The first time Susan Bloom saw a reconstructed breast was in the dressing room at Om Yoga. The woman, who was in her sixties, had undergone a double mastectomy, and was happy to explain to Susan what the process was like. Both  were attending one of OM’s Women’s Cancer Survivor classes, and this was part of the support—the talking, explaining, sharing.

This is only one of the reasons that Bloom says yoga has changed her life. A two-time cancer survivor, she found yoga through a support group at Beth Israel.

Now, she is a yogi who practices five to six times a week.

Aside from the physical practice, which can help cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment recover strength and flexibility, the emotional support one can experience in a yoga class is a source of solace that Tari Prinster, a teacher at OM and cancer survivor herself, says her students find to be invaluable. Prinster became a certified teacher at OM eight years ago, after searching for yoga support during her own cancer treatment and feeling disappointed in what was available to her.

“There wasn’t a lot of education or sensitivity to the specific needs” of the patient community, she says. So she made it her mission to develop a program that was exactly what she was searching for.

So far, Prinster has trained over 70 teachers in a certification program at OM, spreading the gospel of understanding, sensitivity, and physical awareness of what recovering bodies can and can’t do while undergoing treatment or recovering after surgery. Most important, she says, is that teachers are able to “separate themselves from their own anxiety about cancer.”

“This is about the students,” she says. “This isn’t about them.”

For survivors and patients, overcoming the physical challenges presented by breast cancer and breast cancer treatment is a daunting task. Dr. Marisa Weiss, founder of breastcancer.org, an online resource for survivors, and co-author of the critically acclaimed “Living Well Beyond Breast Cancer,” written with her mother Ellen, a breast cancer survivor; says that “cancer patients and survivors face an array of physical challenges and discomforts. The practice of yoga can have a profound therapeutic benefit on women recovering from treatment. In addition to help with relaxation and concentration, yoga has helped many of my patients improve their strength, range of motion, flexibility, balance and posture.”

But swelling and pain, a reduced range of motion, and nerve damage from chemotherapy all can affect a student’s physical capability on the mat—and it’s the teacher’s responsibility to understand each student’s abilities on any given day.

“The connection with the student is the most important thing,” Prinster says. Often students arrive to class 30 minutes before it begins to chat and prepare. That’s the time when a teacher should find out how they are doing, what they are feeling, and what they need that day.

Certain poses get right to the heart of the matter, encouraging circulation and flexibility. Instructor Bobby Clennell of the Iyengar Yoga Institute says that “poses such as Urdhva Hastana, Uttitha Hasta Padhasana and Baddangyllyasana, to name a few, can restore mobility,” and “the circulation of blood, and as a result, the circulation of oxygen, moves into the area you are moving.” That movement can result in the breakdown of scar tissue.

For breast cancer survivors recovering from mastectomy, Clennell notes that reclining poses such as Supta Baddha Konasana over a support bolster will stretch the chest and underarm area. Over time, she says that stretch will promote blood flow and push healing energy into areas where scar tissue accumulates. Clennell echoes Prinster’s point about being aware of a student’s ability, saying that all poses must be administered “at the right time and in the right way.”

The use of yoga as part of the recovery process is slowly becoming easier for cancer patients and survivors to access, thanks to more widespread communication within the yoga community and outreach to medical centers where cancer is treated. Yoga Bear is a non-profit organization that connects patients with yoga in their community. Over 21 studios here in NYC offer free yoga to cancer survivors and patients undergoing treatment. The Urban Zen Initiative at Beth Israel developed with a grant from designer Donna Karan in 2009, helps bring yoga to patients with “integrative therapists” who work with patients at their bedside, teaching breathing techniques and postures to help aid recovery.

Yoga isn’t a cure. But using yoga techniques as a tool for recovery from cancer offers patients a point of focus and concentration. In a time filled with uncertainty and discomfort, it is a welcome respite for survivors like Susan Bloom, who says she “didn’t think I’d ever feel fine again” during treatment.

Time, they say, heals all wounds. And while Bloom still needs a compression sleeve on her arm to help support her while she practices, she’s more focused now on conquering her headstand than her anxiety about her body—proof that with a little time, and a lot of support, you can shift your perspective in ways you never thought possible.

-Biba Milioto

It’s Tuesday night, and I am heading to my first experience at the Laughter Yoga Salon. It’s cold, I’m tired, cranky and don’t know how I’m going to be pleasant enough to get through a laughing class.

It isn’t long before I realize however, that this is the whole point.

 “There’s nothing funny about Laughter Yoga” says laughter coach Francine Shore. It’s true. Laughter Yoga, created in the mid 1990’s by Dr. Madan Kataria doesn’t contain a humor component. It's based on a series of exercises which trick the body into thinking that you are laughting, reaping the same benefits. Benefits like a stronger  immune system, more endorphins, and decreasing cortisol levels which brings down blood pressure and helps arthritis, asthma, depression and anxiety.

Francine grew up in what she calls a “laughing family.”  She learned to cope with sadness and depression, dyslexia and body image dysmorphia by being the class clown. But it wasn’t until she took the Laugher Training with Dr. Kataria eight years ago however, that her life really began to turn around.

More than just laughter, this yoga trains us to change how we can respond to the painful situations we encounter. Many of the exercises mock things such as breaking a treasured vase, getting a ticket, or loosing all your money while you laugh through it. This trains us that we have other options in dealing with stressful situations.

In class, I find myself feeling a bit ridiculous playing improv games with four other grown women such as finding bird poo in my hair. The exercises are broken into three categories: playful, yogic (pranayama inspired) and value based; exercises that help us in letting go. Eye contact is the most important part. It is key that we connect with each other as we dance around the room. 

Each exercise lasts only a few minutes. Some are more wild and aerobic like riding motorbikes, others are movements to deep breathing followed by heart opening laughter. My favorites were where we pretended to see ourselves in fun mirrors and when we paired up and made lion faces. At one point Francine and I started hissing at each other so furiously that I started laughing hysterically for real. I’ve seen a lot of similar games in my 10 plus years training as an actor. But this time it is different. There is a commitment and an honesty that I have never seen in an acting class. At some point it dawns on me, that we’re really here fighting for something. For our health, our happiness, our lives. 

After a seated, guided meditation Francine does a little touch-base with each of us. She is a counselor in addition to coach. I am touched by each woman’s honesty and openness. They all say that the yoga has helped them to deal with stress; it has been an amazing benefit not only in their health, but also as a tool to get through hard times. One woman shared that instead of getting down on herself for perceived mistakes or failure, she is now able to just laugh it off. Another woman said that she has used some of the exercises with her high-school students which results in a completely different and positive energy in the class. I tell everyone that before class I was tired and stressed, and after I was still tired, but relaxed.

Francine explains that this is the key; our situations, problems and tiredness don’t go away, but the yoga puts us in a different place to deal with them. Aside from the physical release such as the one I felt, over time the yoga trains us that we have another option; laughter. It allows us to feel better, see things differently, and move forward in a more positive mind-set. “We all have adversity,” she says, “It is just how you deal with it.”

“Laughter Yoga is really intimate,” I say to Francine after class, and she agrees. There is a bonding and connecting that happens when you laugh with someone. It’s true. I feel a greater heart opening tonight than I ever have from wheel or camel. I feel a fierce connection with these strangers, and I want them to find peace and happiness as much as I want to find my own. Make no mistake, Laughter Yoga isn’t easy - you burn 300 – 400 calories an hour dancing and hopping around. The harder part was getting over my ego and letting myself play and feel silly.

It wasn’t until about half-way through when we were pretending to smoke a joint and I started eating Captain Crunch that I realized it was really okay to be free and creative; I was the only one holding myself back. Francine says that as children we laugh 400 times per day because we live in our hearts. As adults stuck in our heads we laugh a mere 12 times per day. And I wonder if maybe even less in this high-stress over-achieving city of New York. There are only about two other Laughter Coaches here, but 6,000 worldwide. Interesting. Apparently companies that wouldn’t give her the time of day before are now calling up and saying “We need you.”

You can come and laugh with Francine at her annual post Valentines soiree for women on February 16th. For more information please visit www.GrabbaGiraffe.com

-- Alexandra Blatt

Look down any yoga class schedule and usually you won’t find many offerings for yoga philosophy.  Mostly reserved for teacher training programs—and then crammed into a weekend or two—philosophy is usually dwarfed by the popularity of asana,  which is just one of yoga’s eight “limbs.” I went on a search to find who is offering philosophy classes in New York this year and was pleasantly surprised. It’s not just reserved for the hard-core student practicing svadyiya—self study—anymore. Yes, it can seem mysterious,  but yoga’s deeper ideas offer inspiration for teaching and practicing, and – perhaps most importantly -  for life.
More and more students are finding that foundational texts such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Samkhya Karika are best studied with an experienced teacher who can explain the nuances of Eastern ideas and the trickiness of the translations. Self-study, of course, is a good habit to develop, but it also means persevering without help of a guide or the the morale of a discussion group.   Since it’s worthwile to find a sangha to study with, we’ve put together a list of great classes. Considering how ambitious and cerebral New Yorkers generally are, it’s not surprising that this gap in our continued yoga education is starting to close.



Ongoing Groups and Classes

The Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, Manhattan
212 691 YOGA
The Iyengar Institute offers a free weekly sutra study group taught by their faculty on Fridays from 1:30-2:45pm. This might just be the best deal in town.

Also, February 26 – 28, 2010, Edwin Bryant, professor of Ph.D. in Indic languages and cultures at Rutgers University, will offer a weekend workshop on first chapter of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Full weekend or drop in (prices vary).


Jaya Yoga Center, Brooklyn
718 788 8788
The Jaya Book Club / Study Group will begin Saturday January 16 at 5:45 pm with an in-depth look at the Bhagavad Gita. From the web site, “Our guide will be Eknath Easwaran's three volume set The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living: The End of Sorrow Vol. 1. Chapters 1–3.”


Jivamukti Yoga School, Manhattan
212 353 0214
Beginning Tuesday January 26th 8 - 9:30 pm and running through June 8th, Joshua M. Greene, Professor of Religion at Hofstra University, will offer readings, analysis, and verse recitations of the Bhagavad Gita. $18 drop-in, $290 for series



The Shala, Manhattan
212 979 9988
The Shala near Union Square offers a weekly Bhagavad Gita study group at 6:15pm on Thursdays led by Kaustubha Das, ashtanga yoga teacher and director of the Bhakti Collective. Free.


Sivanada Yoga Vedanta Center, Manhattan
212 255 4560
The Sivananda Center on W24th Street, one of New York’s oldest yoga centers, offers ongoing workshops in Vedanta philosophy and its practical application, as well as the laws of karma, and the Bhagavad Gita.

Vira Yoga, Manhattan
212 334 9960
“Kali in the Twelve Processions of Light and Darkness: A Tantric Practice of Body, Heart, and Voice.” Dr. Douglas Brooks of Rajanaka Yoga will discuss aspects of Kali as a powerful force in Tantric teaching. With chanting. Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14th, 2010.

Yoga Sutra, Manhattan
212 490 1443
Yoga Sutra offers regular ongoing classes in yoga studies so check their calendar. Last fall they offered “Chanting the Yoga Sutras” with Kimberly Flynn, a student of Sanskrit recitation with Dr. M.A. Jayashree in Mysore, India, since 1998.


Wandering Sages

Manorma, founder the School of Sanskrit Studies, holds courses on Sanskrit, chanting, and yoga philosophy at various locations around the country, but often in New York City.
At Vira Yoga January 26, 2- 3:30, February 23, March 23, May 25; at Jivamukti every 3rd Wednesday of the month beginning January 20th. Check her schedule for updates at http://www.sanskritstudies.org/.

Yoga Studies Institute, teaches yoga texts and traditions also at various locations around the coutnry and often in New York City. The Classics of Yoga are interpreted by Geshe Michael Roach, Christie McNally, and YSI staff.

For classes in Sanskrit, try Columbia University or NYU’s continuing education programs.

If you really want a solid grounding in all the yoga texts, and are willing to travel, Loyola Marymount University in LA offers a comprehensive certificate program in Yoga Philosophy through their extension program. But you have to go to the left coast.


By Joelle Hann.  Check out her blog, Yoganation. 

When I was in school, I had a drawing teacher that no one but I liked. One day, he made the model get up on the table and pose in the most difficult shape she could muster.  We were then asked to get up on our tables and imitate the postures. Then we all sat down and made a quick gesture drawing of the model’s pose darkening the areas where we felt tension, and leaving areas where we felt lightness or openness, blank.  I continued to draw with this principle in mind and over many years I had made hundreds of drawings of imaginary people created by a mixture of internal sensations both physical and emotional.  Looking at these drawings I see every figure echoes my scoliotic pattern: a rounded middle back, a lateral push and drop in the right side of the body, a left leg pulling out to the side, right foot turned out, a left shoulder that lifts and a gaze to the left.  These were drawn long before I fell 12 feet from a ladder, or on my ribs in a performance art piece and long before I’d known what scoliosis was: before yoga.

Right away, I loved yoga.  The idea of going to a class (or anywhere) alone caused me so much anxiety that it took me months to pick up a schedule, but finally I did and I practiced every day.  Within weeks I was practicing headstand and shoulderstand on my East Village apartment’s slanted floors.  I tried many styles of yoga, always attracted to the personality or strength of a particular teacher.  I loved the music in the Jivamukti classes – it was like going out to nightclubs.  I loved cruising my fellow students with their toned bodies and cute outfits in class.  My mind felt better, yoga felt necessary, but as I was told “you are not your body” I continued to overlook how yoga made my body feel.  I overlooked my teachers’ feedback or lack of it when I addressed pain.  I ignored the fact that after years, I had no idea if my poses were “good”.  I saw raw beginners (apparently dancers) walk into classes and manage more than I could in a class – all my twists were impossible on one side, certain standing poses made it impossible for me to breathe, I could push up into uhrdva danurasana but my kidneys, especially the left, hurt afterwards. And I got injured, often by teachers:  one teacher couldn’t understand why I couldn’t bind one side of my lotus and pulled my knee severely out of alignment.  Teachers repeatedly pushed me down in one side of my Hanumanasana and ignored the side where I was far from the ground – and I would limp out of class.  My left shoulder was starting to have nerve pain from binding twists.  My neck hurt from sarvangasana.  My right hip ached and sometimes my pelvis was grinding against my ribs.

Take my classes and I’ll tell you how much I adore my teachers who saved me from this pain by teaching me correct alignment.  I’ll name them here, in chronological order:  Alison West, Bobbie Fultz, Genny Kapuler, Karin Stephan, Donald Moyer, Elise Browning Miller, Kevin Gardiner.   These wonderful people allowed my energy to soar, my mind to feel balanced.  They took the mystery away from my physical pain, my difficulties with movement, my problems with perception.  I finally saw my pain, my spine and my nervous system for what it was and in the process, much of the pain dissipated.
 
Like many of my students, I started off knowing I had scoliosis but not knowing what it was, nor how it affected me.  When I was eight, my neck became so stiff I wore a collar, didn’t go to school and went to live with my aunt for a few weeks.  A couple of years later, my mother and doctor were whispering about my spine and I was given exercises to practice at home; walking with my feet lined up on the floorboards, carrying a book on my head.  These interested me for about a week.

Then in my early 30’s I fell.  Forever after I experienced pain – I met with a body worker in Germany who spent two appointments drawing my spine by sensing it vertebra by vertebra with his hands.  He told me I had scoliosis, described what it was to me a little bit and said that I had had it since birth.  Again I ignored my exercises:  child’s pose with traction – extending first one arm and then the other.   Years later, I met Alison West after I introduced myself, she said, “You have scoliosis!  What are you doing for that?”  It was a bit of a shock that she could even see it – no one had ever mentioned it before.  I was given a towel to rest my lumbar muscles on in savasana.  I was assigned a spot to gaze at on the right side of the wall in front of me to keep my head properly rotated.  I was forbidden convex forward bending, I had to twist my ribs in handstands, I pressed into my right heel in standing poses and tadasana. I felt better and better.  I started figuring out where I was in space and people noticed the difference in my practice, in my body, in the shape and strength of my spine.

But I never set out to teach yoga.  Days after a teacher training with Alison West which I had taken to “deepen my practice”, I went to Zen Mountain Monastery to learn Tea Ceremony.  I was practicing yoga in a hallway and a group of my fellow meditators began following my lead.  Their poses looked horrible!! They were all emphasizing their own patterns in their poses.  To put an end to it I began to teach – there in the hallway.  People made requests.  Their backs hurt from meditating.  When we were finished they felt better – they had a different idea about yoga.  I had a different idea about teaching. 

I could see.  As long as I knew the pose I could see with my eyes or by touching with my hands, what was happening in the body.  I could see what stuck out, what moved in – that’s what I was being taught by Alison, by Bobbie, by Genny.  That I needed to move in the convexities, what “humped”, and fill in the concavities, what “caved in” in the body, with breath.  Where people leaned I gave them directions toward upright.  It seemed most people with injuries, with asymmetries, like me, had no idea what their bodies were doing, where they were in space.  Some of these people were in pain and when I explained to them where they were, what to move, they felt better.  I taught the way Alison, Bobbie and Genny taught me with props, walls, mirrors, chairs, hard surfaces, straight lines and rope traction.  For years, this is all I taught.  My first formal class was a chair yoga class for the elderly.  The students all dropped out after one year because I worked them too hard; I was too exact.  But I developed followings elsewhere – I told people I had scoliosis and I could help them with theirs.  I found the techniques I used for scoliosis, also helped people with other back problems:  herniations, kyphosis, low back and shoulder pain.  I had experienced many of the same injuries and pain and shared whatever I knew. 

One day, Genny Kapuler showed me how to draw the outer calf to the inner calf; I had been practicing this idea as drawing the outer lower leg to the inner – I thought she meant the inner calf was the inside of the lower leg.  As I watched, 2 separate muscles were clearly delineated on her outer calf; one on top of the other and as she drew the one on top toward the one on the bottom, it took my breath away.  It was at this point, that I understood that learning anatomy, sensing it, would give me so much control of the body that I could change the use of my muscles and change the shape of my bones. At this point, I had already changed the shape of my spine dramatically and reduced my lateral curve mostly from traction – hanging in downward dog on the ropes every day.  Studying sensory anatomy with Genny, where you learn anatomy from internal sensing, allowed me to see even more.  Karin Stephan showed me how all unbalanced use of the body comes from diagonal asymmetries symmetrically pulling left and right from the crown of the head to the feet.  Elise showed me the 4 most common forms of medically diagnosed scoliosis and these patterns followed Karin’s theory.  The more I saw, the more difficult the cases that came to me:  children with curves long past the benchmark for surgery, students with Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, childhood Polio sufferers with scoliosis over 100 degrees.  Somehow, seeing the body this way, using these same principles seemed to help just about everyone.

Of course I have received further training.  Years of workshops with Senior Iyengar teachers, 8 years apprenticeship with Genny Kapuler, teacher trainings in therapeutics, Elise Miller’s scoliosis teacher training, a trip to Pune to study with the Iyengars.  But each has only further honed my eye.  I teach to what I see.  I see where the tension is and I look to relieve that tension.

In 2003 I started teaching the second weekly Yoga & Scoliosis class in the country (inspired by Alice Plato’s long-running class at IYILA).  This class grew into my collaboration with Alison West to open the Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis, which opened its doors in April 2007.  I am so, so happy that I have created an environment where people with limitations can come and learn yoga from superbly trained and understanding teachers. When back conditions are demystified, and injuries begin to heal, then everyone can practice this amazing form, which is so liberating especially for those of us with asymmetry and chronic pain.

--Deborah Wolk

In yoga, while we try to eliminate a sense of ego, we try to maintain a healthy sense of humor at the same time.   In that spirit, YogaCity NYC gazed into our crystal ball to predict several media events, workshops and happenings that would pass by our editorial desk in the coming year.  


I Wanna Be A Yoga Star
Coming this fall on Fox, yoga teachers around The City compete to produce the best Podcasts, You Tube Videos, DVD’s and Blogs.  Each week teachers will create a new class that will be digitized in its many variations. Judges will include Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee (they will share one chair),  Impressario and Ashley Dupre’s BFF Russell Simmons and Huffington Post founder Ariana Huffington (who gets the biggest chair).  Trudie Styler hosts.  Winners receive $100,000 worth of mats from Jade Yoga, 5,000 Facebook friends, 10,000 Twitter followers, a year’s worth of Seventh Generation paper towels AND a walk-on role in the upcoming Julia Roberts mega-pic Eat, Pray, Love.

Pure Super Duper Advanced Level 12 Class
Learn Yoganidrasana, Visvamitrasana, Sayanasana and Eka Pada Koundinyasana all in one class.  Bring your headbands and expensive Lululemon capris to this class for only the most advanced practitioners.  Room will be heated to over 110 degrees so that students’ joints can open without any preparation. With full tilt Rock ‘n Roll blasting from a “state of the art” sound system, you’ll begin class in Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana and move to standing dropbacks.  From there you’ll be doing Mandalasana in no time. Savasana is optional.  Since it is an advanced class,  there will be no alignment cues.  You’ll be on your own to feel your body bend in all its glory without a teacher reminding you to square your hips in Vira I. Please remember this class is for Really Advanced Yogis only.

YogaWorks Great Yoga Rope Wall Sleepover
This special all night Halloween extravaganza is the first in a series of co-branded DC Comics Super Hero classes at YogaWorks.  This event is for “Caped Crusader” fans of all ages.  The evening begins with a practice dedicated to the sage “Batman”.  You’ll practice all 4 poses in the “Gotham City Power Sequence”…Jokerasana, Riddleasana, Penguinasana and Catwomanasana.  You’ll rest in Robinasana. After a light supper of passion fruit and seeds, you’ll practice Khechari Mudra so that you can drink your own nectar.  Around 10:00 you’ll learn how to rest comfortably in Rope Sirsasana.  Wear loose fitting pajamas.  Class fee includes vampire teeth, black cape and milk and cookies served by a teacher named Alfred.  Full transformation by morning guaranteed.


Exhale’s Yoga, Eat Chocolate, Drink Scotch and Detox Weekend
On Saturday morning,  we'll begin with  tasting of 4 lbs of chocolate.  You’ll get Snickers, milk chocolate covered salted caramels, Bolivian dark cocoa powder, and truffles flown in from Northern Italy.  To wash all that sugar down, you’ll be treated to a single malt tasting hosted by The Blarney Cove.  Each participant will down one bottle, lie about in an intoxicated state, and compare journal notes about their love problems.  On Sunday you’ll learn to prepare a tonic of lemon, ginger, and kale juice to flush out the system.

We’ll end with a detoxifying yoga class featuring twists like Ardha Matsyendrasana and Pasasana which will cleanse and dehydrate the body to its fullest so you’ll be able to repeat this yo-yo process all over again the following weekend.

The Great NYC 5 Borough Yoga Marathon
This mega-event takes the public display of yoga to a whole new level.  Starting on the Staten Island side of the Verazzano Bridge, yoga students will line up and perform a single asana one by one in “tag team” fashion  and work through all 200 poses in  BKS Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga” again and again.  This Great Yoga Wall will wind through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Upper Manhattan; culminating in a Madonna/Krishna Das once in a lifetime concert in Central Park where Mayor Bloomberg will lead the participants in chanting Om and at then announce his candidacy for a 4th term. 

Other events coming soon:  Inversions and Poker; How To Dress Like A Shaman For Less; Yoga Finally Cures the Common Cold.

--Brette Popper

Yoga for New York (YFNY) took a big step forward today towards getting the threat of regulation off the table.

There was a unanimous "YES: in support of S5701A - the bill that will protect yoga teacher traing from burdensome licensing -in the NYS Senate Higher Education Committee.

Next the bill goes to the Senate Finance Committee.  And, you can still help YFNY by calling Senator Carl Kruger at 518-455-2460.  When connected to Senator Kruger's representative you can say...

"My name is _____. I am calling Senator Kruger because he is the Chair of the Finance Committee. I urge his support for S5701A which will protect yoga teacher traing from burdensome government regulation, unfunded expenses on local government and ensure that yoga studios stay in business. Thank you."

Once through Finance, the bill will goe to the Assembly's Education Committee and then to a vote in both houses. Finally, the bill becomes law when Governor Patterson signs it so there are still several more steps to go before the threat of regulation is gone.

YFNY continues to need your support to get this passed.  To be part of the team as a member, donor or volunteer, email Denise Kronstadt, the Lobby Chair, at action@yogaforny.org.

You can find out more about the continuing effots of Yoga for New York to protect and promote the rights of yoga studios, teachers and students in our state by going to http:www.yogaforny.org.

With their old space at 184 Dekalb Avenue undergoing massive construction, the Fort Greene studio has picked up and replanted itself  a few doors down in the historic Cranford House at 203 Dekalb. I stopped by to see how the move went by checking out a class.

A dozen of us squeezed into the main room filled with light streaming in from the beautiful beveled glass windows. Amy Morris began our practice by revisiting the subtleties of Tadasana. She then led us through a flow that focused on strength in our arms and legs. Looking around at the old-fashioned wall sconces and hearing the creak of the wood floor below my feet, I really felt as though I was practicing yoga in someone’s living room, which at one time is what it was.

Amy encouraged us to “slow things down” and move with the intention of really feeling the actions of the poses.  She often couldn’t hide her excitement and would exclaim, “Great job guys!” when she saw improvement in our vinyasas.

All the work with the strength of the arms and legs built up to handstand prep and handstand at the wall. As Amy explained how to get up into handstand, many yogis looked at her doubtfully. As she assisted several yogis into handstand she addressed the students’ fears saying, “When I was studying at the ashram and first learning handstand, I took extra classes to learn how to do this!”

Whether or not Lucky Lotus will return to their old space is still undecided. They plan to be in their current location well into the spring season, if not longer. Check it out it because it has a wonderful feeling.  Community classes are $10, regular classes are $17 and mat rentals are free!

--Alison Richard

-- illustration by Erin Prince, http://kinmokusei-art.com

15 local studios and teachers joined West Coast Off The Mat’s fund raiser on January 27th. "We start all classes evoking the idea that all beings should be free from pain and suffering," says Amy Quinn-Suplina from Bend and Bloom.  “As a community, yogis weld so much economic power to make it a better world.  It was great to be part of this national effort of Yoga for Haiti's Day.” 

Coming Together and Need Your Help:

Hari Kaur is putting out a call to gather teachers and yogis together for a huge fundraiser at Village Yoga in St. John's Church West. Haiti will need help for quite some time. Hari hopes to have this event bring the yoga community and all spiritual traditions together and rock the house with chanting, yoga, and dance. Please contact her if you are interested in helping her plan this event or participating, contact her  at reachhari.com

East Yoga - Saturday
212 Avenue B (entrance on 13th)
Join Kari and Phil for a 10-11: 45 class. All money collected will be donated to rebuild Haiti.

Sankalpah Yoga - Saturday
254 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Cicelee Chappelle leads a benefit class on 2/6 at 2:30PM.  All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders Emergency Relief Fund.  Suggested donation is $20 but come and give what you can!

World Yoga Center - Saturday
265 West 72nd Street, 2nd Floor
World Yoga Center is holding a benefit Kirtan for Hatian Relief on 2/6 at 7:30PM.  All donations will go to the International Rescue Committee and Partners in Health.  This evening of chanting features Jackie Prete, Chandralekha Forger, Danny O'Brien, Brian Adler and Rudrani Farbman Brown.  Refreshments will be served.  Suggested donation $15.

Om Yoga - Saturday
826 Broadway, 6th Floor
Join Margi Young, Christie Clark and Sarah Trelease for an open Om Yoga class accompanied by Classical Indian Music by Eric Fraser. 6-7:30PM on 2/6. Suggested donation $25. Proceeds go to the Red Cross.

Jivamukti - Sunday
841 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Jivamukti Yoga School is joing forces with P.E.T.A. and A.R.C.H. (Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti) to relieve the suffering of animals affected by the earthquake.  Their program on 2/7 will start with a meditation and chanting session, then a yoga asana class and then a vegan brunch at the JivamukTea Cafe.  Donations are $75.  The first 100 people to register will get Kelly Britton's new CD and the first 50 will get Ruth Lauer-Manenti's CD of "An Offering of Leaves". Festivities begin at 9:30AM


-By Kristin Auble

Fifteen years of chronic pain led Jill Satterfield into a life of yoga and Buddhist meditation.  In return, she received the ability to retrain herself physically, emotionally and spiritually.  A teacher and practicing Buddhist, Jill is the Founder of the School for Compassionate Action (SCA)  and Vajra Yoga & Meditation (www.vajrayoga.com), an asana and meditation based training and practicum for teaching at-risk youth and adults, recovering addicts and people living with chronic pain and PTSD. 

As part of a team of therapists, clinical psychologists, social workers and physicians, Jill works to share knowledge about achieving health and well-being through yoga and meditation.  

Susie Rubin sat down with Jill to learn more about the mission of SCA and the magical healing powers of the mind.  
 
SR: Why a Social Action Teacher Training and why now?
JS: Because I saw a need.  Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of well-meaning volunteers trying to teach what they didn’t have enough information about.  After being invited to serve on a bunch of non-profit boards and really observe how meditation and yoga were being taught to specific populations, I decided as a community we needed to be a little bit more prepared. 

We needed to know more about the people we were trying to help; what their particular physical, mental and emotional issues were so we could really meet them where they are.

SR: Who exactly are these people?
JS:  At-risk kids and adults, people straight out of prison, recovering addicts, people with chronic pain, and those suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  We have a whole group dedicated to World Trade Center victims who have a multitude of needs that often take years to present. Usually they come to us with physical issues.  The psychological part is generally more complex. 

SR: From what I’ve read, you were a person who could have greatly benefited from a Social Action program. 
JS:  Yes I was.  Beginning in my early twenties, I began suffering from an unexplainable, chronic pain which continued undiagnosed for almost fifteen years.  During this time I visited numerous doctors, none of whom were able to help me.  Many of them told me there was nothing wrong with me except an overactive mind.  This made me ask, “if my mind is causing this, how can I change my mind?”  Finally, I convinced a doctor to open me up.  He discovered that part of my intestine had knotted up, herniated my diaphragm and traveled in a twisted path toward my heart and back down again.   It was no wonder I was in so much agony.

SR:  Is that when the yoga came in?
JS:  I had already been practicing yoga for years but at this point I committed myself to really studying it.  I wanted to uncover the healing and medicinal properties of the postures.  I started attending silent retreats and exploring meditation and Buddhism.  After about 7 years I was finally able to retrain peristalsis, the autonomic muscular movement of the intestines.  Since then, I’ve been out of chronic pain, though I do have a little discomfort from time to time.  This is what ultimately shaped the path of my life.  I went from being an artist, to being a yoga/meditation teacher to starting my own school and then founding The School for Compassionate Action: Yoga and Meditation for Communities in Need.

SR:  I’d like to get back to something you mentioned about uncovering the ‘medicinal’ properties of the postures. You’re living proof that our minds can literally retrain our bodies.
JS:  Yes, it’s important to understand that bringing the mind into the body is how true healing can really take place.  A posture can only do so much when it’s not being done consciously.  When we do something mindfully, we possess an incredible capacity to heal ourselves. We may not be able to cure cancer for instance, but if our mind is participating with the other modalities of healing, whatever we are doing takes on more power and strength.

SR: Could you give us an example of a posture that is directly linked to specific emotional or physical healing?
JS: Sure.  Hip openers can be very calming.  They literally bring blood, breath and energy into the pelvic area.  The longer we hold them, the more we absorb their effects.  It’s not a metaphor that they’re grounding.  They really are.  By doing them we can literally feel our feet on the ground which brings our mind back to earth instead of somewhere out in the universe. 

SR:  Your site features a quote from the Dalai Lama about meditation forming the basis of action.  Isn’t this a contradiction in terms?  How can you properly meditate when you’re thinking about taking action? 
JS:  Meditation is not about not thinking, it’s about observing the mind, understanding how it works and cultivating focus.  Once we see things as they are – in the mind, the body, the heart - we are empowered to make choices about how to be with what is.  When focusing the mind on breath or sensations we may eventually find space between thoughts.  In Buddhism, these are called gaps; moments of clarity and spaciousness where wisdom and compassion can grow.  Through the process of meditating, we can begin to take positive, responsible and thoughtful action to help ourselves,our neighbors and our world.

SR:  Is it important for your students to be Buddhists, or at least practice some form of religion?
JS:  No, not at all.  Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion.  I teach Buddhist philosophy simply because it’s what has helped me and changed my life over the past twenty years. Buddhism is a perfect partner to our indigenous religions and faiths.

SR:  Tell us a little about the practicum portion of the SCA Training. 
JS:  Much of it takes place at the Gouverneur Healthcare Center on the Lower East Side.  Our patients are grouped according to what their issues are. SCA is just one part of their overall treatment plan.  Dr. Wendy Barron, of Gouverneur’s Behavioral Department, has helped form and co-create the program.  Playing off what she’s doing is an incredible experience for both me and my students.  Our patients benefit greatly as well, having their minds, bodies and hearts attended to in a very holistic and Gestalt way.

SR:  Who are some of the other experts you are working with? 
JS:  Andrew Schuch from the Yale Child Study Center, Roshi Pat O’Hara, head of the Village Zendo, Ajahn Amaro, a Buddhist monk and my own teacher, Philip Moffitt, a recently published Insight meditation teacher, and Dr. Robin Boudette of Princeton University.  Fortunately, since I’ve been in this for so many years I have a lot of really great friends!  

SR:  Sounds phenomenal.  What are some logistics for those interested in joining the program? 
JS:  We run two semesters a year; one in September and one in February.  Registration is ongoing.  To join the SCA training, one must have completed 200 hours with me or at another reputable school.  I also run a 200 hour Vajra Yoga & Meditation training and a summer 200 hour session in Burlington, VT. 

SR: How has your program been received?
JS:  In my twenty years of teaching, I’ve always encountered gratitude, but there’s even more coming from those who are marginalized, have been ignored, or are at their wit’s end with the system.  For me, this is a very personal commitment.  When I was suffering, I was one of those marginalized and ignored.  My surgery and subsequent healing created a whole new twist in my life as I literally had to untwist my mind and my body. 

SR: So… where do you go from here?   What are your goals for the future of the program?
JS: Ultimately, our whole goal is to bring the School For Compassionate Action Training to as many communities as possible.  We train those interested, get them started in doing this work where they live and then continue the relationship as advisors and consultants.  We will be in Washington, D.C., this spring and Burlington, Vermont, this summer.

SR:  Is there room in your life for art or has yoga overtaken you completely? 
JS: I would love to do more artwork!  I am currently illustrating and writing a book while looking for grants to help me focus on just that.  In the meantime, the teaching can be very creative and spontaneous.  Put a body, mind and heart in front of me and suddenly everything can change – it’s just like art – let’s see what we can make with this!

