb the story.

Yoga Sleuth has been a regular student of West’s for many years now. While her themes remain constant, her classes are never the same. There is always a new way to look at a pose, a mudra, a muscle, an Om. Each moment brings a new clue, each day brings a new case to be solved. I realize that West is not only a genuine educator she’s a damn good Sleuth herself, one that all of us can learn something from.

--B. Erica Spraos for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Union is located at 37 West 28th Street on the 4th Floor. The studio has been named by Well+Good as one of the city’s most beautiful. Drop in price for West’s 2 hour class is $22. Mats and props are provided by the studio. 

While strolling through Union Square market on a cool day, Yoga Sleuth had asana on the brain, as usual, rather than organic veggies. Since I was in the vicinity of the new Bija Yoga, I decided to tune up my practice with the Ashtanga and Iyengar-influenced vinyasa of Jennilyn Carson who has 500+ hours of training and 10 years of yogi experience under her belt, and and has studied under Paula Lynch, Marco Rojas and Tzahi Moskovitz.  I knew I was in for a great class.
   
I gathered all my "toys" as Jennilyn calls them...blankets, blocks, and strap...and laid my mat up front by the white-light adorned altar, next to the purple wall covered in colorful sari drapes.
   
We started class on our backs, stretching out on the mat, listening to and deepening our breathing while Jennilyn's soothing voice and words got our bodies, minds and spirits yoga-fied.  After a traditional round of three Oms, we came into an extended Child's pose, which would form the bedrock of a special flow sequence.

Once warmed up, we reached our hips up and back to our first Downward Dog. "Get ready for walking through snow pretty soon!" We half-laughed, half-groaned at the thought. "Luckily in New York we don't have to shovel too much..." Jennilyn added to make us feel better as Bruce Springsteen's "Missing" came on the iPod, heralding the high energy part of our practice.

We walked our hands back to our feet and melted our torsos down in Uttanasana, grabbing opposite elbows as Jennilyn cued perfectly our every move, while still keeping us in a relaxed state. "Bring length to the back of your neck, shaking your head yes and no, side to side," said Jennilyn. "Release the tension in your neck. Spread your toes. Lift the lower belly so your hips, your sitting bones lift up, move the elbows forward to lengthen the side waist."

Then we moved back into Tadasena.  "We spend these colder months with our feet all bundled up, our bodies all bundled up..." she said, reminding us how yoga can be a great way to combat the effects of that confinement. "Look at your toes, reach your toes forward....lift a heel at a time and stretch it back. Make us much space as you can."

And we flowed, from plank, to knees, our bellies to the ground, to Cobra, and then a Down Dog, repeating each with building intensity. Then pressing the left arm down, we took the right up into a twist. "Spread your toes...good!" Jennilyn said to me as I obliged (my toe scrunching habit is becoming legendary in the community).

After flowing again, Jennilyn asked us to bring our mats to the wall, toys and all, to do our standing poses there.  "We have a layer of connective tissue, the fascia," said Jennilyn as a mellow version of the song "Melt with You" fittingly began playing. "So the stretch in the outer hip translates to the side of the shoulder, even the side of your neck, through your fingers...stretching the entire side body."
   
Facing the wall on our bellies, we played with a posture that Jennilyn calls "Superman." "My teacher calls it 'Dying Martyr!'" laughed Jennilyn. The tops of our feet stayed down as we walked our hands up the wall. "Pull the wall down as you lift your heart up." It was a brand new stretch for me, and a welcomed one.
   
After a rinsing twist, we were on those backs, bringing our trusty straps to the sole of our right foot, and we raised that leg to the sky, the other foot pressing into the wall.

Jennilyn helped me straighten the lifted leg as much as possible, even though I was, in her observation, “Mr. Tight Hamstrings!” "Even in this pose see if you can find both sides of your torso lengthening evenly," said Jennilyn, "all the way up to the armpits the side waist. And lengthen through both legs, the other heel pressing into the wall."
   
Our work complete, we yogi toe-locked as very Happy Babies, cuddled ourselves into balls, and then released it all into Savasana. "Let go of all of the effort, let go of your thoughts about your practice," Jennilyn whispered as she gave gentle and bliss-inducing adjustments to our necks, shoulders and arms. "Right now your only job is to simply let go and allow the body to do what it does, on its own."
   
Lifting ourselves up to sit and crossing our shins, we placed our palms together at our hearts. "Let your inhale fill you up, and your exhale free you," said Jennilyn softly. And then we were back into the crisp fall air, freed and energized by Jennilyn's fun, centering class.

Drop-in classes at Bija are $20 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The last fierce wind and rain storm of 2011 couldn't stop Yoga Sleuth from visiting the reopened and revitalized Earth Yoga, in its new home on East 61st Street. I smiled at the newness of the small but pristine space, bathed in golden candlelight and already pleasantly heated. I and 13 other students were ready for a workout via the hot vinyasa of the dynamic Matt Giordano.

Matt bade us good evening and asked us to raise our hands if we were new to his class. "First time doing yoga?" he continued. "First time in a hot room? First time doing anything?" he joked, then announced that in this post-Christmas pre-New Year's period, it was high time for a detox..."before you retox."

"Yoga is a natural cleanse for the body," he explained. "You start engaging all the stomach muscles and all the surrounding core muscles. Cleansing is a form of letting go. People who have the hardest time of letting go of things, such as job changes, relationships...those people have a hard time moving on, and it's the same with their physical body. Holding on to more than you need. So we're going to work on surrender, on just being ok with who we are in this moment."

Matt's style is known to be creative, and this evening's flow was no exception. Detox means twists, and tonight that had a double meaning, as there were a lot of interesting "twists" on traditional twists. Matt proceeded to cue us into these in a specific, action-by-action way that made us understand exactly what we were trying to achieve physically as well as energetically.

We started in Down Dog as the room began to get steamier. "It's a certain type of joy, which is called Ananda," said Matt. "Realizing how beautiful it is to be here, in this moment, right now." We paused for a breath in plank. Matt instructed us to draw a leg up and straight back in a three legged dog, "like you're stomping on the back wall," and then we bent it in twice to our noses, pulling the ribs in and up, and once to the opposite tricep for a first twist. Matt complimented us on our resonant, heat-aided collective Ujjayi breathing.

We took a lunge twist as Matt encouraged us to "soften to surrender." Taking our fingertips wider than the mat to touch the new laminate floor, we did a wide-elbowed variant of Cobra.

Beckoning us to stop for a moment to sit and watch, Matt demonstrated the difference between completely letting go and surrendering. Essentially, letting go was dropping the shoulders and collapsing, where surrendering was an energetic softening while still being fully engaged, shoulders staying active, and expanding through the heart.

We came to stand in Samasthiti and closed our eyes. "Remind yourself why you're here," said Matt as our Oms began to echo through the room. Sun As and Bs commenced and rendered us bathed in sweat. We kept moving with vigor, doing one sequence facing the mirrors at front and then turning to the back wall for the next, our only respite the five breaths in Down Dog that connected each sequence. "Enjoy your breath," said Matt. "Drink in the breath like you're thirsty for it."

We did a variation of Parsvottanasana where the front leg landed on the opposite side of the mat, adding a twist on a classic posture of surrender. "Let go of whatever you walked in with, bowing with a clean slate," said Matt as we took turns bending and straightening the front leg.

Now it was time for a mini-backbend workshop that would really open our eyes as well as our chests. Matt explained that people often think that they've got it right if they simply keep, well, bending back.

"But eventually, you crush your lower back." Instead, he continued, "you start by bowing towards yourself. The back ribs move back and up."  Matt demoed this as he spoke.

We tried it, step by step, in a lunge with the back knee down and arms to the sky. "Pull the back waistline up and start to lift the chest up," called Matt, growing louder and more enthusiastic with each cue. And now we were all in beautifully well-executed (and safe!) backbends, grinning like we'd all hit a Grand Slam.

As we continued to flow, Matt encouraged throughout the practice acceptance for the way we approached our Asanas. '"Be grateful for where you are in a pose and don't worry about not being where you wanted to go," he said.  "Because as soon as you get there, you're still not there, because now you have yet another place you want to go! You're never there, so why let it stress you out?"

Seated twists followed, featuring a wide-legged Janu Sirsasana where we yearned over to grab the outer edge of the extended foot. Then we tried bending the other knee, planting that foot and wrapping the arm around the knee in a bind, as in Ashtanga Marichyasana B, except with the other leg still stretched across the mat. A traditional supine twist completed the cycle, bringing us down to the mat while honoring out themes of detox and surrender.

Having melted (pretty literally) into Savasana, Matt sang us to our bliss with a glorious chant of "Om Namah Shivaya." As we rose, Matt invited us to inhale "all the gratitude of the world, all the joy of life and the sensation of what it means to be here," and then exhale, "letting go of everything you no longer need." Matt thanked us for our trust in him. "And most of all," he added, "thank you all for being here tonight, helping to create exactly what we all need."

Drop-in Classes at Earth Yoga are $25 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

On the Tuesday before Christmas, amidst a flurry of shopping and packing, Yoga Sleuth wandered into the cozy one-room space at East Yoga in the East Village for an open-level vinyasa class with Phil Lynch.

After signing in and tucking my belongings away in the cubbies that divide the foyer from the practice area, this sleuth was eager to lay down my mat and grab some blocks for a pre-class restorative fish pose.  As the class slowly filled in, not reaching capacity but with a comfortable crowd, I continued to let the calm quiet bustle of people shuffling in wash over me.

A few minutes later, while still reclining, Phil Lynch encouraged us all to remain as we were, or shift to a more comfortable position, as we began the class with five full minutes of stillness.  As we settled into our chosen postures he talked us into a deeper sense of relaxation and focus.

He encouraged us to resist the urge to fall asleep and instead to begin to feel the body without the stimulus of movement.  Although, as he told us, if we did fall asleep it was OK because sometimes even that can help to heighten awareness.  

Phil challenged us to stay completely still for the full five minutes.  After everyone was settled he set a timer and we were off, adrift in the sensations of our own unmoving form.  

In what seemed like the shortest 5 minutes on record, he slowly began to bring us out of our relaxation and back into the world.  With the depth of our awareness and sensitivity increased, we began the physical practice slowly with some stretches for the wrists.

As we continued through a round of Cat and Cow and on into our first Downward-Facing Dog, Phil asked if anyone had seen the movie ‘Jackass’.  A surprising question, with very little affirmative response from the class.

He then went on to describe its basic premise, and after a brief pause said “Don't do that with your body...locate a sense of grace as you move and don't throw yourself around.”  The class laughed, the message sent - to treat our bodies kindly - as we began to warm up in earnest.

We moved through a series of standing poses that became increasingly more challenging on each round.  By the time we reached Bird of Paradise and bound Ardha Chandrasana, I realized that we'd been slowly preparing for these deep opening and strength building poses for some time.  But my focus had been so deeply inward on each pose along the way that I was surprised when we finally reached the challenging peak.  

In between standing sequences we came down for arm balances and core strengthening.  We did a number of rounds of moving between Navasana and Ardha Navasana as Phil gave us the freedom to explore which pattern of inhales and exhales worked best for us.  Once we figured it out he said, “Now keep going and do five more with that knowledge of what works for you.”  

After talking us through at least 10 more rounds, we were off again to more standing poses, Crow poses and two versions of Frog pose.  The whole time Phil gave us verbal cues to align and energize us and continued to emphasize that we move with freedom and also control.  Even as we moved rather quickly he asked us to observe the subtle sensations in our body without having the need to create them.

As the class wound down Phil once again let us determine which poses would be most useful to us to finish our practice.  He provided a range of suggestions from challenging to restorative and continued to work through the room helping people as he went.  Finally, we came down into Savasana, returning from our vigorous flow to stillness, once again.

Drop-in classes are $18; 3-class card for new students $30.

--Alex Phelan for Yoga Sleuth

Eddie Stern teaches a primary led Ashtanga class on Saturdays at his Ashtanga Yoga New York studio, doubling as a Hindu temple. When a new student arrives, a helpful regular offers a form to fill out. There is a gold painted wooden box in which class money can be dropped, and a large tray of Prasad sits on a stool by the open double door to the loft where the class is to take place.

The regular studio space is under construction, and we are in a loft one floor above,  filled to capacity with twenty nine mats, and as many students. The light flowing in through the long row of tall windows brings out the amazing colors of dresses and flower garlands draped around the Hindu statues, lined up on kitchen counters for the time being. The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, like the faces of the Indian Gods.

Eddie Stern walks in and makes sure all students have enough room. There is plenty of space on the other side of the open double doors, and one student puts her mat there. We bring our thumbs to our sternum and close our eyes. Eddie repeats the Sanskrit prayer preceding every Ashtanga yoga class, with intonations and nuances impossible to repeat exactly for anyone who has not immersed him or herself in the study of the Sanskrit language as our teacher has for the past ten years.

We begin the practice. From the start, it seems easier than usual. Eddie’s energy is light and playful, even though he is very serious about yoga in general, and the practice in particular.

As the first New York teacher to open a yoga studio fully devoted to Ashtanga yoga, Eddie must have taught this particular sequence of poses many thousands of times.  All Ashtanga students have to complete the primary series before moving on to other poses in the intermediate and advanced series, which means that, between Mysore and led classes, Eddie sees dozens of students through this same sequence daily.

He gives some precise and helpful instructions, like to keep the legs very straight and relax the neck in Padahastansana, while keeping the steady rhythm of the Sanskrit counts intact.

In Marichyasana D, his count slows to a halt as he helps a student. After we’ve been in this reverse sitting twist with half lotus for what seems like a long time, Eddie calls out: “One!” And laughter erupts!

I seem to be jumping into Chaturanga Dandasana too fast, before I notice (and remember) that one is meant to lift up out of every pose, and pause on the inhale before jumping back, on the exhale. My mulabanda/rootlock doesn’t allow for graceful floating in midair yet! But no matter: Eddie’s joy of teaching helps me get through the series with relative ease.

All poses have five counts, until we reach the finishing sequence, with counts to eight, ten, fifteen, or twenty.  The frequency of collective brainwave activity drops well into the Alpha range, as a sense of deep peacefulness settles in the room. The sweet spell can’t be broken, not even by some unusual decibel levels.

“Relax into the pose, “ Eddie says calmly, “while the circular saw downstairs is cutting metal pipes out of the building.” Laughter all around, once again, before we dissolve into Savasana.

On the way out students help themselves to Prasad. The soothing, steady counting and reminders for inhaling and exhaling have cleared my mind, and a bit of the light energy of Ashtanga Yoga New York carries me home.

12 classes in one month, $210. Drop-in for out of town students and led classes $20.

--Anneke Lucas for Yoga Sleuth

Although Yoga Sleuth is not currently pregnant, I heard such great things about Mary Barnes that I headed to Pure Yoga West to explore her prenatal class.  Entering the warm room I set up my mat along the wall with the other women.  I grabbed a blanket, blocks and bolster, everything that was necessary for practice.  

Mary entered the room smiling and introduced herself.  She asked us to go around the room and say our names, due date and doctor or midwife.  We closed our eyes, placed one hand on our heart and one hand on our baby.  We breathed in and out for a few breaths and then brought our hands to a prayer and chanted OM three times.  

After cracking our eyes open, Mary asked us to place our hands on our sides or transverse abdominals and breathe into the area for thirty counts, never holding our breath.  We then lifted our pelvic floor muscles and Mary said that we would be coming back to these practices as we moved through the practice.

We made our way to our hands and knees and began Cat/Cow, slowly warming up our bodies. We placed one foot forward and came into a lunge, keeping our balance and stretching out our calf muscles.  We transitioned into our first Downward Facing Dog.  Mary encouraged us to bend one knee and then the other to further open our calves and hamstrings.  After hanging in Uttanasana and releasing our lower backs we came to Tadasana at the front of our mats.  

Mary slowly and clearly instructed us in a prenatal Sun Salutation.  We moved on the breath from Tadasana to Malasana, paused for a breath to lift the pelvic floor, as we transitioned to Down Dog or hands and knees, then plank. Mary brought our awareness back to our transverse abdominals as we lowered our knees and took four sets of Chaturanga or “yoga push-ups” as she called them.  She reminded us how heavy a new baby can be and how strong we needed our arms to carry one!  

We continued to flow from Side Angle pose to Warrior II dynamically and then Reverse Warrior. We held each pose for several breaths, while Mary circulated the room and made a few physical adjustments.  The woman next to me had never taken yoga before, so Mary helped her align her feet in Warrior II, so her pose would be stronger.  Next we flowed from Side Angle to Warrior II to Reverse Warrior several times and then moved on to Triangle pose and Prasarita Padottanasana A.

As we flowed and moved, Mary would encourage us to use sounds like Ahhh, Haaa and Ssss.  She said that many students have reported back to her that ta helpful sound they used in labor was Ssss or a deep Ha to help them push!

We moved over to the wall for more push-ups.  We spread our arms wide, placed the tips of our fingers  on the wall and began to breathe in and out on the movement.  Mary said a lot of women experience wrist issues during pregnancy and after, so it’s good to strengthen the fingers.  Next we did Parsvottanasana in the middle of the room.  Mary gently, physically adjusted my hips, while telling me exactly why she was doing it.  Her voice was soothing, so I felt well taken care of.

We found our way to the floor for Pigeon Pose. Mary came around to make sure everyone’s legs were properly aligned.  She had the woman who could deliver any second take a seated version of the pose because it would be more comfortable with her belly.  I lowered my head to the mat and started to unwind.

As a group we chanted AAA-OOO-MMM.  This long Om was soothing and resonated throughout the group.  We slowly transitioned to Child’s Pose and began kegel exercises to once again strengthen our pelvic floor.  After a few minutes we came back to sit and we breathed in and out of our abs in a pulsing motion.

The last part of the class let me melt into my mat with a gentle Bridge and then legs up the wall.  Once again Mary came around to make sure everyone was set up correctly and suggested Supta Baddha Konasana for those not comfortable with their legs up the wall.  After several minutes, we transitioned to our left side for Savasana.  I hugged a blanket between my knees and closed my eyes.  

I felt that the practice was challenging enough for someone who had practiced yoga before, but was clear enough for newer students.  All of the suggestions, modifications and references to how the poses helped while pregnant and in labor were great.  The added benefit for anyone attending is a sense of community. 

Drop-in class $30.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Kusala yoga is a small but lovely gem of a studio located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Regulars are generally neighborhood folks and their friends, though some make the journey on the mysterious G train from outlying areas once they have heard of the excellent teachers and the warm, unpretentious atmosphere at Kusala.  

The studio recently moved from India Street, where it had opened in 2004, to a shared space on Green St.  Kusala’s founder, Melissa McKay has teamed up with Maha Rose, to create an “urban temple” in the shared loft space that also holds kirtans and special spiritual workshops. 

The area where classes are held is currently undergoing an expansion, so the room is somewhat in a transitional state.  But in Melissa McKay’s intermediate/advanced level class where Yoga Sleuth found herself on a Friday at 10am, the mood was peaceful and calm.

It was an intimate class size, and all the students in attendance were familiar to me.  Melissa sat at the front of the sunlit room wearing a soft green blanket, and as class began she asked us to join her in a comfortable Siddhasana. Melissa then invited us to close our eyes.  She encouraged us to listen to our bodies as the class progressed, and to “connect with the heart’s intention” as a way to stay present throughout our practice.  She then asked us to begin ujjayi breathing.

After three Ohms, we opened our eyes and warmed up by raising our arms over head, clasping our fingers out in front of our bodies and then inverting our hands to form a sort of seated cat pose.  We then took a side stretch to an easy twist before entwining our forearms in Garudasana.

Moving on to Down Dog Melissa reminded us that practice can be very difficult, or it can be very joyful if we listen to our bodies and our heart’s intention.  She said, “let your practice be joyful.” A good reminder at all times, but especially helpful in the more challenging poses.  

The next sequence began with a Revolved Side Angle Pose.  Melissa told us to take it into deeper variations if we felt our bodies were calling for it.  I took my hand to the floor outside of my foot, as I usually like a deeper twist in this pose. From here, we flipped all the way up to a Reverse Warrior, taking a slow and deliberate transition to Triangle.  We then reached forward to a Half Moon, closed the hip to standing split, and stepped into Uttanasana with yogi toe lock.

Yoga Sleuth really enjoys good traditional yoga poses that are woven into an interesting flow, and this sequence felt great.  The combinations called for graceful (or as graceful as possible) and sweeping transitions, which was useful in illustrating Melissa’s joyful theme. She also offered up different options in several of the poses, which helped to remind us to listen to our bodies rather then automatically taking whatever pose was called out.

Soothing, ambient music was played throughout the class. I found it perfectly suited to the flow as well as the theme.  At one point, a commercial played over the speakers, revealing that we had been listening to Pandora. Melissa laughed at herself, and ran to turn the volume down, vowing to pay for a subscription.  It was a funny moment in the class, and it illustrated how natural and genuine Melissa is as a teacher.

Our last flow began with Camatkarasana (also known as rock star pose), into Pigeon.  We began folded forward, and were given the option to stay that way if we were “working in our hips,” or rise into a full Pigeon.  As I will probably be “working with my hips” for my whole life, I decided to stay folded forward.  It takes me several breaths to locate all the unnecessary holding I do in any intense hip openers, so I was glad to have the extra time there.

Eventually, we all rose from our Pigeons to meet in Gomukhasana.  We started here with a side stretch, handily combining requests from the beginning of class, and then bound our hands behind our backs. We then transitioned into a relaxing Baddha Konasana.  After the other side, Melissa led us into a seated wide leg stretch, a wonderful pose that always requires some negotiation with nearby students.

After this flow, we were given the option to take a “regular” vinyasa, or start in Crow Pose and jump back to Chaturanga. I find the latter to be extremely fun (and it can be a bit noisy to practice at home, where my landlord lives below me), so I took that.

For the final backbend of the practice, Melissa taught a different and challenging way of getting into Wheel pose.  We started sitting with our knees bent, soles of the feet on the mat, and one hand about six inches out behind our backs (fingers facing the back of the room).  We then lifted the hips and swung the opposite arm overhead into full Wheel. This can be very disorienting at first, but it’s fun!  

In between both sides, we took Happy Baby and then Supta Baddha Konasana. From here, we took the “queen of all poses,” shoulder stand.  We were given the option for variations here (I stuck with the classic: legs lifted straight and high), and then we took Plow straight into Paschimottanasana.  From here, she had us sit on the backs of our hands and bend the elbows to get into Fish.  We were allowed to stay there for as long as we liked, eventually releasing into Savasana.  

After a few minutes of peaceful rest, Melissa told us to come out of Savasana as slowly as we liked, meeting in a seated position.  Here, she reminded us of the intention to connect with the heart.  As a personal example, she said that she was going to have to spend her day that day in an office dealing with insurance papers and such.  This could be a dreadful and stressful task, but she hoped to remember that the intention behind it was to care for herself and for her family.  In that way, the task could become joyful.

I found this to be a deeply helpful reminder, especially with the approaching holidays and new year.  It is easy to complain about traveling or tasks that we have to complete, but if we remember the intention behind the unpleasant task it can, as Melissa McKay said, “bring a lightness to the heart,” and lessen the burden immensely.  

Drop-ins are $15.

--Abby Payne for Yoga Sleuth

“Time for a Hump-Day tune-up,” said Yoga Sleuth to himself (yes I do both talk to myself AND refer to myself in the third person, but hey, we’re all One). I floated down to Union Square and into the beckoning arms of YogaWorks, to re-align and restore with one of its fine instructors, Nebraska native Caitlin Casella.

Caitlin’s warm presence was felt immediately as she greeted us cheerfully and made a promise of juicy backbending and hip-opening yet to come. She asked us to grab two blocks, a blanket and a strap, and had us lie on our backs with our feet on the floor.

“Start to pinpoint a particular place where you feel the breath expand initially,” said Caitlin. "Move your hands to that place. It might be your belly, the chest, the low ribs. See if you can begin to elongate your inhalation so that the breath begins to spill over into the neighboring areas, creating a little more space inside."

We reached our legs across the mat and raised our arms overhead into a full-bodied stretch, palms facing each other. Inhaling we hugged both knees close to the chest, and with the exhale let them out again. “You're almost like a Bellows, those little things that puff up fireplaces," said Caitlin, guiding our deep breaths.

We got our feet involved in our Cat and Cow, tucking our toes in the latter to give the soles a sorely needed (pun intended) stretch. Then it was time for the crucial first Down Dog of the day. Rather than just leaving us to it, Caitlin proceeded to break down the pose bit by bit, giving us a renewed understanding and appreciation that is so often lost through habit and repetition:

"Bend your knees a little, a tiny bend, and then pull your hips straight back to the wall behind you, as if you're trying to sit on that wall. Press the floor away with your hands and move your upper body towards your legs. Let your head hang,  your neck relax. Fingers wide, even pressure on your palms.

Notice the weight ratio in your arms versus the legs...often when we first come into down dog, it's more challenging to get the weight into the legs. Take a mental note of this feeling...when we revisit the pose later it should be a very different experience."

Coming to stand with feet hip width, we stretched our arms skyward. "Lift your gaze up until you can almost see your palms, and then pull your chest up towards that space between your hands. Imagine you're at the bottom of a swimming pool and you're trying to swim your way to the top." This imagery did indeed make my arms work harder and the pose more heat-building, as Caitlin predicted it would.

Our chair poses were similarly deconstructed. "Let your hips go back and down, stretching your arms forward and up to counterbalance," Caitlin cued. We lifted our gaze, but took the weight back into our heels as if sitting into a chair a foot behind us, as Caitlin suggested. “There's a feeling of ascension, of lightness in the upper body. Sit an inch lower, but lift your arms an inch higher."

From there we moved into a mini-lunge workshop with hands pressed into blocks. "Imagine a long line from your right heel to the center of your chest," said Caitlin. "And then make it longer by moving your chest forward but simultaneously pressing your heel back. So it's just a tug-of-war between the chest and the right heel."

After carefully cued deconstructions of warrior two and extended side angle, we returned to our down dogs to see how they'd evolved. "Just notice if you're a little bit more 'leggy,'" said Caitlin, and indeed I was.

Bringing our mats to the wall, we placed the outer heel of one foot against it, toes turned in, while spreading the other leg wide.  We pushed into the place where our floor met the wall as we bent our knee, "creating a little opposition in two directions." Putting the block on its highest height, we tipped to the side and brought our hands to the block.

"The game is to move the knee into the arm, turning the leg open, keeping the knee moving toward the arm, lifting the chest, and working to straighten the leg." We played with that several times, coming from extended side angle to triangle with Caitlin's (and the trusty wall's) deft guidance. And soon I was taller and twistier than I'd been for some time.

Then Caitlin asked if she could use my props and mat to demo, and I readily agreed (happy that I’d be set up perfectly for the next pose!). We were to place the blanket completely over the mat for comfort and sliding purposes. Then we put the block on the lowest setting against the wall, and tied a strap around our hips. "Knees a little wider than hips as you press out into the support of the strap. It helps you lift the hips a lot."

Hips duly lifted, we put a second block under the sacrum on its highest height.  Finally we straightened our legs, and placed our heels on the block abutting the wall. Voila! "A big, mild, but long backbend for the whole body," which we held for several blissful breaths.

Our encore was a supine twist and a long Savasana. "Go to your exhalation as a way to soften down into gravity," whispered Caitlin.

"Seeking the support of the floor." She brought blankets to those who needed support under their knees. "Find a little more ease and softness inside. Any frenetic energy at the front of your face, let it recede back into the place where your head is in contact with the floor."

As we let go of the weight of our heads and the thoughts within, the rest of our bodies followed suit, content at the end of a great class with an exceptional teacher.

Drop-in Classes at YogaWorks are $22 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

You know you’re in the heart of Brooklyn when the yoga instructor directs you to “turn your right toes toward Coney Island Avenue – our conduit to the Atlantic Ocean,” or to “open your heart toward Brooklyn College.” Framed between these landmarks, Midwood Martial Arts, as its name implies, is smack in the middle of this glorious borough.

An unlikely venue for yoga with padded floor, gym-like exterior, and a secretive entrance on a sleepy side street, you’d never guess that here you’ll find some of the most insightful and experienced yoga teachers the city has to offer.

Ramit Kreitner teaches a soothing vinyasa class on Friday mornings, with a perfect balance of the anatomical, spiritual, and energetic aspects of the practice. Her teaching has the complex texture of a fine wine, with many layers and subtleties. Her classroom feels like the kitchen of a wise, witty Jewish grandmother: the ambiance is compassion, humor, and a sense of being well cared-for and nourished.

This morning she focused on using the breath as “your own personal detergent,” cleansing our every nook and cranny with a progressively challenging sequence of twists interspersed with alternating lateral, backward, and forward bends. Her physical focus was on opening the feet, encouraging us to find “samasthiti in your feet, balanced front to back and with the medial arches lifted.”

That was no small order, as we moved from an arduous revolved lunge to a challenging version of Gate Pose. “If you can feel the separation between your fourth and fifth toes, big mazel tov’s to you!” she quipped playfully.

On a more mystical level, she directed our awareness to some of the meanings of the sound of OM, reminding us that “the sun and the ocean floor vibrate to this frequency, as do our internal organs.”

Ramit led today’s class at a relaxed yet consistent pace with long (but not interminable) holds in poses that built heat. Her class was like a perfectly spiced curry – satisfying and warming but not overdone. The flow of poses never stopped once we left our opening seat.

Ramit’s welcoming presence created a non-competitive classroom environment that seemed to allow everyone to work at their own level. Her emphasis on finding inner flow and balance invited me to challenge myself without attachment to results. Wobbling, falling down, getting back up to try again were all warmly encouraged.

One of the peak poses today was a revolved version of Ardha Chandrasana, adding in the Chapasana variation (holding the lifted ankle and extending the spine) – and then, without releasing the ankle, sinking (gracefully – or not!) into a deeply satisfying Ardha Matsyendrasana. From there we migrated into Gomukhasana.

Once she got us situated here with crossed legs, clasped hands, and the forward bend, she reminded us to attend to that final detail, the “curling of the upper lip also known as a smile.” Refreshed and invigorated after the deep hip opening, and inspired by Ramit’s words of wisdom, I took that one home with me.

First class $10; free with same-day purchase of a class card

--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

If upon hearing about Pure Yoga’s new barre-based Figure 4 class you thought you were going to relive your childhood ballet days, you were sorely (pun intended) mistaken. No, there aren’t any pirouettes involved here, but instructor and Figure 4 creator Kate Albarelli makes sure to mash up a few ballet and yoga poses to satiate--and tone--you during her hour-long class.

Donning a headset microphone to be heard over the energetic stylings of Katy Perry and Rihanna, Kate had 20 eager students take to the double barre (two different heights) that lined each wall of the square room to start things off. Finding First Position, we came to our toes, bent our knees, and brought our heels together, taking rounds of demi-plies. With our hands gripping the taller barre, Kate encouraged us to keep our shoulders down and in line with our hips as our legs pumped.

Once we were plie’d out, we came into a low lunge, our back leg bent. Hands still at the barre, we played with pulsing a bit before we lifted the front heel off the floor, making sure to tone the underside of our quads.

Then we stepped back so that we were arms-length away from the barre (but still holding it!) and bent our knees so that our thighs were parallel to the floor, taking a playground ball between our thighs (close to the knees) and squeezing the ball with the strength of our inner quads.

With our thighs sufficiently burning, Kate surrendered her headset to her class assistant Jamie, who lead us through an upper-body workout using dumbbells. Instructed to pick up two sets of varying weights before class, we used the heavier ones first.

Finding a wide Second Position (which was so wide it seemed more like Warrior Goddess), we began to lift and lower our arms, bending at the elbows so that our palms curled up to our shoulders. Next we straightened them out to the side, kissing our gripped hands to our shoulders as we bent our elbows for some bicep curling action. Finding Warrior Goddess arms (still in our Warrior Goddess stance), we then drew our forearms together--elbows still bent.

Then it was time to switch to our lighter weights. Stepping back with our right foot, we came into a Parsvokonasana stance with our left elbow on our left knee. A weight in our right hand, we began to pump our arm straight back behind us, finding a new beautiful long line usually found in the Perfect Angle pose, pumping and pulsing our way to stronger arms.

Jamie evened us out before handing the headset back to Kate who brought us down onto mats for some serious core work. In an effort to make this stretch a tad bit easier, Kate had us reach for a pillow to place on the floor, taking the tops of our padding to meet to the tops of our waist.

This was to help to keep our torsos up, encouraging our abs to engage as she took us through myriad Navasana variations, tricked out to tone up droopy abdominal muscles. Realizing that some people in the class were more advanced than others, she made a few variations optional, asking us all to honor our bodies and really listen to where our edges were.

Removing the pillow and releasing our backs onto the floor, we took a supine twist, dropping our legs to the right, then the left. Staying here, our knees in line with our belly buttons and abs drawing in, we began to lift the top leg--knee still bent--targeting the hips here.

Rounding out the other side, Kate then passed the mic back to Jamie, who brought us back to the barre for a variation on Rond de jambe en l'air. With our left forearm resting on the top barre, our right hand holding onto the lower barre, we stood on our left foot, extending the right leg behind us. Our hips in line, abs engaged, and tailbone tucked (the theme of the class), again the focus was on the strength of the thigh as we bent the right knee to take our foot closer to the sits bones.

All class Kate and Jamie came around to adjust wonky hips and droopy abs, but it wasn’t until our final meet at the barre did we understand just how the squareness of the hips, the engagement of the abs, and the tucking of the tailbone aids in helping to focus the movement and strengthening in one spot. It wasn’t until this section on the class that this yogi realized she had been letting her lower back do all the work.

Our lower backs, though, found sweet release in the familiar territory of a few twists (Ardha Matsyendrasana) and forward bends (Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottanasana) to wind down. This class was a test of endurance for sure, but we all left there feeling stronger in our bodies and ready to face the day ahead.

Membership only or call Pure Advisor for Guest Pass to one class.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

On a rainy Wednesday Yoga Sleuth wanted to get her flow on, so I headed over to Sonic Yoga for Lauren Hanna’s class.  As I entered the room, I could hear laughter and feel the warmth of the packed class.  Lauren is the founder and director of Sonic, so students flock to her class to move, sweat and learn.

We began in a comfortable seated position with our hands resting on our thighs and our eyes closed.  Lauren asked us to breath and settle in.  She said that each of us has a light inside of us, but as we come into the darkest days of the year it’s easy to doubt that.  She imbued her words with a passion when she encouraged us to “believe the light is there. You all have light!”

Lauren then began to play the harmonium and asked us to chant three Oms together.  The vibration in the room was already filling igniting the energy.  We cracked our eyes open and moved to our hands and knees, pushed back into Downward Dog and took a few easy breaths in the pose.  

We started to build heat by moving through a few slow vinyasas. Coming to our belly we did a wide armed baby cobra.  Lauren asked us to roll around in our shoulders from side to side.  This was new to me, so it felt awkward at first, but then my shoulders started to open up and it felt great!  We vinyasa’d through Upward Dog, Down Dog and Uttanasana.  

When we came to the front of our mat in Tadasana, Lauren asked us to feel the earth under our feet and to root down. We moved our hands forward and then out to the side to open our chest.  Lauren said we were shining our light and serving our heart on a platter for the holidays!  

Next we flowed through Warrior I and Devotional Warrior a few times and then down to the floor for plank, knee to nose using our core and then Anjaneyasana.  We inhaled our arms up and exhaled them out, opening our shoulders.

Even though we were building heat and balancing we were not moving at too fast a pace, and  I felt like I had time to breath and transition from pose to pose. We continued to flow to Radha Krishna, a version of lizard pose and the studio’s pose of the month.

As we stretched our arms out, Lauren came back to the idea of light inside of us.  “We needed to surrender as the year comes to a close.”  She mentioned the kleshas several times during the class referring to the different disturbances that take us out of our practice and reduce the light inside us.

Lauren said that we would be going through six cycles during the practice, opening the shoulders and moving through several backbends.  As we continued to move, we slowly built off of the first cycle, adding shoulder openers to Anjaneyasana like Garudasana and Gomukhasana, and taking it further with Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II.  

We also took Vasisthasana with the top leg forward at 90%, then behind, and top leg raised or in tree.  When I was working on the first version Lauren came over to me and gave me a gentle verbal adjustment, “Love, move your leg forward to 90%.  Good!  More balanced right?”  Her encouragement and simple adjustment was very supportive. I liked how she challenged us to move and sweat, but also had us take multiple breaks for Puppy Dog or Child’s Pose.  I didn’t feel like I was pushing myself too far, but I was definitely challenged!

Lauren continued to weave philosophy through the class, reminding us to honor ourselves where we were in that moment.  She moved around the room well giving simple adjustments and also acknowledging students and telling them when they were doing a great job.  

I was sweating and breathing by the time we moved on to cycle five. There were lots of widespread arm movements that opened our shoulders even more and let our heart shine.  In Salabhasana, we swam our arms forward and back; in lunges we had our chests high and our arms in cactus.  I felt like a widespread bird with expansive wings, sweeping and flowing through the class.  

In the last cycle, we partnered up and did Urdvha Dhanurasana drop backs.  The class had a friendly and open community feel, so I didn’t have an issue trusting my partner Sarah, whom I had never met before.  Going down was easy for me, but coming back up was a bit scary!  

We came back to the flow and moved into a cool down of a few forward bends like Paschimottanasana and then a supine twist on our back.  We finished with a nice long Savasana. As I lay down with my eyes closed, I could feel the energy moving through my body.  To finish the class, Lauren played the harmonium once again and we chanted OM together.

Challenging, flowing, sweeping, floating, balancing and diving back are all things that come to my mind when I look back on the class.  With Lauren’s encouragement, I was able to surrender in the moment with each pose and get the most out of the practice. 

Drop-in classes $18.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

"This class is called Hatha Basic--at least that's how it's listed on the schedule," said April Martucci to the full house of yogis packed into the sunlight-streamed studio of Life in Motion. Yoga Sleuth pricked up his ears at this disclaimer, sensing he was in for something dynamic.

I had arrived fairly early, when there were just three others setting up mats. Thinking I was in a for a small, intimate class, I was soon proved wrong, as within minutes the studio was teeming with students, a testament to Om Yoga-trained April's reputation as a community Rock Star (she was named "most in-demand" Yoga instructor in one of New York Magazine's "Best of New York" issues).


"Hatha is really just a physical form of Yoga. There are many kinds of Yogas that don't involve physical postures, believe it or not," April reminded us Asana-obsessed Westerners. "So when you see the word Hatha, it can be many different styles of Yoga. It's an umbrella term...Vinyasa, Ashtanga, even Bikram is considered a form of Hatha. This class is a kind of slow-flow, Vinyasa style. Don't push yourself too hard, but push yourself enough that you feel that you're getting something out of the class."

April conceded that many find even her basic classes very challenging. "I do that not because I feel like torturing you, but because I feel like you have a lot more inside of you than you think you can do." In other words, if we thought we weren't going to work today, we were mistaken!

We heralded the start of class with a chant of "Lokha Samastha Sukino Bhavantu," then laid down on our backs for an early supine twist before coming to our knees for a little "thread the needle" to open our shoulders. And then we were in our first down dog.

"The best, most basic way to check your alignment in Down Dog, is to come forward to Plank," said April. "See that your shoulders are directly on top of the wrists. And from there, don't move your feet or hands, but just press back."

And then, as foreshadowed, we were on a fairly vigorous Vinyasa journey that had us soaked before Sun A was done. The brightness and warmth of the sunlight coming in from the Broadway windows gave a feeling of summer to the proceedings (in a very good way).

April's cues are extremely clear, and given in a matter-of-fact way, with no flippant asides or off-topic anecdotes--her attention is fully on the matter at hand, as she makes sure everyone is on her page or close to it in every pose. And while we held a posture and breathed, she found time to slip in some words of wisdom that every Yogi would do well to heed.

"No one is going to make you do things," she advised at one point. "It's just a matter of showing up. It's very experiential, repetitive...it's more about moving your body and just experiencing what's going on...breathing, watching your mind, noticing things and letting them go."

We took Gomukhasana arms and then came down to our forearms for Lizard, continuing to open the shoulders and chest. Then we proceeded with a standing sequence where we traveled from Warrior One, to Two, to Triangle, to Extended Side Angle, holding each for several breaths. After completion April announced we were to repeat the sequence, but this time holding each posture for one breath only, challenging us as promised and putting us squarely into Flow territory.

In Revolved Triangle many of us used our blocks to "bring the floor up to us," as April suggested, allowing us to keep our chests open while our arms yearned for the earth.

"Notice how Down Dog, this ubiquitous pose, is so healing and opening to the whole body," said April as we lifted our hips to breathe deep in said posture. "Eventually with time, it will come to be your resting pose, even though now it may seem like hard work." We continued that hard work, examining our edges--our flexibility in Prasarita Padottonasana, where we grabbed the opposite ankle with one hand and stretched the other skywards, and our balance was similarly put to the test in Tree pose, our eyes and prayer up in the air.

Then it was back down to the mat for Locust pose, Bow pose, and Reclining Big Toe pose, many of us utilizing our trusty straps in the latter at April's encouragement. We brought the strapped leg to the right, then over the other hip to the left, giving a great stretch to its hamstring and calf.

After 3 Bridges it was time for forward folds--Paschimottanasana and Janu Sirsasana. Of the former, April suggested that we with tight hammies utilize the strap once more. "Another way to do this is to bend your legs, bring your chest over your thighs and hold your feet," she added. "Try that to get into your back so you're not just sitting upright." This cue helped me to indeed get much deeper.

Following a climactic Shoulder Stand, April invited us to relax by propping ourselves on a block and stretching our legs to the sky. "Is anyone hating this?' inquired April. "Too hard!" kidded one student (no doubt a regular) to much good-natured laughter. To the strains of Israel Kamakawiwo ole's Ukelele version of  "Over The Rainbow" (a Yoga class staple), we took our legs to the side and put one ankle on top of the other knee for one more active twist, and then made our way into Savasana.

April suggested we use our blankets under our knees to protect the back, and then we melted for a long rest to soak in everything we'd accomplished.

And then it was back to to Broadway, blissed and emboldened from a great class and April's words of encouragement still on my mind:

"You'll learn a few things from me here, and then you go to another class and learn a few things from that teacher, and so on. And before you know, it, you have built a practice for yourself. And it's all because you showed up."

Classes at Life in Motion are $18 with a $1 mat rental.

Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

Sleuth had been sitting for 4 hours in a workshop with Professor Bryant on the Upanishads one recent Sunday and needed to get out of her head and into her body. So right after her study, she went to a Level 2 class with Lara Brunn.

35 ardent students planted their mats. Many had favorite places. Some by the rope wall, some next to the trestle, some in the middle of the room and some up in front. It’s a bit of a challenge for a new student to find the right spot but Sleuth finally settled in and watched in awe as Brunn commanded the room like a warrior princess.

She is an amazing physical specimen…long sinewy arms and legs that highlight the most intricate of movements when she’s demonstrating. 

At the beginning of class, we began with a pitch perfect call and response Om then a vibrant invocation to Patanjali. Our first poses, Adho Muka Virasana (all poses are called in Sanskrit), Adho Muka Svanasana and Adho Muka Vrkshasana help us lengthen the spine and separate the ribs. About this time Sleuth noticed that Brunn begins to single out, for individual work, those who have alerted her to injuries before class began. Despite these specific instructions, she still kept the majority of students moving at a big vigorous pace.

It was standing pose week at the Iyengar Institute so we moved into a highly leg activated Trikonasana. After watching Brunn demonstrate, Sleuth tried to imagine herself in Amazonian proportions as she extended her arms and legs to their fullest capabilities and then carefully rotated her torso. While calling Parsvokonasana, Brunn gave clear, precise and curt instructions. “Pull the right heel down”, “lift from right inner leg”, “make your square,” and “hand to the outside of the left ankle”.

The two poses we spent the most time on Pavritta Trikonasana and Prasarita Padhottonasana were taught with variations. For revolved triangle we put our hands inside our front foot and opened the back foot a little more than usual. This enabled us to understand Brunn’s metaphor of threading a needle…taking our frayed ribs and sucking them together in order to put the thread through the eye and rotate to the fullest extent.  In our convex wide-legged standing forward bend, we used blocks at different heights to understand the principle of “pulling the mid-buttocks in” so we didn’t compromise the lower back. Brunn emphasized our need to find our own physical reaction to the different block heights and for our utilization of this pose in self practice.

Next came Sirsansana, Sarvanghasana, Halasana and some twists and forward bends all in the standard Iyengar Level 2 canon. A well instructed process of getting into Savasana ended the class.

Brunn teaches with obvious passion and drive. One could find her style somewhat militaristic but Sleuth looked around her eager and attentive army and thought that, like a well-trained, fierce tribe, her students were getting what they needed out of the class so that they could battle all the challenges life put in their way.

The Iyengar Institute has two well lit, clean, professionally run and fully equipped studios with mats, blankets, blocks, straps, rope walls and an assortment of specific props that are used regularly in classes

Drop in for Members is $18 and for Non-members it’s $25. Class card, senior, and student discounts are available.

--B. Erica Spraos for Yoga Sleuth

Entering the “barn” studio of Kula’s Williamsburg digs, Schuyler Grant, Kula’s director, instructed the room full of yogis to “grab two blankets and, for those of us with tight hamstrings, two blocks. We’ll be starting in Uttanasana today.”

Seventeen yogis dutifully did as we were told. In our forward fold, Schuyler had us press our palms to our calves, our calves pressing into our palms. She had us find a similar energetic movement as we next took our palms to the side of our shins, opposing forces at work, getting really intense once we took our arms behind us so that we were able to take hold of the tops of our inner thighs, trying to pull them apart with our upper limbs as our lower limbs tried to resist the action.

Slowly we rolled to stand, taking a few half Sun Salutations before finding Tadasana, feet hip’s width apart. Guiding one arm, then the other, we stretched into the familiar Gomukhasana shape before taking a variation on Utkatasana. Our feet still hip’s width, Schuyler had us clasp our hands behind our backs, folding forward as we straightened our legs, brightening our hearts as we bent our legs and sent our arms down our backs.

Soon we were pitching forward into Warrior 3, taking one hand to the ground to open up into Ardha Chandrasana, then releasing into Warrior 2. Tipping back into a reverse Triangle with front the front leg straight, we then lengthened forward into a long Trikonasana, followed by Parsvokonasana with our hand outside the front foot to make sure that we were continuously externally rotating the front thigh. Stepping our front foot back to plank, we held the pose, gathering strength; then we lowered to Chaturanga, holding once again as we hovered over the floor before coming up into Bhujangasana, then pushing back to Child’s Pose.

Next we were led through our first Surya Namaskar A. As we settled into our first Downward Dog of the class, she reminded us of previous movements as she floating through the room giving loving yet firm adjustments: “Your arms are doing the same movements here as they were in Uttanasana at the beginning of class.” She led us through the first one, and then left it up to us to repeat the sequence four times on our own, and our own breath.

Meeting up in Uttanasana, we repeated the sun salutation that took us on a detour through Warrior 3. This time when we came into Child’s Pose, we were instructed to lower down onto our forearms, shoulder-width apart. Schuyler asked us to simultaneously flip our palms to the floor, with forearms still in place, while straightening our legs into a Dolphin Dog variation. We stepped our left foot forward, squared our hips, and pumped our right leg toward the sky, making sure not to lift the left foot from the floor, in a skillful preparation for Forearm Stand.

After a few pumps, we lifted our forearms from the floor then stepped our right foot in halfway, taking Handstand prep with our hips squared, raising the left leg up as high we could while maintaining contact with the floor with our right foot.

Then it was back to Uttanasana, and Utkatasana with Gomukhasana arms. Warrior 1 came next, taking it into a twist for Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, releasing back into Uttansana. We found our Utkatasana/Gomukhasana variation, then took our hands to prayer behind the ribcage, pitching forward once again into Warrior 3 and opening up into Ardha Chandrasana, rounding out the familiar sequence we took at the beginning of class.

Our bodies warmed, stretched, and strengthend, Schuyler then gave us two minutes to come into an inversion of our choice, offering options for headstan or forearm stand. Once we were right side up again, Schuyler adjusted the music to find something with less tempo to match the cooling effect of the last few poses of class. Finally, it was time to put those blankets to use; she demonstrated how to set them up properly for Shoulderstand--our shoulders at the top of the blanket, our head resting on the floor.

But before we were to come up into the cooling inversion, we used the props to help us find the appropriate actions in Full Wheel. “If you came down and your shoulders weren’t at the top of the blanket like they were before you went up, then you aren’t leading with your heart enough. You really need to press down through the hands and up through the pelvis to send your heart forward,” Schuyler encouraged.

Still using the blankets, we came into Halasana, taking a twist as we tippy-toed our feet off to the left. We bent our right knee first, then our left, taking our right fingertips to the right hip crease to help keep our hips steady and square. After walking our feet and legs over to the right, finally we came up into Shoulderstand, holding the pose for a few focused breaths. Coming down we opened our hearts into a counter Fish pose to release in the neck.  Finally, and with a deep letting go, we sank into a delicious Savasana.

Schuyler's reputation may preceed her as Kula's director and the co-founder of Wanderlust Festival, but when she's teaching she is at home, and leads her students to a new level with poise and confidence, no matter where you are in your practice.

Drop-in classes are $18. Mat and towel rental $2.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth set up her mat in the downtown ISHTA studio, a welcomed refuge from the bustle of Union Square, for Kelly Eudailey’s class.  Students piled into the room and placed their mats close together.  It wasn’t your typical twenty-something vinyasa crowd, but rather a wide range of ages from late twenties to late sixties!  Several students gave Kelly a warm welcome when she walked to the front of the room.  It was apparent that she has quite a following of devoted students.  

We began lying on our backs with our knees bent and our hands lightly pressed on our bellies.  With her relaxing presence, Kelly encouraged us to breathe deeply and calmly and begin to arrive in the room for practice. We hugged one knee in and circled our ankle, then switched sides.  We rocked up to hands and knees, stretching out into child’s pose, then back to hands and knees, repeating this several times breathing into our backs.  

Making our way into down dog and then plank to hold, Kelly suggested that I move my chest slightly forward without lifting my hips.  This simple adjustment made everything feel sturdier in my body and I could hold the pose.  After a few baby cobras we made our way to stand.  Kelly smiled and in her soft, soothing voice instructed us to stretch our arms up and move from side to side to find length.

Surya Namaskar A for three rounds was next, while Kelly called out the breath. At one point, we paused so that Kelly could demonstrate stepping forward from down dog.  She instructed us to resist with our back leg and foot, look forward and step the other foot to the front of the mat.  Again, her simple instruction made a big difference. Kelly isn’t the kind of teacher afraid to stop the class; she wanted us to understand our movement and alignment, which would make a difference in our practice that day and beyond.

We took Utkatasana several times to build heat and strength, and after one more vinyasa, we moved in and out of Warrior II dynamically on the breath, then from Warrior II to Reverse Warrior to Triangle pose. We didn’t rush through Chatarunga in between poses, instead we just came in and out of down dog.  Back in Triangle we transitioned step-by-step into Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose).  Kelly gave careful instructions to get into the pose and feel balanced, like keeping our top hand on our hip and pressing into the big toe of the standing foot.

Returning from our trip to the (half) moon, we found our way back to Tadasana at the front of our mats, eyes closed.  Opening our eyes after a few breaths, Kelly announced we were going to be doing Parivrtta Utkatasana.  “Keep your knees in line, twist from the middle part of your backs and sit low,” she called out. Kelly approached a student in the pose and helped them by gently placing one hand on his back and one on his shoulder to rotate him even further.   

Returning to Tadasana we were ready for another twist, which we had been preparing for: Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle). Kelly suggested that we use a block on whichever level felt most comfortable to us.  Again, she stopped us to demonstrate how to keep our hips neutral and in line.  The pause helped us all take a moment to really consider our alignment in the pose and allowed me to move even deeper into the twist.

To lengthen out after all the spinal twisting we stretched in down dog and then came to lie on our backs.  After a few bridge poses, we placed a block under our sacrums for the restorative version.  Kelly helped a few students who weren’t sure set up their blocks in the right position, and encouraged everyone to breath as we relaxed into the support.

Ankle to knee was next to open our hips.  We then grabbed our straps and placed them around one foot for several versions of Supta Padanghustasana.  Kelly gave me a slight, but precise adjustment and was sure to ask me how it felt.  She spoke to the whole class about keeping our hips in neutral and reviewed all the poses we did during class and how everything we did was related to the same postures we were now doing on our back.

Giving our knees one more hug to our chest, we let go and sunk into our mats for Savasana.  Kelly spoke quietly and guided us through breathing deeply into our right nostril and exhaling all the air out, and vice versa. Softening our breath we melted into our mats.

Kelly is a compassionate and gentle person with a strong teaching ability.  Her classes are wonderful for all levels and ages, where you will move and breath, but also learn a great deal and your body! Prepare to improve your practice.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

The word Bija means ‘seed’ in the Sanskrit language, a beginning point of potential and awareness, which is a perfect description of pregnancy.  Sanskrit and its sounds are a focus at Bija Yoga, a beautiful new studio located in Union Square.  Shining low on the chocolate-purple walls, strings of white lights line the practice space and altar, while the high ceilings beg for some deep chanting.  Babies seem to love chanting and baritone voices so Lisa invited us to prepare the ground with three low-pitched OM’s.

Sitting in our comfy seats breathing with sound, we deepened our awareness as breath moved from root to crown Chakra with micro retentions at top and bottom.  Then Lisa had us recall that soft-spot at the crown of the head we all had at birth.  Borders became porous as we drew the breath in through this remembered opening and extended it out beyond pelvic floor, everything fluid.

As we transitioned onto hands and knees, Lisa pressed play on her ‘goddess’ mix, which included traditional yogic music and to my delight one passionate Mexican Ranchera.  Clearly this is a space where sound is enjoyed as much as movement.  Lisa encouraged us to let our bodies, ‘get a little moon’ as we moved with the hips and spiraled the spine.  We flipped the script leaving sun salutes for another day, opting instead for a very intuitive stretch I call the pinwheel series.

Taking a wide straddle we bent one leg in towards us, heel close to pubic bone, and the other behind us, heel towards seat.  Lisa had us gently rock forward over the front bent leg and then back, bringing the hands to the floor behind us.  We moved for a few breaths getting the back leg involved by gently lifting the knee away from the mat as we tipped back.  Then keeping the legs fixed, a chest opening was added by sweeping the arm up and opening it behind us as our other palm supported the lean.  

After that we brought our palms to the floor behind us or came down on forearms and leaned away from the legs letting the breath audibly flow out of an open mouth.  There is nothing like the intense and satisfying stretch in the hip flexor and the groin, which we altered by walking the torso to different positions.  This series felt incredible and hit all of the muscles in the legs that become tight from the body shifting and fixed sleeping positions.

After we were loose we took small Vinyasa’s starting on hands and knees. Moving forward to a half push-up, we then walked hands back to stand on shins for a small Camel pose with hands at the lower back.  Careful not to over encourage the stretching of ab muscles, Lisa responsibly reminded me to make sure I wasn’t overdoing the back-bend in the upper ribs.

By this time we were really warm and feeling comfortable so we got a little more ‘moon’ with our movements.  From hands and knees we brought the top of our bodies to Chaturanga arms and inched forward.  Then we fluidly rounded our backs moving the body towards a child’s pose with the hips really lifted.  Staying low, we started the movement forward once again. Lather, rinse, repeat, then reverse the cycle.  

Lisa had us imagine that the baby is like the cork in a wine bottle that needs to be eased out, a metaphor she uses while assisting mothers in labor as a Doula.  Thankfully all corks managed to stay put, but the primacy of the movements conjured our inner animal which is also helpful in labor.  

To stretch the muscle of the pelvic floor that attaches across the sitting bones, we came to a wide Anjaneyasana (Crescent lunge) with blocks and traced a circle on the wall behind us with the sit bone of the bent knee. This one felt as good as the pinwheel series, leaving me with the sensation that I had breathed a little more space into the hip sockets.  After all of that juicy and rhythmic stretching Lisa gave us a standing sequence that contained as much creativity as seated.

In Warrior I we interlaced fingers, palms pressed overhead, and brought chin to chest.  Lisa deepened the neck and shoulder stretch by gently drawing our arms back away from our ears.  We then found comfort in a Warrior II, Peaceful Warrior flow, ending in a full Parsvakonasana where we circled the top arm in both directions to release the shoulder and open the chest.  With the palm at the sacrum, we straightened the front leg to a half-bound Trikonasana, which focused the opening at the shoulder.

We ended the class with a Parvritta Janu Sirsasana, which we didn’t take too deep.  Instead, with hand behind the head we focused on opening the chest as the elbow reached for the ceiling and then released the upper back by letting the elbow hang towards the floor.  By this time the goddess mix had slowed and the breath became quiet as the overhead lights dimmed.

The string of lights were left on, illuminating the floor on which we were to lie in a half-moon surrender.  We took a side lying Savasana with one leg supported from ankle to knee, resting on two blankets stacked on top of two blocks.  Lisa nudged a blanket under my full belly, a place often neglected.  

After a sufficient rest we once again found our easy seat where Lisa’s soft voice prompted us to make wide spirals with the torso, moving from the ribs to draw the spine long and the breath upwards.  The movements became smaller and slower and finally imperceptible to the outside eye.

We eventually found stillness feeling extremely centered and soothed.  We chanted three ground hugging OM’s, then sat in the glowing space together to share a few more sounds.

$20 dollar drop-ins, mats provided.

--Sara Hubbs for Yoga Sleuth

The 4 and 7 trains yoke the Yankees to the Mets, and form a celebrated route of transport for New York City’s baseball fans. For the City’s yoga community, a winding section of R track that joins Park Slope’s Union Street with City Hall in Tribeca plays a similarly crucial connective role. In eight short stops, one can travel easily between two very good studios: Bend & Bloom, on Brooklyn’s Sackett Street, and the Manhattan headquarters of Kula Yoga Project, on Warren between Church and Broadway.

In addition to their vinyasa-focused practices, clean and well-maintained spaces, and lovely staffs, B&B and Kula have another thing in common: the 31 year-old, Pittsburgh-born Summer Shirey.

Yoga Sleuth had taken a few of Summer’s flow classes at B&B over the summer, but had been away from practice for several weeks and wanted to try something new. So I dropped in on Summer’s 4:30pm class on Friday afternoon. According to Kula’s website, it’s “a one-hour serving of sticky, sweaty Kula Flow, lathered with 20 minutes of yin yoga (deep, intense stretching) and a 15 minute restorative asana topping. YUM.”

In Kula’s mood-lit Studio Three, Yoga Sleuth captured a sliver of floor space between an exposed brick wall and a rather striking yogi whose fully-developed practice boasted many exotic contortions, including scorpion pose in forearm stand (Vrschikasana) and its handstand variation (Vrschikasana in Adho Mukha Vrksasana). Sleuth would later learn that this yogi was herself a teacher, having traveled the same R-train route to study at Summer’s knee.

Summer jumped right in, pre-chant, with a restorative, block-assisted, heart-opening pose that demonstrated the dependent relationship between the chest and thoracic spine.  By placing a block behind our back, where a bra strap would be, and lying down, we found a little more space in the upper spine and massaged open the trapezius muscles.

By focusing on the extension of the back body, Summer encouraged both the broadening of the heart and the integration of the front ribs toward the back. Hooking the thumbs overhead and resisting them away from one another, while energetically lengthening upwards and out, we splayed the armpit-chest and integrated the shoulders into the sockets, drawing the scapula down the back.

Like many instructors, Summer came to yoga from acting; and in her no-nonsense approach one detects the kind of carefully constructed confidence that can only be built from the ground up, through years of the audition room’s unrelenting critique and hardening rejection.

Coded in her movement is a kind of stage swagger: shoulders back, lead with the hip-points. Summer diverges from the typical instructor mold, however. For one thing, Summer doesn’t try too hard to be sunny.  A stern reproach during a Dharma talk (“I’ll be the only one speaking today”) is followed later with a tempering remark (“I meant that in a loving way”). A warm distance is maintained. Yet a militant approach is never used to conceal a lack of artfulness or knowledge.

Throughout the class of heart-opening, Summer encouraged a lengthy and spacious backbend, focusing on integration to the midline and hugging the muscle toward the bone to find proper support. Lesser instructors might lead a class through advanced poses without addressing muscular engagement to support the flexibility.

But Summer’s style, which emphasizes safe alignment, winds up being more challenging than a flow that might be faster but less detailed. This is her Anusara influence: Summer’s sequencing never sacrifices elegance for difficulty.

The class worked toward a unique vinyasa sequence that moved from Downward Dog, high on the balls of the feet, into dolphin pose and back into child’s. This was a preparation for forearm stand with the legs up (Pincha Mayurasana). As the pace quickened to a vinyasa fever-pitch, Summer transitioned us into hip-opening poses, including warrior variations. For those yogis so inclined, Summer invited the class into handstand and forearm inversions. As a parting gift, she moved us into pigeon (Eka Pada Kopatasana) with invitation to king pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakopatasana).

If instructors design classes like novelists craft prose, the subjective experience of Summer feels like unflinching honesty, muscular drive, and a commitment to clarity. Notably, in a profession rife with Ganesh tattoos and patchouli-doused beads, Summer’s figure is free of ink and New Age costume jewelry. By refusing the mask of eccentricity, she ensures that yoga remains about yoga. The yogi does not realize how hard he’s worked, how far into his Practice he’s gone, until it’s nearly over. Hari Om. Namaste.

Drop-in classes are $18. Mat and towel rental $2.

--Dan Slater for Yoga Sleuth

On a busy afternoon Yoga Sleuth needed to escape the chaos of the city, so I went over to Exhale on Central Park South for a lunchtime flow class with Goldie Karpel. 

I walked into the spa and immediately felt calm and relaxed. The space is serene, peaceful and full of warm energy, from the friendly front desk staff to the little Buddha’s sold in the gift shop (I bought two!)  One of the staff led me to the studio where class would take place.  I picked up a free mat on my way into the space and opened my eyes in awe.  Dim lights, high ceilings and again, a warm energy that could relax anyone’s nerves.  However, I was here to move!

Goldie entered the room and while she was cuing up the music, she asked us to lie on our backs and begin in Supta Badha Konasana with one hand on our hearts and the other on our bellies. Breathing into our hands and connecting with the breath we arrived in the space. 

After a few minutes, we did a simple twist to each side and then rocked our way up to sit and hands and knees.  We stretched out into Downward Facing Dog, peddling out our feet and opening the backs of our legs.  Goldie gave me a simple, but firm assist that lengthened my spine.  Goldie then instructed us to drop our knees just above our mats and tuck our bellies to really work our core. Although Goldie is young and sweet, she has a commanding voice full of authority.  It’s a nice balance!

Next we did several core moves while on our hands and knees: we brought one leg straight out and then brought our knee to our nose.  We also lifted a straight leg and pulsed for several breaths, returning to down dog and then plank for several breaths.  We moved into lunges with our hands behind our head and tucked our bellies in as we bent and straightened the back leg. All a very intense wake up for the legs and the core!

After a view slow vinyasas with knees, chest, chin, we came into side plank on both sides and then a full vinyasa.  Goldie said that we could do double Chaturangas if we wanted - down, up, down - though I passed, and that was fine, too.  After another vinyasa, we squatted down and came into Crow pose. Goldie encouraged us to give it a try, even if it was new or scary to us.  We could also take it a step farther and jump back from Crow into chaturunga.   

We found our way into chair pose for several breaths, again tucking in our belly and using our core.  We took a vinyasa and then came into high lunge on both sides.  We continued with the standing poses with Warrior I, Warrior II, Reverse Warrior, Side Angle Pose, Triangle and Half Moon.  Flowing from pose to pose on the breath built a great deal of heat in my body and I could feel the sweat on my temples. We continued moving from Parsvottanasana to Standing split to twisted half moon.  

Goldie made her way around the room giving several people assists.  They were always simple, firm and there were nurturing words of encouragement attached to each one!  I observed her with an older student, telling her she was doing a great job and to take her time with each transition.

Goldie brought the practice back down to the floor with several rounds of bridge and wheel.  She suggested that everyone take the variation that works best for their practice.  After a few moments of rest, Goldie brought us back to the core work.  We placed our hands behind our heads, lifted our chest and both legs, then lowered one leg at time and switched.  The action was slow, but the effect was intense.  She added a gentle twist from side to side and then had us come back down to our backs with an option to finish off our practice with happy baby or shoulder stand.  I chose happy baby and then melted into my mat for Savasana.

Goldie Karpel is an excellent teacher that utilizes her experience with dance, core fusion and vinyasa into her classes, which keeps her sequences creative, challenging and fun.  Exhale is also a beautiful place to practice.

Single classes $25.  New students get a week of unlimited yoga for $40!

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

When the first snowstorm of winter decided to arrive in October, Yoga Sleuth refused to let it get in the way of his practice. So I pulled my winter coat out of storage and braved the elements, and was rewarded with a memorable and unique Vinyasa Flow with Yoga Union’s Steven Cheng.

After an expectedly rough journey I arrived, soaked but motivated, at the inviting new studio. It lies on 28th street across from its older sibling, Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis. I was greeted by my soon-to-be teacher Steven and shown to the spacious Asana room with the other eager students, some of whom, I learned, had come all the way from San Francisco!  

Dharma Mittra-trained Steven had us all sit on the studio’s sturdy cork blocks, and then we had a quick chat about our experiences and injuries. Steven chiefly wanted to check if we were back care students at the original studio and had any spinal issues. With all of us good to go, Steven welcomed us formally to his Vinyasa 2 Flow.

Steven promised a very fluid practice, explaining that his style was “a lot of verbal instructions and demonstrations as well.” Our mats facing the mirror, Steven suggesting we take advantage of the opportunity to see ourselves practicing, and thus become more aware of our alignment and what our bodies were really doing. Steven faced the mirror as well while he demoed, so that we would always be on the same page, doing what he was doing on the side he was doing it on; using the visual cue to enhance our experience of our own postures.

“Start to visualize the breath,” said Steven. “See the breath originate behind the navel; Inhales up the front of the spine, exhales down the back of the spine.”

After three Oms Steven suggested we devote our practice “to someone or something, or to yourself.” With that we chanted a mantra for purification, call and response style. Then we embarked on an extended series of seated warm-ups, rolling our necks and ankles until pronounced snaps, crackles, and yes pops were heard around the studio. Coming in to Down Dog, we pedaled our feet, and squeezed into the midline, preparing for the intense flow to follow.

“Let the navel draw towards the spine and breathe into your core,” reminded Steven.  We took the “knees chest chin and baby cobra” variation of the Vinyasa to start, then Steven invited us to subsequently choose any variation our bodies called for. Returning to Adho Mukha Svanasana, we raised a leg and opened its hip in a sideways-scorpion.

“Always check in with your alignment to see if where you’re supposed to be,” said Steven as we commenced on a fast-paced flow. Steven continued to counsel us with rapid-fire verbal cues and suggestions while joining us in many postures. “Use blocks if you need to,” said Steven as we bowed over our legs in a Parsvottanasana. “In every yoga pose it’s possible to modify according to your body and your needs…what you’re looking for is symmetry, so always make an effort to try the same pose on both sides, even if you have to modify.”

And before we could say Utkatasana, it was time for Sun Salutation B. “Bend the knees, sweep the hands far up for chair pose,” said Steven. Steven explained that although having the toes touching in standing postures may be deemed the traditional method, he advocates the more modern variation of hip distance due to the stability it brings.

Then our imaginary chairs disappeared as we lowered the right knee to the mat for a low lunge. “This is a Dharma Mittra thing,” said Steven, clapping his hands together to form Venus Mudra and leading us into a deep backbend. After another round of Vinyasas, Steven instructed us to interlace our fingers behind our backs. “Open up the heart to the left side of the room for a triangle variation without using the arms—just using the legs and the core. Keep the crown of the head reaching forward, and keep grounding the back heel.”

Next we came to a posture variation that was (to my delight) brand-new to me: Accordion Side Planks. As Steven explains: “Bend your knees as you reach your left arm back. On the inhale lengthen (the knees), left arm up and overhead. Exhale bend, reach back, inhale the left arm up and overhead.” We repeated this three times on each side, giving a classic pose a new and welcome spin.

After a quick flight in Warrior 3 (later fittingly balanced with “fallen warrior”) we played in Prasarita Padottonasana, where Steven suggested we intensify the hamstring stretch by shifting the hips forward to line up the seat with the heels. And after challenging our balance on one leg in our trees, our arms in side crows, and one leg once more in standing split, the time had come for doing the Pigeon.

We practiced reaching for our back legs, and then folded forward. In keeping with the active spirit of our flow, rather than rest passively Steven had us reach an elbow to press into the sole of the foot of the bent forward leg as we twisted to clasp our palms in prayer.