In 1998 Cyndi Lee founded Om Yoga in New York City. Since then she has been inspiring yoga students and teachers to live, learn and love yoga. In honor of Om’s 12th birthday, I asked Cyndi ten questions to gain some insight into how it all began for her and what makes Om Yoga so unique for the rest of us.

-- Kristin Auble


K:  You are a world-renowned yoga teacher, author and successful business owner. How did it all get started?
C: I started taking yoga in college in 1971 and liked it a lot.  But I was primarily a dancer and when I graduated from the University of California, with an MFA in dance, I received an art history fellowship to be an intern (and token dancer) at the Whitney.  When I moved, I had to have a part-time job so I started teaching yoga at a gym and have been doing it ever since. 

K: Why yoga? Was it something that you just fell into for extra cash or were you drawn to it for other reasons?
C: I officially hung up my dance tights in ’94 and at that time I went into yoga full time.  It was never really a job choice based on money.  There are many other ways to make a lot more money than teaching yoga.  I’ve always been athletic and drawn to spirituality.  My dad was a minister and we’d get into really fun and exciting spiritual talks.  He also taught me how to ballroom dance in our living room.  I think this combo of movement and spirituality is in my genes.

K: How does the yoga spirituality come in?
C: I loved the yoga at college.  It was stretchy and mellow and we learned to meditate. I read lots of good books. In fact, I lived in the esoteric section of the UC Irvine library and hung out at the self-realization fellowship and devoured the Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda. I read Paavo Arola books and fasted and did interesting digestive purges and other kriyas.  I was madly in love with a boy in my yoga class. (We did lots of LSD and that was part of the whole 70s opening to spirituality and the universe.) It was a really great time of awakening and creativity for many of us.

K: You were a successful choreographer for over 20 music videos. Were you still teaching yoga during that time?
C: I have been steadily teaching yoga since 1978, even while dancing and choreographing.  Almost all dancers in the United States have to have a side job, and I was not a good waitress at all!  I did like teaching yoga and that was a meaningful way to supplement my income or maybe you could say that dance supplemented my yoga income.

K: How did your practice of yoga and choreography finally merge?
C: Near the end of my professional dancing career, I was completely motivated by my guru, Gelek Rimpoche, who is a Tibetan Buddhist Lama as well as my yoga practice and teaching which, at that time, was primarily at Jivamukti. My last dance concert was called Dharma Dances and a lot of the choreography looked like yoga.  Almost all the dancers were yogis, too. 

One of the pieces was called The Beat Suite, and was set to music by Allen Ginsberg.  Allen performed live with my dancers and me which was a high point in my choreography career.  I met him because he was also a student of Gelek Rimpoche and so we were dharma siblings.  Anyway, I was just so in love with dharma and yoga that my dances reflected that and after Dharma Dances I realized I was more into dharma and so I retired from dancing and devoted more time to yoga and dharma practice.


K: What made you decide to take the leap from teaching to opening a studio?
C: I was teaching all over town and noticing that students were following me.  And, at the same time three things came together: 1) I didn’t really fit in an yoga studio because my dharma view and practice were Buddhist, not Hindu, and back then that was very unusual 2) I was getting tired schlepping all over town 3) my boyfriend – now my husband – suggested that I start my own studio as if that was not a crazy idea but a real possibility.

K: Tell us about some major landmarks in your journey
C:  Having special guests like Sharon Salzburg, Mark Epstein, Robert Thurman, and Enkyo Roshi O’hara at Om.   We were the first to present Buddhist teachings and it was an honor to have these great teachers visit. 

The biggest highlight was the two visits from Gelek Rimpoche.  It was a thrill to have my students meet my teacher and my teacher meet my students.  We had so many people that they were hanging out of the doorways.  He talked about the meaning of Om.  Then everyone recited the Dedication of Merit at the end of Rimpoche’s visit.  I learned that prayer – also known as the Brahma Vihara or the Four Immeasurables from Rimpoche in about 1988 and since then I always finished my classes with that dedication.  One night, spontaneously, my students all joined it and said it with me.  Since then we all say it at the end of each Om class and it is even written on our walls.  So it was full circle to say that when Rimpoche was there. 

 K:. Any regrets about opening a studio in NYC or anything you would do differently if you could?
C: Nope.  I hope that I am always getting more skillful – kind, precise and effective – in how I manage my business and my teaching and my life.  But regrets, not really.

K: How would you describe the vibe and classes at Om Yoga and what makes it stand out from other studios in the city?
C: I think you really learn yoga at Om.  People tell me that they learn more in a week at Om than in a month elsewhere.  That’s because we teach yoga. It’s not about just giving students an experience or a “high;” it’s about empowering each person to own their yoga and have a personal experience from the inside out.  They learn how to wake up to transitions as well as poses, to be clear and precise in alignment, to understand alignment principles and how to apply them; to move with mindfulness and curiosity; to observe how every action has a result – and how all that creates imprints for how we are in the rest of our lives.  It’s deep and profound and ordinary and fun.

At this point Om Yoga truly is a yoga and dharma institute of study and practice. One time, I took my husband David (who is a great musician and meditation teacher) out to a fancy restaurant for a special occasion.  The maitre’d received us and as he was walking us to the table said, “how interesting that your name is Cyndi Lee.  That’s the name of the woman who owns the yoga studio I go to.”  So naturally I said, “well that must be me.”  And he couldn’t wait to tell us all about the positive experience he’d had at Om.  He came as shy beginner and worked his way up from brand new beginners to intermediate, losing 60 pounds along the way.  He said his life had changed so much for the better and his dream was to take Om Teacher Training.  He brought us after dinner drinks to show his appreciation.  I love this story!  I am proud that Om Yoga can offer a gateway to any person at any level who wants to practice yoga and meditation.


K: Tell me about your involvement in Yoga For New York, why you feel strongly about the cause and the benefit in the works?
C: Well, you see, we always have a benefit raffle at this time of year.  This is our 12th year doing that and we don’t make a big deal about it because I was raised in a tradition where you give but you don’t talk about it. But since you asked – we do feel that it is a good idea for all NY yogis to be aware of Yoga for New York.  We feel that it is important for Yoga Teacher Training programs to be able to continue in order the guarantee the high quality of teaching that we are accustomed to receiving.  We feel that the State of New York does not need to legislate that for us and, at this point, we’re all under the threat of that happening which could cause a lot of programs to shut down and even worse studios to shut down.  So Yoga for New York benefits all of us who love yoga.

The main lobby of Pure Yoga is covered in backpacks and notebooks. Groups of people, some from as far away as Arizona, England, and India, sit together eating snacks and talking.  It looks like a college common room around exam time. But these studious people, ranging from early 20s to late 40s, are not gathered to take a test. They are here to receive the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu text, as taught by Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Michael Roach and his co-teacher Lama Christie McNally.

For eight evenings in November, Roach and McNally explicated the Gita—which is 9th scripture course in their Yoga Studies Institute (YSI) series—discussing the text’s insights into karma and ethical living. The conversation between Arjuna, the warrior prince, and Krishna, the Hindu god (disguised as Arjuna’s trusted friend and charioteer) is a model of student-guru relationship, and a fitting tableau to explain some of yoga’s subtle concepts.

The  excitement  in the room was palpable. Roach and McNally only come to New York about twice a year and many students—including long-time ones—had not heard this particular teaching. As well, the duo will be traveling extensively in 2010, before they undertake another 3-year silent retreat later in the year. Both will make them inaccessible to their New York-based students.

Roach and McNally taught from a stage covered in roses and lilies. Each night, when they entered the room, students bowed, offering abundant flowers, fruit, chocolate, CDs of music, and even boxes of breakfast cereal. These entrances took quite a while as the teachers gathered the goods and chatted with students.

Then, Lama Christie, dressed in her signature white cotton, opened the formal teaching with a heart-centered meditation and visualization.

Rather than go chapter by chapter through the Gita, the two used particular stanzas to discuss key ideas of karma, the laws of action, and perception.

Present action, they said, does not lead to present results. That’s just our wish to control of our lives. Rather, present situations spring from "seeds" planted long ago. So, if you want something in your future life, give it away now. If you want a lot of money, give a lot of money away (Roach has written books on this). If you want a good boyfriend, help someone else meet their romantic partner. If you love churros (a fried Spanish donut, often sold on subway platforms), give all your churros away. Roach used the example of receiving a pizza box full of churros after sharing a bag with some students.

“In our life, we are trained to think we can’t get our goal or that we should have reasonable goals,” says Roach. “If you understand how to do an action, you don’t have to settle for anything less anymore.” We can—and should—dream big, but to get everything we want we need to stop thinking of ourselves. In helping others first, our own dreams will be fulfilled.

Also, they lectured, things in the material and emotional world are projections from within us. As subjective constructions, they don't actually exist. It’s because form and reality are not fixed that enlightenment—a major shift in perspective—is possible.

Some attendees, like Edward Lafferty, assistant to a senior YSI teacher, felt that they were receiving spiritual nourishment just by being at the event. “It’s very clear that things are happening at a deeper level,” he said. “There’s some sort of transmission going on beyond the words.”

Others were curious. Piotr Bracichowicz, a lecturer in computer engineering at CUNY, had come along with his wife, a yoga teacher. “These are simple things they’re talking about,” he said, “but they are life changing. We cannot make an action expecting a certain result. But we are responsible for making good actions anyway. It’s a great practice.”

But for others, the event raised questions. Phebe Palin, psychotherapist and lecturer at Brooklyn College, found the ceremony around the teaching distracting.“I was surprised that it took them 45 minutes to get into the room every night,” says Palin who is currently training enrolled in the Conquering Lion yoga teacher training program. “I would have liked to have heard them teach more.”

The program, slated to end at 11pm each night, often ran past midnight.

As for why now is the time to teach the Bhagavad Gita, Lobsang Chukyi, Buddhist nun and assistant to Roach and McNally commented, “The story centers on someone who is confused in midst of battlefield—confused about what to do. The world is confused right now. People don’t know what to do in their lives. They want the knowledge.”

As attendees searched for their shoes and socks at the end of the night, many lovingly watched their teachers as they left the studio. The feeling of excitement hadn’t dimmed. It was a bit tired, but still burning bright.

--Joelle Hann, for more of Joelle’s writing go to her blog, Yoga Nation.

I was resistant to chanting at first. I didn’t understand what the chants meant, and it brought back bad memories of the dreary church sermons of my youth.  But sometimes the most vehement cynics make the most enthusiastic converts.

It was Sean Johnson, a kirtan artist from New Orleans, who first changed my mind. His kirtan music fuses jazz and blues, and because of my passion for these musical forms I was lured to his kirtan (a chanting party that typically lasts for two hours or more). I was instantly struck by the release and vitality that kirtan gave me. The audience was dancing and jumping around, chanting with all their energy. It was a joyful experience: I went to bed with my head buzzing and woke up feeling ecstatic and energized.

“Chanting is fundamentally therapeutic,” Johnson said. “So many people have lost touch with the power of their voice and their creative expression. It’s a direct path to freeing the authentic voice within.”

Part of the reason chanting mantras feel so good is their origin. They are said to be sounds created by Rishis while they were in deep meditative states. Mantras come from Vedic scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The earliest texts date back to 1,000 B.C.E.

Perhaps the most well-known mantra is OM. It is believed to contain the sound of all things because A-U-M are the most primal sounds, and it helps extend the exhale. The Chandogya Upanishad says, “As all leaves are held together by a stalk, so is all speech held together by Aum.”

While OM is commonly chanted at the beginning and end of class, yogis also chant other well-known mantras.

“John Friend decided that ‘Om Namah Shivaya Gurave-Satchidananda Murtaye-Nishprapanchaya Shantaya-Niralambaya Tejase’ should be chanted at the beginning of every class,” said Rudrani Brown of the World Yoga Center. “It’s a petition from the bottom of one’s heart to open to the teacher within. The mantra is meant to bring us into the right frame of mind to access our infinite being.”

Hindu chants express love and devotion, but in Kundalini yoga the chants have more serious gravity. SatKirin, a Kundalini kirtan artist says, “Whenever you have a resonance it creates cellular formation so words of harshness create cells of harshness. These mantras give the experience of joy and ecstasy. The glandular system is balanced and the meridian points of the mouth are stimulated.”

Kundalini chants come from the Sikh tradition started by Guru Nanak in the early 1500’s. The language is Gurmukhi, which means “from the mouth of the guru.” In Kundalini the word for sound is “Shabd.” The word “Sha” means expression of the ego and “bd” means to cut.

I have seen for myself how Kundalini chanting can effectively cut the ego. One of my assignments as part of my Kundalini teacher training was to chant the mantra “Ardas Bhaee” while holding Archer’s pose (15 minutes on one side, 15 minutes on the other side). We were also advised to do this meditation during the Ambrosial hours, between 4 and 7 a.m., when the mind is most quiet.

At first, my mind was quite resistant. I got angry, frustrated and lost my patience many times while chanting. And I skipped a couple of days in favor of staying in bed with my cats.

But on the days I didn’t do the meditation, I noticed significant differences in my behavior. I was more inclined to gossip. I tended to whine and complain. On the days I did the meditation, I was happier, sweeter, calmer, more patient and oftentimes found myself smiling for no good reason at all. I realized that part of the point of the meditation was to smoke out my negative emotions. Yogi Bhajan, the yoga master who brought Kundalini yoga to the United States said, “You’ve got to be miserable here so the whole day you can be nice. Get rid of the garbage in the garbage can. I want to send you out today to work as dancing, young, beautiful people.”

My struggles with chanting, and the moments of clarity I found within it, taught me that chanting is, overall, a completely personal experience. For that reason, many yogis say that students should approach it with care.

“It’s not appropriate to chant when you’re with people who don’t understand what chanting is,” Brown cautioned. “It’s not appropriate to impose chanting upon anyone. You have to connect with the essence of who you’re serving.”

About a month ago, I attended a Sadhana for Guru Ram Das’s birthday at Kundalini Yoga Park Slope. We chanted “Dhan Dhan Ram Das Guru” for sixty-two minutes. While I found myself feeling frequently distracted, and occasionally bored, during the meditation, I emerged from chanting feeling clear-headed and energized.

I heard that whatever you pray for on Guru Ram Das’ birthday is granted to you. But sometimes, during the chant you can’t tell, or don’t know, what exactly you’re praying for.

Later that day, my brother, who hasn’t spoken to me in six years, contacted me out of the blue, and I had the most meaningful conversation I’d had with him in years.

Was it a coincidence? Whatever it was, it was truly mystical. 

--Marie Carter

Where to go for chanting and kirtans?
Integral: http://www.iyiny.org/workshops_events/kirtan/

About 20 enthusiastic yoga teachers and students met for the first Yoga for New York (YFNY) meeting of 2010.  The organization’s goals are clear…raise awareness, secure more donations and keep the pressure on Albany lawmakers to pass the legislation that is before them in both the Assembly and Senate during this session.  And, the Department of Education, Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision attitude is clear…we are willing to work with you and “we’re not opposed to this legislation” but, show us the signed bills.

Raise Awareness
There are still hundreds of studios outside the NYC metro area that are not aware of the progress YFNY has made in getting legislation drafted and introduced into the state capital. In coming weeks and months, volunteers (and they need even more help) will call studios to ask them to contact their representatives regarding the passage of the Schneiderman and Rosenthal bills. 

In addition the organization will be upgrading their Facebook and other social networking communications and get more petitions that support keeping yoga free from unnecessary government regulations and licensing into the hands of potential signees.


Secure More Donations
YFNY has gotten funding from many yoga studios and teachers but still needs to secure more donations to go towards their lobbying efforts.  On Thursday night January 21, they’ll be holding a Party to benefit its Advocacy Fund.  Open bar, hors d’Oeuvres and a silent auction (featuring free classes, studio memberships, jewelry and vacations) will take place at midtown hotspot Cibo.  Tickets are $75 for yoga teachers, $100 for others in advance, $125 at the door. To donate an item or help in the running of this event, please contact Karen Nourizadeh at karennouri@aol.com.


Keep The Pressure On
February 9 is “Lobby Day” in the New York capital. YFNY will be “training” it up the Hudson to Albany, doing demonstrations and chatting up lawmakers.  The more the merrier.  If you are interested in joining in, please contact YFNY Chair and Executive Directory Alison West at alisonwest@yogaforny.org or Denise Kronstadt, Lobbying Chair at action@yogaforny.org.

For more information about Yoga for New York and how you can help keep the threat of undue and burdensome licensing at bay, go to their website at www.yogaforny.org

YogaCity NYC presents a Drawing Yoga Workshop with Senior Iyengar Teacher Bobby Clennell this Saturday, January 16th.  In preparation for the event, I sat down with Bobby in her West Village home to glean a little insight into how her work as an artist informed her practice and what yogis could learn from taking her art class.

Gina: I noticed on your website (http://www.bobbyclennell.com) that you refer to Mr. Iyengar as “having eyes everywhere.” It seems to me that you have become that yourself.
Bobby: (She laughs) Well, yes, I suppose so. Teaching and drawing yoga are both about direct observation and being able to see things clearly. I am constantly drawing. I draw in my head.”

Gina: How do you see drawing yoga as helping someone with his or her own practice?
Bobby: It helps them learn more about yoga - to look, dissect and internalize the pose. As a teacher of art and yoga I realize I am helping them to see the pose for themselves.

Gina: Was there one specific pose that you really felt you understood by drawing it? 
Bobby: Certainly when I was making my animated film, Yoga Yantra, tracing Mr Iyengar's image over and over again gave me tremendous insight into the poses, and tremendous inspiration. When I illustrated my book, The Women's Yoga Book, I used myself as a model and I worked from photographs. I learned a lot about my own practice doing this, as in many cases I had to "correct" and adjust the poses as I drew them, particularly the standing poses. Sometimes, the drawings came easily, and I could complete up to five or six drawings a day, but sometimes, it would be a real fight to get the drawing right. When you spend a whole week struggling with a drawing of say, Parsvakonasana, you learn a lot about the pose!

Gina: Are there any poses that you find especially difficult to depict on paper?
Bobby: The more dramatic the pose the easier it is to draw. Like backbends. (Here Bobby inscribes a wheel in the air with her graceful fingers) The harder or least satisfying is probably tadasana.

Gina: As a photographer, I have always felt that “art-making” and meditation are very similar. The moment comes and I am fully present in it. I imagine that drawing is that way as well...
Bobby: Yes, it’s like “Zen and the Art of Drawing”…You become one with your drawing and your model. It is meditation. You are suspended in time. Nothing else is happening. With yoga we are drawing poses which come out of an ancient philosophy. Whether you know it or not, you are drawing something divine. The models are transmitting something to you from their bodies.”

Gina: What do you tell students who don’t feel they can draw or who perhaps may be feeling awkward about putting pencil to paper?
Bobby: Not to be attached to the outcome… Don’t worry about it. Whether you are good or bad – if you are trying to get a specific outcome then it’s like a job. Just be in the moment. It’s wonderful to be in the inner  space without the well-trodden path. And these poses are so quick that it’s important to get the gesture and feeling of the pose rather than trying to make it perfect. The great thing about drawing yoga, especially if you don’t have a vested interest in it  - is that if you’re trying to have fun with it, then you will have fun with it.

Gina: Which is the way of yoga.
Bobby: Exactly. You know, it’s always interesting to see the speed or slowness that someone will draw with. Sometimes, someone just slows right down on a foot and gets lost in it.

Gina: What kind of poses will the models be doing?
Bobby: I have a sequence worked out which is progressive and makes sense for the yogi. There is good amount of stamina required to hold a pose.

Gina: And how long is that?
Bobby: Nothing will be held for more than five minutes. It also depends on the model.

Gina: Is there anything specific you want people to know?
Bobby: It’s all about the practice… I’m learning to swim. I’m in my 60’s and I’m learning to swim! It’s so exciting but I do know I can’t just go in there once a week. I have to practice. Anything that you do is about practice. Keep throwing yourself at it. Get on the mat, stay on the mat. And keep working at it.
   
Gina: What supplies should someone bring who has no experience at all with life-drawing? Can you recommend particular materials?
Bobby: New artists should bring a sketch book, no smaller than 9" X 12", but preferably the next size up, 11" X14". Soft lead pencils, 2B, 3B, or 4B (or bring one of each and experiment with what kind of line each one gives you). An erasure. A pencil sharpener, and something to put your shavings into.

--Gina de la Chesnaye

Editor's Note: The Drawing Yoga Workshop with Bobby Clennell takes place at Om Factory at 1:30 on Saturday, January 16.  For more information and to register go to http://www.yogacitynycspecialevents.com.

“It’s a magic trick,” says the curator of the Nesting Project, an artist named avalove. Until January 15th, the Jivamuktea Café has been transformed into a mini magical forest. The nests are creative expressions in the forms of drawings, photographs, dioramas, and malas as well as the more traditional nest-shapes.  “It’s all about intention,” says love.  I couldn’t agree more. The alchemy behind projects intended to create positive change is an incredible inspiration in many, many forms. 

avalove, who was on her way to class last spring, noticed the increase in homelessness in Union Square. Wanting to help in some way, the idea of The Nesting Project was born.  She called her mom, an honorary member of the Sri Lankan consulate in New Mexico, who told her that many people are still displaced after the 2004 tsunami - and that only $800 would build a house. Jivamukti, her home away from home, is a communitywhich supports spiritual activism and seemed like a natural place to start. The only stipulation that David Life and Sharon Gannon made was that some of the money raised would also go to help animals. Following the nesting theme, a portion of the proceeds will go to the NY Audubon Society, to preserve the habitats of wild birds in the five boroughs as well as Habitat for Humanity in Sri Lanka.

An invitation was sent out yogis, artists, and friends – everyone – to participate in the project and create a nest.  Some of the most interesting nests came from people who claimed to not be “artists” but who the organizers encouraged to create anyway. The sense of community was of utmost importance as well as the idea that we are all artists and would each have a unique idea of what a nest meant. And that they did. There are nests made out of fake hair, diaper fabric, gourds, Apache tears, seaweed, yoga mats, virtues and bras.

Today’s instillation consists of a few dozen of nests that hang and sit in the café waiting to be adopted through a silent auction, which ends at 12am on the 14th.   Another way to make a donation is to visit the wishing well. After perusing the gallery, make an offering into the well, write a prayer or a wish onto a petal and hang it on the “tree” which consists of found branches.

The magic of the project lies in the transfer of energy in the creative process. The artists creating the nests are involved in an act of self-discovery, exploring what sanctuary and home means to them. When they’re sold, the money raised will help beings here and across the world. Everyone gains, especially the lucky auction winners. Some of my favorites are the Twizler Nest, a shiny red nest of licorice by candy artist Nathaniel Garber Schoen; the Buddha Nest, a delicate airy nest balancing a ceramic Buddha in string wire and moss, and the Sand Forest, a beautiful little world of sand and dried flowers by Scott Massarsky. I myself have bid on one of his sweet little ink drawings which seem to have a bit of Dr. Seuss inspiration.

We hope The Nesting Project will become an annual event at the café. avalove also spoke about the possibility of doing such a project on a greater scale with grants and expanding it to other communities as well. As her nests prove, when the intention is positive, the possibilities (and nesting materials) are endless and create change on many levels. Magic indeed.

--Alexandra Blatt

It doesn't seem that long ago that Lilia Mead opened Go Yoga in a cute space at the back of an old girdle factory in Williamsurg. In fact, it was January 2000. Time flies. Back then, the funky space hosted a few other cool burgeoning businesses, too--Uva the excellent wine store, the Bedford Cheese shop, Spoonbill & Sugartown booksellers--all of which have become neighborhood fixtures. Go Yoga has since moved a couple of blocks north, and Lilia herself has had two children. But they continue to foster a warm community, keeping yoga small scale and personal. On Saturday, January 16th, come celebrate a decade of creating community and keeping yoga real in Williamsburg. For more information go to www.goyoga.ws or call 718-486-5602.

Last Tuesday, CNN aired its investigation of Dahn Yoga, the controversial “yoga” chain that's moving its headquarters to New York this year. Ilchi Lee, founder and spiritual leader of Dahn, is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with a group of former employees, who accuse him of running a cult.

It was a story I was the first to break last summer for Yoga City, when I took classes for several weeks and interviewed Dahn students and some plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

I watched the first two installments yesterday, hoping to gain some new insight into the Dahn phenomenon. Unfortunately, the “investigation” so far is nothing but a re-hashing of other journalists’ work. They didn’t really investigate, just interviewed those involved in the lawsuit, lawyers and PR people. There were the same allegations of sexual assault and coercion, and testimonials of forced, torturous physical activity and extortion. It was scary stuff, but I thought that CNN would use its resources to look into Dahn’s financial records, and ask real questions of its officials.

To her credit, the journalist, Kyra Phillips, tried to interview Lee who was in Sedona, Arizona, debuting a 30-foot high “Mago” statue, or Mother Earth in Dahn speak (the statue sits, gazing benevolently over one of Dahn’s compounds). But her questions were cut short when his handlers pushed her camera and microphone away. At one point, although we can’t see it, they seem to be physically assaulting Phillips—who’s yelling “Don’t touch me! Please, don’t touch me!” over and over.

I’m surprised CNN didn’t pick up on this earlier. But I’m not surprised that Lee did not consent to an interview.

My own experience covering Dahn left me feeling a little frightened. The first time I tried to interview their PR person, Mike Paul, he screamed at me over the phone after I introduced myself (he told me I was “unprofessional” for attending a class without calling him first). Then, over a salad at a diner next to Madison Square Garden, Paul told me that Dahn had already done a background check on me, other journalists, and everyone else who criticized Dahn. “We couldn’t find out much about you,” he said, smirking. “You’re a 23-year-old writer living in Brooklyn.” Paul’s way of defending Dahn was to trot out the female plaintiff’s sexual histories and testimonies from ex-boyfriends—all gathered from a private investigator hired by Dahn—as evidence they were untrustworthy.

Since my article came out, Dahn started a blog called the Dahn Yoga Voice as a platform to “correct” the record. They write that I had several phone conversations with Mr. Paul before “finally agreeing to meet face to face for an interview.” If you count one phone conversation with a man screaming and insulting a young journalist who hasn’t even asked her first question yet, as several conversations, o.k.

And since that article came out, more outlets have covered this. Glamour Magazine ran an article about it, and now CNN. Although the first two installments were lackluster, I plan on tuning in tonight. Maybe they're saving the best for last.

But most likely, I’ll end up with the same question I had when I tried to write my article: how is it possible to be duped into giving away thousands of dollars to this man, a man I watched prance around on stage at Radio City Music Hall last summer, in an interpretive dance to the song “From a Distance?” A man who tells people they can achieve eternal life if they practice his philosophy?

And then I’ll remember the folks I interviewed. The bleached-blonde New Jersey housewife who never had a career of her own, now opening up her own Dahn franchise at age 50. The overweight, plain-faced, 40-something who told me Dahn is the only thing that makes her feel good about herself. And the college student who took out thousands in student loans, all because, he said, Dahn helped him find friends, and gave him something to excel at.

So I’ll probably end the show, still certain, as I was when I wrote the article, that if Dahn isn’t exactly the next Jonestown, it most certainly is a scam, and that I feel kind of....sorry for the people who get obsessed with it. And, of course, that Ilchi Lee is a fraud.

To see the last installment of the investigation, watch CNN's Campell Brown tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

-Hannah Rappleye

Thank god it’s over.  In 2009, studios became home offices to the new jobless class and karma turned into therapy for depressed, out-of-work yogis. It was bad enough that we were all pinching pennies so hard, then Albany came knocking on the door, demanding studios give them handouts or they threatened to close them down. Come on! Teachers banded together, Yoga For New York was born, beating back the bureaucrats (we hope) and making the cover of the Times. Nice.

While some worried that yoga would get too corporatized; we’re seeing strong signs of more small quirky studios.  What else?  Our founder and publisher Brette came out of the closet as a writer – are you reading our blog? (We love contributors.) For other trends, we looked into the crystal ball, asked some in-the-know yogis, and came up with a list.  Let us know what we forgot!


Trend: America’s fastest growing sport makes room for Newbies.
Remember when you weren’t sure how to say Chaturanga? As more folks find yoga, studios like Yoga High and Sonic Yoga are adding Brand New Beginners classes. Teachers take time to break down warrior II, and students don’t feel silly asking, “what’s the piriformis?” Reflections Yoga has the Bare Bones Basics and studio manager, Brenna Padesky finds “these classes help students experience yoga without feeling intimidated or judged.” Can we all come? 

Trend: Step Aside Big Box.
In response to the monster Mega Studios, Brooklyn is blossoming with tiny, intimate places like Easeful Yoga, and tiny Nava, always have very small classes – hello adjustments! Naomi Jaffe who recently opened Cobble Hill Yoga in the parlor floor of her brownstone believes, “People love practicing in their teacher's home and find it a more personal experience.”  Yup!

Trend: Crossover Artists!
Even though some students are looking for a smaller class and more intimate experience, there are just as many old dogs looking for new tricks to keep their practice interesting.  The teachers are not disappointing. Mary Aranas and Sandy Ferreira took us to the skies with Acroyoga at the Om Factory. Amanda DiGiovanna put us in the Atlantic Ocean on surfboards last summer. Pure and Vosages made us taste wine and chocolate all over again at their weekend workshops. David Romanelli is marrying yoga, food ecology and yummy treats at Exhale later this month. Our favorite new pairing? Cat Guthrie’s cheeky Yoga and orgasm workshop in Garrison, New York – a doubly fun weekend getaway.

Trend: Bring On The Band.
Or the funk or the didge.  Years ago, it was frowned on to play music in class. That’s over.  Derek Beres marries yoga to Hip Hop at Pure. Sukha, which is planning live music classes in 2010, puts their funky ever-changing playlist on their site. While Pure and Sukha’s classes may be rockin’, those wanting a more traditional vibe should check out the harmonium in Barbara Verocchi’s classes at The Shala or the Didgeridoo in Elena Brower’s Tuesday class at Vira Yoga. Lovely.


Trend: Everybody Comes.
It started with Mommy and Me, where the youngest were learning to do kitty cat at studios like Karma Kids and Caravan of Yogis.  Teens and tweens have their own backcare classes now at Yoga Union and disgruntled, judgmental youth (ours) who think yoga is sissy are loving macho, maybe-you’ll-faint, Hot Yoga. The whole family is coming out for classes together at Bend and Bloom.

Trend: REALLY Cheap Yoga. 
After realizing he’d been shut out of Wall Street, former Bear Stearns broker Mike Patton went counter trend and is opening  Yoga Vida today (!!!) Classes are just $5 (!) for members and $10 for drop-ins. Reflections classes are $5 all this week. (Keep it up guys.) The Chopra Center offers free meditation – see this week’s Sleuth.  And we’re loving Namaste Project’s flash meditation mobs.  New donation and contribution classes and  are popping up all over – check schedules at places like Pure, and hot Vinyasa studio Sankalpah. Sukha Yoga Collective does a twist on this idea with a Sunday night flow where students give contributions to different charities chosen by the teacher community.

Trend: Turquoise Ganesha.
If there is one thing we can all agree on for 2010, it’s that we’re ready to prosper! Beth of Satya Jewelry and AK Kennedy of Hyde are both seeing an increased prevalence of Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, remover of obstacles on the horizon. Both have embraced ‘10’s recently announced vacation-esque nature color of '10: turquoise. Expect chunky turquoise mala beads and yoga tank tops galore boasting various shades of the bright hue helping remind us of happier times ahead. 

Trend: The Ancients Get Wired. 
We weren’t too excited about tech until Katie Clancy showed us all the free yoga classes on iTunes and Youtube.  If you’re craving a live experience at a hidden little studio – you’re in luck. This year we got three New York City phone apps – Yogoer, MINDBODY, and Yoga Local.  And they’re expanding every day. After finding the class, finally learn your anatomy -- all the bones and muscles -- on the amazingly cool video game Anatomy Arcade. Feeling in need of  teacher’s wisdom? Easy.  Everybody is putting their innermost thoughts on blogs - even the fusty Iyengars. (Of course, you'll never find it on their site so click here.) Our fav NYC bloggers? Yoga Nation, YogaDork, and Gen Z newscaster’s Kelly Morris’s podcast.
                           
--Allison Richard

-- illustration by Erin Prince, www.kinmokusei-art.com

Yogis, Coming to the YFNY Meeting on January 6th?

The issue that once united New York's disparate yoga community seems to now bore it to death.  While licensing still looms over every single student and studio, threatening to shut down the mom and pop places we love, only a few committed individuals are volunteering to fight. (The next organizing meeting, btw, is at Yoga High at from 1 p.m to 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome.)

"I've probably put in two to three months of full time, unpaid work on this issue," said Alison West, last week, adding that she and the few other individuals who make up Yoga For New York are growing frustrated by the lack of help. Many yogis, she said, have declined to volunteer their time because they say they have too many other things to do.

 "It's not my personal issue,” West said.  “It's everybody's issue."

If licensing passes, absolutely everybody who practices yoga in New York will be affected, West noted. Two or three people can't fight the entire state, but a community can.

These next few months are absolutely critical.  Lobbyist Gene de Santis and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick informed West that the two bills concerning yoga licensing may come to a vote very soon--as early as this month, or the beginning of February.

"From what I understand, we stand some chance of having our bill passed early in the session," West said, adding that she hopes that, despite the state's current and time consuming budget crisis, our yoga bills will get slipped onto the floor for consideration.

YFNY is hoping to begin the new year with a bang. Their meeting on January 6th, at Yoga High on the Lower East Side, is a call to arms. Participants will vote on bylaws, get updates about the legislation, and organize.

"We need people to call senators and write letters, to let them know that it's important," West said. "People should come and find out what they can do."

As the bill nears the assembly floor, yogis need to get increasingly loud and let their representatives know this issue is important to them. There are petitions you can sign and send to your representative, and phone calls you can make to studios across the state--something that YFNY desperately needs.

"We've got NYC covered," West said. "But we have far less contact with people outside the city."

Money Too

They need to raise about $10,000 to cover the rest of the lobbyist's fees. That's where the fundraiser at Cibo comes in on January 21, where YFNY will host a silent auction. Participants will be able to bid on everything from studio memberships, haircuts, and free classes to a stay at a villa in Italy, the perfect opportunity for an exotic yoga retreat.

For this party to be a success, yogis need to come.  It’s really important for people to show solidarity, West added.

YFNY is not messing around--every single dollar they raise goes directly to lobbyist fees. They are so stringent they aren't setting aside any money even for a DJ.  They are looking for volunteer musicians (contact them if you are!).

YFNY is still looking for donations. If you know any celebrities that would be willing to auction themselves off for a dinner, or if you are a teacher and wish to donate a class or a private session, please contact karennouri@aol.com. at YFNY

To attend the Cibo benefit, you can pay online at www.yogaforny.org, or send a check in the mail, or pay at the door. Tickets are $100 in advance, and $125 at the door. Special rate for yoga teachers is $75.00.

The Event: Thursday, January 21, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Cibo Restaurant 767 2nd Ave., at 41st St.