Coming down to earth to do a reclined twist, I was surprised to find another twist added on: we were to perform the posture in a prone position, rather than the traditional supine. This provided an incredible stretch to the IT band. Our inversion was a Shoulderstand with another active variation, as we reached one straight leg towards the wall behind us, then the other. In our Fish Pose we experimented with lifting the thighs off the mat with a last burst of energy before melting into the embrace of Savasana.

After class I was a happy yogi as I thanked Steven for giving me a respite from the wintry weather in the form of a wonderfully intense flow, and expressed my gratitude in learning so many new things from him.

“It’s different ways of upping the ante,” nodded Steven. “Bringing movement and flow into something very basic like Vasisthasana or “fallen warrior”; helping you twist in a way where it’s getting into your spine, and getting a different stretch out of your outer thighs and outer hips.” Ones that I will incorporate into my practice regularly thanks to this inspiring teacher.

Drop-in classes at Yoga Union are $20.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

Every cell that Yoga Sleuth is conscious of in her body was grateful to take Nagmeh Ahi’s level II class at the Iyengar Institute.  Sleuth studied religiously with this Junoir Intermediate II teacher every Friday at 4:00 for months at another studio until a saddening clash in scheduling occurred.  After a break of at least 6 months, the reunion was hugely appreciated.

Though I have frequented the Iyengar Institute, it was the first time attending Nagmeh’s class here.  For those new to the Institute - it’s a grand space with high ceilings on the 11th floor of a classic New York building.  Finding the proper entrance can be a little confusing for a first-timer, as there are 3 doors marked with the address “150”.  The correct entrance is the eastern most one.  

Inside, there are 2 large studios, divided by a collapsible wall.  Each has a beautiful rope wall and shelves housing plenty of blankets, bolsters, blocks, and straps.  If you are unfamiliar with the Iyengar method, props are regularly used to carefully refine alignment and maximize the benefits of the asana.

Nagmeh almost always has students begin class in a patiently acquired Sukhasana with the support of two blankets.  Before closing our eyes, we detailed the pose by spreading and balancing out across the sitting bones, adjusting the feet perfectly so the toes don’t stick out from under the shins, lengthening up through the trunk by integrating the back ribs in and front ribs back, broadening across the chest, and lengthening upwards through the crown of the head.  

Once all this space (that can otherwise go so easily forsaken) is found, we close our eyes and chant three Om’s and the invocation to Patanjali in call and response.  Nagmeh has a resonant, soft, yet deep chanting voice.  Her Sanskrit is crisp and beautifully pronounced, most likely aided by the fact that her native language is Farsi, a Persian language and distant relative to Sanskrit. Each word is always backed with meaning and intention.

After breaking our meditative seat, the ten or so students in the room assumed Adho Mukha Virasana, or wide-knee child’s pose.  Nagmeh often uses this pose as a preparation for Downward Dog.  We were asked to focus on rooting down the finger pads and integrating of the shoulders into their sockets as we elongated and opened up the armpit chest.

Eventually, we found our way into a very dynamic, wider legged Downward Dog in which the heels were lifted, the weight consciously distributed through the balls of the feet, and quadriceps strong.  In time, we journeyed forward into a very spacious, wide footed Uttansana, and eventually Tadasana.  

It was the first week of the month, which means the Iyengar method focuses on standing postures.  Regardless of theme, Nagmeh almost always warms level II+ students up with dynamic Surya Namaskara variations.  She’ll play by quickly calling the postures and sometimes switching the sequence up without warning to make sure we were listening and test our understanding of what’s what.  

Something I love about Nagmeh is her sense of humor.  She has one of the most unique abilities to weave a balance of, at times irreverent amusement and highly pertinent, associable philosophical material throughout class.  Such is only possible because she’s well studied in yogic philosophy.  She is also incredibly humble and often quotes her main teacher, James Murphy, as well as Iyengar Institute founder, the late Mary Dunn.

Over the course of 10 minutes, Nagmeh led us through a highly refined construction of Tadasana, during which so much space open up within my body.  We carried this information - firmly rooted corners of the feet, relaxed and grounded toes, spacious arches, expressed inner ankle muscles, appropriate integration of the quadriceps and buttocks, knitting in of the front and back ribs, broadening of the collarbones – through all subsequent postures.

Prior to tackling side plane postures such as Utthita Trikonasana and Parsvakonasana, we performed a dynamic heart opening upward dog to Uttasana vinyasa on the ropes and also handstand at the wall.  The side plane postures, repeated twice on each side, were followed by conscious executions of Virabhadrasana I and II.  Nagmeh emphasized the lift of the sternum into the heart opening, something that can transform all poses requiring an upper backbend.

Another thing I admire about Nagmeh is her incredible vigilance.  She works ceaselessly to understand every student’s physique.  Under her guidance, I’ve learned so much about my body, lifting my practice (of all major asana disciplines) to a new level.  As a hyper mobile individual, she has taught me to contain and back my flexibility with strength like no other teacher ever has.  

Nagmeh’s descriptions are so detailed, yet not overwhelming.  Whenever I am lucky enough to practice with her, her teachings spill over into mine for weeks.  Like many Iyengar teachers, she is direct in her communication and never beats around the bush.  Her words, however, are always backed with love and good reason.  For those newer to the method, this can be a bit unfamiliar and humbling at first.  In time, however, you might find it to be one of the biggest developmental gifts possible.

Nagmeh also teaches regular level I classes at the Iyengar Institute, in addition to I-II classes at her house in Fort Greene, Prospect Height’s Shambalah Center, and David Barton Gym on the Upper East Side.

Drop-ins are $22, mats provided.

--SMK for Yoga Sleuth

Sleuth felt a sense of relief entering the calm of Go Yoga. Outside, Williamsburg hipsters were celebrating Friday night, lining up outside clubs and filling bars making it as chaotic outside as midtown at rush hour.

Several weary looking yogis were already in restorative positions when I entered the studio. As Lilia Mead prepared for class she asked us to get two bolsters, two blankets, two blocks and a strap. Lilia is the owner of this local Williamsburg haven which has been in a Brooklyn establishment since 2000. Her extensive training and dedication to yoga makes her a steady and authoritative presence in class.

To begin, Lilia asked us all to lie down and bend our knees. We held this simple position for several minutes to neutralize the spine before taking a restorative Supta Baddha Konasana with a bolster supporting the spine and neck and rolling up a blanket the long way to wind around our ankles and support the knees. While in this position Lilia asked us to find a single point of focus, perhaps our breath or a mantra that we’re working with.

Lilia talked often throughout class which reminded us that restorative yoga is supposed to relax the body but the mind should stay alert throughout the experience.

Coming out of Supta Baddha Konasana we moved all the props out of the way with the exception of one bolster which we used for a side stretch on both sides. We then took a restorative Downward Dog using a block for the forehead to rest on. “Some of you are using Ujjayi breath and if you know what that is I encourage you to maintain a steady Ujjayi breath here,” Lilia said.

From here we came into Adho Mukha Virasana or an active Child’s Pose. Lilia always used the Sanskrit terms for the poses in class but made sure no one in the room was confused. Lilia seemed to have a familiarity with almost all the students in the room and would check on each person and suggest modifications based on body type and our level of comfort in the pose.

Following Adho Mukha Virasana we took a restorative twist on each side followed by the counter pose Uptha Vista Konasana utilizing the bolster or bolsters for our torsos to rest on and a block for the forehead.

Coming into Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Lilia gave us the option of using one block on the lowest level or two blocks stacked up on the lowest level to give the sacrum the widest surface of support. While in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Lilia asked us to use Sama Vritti Pranayama (equal breathing), counting to four on the inhale and four on the exhale.

For the second to last pose of the class, Lilia had us go to the walls for Viparita Karani. We placed our bolsters horizontally by the wall moving them about half a foot away and then took our legs up the wall. Lilia noticed one of her students yawning in the pose and told her that sometimes people yawn because they’re tired and other times it means they need to take in more breath so she asked that student to bring her attention to her breath and see if she could deepen her inhale and exhale.

For Savasana, Lilia offered options to make ourselves comfortable from covering ourselves in a blanket to putting some light padding under the neck.

Upon leaving the studio, I tried to maintain the composure I’d gained from such a calming and focused class, to bravely re-enter the hectic Williamsburg streets.

$20 per class, $2 mat rental

—Marie Carter

Yoga Sleuth learned that a new studio had risen in Union Square, and just had to get over there post-haste. So I plunged into a Wednesday evening Vinyasa class with the owner of Bija, Veronica Perretti.

Arriving early in my eagerness, I was instantly blown away by the beauty of the vast space. I sat in a large waiting area filled with ornate meditation pillows and cushions, chatting with Veronica—a student of Shri Manorama-ji, director of the NYC School of Sanskrit Studies—about my practice. At class time, she showed me to the huge glorious Asana room, which can hold upwards of 45 students.

It is done up in autumnal shades, with beautiful Saris of different colors adorning the right side wall. Gold Christmas-style lights surround the three rectangular windows at the altar, and continue along the sides of the room, giving an added feeling of warmth and comfort. As I sat on my double-stacked pink blankets, I admired the shine of the pale laminate floor and began to bliss out to the eastern music.

Veronica gave us a warm welcome and suggested we begin class in the comfortable position of our choice, doing whatever we felt our bodies needed. (I chose a supine Baddha Konasana with my knees perched on blocks.) “Notice the quality of your breath,” Veronica suggested, “and if the inhales and the exhales are even.” Then we brought our knees in, pulling them close to our chests.

“Give yourself a nice loving hug, stretching out the back. Beginning that process of nurturing the relationship with the one within.” And we let the left leg fall while the right heel kicked up to the sky, hands interlaced around the leg, pulling in to wake up the hamstring. “…you’re going to create your own resistance, and start to know yourself, as opposed to moving toward the outside world and letting the outside world tell you who you are.”

We moved on to warm up with some supine twists. “Sometimes one side is tighter or looser than other,” said Veronica. “Without judgment just notice what your body needs on this side tonight. Maybe it’s different from every other night that we practice, and that’s ok.”

After waking up the spine by inhaling to Plank and exhaling to Down Dog several times, we launched the Sun Salutation As to generate heat.  “Step, jump, hop or dance to the front of your mat,” coaxed Veronica playfully as we began each sequence anew. Finally we came to Adho Mukha Svanasana for five cleansing breaths.

Veronica is a calming presence while still providing us with an intense flow, guiding us with a soothing voice, giving detailed verbal cues and ready with hands-on adjustments at every opportunity. (She was there whenever I needed her, providing me with a block to facilitate my triangle and assisting my fold in Paschimottanasana.)

She is also very encouraging; calling out “beautiful, guys!” when we really hit “the sweet spot” in a posture. And there were options aplenty: “If bending the elbows gives you a little something more in the deltoids, then go for it!” she grinned as we played with our forward folds.

“Let those toes yearn for the front door…and find a new area of that inner hip to open up,” she instructed. (I think she may have noticed my habitual scrunching!)

After some hard work in our Surya Namaskar Bs, Veronica invited us to luxuriate in Child’s Pose. “Feel heavy in the hips and light in the heart. Letting the shoulders surrender toward the floor, find more space to breathe into the back of the heart. Filling up the back of the body with breath.”

But we weren’t done playing: “Bring your hands to the floor and jump your feet mat distance apart,” called Veronica. “Toes out, heels in, sit down into Malasana. Bringing your hands to heart center, use your elbows to press your knees apart.” After our fifth exhale Veronica deftly cued us into Crow pose. “Separate your knees, bring your hands in front of you, and then paste your triceps to your shins...lift one foot, then the other…bring your toes together and hug in, hug in!”

We came back to earth for Janu Sirsasana with a literal twist. “Bring the left hand back by the right knee, bring the right hand behind your sacrum, and then twist to the right side. Inhale, find more space, grow tall, and exhale, spin to the right side. Inhale length, exhale twist.”

Then we went into traditional Janu, Veronica cuing us to square to the left leg. “Find as much length as you can on the right side and stretch the right hand outside of the left foot. If that’s not happening for you tonight, use a strap.” Veronica gave me an approving nod as she spied my strap already in my hand.

We rolled down for Bridge and Wheel practice as the music symbolically shifted to a mellow Adele tune, then we brought our knees to the right. “Bring the right outer ankle to the outside of the left thigh,” said Veronica. “You should feel it in your IT band. Keep those shoulders surrendering towards the earth.” And after the left side, we surrendered the rest of our bodies to Savasana.

Veronica closed our practice with these crucial words to live by, from her teacher Manorama: “You are the only one going all the way with you in this life. So it’s best to get to know your Self.”

After class I just had to express my appreciation to Veronica directly. I thanked her for accomplishing the tricky feat of providing me with an intense Asana flow while keeping me in a remarkable state of bliss all the while!

Drop-in classes at Bija are $20 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The Prenatal Yoga Center, a one-roomed, prenatal powerhouse, is located on the Upper West Side with satellite classes taught around Manhattan and Brooklyn.  I journeyed uptown expecting the center’s Director, Doula, and new Mom, Deb.  Instead, I was happily surprised with the new Thursday night teacher, Angela Botta.  Angela was warm, welcoming, thorough, and well-trained in the prenatal / postnatal arts by Deb herself.  

Based in a neighborhood where there are a lot of expectant Mom’s, and focused on all things related to Motherhood, I found the Prenatal Yoga Center was a change of pace.  I came to class wanting to work out some excess Vata, but was immediately hit by the slow pulse of Kapha energy in the room. Grounded, I sat and listened as each woman shared names, gestational age, and the physical challenges they were experiencing.  

Much to my surprise I was flooded with a feeling of community, remembering that each of us is not stranded on mommy island.  Angela also joined in giving us a brief bio then reading Deb’s blog entry on Postpartum depression.  

The class was crowded, and as it progressed, the range in age, fitness level, and Yoga experience became apparent.  This is where I became impressed with Angela’s ability to safely and effectively teach to a room of pregnant women all 20 weeks and over.  She addressed individual issues including SI Joint discomfort and Placenta previa, while balancing the needs and engagement of the group.  

I couldn’t help but notice how the students had so neatly arranged their mats and props bringing a sense of symmetry to the room.  A testament to the powers of nesting.  I was the only newbie that didn’t know the class always began with Supta Baddha Konasana, but Angela made sure I set-up with two mats layered for padding, a bolster, two blocks in an L formation, and a blanket wrapped around my ankles. 

The blocks came in handy during the flowing section of class that followed the seated warm-up, including neck stretches and a twisting series where she instructed us to twist “above the baby.”  There was extensive work on hands and knees, performing exercises to strengthen the transverse abdominals, the key muscles used during labor and central to postpartum recovery.

The flow was steady and simple beginning with Anjaneyasana (Crescent lunge), progressing to low lunge then high lunge.  In high lunge we straightened our front leg brought one hand to the front of the belly and the other to the sacrum to self-adjust the pelvis.  Angela cued us to “lift the baby up while encouraging the tail bone down.” 

Then we came back to high lunge with better alignment repeating the adjustment in subsequent postures.  In between sequences we utilized the blocks on their highest level for Uttanasana, flat back, to campers pose then up to Tadasana. The second series was comprised of Warrior I, Warrior II, and a held Trikonasana.  We transitioned into Parsvakonasana where we lifted the ribs closest to the bent leg, rotating them towards the ceiling for more opening.

Before standing poses we came to a supported squat where Angela talked us through two different ways of doing Kegels, explaining that the mysterious pelvic floor is comprised of 16 different muscles.  For the standing poses she called for a classic tree and then got creative with something she called “Seaweed-asana,”  a pose I couldn’t find in the Dharma Mittra Asana book. 

For this underwater ballet we held Utkatasana with a block between the thighs, brought the arms to Eagle, and free-styled.  We were encouraged to move intuitively, making s-curves and arching and rounding the back.  It all felt really good on the spine, mid-back, and shoulders and I even heard my bones spontaneously adjust themselves.

Angela wound down the class with a seated Janu to Parvritta Janu Sirsasana series to prepare us for either a side lying Savasana or for another supported Supta Baddha Konasana.  After a few minutes, she lowered the soft yogic music that played throughout class and asked us to come back to Sukhasana.

Closing the eyes she guided us to breathe up and down along the spine from root to crown Chakra, pit stopping along the way to briefly describe the seven energy centers.  After a moment of silence, we collectively brought our practice to a close with one resounding OM.

$25 dollar drop-ins, mats provided.

--Sara Hubbs for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth has been to many great yoga classes over the years, but it is always refreshing to meet a teacher with real personality. That was my experience on a bright fall day at Yoga Vida.  I entered the beautiful sun filled studio and set up my mat for the lunch time class, as several students trickled in and set up as well. 

Hilaria Thomas walked to the front of the room and said hello to everyone. She shared with us how every week she follows a different theme and this week was going to be the shoulders and spine.  I was already curious about where the sequence would go and what poses she would choose for the theme.

We began in Downward Facing Dog peddling out our feet and then sat back into Child’s Pose, stretching our spines and breathing in and out.  We moved a bit more coming in and out of Plank, Downward Facing Dog and a few Cat/Cows. Hilaria took her time adding on poses as we moved.  We came into a three legged Dog, opening up our hip and then knee to nose, low lunge and twisting to the side. I was building heat, but I did not feel rushed.

Hilaria walked around the room and commented on students' poses: “nice, Julie”, “breathe, Melissa”.  You could tell there were more than a few regulars in this class, though I could still see her helping out newer students, giving them really strong adjustments and encouraging them as she did it with a “Beautiful” or “you have it!”  Hilaria was clear with her instructions, but kept a soft tone of voice.

We continued with several rounds of Surya Namaskar A and then Surya B. Hilaria kept it creative and added a standing backbend and a forward fold to the mix.  We transitioned into several standing poses, including Warrior I, Warrior II, Reverse Warrior, Side Angle and Triangle.  Again, I didn’t feel rushed because Hilaria called the inhales and exhales in each pose.  

She let us find the pose and ground down into them and breathe.  We continued with Warrior III to Standing Split to Twisted Half Moon back to lunge and then down to the floor for seated twists.  Hilaria made sure to describe what we were doing in our shoulders and spine as we came into these poses.  

We stood back up for Twisted Chair and she came behind me to assist.  Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she had me breathe in and out as I twisted deeper.  When we finished one side, she had everyone pause, ensuring us we’d keep moving after this important message.

Hilaria went on to describe the way we create tension in our shoulders and what muscles are used to do this.  She asked one of her regular students to come to the front to help point out where the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles are located and how if we used the latissimus dorsi to pull down the trapezius we would have better posture and less pain in our shoulders. 

She did an excellent job of both explaining the muscles and keeping everyone interested, explaining that it’s all about awareness and we just have to be more aware to change the behavior in our backs.

We came back to the front of our mats and began to move into Twisted Chair on the other side.  Hilaria assisted me on this side too, and let me know she could feel me coming into the pose differently than the first side and that I was doing great!

We took Puppy Dog and Dolphin to work our forearms and then Hilaria demonstrated Pinchamayurasana (forearm stand) in the middle of the room. She asked us all to just try kicking up, using all the muscles we had been warming up throughout class*.  After a few tries we rested in Child’s Pose, and then opened up into a few backbends and then Wheel Pose several times.

Students were encouraged to do Bridge if they were tired or not ready to go all the way up.  We rested for a few breaths and then came to our knees for Camel pose fully prepared. We really lengthened, stretched and expanded our spines in this class!  

Switching gears to slow things down for forward bends, we moved onto Dandasana and Paschimottanasana. Coming onto our backs I thought the class was over, but Hilaria informed us that she always finishes with abs. She added that if we didn’t think it was part of our yogic practice it was totally cool and we didn’t have to participate. 

Her attitude was very open and encouraging. I began to do the abdominal work, but it was less “yoga core” and more fast gym class crunches, so I let go and rested. We closed our practice with a deeply satisfying Savasana and Namaste.

Hilaria is a smart and fun teacher and Yoga Vida is a beautiful studio to practice in.  Plus, they offer new students $10 for a whole week!  A deal you don’t want to miss!

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth likes nothing better than a late-night Thursday flow to transition into weekend mode. And this time it brought me to seek the cheery playfulness and calming spirituality of a long-time favorite, Laughing Lotus, but with a teacher new to me, the ebullient Luke Simon.

After setting up my mat in the back row, I met Luke, who with a smile gently, coaxed me to the center instead. "If your knees are higher than your hips, sit on a folded blanket," Luke advised the 14 of us, "or take two, or a block, and just prop yourself up. It will make the next few minutes so much better."

He then began to tell us a story of a time that he missed an important Yoga engagement and was in danger of spending the next class thinking about that and regretting. "There was a moment where I was thinking, 'I wonder what happened there, if only I hadn't...' and I stopped myself and thought, 'Wow, what a crappy way to live life. To keep going there."

And he let the regret go and brought himself back into the present moment.  "For some reason, things are just more clear in the container of this room (the yoga space)," Luke explained. "There's just something about your presence, your awareness of where you are and what you're actually doing, and getting to see your thoughts in a more objective way."

Luke suggested we set an intention of letting go of those "if-onlys" in our lives. "For example, 'If only I met the right person, I would feel love; if only I met the right guru, I would be enlightened and I would feel whole'. We can't look to another person for wholeness. We have to do it, right here, right now."

And to start on that path, we were to chant to the Goddess Lakshmi. "And she's right here in this very room!" said Luke, pointing to the rather striking painting on the right wall. "The Goddess of love and abundance." And we laughed as Luke reminded us that a Yogi's concept of abundance is probably very different to that of the people who work on Wall Street! Then, turning inward as the sound of Luke's harmonium wafted through the room, we began to chant: "Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha."

Minds clear and spiritually ready for the movement portion of class, we warmed up in a upwards table top, engaging our kapalabhati breath to ignite the spark. The flow was fast and fierce, and we were all bathed in sweat in minutes despite the fans. We moved from Warriors 1 to 2, to “reverent,” to Triangle, to Pyramid and Extended Side Angle in a handful of heartbeats. And all the while, Luke reminded us where to focus our minds as our bodies worked: "Think of the breath as the most precious thing in the world."

When we repeated the standing sequence, we added binds, pausing in "goddess" pose to shimmy left and right with Garudasana (eagle) arms. We even added Gomukhasana arms to our standing sequence, reaching behind our backs for our fingers to really bring the shoulders into it. We practiced our balance in Tree, Dancer, Warrior 3 and Half Moon, challenging ourselves in the latter by grabbing the raised leg and trying to maintain the open chest and straight standing leg. And this dovetailed into something unexpected...

"This is the daredevil pose of our class," said Luke as he instructed us to try coming into Side Plank with one hand grabbing the ankle of the raised knee almost behind our backs. Some of us (okay, ME) stumbled to the mat with a laugh, and then we all rose to triumphant rock stars.

Coming down to the mat, we had a choice of an energetic Wheel, a Bridge with a block, or anything in between (i.e., half-wheel). "Use your intelligence to choose," advised Luke---meaning, if you need a restorative version, take it. Luke then showed me the perfect way to fold my blanket, in thirds, to prop myself up for a supine Pigeon.

Finally we took that same blanket and opened it up to hold our backs and shoulders as we reversed the flow of blood and prana in Shoulder Stand. After a few minutes of meditation where my mind remained astonishingly clear, Savasana was our reward.

I thanked Luke for a wonderful Lotus Hour, which had actually gone on for just over 75 minutes (bonus!). And then I listened with a smile as he stayed behind with another student, helping her find abundance by practicing the chant "Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha" once more.

Lotus Hour is $12 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

It was a cozy group of eight on a Tuesday at Meg Carlough’s class at Namaste Yoga Center on the Upper West Side. Everyone in the room seemed to know each other including one student who said she’d been coming to Namaste Yoga for eight years.

Meg asked the group if we had any requests, with eager responses ranging from hip openers to shoulders to lower back.

With these varied requests in mind Meg settled us in with some Nadi Sodhana (alternate nostril breathing) then made sure we were all supplied with straps.

We began by taking the straps a little more than shoulder width apart and lifted the strap over our heads and around towards the lower back, then back over again. Meg invited us to hold in the place that felt uncomfortable for a couple of seconds to make the most of the stretch.

Still seated, we then took Gomukhasana arms, and for those having trouble catching their fingers, the straps were readily available. Anahatasana was next, but in this variation we placed our elbows onto the blocks and bringing our hands overhead into Anjali mudra we placed our thumbs between our shoulder blades and breathed into this deep shoulder stretch.

Coming onto all fours next we began rounds of Cat and Cow, tucking our toes under for Cow and lengthening them on the floor for Cat. Meg began playing some gentle chanting music while she lead us through a couple of gentle Sun Salutations starting with a knees, chest, chin variation, but then adding a couple more vigorous rounds with the option of Chaturanga and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

Moving onto standing poses, Warrior I, Warrior II and Peaceful Warrior were added into the mix. Meg advised us to get low especially in Warrior II and encouraged us to take a longer stance so we could get our thighs parallel with the ground. “Whatever your level try to find Satya [truth] in the pose. Find the challenge, but at the same time don’t hurt yourself.”

Parsvottanasana and Prasarita Paddottansana with a twist variation became part of our repertoire, as well as balancing in Vrksasana for a minute on each side. At one point, Meg also had us hold Dolphin in preparation for the Forearm Stands to come later.

Coming back down to the floor and focusing simultaneously on hips and shoulders as requested Meg had us hold full Gomukhasana with the arms. To transition from right leg on top to left leg on top Meg had us do a fancy spin-around move. “This never fails to delight me,” she said as we maneuvered to the other side, and some of us had to agree!

Bringing us all to the wall, Meg demonstrated L-shaped Forearm Stand, for which, after all the shoulder opening and stretching, Sleuth felt thoroughly warmed.  After holding the L-shaped Forearm Stand with feet on the wall for about a minute, Meg encouraged those of us who felt ready to turn around, our backs to the wall, and come into Forearm Stand. We could still use the wall but Meg encouraged us to move beyond the edge and our fear to try balancing in it.

Class finished up with Tarasana and Bridge pose. “Take the last minute to do whatever pose you’d like to do to finish up,” Meg said. As we settled into Savasana Meg gently chanted a pitch-perfect rendition of “Om Namah Shivaya.”

$20 per class drop-in.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

With the aroma of delicious vegan delights wafting from the café, Yoga Sleuth settled in at the spacious Krishna room of Jivamukti downtown, piano music playing softly as it heralded the arrival of Tamar Samir.

The presence of this experienced and highly regarded instructor immediately gave an added air of calm to the room of 14 yogis. Tamar thanked us for starting our day with her, and we immediately jumped into action with a set of rolling Vinyasas. But this was just a warm-up. We quickly returned to a seated position, legs in Baddha Konasana and sit bones propped on our blankets, for a little Dharma talk.

Tamar revealed to us Jivamukti’s Focus of the Month, from Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: "Heyam Dukham Anagatam", which means that “future suffering is to be avoided.”

“We’re not in control of the present,” said Tamar. “Because everything happening in the present has already been determined by our past actions. We can’t really change it, we can only change the way that we deal with it. But we can change our future, shape our future to be what we want it to be, through the actions of the present.”

With this in mind we embarked on an extended session of the Jivamukti staple: devotional chanting. “Through this mantra, through this chant, the intention is to spread peace, love, joy, auspiciousness, tranquility, harmony, to all aspects of the universe through everyone and everything, including ourselves.”

We came to stand in Tadasana at the front of our mats. “Feel yourself extending in two directions,” said Tamar. “Pressing down through the feet and up through the spine. Breathe deeply and make that sound audible.”  Soon the room was awash with the sound of Ujjayi breath as we reached our prayers to the heavens and then folded into Uttanasana.

“We go very fast in this class,” said Tamar, “so take a break whenever you feel the need.” And this was not hyperbole; the Sun Salution A and B portions of class were the quickest paced sequences I’ve experienced for some time. In Surya Namaskar A we stayed one breath in plank, one breath in Chaturanga, one breath in Up Dog, alternating the latter with “knees chest and chin” and Cobra.

We only slowed it down for five breaths roughly every third Down Dog. In Surya B we stayed for a nanosecond in Virabhadrasana I before opening into Warrior II, then going immediately into a reverent warrior and Parsvakonasa. 

In the latter Tamar was not shy about pulling my torso and pressing on my bent knee to get me into my best expression of the pose. She did the same later as we went into Flying Crow prep; as I crossed my right ankle over my bent knee, she stood behind me and had me literally use her knees as a seat, releasing me finally so I could soar into my Eka Pada Galavasana.

In Ardha Matsyendrasana she was with me as well, assisting me to make sure I was keeping my spine straight and distributing the twist evenly, and that my front foot was properly grounded. In Paschimottanasana, Tamar suggested that we put blocks against our heels and grab on to them if we could, which kept our fleet flexing and allowed for maximum stretch of the hamstring.

From here we dipped into the Ashtanga playbook, challenging our soaked but energized bodies in Marichyasana A. Though not generally a “binder,” I found after the work we had done I was coming very close to joining my fingers behind my wrapped leg and thigh. Then we came down to the mat for 3 intense wheels. Tamar suggested we turn our heels outwards to keep our knees and toes from splaying out, thus bringing our feet into a parallel position.

Shoulderstand was followed by a foray into fish, and a climactic headstand spilled right into a lengthy Savasana, where we well lulled into yogic sleep by the strains of the poignant Jack Johnson version of “Imagine.” Rising once more we sat in Sukhasana for meditation before sealing our practice with a reprise of our chanting.

As I was putting my props away, I spied Tamar staying “after school” to give an eager student some help with her headstand practice. I smiled at the thought that Tamar was giving of herself by bringing her auspiciousness and wisdom to one who needed it.

1 hr 35-minute classes at Jivamukti are $20 drop-in with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

With one day left in the work week, Yoga Sleuth had only one thing on his mind: Proper Alignment! So I headed up to NY Loves Yoga on the Upper West Side for a challenging and enlightening late night tutorial with a true expert, Alexa Klein.

NY Loves Yoga can boast one of the cheeriest and prettiest spaces in the Yoga community. A disco ball hangs from its sun-colored welcome sign, and steps surrounded by greenery take you down to a warm orange-colored studio filled with elegant pillars, abutted by a backyard garden. And when I ask for a rental mat, the karmi (volunteer karma yogi) asks me my choice of thickness and even color!  

I was greeted by an enthusiastic Alexa, who asked me about my injuries and concerns. I mentioned my recent pulled hamstring and Alexa made sure I was careful in every pose that might effect it, from Triangle to Down Dog. Alexa would be putting us through our paces in classic Asanas, but in this Iyengar-influenced class the catch-word would be focus.

We would be in each posture for a lengthy stay, exploring what each of our limbs was doing and how they felt with every movement. What makes our calves quiver? What side of the foot is holding the weight? What happens to the standing leg when we lift the other in a balance posture? "When you're in the pose, be interested in those things," urged Alexa.

After sitting for a spell in Sukhasana on two blankets, we pressed our palms into the floor behind us to part our shoulders and open our chests. Then it was right to the wall, mats in tow, for what would prove to be an unexpectedly intense child's pose. We placed our hands flat on the blocks; first on the low setting, then the middle, then the highest. The muscles in our arms and shoulders burned as they worked to stay straight with each successive increase of challenge.  

"Thank goodness there isn't a fourth block height," quipped one student.

"We do have chairs!" laughed Alexa. "But we won't go there!"

We progressed from there to Down Dog, our heels pressed into the wall behind us. Alexa had us experiment with positioning our palms outward and our legs the width of the mat. We followed with a Tree Pose against the wall, examining the actions of the standing foot. Mine tried to lean inward.

"Open your inner knee to the outer knee," said Alexa, "and zip it up!" We practiced for long stints on both sides, really feeling the difference when we truly concentrated on what our lower bodies were doing.

We continued the workshopping through Warrior II, Extended Side Angle, Half Moon Pose and Warrior III. Alexa demoed each and every Asana in entirety, and if we had trouble remembering, came over and put us right where we needed to be. In Ardha Chandrasana I pressed my back foot against the wall so I could worry less about balance and more about what my standing leg was doing, and found strength and stability I didn't know I had.

Our climactic pose was a heavily propped shoulder stand. Alexa had us take three blankets and fold our mat over them (a "blanket burrito" as I like to call them). Then we placed the invention against the wall with two blocks for our hands to grab onto.

We pulled ourselves up with our shoulders on the burrito, heads on the floor and soles against the wall. We experimented with one leg, then the other, then blossomed into fully straight, but fully restorative Salamba Sarvangasanas.

And with that we slid off our blanket burritos and slipped into Savasana, our legs in Sukhasana to mirror the way we began. "You're gonna feel it tomorrow!" Alexa promised, and I thanked her for taking my practice, and my understanding of it, to a whole new level.

Classes at NyLovesYoga are $20 drop-in with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

On a muggy Saturday afternoon, Yoga Sleuth headed east to Dharma Mittra Yoga Center.  I walked up the stairs to the bright and cheerful studio and signed up for an hour of practice with Chie Yamanaka, a beautiful and kind teacher.  She didn’t want us to waste anytime because there was a lot to fit into an hour! Chie immediately welcomed everyone into the space, so we could begin.

We took a comfortable seated position with our eyes closed to start. Chie instructed us to connect with our breath, by inhaling up and exhaling down, feeling each breath move through us.  After a few minutes of this meditative breathing, we brought our hands into prayer in front of our hearts and chanted OM three times to begin our practice.  

Cracking open our eyes we rose to stand at the front of our mats. Chie encouraged us to "find our Tadasana," to ground down into the earth and close our eyes once again, reminding us to feel the earth and breath. After another moment we opened our eyes.  The sun was shining into the room and there was a brightness, a feeling of community and warmth as we began to move into a variation of Surya Namaskar A.  

Chie had us reach our prayer to the sky and create a slight backbend, then dive forward and down. We stepped our right foot back and dropped our knee, once again reaching our prayer up and finding a slight backbend, moving next to Plank, dropping our knees and came forward into a Baby Cobra.  We switched to the other side and then repeated the sequence once more.  

Chie was careful to walk around the room and help students really find the full expression of the pose by moving their shoulders back and reminding them of their breath.  Her adjustments were subtle, yet effective.

Next, we folded over into Uttanasana and reached behind to our calves to get a deeper stretch.  Chie encouraged me to bend my knees and lay my chest down onto my thighs.  She then placed her hand on my back to move me deeper into the forward bend.  I felt very connected to my breath and the simple adjustment.  

We continued on with another variation of Surya A, this time taking a twist as we knelt down. Chie showed us several variations, demonstrating how the pose could work with anyone’s body.  When she came to me and helped line up my arms,  I had an “ah ha” moment feeling the difference her adjustment made.  I didn’t need to push myself to twist so hard.  

After a few rounds of this variation we moved from Warrior I to Warrrior II to Parsvakonasana down to Lizard Pose and back up to Warrior II.  We had the option of taking a vinyasa or stepping into Down Dog between sides.  We were building a lot of heat, but the class was not centered around Chaturangas; it was more about flowing with smooth transitions on the breath.  

Soon enough we found ourselves back at the front of our mats for Vrksasana (tree pose).  Again, Chie gave us several options for the pose.

After balancing on each side, we came into a squatting position in the middle of our mats.  Chie cheered everyone on as we played in Bakasana (crow pose) and gave us pointers on how to hug our legs in toward our arms for support.  Taking a break, we came to child’s pose and re-connected with our breath.  

Once again we came back to Tadasana at the front of our mat, sitting into Utkatasana (chair pose) several times.  Chie asked us to think about our imaginary chair - “sit down, but lift your heart up!” she encouraged.  

We made it back to the floor and did several rounds of Dhanurasana and then came to sit on our heels.  We prepared for Sirsasana, opening our shoulders with Gomukhasana arms. Chie demonstrated headstand in the middle of the room and told us we could use the wall if we felt more secure there or she would be happy to assist us getting up.  Chie’s voice was kind and playful as we came into our poses.  

After resting for a few breaths, we found ourselves in Tadasana once again.  We slowly squatted down and then rolled back into Shoulder Stand!  It was a fun and definitely different way to come into the pose.  Chie continued to walk around the room and make slight adjustments to everyone’s poses to help us get more from them.  

We finished with one last twist and then melted into our mats for Savasana.  After just a few minutes, we came back up to sit with our eyes closed and continued on with several minutes of opposite nostril breathing.

Chie gave step by step instructions for the pranayama.  My breath felt long and deep and I felt calm and focused after the challenging asana sequences.  We closed the practice with OM shanti, shanti, shanti, Namaste.  

It was a beautiful hour, lead by a sweet and bright teacher.  To top it off, the class only cost $12.  You really can’t beat that!

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Amanda Zapanta asked us to grab a bolster, two blocks and a blanket before we got settled into her Monday morning class. Yoga Sleuth was preparing for a playful, yet rigorous and alignment-focused vinyasa class at Greenhouse Holistic’s Driggs Avenue location in Brooklyn.

We began class lying down in Supta Padangusthasana, holding the big toe or our shins. Amanda had us take our toe down toward the floor, but encouraged us at the same time to take the foot up toward our head. Bringing the foot back to center we switched hands and took the leg across the body into a releasing spinal twist.

Amanda reminded us we could stay here, while offering a deeper version of bending the bottom leg and taking hold of the foot while holding onto the top outstretched leg.

Letting go of the twist, we then rolled onto our bellies and came up into a backbending Salabhasana, which Amanda also jokingly referred to as “Superman.” We then brought our hands to the floor and pushed into a Down Dog Split. The sequence continued with opening up our hips, flipping over into “Rock Star”, lowering into Marichyasana B, then bending our knees and scooping up our shins with our arms and laying down into a supine Pigeon shape before switching sides.

And that was just the warm-up to Amanda’s creative and demanding class.

In the next sequence we moved from a low lunge twist up to balancing in Ardha Chandrasana. Following that we glided from Warrior I to folding forward into Devotional Warrior, then shifting our torsos half way up we turned our torsos into a Revolved Triangle with hands still interlaced. We came back into Warrior II, to Peaceful Warrior and then Amanda gave the option of doing a core-engaging one-legged Vinyasa.

Amanda’s experience as a professional dancer and Thai Bodyworker helped inform her challenging sequencing and attention to body alignment as we flowed through.

Progressively building on her standing sequence, Amanda added Parsvottanasana, Prasarita Padottanasana (with options to twist or take Sirsasana B) into Goddess pose with Gomukhasana arms.

Moving onto balancing poses from Utkatasana we brought our right ankle above our left knee, bending our upper bodies forward and, for those who were capable, scooped up our shins we came into a standing Pigeon shape. From the stretch in our outer hip we had the option to move into Vrksasana or a standing Baddha Ardha Padmasana. For those bound, we let go of the bind and bent our knees into our chest, then extended the leg out for a short, but endurance-building hold before we were allowed to release into Tadasana.

Amanda brought the energy of the class down to a cooling pace with a Pigeon, Crescent Lunge, Trianga Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana (a half Hanumanasana shape) and Janu Sirsasana.

In closing we utilized all of our props for a restorative Supta Sukhasana. Putting two blankets horizontally under the vertical bolster we used the blocks to support our crossed knees in reclined Sukhasana.  This was a dreamy end to a stimulating class.

Bringing the bolster out from under us we rested in Savasana. Continuing the restorative theme, Amanda had us reuse our bolsters as we twisted to our right placing the bolster under the left leg and rested for a few moments.

“Imagine a time when you were a lot younger when you felt free to be yourself,” Amanda suggested, which threw me back in time. Returning to the present I was reminded how taking yoga classes such as Amanda’s are the moments during which I’ve felt the most free, the most connected to myself.

$18 per drop-in class, mat rental $1.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

“Happy holidays,” Yoga Sleuth was greeted at the front door of the Upper East Side location of Pure Yoga, where practice takes place in below-ground, low-lit, womb-like spaces. In Studio 1, fifty Manduka mats awaited the students, each topped with a Hugger Mugger block. Within moments, each and every space was filled.

“These are the most traumatic of holidays,” Marco greeted the class jovially. The antidote to the family stress on tap? Alignment. Finding it would help transcend reality.

Marco played soft chants in the background, as his vibrant personality came to the fore. Students moved through the warm-up—a seated heart-opener supported by hands grounded on the mat, followed by a flowy cat/cow into downward dog sequence—paying rapt attention to his message: “Listen to your heart.” It is forgiveness, he explained, that allows one to move forward.

To cross that metaphorical bridge, there is literally the breath, long, strong and smooth. Building rhythm by stretching from small cobra to full cobra to upward dog—the pose Marco called a combination of the two—hearts began to open toward the intention of the lesson. Inverting downward dog (first into a three-limbed chest opener, then later into optional Urdhva Dhanurasanas) accentuated the feeling.

Moving into Surya Namaskara B, a sequence that encompasses 17 poses, as Marco informed the class, the connection between the heart and the hips became clear. Winding down a long hold of devotional warrior, Marco urged the class onward: only three more breaths, only one more. Next came a combination of eagle legs and gomukhasana arms, in which Sleuth benefitted from a subtle yet enlightening adjustment of the distance from chest to forearm.

In the midst of the full Utthita Hasta Padagusthasana series, Marco’s presence in the room was intensely felt. Students, tired from a long stretch of standing poses, made a concerted effort to hold legs aloft in Utthita 4, moving chin toward shin.

Backbending, from Salabhasana into Dhanurasana (plus a crossed-shin variation on each side) into three Urdhva Dhanurasanas, wound into a repeat of the Padagusthasana series on the back. For those still wary of the day to come, Marco advised a “not very happy baby” pose, on the way into gentle twisting toward Savasana.

When the lights came up, students lingered, content to pause before heading, open hearted, into the waiting day.

Classes at Pure Yoga are by membership, or a $30 drop in.

-Denise Roy for Yoga Sleuth

One lovely fall Sunday I spent 90 minutes at the Iyengar Institute in Chelsea with Bobby Clennell, a highly respected teacher in the lineage.

Inspired by Geeta Iyengar, Bobby is best known for her classes geared towards women.  Her regular schedule includes a Women’s Yoga class, Yoga for Breast Health (for patients and survivors of breast cancer), and Prenatal Yoga.  This was my first experience at the Institute, which you’ll note isn’t your cozy neighborhood studio, but a contemporary space fit for both practice and study.  

If you’ve never taken an Iyengar class the infinite amount of props, and what can be done with them will astound you.  So when Bobby asked the four of us to come into Supta Virasana right after the Oms, my knees and swollen legs were glad when she started talking props.

Turns out this week's class was all restorative so this Supta Virasana was supported by bolsters, blocks and blankets à la the Iyengar way.  Of course, the positioning of the props was quite sophisticated and were adjusted to accommodate for body-type, experience level, and trimester.

The majority of the six restorative postures opened and lifted the heart and were punctuated by Dandasana.  For this third trimester Yogi, the postures spread the ribs and created more space in the torso that can feel crowded and pulled.   

In one such pose, Bobby cued us to “drop your consciousness down from your head and into your heart.”  To help with the transition, she introduced a guided Pranyama exercise as we held our position for a few minutes.

She used the image of the goddess to help us extend our breathing capacity (insert light, divinity, whatever makes you comfortable).

“Inhale the goddess moves towards you, at the top of the breath the goddess holds you, as you exhale you follow the goddess, and at the bottom of the exhale you become one with the goddess.”

She encouraged us throughout class to bring our consciousness inward and down into the chest.  She even spoke about the Bhagavad Gita explaining that the battle Arjuna faces is “ultimately a battle between the head and the heart.”  

The Iyengar prenatal class was quite a different experience to other classes I’ve taken.  Bobby focused on the alignment and anatomy as Iyengar’s do, infusing the class with philosophical elements and poetic language (which sound even better in her native British accent).

She reminded us how important restorative postures are to pregnancy and how it’s a wonderful time to cultivate the sixth limb of Yoga; Dharana, or concentration and focus. It’s the place where we can draw inward and look inside for the answers and she assured us, “they are all there.”  

There was no music or massage-like adjustments.  The creativity was in the sequence of poses and in the use of props to help the body and mind sink deeper.  I left the class feeling extremely oxygenated and went to bed dreaming of quarter-rounds and bolsters, imagining what an Iyengar designed delivery room would look like.

I also thought of something Bobby said in class, that pregnancy is a deeply creative act and an ongoing work of art.  I found comfort in those words reminded that just like a yoga practice, motherhood doesn’t happen in the short term.  I actually awoke the next day a bit sore, but ready to see what she does next Sunday with standing poses.  

$22 dollar drop-ins, mats provided.

--Sara Hubbs for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth was itching to move and get inspired in the middle of the day, so I headed over to Jivamukti Yoga Center for a Spiritual Warrior one-hour class.

Mimi Adelsbach is a bright and cheerful woman, with a welcoming tone of voice, who created an instant level of comfort upon entering the room. She smiled at everyone and began by asking us to come into Downward Facing Dog. We held the pose for fifteen breaths as Mimi counted each inhalation and exhalation.  

Slowly we moved to Uttanasana for another fifteen breaths, opening our hamstrings and relaxing our necks and then we squatted down to sit. We stretched our legs out and then twisted from side to side while Mimi counted our breaths: “inhale, exhale one, inhale, exhale two...” she guided us.

Finding our way to Tadasana, we stretched our arms over our heads and moved from side to side. I could feel my body slowly opening up with each breath. We gently brought our hands into a prayer in front of our hearts and closed our eyes.  After a few silent breaths, we chanted OM.  

As soon as we opened our eyes Mimi sent us to the wall for handstand practice!

My body wasn’t quite ready for an inversion, so I went for L Shaped Handstand Mimi gave as an option.  After a few tries flying upside down we found Tadasana at the front of our mats once again and began to really move: three rounds of Surya Namaskar A, two variations that included a slight back bend, Baby Cobra and an extra Down Dog.

We were moving very quickly on the breath, so my body was rapidly heating up.  We continued to go go go onto Surya Namaskar B and Warrior I to Warrior II to Trikonasana to Warrior II to Parsvakonasana.

There was just enough time to find the pose before moving on to the next. Mimi continued to count every breath and make her way around the room to give lots of hands on adjustments.  In Warrior II, she gently pressed her hands down on my shoulders to relax them and then literally got on her knees to press my thighs back and open my hips more, bringing me even deeper into the pose.

As our final standing pose we made our way into Parsvottanasana and then to the floor for Ardha Matsyendrasana.  Again, Mimi helped students by physically moving them deeper into the pose.  As she was working with the student next to me, she had him breathe with her, as he twisted more and more.

We didn’t sit for too long though. Crossing our ankles, we lifted our legs into Lolasana and jumped back (or stepped!) into Chaturanga. Recommitting to the floor, we flipped onto our stomachs for the back bending portion of class, which included Salabhasana, Dhanurasana and three rounds of bridge or wheel.  Sweating, I hugged my knees into my chest for five full breaths.

Next Mimi had us rock up to sit for forward bends. Pachimottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Baddha Konasana and ankle to knee, folded and stretched us. Again, with her calm voice Mimi called out each breath and made sure to help anyone in need of assistance.

Seated bends were followed by shoulder stand.  We could use any props that we desired and if the pose was new to us, Mimi offered to help get us into the it.  She turned off the lights and lit a candle in the center of the room as we set up into the pose. The soft glow slowed the pace of the class as I closed my eyes in shoulder stand, feeling calm and centered.

After waves of breath we slowly came down into Halasana and then Matsyasana.  The last inversion was Sirasana, headstand.  We were welcome to use the wall for balance or stay and practice in the middle of the room.  Again I closed my eyes and absorbed the benefits of the pose.

We stayed upside down for at least five minutes before taking a child’s pose, preparing for Savasana. The class ended with the unified chanting of OM and a bow of Namaste.

In the hour, the class moved quickly from pose to pose, perfect for the intermediate student who has a strong practice. Mimi made a point of counting each breath and physically adjusting all of the students around the room.  Everyone got LOTS of attention.  Mimi leads a fun class and it’s definitely worth checking out during your lunch break!

One-hour Spiritual Warrior classes are $13, mat rental $2.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Though it was the first week of fall, summer was back with a vengeance. Yoga Sleuth decided to make use of the hot afternoon to fire up his practice at Carroll Gardens’ Area Yoga, where Merav Ben Horin was ready to bring the power.

Area Yoga had moved into its new home at 389 Court Street only days before. I took in the fresh newness of the white lobby, which is filled with books and Yogi wear for sale. The helpful Karmi directed me to the brown wooden spiral staircase that led to the sun-filled and high-ceilinged studio, which was nearly at capacity.

Merav welcomed us all, and miraculously “parted the mats” to make plenty of space for the newcomers. When everyone was settled she asked us to sit in Virasana, suggesting we sit on a block for ease at this earliest stage of our practice. “Take a moment to arrive, to ground,” said Merav. “Start sending the breath to every single part of your being.” We came to our hands and knees for Cat and Cow to warm up the spine, flexing our feet to stretch them after that lengthy stint in Hero’s pose.

Merav is very diligent as a teacher, making sure that every move we make is dictated by the breath, and that the breath is always the focus.

“Let the breath initiate and inspire the movement,” coached Merav. “Take the whole inhalation to arch, and the whole exhalation to round.” Coming back to neutral we took the right arm to the ceiling for a twist, then threaded it underneath as we pressed its shoulder to the mat, our muscles already getting loose in the afternoon heat as we transitioned to our first Down Dog.

“From fingertips to heels, find the sense of lifting up and back. Let the breath be the only thing that moves now.” After three breaths we began alternating between Plank, Chaturanga and Down Dog. “Squeeze the upper arms towards one another in the transition,” reminded Merav. “Super-slowly move back into Down Dog—take the whole exhalation to get there.”

Upon completion of this sequence Merav asked us to walk our hands towards our feet. She had to repeat the direction three times, with a good-natured laugh, as half the class was instinctively doing the opposite. But, as always, a mistake makes for a good lesson.

“It’s so hard to break old habits,” she acknowledged as we held onto our elbows in Uttanasana. “Part of bringing our full awareness to the moment, to what’s going on right now in our body and our breath, is opening the ears and the eyes to whatever might come. So we don’t just do what we’re used to doing, simply because it’s our regular pattern.”

Merav is an energetic, upbeat presence. Her cues come fast and detailed in every pose, guiding every minute movement of our bodies. She kept a watchful eye on our transitions at all times. “In the transition from Chaturanga to Up Dog to Down Dog, you don’t want to let your thighs touch the mat,” she instructed.

We did nearly every pose in the playbook in our standing sequence. From Parsvotanasana, to all variations of warrior; from extended side angle to Ardha Chandrasana (both regular and revolved). In a “twist,” we were challenged with Revolved Triangle before we did the normal version, making the latter almost feel like a resting pose!  

After forays into Lizard and Tree, we brought the strength and balance learned from those poses to an adventure in Eka Pada Koundiyanasana. “Start extending your right leg forward and to the side until your left leg comes off the mat,” said Merav. “Think ‘Chaturanga’ in your arms and in your chest.” Merav suggested we place a block under the back leg for support: “That will take care of that back leg so you can focus on the front.” And sure enough, soon I was “flying”!

Invigorated, we came to Malasana in preparation for a workshop on Bakasana, Crow pose, Merav offering us plenty of time to play with the transition to a Tripod Headstand. Next we came to the wall to try out our Handstands and Forearm Stands. Merav suggested utilizing that trusty block in the latter to get the position of our shoulders and elbows just right.

The air began to get breezier at this point, just in time for our closing cool down. We topped things off with a Bridge that blossomed into a full Wheel, after which we rewarded ourselves with a healing Pigeon followed by Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottanasa and juicy supine twists.

Our Savasana was one of the most well-earned I’ve experienced in a while, and with “namastes” all around we bounded blissfully into the extra day of summer revitalized in body, mind and spirit.

Classes at Area Yoga are $10 with a $1 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

After rushing through Friday crowds on an especially sticky day, and completely sweating through my maternity pants, I arrived to the cool, dimly lit Ishta Yoga downtown studio for their prenatal class. I descended the staircase to the Shakti Studio where I sat silently in the hallway to gather my thoughts and dry out.  

The studio door opened and out of the darkened space an older gentleman emerged, stared straight at me, and let out a “WHEEEW”!  Gina Menza glanced at my belly and said, “Well, that’s your first birthing class, pushed out into the bright lights!” I laughed at her quick wit and also at a related Benjamin Button joke that had popped into my head.

No doubt Gina’s sense of humor and engaging personality hooks you from the moment you step into her class, but her appeal as a teacher runs deep. Drawing from her understanding of anatomy and personal experience of pregnancy and motherhood, Gina shares it all in order to customize the experience for each Mama, regardless of trimester.

On this particular Friday, the class was very personalized –just Gina, myself, and a 200-hour teacher trainee observing a pregnant body in motion. Gina began with the essentials: how many weeks, how was the pregnancy going, any injuries or concerns? Confessing my SI Joint issues and the nightly bonfire I feel in my hips, she used the full-sized skeleton to explain how the bones shift during pregnancy and how the extra weight fans the fire.

Starting from that point, I came to hands and knees with a wide stance, and circled the hips to loosen the area. We then moved into a series of push-ups, executed on the breath, performing three variations including one rounding the lower back to a Child’s Pose and then adding a small heart opener from Vajrasana.  

Gina was down on hands and knees to peer under my belly and watch the working abs, checking for the bulge (diastasis) and making sure I was leaving plenty of room for the baby.

After a little more warm-up, we moved into a heating sequence starting with Warrior II, moving between modified Extended Side Angle and Peaceful Warrior, and holding each pose at the end for a few breaths. Transitioning into Prasarita Padottanasana, I twisted with one hand to the mat and the other reaching out to the side and up to the ceiling, while Gina skillfully adjusted the pose to deepen the opening in the chest and shoulders that most Mamas need.

Then came the squatting, a mainstay of all pre-natal classes. To my delight, instead of saying the ‘K’ word (which, when I haven’t done them, reminds me of that guilty feeling I get when I haven’t flossed between dental visits) she referenced the pelvic floor and the energetic lift of Mula Bandha and the role of the breath in that engagement.   

In pregnant women, the center of gravity shifts with the seasons, so the balancing poses were performed against the wall with props for stability. Trikonasana was stabilized with the forearm resting on a block at the shin, while Ardha Chandrasana and Warrior III challenged my muscles.

Gina gave me options and adjustments to account for any discomfort in that SI Joint. For further strengthening of the legs, she timed me as I sat with my back against the wall in Utkatasana, focusing on the breath and the physical sensations to prepare me to stay with whatever feelings arise in labor. Talk about mind-body connection!

The cool down felt great, and included more stretching and a round of Sitale breath, rolling the tongue like a taco to cool the air from the mouth down deep into the lungs.  Then sitting quietly for a few minutes in Sukhasana, Gina said, “It’s never too early to teach your child that it’s ok to sit and do nothing.”   

I moved back to my mat where she had already arranged bolsters and blocks for a Supta Baddha Konasana with the back raised. With only a flicker of the candles, I lay back in the darkened room and let the silence inspire me to do nothing, a lesson not limited to the pre-natal yogi.

Drop-ins are $22, regular class cards can be used for pre-natal classes.

--Sara Hubbs for Yoga Sleuth

Holly began telling us a story, in her exuberant way, that she remembered a time when she was living in Boulder, Colorado during the summer. She would watch the leaves start to change color as fall approached and would feel a certain angst and sadness that summer was coming to an end.  But what our practice teaches us, she continued, is to have a trust and a reassurance that it’s going to work out.

Holly pointed to the Shiva statue at the front of Vira Yoga’s spacious loft. “That’s why Shiva has this tranquil look on his face. Even when it gets dark he has a trust that things will change again. Just like I can understand that summer will become fall then winter but then it will be spring summer again.”

Holly invited to have that kind of trust with our practice.

After taking note of all the names in the room she took us to the wall for some intense shoulder stretches beginning with Anahatasana. Then putting our wrists a little above shoulder height we turned our bodies to the front of the room.

Then we did a little dance.

Keeping our wrists at the wall we turned under our arms around to the other side and then back the other way. Sleuth has pretty open shoulders but was starting to feel the intensity of the stretch already. We then came into Tadasana a little less than leg’s distance away from the wall and put our arms into an Urdhva Dhanurasana position against the wall.

Coming back to the center of the room we took some standing poses such as Trikonasana and Baddha Parsva Konasana and a Lunge Twist. As Holly offered astute and careful alignment suggestions for each person she noted how much more accessible these poses seemed after all the work we’d done at the wall.

Practicing Dolphin and Pincha Mayurasana prepared us for a more unusual version of Forearm Stand. Inviting us to partner up for this variation, Holly had us frame our hands around a block with our palms facing up and have our partners on hand to spot us. As well as finding this a refreshing version of Forearm Stand, it also seemed to Sleuth’s surprise an easier version once I got into the pose as my forearms seemed more locked in.

We then began a deliciously difficult and effective exercise for the rotator cuffs. Coming onto all fours and holding a block between our hands and keeping our elbows together we propped them on top of another block then tucked our head between our arms while trying to keep our elbows together. Then we let go of the block that we were holding but the key component was to keep our hands apart in the same position and not let them clap together as we let the block go.

Easier said than done. The whole room burst into amazed laughter as we all realized our hands immediately clapped together when we let the block go.

“I have seen people who are so strong they can keep their hands just where they are,” Holly said to our astonishment.

To finish off this intense shoulder strengthening and stretching class, Holly took us to the wall again for variations of Urdhva Dhanurasana. With blocks against the wall we tried to keep the chest as close to the wall as possible as we came up into the pose. We also took a variation of Dwi Pada Viparita Dhandasana again trying to keep the chest as closely aligned to the wall as possible.

To end, Holly gave us hard-worked athletic types the option of winding down in Viparita Karani to rest, meditating there or coming up to meditate, sitting tall. shoulders back, in Sukhasana.

Drop-ins are $20; $2 mat rental.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

After a summer that was more "Ow" than "Om," Yoga Sleuth decided it was time for a showdown with his unstable SI joint and his pesky piriformis. I would do battle at the effervescent OmFactory studio under the expert instruction of Yoga Tune-Up practitioner and Reiki Master Kyoko Jasper.  

Yoga Tune-Up is a trademarked series of movements and self-massage techniques created by Jill Miller, and has practitioners like Kyoko to spread the word that pain has a remedy right on your mat.  And sure enough, amid the usual blocks, blankets and straps, I spied a set of custom tune-up massage balls waiting for each of us.

"We're working on our hips today!" announced Kyoko upon my greeting. This was kirtan music to my ears, and to the other students who all professed to flexor, IT band, sacro-ilial and piriformis issues. After the traditional Om, we eschewed Sun Salutations and Chaturangas, and instead placed a tune-up ball on either side of our sacrums as we laid down in a supine position with our knees bent.

"Turn your left knee out as you would in tree pose," said Kyoko. "So you have external rotation in that leg. Keep the right leg bent. Roll over the ball side by side and up and down, and locate the muscle called the piriformis."

I of course was "painfully" aware of its whereabouts, and sure enough, we all found this hot spot extremely tender.

As this was exactly the spot I was looking to conquer, I was amazed as intense pain gave way to a sense of release as I worked up and down deeply, allowing the ball to take the weight. "This is so deep, it's difficult for even massage therapists to get to," said Kyoko. I nodded (and "aahed") in agreement.

"This is what you need after a week of a thousand Warrior ones," added Kyoko as we rolled along, bicycling our legs as we worked the ball deeper into our gluteus maximus, minumus, and everything in between.

"And remember, no part of the body is in isolation." Kyoko reminded us that just as there is a mind-body connection, so are all the muscles in the body connected, by way of the fascia (or "fuzz!" as Kyoko affectionately refers to it). So even though we were working specifically on the hip area, she explained, after doing these exercises regularly we might begin to feel a difference in other parts of the body, for example our necks and shoulders.  

"Come onto the side body and locate the top of the femur bone," said Kyoko. We positioned the ball at the greater trochanter and kneaded the entire thigh, down the IT band towards the patella (yes--in addition to a great yogic massage, Kyoko was providing a crash course in anatomy as well!). I was amazed at just how much soreness was melting away, all thanks to a simple ball I used to smack with a stick in the street as a kid.

Finally we completed the blissful cycle by resting prone, with the ball at the muscle that helps stabilize the hip and knee joints--our tensor fascia lata. "Sounds like a Starbucks drink!" quipped Kyoko. As I worked the ball into this most tender spot Kyoko advised us to breathe deep, and I felt an array of emotions pour out along with the physical tightness.

Rising to our feet, we stood in Tadasana as Kyoko advised us to breathe and feel the benefits of the work we had done. I felt very loose and relaxed, and ready to try the next movement--one that would make John Cleese of Monty Python proud.

"We are going to do a Monk walk," announced Kyoko. This would essentially be a moving lunge---we put one leg straight out, then bent the knee and planted it while the other bent behind it---a silly walk, but a therapeutic one as well. We "raced" each other to the windows in our Monk walks, and then turned and headed back to the other side of the studio.  

We were rewarded for our hard work when we came to a supine position once more and looped our feet into straps, preparing for a series of incredibly juicy triangles on the floor. Kyoko came to each and every one of us, already knowing all of us by name, asking if we were ok, and giving suggestions and hands-on adjustments to afford us maximum expression and, indeed, enjoyment in every pose.  

As I stretched in my supine twisted triangle, she suggested I avail myself of a nearby column to press my raised foot into, while pressing my back foot into the far wall. With an exhale, I relaxed into my deepest expression.

After forward folding in a reverent Gomukasana, we brought our legs up the wall to reverse the direction of the blood and prana cycling through our body. At Kyoko's invite I stayed in this position for my very blissful savasana.

Packing up after class, I felt amazing. I thanked Kyoko for singlehandedly taking down my SI/Pirifomis dynamic duo, and set out in search of a pair of tune-up balls to keep pain at bay in the future. Kyoko and the Tune-Up sequence are both highly recommended as the perfect supplement to a week of hard work both on and off the mat.

Classes at OmFactory are $18, 75 minutes and over; $15 for 60-minute classes.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The studio at Hari NYC is intimate space, painted a snug shade of blue with a white tree of life mural painted on the west side of the room. White curtains line the windows and plenty of plants make it an inviting space to relax in.

It has such a warm, welcoming vibe that when it was time to start class we were reluctant to leave the space at the front desk where we’d been hanging out and chatting with our genial teacher, Sarah Bernier. But we had to get to work on a kriya to create a disease free body.

After tuning us in with the Adi Mantra and leading us through some Sitali Pranayama to cool down on the stuffy September day and a few warmup exercises, Sarah, (also an actress and co-founder of Relax Already, a business that takes Kundalini into the corporate world) talked a little about fear.

Sarah observed that as yogis, while it was good to be aware of what was going on, it was also important not to be so gripped by fear that we couldn’t go about our daily lives. She encouraged us to think about that in our practice.

Beginning by lying on our backs with our hands under our necks we jumped our hips around to the left and right and up and down. After a short period of time we added breath of fire into the mix. We then did double leg lifts (single leg lifts for those on their cycle) with our hands over our heart center while inhaling through our noses and exhaling through our mouths.

Remaining on our backs we kept our legs up at ninety degrees. Sarah offered the option to go to the wall for Viparita Karani if we wanted wall support. While holding this position we chanted along to Sada Sat Kaur’s “Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung” the healing mantra that could be translated to “Sun, Moon, Earth, Infinity. I am the infinity of that infinity.” It made the time pass faster as the positions got more challenging.

Continuing to chant and keeping our legs at ninety degrees we began criss-crossing our legs for several minutes. Still on our backs we did some alternate leg lifts.

Finally getting some reprieve from naval point work and after a short Savasana rest we came back up to sitting and began criss-crossing our arms, this time while chanting along to “Wahe Guru” the mantra of ecstasy. Following this exercise with our hands on our shoulders we twisted left and right, inhaling through our noses and exhaling through our mouths.

Coming onto our backs once again we brought our knees into our chest then lengthened our them onto the floor, repeating this several times before getting our blissful Savasana rest. “Meditate on the heavens, beauty and excellence,” Sarah told us as began our final pose.

The post-Savasana meditation was “Eck Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad” meaning “There is one creator, truth through Guru’s grace.” With our hands held out in a cupped position, elbows at our sides we chanted for eleven minutes before closing with “Long Time Sun.”

Our cozy community was reunited to drink the spicy yogi tea that is served at the end of class as well snacks of gluten-free ginger snaps, macadamia nuts and pretzels.

Drop-in classes are $15; donation for mat rental.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth heard that Amanda Capobianco knows how to pack in a room of yogis, and was not disappointed the Saturday morning we popped in to check out her class. With 28 students making a mess of the space, our mats set up in disarray, Amanda helped to make room to accommodate everyone who showed up for class.

When we all found some order and Amanda her seat at the front of the room, there was enough space to fit one more, to which she said, “That’s for the spirit.”

Guiding us through meditation to help quiet our bodies and minds after all the disruption with the Tetris game we started out with, Amanda urged us all to “breath in the positive, exhale anything you don’t need, let go of all the negative.” Then she lulled us into a meditative state by leading us through her Durga Jai chant.

Our opening song still ringing in our ears and vibrating through our bodies, we soon were standing, savoring in the half Sun Salutations we took before taking a variation on Classical Surya Namaskar A, letting the breath guide us to bend and straighten the front leg of our Low Lunge before completing the sequence.

At the top of our mats, we took hold of our right wrist and bent gently to our left, delighting in a juicy side stretch and then taking it to the other side. A couple of Surya Namaskar As followed, as well as some Surya Bs that opened out into Warrior 2; here again we toyed with straightening and bending the front knee, our arms lifting up as we straightened, and then coming into the proper position for Warrior 2.

Playing with similar shapes and movements, more Vinyasas made way for Parsvakonasana and Ardha Chandrasana. Another sequence was all about the Warriors: Warrior 1 pitched us forward into Warrior 3, then we found solid ground again in a Warrior 2 before getting ourselves closer to the earth in Parsvakonasana once again.

Amanda wanted us to make a connection with the earth below us, allowing those with sensitive hip points the chance to set up with some padding. She then slowly had us take Shalabhasana, first lifting our legs, then extending back through the arms and finally lifting our chests off the ground to make sure we got into the pose correctly--and safely. Then it was on to Dhanurasana, having us flex our feet to help propel our chests higher, reaching up toward the sky. Sphinx pose and Bhujangasana soon followed, as did a Child’s Pose that all of us yogis delighted in before coming back up to sit in Virasana, and then turning things upside down with Sirsasana.

Making our way right-side up again, Amanda led us through another Vinyasa that opened into a Crescent Lunge. We then found a twist for another side stretch before bringing our hands together in prayer at the heart’s center and straightening the back leg for Parivrtta Parsvakonasana.

Taking both hands to the floor and squaring our hips, we came into a Low Lunge, stepping forward into a Standing Split to help us get into Parsvottonasana. From there, we took our seats to the floor for Ardha Matsyendrasana for another twist, followed by ankle-to-knee pose and Pigeon for some nice, juicy hip openers.

Finally, Amanda brought us into a forward fold by way of Baddha Konasana before having us recline back onto our mats. We took our knees into our chests, massaging the sacrum into the floor, then took Happy Baby. Releasing all our limbs down, we melted into the earth below us for Savasana. By then there was nothing negative left to exhale.

Drop-in classes are $17.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth has a regular asana practice and finds the ease and grace of the movement very meditative.  However, I have very little experience with seated meditation, so when I saw the class “Meditate & Stretch” listed on the Zenyasa Yoga & Wellness website, I knew it was the class for me.

I headed to the studio on the Upper West Side for owner Jason Brown’s class. Walking into the studio I instantly felt the warmth of a nurturing and comfortable environment for me to explore meditation further.  Clean mats were set up in rows on the floor and we were to grab props that would allow us to sit for 30 minutes comfortably.  

I placed a meditation cushion on my mat, placed a folded blanket on top, and we all found our way into easy cross-legged position.  Jason introduced himself to everyone, asked our names and our experience with seated meditation. He explained that we would be seated for thirty minutes, as he guided us through the process, and then we would discuss the experience for a few minutes before moving on to gentle stretching. Sounded good to me!

Jason passed out opening mantras for us to chant as a group.  He explained that we could place our hands on our thighs or in Dhayana Mudra, whatever made us feel most relaxed.

After the chant, we began the meditation process.  Again, Jason gave us an option of closing our eyes or finding a point on the floor to stare at.  I tried both and felt most relaxed with my eyes closed.

The first step was to acknowledge our surroundings - the sounds of the street, the room, our bodies - then become aware of how our body feels. Anything uncomfortable?  We continued to be aware of our senses.  Jason gave us options to help us focus, counting our breaths, saying a mantra, etc.  If our mind wanders, we just come back to our breath, inhale and exhale, he reminded us.  

Jason rang a bell, and already it had been thirty minutes. I couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed and also how many thoughts slipped into my brain during that time.

Jason asked each of us individually about our experience.  He took the time to address everyone’s issues with kindness, intelligence and humor. One woman’s distraction lay in her back.  She had back problems that she kept thinking about as she tried to sit up straight.  I said that I felt very calm during the practice, but my mind kept wandering to the future, what I was cooking for dinner, where I had to be after class.  I tried not to judge myself and just kept going back to my breath.