We’ve noticed a lot of meditating cropping up in the city.  Not surprising, sages and yogis have always known what cutting edge brain researchers are now documenting -  this practice quiets and sharpens the mind, tunes down an overactive nervous system, and allows the meditator to get more deeply involved in life.  The problem: mediation is really hard.  With that in mind, we asked long-time sitter and Naropa graduate Shell Fischer to give us the secrets to staying with it.

Though I’ve been meditating almost daily for about fifteen years, it sometimes not only feels boring and repetitive, but like an enormous waste of my time. I live in New York, after all, where time is a precious commodity and there are, literally, about a million other things I could be doing.

Still, I’ve also experienced the joy and surprise of finding myself using what I’ve discovered through my practice in my daily life. I often relate this slow and patient education to something I learned while on a whitewater rafting trip in Colorado. Our instructor kept repeating the same simple instructions over and over until I wanted to shout, “Shut up! Do you think we’re stupid! Enough already!” Yet, when our raft struck a rough spot and I suddenly found myself alone under the rushing water without direction, my panicked brain had to struggle to find those same simple instructions as if reaching into the dark. “Lay on your back, bend your knees, point your feet downstream . . .” Because these things had been repeated so many times, they finally did appear, and to this day I believe they saved my life.

Meditation can be like that—not the life-saving part, but the part about the lessons unexpectedly becoming available to me. It’s something I need to remind myself when I become frustrated, bored, or even infuriated with my practice.

Here are a few things I’ve learned that have helped me to avoid quitting:

1. My boredom, anxiety, pain, and constant thinking IS the practice. I’m not doing it wrong; these things are in fact what I’m supposed to be investigating. In meditation, I’m learning how to watch—without judgment—my rapid, ever-changing thoughts, emotions, and body sensations as if sitting at the window of my apartment and watching a rather noisy, interesting parade as it passes along the street. By doing this, I can slowly become aware of the impermanent nature of things; I can learn to react differently, be kinder to myself and others, and not take things so personally. Over the years, that parade has gradually mellowed—say, from the Village’s raucous Halloween parade to the kiddy-filled one in Park Slope—yet I admit I’m now especially grateful when I’m struggling the most, since it’s usually when I receive my deepest lessons.

2. There’s no “getting it.”  In this lifetime, it’s not likely I’ll ever sit in an empty, thought-less state of complete Buddha-bliss, at one with the screaming sirens, honking horns and obscenity-laced insults rising from the busy street below my apartment. And frankly, I’m glad, since that wouldn’t be any fun. For instance when I first started practicing yoga as a former competitive gymnast, I easily attained an almost-perfect King Pigeon in my first few tries. Now, since I’ve injured my back, even an Upward-Facing Dog feels difficult, yet the lessons I’m learning are much more satisfying.

3. Everyone else is thinking, too. It helps me to know that when our brains are faced with what feels like boring repetition (i.e. watching our breath, or pushing up into Downward Dog for the millionth time), it’s actually natural for  them to spin out into thinking, since we believe we’ve already “accomplished” that particular task. So, each time I catch myself thinking and come back to my breath, I congratulate myself for being mindful. I was conscious of my thinking! Then, when I slip into yet another story/fantasy/thought in the very same breath, it just means I have another opportunity to do it all over again.

4. It’s my job to be extraordinarily nice to myself. I’m quite talented when it comes to being mean to myself, so it’s a great relief to know that the practice actually requires me to cultivate loving-kindness (or metta) towards myself. Doing the opposite is really the one thing I can do “wrong,” since beating up on myself when I feel like I’m thinking too much or spacing out is antithetical to the practice. One of my favorite teachers, Pema Chödrön, once wrote: “Somehow, without cultivating unlimited friendliness for ourselves, we don’t progress along the path.”

5. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t know how it works; it just does. When I’m at my wit’s end and don’t feel like putting in the time and effort it takes to meditate, I remind myself that neuroscientists who are smarter than me have proven that meditation decreases the negative effects of stress, depression, anxiety, and fear, and produces lasting beneficial changes in both the immune-system and the brain’s electrical activity, along with a host of other happy things. In March, a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed that cultivating compassion through meditation affects specific regions of a person’s brain that make them more empathetic to the mental states of others.

All of this helps me to remember that even though sitting still and watching my breath for twenty minutes or more a day can often seem monotonous, exasperating, and sometimes even painful, it’s absolutely not a waste of my time to learn how to become a nicer, healthier, less anxious, more conscious person.

Pure Yoga’s Upper West Side location opened this past Tuesday joining its UES sibling as the second location of the Pure family in NYC. The 20,000 square foot space is home to six studios, including dedicated Iyengar and Hot Yoga rooms, a Pilates Reformer room and two privates.

The serene space uses dark wood and sustainable materials like cork and bamboo flooring for an eco-friendly feel. Several seating nooks decorated with bright sari-esque colors like deep purple, orange and pink and a lounging area filled with tons of throw pillows, extra thick cushions provide lots of places to relax and sip tea or peruse Yoga Journal. 

Boasting 85 classes per week, Pure offers some new styles in addition to trad Vinyasa and Iyengar. Jason Brown’s anatomy-based Vinyasa called Zenyasa, Acro Yoga with Mary Aranas and Hip Hop yoga with Derek Beres will be interesting classes to try in the New Year. Or deepen your practice with workshops from visiting greats like Max Strom and local celebs like Sadie Nardini.

After class take advantage of the yummy chilled eucalyptus infused towels or if need to schwitz some more, hop into one of the steam rooms next to the shower area in each locker room. 

Pure now has both member-only and public classes on their schedule. Monthly membership to Pure West is $140 or $160 for access to both Pure West and East.  Hey, it’s cheaper than a shrink.

--Allison Richard

To drink or not to drink? As I am now in the throws of the holiday season, this topic is again on my mind. What yogis should and should not put into their bodies is a subject of much debate and something we all come across at some point. I personally have gone back and forth between being completely stimulant and substance free, and then woefully mourning the thought of never again experiencing a real Italian espresso, pinot noir, or almond croissant. 

Many feel that we must absolutely abstain from alcohol, and they have a point. In small quantities, alcohol has great antioxidant benefits, lowers blood pressure, and supports our good cholesterol or HDL. But even in moderate amounts, alcohol lowers the vibrations of our subtle or astral bodies and therefore hinders us from reaching enlightenment. As practitioners of yoga, we are meant to be moving towards transcendence of the senses, not stuck in them, right? 

It seems I have spend years swinging between Macrobiotic and pure gluttony; a searching for some semblance of balance. So a few weeks ago, I attended an event at Pure, which demanded another look at this seemingly great contradiction. Anusara-inspired yoga teacher Jordan Mallah has teamed up with sommelier Owen Kotler to create an evening entitled Yoga & Organic Wine; A Divine Pair. 

Did I go looking for some – any justification of my own love of wine and seemingly incompatible yoga? You bet. 

Jordan opened the evening with a chat on passion and possibilities. He said that possibilities open up in following our passions, leading to expansion in our lives and ultimately freedom. Through the gentle, hour long, heart opening class he encouraged us to have fun and enjoy this Friday night yoga party. The point it seemed, was to let the yoga do what it does best; open us up. To our passions, our bodies and, yes, our pallets!

Hearts opened and passions engaged, we were greeted by 7 different organic wines from Oregon and Italy. Owen walked us through each wine, explaining the color, region, and often a personal story about the vineyard owner. I don’t know much about wine and having Owen there made the experience come alive. It was a sensory education vs. just a drink on a Friday night.

We were on wine 3 or 4 when the introductions got shorter. Sipping from plastic cups, we had turned Pure’s lounge into a little wine bar, and it became increasingly difficult for the experts  to talk over us. Smiling to myself, I reflected on the fact that this was surely a different type of Friday night party conversation. Instead of discussing work, relationships and the latest gossip, I was listening to two women talk about their doshas and the success and frustrations of their latest Ayurvedic cleanse. I learned about Kalustyan’s, the only place to find yellow mug beans and to-die-for red mustard greens at the Jay street farmers’ market.  

Jordan’s assistant Ashleigh Altman explained a bit about the history of Anusara and the tantric philosophy from which it stems. Basically the premise of Anusara is to enjoy life and experience bliss and love. And if you find bliss in a bit of chocolate, pastry or red wine then by all means have it. It is about opening our hearts up to all of life’s pleasures and experiences, finding our passions, and moving forward with love.

I guess that is the whole point, isn’t it? And the real question here is not whether or not you drink, but where are you coming from? It is our core intention in any action that is the most important and, I believe, at the heart of this whole argument. We find yoga through its many limbs and for various reasons. But at the end of the day we all find that it brings us closer to ourselves. Our likes, dislikes, passions, pleasures etc. For some of us that is and needs to be complete abstinence, and for others there is a balance. The truth is that only we can really know that for ourselves. Yoga opens us to not only enjoy these experiences more fully, but to come closer to our own meat-eating alcohol-drinking truths. The paths are many.

Glass of wine in hand, I decided to search the internet to see what others had to say. I came across Om Shanti: A Yoga Blog that made another important point about out intentions. The author, Indiana-based yoga teacher Eugene, suggested that sometimes not drinking can be as much of an attachment. YES! He describes his own experience where not drinking was actually more about the performance of the role of a yogi. “In other words, it is possible for a person to become so attached to a certain self-conception – that he becomes blinded by this, and as a result, conducts all or most of his behaviors to reinforce this self-conception”. I agree as we all know at least one of those phony super-sattvic types who ignite guilt and shame in others. I find his honesty refreshing, and it makes me think – who exactly am I trying to please?

Coincidentally, the next day I gave up coffee, gluten and sugar, and swore to remain vegetarian for Thanksgiving after a cute picture of a turkey in the New York Times brought tears to my eyes. But this newfound understanding of moderately enjoying all of life’s pleasures makes sense too. And I admit some relief, because the next time I am in Paris blissfully gazing into the patisserie windows, I won’t feel so guilty. I hope a time comes in my life when I am quiet enough and too pure to mess with my astral body. Until then? I am passionately seeking balance.

--Alexandra Blatt

The New Year symbolizes rebirth and renewal.  Intensifying the energy of this occasion, there is a Blue Moon eclipse on December 31st  and the next one won't happen until 2028.  (The one this year will occur at 2:12 PM to be exact.)

The universe has conspired to make it the perfect time to start a new chapter in a joyful way.  We’ve made a list of great events – some are free!  Why not spend these two days visiting different studios, meeting new friends, chanting, singing, rejoicing and meditating for yourself. You'll contribute to a universal good vibe all around the town. (To make it easy, the schedule is organized around start times.)
Jai!

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Where:  Jivamukti Yoga | 841 Broadway, 2nd floor 
When:  5:00PM -12:00AM 
What: 21st Annual silent New Year's Eve. Start with a year end yoga class led by Sharon Gannon and David Life from 5:00PM-7:00PM. The class will be followed by a delicious Vegan dinner at 7:00PM. After, celebrated kirtan duo Sruti Ram & Ishwari will lead a dance party from 8:00PM to 9:00PM. Then, as it has done since 1988, mauna, the yogic practice of silence, (yes that's right, NO TALKING) will be observed from 9:00PM-12:00AM. All practice rooms will be open and available to provide a space for individual reflection on this special evening. At midnight, silence will be broken and the evening concludes with a special New Year message from Gannon and Life and free vegan chai courtesy of JivamukTea Cafe.
 How Much: Pre-mauna class and Dinner $75, Dinner only $35, Kirtan and Mauna are free
 More Info/Sign-Up:  www.jivamuktiyoga.com

Where: Om Yoga | 826 Broadway, 6th Floor 
When: 5:30PM - 8:00PM
 What: OM into the New Year with a 2 and a half hour medley of your favorite yoga practices. Join Joe Miller and Edward Jonesas they explore dynamic equilibrium--through the breath, the body and the mind. Grounding pranayama, invigorating vinyasa and nourishing restorative practices will be topped off with sangha-building mindfulness meditation to guide you into the New Year with a sense of balance amidst the hectic holiday. Class will end with plenty of time to meet up with your friends and family to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome new possibilities in 2010.
How Much: $35
 More Info/Sign-Up:  www.omyoga.com

Where:  Golden Bridge Yoga | 253 Centre Street 
When: 9:00PM-12:00AM
 What: A special full moon/eclipse ceremony lead by Joe Young begins at 9:00PM, then at 11:00PM Siri Sat will lead us into Deep Meditation, and Gong relaxation, and Siri Rishi will be leading live kirtan with Kirtan Caravan to complete the evening.
Join the Kundalini yogis on this magical evening as they link prayers together and project Compassion, and Joy into every aspect of their lives. Releasing the physical, emotional, and mental debris of the past and creating space for elevated experiences of growth in 2010, using the power of group consciousness to draw upon Great Health, Unconditional Love, and Infinite Prosperity.
How Much: $54 advance or $64 day of event

More Info/Sign-Up: www.goldenbridgeyoganyc.com

Where: Om Factory | 265 West 37th Street @ 8th Avenue, 17th Floor
When: 9:30PM-12:30AM
What: Welcome 2010 with love, trust and upside down smiles. Becca Krauss and Deven Sisler will host this unique celebration accompanied by a great soundtrack, and a sparkling champagne toast at midnight. Set your intentions for the New Year amidst the mindful merriment as we weave the ancient practices of Thai massage, yoga and acrobatics into an AcroYoga workshop fit for the holiday.
How Much: $40 pre-register or $50 day of event

More Info/Sign-Up: www.omfactorynyc.com

Where: Bikram Yoga NYC - UES | 173 East 83rd Street
When:  2009 9:30PM-1:00AM
What: Come ring in the New Year at Bikram Yoga NYC. This special class will be taught by Chrystine Cooper and be followed with libations, snacks and party favors! The class will be candlelit and accompanied by music. The yoga class will run from 9:30-11PM followed by party in the lobby until 1am (or later??) MUST RESERVE IN ADVANCE
How Much: $25
More Info/Sign-Up: www.bikramyoganyc.com

Where: Laughing Lotus | 59 W. 19th Street, 3rd Floor
 When:10:00PM-12:00AM
What: A special edition of Midnight Yoga with Alison O'Connor. Celebrate the New Year in soulful style. Honor the year that’s passed and usher in the one to come with a festive extravaganza of love and light, fun and friends, good music and great yoga. Cake and a Sparkling midnight toast.

How Much: $35
More Info/Sign-Up: www.laughinglotus.com

Where: Village Yoga - St John's Church | 81 Christopher Street
When: 10:00PM-3:00AM
What: New Years Eve celebration hosted by Hari Kaur Khalsa  and Pastor Lyndon Harris. Start the evening with Kundalini and Hatha yoga to heal, awaken and stretch your body and expand your breath. Next, enjoy a concert with Dharam Singh with 12 gongs sounded over the midnight hour, a meditation to mark new beginnings and renewal as you set your intentions for the New Year. Then uplifting dancing, chanting and singing with special guest Sat Kirn Kaur. Share food, conversation and beautiful intentions for the New Year. All are welcome, young and old and kids of all ages.  To volunteer contact Elizabeth at elizelkins@gmail.com
How Much: Free

More Info/Sign-Up:  www.stjohnschristopherstreet.org
www.reachhari.com/newyear2010.html


NEW YEAR’S DAY

Where: Dharma Mittra Yoga | 297 23rd Street
When: 8:00AM-6:00PM
What: 108 Hanuman Chalisas 
The Hanuman Chalisa is a traditional Indian prayer of 40 verses praising Hanuman. All participants together in a group will chant the prayer continuously 108 times, with different people leading the chant throughout the day. The prayers will end with 'arti' (offering of lights) and prasad. Bring pillow to sit on and, if you would like, bring some prasad (such as fruit or other food that doesn't require a plate) to be offered at the altar and then distributed among everyone at the very end.
How Much: Free  More Info/Sign-Up: www.dharmayogacenter.com

Where: Yoga Union Center, 32 W 28th Street, 4 floor When: Alison class 10:30-1 and Deborah's class 3-5 What: Alison West’s traditional special New Year’s flow class which includes Pranayama and a Loving Kindness meditation. This challenging class is always beyond sold-out so don’t forget to register.  Then Deborah Wolk’s newly inaugurated back care class designed to lift your spirits and give your spine a great start for 2010 – who doesn’t need that? It will use therapeutic adjustments and modifications and end with Pranayama and deep relaxation.
How Much: $25 each
More Info/Sign-Up: http://yogaunionbackcare.com 

Where: Kundalini Yoga East  | 873 Broadway, Suite 614
When: 12:00PM – 3:00PM
What: New Year's Day prosperous new beginnings workshop. Sat Jivan Singh will share the ‘best practices’ kriyas, mantras, meditations, affirmations, and recitations to jumpstart 2010 with prosperity, newness and positivity. What ever limits you, prepare to let it drop away today.2010 will be better than any year of your life so far, if you decide to embrace every challenge, learn, grow, and excel with grit, endurance, manners, grace, forgiveness, and compassion for all.
How Much: $30 advance or $40 day of event
More Info/Sign-Up:  www.kundaliniyogaeast.com

Where: Nava Yoga, 226, 11th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn
When: 12 noon-2:30pm - What: 108 Sun Salutations. Start the new year right. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois writes that the practice of Sun Salutations has come down to us from the long distant past and is capable of rendering life heavenly and blissful. "Shariramadyam khalu dharma Sadhanam" [The first duty is to take care of the body, which is the means to the pursuit of spiritual life].  Set an intention for the year and hold it throughout the mala, linked by your positive thoughts in each Surya Namaskar.  Guided by Anneke Lucas. Followed by a 10 minute meditation and a cup of chai.How much: $20 for visitors, free for students with monthly memberships.
More info: NavaYogaParkSlope.com

Where: Times Square | New York City
When:1:00PM - 1:30PM
What: The Namaste Project~...the end of separation is: A Flash Mob that Lights Up the World. The Namaste Project will debut in L.A., Miami, Asheville, Orlando, and New York City on 01/01/10. The intention is that at 1:00PM hundreds of people in all 5 cities will stand in silence connecting with one another in the Namaste pose as the world keeps going around them for 30 minutes...and then walk away as if nothing ever happened!  A Planetary Awakening in the most radiantly ordinary way! The Light in me recognizes and greets the Light in you.
How Much: Free

More Info/Sign-Up: http://www.facebook.com/common/browser.php#/event.php?eid=228190374387&index=1

Where: Practice Yoga | 140 West 83rd Street
When: 2:00PM-4:00PM
 What: Wring-out and Wring-in with Elizabeth Wipff. Shake off your New Year’s Eve hangover or holiday over indulgences with a Tapas based practice for all levels. Steadily heat your body before moving on to detoxifying twists and asanas followed by a grounding sequence then a New Year meditation.
How Much: $25
More Info/Sign-Up: www.practiceyoga.com

Where: Om Factory | 265 West 37th Street, 17th Floor
When: 4:00PM-6:00PM
 What: New Year's Day 108 Sun Salutations with Latham Thomas & Emilia Conradson.  Release all you are ready to leave behind through a deep and sweaty moving meditation.
You will set an over all sankalpa, as well as one for each salutation. The tapas (heat and austerity) of your practice will create a fire that devours impurities and obstacles. Your positive thoughts will collect to manifest beauty, abundance and healing for you to receive through out your New Year.
How Much: $ 25 (pre-register)
More Info/Sign-Up: www.omfactorynyc.com

Where: Earth Yoga NYC | 206 East 63rd Street, 3rd floor
When: 5:00PM-6:15PM 
What: New Year's Day "Detox" class with Kristi Clark. Create healing energy for any past transgressions and open yourself to a brand new year. Find your solutions and new resolutions.
How Much: $25 (15% discount for nurses, teachers, students, police and firemen)
More Info/Sign-Up: www.earthyoganyc.com



--By Kristin Auble

--Illustration by Erin Prince, www.kinmokusei-art.com

With winter looming, it seems like every yoga studio in New York is offering an exit strategy.  Change your life forever!  Bliss out in Costa Rica!  10 day Goddess Retreat in Jamaica!  These trips are usually hosted by NY-based teachers, jazzed up to bring their followers to various exotic paradises.

As tantalizing as headstands on the Osa Peninsula sound, I can’t help shake that eerie ex-pat vibe.  When I decide to invest in an international yoga vacation, I don’t want it to feel like an East Village transplant.  Isn’t getting away from familiarity the whole point?

That’s why I’m taking the yogic path less wandered this winter and heading to The Yoga Rupanco Festival.  Held on the banks of Lake Rupanco in Southern Chile, it is the largest yoga festival in South America. That's big (!)

With teachers from all over the world from various backgrounds - Iyengar, Hatha, Kundalini, acroyoga, Purna, Ashtanga - this feels like a real escape.
 
The dates, January 26th to February 5th, were chosen auspiciously to align with 300 other self-expanding programs in South America: six Kundalini Yoga International festivals, two vision quests, and countless other festivals.

The festival’s theme? 1600 volts, a way to explain how the ten-days will help us connect profoundly with the expanding heart consciousness of the self and the earth and recharge with an astounding amount of energy for 2010.  The organizers explain: “When the body, mind, electromagnetic field, and energetic self penetrate each other, they experience the unity and reconstruction of cells.  This alignment generates health, vitality, intelligence, clarity, and will to overcome any challenge in life.”

Sign me up. The festival is not only unique in its size, quality, and intention, but also the community it creates.  It’s more than asana-hungry Americans who crave a week of surf and shine and new ways to twist their bodies into pretzels.  I’ve experienced the infectious authenticity and awareness among South American people, and I’m excited to explore the international yoga scene. I’m ready to go deeper into native practices like sweat lodges and fire ceremonies, dance under the full moon with the Afro-Cuban company Orixango, enjoy evenings of performances and conscience documentaries. Other highlights: yogatherapy sessions, sound meditation, zen meditation, permaculture seminars, theatre, and tons of activities for children.

If this sounds up your alley, check out www.festivalrupanco.cl.  You’ll pay about $1100 for a ticket from NYC to Puerto Montt, Chile. The cost of the retreat, $432 ($367 if under 25) for three meals a day, all activities included, and camping (see website for additional accommodations.) Considering the packages advertised in the city cost an  average of  $1400-$2100, this festival is STEAL.  See you there.



--Katie Clancy

Recently I walked into a yoga studio to find the lobby overflowing with strollers, kiddie contraptions, and mewling infants and figured there was a Mommy and Me class about to commence. Checking the schedule I found it was a Mothers’ Meeting. Huh? Bend and Bloom’s owner, Amy Quinn-Suplina, explained that these are weekly gatherings where moms come with their newborns to discuss the challenges and changes that come with the responsibility of being a new parent. She invited me to attend the next one entitled “Sex and Intimacy After the Baby Comes.” Score! This ought to be good.

15 moms and babies trickled into the following week’s meeting. The leader, Ellen Chuse, a Childbirth Educator and Birth Counselor, delved into the topic by reassuring the moms that they shouldn’t feel guilty for not wanting to jump back in the sack with their partner right away She explained a few physiological and psychological reasons why, such as physical and hormonal changes.  And, for some, the physical and emotional trauma experienced during childbirth.

It was a a revelation to many when Ellen said, “When you spend all day holding, cuddling and taking care your baby, the fact is, your need for physical contact has been met so when your husband comes home and wants to be intimate, you’re just not in the mood. Physically, you’ve given all of yourself that you can for one day.”

The women felt comfortable in the close-knit group discussing how they’d dealt with this touchy subject. One mom set a date with her husband to have sex for their first time and purchased a girly kit with fun lubes and condoms to keep the experience light-hearted. Another woman and her beau never make plans on Saturday afternoons because they know their 7-month old is guaranteed to take a nap and that time becomes their intimate time. 

While these Mother’s Meetings, along with Prenatal classes, Breastfeeding Support Groups and Kids Yoga at Bend and Bloom serve Brooklyn-ites on their journey through motherhood, other studios are reaching out to this somewhat fragile new community in different ways.

Lila Yoga, on Bowery north of Houston, has integrated a step before prenatal with Fertility Classes. These restorative-type yoga classes use postures, breath, chakra toning, visualization and relaxation techniques to help women reconnect with their bodies. Classes are geared towards women having difficulty conceiving or those contemplating trying to conceive- and as many doctors will tell you, a calm, relaxed body is the first step towards this goal.

On the Upper West Side Prenatal Yoga Center, has expanded their presence outside the studio to offer classes at various satellite sites throughout the city like Yummy Mummy and Apple Seeds in Manhattan and Easeful Body in Brooklyn. Prenatal Yoga is a bit of a misnomer as their schedule also includes Postnatal, Music for Babies, and Infant Massage classes.

More impressive than the class list may be the online community owner, Deb Flashenberg, has created through their PYC website, which offers several free prenatal yoga videos, Deb’s Blog and access to a plethora of articles, podcasts and stories on all things pre and post baby- although be forewarned- some articles are not for those with weak stomachs.

In addition to educational material, the website offers a New York City resource list with information on everything from baby clothes to play groups to family photographers. Community members often take the opportunity to leave their opinions and reviews so you can get an honest account of whether or not something is truly worth your time and money.

Members also participate in a Doctor Referral Forum, which allows them to offer reviews of OB/GYNs, Midwives, Doulas and Pediatricians they’ve had great experiences with. It also gives mothers good leads on reliable professionals like Nannies- a new mom’s best friend.

As the B&B meeting drew to a close, the mom’s immediately moved closer to one another and, like schoolgirls, began to fill one another in on the latest- from their baby’s newest accomplishment to the first meeting of their book club. I realized how integral these gatherings are for the emotional and psychological wellbeing of these women, not just because of the topics they cover or the yoga poses they do, but because of the sense of community they create and the lifelong friendships they make. I walked onto the street happy that the yoga community is expanding to include these groups. One day when I begin my journey to starting a family, I look forward to joining them.


--Allison Richard

While the world of yoga is decidedly lo-fi, there are instances where technology can definitely enhance your experience. Enter the iPhone - advertised as your handy dandy go everywhere best friend that with a few clicks can point you in the direction of the closest, bestest yoga class.  True?

We decided to road check the latest and see if they make the digital holiday stocking stuffers that Mighty Apple wants us to believe they are.

Yogoer $ .99 (yogoer.com) features a comprehensive map of yoga, Pilates, meditation, and other wellness classes, based on the address you enter into your phone. As with all the apps, locations appear on a grid map, with pins color coded by category (Yoga, Core, Dance, and Fitness), showing addresses and phone numbers. While it makes location scouting easy, Yogoer does not offer class or instructor information- you just get a link to a website. On a recent jaunt in the West Village, a quick scan while on the corner of 13th street and 7th avenue pointed me to Integral Yoga, Karma Kids, The New York Center for Kripalu Yoga, and much more.  A click on the map pin directs you to a studio profile, which, depending on how much info has been updated by the studio gives you stats like address, phone number, class prices and new student deals.

Some of the profiles are bare bones. Because Yogoer is user-fueled, you can add studio information to fill in spots that they may have missed, or review your favorite class and teachers. While this app offers the least amount of info, currently, it’s by far the most comprehensive for complete fitness, since it tracks down more than just yoga classes.  And the price is hard to beat – 99 cents for the download.

MINDBODY $1.99.  The database software used by tons of yoga studios around the country is now available to students looking for classes, teachers, and yoga schedules. It’s an extension of the brand, smartly designed. Classes are sorted by a timetable, so it’s easy to find something that fits into your schedule. They feature detailed class and teacher descriptions. On a frantic Monday, I clicked around to find the soonest, closest class to home, and was on my mat at Bend and Bloom in Park Slope in 25 minutes. MindBody also features a great mileage restriction- so you can search as far and wide as you like.

Yoga Local $4.99 (yogalocal.com) Brand new this week, Yoga Local gives you listings for over 200 yoga studios in the 5 boroughs and the greater Metropolitan area, including northern New Jersey and the Hamptons, offering the widest coverage of all these yoga apps. The newest to the party and the most expensive, YogaLocal is extremely comprehensive—featuring yoga news, published daily, with content including studio announcements, legislative information, and opinion pieces, from sources like  - yours truly - YogaCityNYC.com, Yoga Dork and HuffPo. To see Yoga Local's fun and very New Yawk You Tube advertisement visit our blog.

As with MindBody and Yogoer, studio directors have direct access to their profiles, so up-to-date information on substitutes, class descriptions and schedule updates is available – if the studios actually do the updating. Thoughtful design and a far wider swath of coverage make this app worth the extra bucks if you’re technically minded. Of course, you have to spend a couple hundred for an iPhone and service, so it's not as cheap as it sounds but very convenient.

-- Biba Milioto

At the end of her Kundalini classes, Hari Kaur Khalsa plays “By Thy Grace” by Satnam Kaur. In a recent class, she paused to point out the words, “Some day the day will come when all the glory shall be thine. People will say it’s yours and I shall deny it. Not mine.”

“I play this song because it’s important to attribute all your talents and failures to God,” she said. “Today I might be great but tomorrow I could be really stupid.”

Hari regularly pokes fun at herself. “Hold onto your turbans,” she called out during one class while demonstrating Camel pose. She also rides up and down 2nd Avenue—dressed in turban, long-flowing white dress and white disco boots—on a scooter bike.

She’s a high energy, deeply caring teacher. And she has a lot to be excited about these days. After an unexpected departure from Golden Bridge Yoga in August 2009 where she served as Director of Education since its opening in January 2007, Hari has seized on the opportunity to teach Kundalini yoga in the unlikeliest of places: a church. 

“I was inspired by something Yogi Bhajan said,” Hari said. “He set us the challenge of opening a Kundalini yoga studio on every street corner.”

In October, 2009, Hari and a special pastor, Lyndon Harris, opened up “Village Yoga” at St. John’s Church in Greenwich Village. There, Hari offers Kundalini classes and workshops on meditation and healing.

“Village Yoga came about very organically,” she said.

It was Harris who facilitated Hari’s move to St. John’s. He was a regular student of Hari’s Wednesday night gong class at Golden Bridge, and was eager to open up St. John’s Church to activities like tap dancing and jazz nights. But he dreamed about offering Kundalini Yoga.

He’d been asking Hari for months to teach at the church, he said. 

“I used to hitch a cloud home after her classes,” he said.

“I’m like a New York City cabdriver,” Hari chimed in. “I take people to their destination and drop ’em off.”

Finally, after a change in management at Golden Bridge in August, Hari decided to partner with Harris and bring yoga to the church.

The church, on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village was built in 1821 and has high ceilings, stained glass windows and amazing acoustics for Kundalini chanting and gong.

“It’s an amazing space to teach in,” Hari said. “Passersby walk in off the street and come take a yoga class.”

But, Harris said, they’ve had to find innovative ways to adapt the church to yoga.

“That’s happening even in the most practical form, right down to moving the pews,” he joked, referring to the amount of manpower it took to unbolt and move the heavy pews to open up the space for yoga. Volunteers usually come in beforehand to lift the pews and move them to the back of the church to make space for the 40 to 50 people who come to Hari’s class.

But the church does seem to be the best fit for the pair’s vision—to create a space for healing and community.

“Yoga is not just physical,” Hari said. “I want people to stay after class and chat and have Yogi tea and cookies…Our goal is to show the common ground on how different traditions approach healing and growth. Healing is a conversation. We’re inviting people to tell us what we need. I want to be of service.”

“Everything we do here is done with love,” Harris added. “It takes two hours to make the Yogi tea.”

The church has an open policy for its activities: all faith traditions, ethnicities, creeds, belief systems, non-belief systems and orientations are encouraged to participate in events.

“Yoga teaches that we are all one,” Hari said. “When people believe that tremendous things can happen.”

That open policy has attracted many enthusiastic Kundalini converts from around the community. Tim Skehan, who volunteers at the church asked Hari one night if it was possible his hair was getting darker as a result of Kundalini yoga.

“Even my wife has been commenting,” he said. “Kundalini yoga is the only thing I’ve been doing that’s different.” Hari replied that it was possible—sometimes, gray hair occurs as the result of a Pitta imbalance, she said. Doing Kundalini yoga brings the doshas into balance.

“It’s not that your hair is getting dark, it’s just not going gray,” she said.

Village Yoga isn’t Hari’s only project. Because of her stellar reputation, Hari was flooded with offers after she left Golden Bridge.

She has taught Kundalini Yoga for more than twenty years and studied directly under Yogi Bhajan, working with him as a course director of his intensive teacher-training program from 1995 until his death in 2004. She’s a two-time published author, and has taught at institutions such as Harvard University, Faulkner Hosptial and the Omega Institute in New York. She was also a founding board member and vice president of the national Yoga Alliance.

“All of these offers just seemed to come to me,” she said. “I didn’t go out and apply for yoga teaching jobs.”

In addition to teaching at the church, Hari is running Kundalini teacher trainings in New York City and Millis, MA. She is also going to be offering a 3-session workshop on “Esoteric Yoga and the Gong” at the Open Center next spring. She is also teaching a Thursday, 10 a.m. class at Celine’s Dance Studio on Wooster Street, and currently serves as an executive representative for the department of information at the United Nations for 3HO, the international Kundalini Yoga nonprofit organization founded by Yogi Bhajan.

Both Hari and Harris are also busy working on books. Hari is writing a fictionalized memoir on Yogi Bhajan and a nonfiction book about the moon centers. Harris is working on a memoir about being a pastor at St. Paul’s Chapel, which is directly across the street from the former World Trade Center during 9/11. His book is tentatively titled, The Little Church that Stood: Hope and Healing in the Aftermath of 9/11.

Even though Hari is an international teacher and could travel worldwide, she said is most excited about teaching in New York.

“I’m returning to the grass roots,” she said. “This is such a creative city. It’s like there’s a miracle on every corner.”

At St. John’s Church, Hari teachers a gong meditation class every Monday at 7 p.m. On November 24, she expanded classes to Tuesdays at 10 a.m., 6 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Classes are $10 suggested donation. On New Years Eve Hari will teach a special candle-lit gong meditation class, and a Kundalini breath meditation class called “Beaming and Creating the Future.” On January 10th, Hari and Lydon will give a talk entitled, "Conversations with a Pastor and a Yogi.  Go to www.stjohnschristopherstreet.org for more details. To keep up with all of Hari’s projects, go to www.reachhari.com.

--Marie Carter

A forward: This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to write. As an artist, I lack words as tools for basic communication.  It would be 100 times easier to draw a picture than describe what I am trying to say.  My thoughts are often disjointed when I do spill my guts on a page, so bear with me. I’m also going out on a limb and writing this in a public place. I pray that I don’t offend those that I mention, I wouldn't be writing this if it wasn't for you guys.

I'll start off by stating the basics. I'm morbidly obese. I weigh over 300 pounds.
- a combination of genetics and poor life decisions. It was always this way, starting in grade school and going all the way through college.. 120, 250, 280 . . . until now, where I top the scales at between 330 and 325. It’s been a lifetime of being teased and discriminated against. But here is something else for me to tell you, I do yoga  ...and it is one of the hardest things for me to do. But I love it. 
 
When I used to work as a graphic designer for a new age bookstore that had a studio upstairs (you all know the one) some of the staffers encouraged me to try yoga. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of internal scoffing and laughing and self depreciation that went on inside my head each time I heard it.  It was with good reason.  How could I possibly do yoga?  If you are reading this and are  "thin" or even mildly overweight, you cannot imagine what it is like to be carrying around about 3 times your normal body weight.  Basic things like going up three flights of stairs at Union Square without being winded, or doing the  "commuter dash" to catch the rush hour train at Penn Station without having a stabbing side pain and a face so flushed that people think you’re going to pass out, are daily occurrences.  

"Yoga is for thin people," I always told myself. (Admittedly at times I
still do) I'm a photographer and have shot instructors and watched them in action. They may have body image problems, as I believe EVERYONE does- but to me they are example of graceful and liquid flow.  Backbends, handstands, flowing chaturangas. From my point of view, something akin to divine grace.  Or in the case of my current teachers at Fierce: Angels with fire wings.  

Earlier in my life, I couldn't imagine myself ever in any of those positions. Let alone doing it in a yoga class with others. Rolls of fat get in the way of breathing  and inhibit basic movement such as cutting my toenails or scratching a hard-to-reach spot on my back.  How could I EVER expect to keep up with something like that!? I would think watching them do something as simple as triangle.  Or child’s pose. Easy for you? Bending forward with the weight on my “trunk” area  is hard enough in itself but then to lay as such with my larger and heavier then normal breasts feels like suffacation  when my head is buried down, those areas of weight compress more making it even harder to breathe.

I never thought I could do it and then, I don't remember the exact date, but I remember the moment when things changed. After a lifetime of being teased, it was a sweet person who encouraged me with his kind smile and gentle words to give it a try; someone to whom I am forever grateful. *Smiles* You know who you are. Another, with her tales of a childhood of health problems.  Looking at her now, you’d never  imagine that she’d been so sick and frail. Her body (to me) is refined, lean, fluid, and she has a mane of flaming red hair and an incredible passion and fire for life. Then in time, three sweet incredible girls came to support my practice with unparalleled love and encouragement.

I know one of the worst things anyone can do is compare themselves to
others. But, I do. I was told that it's not about keeping up with class but your
individual practice. Still a small part of my brain is looking around at everyone else, even the first-timers and wishing I had their bodies, and could do what they can the first time they try. 
 
A simple seated pose can be painful because my legs begin to tingle and go numb/get restless and I need to fidget.  Poses where you place weight  on your knee are simple enough for most, but imagine doing it with three times the amount of pressure on those joints, same with the hands.  Chaturangas are challenging to all, try to keep a spine straight and elbows in with the equivalency of sandbags on your bottom/back; and if you are a female, two extra sandbags on your chest/front side. Yet- I attempt to try. Poses like "reverse  warrior" are impossible because of the rolls of excess weight compress together and inhibit proper movement. My arms are short in comparison to my trunk – an accommodation for the extra weight; and so what I think should be a flowing movement of placing your hand to your foot and then rising from the core turns into a knee jerking motion akin to rusty car with a shot transmission attempting to shift gears.  

In my studio we have this exercise that is called "shakti kicks" which is like "half a handstand" I cannot begin to tell you how much effort and energy it takes out of me, fighting gravity like a bare handed matador and an angry bull, simultaneously.
Yet, I try.

I  don’t want you to feel bad for me, I just want you the reader, perhaps the
teacher, or another student in my class, to understand how it feels to be morbidly obese and attempting to mimic what you may do on a bi-tri/weekly basis. What seems like simplicity to some may seem like the biggest mountain to another person. I ask myself sometimes why I even attempt to tackle the poses or expect myself to do them in a way that everyone else does. (I attribute both sub and conscious logic combined with a stubborn mindset to this.) I don't want to be the exception to the rule. A part of me wants to blend into a room with the other yogis and just do what I love. 
 
I’ve been at it for six months. Not that long, but if you were to ask me why I still do yoga despite these hurdles I would have to answer because of the very people whom got  me into it. Their encouragement for the simplest things. their smiles, their compliments - honest, not sugar coated. The way they look when they see me try. I can only wonder if its rewarding for them by sharing a gift they love so much with one more person.

An Afterward: Next time you wander by a class and see someone with a larger then normal posterior up in the air trying to do a downward dog, or wobbling
over, trying to attempt a tree pose. Remember this story…remember she’s trying…remember she has found something very valuable in her yoga practice too.

--Erin Prince

Erin Prince is a graphic designer, artist and an art director at Yogacitynyc.com

According to a survey by Ebay, 83% of adults have received irrelevant or unwanted gifts over the holidays. That's a lot of waste.  This is where the Global Giving Circle steps in with Global Gifts that Matter.

Consider it the yogi’s socially responsible version of Amazon.  Shana Dressler, the brains behind the project, explains it this way: “We searched for a mix of interesting, useful, and lovely gifts that we believe will delight the recipient, with a spirit that returns to the true intent of holiday gift giving. These gifts show that you care, have put thought into your gift, and at the same time, they help improve someone else’s life.”

And you can buy all your gifts with one click on the internet

With the money you spend on Sweet Earth Chocolates for your lover, you also supply a farmer with a machete for his coco fields in Africa.  Buy your sister a bright tote collaged from 100% household plastic products picked up by trash collectors in Indonesia. The list goes on—affordable Palestinian evening bags, Ethiopian scarves, Andean jewelry.

Beyond gifts, you can also make donations (in your mother’s name!) to organizations like Gone Rural boMake—a non-profit in Swaziland, Africa that assists rural women with education, health, and social needs.  $50 will help contribute clean drinkable water to this community.

“These donations really go beyond one person.  $99 dollars will turn a whole family’s life around instantly, “ Dressler says.

All of this is available online, but its more fun in person.  Come out the “ChrismaHanuKwanzakah” fest to support the campaign this Wed, December 15th, at Galapagos Arts Space in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Pay $25 and see the improv comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade riff on “awkward holiday moments”, an aerial performance from Suspended Circus, and food and treats.  And don’t forget the Emporium!  The evening’s philanthropy will also give back to NYC: all ticket sales will go directly to Urban Arts Partnership—a non-profit that returns arts programming funds into the public school systems. The $25 ticket also includes one drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic).

Buy your ticket in advance online from globalgivingcircle.eventbrite.com, type in discount code GGC and get $10 off. 

Who says you can’t have your plastic tire shoes and wear them, too?

--Katie Clancy

The schedule for Mysore Ashtanga classes may look a little scary to a regular vinyasa-hopper. Some classes seem to last 3 or 4 hours -- and they do.   Mysore Ashtanga deserves its reputation of being hard-core. But don’t fall over exhausted before you start.  The way it works is that class times are slots during which students drop in and do their own practice – everyone doesn’t practice for several hours. 

Each student does the part of series which they have memorized, up to a posture that is challenging for them.  They then work on that one until the teacher allows them to add the next pose of the series - or, in some cases, move to the next level.

Most New Yorkers are working in  the primary or second series of a total of six. Teachers call their work ‘assisting’ rather than ‘teaching’, since they go around the room guiding students individually. For the students, it’s like getting a private in a group setting, at a group price.  Even so it is the same set of (challenging) postions,  each studio is different, each has its own quirks.

Here are some of our favorites – each with a different personality - so check out a few and find the one that is right for you.



Ashtanga Yoga New York
& Sri Ganesha Temple (Soho)
430 Broome Street #2
New York NY 10013
Phone: 1 646 454 0343

The atmosphere is as intense as the colors of Ganesha’s robes; join the in-crowd and the others in a veritable Hindu temple for your Mysore Ashtanga practice. Newcomers are asked to observe class first and begin on the 15th of the month. The owner, Eddie Stern requires a high level of commitment from his students. Once you’re in, you will receive whiffs of Eddie’s unfailing intuition as to what your body can do, and your body will do it. But don’t come with expectations; you may just get ignored.

Sunday 8:00 am – 11:00 am; Monday – Friday 6:30 am – 10:00 am, 10:30 am  – 12:30 pm, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Prices: $210 monthly for 3x/week; $260 unlimited monthly; $80 weekly; $20 drop-in

Yoga Sutra (Midtown)
501, 5th Ave, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10017
212-490-1443

Many students are here for the many conveniences of the space and the schedule. The enormous, sleek lobby makes you feel like a spa customer; the women’s bathrooms invoke Bliss. At the center of the bright, modern Mysore practice room are two large walled altars, which, though they house beautiful statues, drastically limits teachers’ ability to spot you if you need an assist. Still, they do their best, and this is an easy, convenient place to come and try out this practice. You’ll love the warm-hearted and sincere Amy Pria Santos, who teaches 10am-12pm slot.

Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm; Monday – Friday 6:30 am – 12:00 pm, 4:45 pm – 7:30 pm

Prices: $200.00 Monthly Unlimited (includes all classes offered) 3 month commitment required) -- $165/month for 12 Mysore practice sessions (rolls over week to week) -- $22 drop-in

Ashtanga Yoga Shala (East Village)
295 E. 8th Street
New York, NY 10009
Tel: 212 614 9537

Ashtanga Yoga Shala is located in the East Village basement that housed the original Jivamukti Yoga. The large somber room is peaceful and quiet, rather like the owner and head teacher Guy Donahaye. If you just want to do your thing and don’t want to be bothered, this is the place to go. Guy is high on integrity, slow to advance students, and minimalist with corrections and explanations.

Sunday 9 am – 11 am
Monday – Thursday 6:30 am – 10:30 am
Friday 7:00 am – 9:00 am

$225 ($180)Monthly unlimited; $175 ($140) 12 class card (valid only during calendar month of purchase); $75 ($60) Weekly rate. (Prices in brackets are for students in full time education or members on low income)

The Shala (Union Square)
815 Broadway, 2nd floor,
New York, NY 10003
(betw. 11th and 12th street)
212 979 9988

The over-zealous look of some of the students in the hallway of the Shala may arouse your suspicion. After all, some yoga teachers have used students’ inevitable vulnerability to collect an array of fans.  Fear not, this look is truly about enthusiasm. The practice room of the Shala is refreshingly simple, and director Barbara Verrochi’s earthy presence will quickly put your mind at ease. Her watchful eye makes you move through the series with more grace than you normally would, and her gentle assists and sense of humor will do the rest.

mysore: mondays-thursdays 6:30-10 am (door opens 6:30 am. teacher arrives 7 am
mysore: fridays 6:30-9 am (door opens 6:30 am. teacher arrives 7 am
self-practice: sundays 8-9:30 am

Prices: $18 drop-in; $80 for 5-class card (valid for one week/includes led classes); $180 for 3x per week pass; $200 for1-month unlimited

Ashtanga Sadhana (East Village)
Yoga To The People
12 St. Marks Pl. #4R
New York, NY 10003
646-319-5988

In the large brick-walled room of the revolutionary Yoga To The People on St. Mark’s Place, Lori Brungard teaches Mysore Ashtanga Yoga every weekday morning, mostly to beginning students, whom she says inspire her enormously. Lori’s consistently positive energy is very encouraging to anyone who is still wavering about committing to this regimen, and Lori’s personal sadhana, which means ‘path of spiritual discipline’ has imbued her teaching with true compassion.

9am-10:30am Monday -Friday (It is okay to arrive by 8:45am)

$120/mo (Students $100) intro Rate; $10 Beginner one time drop in; $15 Drop in for established practitioner

Ashtanga Yoga Upper West Side
www.ashtangayogaupperwestside.com
239 West 72nd Street, #4, 2nd floor (between Broadway and West End)
New York, NY 20023

A well-lit practice room and candle-lit finishing room are meant to evoke the original shala in Mysore, and students do their sun salutes towards a very large colorful picture of the beloved guru Sri K. Patabhi Jois. Zoe Slatoffs’ teaching style is traditional: she’ll correct you on the details of how poses are currently being done in Mysore with a soft and steady hand. Zoe only offers Mysore Ashtanga yoga, and it’s a relief to practice in a well-appointed space dedicated to that purpose alone.

Mon-Fri 7am-11am, sun 9am-12pm

$200 Monthly Unlimited, $140 for 3x / week monthly, $20 Drop-in

Reflections Yoga (Midtown)
250 West 49th street
NY 10019
212 974 2288

The sturdy, quiet New Zealander who teaches Mysore Ashtanga every morning in the room at Reflections (in the prosaic sense, the shiny floor and wall of windows do justice to the name) is a follower of Manju Jois, Pattabhi Jois’ son who lives in Encinitas, California. Manju is known to advance students very quickly into the 2nd and 3rd series during the many workshops he teaches around the world, and Greg Tebb does the same at Reflections. Some will say that students doing advanced poses too soon are in danger of getting injured, but Greg’s students find his teaching style encouraging and fun.

$200 monthly unlimited; $120 for 3x a week monthly; $100 for 10 classes/valid 2
months; $20 drop in.

Nava Yoga (Park Slope)
226 11th street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718 965 1639

The space looks and feels Zen, with its soft colors and an antique statue of the Buddha in meditation in the front of the parlor floor of a house on a quiet block in Brooklyn. [Full disclosure moment: it's my studio] Focusing mostly on primary series, I am excited to see the magic of Mysore style ashtanga yoga daily at work in my students as they meet the challenges of each posture and find relaxation through the breathing. During Shavasana, a feeling of peace emanates from the students, created by the calm that follows the storm of Ujjai breathing. Victorious indeed. Come visit!!

Mon-Fri 9am-12pm

$160 for 20 class card, $8 for 1/2 hour practice (beginners), $12 for 1 hour practice (through standing poses), $16 for full primary and beyond.

--Anneke Lucas

Lisa Grunberger is a  busy Yogi.  She’s got a Ph.D. in Comparative Religions, is an English Professor at Temple Universiy, a published poet, a stage performer and a world-class Twitterer.  Just recently, Lisa added book author to her list of accomplishments with the debut of Yiddish Yoga,  a hysterical and poignant look at how yoga can transform even the most unlikely practioners.

Fresh on the heels of a national book tour, Lisa is now gearing up for her next leg of publicity including Yiddish Yoga cruises akin to Dirty Dancing on the High Seas.   There’s even talk about turning Yiddish Yoga into a one-woman show. 

Susie Rubin caught up with Lisa to learn more about channeling the Jewish granny who stars in her book, and how Vinyansa can get you through almost any adversity. 

SR: What exactly is YIDDISH YOGA?
LG: It’s the story of Ruthie, a 72 year old widow and Jewish grandmother who begins doing yoga when her granddaughter gives her a year of free classes.  Through a series of vignettes, much like a Yiddish folktale, Ruthie kvetches and stretches her way through the process of healing and learning yoga.  To Ruthie, yoga is very foreign and very funny.  I like to say that she braids the yoga and the Yiddish together like a Challah loaf. 

SR: Is the story autobiographical?  
LG: In some ways.  A few years ago, I realized that many of the women I taught were dealing with this .   I was working with their grief and my own as well. I had just lost my parents, grandmother, great aunt and great uncle. 

SR:  I noticed the book was dedicated to your mom.
LG: Yes, my mother’s voice is very much in Ruthie, especially her moxie and old world wisdom.  My mother was Israeli and my father was from Vienna so my house growing up was full of many cultures and languages- Hebrew, Yiddish and German.  In this sense, the book was autobiographical, but Ruthie herself is really a composite character. 

SR: She seemed so much more than that.  I found myself  laughing and crying while reading the book.  There was so much depth.
LG: I know it sounds schmaltzy but it still makes me do the same.  It’s about real life and grief issues: getting rid of someone’s clothing, the letting-go.  I think that’s why it’s resonated with so many people.

SR: Who’s the audience for the book?
LG: Of course Jews and Yogis, but the less obvious audience is people who are just interested in the story, the poetry.  We’re trying now to get the book into hospital bereavement groups and, believe it or not, kids seem to be drawn to it as well.  They like it when I do the voice of Ruthie.

SR: I love what you talk about  the, “Jew Bu” thing:  how Sammy, the yoga teacher is really Shmuel.  It always seems to me like every Swami I hear about was born Jewish.
LG: That was a big thing in the ‘60s.  So many middle class post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah Jews were rejecting their religion because it seemed too traditional and empty.  I think that’s still happening today.  We haven’t yet found a sexy way to transmit Judaism.  

SR: Why do you think so many Jews have been attracted to Eastern Religions and practices?
LG: Jews have always been drawn to the cutting-edge of intellectualism and that was the cutting-edge of popular culture at the time.   The Beatles were going to India and Eastern religions were the new intellectual import, creating a whole new religious hybrid.  All religions are always changing.  When yoga was brought to America from India it changed completely, like Americanized Chinese food outside of China.   But that doesn’t mean one is more real or authentic than the other.

SR: Tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to writing Yiddish Yoga. 
LG: I always loved studying religion, especially from an anthropological perspective.  I’ve studied a lot of body therapy and am fascinated by the body/mind dualisms we have in this culture.  When I graduated it was difficult to find poet/philosopher jobs but I was fortunate to teach a course in the Religious Studies Department at Hofstra University called Life, Death and Immortality.   In the meantime, I was doing a lot of performance art and poetry readings.  I did a one-woman show called The Prayer Collector which I now see as a pre-cursor to Yiddish Yoga.  It was all about a Lily-Tomlinesque character who removes prayers from The Wailing Wall and gives them a proper Jewish burial.  

SR: You’ve been all over the country  promoting the book with more books planned.  What’s most surprising about how this book has been received?
LG: I was in Cherry Hill at a JCC recently where I fully expected an audience of Jews who wanted to talk about religion.  But most of the questions I got weren’t about the ethnic thing.  They were about,  “my hip hurts,”  or “My bursitis is killing me,” kind of stuff.  It made me realize that body aches often trump religious ‘tsoris,’ or problems.

SR: From your pedigree, I’d say you’re a big-time scholar yet you take a real “kitchen-table” approach to this.  Why?
LG: Thank you, but I’m really not such a big scholar.  When I teach, I always try to be conscious of my audience.  I don’t like jargon.  It’s not about being high-falutin’.  I just want to connect and have my writing be as elegant and accessible as possible. 

SR: Do you feel that connection in New York?
LG: Yes, definitely.  I grew up on the south shore of Long Island, near Queens and moved to Manhattan after graduation.   I now live in Philadelphia since I teach at Temple, but I still see myself as a native New Yorker.  My mother always said she wanted to retire to the West Village not Miami.  I got early on that this was the place to be.

SR: I understand you’re going to be doing a Yiddish Yoga/Writing Cruise during the week of March 7th-14th.  That sounds like a riot.  How did that come about? 
LG:  I was approached by Susan Helfrisch of Celebrity Cruises, who came up with the idea.  We put together a great six-night, seven-day trip.  We leave on Holland America from Fort Lauderdale and go to Curacao and Aruba.  On days when we’re not at port, I’ll be teaching yoga.  I’m also doing an on-board writing workshop called Facing the Blank Page, Facing the Yoga Mat. 

SR: Obviously the word is out –even before the cruise.   I understand the book is already an Amazon- recommended holiday gift book and it's also on the Borders Chanukah tables. I’d say congratulations, but I’d hate to put a ‘kinahura’ on it. 
LG:  Yes, I’m really thrilled.  I’m looking forward to a great holiday.

Most yoga students in New York are familiar with the teachers BKS Iyengar, TKV Desikachar and the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. We are less familiar with Bihar School Founder Swami Satyananda Saraswati, who according to reports, left his body on December 5 "while sitting up doing Japa in a cave in Bihar, a smile in his face."

I first came in contact with the Bihar School teachings during Alison West's 300 Hour Teacher Training, during which she uses several of the school's texts for study, practice and discussion. Our analysis of the Bihar edition of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika was especially enlightening as I began to truly understand Yoga's power as a system of creating, sustaining and recycling energies on both gross and subtle levels. It also confirmed a suspicion I had a for a number of years that the vastness of yoga teachings available in India are just beginning to find their way to the hearts and minds of practitioners in the US. We are very young in our knowledge indeed.

According to a release from Antonio Sausys of the International Yoga Therapy Conference, Swami Satyananda Saraswati found his Guru Yoga Master Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1943. For many years he studied, traveled throughout India, practiced and perfected his Yoga Sadhana.

In 1968 he went on his first world tour and after his Guru passed away he established the Bihar School of Yoga, International Yoga Fellowship Movement, Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation. In 1973 he was recognized as an Adept (God realized Yogi). And, in 1988 he renounced teaching and took up a lifestyle of a Paramahamsa, leading a life of meditative seclusion.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati's legacy lives on in the continued teachings of the Bihar School of Yoga where they actively teach, publish books and research yoga's benefits to the world. Many of us have studied his great works and will miss his presence greatly.

-Brette Popper

It’s hard to be serious about Holiday Bulge when you’re holding a gingerbread man baked in the shape of downward dog.  That’s right, the chubby little brown booty is arched into the air, and he’s smiling from ear-to-ear right at me. It feels like I am sinning when I remember Ahimsa after I bite off his head.

Since I’ll be spending more time eating sweets than on the mat these days, I consider these cookies, created by Patti Paige of  Baked Ideas, a remedy for my guilt.  If these little guys can conquer plow with their pudgy bodies—while maintaining a smile wider than the Buddha himself--than any yogi can survive the holidays. 

Paige has been making cookies since the early 80’s, but she got the idea to craft them into yogic masters three years ago.  Combining the soft dough with the long, stretchy aesthetic of yoga wasn’t easy at first.

“Gingerbread people are generally short limbed, rotund.  Yoga requires stretched bodies, long lines.  At first they came out—wormy.  Their arms looked too long.  After a year or so, though, we finally figured it out.”

Paige created twelve original poses, which are now sold in the package of ten.  Recently, she developed ten more, which include child’s pose, warrior two, handstand, chair pose, and boat. 

And even though they all come with cards that show the accurate way to hold them in order to see the pose, Paige’s fans have had a blast varying the positions.

“Most people order them for parties, and I’ll get emails that tell me how funny they are if you couple or tip them upside down.  The big seller last year was Warrior One.” I agree. Full breasted and smiling like a Broadway tap-dancer, the gingerbread woman a la Warrior One really makes me hungry.

Paige started doing yoga several years ago. She began at Yoga Vera and is now a regular with Carolyn Oberst Yoga in Tribeca, who teaches an eclectic mixture called Middle Path Yoga.  Her favorite pose—both in and out of the kitchen—is wheel.

It’s hard to make gingerbread in hot humid weather, and even though these gingerbread gurus are ordered year round, Paige really considers them a holiday treat.  And for those of us who avoid dairy, Paige created a vegan recipe (both batter and icing) last year. 

We can’t forget the naughty Santa Clauses,’ either.  And if you sneak into Babeland Shops’ around the country you can catch the Kama Sutra cookies.  Same guys, same smiles, different agendas. 

For those of us who are sick of arm-balance party tricks, stay tuned for Paige’s cookie cutters and gingerbread recipe, which will be out after the holiday season.  In the meantime, visit http://www.bakedideas.com/storepage.htm to order your set.  Who says we have to skip Lotus Pose this Christmas?

--By Katie Clancy

YogaCity was recently invited to come and check out Steven Cheng’s monthly 3-hr. class at BodiBalance. They sent me. And I thought – Ha. I can do that. No problem. I’ve done plenty of 3-hr. classes and a couple of daylong intensives. I take yoga two or three times a week, kickbox in between and jump rope when I’m feeling anxious.

Steven Cheng kicked my butt.

I went in with a cold and a nagging back spasm. After sweating hard for three hours, the cold went away but the spasm got worse. That was my fault. I’m not the kind of person to shy away from a variation. I’ll try it and I might land on my ass (softly) but I’ll try it. I think the Vasisthasanas may have had something to do with it.  Or possibly the standing poses and arm balances – Eagle to Side Crow to Side Angle, Crow to Headstand to Chaturanga, Forearm to Scorpion, One Legged Crow to Full Locust (!), Handstand to Chaturanga (here I made an audible thud, sorry fellow yogis) and Peacock.

Seated poses included Gomukhasana, Janu Sirsasana, Parivrttra Janu Sirsasana, Infinity Pose and Pasasana. There was Pigeon to King Pigeon, Cobra to Full Cobra…

Lots and lots of yoga. If you want a work-out - a once-a-month-sweat so much that your clothes are drenched and you slip off your upper arms doing crow even though you are wearing pants work out - then this is it. Steven doesn’t spend a lot of time encouraging you to open your heart center or use any kind of bandha. He introduces the pose, adds some variations, and lets you have it. 

He does open the class by encouraging the students to have fun and be careful. To find the yoga in ourselves. The class is held at BodiBalance, a dance, martial arts, open for hire kind of space that is large but with 25 students in attendance could have been larger. Be aware that there are no mats, blocks, blankets, towels or showers. I really wanted a shower after that class…And, for anyone practicing inversions, you must be able to do them in the center of the room as the walls are mirrored. That’s another thing - if you are not used to looking at yourself while doing yoga, find a spot in the back. My thoughts are distracting enough never mind having to gaze at my ass and yes, I know that’s not very yogic of me but like I said, I was having an off day.

And that’s just it - yoga classes can be subjective, even for ourselves. One day you may be able to balance perfectly while standing on a block in tree pose with your eyes closed and the next day Tadasana could prove difficult. You may love Anusara and your friend can hate it. Iyengar may bore you silly today or entrance you tomorrow.

We are all looking for different things and at different times. Steven Cheng’s class kicked my butt and I liked it. It was for me, on that day, purely physical. Difficult. A challenge. And I liked it.

I sat down with Steven to discuss his motivation for all that yoga:

G: Steven, while taking the class I realized that although it is deemed  "intermediate" the asanas themselves as well as the students ran the gambit from beginner to advanced. How do you see the 3-hour format as a forum for so many levels?

S: Well, working at a gym environment (Steven teaches at NYHRC among others) often puts a yoga instructor in a position to deal with students of mixed levels. So in that sense, I've trained sufficiently to walk into a room and expect to have the full spectrum of students. It really takes a teacher with a proper range of knowledge to deal with beginners and advanced students simultaneously. You don't want to intimidate the beginner but at the same time, challenge the advanced student. My goal is always to find the balance between the two by offering a range of modifications and variations. I love seeing a beginner next to a master student. The world is a mixed bag, and that is a reflection of my world. It is because of this philosophy that I've cultivated a wide range of students that come to all my classes.

The "intermediate" label allows people some sense of what to expect. But ultimately, the practice is whatever the student makes of it. I offer the possibilities but the journey is theirs. The 3 hr. format is a great tool for me to go through the poses in more detail. In a 60 or 75 min. class, stopping to explain isn’t often an option because people want to move and work out. But now with 3 hours, I have the time to give the students the asana practice they want.



G: What do you think are the benefits of a monthly 3-hour class?

S: There is no physical benefit to doing something once a month. The only benefit is time and a monthly class is a realistic goal for people to commit to. I would love to do a weekly 3-Hour Yoga intensive. But I know for most people, this is not possible. People work hard during the week, and look forward to doing stuff on weekends. So to devote three hours every Saturday for a practice is asking a lot. My goal is to offer an attainable alternative that is fun and challenging that people look forward to each and every time.

G: This class is heavy on athleticism. How can a student best prepare or “train” for this?

S: Clearly the class is not structured for the yogi looking for a gentle yoga class. However, what is necessary is an open mind and some creativity. For the beginners, they have to have some sense of what their limitations are and being able to know when something is too much. For the advanced student, know that it is an open practice and variations on poses are fair game as long as it is not disruptive. The best training is to have a regular practice of any yoga style and come experience my perspective.


G: Your admiration of Dharma Mittra is apparent. How or in what ways did Dharma influence you?

Dharma Mittra influences me in big and small ways. All of my opening sequences are based on his Shiva Namaskara Level II practice. His sequencing promotes spinal flexibility and opening of the hips and heart. On a more subtle level, I hear Dharma's voice all the time in my head whether I am teaching or practicing. His intentions and his spirit are within me.

The biggest influence is probably his Mantra for Purification. Only Dharma Mittra yogis do this chant, at least that I know of. And there is something very captivating in the vibration this chant brings. My students are learning it, and to have a room filled with this vibration helps me feel like I am honoring Dharma Mittra's tradition in a significant way.


G: While I was aware of the choice in furthering a pose I kept thinking that some of the other students would be able to achieve advancement in the pose if they were given specific instruction as to i.e., rotating their inner thigh, grounding down on the big toe. I know that Dharma Mittra yoga does not specify intricacies such as Iyengar yoga does. You mentioned trying to achieve the perfection in ourselves, finding the yoga within us, and not necessarily the pose. Is it possible for you to tell me more about that? I guess I am speaking primarily about such things as crow pose and any of the more advanced arm balances where uddiyanda bandha and inner thigh rotation are imperative to get that lift.



S: It is true that Dharma Mittra does not give a lot of instructions on the alignment of the asanas - that is traditional classical yoga. The emphasis on alignment as we experience it in the West is a relatively recent phenomenon by way of Iyengar's and Desikachar's teachings. As much as it is important to have proper form to avoid creating injuries or perpetuating them, it is also imperative to live and feel the poses. The essence of the pose may be diminished if the technical aspect of the practice becomes overemphasized.

My instructions are given with awareness but in short precise cues, and as the students continue to grow with my practice, they learn different techniques to create their own form. Yoga is, after all, a practice.


G: What challenges do you face in not only teaching a three hour class but to so many different students of varying levels?

The duration of time is never a problem. I always feel I still want more time after 3 hours of practice. The biggest challenge is when the level of the students in any given class is concentrated heavily between only beginners and advanced students, and not enough people in the middle. I have taught small classes where it was literally 2 or 3 beginners with 2 or 3 advanced students. Clearly I have to care for the beginner students, but I am limited greatly on what poses I can offer and variations on them. In a situation like that, the advanced students take their own variations, which is what I encourage. But when the divide is that wide, it is hard to keep everyone happy.

The other challenge is diplomacy. Dealing with people means having to avoid reacting to inappropriate comments. Sometimes I get new students to my practice that seem to feel it is acceptable to tell me how to teach my classes. Some of my favorites are "the pace of your class last week was perfect for me. Why did you make it faster/slower this week? Can you go back to the pace last week?" Or "Did you just turn on the heat? Why is it so hot in here? Why does anyone want to exercise with heat?" – Well, because it is Heated Vinyasa. There is a difference between being inquisitive or making an appropriate request but with respect, and telling the teacher what to do. It is a constant negotiation with the ego.

G: What was your motivation for this class and what do you want your students to come away with?

S: The original goal was to offer a longer, more intense class for those yogis looking for more in their regular practice. It is not meant to be a workshop where themes or topics are dissected and broken down in detail. I want them to feel exhilarated but exhausted.  

Hopefully, they cannot wait for the next month's practice.  I want something we did to sneak up on them as they wait for the subway and put a smile on their faces - perhaps it was a breakthrough or something of inspiration.  My goal is to have fun and be joyful and light-spirited, while doing something great for the body and mind. Once in a while, something magical happens and I take my students through a beautiful journey.  Those experiences make me happy.

I also love when students of different yoga disciplines, Hatha or Ashtanga, come to my classes and tell me they've learned something new or a different way to approach their practice.  There are so many yoga styles and points of view that it is a constant exploration.  As much as we all are attached to our routines, it is good to expand the Self to try something new and different.

G: Thank you, Steven.

S: My pleasure. Will you be back?

 
I’ll be back, fellow yogis. Steven Cheng's next 3 Hour Yoga Class will be Saturday, December 5th at BodiBalance, 20 E. 17th Street from 1:30 – 4:30.

-Gina de la Chesnaye

When I first heard that Kristen Davis was moving her Yogasana Center studio from its original 5th Avenue location in Park Slope, I was disappointed. (What great views!) After my visit to the brand-new studio just down the street on 3rd Avenue, I realized just why she took the plunge.

This gorgeous, spacious sunny new studio, easily double the size of Yogasana's old one, is an amazing place to practice.  Smooth bamboo floors and light blonde wood (there's still that new, woodsy smell) create a bright, soothing backdrop for the colorful props and rope walls here. 

Not surprisingly, it's a true community effort - one student who is also an architect designed the space, which is smartly sectioned off and features sliding paper frame doors and interesting geometric details.  A sweet waiting area has a well-edited bookshop and a built in upholstered bench, perfect for lolling around after class.  And there's still a view, like the old place.  While I revolved in my triangle, I gazed into a blue, cloudless sky, fringed with treetops.  A friend who'd joined me for her first yoga class, whispered, "Is yoga always like this?"

It is here.  Even better, they have a fuller schedule and a lot of things in the works - workshops, kids yoga, community outreach. The owner Kristen Davis has built yet another beautiful home for the community, and her smile as she sits behind the front desk shows she's enjoyng it just as much as the students.

--Biba Milioto

Two years ago, I got into teaching yoga at corporate fitness centers as a fluke. A friend recommended me and at the time, all I knew was that it paid better than anywhere else I was currently working. I agreed, unaware of the challenges to come.   
 
Since many corporations (think banks, print media companies and hospitals) are located inside huge skyscrapers, getting from the street to the fitness center is often my first test. Mingling through a sea of business suits, there are security checkpoints, similar to airport security, and space age elevators that are not nearly as straightforward as they once were.  

My personal favorite, at a glossy women’s magazine company on Broadway, has a computer tower outside the elevator bank where you input the floor and then it computes a letter indicating which elevator will come to whisk you off to your destination. The first time I came upon this perplexing contraption, I was lucky enough to jump on the elevator with another instructor who explained the system. The second time, the security guy asked me if I knew how the elevators worked. I smiled, “Yes, but it would have been helpful if they had asked me that the last time I was here.”  

Arriving at the fitness center, I make a beeline for the classroom to acquaint myself with the next piece of technology I’m up against: the stereo. The most intimidating system is a 7-foot tall monster that could pump out enough sound to grace the ears of everyone in Midtown. Most teachers generally play music so I follow their lead. Truth be told, I’d prefer to go without it, but another part of me believes it’s more beneficial to give the students what they are comfortable with.  Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to learn the quirks of each stereo- the funky iPod connection at a classy publishing company, the system that’ll malfunction if I turn the power off at a bustling uptown hospital and the stereo that’s controlled by pointing a remote towards the ceiling in the center of the room at a ritzy midtown financial center. 
   
Once the stereo and I have made peace, I take in the classroom. When I went through Teacher Training, I envisioned that I’d always be teaching in a serene, perfectly lit asana room. None of my instructors corrected this misconception. Well, one room is so tiny, there is barely enough space to squeeze 8 people in.  Tucked into a back corner, I’ve learned my directions have to be spot on because demonstrations are not an option. The first night, I took advantage of my reflection in the windows at the front of the room, using them as a mirror, so the students could see my movements while still being able to look ahead. I soon realized the students could also see, and focus on, their own reflections.
 