Jason said just because I was meditating doesn’t mean that my mind instantly clears, the thoughts are still there.  You haven’t failed meditation 101 if you have thoughts, he said. Then he asked, “Do you know how to make pancakes?” he asked next. I said yes.

He went onto explain that when you are flipping pancakes your mind wanders and then you come back to flipping the pancakes.  You don’t forget how to do it, even if thoughts interrupt.  Meditation is the same, thoughts come and go.

After the discussion, now was time to move our bodies, stretching our legs out and circling our wrists, ankles and hips. Getting up to stand we went though a slow variation of a Sun Salutation, which included Grass Hopper pose (a half chair with elbows back) and several lunges.

We then moved through Parsvakonasana, and Warrior II to Triangle, all working from the ground up.  We sat down and did several forward bends and then twisted in every direction.  Finally, a short, but relaxing Savasana.  We finished the class with a closing mantra and OM Shanti Shanti Shanti.  

I left feeling open, lighter and focused. I would recommend this class to anyone looking to explore meditation, gently stretch their body and mind or just looking to de-stress overall.

Drop-in classes are $20 ($15 for students, professional dancer and union performers). Mats and hand towels are free to use.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Carlos Rodriguez’s name has been a buzzword among the yoga set for some time now, but when you’re the creator of a new brand of yoga, that’s what tends to happen. Fusing the movements of capoeira with yoga, Rodriguez’s Caponyasa class is unique, exhilarating, and challenging all at once. Yoga Sleuth knew this class would be anything but easy.

Starting us off in a short seated meditation in the heated room (set somewhere between 95 and 100 degrees) at Pure Yoga’s West location, Rodriguez eased the anxious minds of 14 yogis  who were ready to move. “This practice is all about detachment,” he said, bringing us into the first of many Down Dog Splits, having us open up our hips as he turned on some Brazilian beats.

From there we found High Lunge, coming to stand by drawing in our back leg and hugging the knee into our chest. Here we balanced until hearing Rodriguez’s instruction to backstroke our arms and lifted leg back into a High Lunge, turning our feet to the side wall to pause in Prasarita Paddottanasana before pivoting to the back wall into a Low Runner’s Lunge to segue into a Vinyasa. Then lowering our knees to the floor for an Ustrasana variation, outstretching our arms overhead we found a backbend.

Carlos had us take this sequence multiple times in preparation for what was still to come. Bringing us into a squat, he had everyone rise to stand, relying on our core and quads to help take the crown of our heads into the sky then lowering back into a squat.

After squatting to stand eight times, Rodriguez playfully commanded: “Ginga!” Starting in a squat position, we took our left leg back about two to three feet behind our right foot (think Warrior I legs), swinging the left arm across the chest, the right arm back while keeping the front knee bent so that we were still low to the ground.

Then we stepped wide with the left foot, bending the left knee, taking the right leg/foot back while our right arm swung across the body and our left arm went back. Once the rhythm of the movements began to make sense, Rodriguez commanded: “Lose yourself in the motions!”

Next, Carlos took us into Prasarita Padottansana to help release in the lower back. We then made our way to a Low Lunge, pivoting to the side wall to take a wider Ginga this time around. “Keep the spine extended, straight,” he advised.

With our quads aflame from all those low squats, it was time to get creative with some core work. Taking us into reverse Dogs to stretch the side body, Carlos soon had us flying into Ardha Chandrasana, one arm reaching toward the sky, the other reaching for the earth--but without touching it. Using our abs to help us balance and stay lifted, we then shifted into Warrior 3.

After making our way through a Vinyasa, Carlos brought us into a Low Lunge, our back right knee bent, but still lifted. In this stance, we took our left hand outside our left foot, fingertips in line with our toes, and took our right hand to the base of our skull where it hovered--no touching!--for an intense twist and deep backbend.

After evening out the other side, we revisited the High Lunge/Backstroke sequence, finding ourselves at the top of our mats once again. You could intuit that Carlos had another cardio movement or sequence up his sleeve, and the yoga instructor did not disappoint. Zipping up in the abs, we circled one leg up and around, then the other (reminiscent of the Karate Kid’s wax-on, wax-off moves).

Taking things to the floor, our abs were still the focal point as Rodriguez led us through bicycle crunches before having us extend both legs straight up in the air, our arms outstretched and clasped above us too as slowly we lowered our legs down to hover just above our mat, using our core to lift our legs up again to repeat a few more times. Next we scissored our legs back in forth to target our obliques before finally lowering all the way to the ground.

Then it was time to fly again, coming into Bakasana then shooting our legs back to take a Vinyasa, then coming into a side Chaturanga balance, finding sweet release in Paschimottanasana then finally laying back to melt into Savasana.

Ending in a seated meditation, Carlos was no less inspiring as a room full of yogis prepped themselves to go back out onto the streets of Manhattan: “We can only give what we have; we can’t extend what we don’t have to give. What we give and our expression have to be enough because it’s all we have.”

Membership only or call Pure Advisor for Guest Pass to one class.

—Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

When Yoga Sleuth first visited Asana celeb Tara Stiles’ Strala Studio, it was in its infancy, nestled in an intimate space on 23rd street. Today it resides on Broadway and Bleecker, and has grown exponentially both in community and size.

And quickly becoming a key part of that community is Laughing Lotus-trained Heidi Kristoffer. Heidi describes herself as “a true believer in yogic healing,” after her practice helped her recover from broken vertebrae and herniated discs.

She greets me with a radiant smile as I enter the vast white loft space, for Strala’s high-energy “Strong” class—the other categories being “Basics” and the very tempting “Relax” (I will reward myself with that one soon!). Despite being the opening of a holiday weekend, the place is filled with Yogis ready to sweat.

And we start doing so right away. We begin in a squat, but rather than stay crouched, Heidi has us stand up, crouch again, and repeat, faster and faster…27 times. “Close your eyes and take it inside,” coaches Heidi. “Open up your hips, fire up your core center, fire up your hamstrings.”

All of the above are already open and/or burning as Heidi invites us to double up and go for 54, with a little breath of fire thrown in for good measure. “See what works for you,” says Heidi. “Super fast or super slow, all that matters is that you’re breathing.”

Heidi’s energy is infectious, her deft cues always punctuated with light-hearted quips and laughter to ease us through the work.
“I see a lot of angry faces,” chides Heidi as we emerge in our Upward Dogs to the tune of “Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve. “It’s Yoga, it’s not serious! Turn the corners of your mouths up!”

And to facilitate this, Heidi adds a lot of humorous imagery to get her charges to grin, rather than grunt through their poses. When we jump forward, she has us make the “butt-kicking” nature of this class literal as we donkey-kick our own behinds. Before stepping forward to a lunge, our knees flirt with our arms, reaching for the armpit, then sliding down to the wrist, and back up again, elevator-style.

Then for an extra challenge we bring that knee to the opposite leg and repeat the process. “For extra credit do the other side again!” calls Heidi, adding with a chuckle that she doesn’t actually know what extra credit would consist of in a Yoga class! “Now before you plant that foot, give the knee a kiss for working hard!” she says, and I can hear several lip-smacks echoing throughout the room.

Though it may sound like a paradox, Heidi gets us to take this spirit of playfulness seriously. While exploring in Warrior II, Heidi has us kick our booties out—“Beyonce style!” Though this is not proper alignment there is a method to this madness; Heidi wants us to vividly grasp the wrong way so we can understand the right way. “Shake it like you mean it, shake a tail-feather!” she shouts, before having us tuck our tailbones under for a proper Warrior II.

Then we twist our torsos (as twists were my request, Heidi gives me a wink), wringing out the toxins from any recent misadventures.  “Give the person behind you a high-five!” shouts Heidi as we go for a slight backbend, yearning our outstretched arms to reach well behind us.

In Warrior III she has us imagine that we are teenagers kicking the bedroom door closed with our outstretched legs. From there Heidi invites us to think back further to when we were kids in the playground, little daredevils with no fear. Soon we are all attempting cartwheels!

“Now sit down into the comfiest chair you’ve ever felt,” says Heidi. “It’s so comfortable it’s like it’s not even there!” We spend a long time holding our chair poses, the sweat stinging our eyes as we breathe into our edges. Finally we sink right from our comfy chairs into boat poses, and again kick playfully at our hard-working glutes. “A fun way to get the blood flowing!” says Heidi.

Drenched, but exhilarated, we settle into our pigeons, each side separated by a foray into cow-faced pose.  After a round of bridge where Heidi has us squeeze a block between our thighs, we take our Savasanas and each get treated to some lemon scented oil at the 3rd eye (maybe that’s our extra credit reward!) “Thank you!” beams Heidi to spontaneous and well-deserved applause from her grateful students.

As I thank Heidi for class, another student comes up to us, with smiling eyes filled with gratitude. She tells Heidi how she is doing things in her Asana practice that she never thought possible, and just wanted to say “thank you.” Heidi, visibly moved, puts a hand to her heart and then envelopes the student in a bear hug. “That’s what it’s all about!” I smile, and Heidi nods in agreement.

All classes at Strala are $15 with a $1 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The Kula community of teachers has truly elevated the process of teaching yoga to an art form, and Nikki V. is a seasoned pro among them. She enters the class this Tuesday afternoon in a characteristically get-to-the-point way, with none of the frills and formalities you often find at other studios. “Come into Uttanasana at the front of your mat,” is the first thing she says, as she walks to the front of the room.

That’s one thing (among many) that I really appreciate about Kula: direct communication. You won’t hear things like, “open your heart to the sky” (an instruction that would surely be deadly if one could actually do it). At Kula they say what they mean. “Lift your sternum toward your chin from the base to the top, and broaden across your collarbones,” Nikki directs us. Oh, OK – sigh of relief – there’s an instruction I can comprehend. I do it. It feels good. We keep on moving…

Which brings me to another aspect of Kula Flow that really works for me: the movement never stops, until it’s time to unwind in savasana. By then, my body is so juicily warmed up, stretched, and worked that I can feel the energizing flow of prana without needing a teacher to talk to me about it.

Nikki’s recurring theme for today’s class is finding length in the side waist and lower back. As we move into Warrior III, she tells us to “imagine you have little lungs in your lower back, and you can puff your breath out into them as you lift your back leg.” With this image in mind I lift into the pose almost effortlessly, riding my breath rather than gripping muscles in my habitual way.

Nikki gives some of the most insightful alignment instructions around, both to the class as a whole and individually. Her anatomical precision balanced with creative variations on the poses and a seemingly endless repertory of new transitions makes a great recipe. Surprising sequencing helps me stay in the moment, following each direction attentively so I don’t miss a beat.

I love that I never have any idea what’s coming next, and she calls out the transitions so clearly (they rarely demonstrate at Kula) that her class feels more like a dance ritual than a typical yoga class. As I float from Side Crow into Extended Side Angle, on to pigeon variations I never would have dreamed up, followed by Hasta Padangusthasana my mind lets go and I surrender to the movement.

I’m always amazed how Nikki can remember the long sequences from one side to the next and talk us expertly through them, all the while offering incredibly intuitive hands-on adjustments. These are not small classes, but she seems to get around to everyone at least a few times. She roams the room, but manages to show up right on time to make the same adjustment on the second side so I always feel balanced.

Today I got to savor her healing touch grounding my pelvis and elongating my lower back in Parsvottanasana, plus an invigorating head rub in Savasana!

I could go on all day, but let me just tell you one more great thing about Kula: their playlists. Today dreamy electronica building to more rhythmically driving songs perfectly complemented our standing flow. More soulful and emotional vocal selections melted us to the floor for backbends, inversions, and seated forward bends.

Nikki’s perfectly timed playlist trailed off into a whisper of a vibration, just as we inhaled our last breath in savasana. I arose, sweaty and renewed for the rest of my day.

$18/class; new student special, three classes for $30.

--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

It was raining outside, but that didn’t stop Brooklynites from flocking to Marisa Sako’s sweaty, energetic one-hour 7am yoga wakeup. Eighteen of us were instructed into Vajrasana with Khapalabhati to start our practice.  Moving onto all fours we circled our hips down and around to the right and then down and around to the left.

In our Downward Dogs, we opened our hips by taking one leg into a Tree Pose shape before coming forward with a rounded spine, bringing the lifted leg forward, stepping the foot to outside of our hand and folding down. This was just the beginning. Marisa took care to build the sequence and move around the room giving gentle adjustments and astute alignment information.

From a high lunge we lowered into a twisted high lunge, bending and straightening the front foot before moving into a prayer twist followed by a Peaceful Triangle. Later Trikonasana, Parsvottanasana, Baddha Parsva Konasana and the option to come into Baddha Ardha Chandrasana were built into the mix of this powerful sequence.

Marisa works the class hard, but has a calm, cool energy about her. She also frequently suggests options and alternatives so there’s something for everyone. This sequence with its emphasis on shoulders and hips was building up to the tricky arm balance of Eka Pada Koundinyasana II. Those not wanting to try the arm balance were given the option of staying in a “Collapsed Warrior” shape.

Cooling us down for the end of class Marisa offered us a Headstand or Supta Baddha Konasana, for those not inverting or wishing to take it easy at this point in the class.

Further options were given between a long Halasana (Plough pose), Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) or Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend).

The rain was still pelting down post-Savasana, and my shoes were still soggy, but somehow all still seemed right with the world after that original sequence, and thoroughly refreshing class.

Drop-ins are $14; $1 mat rental.

--Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

On a lovely Thursday morning Yoga Sleuth was feeling like a kid, so I headed over to Karma Kids Yoga for some fun!  Although the class is only for yogis aged four to six, I got special permission to participate in the kids yoga class.  

My teacher, Shari Vilchez-Blatt, is also the founder and owner of the studio.  I could tell immediately that she had a passion for bringing the world of yoga to kids of all ages.  Her voice was patient and excited as she passed feathers and sticks around to all the students.  

We used the sticks to balance on our finger tip, knees, stomach and hand, focusing on the feather on top and making sure it didn’t fall.  All the kids were laughing and moving about the room.  Shari was not afraid to be a part of the fun, and got down into a table-top position balancing her stick on her belly, while encouraging everyone else to try it.

Next we sat in a circle and chanted OM.  Shari followed this with an explanation of OM as being the sound of everything.  We went around the circle and each chose a word that OM was the sound of.  (I chose cat).  

We went around the circle again introducing ourselves, saying our name and our favorite yoga pose, and then the whole group did the pose.  My pose was Child’s Pose, but to the kids it’s “Mouse Pose” because you get really really tiny like a mouse does.

As a group we did a new kind of Sun Salutation where we sang each step and made animal noises for each pose; Shari would call out Dog Pose and everyone would let out a “woof woof.”  It was silly and funny, and got us moving.  Then, to relax, in Dog Pose we took a deep breath by sniffing in and letting all the air out of our noses.

After a few more warming Sun Salutations we moved on to Tree Pose.  Like all the asanas so far, we did the pose in a circle, so we could see all the happy faces in the class.  When we got into the pose, we went around once again and announced what kind of tree we were.  There were lemon, apple, peach and lime trees.  Someone added a smile tree and someone else was a sturdy pine.  

As the class progressed, we broke off into partners and did a series of fun balance poses.  We got into L Shaped Handstand with our feet on our partners back.  We then created “bunk beds” and did a Table Top Pose stacked on top of one another.  

If someone lost their balance they landed on the padded floor in laughter. There was no sign of competitiveness in this class, and everyone seemed to encourage each other.  Even me, the giant five year old!

For our last balance we came into Crow Pose, balancing on our arms.  It was fun to see all the strong little bodies lift up into flight.

We then came back to the feathers we started with at the beginning of class, but this time we blew them all over the room.  We found new partners and blew the feathers back and forth towards each other.  

Next, we had to pick up pom poms with our feet and drop them into a metal can.  It took some real coordination.  One girl was having trouble, so another little girl came over and showed her a few tricks to make it easier. These kids were already learning a sense of community at a young age.

Last, but definitely not least, we all came to relax in Savasana for a few minutes. To close the class we came up to sit and sang a Namaste song to one another.

Shari’s class format encouraged everyone to support each other, communicate and work together.  Everyone had fun, tried something new and made new friends (including this big kid).

Classes begin early September. Drop-in classes are $30. Class packages recommended.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

“You’ll need at least one blanket,” said Elizabeth Neuse as forty-some devoted yogis and yoginis settled into the spacious loft sun-filled room at the YogaWorks Soho. “Take your seat in Siddhasana,” she said as we began to focus on our breath.

“It’s said the average person takes ten breaths per minute, but a yoga practitioner takes six breaths per minute.” Elizabeth then in her matter-of-fact and encouraging way invited us to notice our breath and inhale to the even count of six and exhale to the count of six.

We began to move with some slow flowing Sun Salutes as Elizabeth walked around the room giving adjustments. Moving onto the standing poses we took a wide legged Twisted Lunge, followed by a Parsvottanasana.

In Prasarita Padottanasana we took twists on both sides coming back into high lunge. We twisted even more in Parivrtta Trikonasana and a Twisted lunge. Encouraging us to build our strength, Elizabeth coolly and calmly guided us through five Planks to Chatturangas.

From twisting, the class turned into more of a hip opening theme. Jumping forward into Uttanasana we took our feet mat width apart. As we came into a flat back, Elizabeth instructed us to turn our feet slightly in, fold forward and hold for several breaths. Inhaling to come to a flat back we then turned our feet slightly out and folded forward again with the exhale.

After several breaths folding deeply in this posture we squatted down and and lifted into Bakasana. And, for those who were game, shot the legs back into Chatturanga.

Continuing with our hip opening theme we then set up for Bhujapidasana (shoulder-pressing pose) by taking our arms back in our wide-legged forward fold and then “sitting down” on the arms.

The next progression of course was Tittibasana. “With a name like Firefly, the pose sounds like it should be easy,” Elizabeth said, smiling, as multiple students dropped down like, well, flies.

Taking the intensity of the class down a notch we jumped through to lie down on our backs and came into Bridge pose. Here, Elizabeth invited us to lift the pelvis up and down several times before settling into the pose.
An option was given to either come into Headstand or Shoulder Stand in the middle of the room.

Those coming out of Headstand were asked to rest in Child’s Pose for a moment then take a Vinyasa. Those coming out of Shoulder Stand were told to take Matsyasana, Fish Pose. Happy Baby was a little different in that Elizabeth asked us to do the pose with Tarasana (Star Pose) legs taking the feet towards the forehead.

Finally, we slowly melted into Savasana. As we lie resting, it was a nice surprise; in a class that had been music-less, Elizabeth began chanting “Jai Ma”. Her soothing voice echoed melodically through the room and soothed us into total relaxation.

$22 per class, $2 mat rental.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth had been hearing raves in the community for quite some time about Michael Hewett, founder of the Sarva Yoga Academy (and lead guitarist for the Broadway musical Wicked!). So I headed back to Fort Greene’s go-to studio, the lovely Lucky Lotus, for an invigorating morning flow with the man himself.  

I set up my mat in the back of the class. The terrace doors behind me were open on the small backyard of greenery and birdsong, allowing the morning sun to stream in. 

“Nice to see you!”

Michael suddenly appeared smiling before the 16 of us, dressed all in white and brandishing an iced coffee or possibly chai (I didn’t get to taste it). He was openly impressed that we had all come out to play on such a hot morning—the temperature would soon reach 102, turning the whole city into a virtual Bikram class.  

As we planted our sit bones on blankets and blocks, Michael began with a little Dharma talk to remind us that it’s not just about the physical. 

“You might be able to do a wider split then before, or hold a headstand longer than last month,” said Michael. “But how are you developing as a person? Has the ego or the personality hijacked the spiritual?  You might be unhappy in your situation, and think that just ‘changing hats’ you can become happy. But it doesn’t work that way. You have to change from inside out.” 

To illustrate this, Michael told us a story of his recent trip to Rockaway Beach: a fun day that was followed by a not so fun night. 

“We had five hours of fun there there, but heading back was difficult,” related Michael. “It was hot…someone started blasting really loud ‘action movie music’, like the Transformers soundtrack, and he wouldn’t turn it off. And it took about an hour and a half just to get from 90th street back to our beloved Fort Greene.”

The lesson: “There is a difference between pleasure spikes and true happiness.” i.e., a quick trip to the beach vs. feeling true peace and contentment in your very being, no matter what the circumstances (or the soundtrack). And with that, we were off on an Asana odyssey that deftly melded the spiritual with the physical.  

In the extreme heat Michael reminded us of the importance of moving on the breath and letting the exhales be deep and slow. “Use your lengthened exhales to slow the nervous system down,” he said after several rounds of Vinyasa saw us resting gratefully in a 5-breath Down Dog. But it was a brief respite from the action.

“Inhale and stretch your right leg straight out behind you, exhale and come into a plank pose with your knee at your nose.” We continued the sequence with the knee next coming to the left elbow, then the right, then repeating—quite a challenge on this 2nd hottest day of the summer.

Michael was all over the room during the Asana portion, at any given time making an adjustment or an assist, with one eye (the third, perhaps!) on the class as a whole. He helped me sink into my pigeon, widened my high lunge, helped me fold into my parsvotanasana, and repositioned my arms in eagle so my elbows were raised and my shoulders squeezing into the midline.

Our standing sequence saw us challenging ourselves with constant unbroken movement from posture to posture, and heart-opening add-ons such as a half-bind in triangle.  

Michael continued to invoke the deeper meaning of what we were doing as we worked, and how to handle those who are not as far along on the same spiritual path. “You might meet someone today who has never had teachings of yoga, or self-observation, and they say whatever (negative thing) comes to mind…like a bull in a china shop. And you think, ‘Before Yoga, I was like that.’ It helps to meet them with a sense of humor, especially as they’ve lost theirs. That’s why the court jester is closer to the king and queen than the minister is, he can get away with more and is never going to lose his head!” 

We hit our peak with several wheels. “Try and hold it for eight breaths,” said Michael of the last attempt, and we did, the sweat still stinging our eyes as we countered with a fish pose. Finally, we melted (pretty literally) into Savasana, to the sound of a recorded voice repeating a mantra of “gracias”—a sentiment we all agreed with.

For an encore we sat in easy pose for Pranayama—today consisting of the Sitali cooling breath to help us beat the heat. “Curl your tongue if you can,” said Michael, and those who can’t (like this guy) simply inhaled cooling prana through closed teeth. “When you finish, sit in the afterglow of your efforts.”   

After a moment of silent meditation, Michael imparted a last suggestion that moved me deeply and carried me through the rest of the hot day with a smile: 

“One of the things you have to overcome…is the contraction of the personality.”(i.e., the source of suffering.) “To do that, have a sense of empathy with other beings—feel what they feel—this can go directly against the ego contraction. But we’re scared. We’re afraid we’ll die. And it’s true, the ego can’t go through the eye of that needle."

"So imagine that you can take unto yourself all of the ‘overheated’ beings that ever have been and are now, and that you can relieve them. You can be a conduit, to lower the temperature of Hell. And that will give you the strength to feel more deeply. To lose yourself, and then become more than yourself.” 

Classes at Lucky Lotus are $18 drop-in.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

On a steamy Saturday I rode a heat wave into Jaya Yoga Center in Park Slope for Susan Kraft's intellegent and well crafted (no pun intended!) intermediate class. Mercury rising above 100, she made two disclaimers: first, that Sun Salutations would not be part of today’s class, and second, that she was using music, which generally she doesn’t do. This made me curious to come back and try her class on a cooler day as well, but I was certainly glad I came to this one.

“Just like trees and plants reach down to draw up water from the cool depths, we can use our rootedness in the practice to cool us, rather than rooting down in a fiery, effortful way,” she explained. This recurring image coupled with her gently articulate voice, and a slow pacing that perfectly suited the day, made for a sweet meditative flow. She incorporated an alluring playlist that took us from subtle harmonies through Caribbean-style roots/reggae and back down again into precious stillness.

The class began with a brief restorative Supta Baddhakonasana, to give us “some surface area for evaporation.” From there we commenced into a thorough supine then seated warm-up, interspersed with cooling Sitali Pranayama. A slow standing series then melted  into an expertly sequenced backbend series at the wall, culminating in a creative and restful variation of shoulder stand with hips on a block and feet on the wall.

All throughout I appreciated her responsiveness to the weather and the needs of the class. Noticing that some students were still exploring Supta Virasana variations, she encouraged us to stay in the pose longer. Prompted by a student who expressed lower back discomfort in Urdhva Dhanurasana, she urged us to “integrate the tailbone into the pelvis so there is a bit of pelvic tuck within the spinal extension.” I found this direction useful for creating space in my lower back.

Happy Baby is a pose that’s often thrown in to a Vinyasa class willy-nilly, but Susan took the time to break it down, offering the most articulate explanation I’ve ever heard of how to get the most benefit from this back and hip opener: “With forearms inside your knees and hands on the outer edges of your feet, stack your feet above your knees and move your knees toward your armpits. Now reach the pubic bone toward the floor to get the best lower back and hip release.”

One of the Siddhis (special powers) that yoga bestows according to the Yoga Sutras is mastery over the elements. Not too many yoga instructors could boast that their classes bestow supernatural abilities, but by the time we arrived in Savasana I was no longer aware of the heat. Entering the class soggy and over-stimulated, I left cool and relaxed thanks to her sensitive teaching. As the cooling flow of breath rippled through me, I offered gratitude for this healing practice and for the masterful guidance of this magnanimous teacher.

Drop-ins $15/class; new student special, one week unlimited for $20


--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth’s ears perk up every time we hear of a specialty yoga class, so when we heard about Jon Witt’s Back Care class at Pure, we were super curious to find out how this yogi was going to pay special attention to the spine.

Prior to class, the receptionist warned that it would be slow moving, geared toward those suffering with back pain or injury; with nary a vinyasa to be had on a Saturday afternoon, this yogi still broke a sweat in the hour-long class chock full of standing poses.

Before we took to the top of our mats, though, Jon had us start on our backs hugging our knees into our chests, extending one leg out at a time while we held the bent leg in close.

Then he had us do a hip opener that was brand-new to this yogi: Still lying on our backs, we crossed our legs Indian-style above our torso (think supported Padma Sarvangasana where you bend at the waist so that your folded legs are hovering over your face and hands are holding the knees). Jon had us grab either ankle, pressing our knees up into our elbow crease or forearm depending on the individual’s arm length.

Next he had us come into Setu Bandhasana with a block between our thighs. While squeezing the block with our legs, Jon had us grab for the side of the mat instead of clasping our hands beneath us. “We really want to move our shoulders into the ground to help open the chest,” he said. “I don’t really think clasping the hands underneath you does anything, but that’s just me.”

After moving through Downward Dog and plank a few times, we all met at the top of our mats, stepping back into Warrior 1. Once completed on each side, Jon had us come back to Samasthiti, finding Cactus pose with our arms. Having us take notice of how our shoulders draw toward one another on the back here, he asked us to maintain this action while extending our upper limbs straight up beside our ears, finding a lift in the chest rather than the shoulders. “Lifting through the chest is what helps us to elongate the back,” he said.

It was this lifting through the chest that Jon kept pointing out in Warrior 2, Tree Pose, even in Prasarita Paddottanasana, where folded forward us 14 yogis grew our chests toward the earth below us, releasing our necks so that we gazed to the wall behind us instead of the floor.

Any kind of command given when your head is below your hips can get confusing, but since there were no vinyasas in sight with this class, Jon gave his students ample opportunity to figure out how one lifts their chest while upside down. And he brought us to this pose multiple times throughout class as a way to release the spine.

Right side up again, Jon had us find Parsvokonasana and Triangle, giving variations of the poses so that all levels could participate. “A pose isn’t going to service you if all you’re concerned with is looking good. It has to feel good,” said Jon. “If you’re body is hurting or not liking the shape you’re in, it’s a sure sign that you shouldn’t be in it.”

This proved to be Jon’s mantra as he reiterated this point just about every time we came into a pose to help us lose some of our ego, that voice or drive that pushes us to try to keep up with our neighbor or try to outdo them.  “I’m not so concerned with doing a pose perfectly, but rather coming into a shape that’s safe,” he said.

By continuously telling students that it was okay to be wherever they’re at with their pose, Jon was creating a safe and trusting environment, welcoming students to really listen to their bodies and to move into a pose that best suited them. Which was especially helpful for this yogi who couldn’t seem to find her balance to maintain Tree Pose.

“Maybe you don’t raise your arms today in Tree; maybe you don’t come into it at all,” Jon soothed. “That’s okay.”

These classes at Pure are membership only. Please see a yoga advisor or call ahead.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

Out towards the Hudson River in Greenwich Village lies HB Studio, an acting studio established in 1945 (HB stands from Herbert Berghof, the Viennese actor/director). With all its breath work and chanting, Kundalini seems like a natural form of yoga for acting types to gravitate towards.

Kundalini has been on the curriculum for years now at HB and is currently taught by long-time teacher with a dance and choreography background, Siri Sat Kaur Khalsa. In a small, sunny classroom on the third floor overlooking a few backyards, Siri Sat began us with a warmup of Ego Eradicator (arms at sixty degrees with breath of fire) and Riding the Camel (flexing the spine forwards and back, Kundalini twists and a seated forward bend (inhaling up and exhaling down) to the rhythm of the mantra Sat Nam which is chanted silently to keep mental focus.

The kriya Siri Sat had picked was “Ribcage, Lungs, and Lymphatic System” from the manual Infinity and Me.

“What does the ribcage protect?” Siri Sat asked us. Of course the two important answers were the lungs and the heart as well as some other organs. The lungs connect our inner and outer worlds and they might not function properly when we feel grief or the loss of someone. Siri Sat also noted that the lymph nodes are located in the armpits, back of the neck, the throat, chest area, hips and backs of the knees so we would be aware of them once we began moving.

Starting in Easy Pose we interlaced our fingers behind our neck with elbows out to the side and the armpits open. Taking a deep inhale and holding it, we bent forward from the hinge of the hips and bowed down all the way to the floor, keeping the heart open and the spine long. On the exhale we came back up. We had to count out fifty-two of these. Once we were finished we came lying down on our backs.

From here we kept our bodies in one long line, feet together, arms at the side and alternately wiggling the hips and shoulders up and down like a snake in the grass. After several minutes of this we turned onto our bellies and did a similar movement. This version was called “Crocodile.”

Coming onto our backs we did some leg work, lifting the legs to sixty degrees on an inhale and exhaling them back down. Even with the air conditioning on, these poses were racking up an intense sweat.

Still on our backs, Siri Sat asked us to envision that we were fish jumping around in a pan of hot oil and we didn’t want to let part be on the ground too long or we’d get burnt. We began jumping the body off the floor as Siri Sat joked, “Some of you have already burned your right buttock!”

Working further on the chest and arm pit area we lifted our arms straight up at ninety degrees, made our hands into fist, inhaled, and slowly pulled them towards our chest as though we were holding a heavy weight. As our fists reached our chest our exhale would explode and our hands would reach back up to ninety.

To finish up the kriya we worked more on the abdominal area, lifting the arms and legs to a sixty degree angle and crisscrossing both. “If it’s hard on your lower back just lift the legs straight up or let the legs rest but keep the arms going,” Siri Sat advised.

We took a ten minute Savasana then did a meditation that was part of the kriya. Bringing our hands into Anjali Mudra we chanted “I Am Thine, in Mine Myself, Wahe Guru, Humee Hum Toomee Too(n).” Someone hadn’t quite heard the “thine” part of the mantra and when he enquired about it, someone answered, “Thine as in Shakespeare’s thine.” Sleuth was definitely at an acting school!

The mantra is to open the heart and to wish peace and healing for oneself and others.

Siri Sat finished up this well-rounded and lucid class chanting the “Long Time Sun” and “Sat Nam.”

$18 for a trial class (one only); $162 for the term (9 classes)

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Feeling motivated on a sunny summer Saturday, Yoga Sleuth emerged from the northernmost tip of Central Park, and in just a few hops found himself at the doorstep of Land Yoga, a newly born Ashtanga haven in Harlem.

There’s nothing like your first visit to a new Yoga studio, especially when it’s new to the entire community. I took in the blue seat cushions lining the windowsills, the wooden shoe cubbies underneath and the shining white walls, smiling at the freshness of it all.

Lara Land, owner and instructor for all classes besides prenatal, welcomed me and showed me into the Asana studio. Its walls were as green as the park I just left, its floor a rich dark pristine brown to echo the trees. Emboldened by the warmth of both teacher and surroundings, I planted myself with 14 other students to take a refresher course in the Ashtanga Primary series.

“We’ll start by discussing the three points of focus,” said Lara. “The most important one is the breathing. Begin to listen to it. Make the sound of the ocean at the back of the throat—or, Darth Vader!” (And shortly we did indeed sound like a room of Sith Lords breathing in unison.)

“See if you can keep your attention focused on each one of the breaths,” said Lara as we hissed. “So, noticing other thoughts that come into your mind, and bringing your mind back to just listening to the breathing.”

“The second point of focus is the drishti,” she continued. “For example, try and gaze at the tip of the nose. And then we add the third point of focus, which is the posture.” To prepare for point three Lara had us activate our mulabandha (or root lock), and she reminded us to keep it engaged in each and every pose of the series, from Samastathiti on.

After one Sun Salutation we settled into our first Down Dog and held it for the traditional count of five breaths, Lara counting each one aloud, to keep the whole class in sync. She cued each Asana with a call to inhale or exhale, and soon the entire room was flowing as one. On the second go-round, Lana introduced the Sanskrit term for each count, as is standard in the Ashtanga primary series: One through five becoming “ekam, dve, trini, catvari and panca,” respectively.

We were all very warm by the time we got to the standing series. “You’ll notice that your stance is going to get wider and wider with each pose,” forewarned Lara. We were put through our paces in extended side-angle and triangle, fingertips reaching for the elusive brown wood floor while our chests opened to the side wall.

“If you’ve only done Mysore before and this seems harder, it is!” Lara said with a smile that encouraged us to grin through it. We arrived at a particularly challenging pose for my tight hammies: Utthita Hasta Padanghustasana, Hand to Big-Toe Pose. Lara asked us to choose a drishti—I chose the wall outlet at the front of the room to focus on—and to pick up our right foot with our “peace fingers”.

I gazed at the wall outlet calmly (it stared back at me with a mixture of surprise and fear), and lifted my leg. Lara reminded us to keep our spine straight while we tried to straighten our legs. For a further balance challenge, we took our opposite arm and our gaze to the left as we fought valiantly to keep the right leg straight and airborne.

For the purposes of this introductory tutorial class we skipped ahead to the closing sequence, cooling down with variations on Padmasana. We grabbed elbows behind our backs and folded forward, then attempted a final challenge in Tolasana (Lifted Lotus), balancing on our hands as we lifted our hips as high as we could and for as many breaths as we could hold.