And then there are the actual classes. Forty-five minute ones feel like a lesson in teaching yoga at hyper-speed-- while trying to relax my corporate yogis and keep my own cool. Lunchtime classes are squeezed between meetings, phone calls and actually trying to eat something. The room often resembles a revolving door with students arriving 10-15 minutes late and leaving just as early.

But if the classes sometimes resemble the frenetic NY pace, the vibe the student’s bring to the room usually does not. At a successful international bank on Wall Street, students walk in as though they’re entering a church. At a midtown publishing company, it’s more like walking into Cheers where everybody knows everybody’s name. As a teacher, I feel like Goldilocks trying to find the places where my personality and the students fit just right. At some places, students appreciate my joke during triangle pose about reaching for something they really want, like a chocolate chip cookie, while at other locations, they don’t even crack a smile.  

There are those who go with the flow and others who are a little pickier. I always introduce myself and ask if the class has any requests. Once a student responded, “Whatever you have planned. We’re pretty easy going.” I later found out from their regular teacher, that group is generally the pickiest out of all the locations she teaches at.

While that group may have hidden their preferences well, other students are a bit more transparent. When I taught a class scheduled as “Power” yoga I had a student ask, “Do you do a lot of those vinyasa things? I can’t do all those crazy things.” She then only half jokingly said, “you have one chance with me.” After a few moments of panic wondering how to bridge the gap between her and the students who were anticipating a power yoga class, I came to the conclusion that she was right. Despite the label on the schedule, this was not a power yoga kind of group. 
 
A few weeks later, I was surprised in exactly the opposite way, when I walked into a class at a large banking firm where I had planned to teach an intermediate level sequence. Despite one student saying he was, “just an inflexible old guy,” the middle-aged financial gurus ignored both my pacing and my alignment cues and flowed quickly through their vinyasas as though they had their own internal teachers guiding their practices and I wasn’t even there. I quickly adjusted my sequence and pacing to correspond with their level.  

Having students of such varying levels and teaching at numerous different locations forces me to be aware of my surroundings and completely present during my teaching. It is a continuous learning process and also a constant lesson about keeping my ego in check. You want everyone to like you, but eventually you have to accept that, just like in the world of studios, not every place can feel like home. As soon as you can accept that you become a better teacher, for those students you teach and for those you allow to learn from others. I never learned that in Teacher Training. 

 
--Allison Richard

Allison is available for corporate yoga sessions and can be reached via email at alrichard@mac.com

Om.   Aum.  ॐ.   Chanted three times, it’s the near-universal signal that yoga class has begun.  However, on Monday evenings at the Three Jewels studio near Union Square, ASL (American Sign Language) class begins when Jennifer Kagan looks around the room, makes eye contact with each of the students, and silently brings her flattened, downturned hands together with symmetrical motions. In response, the eight or so students come to standing with their feet together and their weight distributed evenly – Tadasana.  The cracks and creaks of the wood floor, the pops of loosening joints, the rustle of exercise gear and the sticky slurp of rubber yoga mats are all extra-audible.  That is because Jennifer teaches without speaking, in American Sign Language, and many of her students cannot hear.

Kagan’s class is the only Iyengar yoga class taught in ASL in the United States.  Kagan, the daughter of a yoga teacher and an interpreter for fifteen years, cites her interpreting background, which she calls “inspiring,” as the motivator for the class. Kagan did her teacher training at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York with Mary Dunn and James Murphy and began the ASL class (she teaches another weekly ASL class at LaGuardia Community College) at the end of 2007. She also continues to consult with Lynette Taylor, a native signer and nationally-recognized interpreter, who she calls her mentor.  “Teaching Deaf students was a goal from the inception of my training, but I did get a kick when the Institute offered a class for the Deaf. I interpreted for Viki Volmer, a wonderful teacher from whom I learned a lot. I started my class not long after that one ended.” The class got off to a slow start, but really coalesced, Kagan recalls, after an ASL retreat she led at Heathen Hill this past spring.  Now she has a regular group of students that she guides through a progressive Iyengar course format.  “I am really grateful for the Iyengar method,” Kagan says.  “Deaf people want to learn – they learn through their eyes – and Iyengar suits that.” 

The class I attended focused on lengthening the torso in asanas like Trikonasana, warrior I, Uttanasana, and wide-legged forward bending --  instructions that would be familiar to anyone who’s practiced the Iyengar method – though the standard operating procedure was, of course, noticeably different.  To bring the class out of a pose, Kagan flicks the lights or stomps (gently) on the floor.  “You have to really observe when students can’t see you,” Kagan explains. “I have to observe their bodies to judge whether my instruction is effective and then use that observation to teach the next action – I can’t give instruction to ‘improve’ their poses while they are in it and can’t see me. Teaching in a room with a mirror helps communication and frees me to move about. And I dream of a way to do live projection on the ceiling and walls so the students can see and get instruction no matter their position! A girl can dream!”

Other modifications Kagan describes are (she notes) very similar to teaching hearing students – focusing on discrete actions, building on other poses.   Regularly attending students receive lots of hands-on adjustments.  And, “as they develop their practice, they come back with language – and lots of questions.”

For their part, the students – a mix of hearing and deaf individuals – are openly enthusiastic.  Bram, an interpreter, says that Jennifer’s is the only class he takes.  “When I began the class, I hadn’t been certified yet,” he recalls. “It calms the mind and leads to clearer, better signing.  I think it’s the reason why I was able to get certified.”  Virginia mentions (via an interpreter) that yoga really helps with vertigo; Grover that it supports his meditation practice. Several students cite communication issues in attending classes geared for the hearing community; others note a long search for a class that suits their needs.  Steven, a long-time student of karate and kickboxing, had wanted to take yoga for many years, but couldn’t find anything appropriate.  “Communication between the student and teacher is key,” he signs.  He learned about Jennifer’s class via a New York deaf news website and then -- “Sign me up!”

--Ruth Curry

My interest in marma began when my adventurous pal Angelica said “Meet you after my marma treatment.” I had no idea what a marma treatment was. My curiosity got the best of me and I booked an appointment with Kara Sekuler. Before I went, I decided to talk to Yogiraj and Founder of ISHTA Yoga Alan Finger, who not only trained Kara, but who was also initiated into marma at age sixteen by Swami Venkatesananda and by his own father Yogiraj Mani Finger.

Marma is an ancient bodywork technique originally developed in the Indus Valley and designed to complement other facets of a yoga practice like asana and pranayama. The therapy frees strangled marma points, cleansing stress from soft tissue and allowing the intelligence of the bodily systems to regain homeostasis. ISHTA Marma also restores one’s perspective on life to a point of clarity, insight and inspiration. Alan explained to me that there are 22 meridian lines- 11 along the front and 11 along the back of the body. The meridians correspond to elements - earth, water, fire, air, space. These elements correspond to the five senses and thereby to organs. Occurring roughly every half inch along these lines lay 108 major marma or “vulnerable” points. These points refer to Srotas (vessels that carry blood, hormones and other body fluids) and Nadis (many nadis are nerves that carry electrical impulses and prana), both of which ultimately regulate organs, glands, and cells, and thus the flow of vital energy throughout the body.

When conflict occurs in the mind, it stresses the body and its vitality; the marma points which are located in soft tissues such as muscle, facsia, tendons and ligaments, get squeezed by the tense tissue around them, and begin to constrict the Srotas and Nadis. This constriction causes energy blockage. Massaging the marma points releases stress and realigns energy flow - the goal of my upcoming treatment.  Interesting, I thought, but I had no idea what I was in for.

Later, as Kara systematically massaged marma points along the meridians going down my back, I began to get a sense of why the translation of marma is vulnerable.  There was a level of sensitivity near to pain, but I had a feeling of being right where I needed to be, as if sensitive spots were expressing relief and thanks. My hope that Kara could undo the knots of tension in my back, for once, seemed attainable. When Kara came to a tense spot, she explained the organ, chakra or emotion it corresponded to and suggested exhaling, laughing, breathing, or screaming to my heart’s content to help me move through the intense sensation. No screaming from me though, just a lot of sighing, exhaling and a variety of ouches. Was I under her power? Definitely. Did I want it to be over? Definitely not.

The repetitive head to toe manipulation of marma points along my back body soothed me. Every molecule was getting the attention it deserved. Just when I had slipped into a deeper altered state of relaxation, Kara asked me to turn over and she started on the eleven meridians of the front body. The treatment lasted forty-five minutes but my grasp of time had stretched forty-five minutes into an abstract expanse.

When the treatment ended, I had a notable sensation of euphoria. Thinking eluded me. I was a body exploring space. Kara urged me to move slowly and take my time. Walking outside required immediate activation of cognitive abilities but my brain wasn’t cooperating. I realized how spacious my body seemed because there were no tense or tight spots.

While I had just explored marma for curiosities sake, many go for emotional and physical reasons or even to help them in their practices. Raquel Rodriguez, an advanced teacher trainee at ISHTA Yoga, first had marma treatment with Alan because she was having difficulty breathing. Raquel has latent asthma and, following her mother’s death, experienced extreme tightness in her chest. “ The treatment made it possible for me to- well, I hadn’t cried at all. I had so many responsibilities, it was effecting my breathing.” Ben Lombardo, a yoga teacher who went to Alan for marma in order to move deeper into his meditation practice, admits to screaming during treatments. He explained, “When Alan hits the sensitive points, about 20 percent of the time, it can be torture. What’s most important for me to remember about marma is how it’s made me aware of possibility. Marma makes you feel euphoric about just being alive.”

Walking down the street after my appointment, I completely agreed with Ben. I noticed a comfort in the alignment of muscles and bones, ease in breathing, and a sparkly, optimistic feeling that was quite out of character for me. I smiled to myself and sped to my next appointment remembering what Alan said, “the single most important fact about marma is that, more than any other practice, it releases physical blocks that link to the subtle body, deep into your spirit. It’s a direct window to your soul. When you balance the energy lines of the front and back body, you become in tune with the universal fields of energy from which we originate. That’s yoga.”

--Magdalen Pierrakos

To get a marma treatment, call ISHTA Yoga (212) 598-4800.  Rates vary from $120 to $350 depending on therapist and your condition.

Caravan of Yogis an Upper East Side haven for kids yoga, has settled into their new, larger studio on 82nd Street near Third Ave. Kamila Faruki has created a homey and inviting space by painting the one-room studio in bright orange and greens, offering plenty of blankets, bolsters and yoga props and providing a plethora of stuffed animals to accompany the kids during their yoga songs and games.

I stopped  by their opening gala this past Saturday and arrived to a packed room of 50 kids and parents being led in a song and dance about fishes swimming in the sea.  After they finished choo-choo train and Yogi Says, the kids began to play on their own while the parents mingled. As they tumbled on the soft rubber floor mat and doodled on the chalkboard that runs the entire length of the front wall, I could quickly tell that this was a perfect space for kids to get really excited about yoga.

As the festivities began to wind down, Kamila, who founded the studio, initiated a group child’s pose and guided the children to take deep breaths as she floated around the room giving hand massages with banana, strawberry and chocolate scented lotion (!)

With the expanded space, Kamila hopes to create more of a family environment and, along with kids yoga classes, has included Mommy and Me classes, Teen classes Caravan Flow adult classes, Family classes, Story Time Yoga and even classes in Capoeira- an art form that combines elements of martial arts, music and dance.

Caravan of Yogis is at 218 E. 82nd Street. For more info, call 212.717.1006

--Allison Richard

Music has always been an integral part of my life. Before becoming a yoga teacher, I was  in a rock n roll band that played all the usual Lower East Side haunts.  I see music as a creative outlet for the spirit; it can excite, inspire, soothe, invigorate and heal. It can connect us to the moment or transport us magically to a different time and place.

Within the context of yoga, music can be a very powerful tool  It has the power to evoke emotion, tap into our psyche and break down boundaries. When I put together a class,  I weave a soundtrack for the journey of the asana practice. I don’t listen to just traditional Indian music outside of class, so why would I play just that in my classes?  The music I select is music that moves me and can be anything from traditional Indian, old school hip-hop, 60’s garage, 70’s rock n roll to the blues. I find music so inspiring and I love to share that with my students.

I spoke to four teachers who love using music to inspire their classes and connect to students. Here are their current top picks to add to your playlist, their viewpoints on the subject of merging music and yoga, and how they choose music for their classes.


Keith Wittenstein (Sonic Yoga)
A few of my favorites are:
1. Jeff Buckley "Hallelujah" 
2. Damnwells "I'll Keep the Bad Things From You"
3. Ray LaMontagne "Jolene"
4. Tuck & Patti "If it's Magic"
5. Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"

Music definitely affects the mood of the students. Students tend to focus better when the music is slower and more atmospheric. Faster more upbeat songs bring the energy up but can also lead to a lack of focus. I use different themes occasionally; for example I have a rain mix that I play on rainy days that is all songs about rain. It's just kind of fun. It takes students a while to realize that the eclectic mix actually is all about rain. Then they go "Aha!" I'll usually front load more upbeat songs in the beginning and slow things down towards the end to match the pacing of my classes. I love to throw in strange, fun, weird music just to make it interesting although it is a delicate balance. I don't want the music to overshadow the class and I don't want students to get carried away. But I find when I practice sometimes I like to sing a familiar song. It clears my head and paces me. I would like my students to get the same effect.

Emily McDonnell (The Shala)
Some of my current favorite songs for class are:
1. Bill Callahan “Night”
2. Patti Smith “Helpless”
3. Yo La Tengo “Our Way to Fall”
4. Bruce Springsteen “Reason to Believe”
5. Bhagavan Das “All Alone”

For class I prefer music that is more internal but has a little kick to bring in some energy and lyrics that inspire. I like to play something like a Bruce Springsteen song and then more traditional yoga music. I like to counter the music with some silence as well.  I tend to start class quiet.  Put some music on when the energy feels low, and turn it off for relaxation.


Liz Buehler Walker (Yoga High)
Some of my favorites are:
1. Massive Attack "Hymn of the Big Wheel"
2. Dead Can Dance "Bird"
3. Prince, because I love his music and find it inspiring. It often has a nostalgic effect for many of the students.
4. Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown "The Way You Move"
5. Tom Petty "Free Fallin"

The way I select songs is never random. I choose upbeat and up-tempo songs for the beginning of class. For back-bending I might choose something dramatic like a "movie soundtrack," and then more mellow songs at the end of class. I try to balance out songs with lyrics in between songs without, and traditional "Yoga" songs and songs from mainstream culture. Music is inspiring and makes me excited to be alive, that is something great to infuse into your Yoga practice. Some people find music with lyrics or that is not traditionally spiritual to be distracting. But in my experience, good music makes you more sensitive to the Prana flowing in the body. I have tried toning my choices down and only using music with no lyrics, and my students said they missed the more pop songs because it motivates them. They find it uplifting.


Sadie Nardini (The Fierce Club)
A few favorites are:
1. Nneka "Changes"
2. India.Arie featuring Keb Mo "Better Way"
3. D'Angelo "Brown Sugar"
4. Aretha Franklin "The Weight"
5. Feist "How My Heart Behaves"

Music is a mirror to my soul. The songs we choose can pull us out of a bad mood (or a good one, if it's not the music we like!). Music is energy, sound vibrations, and just like a
well-harmonized Om or a dissonant one, the music we choose for class can either support or work against your student's experience.
It can also make or break your intentions for how you want your teaching to be received. If you choose music that talks over you, you won't be heard as clearly. If you want your class to be chilled out and smooth, but you play dissonant jazz, or more up-tempo music, it might not be the best choice. Set your musical choices to create your ambience, and the students are more likely to go there with you. I choose music to align with the energy of the day and time, as well as to set the mood I'd like to predominate during class. In my classes you will almost always hear either some funky tribal yoga music, or smooth, jazzy rap or soul. I keep it to that spectrum because I find it's optimal for the core-centered vinyasa flow I teach. Every element of a class, from theme, to sequence, to music should be created from your inner truth, or satya. If you set the stage for your best performance as an instructor, you will find that your students come back again and again for the richness and wisdom of the total experience with you as their teacher...not only your great music.


-- Kristin Auble

Editor's Note:  Go to our blog and tell us what your favorite practice tunes are.

Ever wish you were motivated enough to have a consistent at-home yoga practice? Naomi Jaffe Yoga, a new Cobble Hill Vinyasa studio is the perfect place to make the shift-or pretend you have. Located in the parlor floor of a beautiful brownstone on Wyckoff street, Jaffe’s home studio is warm and welcoming. An experienced yoga teacher who studied with Alison West, Jaffe practiced psychotherapy for over twenty years, and both her physical practice and her emotional sensitivity are evident on the mat.

At the beginning of the class is a kirtan-style call-and-answer chant accompanied by the lush sounds of a harmonium, which Jaffe pumps while she sings, sending vibrations through the smooth parquet floor. On a sunny November afternoon, with tall trees fringed with leaves waving through the windows, it was nearly impossibly not to succumb to the relaxing surroundings. The intimate setting (no more than 12 per class) means there’s lots of personal attention, and Jaffe’s gentle adjustments and insights made the yoga class feel like a private.

“Teaching in my home adds an element of warmth to the class that makes it intimate and sweet,” says Jaffe.  And then, “ from a business point of view, the fact that my overhead is low allows me to offer high quality yoga instruction that is affordable.” Cheers to that - at $12 a class, you’d be hard pressed to find a better environment to work on your ‘home practice’.

There are currently four classes per week at this studio on 39 Wyckoff Street in Brooklyn,  but as she builds a following, Jaffe will add more classes to the schedule. Email or call ahead to reserve, 718-522-2019 or naomi@naomijaffeyoga.com.

-–Biba Milioto

Like many good things, the “open practice” time at Sangha Yoga Shala hatched out of a conversation between friends. Alana Kessler, owner and director of the 6-month old studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and fellow-instructor Elise Espat both practiced Mysore-style ashtanga but at different studios. They thought it would be fun to practice together.

But when talk turned to action in early October, they decided—with the input from the rest of the studio’s staff—to do something quite untraditional. They decided not to limit the “open practice” to ashtangis, as is customary in Mysore style. Instead they made it inclusive of the other styles offered at Sangha Yoga Shala, including Iyengar.

The idea was that students would help each other, no matter what tradition they came from—a groundbreaking notion given how passionate Iyengar and ashtanga practioners are about their individual styles.

Kessler says the bottom line is cultivating the teacher within.

“In Mysore ashtanga the teacher doesn’t speak. It’s self practice. Everything is adjustments and is experiential. We believe that the body does what it’s ready to do. The foundation of Iyengar is to meet with teacher once a week and the rest is experiential. In both traditions, you’re trying to take the ego out of practice, and let the real teacher manifest in the space.”

Questions arise, however, about the practicalities of this arrangement. How might someone trained in movement and breath-based ashtanga tradition know how to adjust someone from the extremely precise, alignment-based Iyengar practice—and vice versa?

Kessler says it’s a conversation. Practitioners are primarily teachers, and they’re interested in the exchange. Although their knowledge is coming from different modalities, it refers back to the same source, the Krishnamacharya lineage.

“Recently, somebody was having a problem with a trocanter thing on her right hip. She asked Cory, the Iyengar teacher, why. I knew it was a sacrum imbalance because I’d been through that pose and been injured there. Cory gave the exact same answer that I did –we just came to it from a different place.”

Just a few weeks into this new offering, attendance is still growing. The two morning sessions (T/Th 9:30-11:30) and one afternoon (Friday 3:30-5:30) are not times everyone can make. As well, the studio is also still building its Iyengar program, with one certified teacher and another currently seeking certification.

The morning I visited, four Mysore-style ashtangis and two vinyasa practitioners were well into their morning practice. The steady, rhythmic sound of the breath filled the room, interrupted only by the occasional click of the heaters. When it was time for one woman to attempt the deep twist of marichyasana D, another woman got up from yoganidrasana, a supine pose in which the feet cross behind the neck, to adjust her.

It was peaceful in the room, a harmonious balance of effort, grace, and community, unruffled by one student stopping to help another. Providing space to practice and be influenced by each other might help to break down barriers between traditions, but on the most immediate level, it helps foster community.

And as Sangha Yoga Shala—which means “community yoga house”—says in its mission statement, “Only in community can we transcend and truly make a positive impact on the world.”

-- Joelle Hann

For more of Joelle’s writing on yoga visit her blog, Yoga Nation.

For the last meeting of the year, a group of yoga teachers, students and studio owners met at YogaWorks SoHo to discuss the ongoing activities to stave off government intervention of yoga studios and teacher training programs.

Alison West, Rhonda Nolan, Heather Principe and other heads of the committees all echoed the same critical theme; licensing will happen – costing studios and teachers money, time and tons of headaches if the Schneiderman and Rosenthal bills in front of Albany legislators don’t pass.

It’s crucial that everyone who gives and takes classes becomes educated on this issue which will eventually lead to the closing down of many wonderful small quirky studios who can’t afford to pay all the fees or keep up with the paperwork involved on a yearly basis.

Some are still wondering if licensing might have a beneficial effect – maintaining standards.  Sorry, no.  Albany had no interest in insuring quality – in fact they’ve admitted on the record that they know nothing about yoga – their goal is simply to tax yoga programs to refill their depleted coffers. 

Why should you get involved?  “Yoga for New York is so important because it is an organization formed by yogis for the cause of advocating for Yoga in all its forms and expressions.” said Yoga High co-directors Liz Buehler Walker and Mel Russo.  They continued “we all talk about the “Yoga community”, and YFNY is THE chance for us to put our money where our mouths are and become members.  This is our chance to shape the landscape of Yoga rather than letting people who are likely unaware and uninterested in the diversity and dept of the Yoga experience to shape that landscape.”

The Strategy: As part of YFNY’s program to raise funds to defeat licensing, they are promoting Yoga for New York Awareness Week from November 15-21.

The Plan: YFNY is organizing a phone tree to have people call studios around the state and tell them we all need to get the bills passed and signed into effect.  Money is needed to do this, specifically to hire a paid lobbyist to work in Albany and help usher this through.  The NYS Department of Education has made it clear that they are suspending licensing pending passage of the bills in the Senate and Assembly.  The bills must be passed.

What Can You Do: Volunteer to help call studios, raise money and generate awareness through studio events about YFNY’s ongoing activities?  Go to www.yogaforny.org to find out how you can best make a difference in this important battle.

When Jaki Nett, a psychologist, and senior Iyengar teacher, travels to Pune to study with her guru, she leaves her toys at home.  She has no intention of transforming the Ashram in Pune into the lascivious fortresses from her past. But Nett, a former Playboy bunny, has other yonni-inspired secrets for yogis worldwide. The best part is, no hands are required!

Katie Clancy of YogaCity sat down with Nett who is giving a workshop at Yoga Union Center (Nov. 13 -15) to learn about her upcoming book on the  “Felt Sense Method,” and the interesting choices she's made on her yogic path.

Clancy: You went from small town Mississippi, to training bunnies at the
Playboy Mansion in LA, to being a yoga teacher in Northern California.
How did you come to find yoga?

Nett: Yoga really saved my life. I worked as a Playboy Bunny for eleven and a half years in LA, living the life fully. I knew I had to change my life, that it wasn’t going to stay this wild forever, so I took advantage of Playboy’s support and attended college; unfortunately, I stayed stoned and drunk and still got good grades. I moved in with a fellow bunny with a yoga studio a block away, and I was so curious every time I passed their sign.  I never left after my first class.  If I hadn’t found yoga, I would probably be dead, as it was a time of wild partying and right before the AIDS epidemic spread.

Clancy: What made you want to concentrate your work on the pelvic floor?

Nett: When I found out I had uterine fibroids (benign tumors within the uterus) and developed incontinence (urinal leakage), I knew I didn’t want a hysterectomy. I was living a holistic lifestyle at that point.  People told me to start wearing pads, but with my Bunny body and style, I couldn’t bear to wear them in my thong.  Then one night as I was driving home, I was pondering the request to teach Freud’s “Penis Envy” in my psychology class earlier that night. With it strong in my mind, a spontaneous contraction happened, and I suddenly felt like I had an erect penis!

I went to my Grey’s Anatomy book to research, and this is when I found out that the muscles that make a penis erect do the same thing to a clitoris.  I’ve never been able to reproduce that sensation, but after that, I delved into multiple layers of the pelvic floor.  First were my studies with Dr. Kegal, who developed the exercises that contract and strengthen the pelvic floor.

A friend came to me and told me that, instead of suffering from incontinence, she had frequent vaginal farts (queefs). It was then that I was able to recognize these two different issues with women (one relates to the vaginal area and the other is more urinal tract.) This is when I developed sixteen ways (and wrote a book called TK) of making contact with pelvic floor in order to work with different issues. The book was written for the layperson.

Clancy: Can you explain a little about mask making and the Felt Sense Method
of the pelvic floor.  What are the basic ideas these programs are trying
to get across.

Nett: Mask making came from a Jungian philosophy of “persona and shadow”: We all put on different masks for different situations—yoga teacher, mother, friend.  When a woman with incontinence goes out in public, she is battling with her mask, as she is constantly searching for the next toilet.  When you are traveling or driving, you are constantly looking at rest stops, restaurants. With my incontinence, I had no shame. I kept cups in the car, peed on the side of road.

So, with the mask work, you paint how you feel on in the inside and how you portray yourself in public on the outside. No matter what brought you to incontinence (fibroids, sex abuse, childbirth, genetic), my work is to bring people back to themselves. This is where you are, its what’s happening, and its time to accept that. When we make friends with the shadow, it doesn’t control us so much.

It’s the Felt Sense Method so you have to FEEL. You have to be able to reproduce and  visualize feelings.  A lot of women are blocked off to their waistline down to their knees.  We are in denial about what’s going on down there, especially if you need to potty train yourself again. A woman needs to validate herself, and a lot of us become imprisoned with this disorder. But when I tell my stories, woman feel safe and have a place to reconnect.

Clancy: Please describe how it works.

First we learn how to recognize symbols, reassess where we are, validate, and reconnect.  Then, we become aware of our pelvic floor muscles.  It’s not like holding a mirror down there, its deeper. Using visualization techniques, we learn how to contract.  I also teach about the abdominals, as they stabilize the entire core and without their support our extra weight falls into our bladders.
It’s interesting to point out that when someone’s posture is not correct, it can cause incontinence.  So I also teach about posture. Thirdly, I connect it with movement and asana.

Clancy: You are an Iyengar teacher, what is it about the Iyengar system that’s
particularly important to your work on the pelvic floor?

Iyengar tradition, our training, is about precision and alignment.  I am passionate about anatomy and the body, so it’s a satisfying practice because I learn why the body does things. When you are aligned in its best form, free of blockage, energy will move through the body freely.


Clancy: How do you teach teachers to get comfortable saying words like
genetilia, vagina, penis and anus?

Obviously my work in the sex industry made me quite comfortable with these terms, but most women are not as free.  I use anatomical terms, and understand that everyone must find the right wordage, but if we go around saying “coo-coo” and “ta-ta”, how are we ever going to be able to look at our bodies and work with them? Naming them is a way to start, a way to take off the mental blindfold.

When I give workshops in Germany, I use a translator. We have words in English that they don’t have in their language.  The last time I was there I had a workshop where women were coming up to me in tears, saying how much they appreciated my words because they hadn’t had anyone to talk with before. They had gone through childbirth, pain, fibroids, and no one to tell their story. I am from black segregation and these women were German, but our stories connected.  It was a freedom for them.

Clancy: A lot of your work is with women students. Is your work as important
for men as for women? If so, why?

Of course the men are important. I just can’t talk from experience. Men don’t have the opening that we do, but the same muscles that go around our vaginal areas and towards the clitoris are the same muscles that go down the penis.  When they learn how to contract these muscles, an erection can be held longer.  When woman learns control, she can have more intense orgasms and become more intense and tighter.  The pelvic floor work for men is more about learning how to hold their erection and relieve the prostrate for stronger urine flows.


Clancy: What is your daily practice like?  Standing poses, inversions, etc.
or is it primarily focused on pelvic floor work.

Once you understand how to contract your pelvic floor, it doesn’t matter what pose you do.  It’s very simple; you can do it in any pose.  I have always had a very tight vaginal area. But since I have been working on my pelvic floor, it’s even tighter.  Now I am working on how to open up and relax my pelvic floor.

Clancy: You've been to India to study with the Iyengars many times.  What
has been their feedback regarding your work? 

Gitta, Iyengar’s daughter, wrote the forward to my book. They are my gurus, and Gitta has taken Mr. Iyenger’s teachings into female light. If I have a problem or question, she explains it her way, and then I interpret it for my understanding. That’s another thing that is beautiful in Iyengar: we all have basically same training, jargon, etc; but with each of us, we each take our own bent.  My husband, for example, is also an Iyengar yogi, and he specializes in yoga for construction workers—they practice with their boots on and all!

To find out about ordering a copy of Jaki's book, email her at jaki@iynv.com

A few weeks ago, at a weekend retreat at Omega, I was sitting in the communal dining room with a group of women eating an incredible tempeh salad. One of them complained that it is impossible to find a restaurant in NYC that could match its vegetarian cuisine.

Huh? I moved to the city only four years ago from Russia, and, an explorer by
nature, have found tons of places. In New York, there is something for everyone—spicy
or sweet, raw or cooked, inventive or traditional, eat in, take out, or delivered. I told the girls that I’d make a list of my favorite well-prices ones. I hope you enjoy each bite of what these places have to offer.

Lifethyme – 410 Avenue of the Americas, b/t 8 & 9th street. $5-15

This place is addictive. It’s a paradise for vegetarians, vegans, raw foodies and overall health junkies. Besides its cold and hot buffet tables, Lifethyme chefs prepare daily a large selection of raw and vegetarian pies, quiches, wraps with tofu, seitan, quinoa, beans, vegetables, and homemade organic sauces. The chefs’ recent addition of raw and roasted vegetable paninis and pizzas is worth a trip (but don’t leave without one of the raw puddings for dessert). You can enjoy your meal on Lifethyme’s second floor, which offers cozy chairs and ample light for reading a book while eating. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Integral Yoga Natural Foods – 229 West 13th Street b/t 7 and 8th Avenue, $5-10

This store follows the principles of Vedic vegetarianism—the philosophy of non-violence in diet—and doesn’t carry products containing meat, fish, or eggs. They also strive to provide the cleanest food possible with no artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, or hydrogenated oils. If they have it, try their raw lasagna and a slice of raw cheesecake (if you want a salad, get to the salad bar before 2 p.m., because there won’t be much left after that). As a plus, Integral Yoga Natural Foods often hosts raw and vegetarian cooking classes from master chefs such as Lilian Butler, founder of Raw Soul Restaurant. For more info, check out their website: http://www.iyiny.org/

Bonobo’s – 18 East 23rd Street, b/t Broadway and Park Avenue. $7-15

This is one of the most wholesome, least-processed raw food restaurants. At Bonobo’s you can create your own meal out of the multiple salad bar ingredients and prepared salads, stews, and nut meats. Coconut thai chai, veggie medley, and zucchini in curry sauce are a must try, especially if you have it with a raw nut burger or flax seed bread. If your instincts call for something sweet after your meal, you will have plenty of healthy options at Bonobo’s. They have amazing chocolate-walnut and sesame truffles, assorted nut-crusted fruit pies, and frozen fruits, puddings and ice creams.

Temple in the Village – 74 West 3rd Street, between Thompson and LaGuardia Place.
Korean, vegetarian (mostly vegan), Macrobiotic, Buffet. $5-10

This tiny place is easy to miss, but once you know about it, you will crave their food on a weekly basis (I speak from experience). It boasts a huge variety of leafy greens, vegetables, amazing seaweed salad, tasty tofu dishes and three kinds of rice. The variety will satisfy the pickiest eater. I never leave the place without having some of their to-die-for carrot and scallion pancake. Temple is run by a friendly Korean couple, who will always salute you with a smile and answer any questions about the food. The space is small and simply decorated, which creates a peaceful and beautiful space to appreciate the simple things in life—like a well-prepared, healthy meal.

Dosa Cart – West 4th Street at Sullivan Street. $3-7

If you like authentic, spicy, vegetarian Indian food, look no further. Dosa Cart carries fresh and cheap dosas served with perfectly spiced sambar (for those of you unfamiliar with South Indian cuisine, dosa is a thin crepe made of lentil and rice flour, and a sambar is a tomato and lentil soup). Masala Dosa is everyone’s favorite: dip it in sambar and put coconut chutney on top. Yum! The owner and the cook Thiru Kumar is a local legend among NYU students, downtown vegans, and Indian expatriates. There is usually a line for a tasty dosa during lunchtime but Thiru moves fast, with a big smile on his face.

Tiffin Wallah – 127 East 28th Street b/t Park and Lexington Avenue, $7-15

My time in India made me fall in love with Indian food, especially the vegetarian specialties. This restaurant is a South Indian gem in the heart of famous “Curry Hill.” You can’t beat the $6.95 buffet lunch: the buffet deal works both for dining in or take out, for which they provide you with three containers. Tiffin Wallah’s food always includes a fresh salad, some sort of beans, vegetables, soup, lentil stew or dal, and either a tofu or a paneer dish, two different kinds of bread, and dessert. If you can’t make it during the week for lunch, come on the weekend for a special brunch. The regular menu prices are a little pricier than the lunch special but still affordable by NYC standards. Try a fantastic coffee chai for dessert or indulge in some delicious rice pudding with pistachios. 

Pump – Multiple locations. Go to http://www.thepumpenergyfood.com/ for details. $5-10

Still haven’t found a place that serves affordable, low sodium, nutritious and flavorful food? Pump might be your solution. This NYC chain has a big following of professional athletes, actors, and the occasional “feeling in the healthy food mood” New Yorker. Their large selection of vegetarian friendly plates, pizzas, and sandwiches won’t let you get bored during lunchtime. Whole grain pancakes with strawberries and bananas or a healthy protein packed oatmeal will satisfy your breakfast hunger. Carnivores can indulge in egg white bakes, omelets and wraps with fresh veggies, choice of protein, and soy or fat-free cheese. Pump also offers homemade pies with added protein and no artificial sweeteners, cookies, frozen yogurt, and lots of tasty shakes.

Eva’s – 11 West 8th Street between 5th Avenue & Mac Dougal Street, $7-12
Are you hungry for some healthy Mediterranean food? Do you like hummus and falafel but not the fat that usually comes with it? How about paying $1.30 for a falafel? Eva’s is a place to go to! The menu is long and you can switch and add whatever you like to any dish. Make a salad topped with any of the following: fresh hummus, flavorful falafel, warm brown rice, savory olives, tart grape leaves, creamy feta cheese, or a moist veggie burger. Or you could make a sandwich, a wrap, or a plate with any of the ingredients. Eva’s specializes in high-protein, healthy meals and offers a lot of vegetarian options. Don’t get scared of the bodybuilders in the gym attire inhabiting Eva’s; they are quiet and mostly harmless.

Quantum Leap - 226 Thompson Street b/t 3rd Street and Bleecker Street; 203 1st Avenue b/t 12th & 1st Street.t $10-15

Quantum Leap has a large array of veggie burgers. They have a plain veggie burger made out of vegetables and soy, its vegan version, a lentil-walnut counterpart (my favorite Middle Eastern patty), and a whole list of specialty burgers served with plenty of toppings. They also make a few very tasty and nutritious Mexican dishes—sometimes I can’t resist ordering a spicy Chik’n Fajita, even for breakfast. Quantum Leap hosts a very popular brunch on Saturday and Sunday. There is no doubt that even your carnivore friends will love it. If you don’t feel like waiting in the line for your blueberry flax pancakes with tofu scramble and soy bacon, order online and get it promptly delivered to your cozy couch.

-- Nadya Andreeva

This Sunday the New York Buddhist Council and Tricycle Magazine are holding an event with a lineup which will surely inspire even the most monkey-minded among us. Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village will host the third annual gathering of Meditate NYC from 3 to 7pm.

In a lovely smorgasbord fashion, Meditate NYC has invited speakers from a wide range of traditions. Eleven different renowned instructors will offer guidance so that everyone is able to find a way in. The list includes Josh Korda, Rev. Dr. Chung Ok Lee, and the Venerable Yung Ku to name a few. If that weren’t enough, the event is followed by a solid week of free Open Houses to discover the meditation resources our great city has to offer. And if eleven speakers and dozens of meditation groups and dharma centers don’t interest you, Meditate NYC offers a online store with over 30 different t-shirts for everyone, all proceeds going to benefit Meditate NYC next year.

The event is free and everyone is welcome to come and go as you like. So come on out and let the New York Buddhist Community support you in your meditation practice. Or support their future efforts by buying shirts for the whole family!

--Alexandra Blatt

If you walk past the broad, lit-up glass windows of ABC Carpet & Home at 888 Broadway anytime between 7 a.m. Nov. 6 and 7 p.m. Nov. 7 (even at 3 a.m.), you’ll be able to observe more than 100 meditators sitting in silent display during a 24-hour mediation marathon.
 
Though you may be tempted to knock on the glass, shout “Om!” or jump up and down in an attempt to break their concentration, please be respectful: it’s incredibly difficult to sit in the same position for 15 minutes, let alone 24 hours. But these meditators are on a mission: raising money for the Interdependence Project—a burgeoning grassroots movement housed at Lila Yoga that is promoting meditation as an essential (and perhaps critical) tool for transforming society.
 
Founded by 30-year-old Ethan Nichtern (stepson of OM Yoga founder Cyndi Lee, avid yoga practitioner and charismatic author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence), the new 4,500-member non-profit is made up largely of a younger generation of meditators who believe change won’t be truly effective until artists and activists start investigating their own motives, habits, and beliefs.
 
“The main thing we want to communicate to a passerby during the marathon—and it will be interesting to see what Broadway transforms into—is that meditation is something regular people and regular New Yorkers do,” says Nichtern. “It’s not something strange mystical people do, it’s something anybody can do.”

Technically speaking, marathoners won’t be sitting for 24-hours straight; they plan to meditate in 40-minute intervals, and take 10-minute “walking meditation” breaks around the block. Normally, these are extremely slow, silent walks in which meditators focus on the precise movements of their body—much like yoga.

According to Nichtern, most participants have never sat for 24-hours straight, let alone meditated in a public space (especially smack dab on Broadway in Manhattan), and have been busy preparing themselves for any confrontation or heckling that may occur.

“It will definitely be a practice of holding your mind and having a sense of humor in the middle of a public space,” Nichtern says. “It may be difficult, especially when people want to knock you off your stride and stability, but if you can do that, then you can deal with people when they try to heckle you in daily life. And really, that’s the practice.”

Along with meditation classes four times a week, this “Buddhist-inspired,” organization—housed at 302 Bowery—offers retreats, workshops, monthly arts and activist groups, and a popular guest lecture series that has featured such prominent author as Sharon Salzberg (co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society) Susan Piver (author of How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life) and Brad Warner (author of Sit Down and Shut Up). It also hosts an online literary magazine, daily blog, and weekly podcasts.

If you’d like to meet the meditators and/or ask questions about the  ID Project, a Launch Party for the event will be held Friday Nov. 6  at 6 p.m. at ABC Carpet & Home. You can also sponsor a meditator for  any (tax-deductible) amount per hour of the sit at http://bit.ly/O1XNz

-- Shell Fischer

On the 9th Floor of a hospital off Stuyvesant Square sits The Leo and Rachel Sussman Division of Hematology/Oncology at Beth Israel. At first glance, this wing looks similar to any other hospital floor, but the patients, families and staff members that are a part of the unit will tell you that it is anything but.

The Sanctuary Lounge used for meditation and yoga sessions and the dark wood hotel-like reception desk adorned with a lavender aromatherapy diffuser are just part of the $850,000 remodel completed with a grant from fashion mogul Donna Karen’s Urban Zen Foundation.

The Urban Zen Foundation created an Integrative Therapy program with the goal of bringing the benefits of Eastern healing practices into Western hospital facilities. Trained with help from Dr. Jaime Naughright Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee, among others; the  13 yoga therapists and a group of on-staff nurses strive to treat the patient, instead of just the disease.  They are using techniques like aromatherapy, Reiki massage, yoga therapy and body scan meditation to address the common cancer treatment symptoms such as pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia and constipation that Western medicine tends to simply ignore.
 
Patients like Robert Carrion, a small, but feisty 48-year old with an amazing smile, can tell you that they succeed at doing exactly that. As his yoga therapist Ingrid Marcroft and I walk through the Japanese-inspired Fusuma doors into Mr. C.’s room, he rises to a seated position and extends his hand to welcome me.

Ingrid takes some time to chat with Mr. C. about his day to get a better sense of what his body is dealing with, how he is feeling mentally and emotionally. Having been through a good deal of testing and probing during his two-week stay, Mr. C. is understandably a little frustrated. “Not because I want to be mean, but sometimes I wish I could transfer this pain into the doctors, just for a minute, so they could see what it’s like,” he says. Despite - or possibly because of his pain - he is eager to begin the session.

First, Ingrid wants to get Mr. C moving to loosen the his joints, increase circulation and encourage deep breathing. Mr. C. follows Ingrid from his bed as she demonstrated each movement - beginning with the toe joints and working their way up to the head and neck they performed simple range of motion actions like circling the ankles, bending the knees and rolling the shoulders.

From there, they focused on stretching Mr. C.’s lower back, where much of his pain was centered. “On an average day, what would you say your pain level ranks on a scale of 1 to 10?, ” Ingrid asked. His response, “Probably a 7.”  To help alleviate some of his pain, they performed a modified cat/cow by opening the palms, rolling the shoulders back and lifting the chest before reversing, turning the palms down and hollowing out the chest while pressing the back into the bed.

Throughout the practice, Ingrid continually checked in with Mr. C reminding him, “we want it to feel good, so if there is ever any pain, let me know and we’ll stop.” Mr. C always replied with a small smile on his face, “There is pain, but it feels good.” Eventually I came to understand that he was referring to the chronic pain still persisting, but the yoga poses feeling good.

Since he seemed to be enjoying the back stretches, Ingrid asked him if he’d like to go deeper and when he nodded yes, she guided him into a cross-legged spinal twist. Then Ingrid showed him what the pose would look like standing up, performing the full expression of Eagle. Mr. C looked impressed and murmured, “wow.” When Ingrid asked if he wanted to try the arms, he agreed and nimbly wrapped his arms around one another, smiling as he slowly shifted his arms up and down to stretch his upper back. Ingrid admitted she’d never done that pose with anyone else on the floor and Mr. C. beamed with pride making us feel like we’d all struck gold.

Closing his eyes, Mr. C. began his body scan as Ingrid asked him to bring his awareness into his feet. Once again working their way from toes to head, Ingrid steered his attention from body part to body part using soothing words like softness and expansiveness to describe the feelings she wanted to encourage. By the time they got to his chest, Mr. C.’s back pain overcame him and he moved into his lounge chair outfitted with an electric back massager recently purchased by his daughter. When he pressed the on button, you could immediately see his body relax as though every part of him was saying, ahhhh.

Before we left, I asked Mr. C. if there was any part of the program that he liked best. He said, “Everything. Each person does something different to help make me feel better. I just want to express my gratitude to Ingrid and everyone here for everything they do.”

While Mr. C. and many other patients are open to the services offered, there are an equal number of patients who are uncomfortable about it. Ingrid explained that oftentimes the patient’s fears come from not wanting to participate in a program, which they believe might conflict with their own belief systems. Over time, the therapists have learned various ways to approach patients. In Ingrid’s experience, “sometimes you just walk in the room and sit down to chat never mentioning the words yoga or mediation. Before you know it, you’ve got them doing a little movement here and there.”

The patients haven’t been the only skeptics. Even some of the staff was unsure of the benefits to the program at first. When the therapists originally tried rounding up nurses to participate in the yoga classes, many were hesitate. Now they seek out the therapists asking, when’s the next yoga class?

DK and colleagues are already looking to expand the concept of their program and have taken their services to Yoga Journal Conferences, this year’s Special Olympics and V-day, an event for 6,000 Hurricane Katrina survivors. If Donna has her way, you may even be able to find them lending a hand at the November 1st NYC marathon.

By Allison Richard

Yoga for NY wants you to to know that just because the dreaded BPSS hasn't come knocking at your studio door yet that doesn't mean you can relax.

New York State studios that hold teacher trainings and those who teach at them still have much to do to make sure their businesses won't be subject to oppressive  state regulation, according to Alison West, Executive Director of Yoga for New York. Right now her organization's focus is on getting bills in Albany passed -- as they may be the only solid way to defeat licensing.

Clearly, the more students, teachers, and studio owners who join in the fight,
the better. Which is why Yoga for NY has set up a number of ways for the yoga community to get involved in the cause.

To achieve money raising and participation goals, they have two events planned for November that every yoga student and supporter should know about and attend.

The Last Meeting of the Year: Yoga for NY's next meeting is open to all and taking place on November 4, 1:30 p.m. at the new Yoga Works in Soho.   At the top of the agenda is how to aid passage of the two pro-yoga bills, which may get voted on as soon as January of 2010 (although there's really no way to tell with Albany).

Yoga Awareness Week : Make sure to pencil in Yoga Awareness Week (November 15-21) on your calendars. During this week, studios across the state will help generate awareness of Yoga for New York's work,  raise money for the cause and educate students about the issue. The proceeds from Awareness Week will go into Yoga for NY's fund to hire a lobbyist to help push the two anti-licensing bills through the State Assembly and Senate.

Yoga for NY has currently raised almost $15,000, about half the funds needed to hire a lobbyist. The organization has many suggestions for what to do during Yoga Awareness Week, but really, anything goes. Studios can donate the proceeds from a workshop or a day of classes, for example. Yoga for NY needs many more volunteers to call studios around the city and state and get them on board.

To make it easy, organizers have drafted a simple script to use when contacting studios. Consider volunteering as an early holiday gift to the community who has helped you over the years-or as a way to practice Karma Yoga.

Other Events: Yoga for NY is also planning several activities for the New Year to raise money including a benefit and silent auction and a yoga demonstration in the state capital February 9.  They need volunteers to make these happen.

According to West, many owners, teachers and students still don't know about the state's efforts to license teacher trainings and the effect that will have on yoga students and communities throughout the state.  The state is holding off on licensing pending passage of the bills which is why so much effort is being expended to get the legislation through Albany.

"There are some studios who think that because they didn't get the letter the issue doesn't affect them," West said. "That's a big mistake.  The state has made it clear that they would have contacted them if Yoga for New York had not stepped in," she added.  The issue is one that touches every studio doing a teacher trainign program, whether they got the letter or not.  And, if they don't agree with licensing, they should consider helping with the passage of those bills."  For more information on Yoga for New York, go to their webiste at www.yogaforny.org.

Partnership agreements. Insurance policies. Taxes. Toilet paper. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of yoga, but at some point, any one of these things are on the mind of the owner of your favorite yoga studio. Running a yoga studio is serious business. Being successful requires the same planning, savvy and dedication of any other industry—with the added responsibility of providing physical and emotional support for your students and community.

No pressure or anything.

So how should you dive in if you’re thinking of taking the plunge? Talk yourself out of it. Jonathan Fields, founder and former owner of Sonic Yoga and author of the career evolution guide Career Renegade says that when Yoga High owners Mel Russo and Liz Buehler Walker told him they were thinking of joining forces to open their own studio, he advised them not to do it. Not because he didn’t think it was a good idea, he says, but because he wanted to see how badly they really wanted it. “I set up a barrier to see if they would knock it down,” Fields says. “Because it’s crazy to want to do this. You have to really want it.”

He says that teachers who think they’re ready to take the leap should figure out whether they really want to be a studio owner, or if they’d be content to build a following as a teacher. While the two options seem similar on the outside, the implications of committing to a studio are hugely different from teaching. 

Once you’ve wrapped your brain around the idea that your studio should run just like any other business (albeit with softer lighting and barefoot patrons), you’ll need to write a business plan. You also have to decide if you want to go it alone, or find a partner. This is perhaps the most important decision you’ll make—you wouldn’t marry someone you didn’t know, would you?

Fierce Club co-owners Shannon Connell and Sadie Nardini joined forces to open their Nolita studio after talking about it for almost two years. They realized that Connell’s corporate business background (and love of yoga) and Nardini’s brand of Core Strength Vinyasa were a solid foundation for a business. Nardini was honest about her intentions—as a yoga teacher who was bringing her following and her rising profile to the studio, she didn’t intend to be working the books and sweeping the floors.

Both agree that hashing out these details before a single stick of incense is lit is of the utmost importance.

“You can be surprised by what you really want” once you start talking about goals, Nardini says.

“As in any relationship, you learn as you go,” Connell adds. “We’re both really fiery. Sometimes we have to know when to back off.”

But Kristen Davis, owner of Park Slope’s Yogasana Iyengar studio, chose to go it alone in 2003, because, in her words, she didn’t want to have to compromise with anyone on her plans for her dream studio. She openly admits to not being even remotely prepared for the intense stress she jumped into. After opening the studio, she says, she experienced some serious depression and realized she “was never going to have a worry free moment again in my life.”

And Andrew Tanner and Kaity Leisure, co-owners of Bamboomoves in Forrest Hills, took the express-lane approach to starting their mini yoga empire. A built-out yoga studio literally fell into their laps when a teacher became unable to run the business. They took three days to mull it over, and then dove in feet first.

Without the luxury of time, they had to figure a lot out. Both had spent time together at the Tao Yoga center as students and office assistants, and Leisure studied economics at NYU, so they had a bit of experience in the nuts and bolts of running a studio. But that didn’t mean it was always smooth sailing—when a Con Ed mix-up cut off their power for an entire week, smack in the middle of their first winter, they had to think on their feet to keep the business running. They ran space heaters off their neighbor’s power line and lit candles until the problem was fixed.

“They say that a challenge is a blessing in disguise,” says Leisure, smiling. There’s that yogi-specific point of view, which is certainly more productive than the stapler throwing and finger pointing you might find in a glass tower corporate office.

Once you get down to business, you’ll have to keep a good eye on every dollar coming in and going out. You might have to reconcile the fact that you need to accept money for your work—something many yogis struggle with at first.

“You need to say, “It’s not a bad thing to accept money for good, safe instruction in a warm, welcoming environment,” Davis says, adding that setting prices for services and classes is still something she constantly struggles with.

Fields suggests that the biggest mistake yogis who are starting their own business make is underestimating the value of a sales and marketing program. “The idea of marketing often rubs yogis the wrong way,” he says. “They think it has to be slimey. It doesn’t.”

He also stresses the importance of understanding the numbers—retention rates, monthly memberships, etc. Software management programs like MindBody and OmSoft offer several different report views of your cashflow, student retention, and month-to-month comparisons. Those free first classes you think you should offer? They could bleed you dry. Hiring someone like a studio manager when you could be there doing that work (and learning more about your business) means money out the door. Every decision you make affects your bottom line.

Once you’re up and running, you’ll quickly realize that your business is a living, breathing thing that is constantly evolving. You’ll need to be ready for the bumps in the road that are inevitable. If you’re brave enough to stick it out, the rewards are plentiful. And remember, when things get rough, take your own advice: breathe.

– Biba Milioto

With the New York marathon less than a week away, runners will be tapering off their training programs and conserving energy for race day. Now is a great time to work some yoga and Pilates movements into your routine to open your shoulders, strengthen your core, and sharpen your focus, so you can remain upright, steady, and focused all the way to finish line.

Kate Artibee, a certified yoga and Pilates instructor, and founder of Santuary Pilates, has worked with many marathoners over the years. She’s developed a series of movements to counteract some of the bad habits that many unknowingly adopt during training, and help them maintain an even pace and energy level during the race.

Breathing As a first step, Artibee suggests incorporating some basic breathwork into your last few training runs to encourage the lungs to fully utilize available oxygen. As you run, work on deepening each inhalation and exhalation and keep the breath low in your lungs. “Many runners keep the breath in the upper hemisphere of the lungs, which causes them to huff and puff and breath shallowly,” she explains. “Breathing deeper into the lungs will allow you to take in more air with each breath and better oxygenates the blood. “

Loosening Up Marathoners are often so focused on their goal, that they become out-of-tune with their bodies, says Artibee. She recommends running more mindfully to begin rebuilding that connection. “Allow the limbs to dangle freely as you run, and think of becoming buoyant-- as though you could almost lift off from the pavement and bounce into flight,” she says. Engage the core and lift upward to create opening in the hips, so your legs can swing forward more freely.  She feels that letting go is a really important concept for runners.  “That’s not to say that you want people flailing about--you still want to maintain good form, but many runners tend to hold on too tightly which causes tension in the back and shoulders.”

Building a few basic Pilates abdominal exercises into your routine will quickly strengthen your core and enable you remain more fully upright. Artibee includes moves such as hundred, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, scissor and criss-cross on her list. (Watch her demonstrate these moves on the Sanctuary Pilates YouTube Channel.

A Gentler Workout Finally, work in a few back extensions to help protect your back and hips during the race. Practice gentle cobra or sphinx postures, but nothing too extreme. Back extensions such as camel pose will create a bit of external rotation in the arms and encourage opening in the shoulders. “Marathoners tend to overdo,” she warns. “You’re about to have a really long run, so keep it simple-- just stay nice and connected through the abs.”

Putting Yourself Back Together After you’ve crossed the finish line, pat yourself on the back, eat a bagel, drink a beer, and treat yourself to a long soak in a tub of Epsom’s salts. “Appreciate what you’ve accomplished, thank your body, and chill,” she implores. Over the next few days, begin doing a few gentle poses to straighten yourself out.  “The body needs to rest, but not be left entirely alone,” she says. Practice some of the pre-race poses such as a baby cobra (pushing up just half-way), sphinx, and bridge pose. More advanced yogi/runners can do Dancing Shiva for the leg muscles, chest and vertebral joints.  Another great but excruciating pose is Thai Goddess where you sit on your heels with the toes curled under to stretch out to stretch the toes and plantar fascia.

Do your practice in a celebratory sprit, and be proud of what you’ve done. There’s no doubt you’ll want to continue to incorporate yoga and Pilates into your running, Kate  says. “It’s a beautiful blend.”

--Diana Erney

This man is a powerhouse. The founder of Santa Monica’s Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga™, Kest is also the inspiration behind New York’s Yoga to the People, a studio that, like his two west coast locations, is entirely donation-only.  On October 22nd, Bryan will bring his unique style of asana to Westchester’s Yoga Spa in Elmsford where he will teach a master class.  Susie Rubin caught up with him to learn more about what drove this Cleveland-born Detroit boy to Mysore, India and a life of yoga.  

SR:  You’ve managed to adhere to a donation-only policy at both your LA-based yoga studios.  Why donation-only?  Couldn’t you just offer a less expensive option for people who can’t afford to pay?

BK:  Yes, of course I could but the concept of donation-only classes comes out of my feeling that yoga is not - and should not be -  a business.  Everyone should have access to yoga regardless of their financial status and they should be offered a choice to pay whatever and whenever they want.  In terms of being able to sustain myself financially, I’ve always believed if I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, the universe will support me.  So far, I’ve been fortunate.

SR:  I’ll say. Your Santa Monica studios are thriving and New York’s Yoga to the People, which you inspired, is so successful they’ve opened up other locations in Oakland and San Francisco.  You recently referred to the growth of these donation-only studios as “spreading like a disease.”  Why the negative metaphor?

BK:  I use that term sort of loosely, but I do sometimes think that other studios perceive us as a disease--something harmful that needs to be wiped out.  Unfortunately, I see a lot of studios out there overcharging for their classes and workshops.  That kind of thing is not only alienating to the yoga community, it’s going against the true nature of how things are supposed to be.  I’m trying to counteract all that by showing people there’s another way to grow.  Give and you will get back. 

SR:  One of the ways this seems to be happening for you is through the sales of your DVDs, which I’m sure help offset the other expenses you incur.  Tell us a little about what makes them so popular.

BK:  I owe it all to the people who make them.  My director, Randee St. Nicholas and producer Diane Sillan are incredible.  The images are so damn sensual you almost want to lick the screen!

SR:  It’s funny you say that.  That’s not exactly the usual way one would talk about a yoga DVD. 

BK:  What’s usual anyway?  People talk a lot about doing what’s usual, or ‘normal.’  In my world, normal doesn’t exist.  It’s just a matter of opinion.  Oftentimes, in our yoga practice, the concept of what’s normal comes into question.  Most people think they need to adhere to a strict set of norms when practicing the asanas.  I always say there is no one correct way to do anything, let alone a yoga posture.  We all need to work according to our individual needs and what our bodies are telling us.  Pregnant bodies can’t possibly align themselves in the same way that others can.  Does that mean they’re abnormal?  Absolutely not.  That kind of limited thinking is the opposite of what yoga is supposed to do, which is free us.   I like to say ‘when we bring our shit into yoga, we turn yoga to shit.’ 

SR:  You grew up mostly in the Midwest; first in Cleveland and then Detroit, Michigan.  What drew you to yoga in the first place?

BK: Basically luck.  When I was fifteen, my parents split up and my dad, a doctor with a bad back, moved to Hawaii.  I ended up following him there.  Because of his chronic back situation, he began taking classes with David Williams, the great leader in American Ashtanga teaching.  My dad loved it so much he ended up giving me an ultimatum:  either do yoga, or get out.  I chose the former. 

SR:   I understand for the Kests, it’s kind of a family affair.

BK: Yes, I have three brothers; one of whom is a yoga teacher in Detroit.  He decided to settle there.   Living in Michigan makes you truly appreciate a sunny day.  I have to say, Detroit gets a bad rap, but the people there are awesome.  In the ‘70s, when I lived there, marijuana was legal (or at least I thought it was),  punishable by only a $5 fine.  Our community was quite progressive in its own small way. 

SR:  I recently read a quote from you that said, ‘the body is limited, the mind is limitless.’  What did you mean by that?

BK:  No matter who you are or what you do, your physical body is limited.  After a certain point, you can only take it so far.  Carl Lewis will never be able to run as fast as when he broke the world record.  Eventually we all peak out physically.  But nobody has ever discovered the limitations of the mind.  It is constantly growing, evolving and expanding.  The mind is really the realm we can endlessly explore.

SR:  It speaks to another often-quoted concept of yours describing the intellect as just one small fraction of our intelligence.

BK:  The intellect is like a bicep.  It’s a tool.  Intelligence is something completely different.  Your biceps help you do things manually like pick up your children.  The intellect is the same, in how it helps you do things like algorithms in math.  Yet, while the intellect is very important at letting you understand certain things, it’s not very useful for dealing with the emotional side of life.  Take falling in love.  That doesn’t ever make sense.  You can’t formulate it in a test-tube or prove it in a courtroom.  For some reason we all are so enamored with the prowess of intellect; so much so that we often disregard the other, more important aspects of who we really are.

SR:  So…How do we get to that?

BK:  Through love, generosity, compassion.  Through trying to be a good person and through balance.  Intellect is a masculine trait, and intuition is feminine.  Unfortunately for us, we seem to have over-emphasized the masculine side of things, making us totally out of balance.  We need to find a place in the middle.

SR:  I think most of us would agree, but that‘s a lot easier said than done. 

BK:  Yes it is.  You have to be open to change.  I used to think the path toward change was discipline but now I know I was wrong.  The most important part of getting there is desire.  You have to really want it and it’s not only a personal thing.  It’s global; about finding balance in the environment as well.  Today, there’s a whole new awareness about going green, for example, but thirty years ago things weren’t so clear-cut.  I remember that old TV commercial with the crying American Indian.  It made me sad every time I saw it.  The message was, ‘c’mon, do we really have to destroy our whole entire planet before people start to wake up?’  Luckily the message got through and our society has changed, along with the way we look at things.  I see that as us finally having the desire to make a change in the world for the better. 

SR:  Speaking of ‘change,’ I notice you’ve made some significant departures within your yoga practice, one of which is the preference for cobra over up dog.  What’s up with that?

BK:  It all started with a herniated disk I suffered in a car accident.  Upward dog was too intense on my lower back, so I began doing cobra.  Since I always teach what I practice, that became part of my classes as well.  Cobra is more well-rounded for the entire spine.  Then again, there’s nothing wrong with up dog.  It’s just not for me.

SR:  You’ve referred to yoga as ‘eastern calisthenics.’  That sounds a bit disheartening for those of us looking for enlightenment.  

BK:  What I mean is that yoga is more than just breathing and postures.  It’s really about the quality of your mind.  Enlightenment doesn’t come from doing standing moon pose.  It’s much deeper, from within.  Once you understand that, you’re a lot closer to finding it.  The rest of it is just practice.

SR:  I’m in!  Thank you. 

BK:  Thank you, Namaste.

Let’s just cut to the chase.  I don’t feel good.  During any given week, at some point, I feel foggy, low energy, lazy, anxious and not regular.  And it kind of freaks me out.  I eat well, I go to yoga about five - six times per week, have been sleeping and have made my pursuit of true happiness the most important thing.  So what is the deal?

I've tried acupuncture, Chinese herbs, probioitics, digestive enzymes, exercise, copious amounts of kombucha, vitamins, teas, massage, cleanses, giving up dairy, meat, alcohol and even sweets.  I have tried eating blended raw spinach for breakfast and spent most of last winter giving myself enemas.  So why is my health, or lack thereof, still an issue?

I know the most important thing is working on my mind; anxiety, fear, and insecurity can’t possible lead to healthy body.  But it is a catch 22 because how can I quiet the mind when I sorta feel like crap?

I was introduced to Ayurveda at yoga school recently and I decided it was worth a shot (since I am currently without health insurance – maybe even my only hope).  Ayurveda means “science of life” in Sanskrit.  It was developed over 5000 years ago in India by the great rishis who organized the basic fundamentals of life into a system that uses five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) to describe the composition of all things.  The three vital energies, or doshas, are each made up of two of these elements and are what are used to diagnose our constitution. Vatta is air and ether; pitta is fire and water; and kapha, water and earth.

A quick search lists a few places that offer Ayurvedic consultations and healing treatments.  I found my way to Bioticare in midtown because I’m impressed that the practitioners Dr. Naina Marballi and Ms. Amita Banerjee have been practicing for 32 and 28 years respectively and was excited by the idea of having this information passed to me from someone trained in India. (Cost $125 for a consult.)

I sit down in Amita’s office and she begins by drawing two parallel lines, explaining that these are the two paths that we are following in our lives.  The Spiritual one is always connected to and leading back to the Divine, and the other - our Wooly one - represents our ambitions, dreams, achievements, homes, careers, and relationships etc.  In order to travel these paths we are given a body, mind and spirit as vehicle.  The purpose of Ayurveda is to balance these so that we are working at our optimum as we move along the road to one-day join again with the Divine.

Amita then asks me a series of questions to diagnose my dosha and pinpoint my vikruti or the way in which I go out of balance.   I tell her about my health, my parents health, my divorce (at which point I burst into tears), my erratic sleep, my current relationship, my living situation, my diet, my exercise, my work.  She looks in my eyes, at my tongue, and checks my pulse.

I would have bet money that I was vatta.  Made up of air and ether, vatta is changeable, scattered, moving, insecure and anxious. I am shocked by my constitution - I am pitta-kapha which means that I am mostly fire and water, with some earth.  My pitta nature makes me ambitious, transformative, passionate, and perceptive.  The kapha part manifests in my need for grounding and strongly bonded relationships.  

So it turns out my dosha is pitta-kapha, with a HUGE vatta imbalance.  And it hits me then that I have been living for years completely out of balance.  I used to be ambitious and productive and competitive (pitta), but the older I have gotten the more it seems I have been wandering aimlessly moving about once a year and learning how to be more easy going and flexible. Which is great in a way, but not if it means completely living out of alignment with your true nature.

I suspect the cause of this may be twofold – keeping depression and boredom at bay, and my image that being “vatta” is much “cooler”.  I think at some point I decided that artists are really much more free, mutable, creative, open (overall more vatta) than I was.  It is almost as if I willed my way into a vattic lifestyle – leading of course to poor health and an overall dissatisfaction in my wooly life.

She gives me a plan for a 7-day detox that consists of ginger and detox tea and kitcheri, a one-pot dish of vegetables, grain, and spices that you blend so it’s easily digested.  On the seventh day you return for marma abhyanga, a 90-minute massage that works on 107 vital pressure points and helps to complete the detoxing. I am also to implement some dietary guidelines that she gives me for pitta constitution such as staying away from hot spicy dishes as well as greasy and fatty foods.  What I love immediately about Ayurveda is that it gives me the tools to change things myself.  I don’t have to take a bunch of weird things, I don’t have to go back once a week, and I don’t have to invest a ton of money.

Even though we may share some characteristics in a particular dosha, each person’s constitution is as unique as a fingerprint.  Similar to a yoga practice, Ayurveda requires us to each become our own teacher by paying more attention to ourselves.  And not in a self centered way.  The whole purpose of figuring out who and what you are is so that you can stop thinking about it and commit more fully to taking your vehicle down your two paths.  

I asked Amita what each of the doshas can do as we move through vatta season (fall to early winter) coming into kapha season.  She says all the doshas need to not bring more cold into the body by eating too much raw or cold food.  We need to lessen our activity but exercise daily for warmth (she suggests dancing), and eat often and yet not too much.  Pittas who are naturally warm, must not brave the cold without enough layers therefore exposing themselves to sickness.  Kaphas, who become more lethargic during the colder months, need to be sure to get some activity every day to not become slower.  Vattas who are usually cold need to take care to stay extra warm.

I am excited and overwhelmed by all this new information.  It make a lot of sense, but it can be confusing as well.  For instance a buildup of ama or toxins in the body can made all constitutions feel dull, foggy and constipated, as they aren’t receiving the nutrients from their food.  Usually connected to increased vatta (the colon is the seat of vatta) constipation can also occur from an imbalance in pitta because it causes dry stool, and kapha because it creates mucus in the intestines.  It isn’t the overnight solution that I am of course desperate for, but I really like Ayurveda’s simplicity and alignment with what is natural.  I commit myself to giving it try.

It wasn’t until later that I realized I had misunderstood Amita.  In describing our two parallel paths, she had actually said worldly, not wooly – which makes more sense.  Or does it?  Because the truth is, my worldly path has felt pretty wooly at best sometimes, and I am sure I am not alone.  I think this is the very thing we are all looking for - whether we know it yet or not: tools to bring us into balance so that we can remove some of the wool.  Ayurveda allows us to pull it from our own eyes.

--Alexandra Blatt

Bioticare has partnered with the New York Open Center to offer a 150-hour Certified Ayurveda Program.  The program will run from November 2 – March 25th.  For more information go to www.ayurvedasbeautycare.com.  There will be a free informational meeting led by Dr. Marballi at the Open Center on October 15th at 8pm.

What if the sound of OM traveling across NYC could bring peace to even one of us overworked overstressed New Yorkers? This Sunday at 3:30 in Union Square Teddy Sczudlo, Ben Sherwood and Michael Kwiecinski are hoping for just that. The trio aim to gather at least 100 people and a harmonium or four and chant for about ½ hour spreading vibrations of peace and love.

The idea came to 27-year-old Teddy during asana practice as a way to bring people together, make a positive impact and give back to our great city. He has been practicing yoga for 8 years, mostly vinyasa and Tibetan heart yoga, and is a devoted student of Dharma Mittra, whom he credits as a major inspiration in his life.

One of the most fun aspects of OM4NY has been the word of mouth aspect made on the spur of the moment. Facebook blasting and flyers passed to yoga teacher friends who made announcements in classes, have been the main avenues. If successful, the OM fest will become a quarterly event announced a couple weeks before to maintain the element of surprise and excitement.

The event is not affiliated with any teacher or studio and is purely to bring as many people together as possible. Come on out and join the OM4NY this Sunday and continue to spread the word. Maybe the guy who almost ran you over yesterday will be in dog tomorrow.

--Alexandra Blatt

Get ready to change the vibe in NYC – with chanting.    This Sunday at 3:30 Teddy Sczudlo, Ben Sherwood and Michael Kwiecinski are organizing a flash mob to sit in Union Square and Om for all the crappy stuff that New Yorkers have been going through lately – homelessness, health care problems, Bloomberg being Mayor again!

The three friends and fellow yogis are planning to make these chant-ins a quarterly event that will be announced with a spur of the moment feel. Sczudlo, a devoted student of Dharma Mittra and Tibetan Heart Yoga, got the idea for OM4NY while doing asanas. (Of course) We understand how this group groove will help those participating.  But will it do anything for people walking down the street?  Yes, says Sczudlo. “If someone's heart is open, it can plant a seed that will start a turn of new habits and interests that can eventually ripen into a regular practice of yoga, and or other practices that lead to greater mental and physical well being,” Sczudlo explains.

Come on out and join the OM fest this Sunday and spread the word. The oming will start promptly and last for at least ½ an hour.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the next gathering!

--Alexandra Blatt

For a long time there has been a scarcity of yoga in the Financial District.  Quite an irony, since it’s probably the part of the city that needs it the most. New Field Yoga has solved the problem with its bright new three-room yoga studio (and one room for massage and reiki) on Cliff Street.

The studio started right off with some teaching greats like  Elena Brower, Jonathan FitzGordon, and Carl Sheusi. How did owner Tatyana Neufeld get these guys? “They supported my vision - yoga for families in the Financial District, says the mother of a one-year-old.

There are lots of mommy & kid classes, on the schedule, along with more traditional adult yoga classes. Just this week, they added one-on-one Tai-Chi classes, Didgeridoo classes and Qi-Gong practice.

I took a class one brisk October morning recently with Elias Lopez, a naturalist and environmentalist born and raised in Mexico.  With his precise alignment details and superb adjustments and assists, Lopez revolutionized my Downward Dog Utkatasana and Forearm Stand in a one hour express class and he was fun!  “Now everybody, lift your pelvis,” Lopez paused. “Everybody? There’s only two of you. I’m used to a room of 50 people!” he joked.