After a quick Savasana Lara encouraged us to come back and keep exploring the series, and she also paid homage to two of the greats. “We are blessed to have 2 great teachers in our lifetime, BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois.” The latter of course, the revered father of the very style we were practicing.

For a great introduction to Pattabhi’s classic Ashtanga method, Lara Land and her vibrant new studio is highly recommended.

Led Classes at Land Yoga are $18 drop in with a $1 mat rental. One month unlimited Mysore is $190.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

Sleuth was beside herself with excitement when she found out about the existence of trampoline yoga (mostly influenced by Kundalini) and eagerly made her way to Park Avenue with another curious Kundalini friend. Shen Tao is Bill Hedberg’s studio. A knowledgable and chatty teacher, Bill has an extensive dance and movement background and his studio was abundantly equipped with special Shen Tao ladders, self bodywork tools and, of course, trampolines.

I commented on the Alex Gray posters on the wall and Bill explained that, “they inform how I think about the body. I like to think about what’s going on deep beneath the surface of the skin.” Indeed, throughout class Bill would encourage us to imagine what was going on underneath the surface: how this movement might be transforming our fascia, bones, organs, nerves and other subtle levels.

Bill began by asking us both about our backgrounds and injuries, if any, and told us he was the kind of teacher who liked to “color outside the lines.” He said, “Since you’re both yogis, even though this is a new approach, a lot of this will be familiar to you.”

Seated in Siddhasana on the trampoline we began warming up our spines with hip circles, then commenced bouncing up and down (still seated) with our fingertips touching. Bill advised us to exhale every time we bounced back down and although he didn’t call it as such, this created a natural breath of fire. He also told us to blink rapidly as we bounced.

Moving into a kind of Ardha Matseyandrasana, we did some side stretches, holding onto the sides of the trampoline to increase the intensity of the stretch. This evolved into a flowing movement stretching our arms overhead and to the side and then down and back again. Bill told us to let our arms be loose. As he talked he said, “Don’t let the poetry of my words ever stop you from moving.”

We then held a longer stretch to the side, letting our arms come to the floor in a movement Bill called “Drunk Worm.” Coming back, still seated we wiggled our hips in a move hilariously called “Dog in the grass.”

Taking our knees wide and out to the side, hanging over the edge of the trampoline we began spinal undulations followed by hip circles. We then moved our spines up, down and around.

“Allow your head to be loose and flowing. Let your hair be like maiden’s hair,” Sleuth was smiling and laughing. “Yes! Yes! Be playful,” he said, enthusiastically. It’s rare that Sleuth receives a compliment in yoga class for being playful and I wish it would happen more often.

Coming to standing we held Uttanasana by bringing hands to the edge of the trampoline and then rolled out our ankles. This prepared us for the moment we’d been waiting for. The standing bounce! Bill advised us to keep our feet turned out, our knees lifted and together and our gaze ahead.

“That is some of the most serious bouncing I’ve ever seen,” Bill teased after we’d stopped bouncing. My friend and I cracked up laughing, realizing that both of us had been childishly excited before class, but when the moment had come, we had ended up concentrating a little too hard. I vowed next time to have a little more fun.

Coming back down to sitting we held Navasana and added a little bounce to the ab work making it the most fun Navasana I’ve ever been in.

Bill then invited us to try some stretches on the Shen Tao ladder. We came into a Downward Dog folding over the padded rung of the ladder, then hooking our feet up and around so we could just hang. A little like Sirsasana with the ropes, this gave me an excellent spinal adjustment. We turned around and used the rungs to get a deeper back bend eventually getting the padded rung close to the sacrum and going deep into Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Leaving class, Sleuth felt both centered and joyful. I was going to have to color outside the lines more often.

$15 per class.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth was ready to take his understanding of alignment to another level. And, there is nowhere better to start that leg of the journey than at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, coming up on its 20th year in Chelsea.

Upon parking my sit bones on my mat in the sunlight filled loft, I am greeted by Adam Vitolo. Adam took up yoga to help his rehabilitation after getting hit by a car while cycling in the late 90s, and has been teaching for nearly a decade. In 2009 he studied for a month at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India.

Adam took his place on the raised platform and sat in easy pose, the rest of us quickly mimicking. But this was only a brief stop on the adventure; after the opening chant of 3 Oms  (call and response style), we were sitting on our haunches, our toes tucked behind us for a welcome stretch of our NYC street-sore arches.

“If you take nothing else from this class,” said Adam, “I want you to remember to lift your arches.” And we did so, in Tadasana and Uttanasana, spending those poses concentrating fully on feeling all four corners of our feet planted on the mat while the arches remained lifted between them.

Next it was time to hit the rope wall for a mini-Vrksasana workshop. But this was not to be about balance. “Keep the fingers of the left arm at the wall at all times,” said Adam as we brought our right foot to the left inner thigh. “Take your left thigh and resist it back. And without losing that, take your right knee out and back. And see if you can start to open from the inside. Bring your arms higher with straight elbows.”

We practiced the pose 4 times on each side, Adam allowing us to bring both arms to the air only when we had achieved our steadiest, most properly aligned expression, our bent knee pressing against the thigh as the grounded leg stayed planted and unwavering.

Now Adam beckoned us away from the wall, but only to a rope’s distance. Facing away from the wall, we took a rope in each hand (making sure they were even length) and stretched our shoulders behind us, opening them; we then practiced sitting down into Utkatasana and straightening forward, through and up again, always maintaining that intense stretch and opening of the arms and shoulders.

“Lift your chest towards the ceiling,” said Adam as we held our chair poses. “Feel as though you’re squeezing your hands together to broaden the width across the top of your chest. Sides go forward, shoulders go back, trapezius muscle goes down.”

We returned to our mats and faced them horizontally, a block on each end, to prepare for Prasarita Padattonasana. In this forward fold we applied the principles learned at the wall. “Sustain this lift in your chest,” instructed Adam. “You can always stretch your arms to help take and keep those shoulders back.”

From there we bent our right knees, pressing one hand on the block and stretching the other arm overhead for Parsvakonasana. Our torsos were parallel to the far wall as our previous shoulder opening exercise allowed us to bring an arm over our ears and slightly back.

Next we returned to our favorite play wall once more. We liberated one rope from its base and made a lasso to go around our waists (with a blanket to spare our hips from rope burn). From there we folded into a suspended down dog, heels at the wall, arms in the air holding the opposite elbow.

Coming out of the contraption carefully, we were motioned by Adam to the chairs stacked in the corner. Taking one each, we placed it at the non-rope wall and practiced coming into an up dog, our legs straight and working hard as we pushed our torsos up and over the chair.

Our climactic pose saw us make further use of those trusty chairs. Placing them mid-room, we then wrapped our half-folded mat in two blankets and placed that “matwich” in between the chair and a bolster. Climbing aboard with our shoulders on the matwich and our heads on the floor, we folded our legs into halasana (plow) until our toes reached the chair. Then we rose into shoulder stand, all the work we had done previously contributing to strong shoulders and a straight spine.

Finally we came down into a restorative-style Savasana, laying our bodies on the prepared props, legs resting on the bolster to relieve any pressure in our backs. We all left the class slightly sore, but well aware of our open shoulders, our broadened chests, and especially our lifted arches!

Classes at the Iyengar Institute are $25 for nonmembers, with mat included.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

Sleuth eagerly took a seat up front of class to soak in the phenomenal view of the East River and Manhattan skyline at Abhaya Yoga, an Anusara studio in the artsy DUMBO, Brooklyn neighborhood. Siri Peterson was seated up front, deeply meditating. As students started rolling in she arose and walked around the room asking our names and if we had any injuries.

After chanting the Anusara invocation “Om Namah Shivaya Gurave” Siri talked about how she had been practicing meditating on her unconditional goodness and sense of worth, and how she was finding it a helpful practice for building esteem.

The practice began with Siri instructing us on to our hands and knees, and asking us to hold Plank for what felt like at least a minute. “Melt the heart and lengthen your legs. Stretch the heels back. I know you can hold this.” Siri would continuously encourage us to believe we could indeed hold the most difficult postures and expand our sense of self worth throughout the class.

From Downward Dog we then came into a low lunge. Siri asked us to keep straightening the back knee even as we came up into high lunge. “Everybody’s knee is bent to some degree. See if you can straighten it all the way,” she suggested.

In our Standing Split, she encouraged us to keep our toes pointing downward and to stretch the back leg up. She gave Sleuth a particular instruction to try to round more through my lower spine so my torso would move away from my thigh in order to prevent psoas problems.

Moving into Vrksasana (Tree pose) Siri encouraged us to keep our hips square and press our foot into standing leg. Once our foundation was strong she asked us to try lifting the sternum and the gaze and move into a slight backbend.

We next took our mats to the wall for Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstands). Demonstrating the Handstand, Siri asked us to lift through the heart. “Nobody comes to yoga to close off the heart. You’re here to open it.” After trying for ourselves, Siri asked us to make it less about the legs and more about using the open heart as the center of gravity. “It’s all about the feeling you bring to it.”

She then asked us to try hopping up on our “weird leg.” After trying the other leg for several minutes Siri asked, “Did anyone feel like they failed because they didn’t get up on the weird leg? No, because it’s all about attitude you brought to it.”

Moving back to the center of the room, we worked on Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, holding the foot with our hands instead of using toe lock. Siri encouraged us to pull the lifted leg back instead of stretching out and to move the thigh of the standing leg back. “Bring everything into the center,” she said.

For Pigeon Prep we were asked to stay lifted, tuck the back toes under and lift the thighs to get the hips centered. “If your hips are square you’ll have freedom of movement in other areas,” Siri said.

We did a couple repetitions of Dhanurasana before finding a partner to assist us with Bow pose. Siri showed us how to lift the front of our partner’s sternum forward and up with our hands and then another assist was to lift them up from their heels. Siri encouraged us to not allow our knees to splay apart as that would compress the sacrum.

After all that back bending and hip opening our Ardha Chandrasasanas evolved into Ardha Chandrasana Chapasana. “Take your head back,” Siri advised us. “If you’re shaking that’s great. That’s when transformation happens.”

After practicing Vasisthasana on both sides we moved into forward bends, Upta Vistha Konasana, Janu Sirsasana and Baddha Konasana, all guided with Siri’s thorough alignment instructions.

As we settled into Savasana Sleuth heard the most pleasant of music in this music-less class: the lapping waves of the East River outside.

At the end of our practice Siri encouraged us to ask questions and continued to offer alignment help to the students staying behind.

$18 per class; $1 mat rental

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

On a sunny spring day, Yoga Sleuth headed over to Yogamaya for a creative and inspiring class with Lisa Bermudez.  Walking into the studio, I couldn’t help but be in a good mood.  The sun was shining through the sky light in the middle of the room and colorful pictures surrounded the space. I grabbed a mat and headed into one of the practice rooms and set myself up with a belt, blanket and two blocks.  

I had met Lisa once before and her positive energy is contagious, so I was excited to experience her teaching style. We began by sitting comfortably and listing to Lisa talk about how we all have two sides that divide us, good and bad and that we are never satisfied.  She told a cute story about how a chai tea could make her day perfect and if the next day there was no soy milk at Starbucks it made the day bad.  The change of seasons creates a similar change in us and the need to find balance.  Yoga helps us find this balance on and off the mat.  

We stretched out on our backs and placed the belt around our right foot and brought our leg up ninety degrees.  My hamstrings felt tight, but immediately began to open up.  After doing the other side, we did Happy Baby and Half Happy baby to slowly open our hips.  We made our way into our first Downward Facing Dog, moving into three legged dog and knee to nose, using our core to support the movement and our body weight.  We breathed through a few Baby Cobras and then made our way to Tadasana.

Lisa seemed to explain even the smallest movements with clarity, ease and intelligence.  Within fifteen minutes I felt at home in her class.  

Lisa had us flow through several versions of Surya Namaskara A, adding a kneeling move and extra downward facing dogs.  The pace was fast enough to build heat in my body, but slow enough for me to find the proper alignment in each pose.  After a few more reps of Surya Namaskara A, we found ourselves in Utkatasana, Warrior I, Warrior II and Devotional Warrior.  The standing poses like Parsvakonasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Chandrasana, opened each part of our body and kept the heat building.  

Every time Lisa threw in a new combination, I felt challenged, but not pushed. Lisa encouraged us to find the balance in our body with each pose.  After several repetitions of Surya Namaskara B and Parsvottanasana we transitioned into pigeon and then side plank.  Seems like a tricky transition, but Lisa explained it in such an encouraging and clear way that I was able to flow from each pose without a glitch.  Next up, Padangusthasana to Bakasana, a vinyasa and then we took the hip opening even farther with Lizard pose.

Each pose had purpose and the flow was creative and fun to explore.  Lisa brought us to our knees for a demonstration of Eka Pada Koundinyasana with blocks.  I have struggled with this pose for over a year and now I had a tool to help me get into the pose.  This was very exciting!

Lisa encouraged us to be playful, non-judgmental and to have fun.  I loved the opportunity to support myself on the block and really work on my arms and find the balance.  We tried it a few times without the block and I felt like I was that much closer to finding the balance in the pose.  

A child’s pose to catch our breath and then we moved to our stomachs for Salabhasana and Dhanurasana to open up our back.  To continue with the backbends, we did several repetitions of Ustrasana, Setu Bandha and Urdhva Dhanurasana.  We closed the physical practice with a few forward bends, Baddha Konasana and Paschimottanasana.  

Then Lisa had us move into a comfortable seated position for opposite nostril breathing.  She explained in a warm and supportive tone how practicing even a few minutes of pranayama helps restore balance in our bodies and minds.  I closed my eyes and began to breath, feeling relaxed and open.  After a few minutes we found our way onto our backs for Savasana.

Blissful music played and we melted into our mats we found our way back to a seated position and closed the practice with three OMs.  

If you want to experience an intelligent, creative and challenging class, head over to Yogamaya for Lisa Bermudez’s Thursday morning Level 2/3. You will be sure to enjoy yourself and leave feeling happy and relaxed.

Drop-ins are $18 for Single Full-Length Class and $13 for Hour-Long Class.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

The corner spot in room number 2 at YogaWorks SoHo looks out over hundreds of hurried passers-by on Broadway and Grand Street from the second floor windows – perfect for a one-hour hot power yoga class.

“Now do the vinyasa with your eyes closed,” says Chelsey Korus over the music track, “and go to that space inside of you, away from everything.”

That changes everything. For a moment.

We enter a challenging, fast-paced lunge to Warrior 3 to Utkatasana, chair pose, sequence. When we repeat it, I’m almost grateful: at least I’m not flailing about, trying to figure out what we’re doing. Chelsey Korus provides encouragement with her upbeat directions, and not only that. Her physique is inspiring. Slim, trim and incredibly toned, you imagine she got that way doing what we’re doing now.

Chelsey happens to be blonde as well, and tanned as though she just got in from Santa Monica’s original YogaWorks studio. The image of the beach, with all of students on it, is definitely floating in the ether.

For every foot we put forward into lunge from Down Dog, Chelsey has us touch the knee to the nose or forehead first. Sometimes it takes several three-legged down dogs to knee-to-forehead before that foot can finally rest in between our hands on the mat.

Later on, when we do boat pose by gripping the sides of a block with our feet, raising our knees to our chest with upright torsos, to then extend the legs out so they hover parallel to the floor, for 10 counts, five times, I’m glad that at least I’ve gotten an introduction to my abs!

Chelsey gives alignment instructions where time allows, and occasionally stops us (thank you!) to show the particulars of a pose. The various series seem somewhat familiar: the thigh burning standing sequences with many lunges, eventually getting our elbows down on the mat, twisting the torso from there.

As we swivel into Vasisthasana (side plank) it hits me, ‘Of course, I’ve done all these poses in more or less the same order with one of power yoga’s first, Bryan Kest, many years ago, in Santa Monica, California!’

After a two-minute Savasana I leave the studio, rushing to my 6pm meditation class in midtown, still sweaty, feeling energized and cleansed, completely ready for meditation – and maybe a little bit closer to being ready for the beach.

Classes are by membership, but drop-in classes for new students are $22. Class package options and new students deals available. Mat rental $2.

--Anneke Lucas for Yoga Sleuth

On a perfect late spring morning Yoga Sleuth was feeling lucky and charmed, and not just by his breakfast cereal. He was lucky to find himself in lovely Fort Greene, Brooklyn; luckier to get to do a class at Lucky Lotus; and luckiest to have a chance to practice with alignment ace Lindsay Sullivan.

Entering the main floor of the DeKalb street brownstone that Lucky inhabits, I found the half-salmon, half-gold colored studio to be warm and inviting; as was Lindsay herself. “How are you feeling?” she smiled to the class as she took her place at the front of the room. “Any issues today, anything you want to work on?”

Her welcoming tone melted any unnecessary pride I was harboring, and I told her about my chronic lumbar soreness; she promised to include techniques to help me combat (and maybe even conquer it) in our practice today. She did the same with the other students, many of whom were experiencing some form of knee, foot or back issue.

We started in a supported Virasana (hero’s pose), seated on a block that we would be enlisting the services of throughout class in many inventive ways. Settling in, we entered into a seated meditation, our right hand cradled by the left with thumbs touching (Buddha mudra).

“Ask the mind to just focus on the breath for now,” said Lindsay. “And if the mind starts to stray, just continue to make the choice of watching the breath. Let the inhale slide down the front of the body, and the exhale wash up the back of the body. Keep going at your own pace, ushering the body from the physical to the subtle with the breath.”

We warmed up with a little bit cat and a little bit cow, and Lindsay encouraged us to begin our Ujjayi breath practice as we lifted our hips into an inverted V. “When you arrive in your down dog don’t immediately jam your heels back,” said Lindsay.

“Instead come up high onto the balls of your feet. Lift the hips up and back and lengthen through the side of the waist. Get really long from there.” Lindsay spotted me in a rather narrow, bent-knee rendition of down dog and suggested I’d be just fine a little wider and straighter. Sure enough, I was. “And then lift the thigh bones into the hip sockets,” she continued. “Everything is moving up towards the pinnacle of the pose.”

Now it was time to bring the block into play. “Place the block on its narrow edge between the upper inner thighs and then press back into downward facing dog,” said Lindsay. We tried an entire Vinyasa with the block, squeezing it to keep our legs hugging towards the midline as we came down, up and then back.


“Squeeze your block and roll it back in space to take the heels a little closer to the floor. You’re firing up the legs, finding the inner rotation of the thighbones here,” Lindsay informed us. “The block gets you to use the legs, and it makes space in the lower back. So if you’re ever working with low back pain,” she added, glancing at me, “just put a block between your inner thighs. It works wonders—you’ll get really strong.”

After a couple of rounds of standing poses, Lindsay announced that we would be doing an IT band opener, for two reasons: “One, because we’re working up to a pose and it will help that pose,” she grinned slyly. Reason two was that when the IT band is tight it pulls on the muscles, and this affects the hips, groin and that pesky lumbar area. We then proceeded to do a Vasisthasana (side plank) with a forearm on the mat and the trusty block under our thighs to work the IT.

Lindsay told us that the exercise might be painful, but would definitely be worthwhile. “You decide where the block needs to go,” she said, meaning somewhere on the lateral thigh between the hip and the knee. “You want to be in a place where you can still breathe, so don’t pick the most painful spot. But pick a spot where you can work.”

And so we did, pressing our outer thighs into the block, and moving back and forth, to give that IT band a good stretching out. Lindsay suggested we try it later on our own with a foam roller.

IT done and dusted, we dipped into the Asthanga playbook for a go at Marichyasana C, torsos twisting to face the balcony behind us as our hands yearned to touch around our bent knees. And now it was time for the pose we did the IT work for: We wrapped our legs in Garudasana (eagle form), then turned and lowered onto “Chaturanga” elbows for playful Parsva Bakasanas (side crows), which blossomed into Eka Pada Koundinyasanas (one-legged pose).

After we let it all go in Savasana we ended as we had begun, in a seated meditation with Buddha mudra. Lindsay closed practice with some words to live by:
“Just be vulnerable. As much as you can, let down that wall that surrounds you. Become more permeable, receptive—open to the possibility of grace.”

Drop-in classes at Lucky Lotus are $17, mat included.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth just finished her prenatal teacher training and was eager to experience a class first hand, so I headed down to Lila Wellness to take a class with Mia Borgatta, a well-known, creative and intelligent prenatal expert.  She not only teaches yoga classes, she is also a nurse and doula. I entered the studio and set up my mat with the short end against the wall, gathered my props: a bolster, blocks and several blankets.  

The other women in the room were chatting away, exchanging stories and advice about birth and children.  I felt an immediate sense of community. Mia asked us all to find a comfortable seated position and close our eyes. We chanted OM three times and then moved on to other pranayama breath work.  

Placing our hands in prayer, we rested our thumbs on our third eye and began Bramami breathing, which is soft humming sounds.  Mia talked about the breath having a generous and expansive quality for the baby.  

Next, we inhaled our arms up into a prayer and exhaled the arms down the center, creating a gathering and centering breath.  We did this several times and then inhaled our prayer up the center and released our arms out with a HA sound, which was a clearing breath.

Mia talked about how you can use any of these breaths to help move you through labor.  We interlaced our fingers and reached our arms up toward the ceiling, stretching from side to side, opening up the side body.

Moving onto our hands and knees we began to flutter our lips, moving our hips in circles and back and forth.  Mia suggested knees wide apart to make space for our bellies. We continued on to a Cat/Cow variation with a more neutral spine. This is good when the back hurts, it unwinds the tension and helps with the positioning of the baby, she said.

The next part of class was simply the most important, Kegel exercises.  We squatted down and sat on a block, closed our eyes and went through a few minutes of Kegels.  This is the lifting of the pelvic floor, which helps a great deal with birth and after birth.  Mia stressed how much easier things would be if each of us practiced Kegels more often.

We came into a wide stance Uttanasana with our hands on blocks, keeping our weight balanced, and began to open the backs of our legs.  Several women complained of leg cramps and Mia discussed eating a banana or coconut water to help relieve the muscle pain. We bent our knees and rolled up to stand.  

Next came several rounds of prenatal sun salutations.  There were no backbends or jumping back, but plenty of movement to get the heart rate up and the body warm.  From the sun salutations we came into a simple twist.  Mia made it very clear to only do open twists, never across the body.

I found the next vocal exercise a lot of fun and very energizing: Lion’s breath.  We stood with our feet wide, raised our arms up with an inhale and then bent our elbows and knees and let out a roar…not really, but a loud sound!  We stayed in the wide stance and bent our knees. Placing our hands on our thighs we circled our torso and hips around, giving me a very free and relaxed feeling.  

Mia encouraged us to be near a wall if our balance was off for Tree Pose. She was constantly giving modifications for every pose, so that no matter what month someone was in they could still participate and find what works for their body.  

Coming to the wall and leaned our backs against it and bent our knees placing a block between our thighs.  We stayed here for one minute with our eyes closed.  Mia called this “uncomfortable practice”; we had to find a way to move through any pain we were feeling.  Some of us watched our breath, others counted and some made loud sounds.  We all made it through!

We continued on with push ups, puppy dog and Warrior III, calf stretches and Ardha Chandrasana against the wall.  It was nice to have the support as we moved through the poses, and no one’s back or belly was compromised during the practice.  

After Badha Konasana, Janu Sirsasana and a few side stretches we closed our eyes and took a minute to ourselves to continue our conscious, nourishing and generous breathing. We moved our bolsters to the wall and came into Viparita Karani with our butts flush against the wall, so that our legs were at an angle and the blood flow would move towards the baby.  

After several minutes of letting my ankles and feet rest, we moved into Supta Baddha Konasana.  We set up our bolsters at an angle against blocks wrapped our ankles in a blanket and sat back and closed our eyes.

Mia read from “Birthing from Within” as we all placed our hands on our belly to connect with our babies.  Finally, we came into Savasana on our left side with a bolster or blanket between our knees.  Mia reminded us to rest and breath deeply and sweetly…what a lovely thought.

The class was one of the most well-rounded that I have been to, from pranayama to asana to restorative and meditation.  It was fast enough to build strength and flexibility, yet slow enough, so no one got over heated or felt over worked.  Mia’s soft and intelligent tone of voice, her knowledge of the prenatal field and her creative and fun sequences make her classes more than worth checking out.  I would recommend Lila Wellness to anyone who is one month to nine months pregnant!  

Single Classes are $18.

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

One block from where Billie Holliday once lived in the Sugar Hill Renaissance District a new Kundalini Studio has opened. Siri Rishi Kaur, a devoted Kundalini teacher and delightful, welcoming person began class tuning in with the Adi Mantra.

She gave the group of us a thorough warmup starting with ego eradicator (arms at sixty degrees, breath of fire), then spinal flexes and twists to necks rolls and shoulder shrugs. Finally we marched up and down to Sa Ta Na Ma (Infinity, Life, Death, Rebirth).

We then began the kriya from the book Yoga for Prosperity, “Kriya to Magnify the Radiant Body.” With our arms at sixty degrees we titled the palms forward, center, to the sides (as though holding a tray) and back to center as fast as possible. This may sound easy, but it was intense on the wrist and forearms.

Next we interlaced our fingers and stretched our arms to chest then bending our elbows bringing our hands back to the heart center and continuing back and forth at a rapid rate. While we were doing this Siri Rishi played Nirinjan Kaur’s “Humee Hum” mantra, a mantra for the heart and reflective of the exercise we were doing.

Lying down on our backs we began alternate leg lifts for several minutes. Coming back up to stretch our legs out in front of us for life nerve stretch, we then grabbed hold of our big toes and inhaled upright and exhaled toward our knees, rapidly of course. “This stretches the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in your body,” Siri Rishi said.

Following, we did a fast cat and cow and a variation in which we kicked our buttocks in cow position for one minute. Coming up to standing we took our feet shoulder width apart and did hip circles for two minutes.

The next sequence was incredibly intense. Keeping our feet shoulder width apart we inhaled our arms up and exhaled into a forward bend as fast as possible for one minute, then the same thing with our legs as wide apart as possible for one minute ending with bringing our feet together for one minute.

Not quite finished with us, Siri Rishi kept us standing and we brought our hands to our shoulders, stretched them up to the sky and back down, as fast as possible for thirty seconds. Exhausted, we came to sitting and did some neck rolls for thirty seconds.

Breathless and sweating we welcomed Savasana while Siri Rishi played a deliciously relaxing gong. Rest never felt so good.

To end class we did a meditation for the radiant body. The mantra was “Aad Such Jugad Such Habee Such Nanak Hosee Such” (True in the beginning, true through all ages, true even now, Nanak says ever shall be true). Spreading the fingers of our left hand, we placed it over the heart center.  We made a fist of the right hand leaving only the Jupiter finger (for expansion) extended at eye level with the palm facing forward.

We chanted for eleven minutes to Amandeep Singh’s new version of the mantra falling into a deep and meditative lull.

Siri Rishi chanted “The Long Time Sun” with us and invited us to stay for tea and cookies in this friendly Harlem community.

Classes are donation based.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth has long heard the praises of Julianna Takacs, so I decided to check out her class at the Shala in Union Square to see what all the fuss is about.

The Shala sets things up a little differently than other studios--instead of facing the front of the room, practitioners are encouraged to set mats up facing the center of the room so that yogis practice with their gaze in the direction of other students rather than the front wall. After 12 yogis found their places in the one-studio room facing one another, Julianna took a seat at the front of the room manning the Shala's harmonium for an opening chant.

She stayed perched here to share with us the dharma talk her own teacher, Ruth Lauer-Manenti, bestowed upon her a few days prior, waxing poetic on the foundations of yoga: abhyasa, practice, and vairagya, nonattachment.

This sense of working toward something and yet staying detached from it seems counter intuitive, opposites, even. Yet she went on to point out that even in our poses we are engaged in opposing actions: rooting our feet down into the earth while extending our hands to the sky in Utkatasana; our front leg and front arm energetically moving away from the back foot and back arm in Virabhadrasana II.

Encouraging us to think about this, Julianna took us into Downward Facing Dog, holding us here as she rubbed a menthol-infused lotion into our necks and upper shoulders, easing away any tension we were holding and had unknowingly brought with us to class. Then she warmed us up with what felt like a million Sun Salutations in the 98-degree heat (okay, there were only 11).

She went heavy on the Warriors, bringing us gracefully through Devotional Warrior, Warrior I, Warrior II, and Peaceful Warrior, before taking us through the sequence again to find Trikonasana and Parsvakonasana. Another vinyasa later and we were soaring into Bakasana, crow pose.

From there her sequencing got creative. Bringing us to our stomachs for Salabasana and Dhanurasana, she then teased us with a bunch of seated forward bends (Paschimottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Marichyasana II, Marichyasana III--each pose on each side followed by an optional vinyasa, which all 12 of us took advantage of, what with the intense heat and all).

Another vinyasa later and we were flying into Ardha Chandrasana, finding solace in the Ardha Matsyendrasana and Pigeon that followed before taking flight again into Ardha Chandrasana to even out the other side.

Julianna had more surprises in store, though. Bringing us back to the top of our mats, she calmly had us prayer our hands to our hearts' center, and close our eyes. She then had us come onto the balls of our feet as we slowly began to bend our knees until we were sitting on our heels, crouched by the floor. From there, she had us twist right, taking Parsva Bakasana, side crow, for a few breaths. Coming back to center with our hands in prayer again, we twisted left, taking the arm balance to the opposite side.

Following Setu Bandhasana, Julianna took us into Full Wheel twice, admonishing it yogi's choice for whatever inversion we felt would best round out our practice that day, finally turning on the overhead fans to make our Savasana super delicious.

Raising us from the dead to a seated position, Julianna had one last thing to say before closing with three Oms: "You just worked an hour and a half toward something, now let it go."

Drop-in classes are $19.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

If you’ve never taken a class with the phenomenon of a yoga instructor that is Susan 'Lip' Orem, I have one word for you - GO! You’ve got to expect something extraordinary from a slender, bespectacled pretzel of a woman going by the name “Lip,” right? This master teacher not only delivers the substance of yoga with some of the most precise anatomical instructions and creative pose variations you can imagine, she also makes you laugh in the process.

Lip has a seemingly endless repertory of ways to approach each pose. In tonight’s class we played with the gamut of yoga props: blocks in various positions under our feet offered new sensations in standing poses, and a chair for supported backbends was an invigorating innovation, followed by a delightful restorative counterpose.

We moved through more classical postures as well as Lip’s special blends, like the “Nadia Comaneci,” a swan dive with arms back going into Uttanasana, and the “Stop in the Name of Love” hand mudra in Marichyasana A.

Her passion for the practice is inspiring, and the dynamics of her voice are completely engaging. She circulates through the class, clucking alignment instructions like a mother hen.

There’s no zoning out in this class. Lip demands precision, but in a way that invites playfulness and dialogue. Her eagle eyes scan the entire room at once; if even a stray foot somewhere sneaks out of alignment, she’ll shout to you from across the room if need be.

“When you come down, you better be in the right place!” she admonished as we geared up for backbends with our neck supported at the edge of a bolster.
   
Though the focus of the evening was on shoulder openers, Lip managed to work in hip openers, inversions, balances, and interesting standing pose variations that gave me more insight into each pose. One highlight of the class was an intense shoulder opener with our palm pressed into the wall, where we threaded our bodies under and around our own arm like a swing dancer twirling with her partner.

“What matters is not which parts of class challenge you, but how you respond to those challenges,” Lip noted. “When you maintain your compassion and work through the tough places with patience, you’re taking your yoga off the mat and into the world.”

I felt grounded, strong, and centered as we took our final seat after an ample time in savasana. She sent us off into the evening by advising us to “Have courage. Stay cool. Thank you all.”

$22/class; new student special, two week unlimited for $30

--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

Thinking I’d be off the hook taking a ‘Warm 60’ instead of  ‘Hot 90,’ quickly proved a big mistake. The room was plenty warm, and, courtesy of the pouring rain, humid! The brand-new space (in the brand new studio!) has cool, black veneer floors, big, translucent windows, and mirrored light bulbs hanging off the ceiling, reflecting the whole space back at you, convexly, with yourself front-center.

As we sat in meditation at the start of class, I began sweating profusely. Dara teaches Evolation yoga, a style rooted in the Bikram tradition, with a silent meditation at the beginning and end of class.

Dara’s calm and sweet voice filled the room as students struggled to hold the count in the standing poses. I thought I might faint, but Dara’s strongly empathic nature made it all okay. At times during the class, when I really couldn’t hold a pose and I had to back off, Dara mentioned that it is great to take breaks when it’s too challenging.

And when I got comfortable backing off and planned to sit out the second set of Ustrasana, she encouraged everyone to try just one more time. So I did, and went even deeper than before without a problem.

The class basically followed the classical Bikram structure, with Dara reminding us to return to that place of stillness inside whether in  Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana or one of the short Savasanas.

At one point she said that she loved the supportive vibe in the class, something I absolutely felt also. Dara’s gentle example discouraged competition and judgment, and created that nurturing environment.

When backbends released grief for one student, Dara quoted Bikram, saying that every tear shed during the practice is a gift that goes directly to the gods.

Dara’s compassionate nature extends well beyond this one class: every Saturday, Sacred offers a free Warm yoga class followed by meditation class. All meditation classes at Sacred are free!

Sacred also supports the Flawless Foundation (seeing the perfection in every child) and the Prison Yoga Project.  Sacred is a vibrant new studio in the heart of Brooklyn, offering a wide range of classes to the community, driven by the spirit of sharing. What a beautiful gift!

Drop-in classes are $20. Sacred Intro Limited Time Offer - 2 weeks for $20.

--Anneke Lucas for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth was in search of some serious balance, so I headed to ISHTA Downtown for Sarah Platt-Finger’s Sweat & Samadhi class, a juicy hour and a half of intermediate vinyasa, restorative and meditation.  I always feel calmer and more focused after moving on the breath; it becomes easier to actually sit still and relax for meditation.  

I entered the simple and beautiful space of ISHTA Downtown and one of the teaching assistants was kind to hand me a prop pack: a belt, two blocks, two blankets and a bolster.  I appreciated the premeditated organization - nobody was going to be running around looking for props during this class!

To begin Sarah instructed us to come into Virasana on one of our blocks.  I adjusted my seat, found my comfort zone and closed my eyes.  We began by tapping into our breath, something we would continue to do throughout the practice.  With each inhale we silently said Sooo and with each exhale we silently said Humm.

We sat for several minutes feeling the calm and then we all chanted OM three times, opened our eyes and stretched our arms over head.  Sarah reminded us to continue to move on the breath as we twisted from side to side while still seated, then made our way to our hands and knees.