That’s the beauty of taking a class at New Field while it’s still in its youth. Watch that space! A couple of months from now it will be packed.

--Marie Carter

On a recent Friday night I made my way over to Lila Yoga Studio, a converted apartment on the Bowery, to try my hand at meditating to the Didgeridoo. (“Didge” to those in the know). I had my reservations - to say the least.  I am a “bad” meditator. I get around to it about once every month and usually come away feeling unsuccessful because my mind never really calms down. The idea of a 2-hour meditation workshop made me a little apprehensive.  And yet, maybe doing it this way would finally chill me out a little.

There were about 15 participants.  Our teachers, A.J. Block, a Jason Schwartzman look-alike with childish enthusiasm and Tyler Sussman, a tall, serious looking individual with wild, curly hair, walked in, introduced themselves as The Didge Project guys, and we started the evening with 9 repetitions of OM. Eyes closed, we were instructed to start and end with our own breath, so that the chant unfolded in rounds, each person’s voice finding its moment in the spotlight. 

As we opened our eyes, A.J. and Tyler got right into the music so that we could feel the power of the instrument before we began discussing it. We were invited to lie down instead of sitting.  As I moved, I immediately noticed my mind starting to race at Nascar-like speed. I took a deep breath and worked to focus on the didgeridoo, which at that moment sounded like a strong wind blowing through a hollow canyon. 

A.J. and Tyler began to play with more force and the low, guttural sound of the massive wood instruments filled the room. Although my mind continued to race, I noticed that the sensations in my arms were extremely heightened. I could feel the reverberations of the didge radiating from my fingertips through my hands and up my arms, making them tingle; but they also felt oddly heavy and the hairs on my arms were acutely aware of the cool breeze blowing from the fans above.

I realized that I had always mistakenly believed that meditation was solely a practice for the mind. As I continued to be externally affected by the music, I slowly began to open myself to the idea that mediation can encompass the entire body, both energetically and physically.

The meditation ended too soon, and we roused ourselves to begin a discussion of the origins of the didge, which can be traced back at least 40,000 years and are the oldest instrument known to civilization. (To put that in perspective, mankind has been farming for 10,000 years). Didges can be found in nature as they are created when termites hollow out the insides of fallen branches. Originally, they only used eucalyptus branches, but now are man made in a variety of woods including bamboo and agave. 

After getting an understanding of the instrument, we took some time to discuss the fundamentals of sound. Living in NYC, we are bombarded by cars honking, people talking, subways screeching, construction worker’s jackhammers and the ever-familiar ding followed by “stand clear of the closing doors please.”
A.J. and Tyler explained that we tend to associate these sounds with  “good” or “bad” depending on how our body perceives them. For most, startling sounds like ambulance sirens are bad whereas the sound of our own voice, or the voice of a loved one, is healing and soothing.

They suggested one way to keep from being overwhelmed by the negative repercussions of bad sounds is to make our own good sounds. We did several exercises to practice. Some hummed, I whispered oooohss and aahhs that eventually rose to a normal speaking voice. A.J. was by far the loudest, laughing from deep within his belly. By the end of the exercise we were all giggling as fellow classmates sang scales, made motorboat sounds and chimed like clocks.

After learning about what I began to think of as “the science of sound,” we got to the crux of my question: why is meditating with the didgeridoo so special? What makes that any different than meditating to a mantra or even the sound of your own breath? 

Tyler explained that brain waves and sound waves function in a measurement called Hertz. Active brain waves are between 12-30 Hertz and as the brain waves move under 12 we enter more and more relaxed states. When we meditate with the didgeridoo, we generally meditate to multiple didgeridoos tuned in at different frequencies and our brain focuses in on the difference in those frequencies. For example, if one didgeridoo is tuned at 60 Hertz and another at 65 Hertz, the difference is 5 Hertz. Our brain begins to tune into that 5-Hertz frequency, known as the pulse beat effect, and starts emitting slower brain waves that equal the pulse beat, thus relaxing us. 

Then we settled back for our last long meditation - this is what I had been waiting for all evening. Part of me feared that I wouldn’t be able to sit through the whole 45-minutes and another part of me was hoping for a grand meditation breakthrough.  As we were running behind, Tyler suggested shortening the meditation and although I hate to admit it, I was relieved. Just as before, I noticed the tingling in my fingers and the heightened sense of touch in my arms. I didn’t notice the same phenomenon in my legs or torso. As for my head, it was not only physically the furthest body part from the didgeridoo, it also mentally seemed to be affected the least by the sounds as my thoughts were still racing around the mental speedway at lightening speed. 

Soon after, one didgeridoo ceased playing and then the other so that we were left in the silence to feel the vibrations lingering throughout the room. As I walked down the stairs to exit the building, I pulled out my phone and was shocked to find that we had indeed done the complete 45-minute meditation. I could have sworn that it had only been around 20 minutes and I began to wonder if there was more to that meditation than I realized. I stepped outside and was promptly bombarded with several car horns signifying that our meditation had not succeeded in changing the frenetic energy on Bowery. 

As I moved throughout the weekend I began to notice the lingering benefits of my seemingly ineffective meditation. I felt more serene and content and found I wasn’t rattled by the little things. I was able to go with the flow and overall felt more…well, harmonious. 

Allison Richard

The Didge Project duo holds several workshops per month at various studios and spaces in Downtown and Brooklyn. Their schedule varies each month so it’s best to check the calendar on their website for the most up to date information.

Newly nestled in the uppermost part of Manhattan is the Bread and Yoga studio, a beautiful and unique asana haven that not only features classes in Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha and Pilates, but also has a wealth of children and family-oriented programs. There are even classes in the fairly unknown Svaroopa style, a type of hatha with emphasis on decompression of the spine through core opening.

“Our goal is to bring families and the whole community together to share thoughts, talent, and inspiration... to break bread together,” says Marcela Xavier, director and founder.  Bread & Yoga’s instructors are all residents of Inwood and Washington Heights, adding to the feeling of family and community.

The children and family oriented classes can be found throughout the weekly schedule, and are categorized for newborns to 1-year olds, 1 -3 year-olds, 4-7, and 7-10.  “As a parent of two, I felt that Upper Manhattan was in need of a place that  welcomes families and that truly understands their needs, both for kids classes as well as for family oriented classes and events. I could not think of a better message to pass on to my kids than to work on building strong healthy bodies, a strong healthy community of friends, and the importance of being mindful about how we live and relate to others.”

Opening specials are available through October 18th. Thereafter, drop-in classes will be $18, and new students can try 7 days unlimited for $22. Monthly membership is $150, yearly is $1200 for individual students or $2200 for families of up to 4.

Bread and Yoga is at 4951 Broadway and 207th Street. For more info, call 212-569-4112.

--Jim Catapano

Many students seek private yoga classes. Expensive, but the experience can be amazingly transformative.  But what is it like for the teacher?  Going into a student’s home and working on such an intimate level must provide its share of difficulties and rewards. Do they treat you like a  guru or a servant?  Stay within the proper boundaries or try to make you their best friends? I spoke with several to uncover the good, the bad and the ugly side to private lessons.

--Kristin Auble


Auble: What’s it like?
Deborah Wolk: It is a very intimate situation.  I spend a good deal of time talking to the student in every session.  Most come to me with injuries, back pain or scoliosis. The first private lesson always makes me a bit nervous (like a mix between a blind date and an intake interview at a doctor’s office).
Paula Lynch: It is very different from a class in that the student often gets to decide the focus, depending on their needs.  It can be enjoyable, yet can also be loaded depending on what the student brings to the session.  As a teacher it is important to go into the session, with a clear mind and focus, without your own personal baggage.
Pam Reece: It completely depends on the person and their reason for doing a private.  Most of the time, it's nice to focus on one person and their specific needs and to see their growth. But it can be hard to motivate someone when they are by themselves.


Auble: Are most of your privates wealthy?
Julie Dohrman: Absolutely not.  I've recently had some unemployed clients!
Deborah Wolk: Most of my students are motivated to intensify their practices due to pain, illness or an asymmetry. Of course those who take a weekly lesson for years tend to have comfortable lifestyles.
Paula Lynch: Often; yet some are not, and have set aside this time and income to work on specific aspects of their practice or to simply nourish themselves for a period of time.


Auble: What kind of people are they?
Pam Reece: Doctors, teachers, finance people (whatever wall streeters do), stylists, therapists, performers, homemakers.  I think having a private class is about being able to fit yoga into their busy schedules and not about having the focus solely on them or being pampered.
Julie Dohrman: All different walks of life. What they have in common is their desire to heal their bodies and to feel better. Private clients perhaps don't have as much free time to get to a public class (scheduling is a big deal in NYC) and for most, its just easier if the teacher comes to them.
Deborah Wolk: I have students from 7 to 87 years old! There is no type of predominant career.
 

Auble: Do they ever treat you more like a servant than a yoga teacher?
Pam Reece: Yes and I "break up" with them immediately.
Deborah Wolk: Once I went to a woman’s home that I didn’t know. She didn’t do anything rude, but I got the sense that she didn’t trust me. At the end of the lesson she didn’t show me the door, say goodbye or thank you.  It gave me a weird feeling. There were servants in the house and I thought, perhaps she also treated them this way.  She never called again for a lesson.  After that, I never went to anyone else’s home unless I had a longstanding appointment with them or if they were homebound. I found a studio I could rent on a regular basis and insisted that people come there. 
Paula Lynch: Yes, and I treat them just the same as every other student, regardless of their approach or attitude toward me.
Julie Dohrman:  I have had friends experience that. The teacher is being hired for a particular service, and boundaries have to be made clear if they get crossed.

Auble: What are some of the biggest challenges?
Nancy Preston: Dealing with individuals, establishing boundaries and respect.
If teaching at the client’s home it can be the challenges of the space itself. I enter a client’s home and learn to look at the space and see the possibilities. I teach Iyengar yoga so I am always looking for ledges, furniture, walls, etc. that will work as props. Keeping an open mind and using your creativity serves you well.
Pam Reece: Scheduling can sometimes be a juggling act because usually everyone wants the same time (early a.m. or right after work).  During the session, sometimes distractions at home- kids, phone calls, deliveries, etc are a problem.  Again, it often depends on the person, if they are looking for distractions they can find them but if they want to be focused they will be.
Julie Dohrman: When the student/client doesn't turn off their life for the session.  They easily can fall prey to the computer, the phone, a text, an email, their children, or pets.
Deborah Wolk: Students who do not show up on time and students who want to go on asking questions long after their lesson has ended. 
I am fairly generous with time...if there is a need I’ll go over 5 or 10 minutes, no problem.  But some students don’t seem to realize that I’m often teaching one private after another as well as classes.  I encourage them to ask questions and e-mail me if they need help, but my time is valuable and negotiating time with some students is difficult.  I feel guilty telling a student to stop asking me things, but I let them know the time to do that is during the lesson, not after.
 


Auble: Where is the most unusual or bizarre place you have taught?
Pam Reece: The dining room of a hospital.
Paula Lynch: Office conference rooms, public parks, traveled across country and to Ireland to work with Irish Dancing champions at their competitions, in which cases it has been in the hallways of hotels and conference centers.
Julie Dohrman: I was taken on vacation with my very first private client.  I went with her to Italy to teach the family, and our host with Fibromyalgia, yoga every morning.  We did yoga out on the driveway, and by the end of the 10-day trip, the cousins and children were all practicing!  We had 10 people on the driveway. I got paid to go to Italy for the first time, saw some of the countryside and even spent a day in Venice. It was marvelous.


Auble: What is your most unusual or interesting private lesson story?
Paula Lynch: I work with an NBA player who is too tall and too strong for me to adjust in many postures. One session we did at a yoga studio we spent the first 10 minutes trying to find a spot in the room where he could raise his arms overhead without knocking in to the ceiling or ceiling fans.
Julie Dohrman: Maybe most frustrating that turned out ok:  meeting with a student for the first time, his girlfriend gifted him a session with me to help him with his back issues.  He thought he'd have space available at his office, but there was construction underway. We went to the local yoga studio to see if we could rent space, but couldn't.  So we ended up at a nearby park with no mat, no props. It was perfect.

Auble: Have you encountered challenges with private clients and intimacy issues?
Deborah Wolk: I have had students who made me nervous without knowing why.  There were a couple of men who wore inappropriate shorts and perhaps inadvertently but possibly not so inadvertently exposed themselves to me.  If someone is giving me the creeps I keep my manner cool and kind of “ice them out.”  I have never been in a situation where I felt I was really unsafe.
Paula Lynch: I have never encountered a safety issue, and usually always meet my students at the studio or in the gym of their building.  Personal boundaries can be difficult if the student wishes to divulge much of their personal life experience during a private session, but it is up to the teacher to keep it on a professional level and still treat the student with kindness and compassion.
Nancy Preston: This is something a teacher must be aware of. I have not have any negative experiences. I have several conversations prior to visiting a client to feel them out. My partner always knows where I am going and when and if I don't call at a specific time to call out the reserves. Often my partner will wait for me the first time outside. I know I am very fortunate to have this support.
Julie Dohrman: Not intimacy or safety, just boundary issues of time.


Auble: What are some of the advantages of privates?
Deborah Wolk: A student who takes private lessons can address certain issues:  working slowly without having to keep up with a class, having therapeutic needs addressed — occasionally students are in severe pain or cannot move when they start with me, they can come to a private with an acute injury and the private can either address that injury or we can work around it. Also time; some people just cannot fit yoga into their schedule at allotted class times. As a teacher, it’s my bread and butter but I also truly love working with people one on one. I am able to carefully chart my student’s progress; in classes I can forget what the student has accomplished from class to class especially if they are not attending on a regular basis.
Nancy Preston: It has been the tradition for thousands of years that yoga was taught one on one. As a teacher, private lessons present the opportunity to give individual attention and watch the student grow and thrive. A teacher can spend the time on the student until the asana or principle is understood- something that cannot be done in a group class.
Pam Reece: Privates are great for someone when they are beginning so they can get the basics, proper alignment, adjustments for any injuries, etc.  They have more freedom to ask questions and for many beginners it's allows them to be less self-conscious.  Also it can be tailored to their needs whether it's physical or something they are working through mentally, spiritually, etc.  For people who have already been practicing for a while, privates can help them take their practice to another level with more advanced poses or getting a deeper understanding about yogic philosophy, pranayama, or meditation. As a teacher privates are more geared towards exactly what a student needs and it's great when you can address a very specific issue for them and see an immediate response/benefit. You get to know someone better and I enjoy that. I like people telling me about their life and it certainly helps tailor their practice.
Paula Lynch: Many of my private students have a regular practice and use private sessions as an opportunity to ask questions they may not get the chance to explore in-depth in class, or to have the teacher look at their postures and help refine the difficult aspects.  For many it is an opportunity to explore pranayama and meditation in a peaceful and private environment, whereas they may not feel comfortable or able to relax enough in a class setting to do so. As a teacher, the income is generally good, and it is a wonderful journey to take with a devoted student as they heal or explore their body, expand their experience and observe them take the practice into their lives.  I have been working with most of my private students for a year or more, and each of them has a different story to tell with regard to how yoga has affected their lives.  I feel privileged to be somewhere on this journey with each of them.

Want to join in on this conversation? Comment on the YogaCity NYC Blog http://www.yogacitynyc.com/blog/.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Tias Little’s ‘official’ yoga training, but anyone who has studied with him would tell you his experience feels timeless.  He began doing Iyengar, under the guidance of his mother, Susan Little.  In ’89, it was Mysore for six months with Pattabhi Jois.  After ten years of Ashtanga, he  immersed himself in the study of healing arts - including massage, cranial-sacral therapy and bodywork.

It is with this foundation that he embraced the exploration of yoga through ‘living anatomy,’ the intricate study of how the body’s joints, organs, muscles and connective tissue align and articulate in each individual posture.  One of today’s most inspiring teachers, Tias is perhaps best regarded for his sensitivity, compassion and in-depth knowledge of human anatomy and the Buddhist traditions. 

Prior to his upcoming trip to New York, I caught up with Tias  to find out what he’s thinking about these days.

--Susie Rubin      
 
SR: You’re coming to The Shala, the weekend of October 9th, 10th and 11th. 

TL: Yes, I’m excited about my upcoming trip.  New York is always a challenge with its fast pace and myriad of choices.  I try to counteract all that by inspiring my students to slow down and deepen their practice.

SR: Easy to say, hard to do.

TL: I agree.  Yoga, like everything else, goes along with the pace of our culture.  But I’m very much of the slow school. That’s one of the reasons I decided to kick off my work at The Shala with a Dharma talk called Meditations on a Dew Drop. 

SR: Tell me about that.

TL: I see the dew drop as a metaphor for the transient nature of all things; the impermanence and fragility of being. Weaving this idea into the asanas helps us to become grounded in the present-moment by moment, sensation by sensation.  Just like watching the passing of breath, we may observe the fluidity of the dew drop while cultivating a still fluid center in the mind.

SR: You bring up an interesting point, especially as a person who spends so much time traveling.  How do you manage to stay so ‘Zen’ while moving through so many time zones?

TL: It comes down to meditation.  I think of meditation as being the C7 of the yoga training.  The C7 vertebra is the key element of the spinal column, just as meditation is the key within the foundation of the yoga practice.  Through meditation I am able to stay fresh by reducing any real accumulation of agitation.  It helps me to avoid getting stuck in the small, petty, and unimportant.  In the Buddha Dharma, it’s addressed as non-clinging, letting go of that which does not serve us in order to remain present in the flow of what’s going on right now. So, for instance, when I’m stuck in Denver and end up in a hotel room that’s all plastic and polyester (it happened recently), I can not become rattled by keeping a panoramic view of things.  Ultimately I hope to be able to avoid obsessing and fretting over things of small consequence. 

SR: Does geography affects your practice?

TL: Wherever I happen to be in the world, I try to bring a meditative awareness into the yogic experience.  This can be done by watching and following the sensations that come up.  That’s really the core of mindfulness training: Observing shifts in our connective tissue, watching what I think of as the ‘weather’ of our body; the fluid pressure and nerve pulsations.  When you view it in this sense, yoga is a process of observing and listening.  To keep myself dynamically observant, I frequently change my practice and tailor my sadhana to what my needs are on any given day.  Some days that means doing only standing postures.  Other days, I might remain on the floor, doing only supine postures.   

SR: I recently took a workshop with you on opening up the side body.  As I remember it, we spent a lot of time in the supine, getting into micro-detail on specific areas of the cranium.  Tell us about your interest in the cranial-sacral and how it relates to the crown chakra.

TL: The cranial work I do is not limited to the crown chakra, though I do work a lot with the skull.  That is where our sensory awareness is housed.  In Ashtanga yoga, this relates to the 5th limb: pratyahara.  People often translate this as the ‘cutting off of sensory awareness.’   I see it more as the ‘softening’ of that awareness by learning to calm the areas around the sensory organs in the skull… the eyes, ears, throat.  Softening the sensory organs is important in order to live in a relaxed presence. 

SR: You began your yoga training with Ashtanga.  How do you view the benefits given its potential overall wear-and-tear on the body?

TL: Ashtanga vinyasa requires a lot of repetitive movement, especially through the wrist and shoulder areas.  Any repetitive movements can be detrimental to our bodies, whether it’s cutting hair in a salon, carrying trays as a waiter or playing a musical instrument.  Vinyasa is no exception.  One way to counteract this is by slowing things down.  When I teach, I try to focus on the precision of movement, instead of the speed. By slowing down, we can listen more to our bodies.  By tracking sensations, we can observe how the poses are really affecting our structure.  This helps avoid injury and lets us track all that occurs in our minds and our bodies; both on and off the mat.

SR: You are known as a teacher and practitioner with extensive training in massage and anatomy.  How do you bring this into your teaching?

TL: I feel that an understanding of structural awareness is something that all yoga teachers need.  I see it as a living anatomy; one that is constantly changing.  When I’m teaching, I like to use imagery as a means of conveying this idea.  Through Powerpoint presentations that include not only anatomical images, but architectural photographs and shots borrowed from nature as well, I try to bring forward a multi-dimensional perspective of the human body.  I find this kind of anatomical study to be very inspirational.

SR: An interesting concept; the idea of combining yoga and technology.  Some might say it’s counterintuitive to blend man and the machine in this way.

TL: There’s a word in Sanskirt: upaya. Loosely translated it means ‘skillful method.’  I try to adapt upaya as a means to share yoga with others.  Using technology is a skillful way to bring yoga teachings to the public.  On the one hand, it is counterintuitive, but on the other hand, it’s the world we live in today.  It makes sense to take advantage of it.  Thanks to the internet, for example, we can download podcasts, chat with other yogis, and Google information about all kinds of teachings. 

SR: Speaking of the internet, I just saw you on youtube, expressing your wish for a future yogini president of the United States.  

TL: Yes.  The ancient forms and teachings of yoga have been greatly carried forward by women.  That’s a very positive thing.  Although these traits aren’t solely feminine, I do see women as more sensitive in general.  To me, this is one of the most important aspects of a yoga practice.  The Buddha Dharma describes it as the two wings of a bird; the marriage of wisdom and compassion.
In the meditative training, building greater wakefulness and sensitivity is crucial. If the yoga process is working, then one is less consumed by “me” or “mine” and is more available to relate to others. 

SR: For your sake, I hope you can keep these top-of-mind during your trip to New York, especially if you plan on taking public transportation.

TL: Yes, in the midst of great activity it is difficult to remain at peace and in place.  But as Shunryu Suzuki said, “calmness in inactivity is one thing, but calm in the face of activity is superior.”  I think we can get to a point where the activity itself is a reminder to abide in calmness.  That is true yoga.

As a beginning yogi, fifteen years ago, Ruth Lauer-Manenti’s dharma talks at the start of her class inspired me with their sincerity, honesty and wit. Now these stories have been collected in a book called “An Offering of Leaves” published by Lantern Press. I talked to Ruth about how this all came about a couple of days before her book party – which is Thursday night at Jivamukti.

Jonathan Fitzgordon

JF: How did you come to write this?
RL: Sharon Gannon, (the co-founder of Jivamukti) will write a focus of the month and then all of us will teach from her essay. For years we have been giving these teachings. A lot of time they are backed up with scripture from the Gita or the Sutra.  One student, Rima, began to record them. Then another Andrea moved from New York City to South Carolina. She knew Rima was recording them and she was really going to miss her weekly teaching. So she arranged to get them sent to her. At one point she got a whole batch; six months worth. She took it upon herself to transcribe them. Then she thought, this would make a great book and she asked a publisher if he would be interested.

Then she called me, “We are going to publish these. We’re going to make a book.” So really it came together because of these two people thought that these talks I was giving shouldn’t just end there. 

JF: Was there much editing from the original transcripts?
RL: Martin, the publisher, felt that we needed to think about someone reading as opposed to being in the room listening. At first, I was a little resistant to that. I wanted to keep them as they were and keep that spoken voice. I liked that quality. And yet we were able to keep that voice and at the same time take it out of the classroom.

JF:Were you a storyteller before you were a teacher at Jivamukti?
RL: It came out of teaching, actually. The scripture is just words on a page. It is when the scripture begins to play itself out in life that you begin to understand the scripture. So for example, Patanjali says, “If you don’t steal, all the jewels will fall at your feet.” That’s nice, but if you can think of an example that you know - for instance a dear friend recently got on a plane and just coincidently, our guru’s grandson had the seat next to her. So because she is so grounded in asteya, (not stealing), the guru comes and sits next to her, the jewels fall at her feet. If you begin to become really engaged in the scriptures you begin to see them. Then as a teacher you can give an example of their insights. Or even an example going the other way. You are sitting next to someone who is irritating you. Everything is going wrong. Where are the jewels? You are always missing them, but you can look at yourself – are you taking things that aren’t yours? Did you take the book that was on the table? Did you take the pen that didn’t belong to you? If you take things you imply that your life is impoverished so there won’t be jewels. If you don’t take things it’s as if you feel rich so there will be jewels. 

I have always found that to really explain these ideas in a way that has some impact you have to tell stories.  People remember the stories because they are interested. 

Don’t tell people what to do. Don’t say don’t steal. Nobody wants to be told what to do.  Instead tell the story how the girl who doesn’t steal ended up with the guru sitting next to her. And then people will think for themselves. 

JF: It seems to me that you come from a long line of self-deprecating Jewish storytellers.
RL: I don’t think of myself as being self-deprecating but I think of myself as having a long way to go. And I see all my dirt or afflictions, or pettiness and so I bring that into the classroom. I don’t respond very well to teachers who automatically assume greatness. I look at my teachers in India. Jayashree is my Sanskrit teacher there. I study and work really hard when I am there. Then I come home and a whole year goes by and I haven‘t studied. When I arrive back and I am at the same point as I was the year before, I think to myself - when is she going to get impatient? So I apologize.  She says, “No, no, when you are learning Sanskrit it is a very difficult language, very different from your language.  I am trying to learn French so many years have gone by. I am also at the same place. We are equal. We are equal. “ For someone like that - who is to me all knowing – and say with total ease that we are equal.  It makes me feel like I want to sit at her feet.

JF: I think it is a very difficult thing for many yoga teachers to show a fallible side of themselves to their students.
RL: When Guruji’s (Pattabhi Jois's) wife passed away, for a whole year he sat on a stool in the back of the classroom looking at a book of photos of her. During class, he just sat there and would go through this book and sort of cry for almost a year. And some of the new students felt like they wanted to have a yoga class. But the devoted students felt, “Wow. He really misses his wife.” He didn’t give us some spiel about her eternal nature. He was missing his wife and it was really beautiful that he let us in on all of that.

Also he was here after 9/11 and one student said to him. Why do things like this happen?  And of course every one couldn’t wait to hear what he would say and Guruji just tilted his head and said “I not knowing. I not knowing.” And it was that humility, “I not knowing”.  Instead of, “let me tell you because I’m enlightened, it’s all karma.” There was just something about the, “I not knowing” and to me this is a guy who knows everything. But he would never put himself in that place.

JF: How do you meet Guruji?
RL: I met him because Sharon Gannon had spent about six months in Mysore. It was 1988 and when she came back she looked like she weighed 90 pounds, her skin was green, she’d dislocated her shoulder—she looked terrible. And like that, broken as she was, she said to me, “Ruth, you gotta go. You gotta go meet this guy.” She was in pain. Her shoulder blade was sticking out of her back and yet there was something about the way she said, “you gotta go.” I went the next day.

JF: What is your practice these days?
RL: I do two methods, Jivamukti and Ashtanga, and I mix them up. And even though Guruji always said “one method, one method,” he always loved all of us at Jivamukti. “Jivamukti, you are teaching ahimsa. It is good. It is good. You are teaching vegetarianism. It is good. It is good.”

JF: Has your teaching style changed over the years?
RL: Not really. I’m slow. We hang out in things for a while until I feel like people are dying. I like to count like Guruji. When I get to six the next number is two. I like to keep everybody together. I don’t like too many people doing their own things. I don’t encourage that. I like to keep the room fairly quiet. I don’t like a lot of people sighing out loud making big noises. I like to keep the energy contained. I don’t play music except during savasana where I’ll try to find something lovely and sattvic and uplifting.

JF: Do you design your asana classes around the teachings?
RL: No.  Some teachers will give a teaching in the beginning and be able to weave that through their class. That’s never been a strong point of mine. I am not a multi-tasker. I give the teaching in the beginning and then we move on to the asanas. I don’t try to connect the dots though I do believe the dots are all connected. 

JF: Do you write the stories before hand or are they improvised?
They’re not improvised. I don’t write them but I know what I am going to say beforehand. I prepare.  And my apprentices get taught to prepare. My students who learn how to teach are prepared. At this level a lot of work goes into preparing.
But I have had such a hard year. My cat died. A month later my dad died, and then six months later Guruji died. During that time there were classes where I couldn’t prepare. And I couldn’t say much. And at that time your presence is enough, your energy is enough. That shouldn’t be understated because sometimes we put so much emphasis on what it is we are going to say as if that is the only way we can communicate or teach. But, of course, if someone says, “Ruth just your presence alone is enough,” you don’t want to be cavalier and think my presence alone is enough but at the same time one has to remember that as yogis we go so deep and if we really are doing our practice there is something about our presence that just walking in the room and giving eye contact to everyone that can unify everyone and uplift everyone if it is a day that you feel that is all that you can do. And I think that also comes from teaching from a long time. There are ebbs and flows of life and you can’t just push the teach button.

All are invited to Ruth’s book party at Jivamukti on October 8th, from 6:30-9pm.

The Sukha Yoga Collective which opened on Saturday September 26th is a cozy living room with soothing blue and purple walls, Moroccan ceiling lamps, fairy lights, plump pillows, candles and a big vase of lilies. It is little wonder that the Sanskrit word sukha means “happiness” or “ease.”  “I wanted to create an informal and comfortable atmosphere,” says owner Joy Gottlieb.  To help bring about this feeling, they will have a music party fortnightly Saturdays, exhibit photography and art by local artists every month and massage.

Sukha is October Studio of the Month, at Lululemon Union Square with free classes on Saturday mornings at 9 am. Right now, there are three teachers.  Carlos Rodriguez (who was instrumental in helping Gottlieb set up the studio) does a Dura Flow, a high energy, creative Vinyasa class; Gottlieb has a calmer, more alignment focused class called Soul Flow; and Love Flow is taught by Rachel Welch, a Shiatsu practitioner known for her heavenly adjustments.  Wednesday night at 6:30 is Tag Team, an inventive, unpredictable class in which Rodriguez and Gottlieb switch off over an hour and a half.

A free Candle Flow class (charity donation optional) will be held on Sunday nights and Gottlieb plans having a mix of teachers from other studios as a way of promoting other studios and binding together our community of teachers.

--Marie Carter

Want shiny thick hair? Weight Loss? Relieve joint pain? How about increased metabolism, congestion relief AND a new boyfriend?  Then I have one word for you my friend: Kombucha.

Yes, this purported “elixir of life” has claimed to do all of this and more. Kombucha is a fermented tea that has gained a huge following in the past several years.  Companies like G.T. Daves, Carpe Diem, and Kombucha Wonder Drink are lining the shelves of grocery stores, health food establishments, and every other bodega in New York.  Yet this relatively new craze has an ancient past.  It is said that Kombucha tea was created sometime around 200 B.C. during the Tsin dynasty in China. It found its way to Germany from Russia at the turn of the last century and was popular in Europe until the Second World War when both tea and sugar (the main ingredients of the tea) were scarce due to rationing.  Others say that this is all completely false – so the history of this tea seems to be as elusive as the health claims (and home brewing instructions) themselves.  

I started drinking Kombucha about 3 years ago when my mother introduced me to a nice sparkling cold bottle of G.T. Dave’s Gingerberry Kombucha, and she might as well have handed me a crack pipe.  At first, I found it disgustingly vinegary and was a bit put off from the floating slimy chunks – but strangely I couldn’t get enough of it.  My body craved more.  At my height of Kombucha drinking I was downing up to 3 bottles a day. Yes.  I had become a Kombucha addict.  I felt more energy, it calmed my stomach, and I rationalized that it was better for me that other drinks of choice - namely coffee and beer.

Fairly confident that I had put at least G.T.’s first born through their freshman year of college (the stuff isn’t cheap! $3.39 per bottle at Whole Foods and over $5.50 at some Bodegas) I was eager to find out more about home brewing. As fate would have it, I attended a yoga class one evening and the few people there were talking, which was unusual, and actually irritating. (I prefer a quiet and start to class.)  But as I began to settle and pay attention, I realized that they were talking about brewing kombucha!  I excitedly smashed my way into the conversation and almost begged the man with the brewing experience to teach me and give me his next baby.  Of the mushroom persuasion.

A kombucha mushroom – my mom fondly refers to it as “the monster” - looks and sounds a lot scarier than it actually is.  The correct name for it is scoby; symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.  Each brewing cycle the scoby creates a new daughter mushroom, or baby, to protect itself from any harmful pathogen that might also enjoy sharing its home.  Get one and the rest is relatively easy.    You add about one cup of organic sugar to one gallon of distilled boiling water, and steep about 5 green and/or black organic tea bags in it (time varies depending on who you ask).  Pour this mixture into a sterile  one gallon glass jar (I found one at the Container Store for about $10) add your precious kombucha baby when the liquid has cooled, and finally cover it with a napkin and rubber band to keep out fruit files and mold and such.  Then you let the scoby do its magic, and in about 7-10 days you have Kombucha!

Time depends on personal taste and temperature.  Some great sites for recipes, troubleshooting tips and places where you can mail order babies or scoby’s are www.organic-kombucha.com and www.HappyHerbalist.com.  In your research, you will come across conflicting opinions: such as you must use at least half black tea while others will say you can use all green.  Try it all ways, and just watch the health of your baby – I have killed a few so far.

The fun part about making Kombucha is the communal aspect of it - getting a baby from a friend or a strange man in yoga class and then getting another one when you realize the one he gave you also came with some fruit fly larvae.  Somehow in spite of the sick baby, I ended up going out to coffee with the kind Kombucha yoga man… and then dinner… and then another fancier dinner followed by ferry ride… and now we make Kombucha together on Tuesdays in our apartment.  He carries home two gallons of water and we look at each other sideways and make comments about how the other one brews.  Some weeks the babies that come are happy and strong and others paper-thin.  I think it takes time and a lot of trial and error to get into your own personal Kombucha groove, and I don’t think I’ve hit it yet. 

I still grab the occasional G.T.’s and I don’t know if I am really any healthier or shinier from all the tea, but it does seem to help settle my often cranky and anxiety ridden stomach.  For that - and my tea loving yoga boyfriend - I am forever grateful.

Alexandra Blatt

Even if you are done matriculating, this fall offers yogis in New York amazing opportunities to get back to class.  Try something brand new and outside your comfort zone or fine-tune with some of the most renowned teachers in the world – who will be stopping by our fair city soon.


Escape to the Berkshires and get your dance on with Shiva Rea at Kripalu, October 2-4 for Yoga Trance Dance: A Teachers’ Intensive of Music, Dance and Yoga. This extended hours workshop will include techniques for teachers on guiding free-form ecstatic dance and communal movement, and an introduction to the Nataraj cosmology of dance within yoga. Tuition $345, price range (depending on accommodations) is $535–$1,075.

New York Times “Yoga King” Vinnie Marino, originally a New York boy, swings in from LA to bring some West Coast flow to our East Coast bodies. October 2-4, $45/class $200 full weekend. At YogaWorks Soho.

Unwind your spine, ribs, lower back and shoulders with the highly respected Tias Little. His three day workshop takes place October 9-11 at The Shala—the weekend starts with an evening of meditation “Meditations on a Dew Drop” and continues with a spotlight on alignment and breathing into the body that eliminates strain and pain. Saturday and Sunday workshop sessions: $210, sessions may be taken individually.