After a few cat/cow movements, we lifted one leg and the opposite arm, brought our knee to our elbow, then the center, then the opposite elbow. It was tough to keep the balance. After five repetitions, we switched sides, still using one breath per movement.

Next up, our first Down Dog, moving into a low lunge and twist. Sarah gave me a gentle, yet effect adjustment to keep my hips in line.  She talked about how surrendering and letting go brings us back to ourselves. The asana is just shapes and poses, thoughts and things, not who we are. We need to get out of the cerebral layer.  

We stretched one leg up into a three legged dog to really open up our hip, taking each side then down dog, plank and baby cobra.  After several repetitions, we found our way to Tadasana, grounding our feet down and once again breathing in Sooo and breathing out Humm.

We reached our hands high above our heads to the ceiling.  I could feel my torso getting longer and taller.  Sarah came around and once again gave me a gentile assist firming my outer arms in.  She made sure to travel around the room to assist where needed, while still keeping the flow and pace of the class moving along.

We stretched our arms from one side to the next several times and then came back to Tadasana. After seven full cycles of Surya Namaskar A, we flowed into a sequence of Parsvakonasana, Warrior II and Trikonasana.  
On to Surya  Namaskar B we started with high lunges and then moved to the full Warrior I. Now that we’d been fully warmed came Parsvottanasana to Parivrtta Trikonasana, with a challenge to twist deeper.

Sarah managed to give careful attention to all of her students, even in a packed room!  There was a real sense of community in the air as we moved from pose to pose. Sarah said to take our emphasis off the poses and put attention to the inside of us. We finished up the vinyasa flow part of class with handstand.  

We stopped moving and laid down on our mats and put our legs up the wall.  We were reminded to continue our Sooo Humm breath as we closed our eyes.  I felt a tingle in my feet and the blood flowing.  It felt good to stop for a moment.

We did ankle to knee and Baddha Konasana with our legs up the wall, then a supported Pachimottanasana with a bolster and block. The last restorative pose is my favorite, Goddess pose.  We had the option to stay here or come into a comfortable seat for meditation.  I chose to sit on my bolster against the wall for support.  Sarah encouraged us to do what we felt comfortable with.

After several minutes of silence, we came to our backs for Savasana.  I felt a deep sense of calm and overall balance.  We closed the class with an OM, Namaste and then I was on my way back into the world feeling a tighter mind-body-spirit balance.

For anyone looking to experience a beautiful, intelligent and balanced class, check out Sarah Platt-Finger’s Sweat and Samadhi on Tuesday and Fridays!

Single Drop-in Class is $22

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

When Yoga Sleuth heard that there was a class called YogaNerd at Virayoga, she couldn’t help but wonder just what the “nerd” part meant, and how nerdy was teacher Zhenja la Rosa going to make it? This yogi was determined to find out.

In her opening dharma talk, Zhenja shared a personal anecdote about how she had been repeatedly sought out by a publication to have pictures taken of her in various poses. Humbly declining each time, the publication kept at it, encouraging her to say yes. She thought about it and realized that this was a lesson that could very well be applied to yoga practice: Instead of saying no to a pose we think we cannot do or don’t want to do, say yes and open up to a world of possibility. Suffice it to say Zhenja finally agreed to be photographed, and then encouraged the 34 yogis in attendance in the loft-space studio to learn from her example, accepting the challenge by saying yes, watching as we move closer to where we want to be, both on and off the mat.

The message percolated as she led us through the Anusara invocation and then into Downward Facing Dog. Taking us through Classical Surya Namaskar to warm us up, we soon found ourselves in Virabhandrasana II, where Zhenja kept us as she helped us to fine-tune our stance, instructing us to lift our toes as we engaged the back leg while externally rotating the front thigh. “If we engage every muscle in the poses than we are able to engage in every possibility,” she said, one of many times she repeated this theme throughout class.

It didn’t take long for Yoga Sleuth to understand that the “nerd” in YogaNerd referred to the amount of knowledge and practice one has under his or her belt in choosing to come to such a class. Everyone who showed up to class today was looking to deepen their practice to really find the proper pose and alignment, which was made evermore clear when Zhenja would pause the class to demonstrate her articulations of a pose.

First up was Trikonasana, where her meticulous instruction helped us perfect the pose. Now finding a proper Triangle Pose is a tricky thing for this Yoga Sleuth. Something always seems to be awry, and every adjustment I’ve ever received from a teacher in this pose has felt different from the last. It’s as if I find a different wrong pose every time. But the guidance Zhenja provided opened the pose up to me in a way I had never discovered until today. “Waist line draws back, tailbone tucks under; lift your belly up and over the pelvis over the right (front) thigh.” Following her commands I felt strong and confident; my spine felt straight, parallel to the ground. Looking up at my left hand, I could feel every muscle engaged to get my body to contort into the pose, finding a relaxation through the struggle that got me there.

Then it was on to Parsvokonasana and Ardha Chandrasana, where Zhenja had us apply the same subtle movements we found in our new Trikonasana that refer to the Anusara inner spiral.

After evening out our bodies by taking these external rotation poses to the opposite side, Zhenja reintroduced us to them, upping the heart-opening, and difficulty, factor by adding in a bind. First taking us into Parsvokonasana to safely get us into a bound position, we straightened our front leg to find bound Triangle pose, maintaining our balance as our waist continued to move back, tailbone under as we tipped into bound Ardha Chandrasana. “This is probably the hardest standing pose, in my opinion,” Zhenja said as her students tried to fly. But under her tutelage, fly we did.

After having us partner up for Handstand, our fearless leader called us back to the top of our mats. “Alright, nerds,” she said as she took us into Utthita Hasta Padangustasana, gearing us up for what was to come. Rotating our lifted leg out to the side, she instructed us to take hold of our neighbor’s ankle that dangled in front of us to help us feel more balanced in the pose. This was all in preparation for Apantasana and the more challenging Vashistasana B.

And while she did her share of demoing poses for us to see each action at work, if she saw a yogi following her instructions, she would pause the class and invite us to watch as they found their perfect pose. We looked on in awe as one yogi demoed Tittibhasana (Firefly Pose), following Zhenja’s instruction to bring the waist back again, zipping up in the abs to help elongate the legs.

Shortly before Savasana time, Zhenja took Supta Padangustasana further than I ever thought possible. After taking hold of the right foot or leg and rotating the leg out from the hip to our side, our neighbor grabbing hold of our heel and pushing in to help us reconnect the femur bone back into the hip socket, we then brought our leg back to center and tried to bring it down by our head. Zhenja stopped us again to watch as one very flexible yogi found this reclining split; I know I wasn’t the only one amazed that the human body could move in such a way.

So if you are someone who has a more advanced practice and are looking to take things deeper and really understand how the body should enter, pause, and release from each pose, go see Zhenja. She’ll get you there.

Drop-in classes are $20

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

What felt like a month long rainstorm had finally abated, giving way finally to possibly the first beautiful spring evening of the year. It was time to take the mat outdoors, so Yoga Sleuth walked past the 59th Street Bridge and arrived at Yo Yoga, a buoyant and blossoming studio just 3 months old. To my delight, they were indeed holding class tonight outside on their inviting 3rd floor rooftop deck.

Alyssa Rubin, Yo Yoga's  dynamic and down-to-earth Power Yoga instructor, set us up facing each other in two rows on the soft astroturf. The air was warm and a bit sticky, but a pleasant breeze would soon arrive to carry us through our vinyasas.  

We came to the top of our mats to stand in Tadasana, where Alyssa prepared us for the work to follow. "Breathe into your torso, your diaphragm and your lungs," she guided.

"Grow a little bit longer, a little bit stronger. With every inhale find a little more space between each rib, between each vertebra. And with each exhale let the tension go from your shoulders, let the grinding go from your teeth." At this moment I became aware that I was sure enough grinding my back molars; remembering my recent root canal I relaxed my jaw.

As we surrendered into Uttanasana, Alyssa gave us a mental adjustment: "Whatever thought or feeling you have left over from the day, just let it go," followed quickly by a physical one: "Everyone bring your weight forward a little bit more into the balls of your feet." I did so, feeling immediately more balanced and engaged.

Rising into Urdvha Hastanasa, Alyssa had us hook our thumbs and gently arch  for a  baby backbend. Planting our hands we stepped our right legs back for a long lunge which quickly became a twist, one hand planted and the other yearning for the now-clear sky.  

"You want a straight line from your crown to your toes," said Alyssa as we settled into high plank. "Heart forward, shoulders away from your ears. Do not hold your breath!" she added sharply, responding to the unusual silence of some unnecessarily struggling students. "That will not help you!" Pulling our hips back we embarked on a down dog encounter of the three-legged kind. "Reach your lifted leg up an inch higher, and your grounded heel an inch lower," Alyssa challenged.

And now it was time to salute the setting sun, but Alyssa, spotting several new faces, decided to make sure we were all on the same page. While we settled into our down dogs, a mini-vinyasa workshop was in order, with the aid of a regular student as a model. Alyssa had the model demonstrate the proper way to hug the elbows in a full Chatturanga, called for the knees on the ground for a "beginner-friendly" version, and showed the differences between cobra and an up dog to get the newbies up to speed. Following the deft demo we went through a round of Sun A. "And this is power yoga," reminded Alyssa, "so let's do it again!"


Following our salutations, we windmilled the arms up to Warrior Two.  "Take a moment to check in with your alignment," said Alyssa. She instructed us to bring our hips low, and ground down the pinky toe edge side of our back foot. “Ideally you want your front knee at a 90-degree angle directly over your front foot. Maybe not today, and that's ok."

Alyssa then instructed us to wrap our arms behind us in either a reverse Namaskar or with hands clasping our elbows. I decided to try the former for a change, and found my shoulders were now open enough to maintain the prayer variation as my upper body reached over into Parsvottanasana.  
Beginning to wind down, we sat with one leg stretched and the other on the hip crease in a half lotus position, hands planted alongside our hips. "How does it feel?" asked Alyssa. "It doesn't matter where you are, as long as you're working."

For a finale we planted our sit bones on the mat for a lengthy sojourn into boat pose. Alyssa reminded us not to round here. "If you're rounding, you're straining your lower back and not getting the core work."

To challenge our abs further we sank down to an Ardha Navasana, then back to full, and then half again.  We playfully crisscrossed our legs in half-boat faster and faster as Alyssa counted down, before collapsing onto our backs for a sunset Savasana. Then Alyssa sent us out into the twilight, invigorated by our power practice and renewed by own rising sun.

Classes at Yo Yoga are all one hour; $12 with a $1 mat rental. Check out www.yoyoganyc.com for a schedule of rooftop classes.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

While Yoga Sleuth relishes the upbeat and at times very creative New York yoga scene, she deeply loves the classical, no frills Hatha yoga found at the New York Sivananda Center.  Each open level class is structured around just 12 core poses and 2 forms of Pranayama, with numerous Savasanas throughout practice.  There are beautiful classical invocation and closing chants.  No music is played, allowing practitioners to better zone into their breath.  Classes parallel the traditional yoga Sleuth has studied throughout India, where deep growth ensues through simple repetition and freedom through familiarity.

The Sivananda Center has inhabited the same sunny Chelsea townhouse since it was founded 1964.  Something so wonderful about the center is that it actually feels like a home.  You enter at the ground level into an airy space where there is a bookshop, the reception desk, and an open kitchen and dining area.   Not only are you greeted by a friendly staff primarily composed of volunteers, but also the wonderful aroma of freshly cooked vegetarian food.

The studio has 2 light-filled studios of equal size – the Sivananda room on the 2nd and Durga on the 3rd floor.  Both have a beautiful altar at the North end, and photographs of Swami Sivananda and his disciple, Swami Vishnu-devananda, on the walls.  Foam mats lay on the floor for placement, about 8 facing east and 8 facing west.  After laying our mats a top these, we assume Savasana right away.  

(A note about Sivananda yoga: If you are unfamiliar with the method, the sequence might initially feel backwards.  Each class begins with Savasana and then chanting and breathing exercises.  This is followed by 6 sets of traditional Surya Namaskara and then inversions, postures in supine position, those in prone position, seated poses, and finally standing poses before the final Savasana.)

In today’s class, we are drawn back from rest by the calming voice of Mohini, a beautiful woman with a warm presence who guides us up to sit for chanting and Pranayama.  Not only does her speaking voice lovingly take command of the room, but her crisp and well pronounced 5 verse Dhyana Slokah chant is inspiring.

The center’s open class chanting isn’t call and response.  Instead, students are encouraged to learn the chants over time through listening and studying the mantras (free copies with translation are available at the front desk).

After the invocation, Mohini leads us through 3 rounds of Kapalabhati breathing, each followed by kumbhaka (breath retentions of 45, 60, and then 75 seconds).  Her guidance is well timed and her careful adjustment of my occasionally overly back-bendy posture is very good.  Kapalabhati is followed by Anuloma Viloma, or alternative nostril breathing, in which each inhalation extends for a count of 4, the retention 16, and the exhalation for 8.  

The breath work, which takes about 15 minutes, is a wonderful challenge. It’s followed by a welcomed Savasana to prepare us for the postural practice, which begins with 6 sets of well-paced traditional Surya Namaskara.  Though there are only 12 primary poses practiced in an open level Sivananda class, it is still physically and mentally rigorous.  For example, Mohini allots 4 – 5 minutes for headstand (students can also practice Dolphin pose).  Shoulder stand is held for at least 3 minutes.  Mohini also offers advanced variations to more experienced students when appropriate.  

I embrace the longer postural holds.  Not only are the internals benefits deepened, but each asana becomes a meditative seat.  There is a greater opportunity to watch the mind’s behavior, which Mohini lovingly reminds us to do thorough out class, and gently draw it back when it wanders.

Mohini’s class never feels rigid or repetitive.  She also sensibly varies the traditional sequence when appropriate.  Full wheel might be replaced with camel pose, seated spinal twist with thread the needle.  Her alignment focused instructions are in-depth and well-articulated.  And, though Mohini offers more variations than most of the teachers I’ve studied with at the center, she always honors the classical sequencing of this Hatha yoga method.  

The final Savasana is so sweet and deep.  Mohini softly guides us through tense and release exercises and then “auto-suggestion”, in which we consciously relax the body part by part.  After some moments of rest, we quietly come to sit and unite our voices for the closing chant.

I leave with my mind and body feeling exceptionally rejuvenated and relaxed.  Whether you are a well-seasoned yoga practitioner or relative beginner, I believe you will feel the same after taking Mohini’s class.

--Sophie Herbert for Yoga Sleuth

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m settling into restorative class at Yoga Vida near Union Square, as Cat Acquaviva invites us to “imagine your perfect day…”

Reclining in a scrumptiously supported pose, with every corner of my body supported by a carefully selected assortment of cushy props, it didn’t take much imagination. The phone was turned off, I had nowhere to rush off to, and a sound backdrop of gentle nature sounds and crisp chimes lulled me into a tranquility that can be hard to find in NYC.

Cat’s peaceful demeanor and buoyant energy put me at ease before the class even began. A newcomer to the studio, I was welcomed as into a friend’s living room with warm smiles and a tour of the facility which includes two practice rooms and a cozy sitting area. The first thing I saw as I entered the class was an enticing setup of props, whetting my appetite for the deep relaxation to come – and giving us all the opportunity to have our setup ready when class began.

As we sat in our opening pose, Cat led us through a deep breathing practice to help us transition into being fully present. “Put aside your thoughts of the day and your to-do list; it will still be there when you leave, but this opportunity to get centered and focus on your breathing may not.”

The most challenging aspect of a restorative class to me is manipulating all the props, and Cat led us into each pose so masterfully that even the transitions between poses were relaxing. She magically seemed to show up with an extra blanket or bolster as needed to help us find complete comfort in each pose. A decadent hand massage with lavender scented oil in Viparita Karani (legs up the wall with hips elevated) was icing on the restorative cake.

As we rested in Supta Baddha Konasana (reclining bound angle pose), she offered us the mantra: inhale “LET;” exhale “GO.” My body cushioned and enveloped by a smorgasbord of bolsters, blocks, and blankets, I surrendered to gravity and exhaled the tensions of the day.

“When thoughts come up, don’t follow them,” Cat reminded us as we rested in a supported Upavistha Konasana (seated straddle with bolster and blankets). “We’re under constant stress living in NYC. Honor yourself for showing up today to do something healing,” she suggested.

“You can set an intention to nurture yourself in the coming week, maybe with an extra hour of sleep, a restorative yoga pose at home, or a hot bath.” This class reminded me of the importance of taking time out of a busy day to rejuvenate. I think I’ll take all of the above – thanks Cat!

$10/class; $5 for students; new student special, one week unlimited for $10, includes one free towel and mat rental.

--Lauren Tepper for Yoga Sleuth

Alignment is key to getting into poses safely and correctly. That’s why Yoga Sleuth decided to head to Brooklyn’s Greenhouse Holistic where Leigh Evans adds in preparatory moves to help yogis find deeper and proper postures once the flow of the class picks up.

After chanting Om three times, it was on to Sun Salutations, where Leigh had us come up into a high lunge and fine-tune our stance. She asked us to square off our hips and to lift our hip points up, making sure the front knee was directly over the ankle while simultaneously engaging the back leg.

It wasn’t until she brought us into our first Warrior I that I realized we needed to go through those “baby steps” to help our hips remember what it feels like to be squared, as many of the poses she would bring us into required this hip action; hello Warrior III, Revolved Triangle, and Revolved Half Moon!

Leigh certainly worked the whole class into a sweat, not only with a multitude of vinyasas, but also by having us hold poses for long periods of time. Keeping the hips in line is so important to so many yoga poses, and having to hold the pose for five breath counts really helps to find alignment.

After the last vinyasa, Leigh took us to the wall where we worked on handstand and forearm stand with split variations. In preparation for forearm stand, Leigh suggested those with a somewhat new forearm practice to use a strap to keep arms and elbows parallel and shoulders’ distance apart. “The strap is great to use because it acts as training wheels for this pose, but we can’t use training wheels forever,” she said.

As we attempted the pose, Leigh shared a quick story about when first moved to Pittsburgh as a kid. “There were these two 7-year-old boys in my neighborhood that still were using training wheels on their bikes! I couldn’t believe it!” She had to help them, she said.

And this is exactly the kind of passion that Leigh dedicated to each of us to make sure we came not only into forearm stand correctly and safely, but with every pose that she led us through, helping those that needed the assistance to find alignment and balance. This yogi had never in her life gone up in forearm stand, but with Leigh’s help I got up and received encouraging instructions - “Push down through your forearms! Reach up through your feet!” - to help me feel more confident while upside down.

Next, it was time to give our quads a major stretch. Still at the wall, we took a Downward Dog split with our right leg raised and pressing into the wall. Then Leigh had us slide our right leg down until our bent knee reached the ground with our shin pressing into the wall, sometimes knon as King Arthur Pose. “This quad stretch helps to circulate blood to the reproductive organs,” Leigh informed us.

“I know it’s intense, but we’re going to do it again because this is an area we don’t normally access or stretch,” said Leigh who then upped the difficulty factor the second go-round by having us outstretch our arms in front of us, interlacing the fingers, and then reaching our arms above our heads.

“If we do something and it is easy for us, then we probably aren’t going to learn anything new from it. It’s the things that we find difficult that are our greatest teachers, which doesn’t just apply to the poses we do on the mat but in our personal lives as well.”

Finally we made our way to Savasana, sinking into our mats, our bodies and minds letting go of all the hard work.

Leigh’s classes promise to make you more aware of your body and to work hard, but her precise instructions and encouragement will guide you through it all. If you’re looking for a challenge in your yoga practice and a true learning experience be sure to stop into one of Leigh’s classes!

Drop-in clases are $15.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

As May continued to do its “rain-soaked April” imitation for a 5th straight day, Yoga Sleuth was in desperate need of a pick-me-up. The fog was lifted immediately as I entered the inviting studio of Yogamaya and saw a smiling Stacey Brass seated behind her harmonium, ready to Om the gloom away.

Stacey, also the studio director, led us in a round of chants of the blessing Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu, often translated as “may all beings everywhere be happy and free.” With Stacey’s deft harmonium playing to accompany us, our voices were loud and strong (and on key!). “Notice the change in the air,” said Stacey as our voices faded. “We’ve created a charge, a positive atmosphere in which to do our Asanas.”

We began this portion of our adventure by simply raising our arms overhead into what Stacey called a “column” position. We kept our arms straight, imagining them lengthening beyond the pull of our shoulders, wrists in line as we yearned to touch the rain-spotted skylight. From there we lowered one arm to the knee and the other behind the sacrum in a simple seated twist.

“Now not only close your eyes, but imagine resting your eyeballs, “ said Stacey. “So that when you open them, your eyes are not active and searching, but simply taking everything in.”

We relaxed our gazes as we rose to mountain pose. “This is the pose we will return to, to take stock of where we are, how we are feeling,” said Stacey. We then repeated the twist with arms in a “T”, Stacey encouraging us to twist with everything down to our bellies while keeping the hips square to the front. And in between round after round of Surya Namasaker A and B, punctuated with Vinyasas that got faster with each pass, we were sure to spend several breaths taking stock in Tadasana.

Although we were in a fairly vigorous flow that got us sweating, alignment-focused Stacey made sure we were in our best expressions of each pose at all times. She called students out by name with short but on-the-nose corrections, and worked the 16-student room from end-to-end with hands on adjustments whenever possible.

We spent a long time exploring our forward folds, coming up repeatedly to practice flattening our backs, then taking our big toes with peace fingers, feeling for the lift in the middle arches of our feet. Turning to the side wall we raised our arms again to the “T” position.

“Think of milkmaids, with a pail of milk on each arm,” said Stacey. “I don’t know why that image popped into my head, but that’s exactly what it should feel like!” From here we lowered into a wide legged forward fold, building on the work we had already done.

This was followed by a balancing sequence that had us all stretching our limbs to their edges in Hasta Padangustasana. Instead of doing my usual “hands under the thigh” variation, I found I was able to grab my big toe and hold it after all, albeit with a microbend in the knee. “It’s totally ok if the knee is bent!” said Stacey, answering the question in my head.

It was then that Stacey revealed the pose that all our work had been building up to: Revolved Triangle. She began with a humorous but informative demonstration of a person doing it awkwardly, bringing her arm clumsily to the ground with a thud and losing the twist in the process. Then she cued us expertly through a proper version, using all the elements we had practiced earlier.

We held a block in one hand, raising our arms to the “column” position, then planting the back foot squarely (as we had in Warrior one) and lifting the middle arch (just like we learned in forward fold). Then, we lowered those arms to that vivid  “milkmaid” position, and twisted our heads, chests and bellies, just as we had in the beginning of class.

“Twist to lower,” beckoned Stacey, “let the block land wherever it lands. It’s your triangle, pay no attention to anyone else’s.” And before I could say Parivrtta, I found myself in a “personal best” expression of revolved triangle. We repeated on the other side, and then did it  once more without cueing, some students even exploring the pose sans block.

To rest our legs before Savasana, Stacey suggested eschewing the traditional shoulder stand for the more restorative and supported block under the sacrum, with soles to the ceiling. After a quiet Savasana with blankets rolled under our thighs, Stacey serenaded us with the harmonium once more.

“Thanks for coming to class in this challenging day,” she smiled. As we bowed in gratitude, Stacey reminded us that we can’t control everything that happens to us, but Yoga can put an electric charge in the air that will keep us centered and at peace no matter what.

Drop-in classes at Yogamaya are $18 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The Sports Club LA is a palatial gym where Upper East Siders spin and run on their treadmills overlooking the East River. Up on the fifth floor Amrit Ramkissoon, a teacher of twenty years experience and professional rollerblader, was teaching a music-free Kundalini Yoga class in a quiet room. The class was a mixed group of newbies and experienced Kundalini yogi(ni)s.

Amrit began by tuning us in with the Adi Mantra which he translated as “I bow to my infinite self.” We moved onto some Agni Prana (breath of fire, of course). In this instance Amrit had us bend our elbows and turns our palms up and out to the side. A stickler for alignment he moved around the room correcting postures, including Sleuth’s “duck back” while we practiced our breath of fire.

Throughout class, Amrit would have us rest in Savasana or Sukhasana between each pose to feel the energetic change. Moving onto Kundalini Lotus pose (a wide-legged Navasana holding onto the toes with middle, index fingers and thumb) we continued our breath of fire as Amrit encouraged us to open up through our chests and not round through the upper back. Continuing with difficult abdominal work we held Navasana with breath of fire, bent or straight legs, for two minutes.

Moving onto backbends we held Cobra with long, deep breathing for a couple of minutes. Amrit encouraged those who were flexible to keep their toes together and make sure their hips stayed on the floor. Stacking our shoulders over our wrists and knees underneath our hips we began a round of cat/cow. Amrit instructed us to speed up once our alignment was correct and we had found the rhythm of it.

The class increased in intensity as we got into standing poses. We took Archer pose with breath of fire for several minutes on each side. In Kundalini, Archer pose looks a little like Warrior II pose except the back arm is bent back and all the fingers of both hands are curled in and the thumbs stick up. The drishti is placed at the tip of the thumb. Here Amrit encouraged us to open up through our chests and bend our knees to a ninety degree angle.

With feet hip width apart we came to a flat back with hands dangling off the floor. Amrit advised us to use the mirrors to make sure our backs were really flat. This pose was held for several minutes and was easily the most challenging pose of the day, taking its toll on the back, the hamstrings and abdominals. While this was a tough exercise, afterwards my lower back did feel stronger and my kidneys were tingling.

The class was very grateful to meditate after this. The meditation was Kirtan Kriya. In this variation Amrit had us hold our hands at solar plexus level then with our thumbs together we alternated pressing our index, middle, ring and pinkie fingers together as we silently chanted Sa Ta Na Ma (Infinity, Life, Death, Rebirth). It was easier to hold my focus after some rigorous body work.

Classes at The Sports Club/LA are membership only.

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

AntiGravity Yoga is a circus! Don't let anyone tell you anything different. Of course that is meant in the best way possible. Walking into the yoga space at Asphalt Green felt like walking into a gym that had been visited by the sweet yoga fairies from on high, like high in the rafters where aerialists perform their daring stunts. White billowy fabrics hang from the ceiling of the studio, but instead of acrobats you find yogis and instead of Cirque du Soleil it's an elegant dance between you, the fabric and the forces of nature.

It was my first time attempting aerial yoga but luckily about 90% of the class was completely new to this apparatus as well. Thankfully, our teacher, the aptly named Ariel Williams was incredibly clear and welcoming with her instructions. She also let us in on the secret to practicing this type of yoga, "you're going to look ridiculous" she told us flat out. "And that's perfectly ok." And with that we were swinging on on our way.

We started slowly getting into our breath, and getting used to gripping the 9 feet of fabric with our hands. Our small group of gravity defyers were instructed to keep an eye on the natural plumb line during our practice so as not to slip too far forward or back or out of the sling. This practice takes some trust and as much as you have to grip to begin you have to let go to fully enjoy it.

While wrapping your legs around sheaths of stretchy fabric may not feel so much like yoga at first, we ended up maneuvering our bodies into yoga-like poses such as Virabhadrasana III, Downward Facing Dog and upside down hanging like a bat pose, all with the support of the harness. If you’re familiar with the Iyengar rope wall, it's a very similar routine and sensation, using the fabric at the hip crease to traction the spine and fold over into Down Dog, or wrapped around your legs to hang like Batman.

If you're a newbie, this may all sound quite daring, but Ariel's very clear and precise instructions had every single one of us swinging from the rafters with the greatest ease. Any time we needed a break we could assume resting pose, which involved threading the fabric under our arms  and around our upper backs to hug our shoulder blades for a supported chest opener.

There’s an obvious child-like nature to Antigravity yoga and at one point we actually did swing back and forth like kids on a playground, eventually hopping forward to land like a graceful trapeze artist. Or at least we tried!

The fabric also felt very cocoon like and supportive. As one would in a hammock, we were instructed to relax our bodies while the fabric formed around us, like a baby swaddled in a blanket.

At the end of class, as we were wrapped in our cocoons, Ariel asked us to focus on our heartbeat, now drawing the direct connection to very early days of being a baby. "It's interesting to think about how before we're born we don't have our own heartbeat, but rather take on the heartbeat of our mothers. And our mothers theirs, and on and on.”

With this we slid our backs to the floor, paused in aerial Viparita Karani and then finished with a traditional Savasana. We had swung our way through the circle of life, and left feeling refreshed and yes a bit lighter!

Drop-in classes are $24. Members pay $12 per session.

--YogaDork for Yoga Sleuth

“Happy Mother’s Day!” Hatha and Kundalini Yoga trained Sokhna Heathyre Mabin sang as she walked into Shambhala Yoga and Dance’s new studio—they just moved down the street—with its polished wood floor and dark green and beige walls. Up front an altar with little Ganesh, Tara, Shiva and Buddha statues stared down at us.

After tuning in with the Adhi Mantra, Sokhna guided us straight into an intense and lengthy kriya from Kundalini Yoga for Youth and Joy for the lymph glands. We began in Sukhasana with our fingers interlaced behind our necks, inhaling to twist to the left, exhale to twist to the right for nine minutes. This opened up the arm pits where many of the lymph glands are stored. In the same seated position we then bounced our knees up and down using our hands to lift our knees up.

Sokhna was playing mother themed music starting with sounds of mother earth such as a roaring ocean and twittering birds. She would later play “Jai Ma,” “Sita Ram” and the “Adi Shakti” mantra for the Divine Mother.

To gear up the naval point we then leaned back on our hands and began kicking our own butts to “reset the sitting bones” as Sokhna told us. Then we alternately punched out our arms extending our fingers out then drawing them back into fists as our arms came back by our sides.

Building up the shoulder muscles we did some body drops followed by hip circles to the left. Chanting the mantra “Sa ta na ma” [infinity, life, death, rebirth] we moved our heads in synch up, down, to the left and to the right. We then flexed our spines while doing lion’s breath on the exhale which really helped get Sleuth’s toxins out. I could feel it by the metallic taste on my tongue.

Coming to standing we began spinal flexes, also moving the knees up and down with the spinal flex to lubricate the knees. Sitting back down we stretched out our legs in front of us and alternately flexed and pointed the feet. We then took some hip circles to the right this time. “When you do hip circles to the left it aids digestion and when you do hip circles to the right it aids elimination,” Sokhna said.

Shaking our heads side to side we tried relaxing the muscles of the jaw. “This resets the jaw,” Sokhna told us. “If you were breastfed as a child that is one way you would have set the jaw.” Sokhna has this knowledge from her work as a doula.

Taking our arms out to chest level we rapidly shook our wrists towards the center of the body. This is another exercise that stimulates circulation and eliminates toxins. Bringing our hands into our laps we began chanting “Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Hari” for endurance. Har is the seed sound of creation and Hari is creation in action.

Class ended with a three part meditation. “The Universe and Me, Me and the Universe are one,” followed by “”I am the Universe, the Universe Is Me” and finally “All Things Come from God, All Things Go to God.”
Feeling drowsy, I gratefully took Savasana.

After Sokhna closed the class, she advised us to have some cilantro and avocado or melon which is now in season. A woman of many talents Sokhna is also an herbalist and it’s wonderful to have these extra bits of knowledge injected into her kundalini class.

Drop-in classes are $15

—Marie Carter for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth was intrigued by Deborah Bagg, a funny, funky, devotional South African who looks at yoga through an organic, creative and spiritual lens. And, so one lazy Saturday morning I found myself in Chelsea at the beautiful Yogamaya Yoga Studio.

Deborah started the class by showing us pictures from Vanda Scaravelli’s classic Awakening the Spine. We looked at ancient Egyptian drawings and reliefs of backbends. The half naked acrobats looked as if they were doing Urdva Dhanurasana (Full Wheel) to entertain monarchs.

We also viewed a photo of Scaravelli attempting a standing drop back juxtaposed with a picture of a beautiful ocean wave. Obviously it was going to be a class of deep backbends with a suitably active playlist.

We warmed up with vigorous Sun Salutations.  She asked us to do a variation with our hands on blocks so that we were able to get the most out of our Upward Facing Dog poses. We were asked to put weight in our feet as we took Warrior I, allowing us to find more life in our mid-spine. And, we played with holding our top foot in Half Moon Pose.

Throughout the class Deborah asked us to release ourselves from holding and find all the possibilities that lay within.  She encouraged us to forget about our fears and through precise instruction got me to jump back to Chatturanga from Crow.

Using a strap, we practiced Dancer Pose, standing on one leg with our other foot caught in a loop, our arms bent at the elbow and held overhead. Lifting the foot to the head and taking the head back to the foot.

Once warmed up, we practiced full Locust variations. Chin on the floor, hands underneath our torsos, legs lifting to the sky. It’s a pose that’s not often taught but Deb’s clear instructions helped everyone attempt it in a manner that was safe on the lower back.

Since we were well warmed up and prepared, we were ready for Full Wheel and Standing Drop-Backs. The Ancient Egyptians had nothing on the group of 15 students assembled for this class. When it came time to drop back, Yoga Sleuth utilized the wall to come towards the floor while Deb assisted a student on my right to come back quietly in the middle of the room.

A well earned Supta Padangusthasana took out any kinks in my flexible lower back and then it was time for a lovely rest.

Deb’s class was thoughtfully themed, well –sequenced and energetic. While clearly not for beginners, intermediate students should feel that the class will challenge them enough without pushing them too far. I’ll surely be back for more.

Drop-in classes are $18 for Single Full-Length, and $13 for Hour-Long.

--B. Erica Spraos for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth’s been needing to work on her balance lately, making sure to distribute her weight evenly through her feet in standing poses. Lucky for her, she attended Marko Galjasevic’s class Open Level Vinyasa class at the Yoga Room, who had one-legged standing poses aplenty to challenge this yogi’s stability.

Forgoing opening meditation, Marko started class alternating between Paschimottanasana and reverse plank to awaken the minds and bodies of the 12 yogis able to participate in a late morning practice.

Transitioning into a few vinyasas, there was nothing classical about his salutations as his version of Surya Namaskar took us into side angle and straight into Vasisthasana. “Think of your arms as like one long column,” Marko said, to encourage our chests to open, our shoulder blades to come together on our backs.

Yes, Marko kept us on our toes, er, feet as he made sure to bring us into many Warrior IIIs by way of Parsvottanasana. With so much rooting through our standing leg, thankfully our challenging instructor made sure to keep the backdrop mellow with an ambient soundtrack of Shpongle and Ott.

Once things got heated up, Marko also turned up the difficulty factor, taking us through Warriors I, II, and III, followed by Tree Pose, which segued into Standing Split, easing into Ardha Chandrasana then landing in a lunge. From there we straightened our front leg for Parsvakonasana then twisting our torsos into Trikonasana before heading back into Vinyasa territory.

Sensing we were getting a little tired, he assured us we’d get a chance to rest. “Our senses make wonderful servants, but they make horrible masters. We’ll take a break soon,” he promised. “I’ve got an added treat.” By taking us through some twists via Utkatasana, Marko satiated our sweet teeth, adding a little savory with another sequence before making good on his promise and resting us in Child’s Pose.

“If you come here and think you’re gonna get bendy and all Cirque du Soleil, you’re missing the point,” Marko reassured us as we drank in the stillness of the pose. “Sure, we may be getting tight abs and slimming down our bodies, but we’re here to train the mind. The other stuff is just a bonus.”

All this was just preparation for the last pose of the class. Setting us up in a low lunge with our right leg forward, Marko instructed us to grab our right foot with our left hand, rotating our chest up into a side plank variation with us (trying) to extend our right leg out and up into a split. “Make sure your chest is opening toward the ceiling, that you’re not hunching, collapsing in the shoulders,” guided Marko. “It’s okay if you don’t extend your leg fully, just work on opening your chest.”

With all the variances Marko guided his class into, it was obvious that this is a teacher who likes to fly, which was made even more apparent when he took us to the wall to practice Handstand. Demonstrating his Whip & Kick (his Whip the straight leg he swings up, his Kick the leg that pumps and kicks himself upside down) he instructed us: “You want to land your foot on the ground as slowly and quietly as possible,” his body shaking as he forced it to follow his own instructions. But follow it he did as the class watched in awe; you could have heard a pin drop, that’s how inaudible his movements were.

For some Handstand practice was easy; for others, not so much. “We tend to curse ourselves more often than we bless ourselves,” says Marko. “Too often we're ready to say that we can't do this or that without ever really putting thought into why we ‘can't.’

But if we reflect, oftentimes we realize that the word can't is a filler for concepts like ‘fear,’ ‘too much work,’ ‘laziness.’ I challenge students who come to my class with challenging asanas not because they can't do them, but because they can... they just haven't realized it yet.”

If you are someone in need of a challenge or just in need of a sequence makeover, head to Marko; he’s got the moves.

Drop-in classes are $18.

--Jessica Mahler for Yoga Sleuth

As I cross East 13th Street, Yoga Sleuth can already see a thriving community through the street-level windows of East Yoga. The previous class is letting out a gaggle of blissed out yogis. Entering the warmly lit lobby I am greeted by a smiling woman behind the desk that turns out to be Megan Murphy, my soon-to-be teacher. She asks me about my practice and injuries, and promises to help me with my pesky SI joint.

There are 16 of us gathered in the earth-toned studio: a pretty full house for an end-of-day class. Many are regulars, but one man in particular raises his hand to disclose he has never set foot on a mat before (although the socks he is wearing had already tipped her off). Megan welcomes him and keeps a friendly eye on him throughout our class.

Megan is a breath-centered alignment expert, a devotee of the great Leslie Kaminoff. During class we get a lot of personal attention and ultra-specific cues. She also happens to have a beautiful ring in her voice that soothes and reassures as she puts us through our paces. “If it gets harder,” she coaxes, “just breathe deeper.”

We start with some supine twists to juice up before practicing getting that all-important flat back in ardha uttanasana. When it’s time for the first down dog of the night, Megan has a look at all of us and decides it’s time for a workshop. She brings up one of the studio’s Karmis to demo, showing how she needs to bend her knees to obtain that straight spine.

“Partner up!” says Megan, and I introduce myself to the friendly yogi on my left. We proceed to constructively critique and adjust each other’s Down Dogs. My partner and I spy that I need to bend my knees too, even more than I realize, and soon my alignment is (near) perfecto.

“You will hear people in class say, ‘oh my calves are burning!”  says Megan as we embark on our Utkatasanas. “They shouldn’t be. Learn to distribute the work evenly throughout the body.” And as one we adjust ourselves so shoulders, back, hips and legs are functioning in unison.

“We were never taught to sigh at the end of a hard day,” says Megan in her most soothing tones as we melt into bridge. “When you’re having trouble with work, with your partner…how much better would it be if you could let it all go with one deep exhale?” And it occurs to me, as I surrender my heart in the pose, that Megan’s class is in itself, one big blissful sigh.

And she hasn’t forgotten our pre-class chat either. “Put more of the work in the middle back,” she says, glancing over to me. “That will put less pressure on the lower back, and relieve any SI joint problems.” I smile back in silent gratitude.

Classes at East Yoga are an $18 drop-in with a $1 mat rental; new students can come on board for 3 classes at $30.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

In his quest for enlightenment about alignment, Yoga Sleuth took himself down to the Shala House. Part of a triumvirate of great Yoga studios on Broadway in Union Square (including Jivamukti and Om), the Studio is known for its early morning Mysore Ashtanga sessions. But this Ashtanga Jedi still needs his Yoda, and so I planted myself in the packed led class of Sherry Russell.

We began with a long and devoted series of chants. Our voices reverberated around the pristine white studio, adorned with wine colored curtains, paintings of the gods and topped with a sky-light in the high ceiling, letting in the lunchtime sun. Our meal today would be a full Primary Series.

We launched into a long series of Sun Salutation A, with vigorous vinyasas in between, and by the time we hit Sun B with Utkatasana, we  were already soaked! The students were clearly all at different levels of experience; and as is customary with Ashtanga, child pose was not called, but the wise students took it whenever their bodies called for it.

Sherry is an expert leader; as there really is no time for joking around or anecdotal asides in a full primary class, Sherry stuck to the book throughout—preceding each cue with its Sanskrit translation; always keeping us in a pose for the prescribed five breaths.

When it was time to plant our sit bones, I knew I was in a bind…or more to the point, I wanted to be. Sadly, this yogi’s proportions don’t generally allow for that. Nevertheless, I threw myself into the Marichyasana series with all the gusto I could muster.

When I got to B and struggled to join hands around one knee while sitting on the other foot, Sherry crouched next to me. “Better to keep working on Marichyasana A,” she suggested, reminding me to honor my body—and my practice—exactly where they were. I did so, and proceeded through my version of the sequence with more calm and self-acceptance. From there we held several 5 breath-long Navasanas to complete the first half of the series.

Later in the class, although Sherry stuck to the primary series in totality, several students began deviating, skipping ahead to the finishing series. This signaled to me that they were all at different places in their Ashtanga practice and were honoring that, just as Sherry advised me to. I made valiant efforts in Bhujapidasana (shoulder press) and Kurmasana (turtle) before taking a long rest in Balasana. Sherry placed her hands on either side of my sacrum to help me fold deeper, as if blessing my decision to take a sabbatical.

I returned to the series to join the class in some feisty wheels, then the finishing sequence began in earnest with Sarvangasana, Karnapidasana (ear-pressing pose, although I only pressed the air around my ears!), and Urdvha Padmasana and Mathsyasana (shoulderstand and fish with legs in lotus, respectively). After the climactic headstands A and B, we were off into Savasana-land, drenched, sore and yet strangely invigorated (I even hit the gym straight after class).

Whether you’re an Ashtanga “Padawan” or a Master looking for a refresher, Sherry and the Shala are a great place to kick start your practice.

Classes at the Shala are $19 with a $2 mat rental.

--Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

The temperature outside was freezing, so Yoga Sleuth headed down to Strala Yoga in SoHo for a desperately needed warm-up.  I’d heard a lot of good things about the studio and the owner, Tara Stiles, so I was excited to practice!  Entering the large white room, with wood floors and high ceilings, I noticed the only decoration was the sun beaming in from the floor to ceiling windows at the far end of the studio. I loved the expansiveness: a place to fill the space with asana, breath and my own ideas. No need for colorful walls and deities.

I set up my mat at the front of the room and settled into Sukhasana.  The friendly woman from the front desk announced that she would be teaching class, and began by instructing us all to move into Down Dog.  I asked her name and she said Tara…as in Tara Stiles. She was so down to earth and humble, I would have never guessed that she was a celebrity yoga teacher. I was now even more excited to experience the studio's style from the owner!   

To get us warmed up, Tara had us move from Down Dog to plank several times, holding our plank for a few breaths, to strengthen our core, she explained.  We continued to warm up with low lunges, Baby Cobra and a few rounds of Salabhasana.  In plank, we shifted one knee to each elbow and then down the middle landing in a low lunge.  The movement seemed subtle, but it really worked my abdominal muscles.

Tara encouraged us to breathe on our own, without calling out each breath.  We worked the core further by doing several rounds of Chaturanga push ups.  My arms got hot as I tried to focus on tucking my belly button towards my center.

Vashistasana was next.  Tara had us play with variations, like putting our top arm over head stretching laterally, lifting the top leg or placing it in tree pose.  In a relaxed tone she said do the variation that works for you. Coming back to the lunges, we began to twist to the side and back to center several times.  The movement was so fluid just like Tara’s voice and instructions.  The breath came naturally to me with each movement.  

We did several sun breaths and then moved into Surya Namaskar A several times on our own breath.  Tara weaved through the students and made adjustments while we moved. She came to me and gave a gentle yet effective assist in Down Dog.  I definitely appreciated it!  We continued with standing poses, moving into Warrior II, bending and straightening our legs, then Parsvakonasana and Trikonasana.  Again, each transition felt fluid, there were no forced breaths, no harsh movements, no intense instructions.  

Tara had a way of suggesting things, like encouraging our back heel back in a lunge to really straighten the back leg, rather than giving us orders. It made the environment very relaxed, even as we built heat in our bodies. We went through an interesting transition, Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana to Ardha Chandrasana to Warrior II, followed later on by Standing split to balancing with our knee to chest several times and then to Warrior I.  

Tara again instructed us in an easy tone allowing us to find the poses without any pressure.  I felt like I was dancing from pose to pose.  After trying different versions of pigeon, we made our way to the floor for Paschimottanasana.  Again, Tara gave me a gentle assist.  She pressed down just enough on my hips letting me extend my spine a little further, allowing for a real release.

Winding down, we made our way to our backs for bridge pose, shoulder stand and a deep supine twist.  We had glided through the class and by Savasana I was ready to rest without feeling worn out.

Strala Yoga is a friendly and relaxed setting to get your asana on. In the classes, each movement, breath and instruction is fluid and approachable to all levels. For just $10 a class you have an opportunity to expand yourself in a beautiful space with down to earth teachers.  

--Margie Suvalle for Yoga Sleuth

Filing into the Goddess room at Jivamukti’s Downtown studio, Sleuth was reminded of why I rarely attend morning yoga classes. Between the pushy subway commuters and the excessively warm studio, my Pitta imbalance was on the rise and threatening to overflow—and it wasn’t even nine AM yet.

Dechen opened a jar of what smelled like menthol tiger balm and placed it on the floor in the center of the room before class started. After a few grounding breaths we moved into down dog and quickly began flowing through several sun salutations intermixed with lunging and warrior sequences. Dechen continually paced our breath and called out the inhales and exhales over the thumping rock music. I was mildly distracted by the smell of the menthol, but the rhythmic breathing and fast-paced flow helped to burn out some of my fiery energy.

After a few rounds, Dechen threw in a challenging sequence of warrior III transitioning to revolved half moon and then folding into standing split. Under normal circumstances, I would have felt these poses were out of place so early in the class, but since I was already sweating profusely, they fit right in.

As we moved dynamically though a few rounds of Malasana, Dechen said, “Each pose is for every part of the body. Remember to breathe into all parts of your body, even those you don’t think are an important part of the pose, like your toes.” It was a relief to be able to think of the pose as a whole and just breathe.

To cool us down, Dechen moved us to the floor for a forward folding sequence. During Janu Sirsasana, he commented that oftentimes we just fall into the pose and focus on the stretching at the back of the knee. Proving that all poses are for all parts of the body, he instructed us to think about strengthening the front of the body because if the front of the body is stronger, the back of the leg doesn’t need to be as flexible. This was truly a revelation for Yoga Sleuth as it decreased the sensation behind the knee and I found myself being able to truly relax in this pose.

Finally, after a long shoulder stand and a deliciously long 10-minute Savasana, we settled in for a short meditation. Dechen once again offered one of his nuggets of wisdom. “Meditation is what it’s all about. It’s not about the physical. Everyone experiences the three states of Creation, Destruction and Balance, but yogis get to experience the fourth—Witness.” I sat and witnessed a complete calmness, the fiery Pitta having long ago been brought back into balance. 

-Allison Richard for Yoga Sleuth

“Amy will register you herself,” I was told when I arrived. The promise of individual attention from such an esteemed teacher was my first hint at what was in store for this class. “We take yoga personally,” is the center’s trademarked motto. How true it is.

I accompanied Amy, whose warmth and wisdom is instantly apparent, into the bright, airy classroom whose sky-high ceiling was punctuated with beams of gleaming white. Just three other mats were in place, belonging to the students in the year-long Embodied Anatomy & Kinesiology series. The asana class is the “part two” of the Friday afternoon session, focusing on the A&K lesson of the day.

The humerus, the long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow, was due for some serious consideration. By exploring eight poses in-depth, Amy showed us the ways it can move independently from the other parts of the arm.

We began by lying on the back, bending the elbows, and rotating the palms (gripping balls to keep the hands static) inward then outward. “Keep the heads of the humerus down,” Amy instructed. She instantly noted that my left side had a tendency to pop up, and offered an informative adjustment. We then rose to our knees and practiced our new mindfulness toward the humerus in a cat/cow sequence, collarbones extended.

In full cobra, we learned how much deeper the pose can be by bringing the whole upper arm into it, rather than simply pulling the shoulders back. In downward dog, crow (practiced on a block to experience the rotation from extra height), Chattarunga (“Move the shoulder joints firmly in," Amy said), and, finally, in wheel, we experienced the full range of rotation.

Moving toward Savasana with a simple twist that mirrored the warm-up with the clear intention to keep the humerus grounded, Amy noted that the lesson was drawing to a close. In my mind, only minutes seemed to have elapsed—could time travel be a by-product of intense concentration? It seemed so. The clear, careful work offered many benefits, most notably a feeling of clarity and energy.

Afterward, I talked with fellow class member Kyle, who teaches at OM. “You’ll never do downward dog or Chattarunga the same way again,” he predicted. He was right.

$15 per class; all mats and props included in the class fee

—Denise Roy for Yoga Sleuth

Looking to wrap up the evening (and 2009) with a well-rounded class, Yoga Sleuth headed to MonQi Fitness (now known as Method Gym) for a workout of both body and mind with Cait Morth. The studio was once the site of Jim Henson's Muppet Studio, echoes of which can still be felt (including the "footprints" of a certain frog in the concrete at its front door).

Cait is a NSCA-certified personal trainer with backgrounds in dance, spinning and running as well as yoga, and her formidable experience was evident throughout class. She suggested we make three wishes for the new year: one for our bodies, one for our spiritual path, and a final wish for someone important to us. These three wishes would motivate and inform our practice this evening, she said.

We began in a supported fish, one block between our scapulas and another at our heads. “Breathe into your lungs,” Cait said. “You might hear some say you should breathe into your stomachs, but that will just give you gas, ” she quipped. After a few non-gassy breaths to open our chests, we removed the props and rolled off our mats into a prone position, stretching our limbs to their edges. Cait advocated slow transitions here. “Think of Claudius dying in Hamlet,” she suggested, an unexpected (but vivid) literary reference. 

We moved into a Vinyasa flow, but not the typical Chaturanga up-dog, down-dog sort. Instead, we began by rolling our legs over our heads as if heading to Halasana, but we held the pose in a sort of supine Paschimottonasana. From there we rolled down and folded into Upavistha Konasana. Rather than hurrying from one pose to the next as in a typical Vinyasa class, we found ourselves welcomed to get into each posture, finding our alignment and our edge. "If you find enlightenment in one posture, stay there!" Cait joked. In each asana, Cait constantly encouraged us to open our chests, bring our shoulders down and square our hips, physically adjusting us whenever possible. When I slipped in my form, Cait was right there to correct me. 

After a standing warrior series and a lizard, we took our right legs in a cradle, preparing for what would prove to be an intense and juicy supine pigeon. Hips and shoulders as open as can be, we were invited to proceed from there to try foot behind the head pose (sometimes referred to as Eka Pada Sirsasana). I found my right side far more agreeable then my left, with my tight shoulder and hip. This was something Cait recognized immediately and offered to help me with in future classes. Winding down from this climactic and challenging pose, we took a long supported bridge, blocks at our sacrums. "Let the block do the work," Cait advised, and so we did, melting into this grounding and healing asana.   

Next was “Yogi’s Choice”—any inversion we liked to complete our practice. While the rest of us chose traditional shoulder stand, the pre-natal student opted for a tripod headstand. Cait stayed with her as she tackled the pose, supporting her both physically and emotionally. It was an inspiring moment that, as a student, I was honored to witness. 

We were rewarded with a long Savasana to end our practice and the year. Cait was there immediately with a bolster for my legs to alleviate my lower back issues. She then took us into a glorious guided relaxation where we imagined ourselves lying on a beach, our bodies and stress melting away with each rush of the wave toward shore. We then received a lovely assist from Cait as she pressed our shoulders and treated our third eyes to lavender oil. Her care and compassion for the heart and soul was evident at all times, complementing her experience in training the physical body.

MonQi Fitness offers a full gym at $60/month with no membership fee or commitment. Classes are a separate package or pay as you go. Wednesday night yoga classes will be $13 dollars throughout January 2010. 

-Jim Catapano for Yoga Sleuth

"We're a different kind of yoga studio," the young man running the front desk said as Sleuth emerged from the elevator into Tara Stiles's new studio. And it’s true: Strala is different from most every studio Sleuth has sampled in New York over the past year or so. For one thing, a floor to ceiling mirror makes up one wall, rendering it more like a dance studio than a yoga studio.

The loft-like practice area felt deliciously spacious—different indeed from most post-work Manhattan classes, where you spend just as much energy not kicking your five neighbors in the face as you do on engaging your core during plank. 

However, the desk attendant was most likely referring to Stiles's philosophic outlook: that you don't need to be a “yoga person” to make yoga a part of your life.

Tuesday evening's signature "Strong" class, led by Nadya Andreeva, got us started with some gentle side twists and shoulder openers. Like other not-too-yogic studios there was no opening  "Om," though we did perform some Pranayama. 

From there we moved into modified sun salutations and then, after several rounds incorporating elements of both Suryas A and B, into the meat (tofu?) of the practice: a flowing, Vinyasa sequence that’s heavy on the warrior poses. To move from the front to the back of the mat Nadya instructed us to rotate our reverse warriors. When trying to replicate it now, Sleuth can see that rotating on the balls of the feet isn’t so challenging, but performing this transition was a real challenge in class.

The practice focused on intense hip openers, including Parsvottonansana (pyramid pose), half moon, bound half moon, and revolved triangle transitioning immediately into revolved half moon. We concluded with forearm stand and shoulder stand in the center of the room before collapsing into Savasana. 

This steady, challenging pace seems like what a lot of athletic yogis are looking for. That, coupled with a killer price (all classes are only $10, renting a mat is an additional $2), and a well-designed schedule that offers classes at every peak hour for 9-to-5ers, bodes well for Strala becoming a major new presence on the downtown yoga circuit.

—Ruth Curry for Yoga Sleuth

Full Yoga Sleuth disclosure: I first met Meg Walsh-Sinkel when we took teacher training together in 2005. When you’re in yoga school learning to be a teacher, it is sometimes hard to tell what kind of teachers your fellow students will turn out to be. I’m happy to report that five years after receiving her certification, Meg is an experienced Vinyasa teacher who paces her class with well thought out precision. Plus, she gives some of the best adjustments in town. 

On a steamy night, two friends and I took Meg’s class at The Shala. One of my companions hadn’t been there in a while and she commented that she always enjoys practicing in this brightly lit, high ceilinged studio. I couldn’t agree more. It is fullly dedicated to serious Ashtanga and Vinyasa students. The intense energy is palpable from the first Om.  

Since Meg decided to focus on backbending, she started out using the rainbow as a metaphor. She explained some Indian, Greek and Biblical mythology as it related to rainbows and talked about the idea of this colorful arc being, like our practice, a path from earth towards the heavens.

She opened in a restorative pose, Supta Badha Konasana, asking us to find our Ujjayi breath. We then went on to a series of Surya Namaskar A’s and B’s moving into standing poses like Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana II, Parsvokonasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Virabhadrasana III, Pavrita Trikonasana and Natarajasana. As we moved, Meg asked us to hold poses for anywhere from three to five long inhales and exhales. After a set of poses was completed, she asked us to move through plank, chaturanga and upward facing dog. Occasionally we rested in downward facing dog, where she lay along my back for a deep spinal lengthening.

By this time, my pals and I were sweating fiercely and ready for Shalambasana, Danurasana, Parsva Danuransana and Urdva Danurasana. Throughout the poses Meg helped by counting out breaths and lifting the top of my chest to allow for greater range of motion in my backbends. She also continued to emphasize the rainbow theme, encouraging us to create a more even U shape through the length of our arms and legs.

Well-worn and needing to cool down, we took Supta Badha again, and then chose our own inversions to finish off the class. A sweet and deserved Savasana followed.

Though the years I’ve known her, Meg has stayed true to her roots. She started practicing at The Shala a decade ago and is teaching intermediate/advanced classes there now. Her dedication to her own practice and path is apparent—and has, without a doubt, benefitted her students.

Classes at The Shala are $18 and mat rental is $2. Packages and discounts available.

-Brette Popper for Yoga Sleuth

Yoga Sleuth is, in general, scrupulously on time for class, but this particular Tuesday she slunk into Kula Yoga for David’s 4:30 Multi Intenso class at 4:37. Gentle reader, do not do this. 

The only space left in the crowded studio was front row, stage right, and she had missed her opportunity to accumulate her typical arsenal of props. The class was already deep into an abdominal-punishing Navasana → Ardha Navasana → Halasana → candlestick sequence as Sleuth joined them on the floor. One, two, three, four reps passed. “Surely we will stop at five,” Sleuth thought. But no! We stopped at ten, and the class only got better (or worse) from there. 

David’s Vinyasa flow class, described on the website as “an ordeal, a steep hill, a difficult series of postures,” is a 15 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10. What he considers “standard Vinyasa” includes standing split, Ardha Chandrasana, warrior three, and three-legged dog. Arm balances are of the single-armed variety. Inversions are practiced in the middle of the room, and we hopped into handstand attempts as a way of moving from the back of the mat to the front an exhausting number of times. David’s sequencing also incorporates variations that most yogis don’t practice often (fallen triangle, anyone?) and complicated left to right side transitions that will leave Multi-Intenso non-regulars tangled in a heap.

Sleuth, floundering in the front of the room, looked in vain for someone to mirror and saw only her front row neighbor having similar problems. “Don’t follow him!” David quietly admonished. “In this class, if you get lost or can’t do something, fake it.” 

Obviously, yoga-as-gymnastics is not an approach that appeals to everyone. While it is, after all, fun to learn a new variation or to pull off the compass sequence for the first time, at times you may find yourself on the brink of exhaustion-induced nausea. Sleuth felt a little bit of both.

Kula’s facilities have just been renovated but the actual building entrance is almost completely hidden by a Tribeca discount store, so give yourself extra time to find it. There are no shower facilities, which, after a class this perspiration drenched, is a problem. However, if you come prepared, you’ll find yourself enjoying one of the most challenging and interesting yoga workouts in the city.

Drop-in is $17. Mat and towel rental is $2.

–Ruth Curry for Yoga Sleuth

This past week, Sleuth had the opportunity to take Alan Finger's one-hour meditation at Ishta Yoga, a friendly and impeccably clean studio. Since I’m a newbie meditator, what I liked about Alan Finger's meditation class was his balanced approach; he presented a precise technique that incorporated pranayama, visualization, and of course, meditation.

Finger explained that the constant chatter in our minds brings us further away from our birthright: a state of peace visible in the eyes of a smiling baby. Maybe I'm not the first to discover that it's easier to quiet the mind with repetition (may I be happy, may I be happy) than it is in a quiet room sitting by quiet people who are breathing quietly.  But I find that my mind slowed down just listening to Finger talk.

After his introduction, he guided us through a short, straightforward asana practice. We inhaled sat (truth), and exhaled nam (now). Blocking the left nostril, we began the pranayama exercise inhaling through the right nostril as we envisioned the cells of the body bathing in red light, retaining for twice as long, and exhaling through the same right nostril. 

Next, we blocked the right nostril as we inhaled through the left nostril and imagined blue-gray light moving from the crown of the head all the way down to the base of the spine, retaining for twice as long, and then imagining the same blue-gray light moving with the exhale from the base of the spine all the way to the crown of the head. Finally, we imagined a drop of lavender light at the third eye continuing the same exact breathing technique. 

The visualization was challenging, but my focus relaxed when I began to inhale the blue-gray light through the left nostril. After the pranayama practice, we sat in quiet meditation for eighteen minutes. This was the hardest part. At one point, my entire right foot fell asleep, I massaged the foot, and was reminded by Finger's guiding voice to stay focused.

Technically speaking, you are not meditating until you let go of all thoughts, forms, and pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). Dharana (concentration) must occur before you reach a state of dhyana, where the mind is free of thoughts. On this day sitting in this room in New York, this Sleuth didn't quite reach Dhyana, but I did find that the visualization and the pranayama made me a little lighter, a little more focused, and a little more willing to come back again another day for eighteen minutes and practice letting those thoughts go.

When I left Ishta Yoga, I knew I'd be coming back. Like the new asana student who knows she must come back but can't pinpoint why, I left feeling confident the practice had given me something I needed. 


New student special is $60 for one month unlimited yoga; single meditation with Alan Finger is $30; and single asana class is $22.

—Veronica Houston for Yoga Sleuth

The New York City branch of Integral Yoga, founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda, has been housed in a West Village brownstone since 1970, and it feels very connected to its peaceful, hippy-dippy roots. So it’s not terribly surprising that it’s offering a free class for the unemployed.

C’mon starshine, time to get rid of your bad karma and center yourself.

You enter the premises through the tiny Integral Yoga Bookstore, and if you’re early there’s a wait to sign up for a class, so you can browse through a solid collection of yoga, meditation, and other related books and pamphlets. No advance registration is necessary and you don’t have to sign any releases. One person in line joked that you have to show an unemployment check to get in, but in fact all that was required was signing a list, so the studio can keep track of attendance.

Next, you’re given a card showing where the class will be, which in this case was the cozy Lavender Room (the other rooms are Lotus, Aqua, Rose, Gold and, on the top floor, Heaven). If you’ve brought a padlock, you can use one of the studio’s lockers, otherwise you can stow your stuff at the edge of the room.

The day that Yoga Sleuth attended there were about 15 people, about half of whom had been there before. Nalini Kuhnke, a Hatha-certified teacher, began by having everyone new say their name—and then asked if anyone wanted to work on anything in particular. No one spoke up, so Nalini taught an all-around class with lots of support and positive feedback.

Several of the people in the class were yoga novices (YS was focusing on her own practice so couldn’t peer around at the rest), so Nalini kept things straightforward. But it was still worthwhile for more advanced students. She opened with chanting, and the focus throughout was on relaxation, stress relief, and centering—all, of course, helpful to everyone, but especially the unemployed. The om series was followed by cat-cows and forward bends. There were locusts and cobras, followed by some core strengthening with balancing table poses. In each case, Nalini went around the room, gently helping students with their alignment or pushing them to work a little harder (YS was surprised to find herself sore the next day). An extended series of sun salutations was followed by a good long Savasana. It came as a bit of a shock to realize that the class had lasted 15 minutes longer than scheduled—how often does that happen in a free class?

Nalini made herself available to answer questions afterward in the hallway, while the next class, for prenatal moms, trooped in. Nalini is a warm, encouraging teacher, just the sort of person you want to be with if you’re feeling a little bruised by your lack-of-work situation—and YS speaks with authority on this, having once had the opposite sort of yoga teacher when recently unemployed.

Which brings us to the name of the class, Yoga and Networking for the Unemployed. The only references to unemployment were in exhortations to release stress, and YS didn’t detect any networking whatsoever. In fact, the only people YS even heard talking were chatting about their days—and falling asleep during Savasana. The class is free, low-key, and a good stress reliever which is exactly what the unemployed really need.  (One student who was particularly agitated at the beginning had calmed down a lot by the end. With any luck, she stopped by the Integral Yoga Natural Foods Store or Integral Natural Apothecary, next door, and bought some nice relaxing tea before going home). YS plans to go back and check out more classes.

—Susan Jackson for Yoga Sleuth

On a recent rainy Monday afternoon Sleuth was suffering from a serious case of the mean reds (a la Holly Golightly).  Too many of the three C’s (caffeine, cigarettes and chocolate) and a six-week absence from class made her very reluctant to get back in the habit of a regular practice. It was a reluctance that was only amplified when she at last managed to reach OM (late) and hurriedly changed in what she realized, half nude, was the men’s bathroom.  No matter – Like the rest of OM, the men’s dressing room was tidy, tranquil, and well laid out, and Sleuth was able to slip into Mila Borrero’s 5PM express class without further ado.

The Monday Express class is an intermediate-level vinyasa class designed to get you in and out in an hour. Being out of practice, Sleuth was worried that she’d be huffing and puffing three poses behind the rest of the class, but the sequence, as led by Mila, managed to be both sweat inducing and calming.  Perhaps this is because Mila is simply a great teacher, with a charismatic but low-key class presence and a wonderful sense of how to balance the physically challenging and spiritually/emotionally restorative aspects of asana. That day’s practice involved lots of twisting poses and lunges: Utkatasana transitioning to revolved Utkatasana; triangle and revolved triangle; Parsvottanasana; Janu Shirsasana, and a pigeon variation utilizing completely extended legs on both sides. We concluded with some easy Pranayama before resting in Supta Badha Konasana/Savasana.   

Throughout, Mila’s adjustments are unobtrusive and strong, letting you know she’s there and won’t let you hurt yourself – or develop bad habits.  Similarly, her demos are rare but very well-chosen. She paused our class to show how keeping the gaze slightly forward in plank and Chatturanga would help us keep our chests open in the upward-facing dog pose that follows.  

Yoga Sleuth left class calm and centered, feeling happy with her body and its capabilities for the first time in months.  And she didn’t even have to go all the way up to Tiffany’s.

Express classes are $12, regular classes are $18. Mat rental is $1.

--Ruth Curry for Yoga Sleuth

Jenny Aurthur is one of the head teachers at the YogaWorks studios so Yoga Sleuth was pretty excited to check out her class. On the other hand, I was also a bit leery about struggling through multiple sun salutations and vigorous Vinyasas in a level 2/3 class—especially after a hectic schedule had kept me from practicing for a few weeks.

We began the class in a supported Sukasana (an easy cross-legged pose). Jenny took the time to request that we sit on our blankets with the short side facing the front, instead of keeping the longer side parallel to the front of the mat, as is standard. We discussed how this variation created a slightly less stable base and therefore forced us to activate and strengthen our core to hold the proper yoga seat. This was the first of several little tidbits of knowledge that would pervade our class from start to finish.

We tuned in with three “Oms,” and my fears of being overworked with Vinyasas quickly dissipated when we were still sitting on our mats 20 minutes into class. Furthermore, and somewhat surprisingly, we didn’t do a single sun salutation the entire class. Since this was my first class back, this Sleuth was fine with that.

Because the students in the class consisted of advanced practitioners, many of whom were also instructors, Jenny wanted to ensure she gave us a class we could learn from—so we spent time fine-tuning our movements in many familiar poses. We worked on warming up our arms and legs with stretches including Gomukasana (cow face pose) and Supta Padangustasana (reclining big toe pose). We then strove to access our core through a variation of Navasana, which included lowering our torso down to the floor and lifting back up without using momentum or over-tightening our abs. After some standing poses to build heat, Jenny took us to the wall for handstands.

As we moved into the second half of the class, we worked on a challenging sequence linking balancing poses. We began the sequence in tree pose and then extended our leg forward to flow back to warrior three. From there we transitioned to the side for half moon and then slowly worked backwards to end up in Vrksasana again. The second time we went through the sequence we added twisting half-moon. Yoga Sleuth felt like a graceful dancer, or an acrobat. Even though we were working hard, Jenny kept the mood playful so that we didn’t take ourselves too seriously.

We finished the class by somersaulting ourselves into a nice, long, supported legs-up-the-wall pose. This was another new variation on a classic, so Jenny walked Sleuth through the steps, helping me to land safely and feel, once again, like a skilled acrobat. After moving through several leg variations, we chose our favorite one to spend our time in Savasana.

Mat rentals are $2 and individual classes are $22, but there are tons of class package options and great deals for new students, so check out their website.

–Allison Richard for Yoga Sleuth

When Dharma Mittra teaches a class it is serious business. Although his class is advertised for all levels, be warned that the first pose of the evening is Crow jumping into Chaturanga. You might want to get there early, not just to get a cozy spot on the carpet rather than wood floor, but also so you can warm up for the difficult poses. Five minutes in—Hanumanasana; ten minutes into class—Navasana, without ever too much fuss or alignment detail. Mittra walks around the room giving advice to students individually rather than calling out general instructions.

Many of the students seemed as though they had been practicing for years (advanced inversions during Down Dog!) which is perhaps why Mittra feels comfortable teaching this way. He has developed a loyal and experienced following. This man is, after all, a yoga legend, having created the Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, often seen in yoga studios around the country; the author of 608 Yoga Poses; and continues to practice a Hands-Free Headstand (Niralamba Sirsasana) even though he is about to celebrate his 70th birthday in May.

Yet in his class he has a humble, quiet presence, at times unexpectedly joking and teasing —“Hold your leg up high, like a tiger who has just seen his mate…very excited!”— or using the resident Chihuahua, Pepper, to demonstrate a flying partner pose. 

Time passed quickly.  After Savasana on Wednesdays there is the option to stay for psychic purification, a one-hour talk. Most of the hour was spent on mantras (repetitive chanting), one to the deity and Lord of Obstacles Ganesh, another aimed at purification and “So Ham,” which means, “I am that,” a mantra to tap into one’s limitlessness. “New York City is the best place to achieve enlightenment,” he said. “There’s a yoga studio on just about every block.” He also lauded vegetarianism as a path to enlightenment but kept it real. “I wouldn’t eat him,” he said pointing to his dog Pepper but later quipped, “You can still have your Mozzarella.”

Single class is $18, mat rental $2, and $15 for the one-hour talk on psychic purification. As an added bonus, a donation-based one-hour community kirtan is offered on most Wednesdays at 8:45.                  

— Marie Carter, YS