Wish you had wings? Learn to fly at Bamboomoves in Forrest Hills with Chris Loebsack’s AcroYoga workshop on October 10. This partner workshop brings yoga, Thai massage, and acrobatics together in a highly charged yet nurturing practice.  Yoga experience required for this workshop. $50 advanced reservation, $60 drop-in.

An intensive 5-day with master teacher Rod Stryker at Omega, October 11-16, will immerse you in the study of ParaYoga, which incorporates the wisdoms of yoga, tantra, and Ayurveda. Recommended for teachers and dedicated yogis, this intensive will leave students with an understanding of the power of asana and the choreography and effects of sequencing the practice.

Professor Douglas Brooks brings the wisdom of  Hindu Tantrism to Anusara hot spot ViraYoga for a series of lectures Oct 17-18. $150 for any 3 lectures, or $55 each session.

Yoga Goddess Angela Farmer, who has a studio on the Greek island of Lesvos with her husband and teaching partner Victor Van Kooten and only comes to America every other year , heads to Kripalu just as the leaves start turning for a series of workshops October 23-28. Farmer has been practicing for over 35 years and even invented the sticky yoga mat.  Her energetic workshops are filled with wisdom and unbounded spirit. First up, for teachers: Hands On, Hands Off: The Art of Contact for Yoga Teachers. Teachers will focus on the intuitive relationship between helper and receiver, and learn different techniques for making contact with students. Following this is an extension workshop titled Grounded Gratitude, students can choose between a 3 or 4 day focus on connecting the inner and outer worlds of yoga, and a diving deeper into the breath, asana, and intention. Hands On, Hands Off, $440-$980 (depending on accommodations), Grounded Gratitude 3 or 4 Days, $577-$1684 (depending on accommodations). Discounts available if you combine workshops.

If a little heat is what you’re looking for as the temperature drops, head over to Bikram Yoga NYC on October 25 for a special lecture and class with world-renowned, award-winning yogi Rajashree Choudhury (Bikram is her hubby). $50 for class.

Restore and relax on November 7 with Eileen Rachelson and Maura Nolan, who are bringing their healing, gentle touch to dharma center The Three Jewels for a Mini Restorative Retreat. 3 hour session, $30. To reserve call 917-686-6849 or email fileen@aol.com


A focus on the pelvic floor muscles and how they support our entire practice is the heart of highly respected San Francisco Iyengar teacher Jaki Nett’s weekend workshop November 13-15 at Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis.  $60 per session, $110 for all day Saturday, $200 for the weekend.


Nearly every angle of your practice will be addressed at teacher Laurie Blakeney November 20-22 weekend workshop at the Iyengar Institute of New York. Hips, backbending, posture alignment and more are the courses of study for five sessions across three days, including a teachers-only class on adjustments and observation. $160 members/$200 non-members (Teacher’s class is not included).

And finally, to celebrate the close of autumn and welcome winter, Sianna Sherman leads two three-hour Winter Solstice Celebrations at Virayoga December 19 and 20. $50 pre-registration, $60 drop-in.

***********************************************************************



If you are totally confused about what to chose, world-renowned Vedic Astrologer Chakrapani Ullal can consult with you October 1-8, when he will be in NYC taking appointments for Natal Readings, Progression (1 Year or 6 Months), or Personal Consultations. People swear by him and pay the prices which range from $65 for 15 minutes (single question) to $225. Call  323-962-9911 or email info@vedicastrology.com to make an appointment.

Biba Milioto

Twenty years ago, Vinnie Marino left the East Village and headed back west, where he was once strung out on psychedelics and living in Haight-Ashbury.  Since then, he’s transformed himself into one of the country’s hottest yoga teachers, as widely sought after for his energetic practice as his musical soundtracks.  Recently dubbed “The Yoga King” by The New York Times for his reigning presence in the Los Angeles yoga scene, Vinnie is a native New Yorker from the heart of Nassau County.  This October, he returns to the place where it all began, clean, sober and ready to rock. I sat down with him to find out what he was expecting.

- Susie Rubin

SR: In the words of Led Zeppelin, ‘It’s been a long time since you rock and rolled...” in New York City.  October 2nd-4th is the date of your upcoming weekend workshop at Yoga Works’ new SoHo location.  How do you feel about coming home?”

VM: Completely excited.  I’m really looking forward to being a part of the energy in New York again.  I’m planning on staying with a friend in the East Village and taking a few extra days to reconnect.  As everyone knows, LA is such a car town. I can’t wait to just walk the streets of the city and take it in.  The last time I was here, my life was hanging on a thread.  Now it’s so good it’s like ‘wow,’ things have really changed. 

SR:  Your past and your recovery are very much a part of your presence, and your practice.  Where’s the parallel between yoga and addiction?

VM: I see them in a similar light.  To me, they are both about the search for wholeness, for peace.  The yoga is the union.  The addiction is just a misguided attempt toward that.  Addicts just want to feel whole and at peace within their skin and their mind.  Using is a way for them to try and achieve that. 

SR:  Much has been written about the ‘moment of clarity;’ the catalyst that turns addiction into recovery.  Would you mind sharing your moment with us?

VM:  For me, it wasn’t quite so precise.  It was more like the build up of many moments.  I’d say it started off the day that just a little piece of me was willing to stay sober.  51% of me said, ‘this isn’t working.’  That turned into about 60% and I thought, ‘ok…I’m willing to try something else.’  I just knew I couldn’t do it anymore.  When the bad consistently outweighs the good, it’s time to let go.

SR:  So much of yoga is about the letting go of that which no longer serves us.  So here again is the parallel to yogic teachings. 

VM:  Absolutely.  In yoga, it’s referred to as Ishvara Pranidhana, or surrendering to a higher source.  Getting sober is all about that, saying to yourself, ‘I give up.  I’m not really sure what’s out there but I’m going to just try and be to see where that takes me.’  It’s the same thing in yoga.  Some days you feel like you’re swimming through mud.  Other times you are flying.

SR:  Tell us about some of the things you do in your recovery workshops.

VM:  This is a very important part of my teaching.  More than just a way to give back in service to others, it’s a chance to connect with people who are experiencing similar challenges in their lives.  Locations vary for the workshops themselves, but the format remains pretty much the same.  We begin with a vigorous practice accompanied by really great music.  Afterwards I usually talk a bit about the relationship of yoga to recovery and how it ties into the twelve steps.  There’s always plenty of time for everyone to share.  It’s a really nice combination of community and service.  No matter what, it’s always a donation-based class.

SR:  You bring up the subject of music.  I’ve heard you referred to recently as the King of Yoga, but after practicing with you, I’d venture to say you’re more like the King of Rock.

VM:  That’s a bit of an unfortunate nickname…in some ways, at least.  When it comes right down to it, Grace (Slick) and Patti (Smith) are my higher powers.  I love their music…their message, their whole vibe and outlook.  In my classes I always try to bring them into the practice, balancing them with some chill out groove stuff like Buddha Bar.  Now it seems like a lot of teachers are getting into this.  I just started doing it because it inspired me.

SR:  I heard Seane Corn called you a rock star.  Do you actually play any instruments?

VM:  (laughing) I love Seane.  She’s a close friend; someone I can talk to and confide in. Unfortunately, when it comes to music, the only thing I’m good at is playing it in my classes.  I wish I could learn to play an instrument or sing.  I guess I could, but I doubt anybody would care to listen to me.

SR:  You mention Seane, who, like you, is well known in the yoga community.  How does it feel to be a celebrity teacher to so many celebrities?

VM:  I really try to not focus on all that.  I guess it’s sort of interesting to all of us when you see someone famous but intellectually we all know that we’re all just people.  Focusing on celebrity is just a distraction, something I want to deflect.  I guess if I lived in Wyoming I might feel differently, but I live in LA.  Celebrities here are a normal part of life.  I try to focus primarily on where my practice is and what I want to bring to my students.  When I first began gaining popularity, I remember Maty Ezraty, the founder of YogaWorks, telling me not to let it go to my head.  “It’s about the yoga,” she always used to say.  Feeding the ego is not something that I want to do.

SR:  So, after all these years away, tell us something aside from your accent, that you still carry with you from NY.

VM:  To put it in a nice way, I’d call it my “directness.”  It’s a little stereotypical, I know, but it’s that no bullshit New York attitude I can’t seem to shake.  Then again, I’m also a Gemini, so that gives me a bit of a balance, at least.

SR:  I love the fact that you started doing yoga in your teens, inspired by Lilas Folan, a teacher on PBS-TV.  Were there any real-life people who inspired you to hit the mat during that time?

VM:  A lot of it was just karma.  My brother, who’s ten years older than me, was part of the whole hippie generation.  That was very much the culture at that time.  I remember being surrounded by information on yoga and reincarnation.  I even wrote away for a book by Lilas Folan.  It was all about sun salutations and seated postures and it cost me $2.00.   As a teenager, I went to an alternative high school where I was lucky enough to take yoga instead of gym. 
       
SR:  After all these years I’m wondering how you’d like to be known within the yoga community. 

VM:  It all boils down to authenticity.  Being able to stay sober and live a clean life lets me continue to see clearly what’s really out there.  It’s up to me to share that with others.

SR: From what I hear, that won’t be a problem when you get to New York.  The buzz is out, and this time it’s yoga talking. 

VM: Thanks so much.  I can’t wait.

Lord Ganesh, the Hindu deity who governs the overcoming of obstacles, is such an alluring figure that even a non-Hindi, non-Yogini painter like Craig Anthony Miller has fallen victim to the elephant obsession. Miller’s ongoing series of Ganesh portraits—one celebrated example of which dresses the entire back wall of the new Fierce Club —reinterprets the god’s striking features in bright jewel tones and faceted geometries, heavy lacquered pigment on recycled canvases (old doors, tin roof shingles, junked car parts, the sides of buildings).

This approach to devotional art is like stained glass brought down from cathedrals to street level. And it is on the street that you’ll have the perfect opportunity to commune with Miller’s Ganesh, next weekend at the Dumbo Arts Festival right under the Brooklyn Bridge.

A yogi in spirit, though not on the mat, the 38-year-old artist sat down recently to talk to YogaCity about his sympathy for this essentially yogic vision. “We all have a warrior in us,” he says, “and we all go through a lot of stuff.” Miller (or, Cam as he’s known in Dumbo, where he lives, works, and shows his art) is appealingly straightforward (—why he’s a true Brooklyn artist, not only by birthright but in style). He draws no lines in the sand between artist and looker. He displays his work widely and freely—one of his murals decorates the outside wall of the popular restaurant Pedro’s, and just this summer he finished another mural at Water and Pearl Street, a collaboration with Demon 202, Tron, John Breiner of 303 Collectives. His “Masks” series is on perpetual display on the walls of reBar, and the bar’s backroom, the Game Room, is painted with another, totally astonishing mural of warriors and scary dogs (standing in that room, you wish, just for once, that bars weren’t so dimly lit).

Walking through Dumbo with Cam is like being with the mayor; he seems to know (and like) everyone and also seems to need to get back to everyone about something. He has so many projects and interdisciplinary collaborations in the hopper at any given time. After he takes me to the record shop (yes, they still have those in secret artist enclaves around the city), Halcyon where his prints have been on display since last May, I accuse him of Dumbo Domination, which makes him distinctly uncomfortable. He explains that he doesn’t want to be “the Dumbo guy”; doesn’t want the responsibility or the hubris. But it’s a fine line. He also makes his work to be seen—“I just want to get it out there”—and he’s an unreconstructed enthusiast. So, if there’s a surface to be painted, no matter how challenging or unconventional, he’s hard pressed to turn away.

And it’s that particular brand of instinctive populism that seems to best characterize Cam’s artwork. The figures that he paints, chickens, dogs, Ganeshes, warriors—opaque, disembodied graphics, set over brilliant color mushes—draw heavily from African imagery, specifically masks. He writes that his mission is: “To spread hope, vision, and strength to someone every day. To receive the same in return. To share with the world.” It is as if with these powerful masks of fearlessness and strength, he is offering each of us the chance to step into a warrior costume, and hurl ourselves bravely at life’s big and small obstacles. Every day.

—Minna Proctor

See more about Craig Anthony Miller at: craiganthonymiller.com

The Yoga community in leafy Carroll Gardens can now safely claim that you DON'T need to go to Manhattan to find terrific yoga. Jonathan FitzGordon, one of the neighborhood pioneers, has recently merged his studio, Yoga Center of Brooklyn, with the lovely new Prema on the corner of Carroll Street and Court, run by former Jivamukti teacher Lesley Desaulniers.  The two agreed to tell YogaCity about their incredible criss-crossed paths, how it brought them to teaching . . and finally together.

Lesley: “My yoga practice humbly began at 16 yrs old with a Jane Fonda Yoga VHS tape, but it really began when a Jivamukti teacher suggested that I practice Ashtanga.  It was a great suggestion, and I was hooked after my first 5pm led class at Jivamukti about ten years ago.  I practiced Ashtanga for about a year and then returned to Boston to finish the degree I had started in Performance Art and sculpture.  A NY teacher referred me to his friend Joji Montelibano, whom he met in Mysore India years before and who was living in Boston working on his degree in Cambridge.   Joji invited me to practice in the spare room of his Cambridge apartment, along with his wife and about five others.  It was in the tiny room that my life changed.   I lived over an hour away from Joji’s place, and the commute involved a couple of subway transfers.   He didn’t live very close to the subway, and some of my most inspiring yoga memories are of trudging through the dark, the snow, while making a mental list of the million other things I could be doing other than getting to his place by 6:30am.  Joji gave me rules and taught me discipline: I shouldn’t eat dinner the night before practice; tI should try to eat more raw food; I should try to practice with consistency and detachment. I was shocked that I actually liked rules, and for the first time in my life, I listened. Funnily enough, I became a happier person.
 
On an exhausted walk home one day, I almost tripped over a box of sale books outside of a store called Seven Stars in Central Square.  I reached for a book called The Textbook of Yoga Psychology because it looked unlike any other yoga book I had ever seen.  I bought it and devoured the entire text in three days, highlighting and underlining just about every line.  Each page presented me with a different way of considering my life, my mind and my relationship to others.  It flipped my understanding upside down and shook me up – I loved it.  I didn’t know at the time that it was a translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and how important that text is to yogic understanding.  I didn’t know the translator, Shri Brahmananda Saraswati, or the impact he would  have on my life. I just knew that I liked it.   At night I would dream about the text and the picture of the guy on the back of the book.

My artwork began to change.   In sculpture class, every form suddenly became more like a Hindu deity than a figure study.  Models had Ganesh heads and sometimes four arms like Mother Kali.  Amused, my teacher told me that he had a sister who was very into yoga and I should look her up.   When I did, I saw a picture of the very man who was on the back of the book I had stumbled upon –Shri  Brahmananda Saraswati.  The woman’s name was Manorma, she was a Sanskrit teacher and Shri Brahmananda was her guru.   This was too much of a coincidence; I hopped on a bus to New York and arrived at the peaceful gates of Ananda Ashram the following week.  Walking right into Friday evening meditation and fire ceremony, I could hear chanting when I entered the main house.  I followed the sound into Ananda’s meditation hall.  There sat Bharati Devi, one of Shri Brahmananda’s main disciples in a white sari.  She handed me a paper with some mantras on it.  I chanted with her as I gazed at the fire and then she led us in a meditation.  After meditation, she turned to me and said “I feel like you have been here before.”  Indeed, I felt that too.  I felt like I had truly reached my Home.

I spent that weekend with Bharati – chanting, meditating, learning about The Bhagavad Gita and other texts.   When I returned to Boston, I would wake up every morning and chant the mantras I had learned and meditate.  I no longer wanted to do anything else.   My asana practiced deepened and naturally I found myself sitting in mediation for longer periods of time.  I could no longer stay away from the ashram - I wanted to be there and learn more from my teacher.   So, I dropped out of school, sold everything I owned and with only one or two bags and a bunch of books moved to Ananda Ashram for well over a year.  I can simply say, it was there that I found my path. Or, perhaps it found me.

Shortly after that I trained with David Life and Sharon Gannon of Jivamukti and taught at the downtown Jivamukti.  I remain energized and inspired by the principles that were immediately attractive to me about the yoga practice: Discipline, Self Study, and Surrender…

I have known Jonathan for many years. His deep understanding of anatomy and yoga have been healing and transformative. Jonathan's humor and insight have helped me through some roadblocks in my own practice and I am honored and delighted to have him and his community of students join Prema this fall."

Jonathan: “I was rollerblading over the Brooklyn Bridge in the spring of 1995 when a long thin blonde fellow passed me on his bike. It took me a minute to realize that this was a friend of mine.

“You look great!” I said.

“I’m doing yoga.” He said.

“I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Clearly, I wasn’t a physical mess as rollerblading and skating around New York City were my main modes of transportation. But on another level I was an aimless 32 year old waiter/carpenter with lots of drive, but little ambition to accomplish anything. I wondered if maybe yoga could provide some insight.

Long before that, at the age of six my mother would drop me off at the Canarsie Y in Brooklyn, for a weekly yoga/tumbling class. My main memories were being able to do splits to the amazement of the teacher and doing back flips while tied into a harness. Oh, and I didn’t want to be there. I would have preferred to be playing in the park with my boyfriends (pre-puberty) rather than be stuck in a room with a bunch of girls in leotards.

Walking into Jivamukti that weekend after seeing my friend on the bridge, it was a different story—I was home. It wasn’t the incense or the chanting, though I did feel an odd affinity for the monkey in many pictures around the center, but a sense memory of an innocent childhood that was left behind but clearly not forgotten.

Not to delve too deeply into my neuroses, but I quit school and left home around my 16th birthday, setting off in search of action and adventure fueled by the literature of Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. I traveled the country selling T-shirts at rock concerts and did my best to live the way my heroes did.  It made for a very fun adolescence followed by a mellowing that included writing the two worst novels ever, running a theater company without any prior experience (it didn’t go so well), a successful stint as a horticulturist and carpentering.

I started at Jivamukti taking one or two classes a week. My first teachers were Ruth Lauer and Alison West. I was going to their 10am classes and walking out with a feeling I hadn’t known before—I hesitate to call it bliss. When New Year’s rolled around I resolved to go every day for six months and I haven’t turned back since. I noticed when I went to the morning classes that there was another practice going on earlier in the morning. The students came from there looking completely wrung out and I was intrigued. I didn’t know Ashtanga, from Iyengar, or Vinyasa I just knew that I loved what I was doing and when the aforementioned friend decided to check out Ashtanga I followed dutifully.

In the end, I learned the hard way that there is no better teacher than suffering. After about a year and a half I was moving through the second series in the Ashtanga system when my knee pain began. I was a crazy hyper-extender of the knees since birth and no one told me not to do that in yoga. Arguably, it let me go deeper, in many things, at the expense of integrity and alignment.

It would have been nice if I learned my lesson from one surgery but I have never been a fast study. After three surgeries and a year and a half of physical therapy I stepped back and took a longer look at what I was doing to my body. I stopped doing Ashtanga and became the carpenter at OM. This was my introduction to alignment and I remember going up into wheel pose one day and Susan Orem screaming about what I was doing to my gumby-like shoulders. It was two years before I was able to do wheel correctly.

I enjoyed my new passion as much as anything, but at the age of 35 I still had no plan for the future, no education, and no particular concern about where I was heading. That’s when Cindy Lee asked me to do her teacher training at Om. I hadn’t really thought about it but at the time I didn’t have a girlfriend and I thought it would be a good place to meet women. I was correct.  That ex-girlfriend is now my wife. But as with many things in my life, I didn’t finish the training.  Six months later I got a phone call from Cindy heckling me to finish the program so that she could give me a class. I can’t thank her enough because ten years later I really can’t see myself doing anything but what I am doing now.

There are many moments in life that we can look back on as turning points. After I finished my training a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I was volunteering at the time at the Jacob Perlow Hospice at Beth Isreal Hospital and felt that I had been doing that to prepare for my friends journey. I asked Cindy to recommend yoga for cancer and she said that I should call John Friend, the creator of Anusara. It took a while to connect but late one night after what I was later to learn was a typical 14 hour day for him, John sat on the phone with me for forty-five minutes to talk about my friend and what I could do for him. At the end of that conversation I asked where I could study with him and my wife and I were soon at an Anusara workshop at Kripalu. That phone call was a deeply moving experience for me in the context of Karma yoga. As a waiter I would often say with derision “Born to live and live to serve”. I knew as I made my way through this new yogic landscape that I had arrived at the place where I could make my former motto ring true.  I credit two therapy trainings that my wife and I did with John as being the springboard for a great deal of my subsequent understanding of the deep subtleties of the human body.

Leaving school early was no accident for me as my Mother told me I even hated kindergarten but I never hated learning—it just had to be at my own pace on my own terms. I bought a library of anatomy books, looked at them with students as often as I could and began to develop my own ideas of what I wanted to teach. This in turn led me to start watching the way people moved outside of class as well as inside.

Walking became an obsession as I tried to take my yoga off the mat into my daily life making every step an asana. From this FitzGordon Method Core Walking Program was born as I try to bring yoga into everyone's life whether you are taking class or not.

When my wife and I decided to close our yoga center to build our walking
business it was an easy decision join forces with Prema Yoga. It is a beautiful space owned and operated by Lesley Desaulniers, an old friend and true yogi.  I have met few people on this path who I think genuinely walk the walk and talk the talk and Lesley is one of them."

Digital enlightenment is cheap these days. Free, actually, if you take advantage of Itune’s yoga podcasts.  (Credit Holy Apple for taking yet another step to ensure a completely tech-addicted lifestyle.) And yet! Technology can be great for us yogis, who, with a mat and machine with download capabilities, can take advantage of a class whenever we need it.

To try it out, visit Itunes, type “yoga” into the podcast search, and select from over 30 options.  Of course,  you won't get the personal corrections or visual examples  - but it sure beats lolling around, looking at the dirty laundry, and feeling guilty about doing nothing.

Here are some recommended gems that will surely turn your tiny place into a holy ashram:

Baptiste Power Vinyasa with Phillip Urso -Intermediate/Advanced
Ready to turn up the heat and turn your living room into a hot-zone? If you can’t foot the bill, just do these sequences nude and forget heat. These power-packed 90minute classes are perfect for a post-party weekend morning or weekday power-punches.  New classes every couple weeks keep the variety fresh.  Urso is funny but stern.  Recommended for yogis who can understand audio cues and pose names.

Jivamukti Yoga with Sofi Dillof of Bow Down Yoga -Intermediate/Advanced
The time has come—you CAN have a Jivamukti spiritual experience without having to deal with the cultish energy of the Union Square Center! Sofi Dillof, an advanced teacher, offers creative sequences in 90 minutes.  She spends less time on the beginning dharma talks but carries themes throughout the entire class.  Like all Jiva classes, music is key to the practice. A very satisfying download

Blissology with Eion Finn - All levels
Duuuuuuuude.  Its time to chilllll out and discover your bliss.  This podcast is a bit of a culture shock for us sharp speedy New Yorkers, but if you need a breathe of west-coast bliss vibe, plug into Eion’s classes, which are a fun mixture of inspiration and hard-core asana.  Routines are developed for each level and mood. Whether you need to stretch your hips or get back to your “honey” body, Eion’s podcasts will bring out your inner surfer.

Grace Yoga by Arlene Bjork - All levels
Arlene Bjork teaches Ashtanga Vinyasa in 90, 80, 75, and 60-minute segments.  Her classes are not labeled by theme but rather level, so it’s a gamble (like attending a live class) as to what theme you’ll be working on.  Her voice is relaxing and encouraging, and you feel comfortable to go at your own pace.

Of course, perusing the podcasts inevitably brings up the fact that
since anybody can post, there is some wacky stuff out there. The following are examples of what happens when the microphone gets into the hands of flexible blabbering narcissists.  If you are in the mood for a laugh, check them out : )

Aaron Star’s Hot Nude Yoga Podcast
A letdown, considering it’s not a VIDEO podcast (thus requiring us to revert to imagination.)  The idea of doing nude yoga in your kitchen is fun; unfortunately, this is an example of someone who uses the podcast as a way to hear his own thoughts mixed over ancient Vedic sound bites.  Contrast problem: 2009 AD never measures up to 2009 BC

Ford Models Do Yoga
If you’re desperate for a copy of People/US/OK/Hello magazine and can’t find one, here are skinny pouting models who love to giggle and roll their rumps around for public entertainment. No doubt these hot-bods are advanced yoga students.  It’s pretty entertaining - if not exactly relevant. 

--Katie Clancy

State Senator Eric Schneiderman surprised the 30 or so yoga studio honchos, teachers and students at Jivamukti on Wednesday afternoon when he stopped by to talk about Yoga for New York's (YFNY) latest organizing efforts.

The Senator, who is sponsoring legislation in Albany to exempt yoga teacher trainings from Department of Education licensing efforts, suggested that his mission as a government official working on "collective action for the common good" was not that different from yoga's goal of individual transformation.

He was also quite clear that much work still needed to be done in order to pass the bill through Albany.  And when that happens - if it does - yoga studios still need to clean up their acts - addressing the bigger issues of yoga's increasing popularity and figuring out ways to make sure that students are protected from fraud and getting ripped off.  The bill would help the yoga community shape that discussion themselves versus a top-down government mandated solution.

Denise Kronstadt, the leader of YFNY lobbying efforts, explained that there are three phases yoga studios in New York need to work through - to succeed getting the bill passed in Albany. First the bill, which has been introduced in both the Senate and Assembly needs to get on the floor, then the bill needs to get passed, and finally it needs to be signed into law.

Each step is filled with small landmines and so YFNY members voted to hire lobbyist Gene de Santis of Malkin & Ross, a well respected firm to help navigate through Albany's tough waters by building support with representatives around the state.  But this hire will cost YFNY about $25,000.

Alison West, the Executive Director of YFNY, made a strong plea for both volunteer and financial support for ALL these efforts.  Phil Swain, President of YogaWorks, echoed her concerns for quick action, saying that in Arizona new lawss were making training in that state "onerous."

Yoga for New York still needs many more volunteers to continue the work that's just been started.  To see how you can help, go to their website at www.yogaforny.org.

At a Yoga Journal conference in San Francisco a few years ago, Gwen Soffer of Philadelphia found herself in an elevator with someone she thought she knew. But as much as she tried, she couldn't place her.

“I said, 'Where do I know you from? You look so familiar. Is it from a yoga workshop somewhere, or from Philly?'  The woman admitted she'd been in a lot of magazines.

“Then someone elbowed me and said, 'It's Ana Forrest!' just as she got off the elevator. I tried to joke it off. It was like any other celebrity sighting.”

While we've long known that celebrities such as Sting, Madonna, Christy Turlington, and Willem Dafoe do yoga, we now have to acknowledge that yoga teachers can be celebrities in their own right.

This phenomenon raises a conundrum for all of us in the yoga world: How do we reconcile the marketing power and media-friendly images of big-name teachers-- think of Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, Sean Corne, Bikram Choudry, Baron Baptiste--with the precepts of yoga? After all, yoga teaches us to develop a genuine awareness of self—whether that's through working the body in asana or calming the mind in pranayama and meditation—in order to decrease the strife of the individual ego. And that pretty much nixes self-interest as a viable option for a yoga teacher.

At Omega's Being Yoga conference held in Rhinebeck, NY, at the end of August, I got a chance to talk to some of these celebrities about their status in the yoga world. How, I wondered, had they reached such a level of visibility that they might land an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show or develop a clothing line, much like an actor or a model might?

Shiva Rea says it was part of her path. A once long-time astangi and student of dance, she needed to discover the meaning of her name, given to her by her father. Her name is like a bija mantra, she says, a seed sound that contains its own divinity. Her active inquiry has lead her to create her own style that is available on popular DVDs, and retreats to sacred places in the world, in a clothing line and in teacher trainings. For her, it's a kind of service.

“I'm not trying to create a style of yoga or a personal branding,” she said when I spoke with her at Omega. “My intention is to serve the life force.”

“I've never had a PR agent or invited myself somewhere. Everything has happened because of the shakti manifesting in me.”

David Life of Jivamukti Yoga School, a school that merges yoga and activism, also has thoughts on the issue. “Everyone who's developed a 'style' has focused on things in the practice that worked for them,” says Life. “That's what they passed along.  Everyone has teachers. The idea of creating something out of nothing doesn't make sense.”

In other words, becoming a celebrity yoga teacher just because it seems cool is ridiculous. There has to be a greater purpose. Life himself says that he's always been willing to risk everything for his cause. His partner, Sharon Gannon, says, “We're artists. Money never drove us. It was always communication that drove us.”

So celebrity might come as a result of a calling or a style that holds a wide ethical appeal. But there must be some danger in being not just a popular teacher who can fill a class, but the creator of a style that literally thousands of people want to practice and hundreds of people want to learn how to teach.

Glenn Black, a long-time yogi who has sought a completely anonymous life as a yoga teacher, thinks so.

“The more famous you become the more adoration you get and it becomes more possible to lose the path,” said Black who has created no products, not even a website. He spent many years in remote parts of Costa Rica and Mexico doing self-practice.

Tias Little, who is based out of Santa Fe and teaches internationally but doesn't have the same name recognition as some, agrees. “When your name and face are replicated, your identity structure gets larger. It gets tempting to get overly identified with what is really maya,” or, illusion.

The real product to be promoted is the practice and the teachings, not the teacher himself.

While most recognized yoga teachers I spoke to said they had ways of keeping humble on the path, one bravely admitted that the ego's agenda can be sneaky.

Based in the celebrity-filled city of Los Angeles, master Kundalini teacher Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa became a guru to the stars in the mid 1990s. She was teaching privates to famous models, actors, and musicians, attending their private events, even taking them on trips to India. Finally, her teacher noticed something was wrong.

“Yogi Bhajan noticed that my aura had grown out to here,” Gurmukh said as she spread arms wide apart, “and then just stopped. It wasn't connected to the earth anymore.”

Bhajan took her to New Mexico and put her to work under an estate's head gardener. She raked leaves and hoed hard ground. When it rained, she wore a garbage bag as a raincoat. When guests such as the governor of New Mexico or the consulate to India arrived, he made a point of introducing her.

“They'd come to visit in their fancy cars and he'd say, 'And here's our great guru to the stars.'”

After two weeks of manual labor, Gurmukh had a realization that she wouldn't teach celebrities or charge for private consultations again.

Gwen Soffer, who owns the 2-year-old Enso studio in Philadelphia, can relate to the danger of being in charge as a yoga teacher, if on a less glamorous scale. “I know as a teacher with my students, people treat you like you have all the answers.”

Part of the problem is in the teacher's conception of herself and her drive to be known, and part of it is in the student's conception of the teacher.

“We project our authority,” says Limor Kauffman, a clinical psychologist in Manhattan who attended Omega's Being Yoga conference. “It's something we have to work through—our giving our authority away.” But she added, she's also found some teacher's narcissism a turn off.

Dharma Mittra, who has been teaching since 1967, dislikes any kind of celebrity attention, though his students sometimes lavish it on him. “I don't like being called a guru, but sometimes I have to stand it,” he said. The week before, in his New York studio, a student had bowed at his feet in front of 40 - 50 people, embarrassing him.

“People bow but I don't like,” said Mittra. “I'm not any saint. One person can't purify another.”

Tias Little considers himself not an artist or performer but an educator. Unlike many, hasn't codified his work. “I wouldn't want people to become Tias Little yoga teachers.”

“My main objective is to inspire people to think differently. I draw a student who wants to do in-depth work. I don't get the flow-and-go student.”

But David Life says there are advantages to celebrity. “Fame and celebrity get people in, then you show them that your reputation is not vacuous, that there is substance here.”

Jill Becker who teaches yoga out of her home in Nassau County, came to spend her birthday at Omega's Being Yoga conference. She considered the question of celebrity yoga teachers for a few moments over breakfast on Sunday morning, our last morning there.

“For me, I don't care if they appeared on Oprah or in magazines,” she said thoughtfully. “If they get up there and are channeling something mystical, and it's really coming through, that's all I care about.”

-- Joelle Hann

For more of Joelle's writing, go to www.joellehann.com/yoganation

Day Two: Brain Wave Vibration

I returned to the center, for the second class, and learned about “Brain Wave Vibration,” the foundational concept behind Lee’s “Brain Education” teachings.  It is described as a way to stimulate the brain stem, thereby relaxing your brain, releasing your thoughts and allowing your mind to work at its full capacity.

Like many of the Dahn techniques, it is a simple movement—one only needs to move the head back and forth—but according to Dahn, it produces dramatic results.

Two other women and I—one matronly with dark hair, the other tall, thin with a fragile, faraway look in her eyes—sat on the floor in front of the mountain photo. We had already gone through our Meridian stretches and tapped our abdomens over two hundred times.

Our instructor told us to close our eyes and make fists. Then the music started—its heavy percussion sounded like techno from the Amazon jungle. “Let yourself go,” the instructor said as the music took over the room. “Brain wave vibration.”

 I snuck my eyes open and looked around. The older woman began to shift her upper body in time to the music. She pounded her stomach with her fists. The drums pressed on and the rhythm reached a fever pitch, and then the thin girl began to move, her eyes closed, her jaw slack and open. I watched her, fascinated.

And then I felt my instructor’s gaze upon me. I closed my eyes. Don’t look, I thought. Just don’t look.

At that moment, the heavy feeling in my stomach was akin to what it is like to be an unbeliever in the midst of a snake-handling, tongue-twisting Pentecostal congregation. Everyone is looking at you, you think, they know you don’t believe this, how could they not know, look at you, you’re obvious! Get with the program and start making something up!

We lay on the floor and rubbed our palms together to generate heat, and then “spread the heat” over our faces. With our warm palms we massaged our faces, our arms, our chests, even our “uterus,” and were told to chant, “I love my beautiful face.” The woman in front of me began to moan.   “Oh, that’s so good,” she said. “I love myself. I love my beautiful face.”

At the end, we sat at a low table at the front of the studio to drink herbal tea and “share.”  The older woman spoke of opening blockages and connecting to her inner voice. She certainly looked happy.

But me?  “I don’t know what to say,” I shrugged when everyone’s eyes turned to me. “I guess I feel pretty energized.”

I was looking forward to leaving right away, but the instructor pulled me aside. He asked me if I would join him, privately, for a moment, and pointed to an open door.

I walked into a small room with a pillow and a soft mat on the floor. The smell of lavender permeated the room. He shut the door and told me he wanted to show me some intestinal exercises that would release the tension in my lower back. So I lay down. And then, he lay down next to me.

Oh, God, I thought. He’s not going to talk to my uterus again.

But no, he didn’t. He just began to suck his lower abdomen in and out. If you do this exercise you will feel much better, he said, and added that the movement helped digestion by creating warmth in the intestines. I tried to follow his movements with my own stomach, but it was difficult. It hurt.

“Here, like this,” he said, and put my hand low on his stomach while he flexed his abdomen. He laid his hand on my stomach. If you do these exercises every day, maybe 300 times, you will feel better, he said.

I shut my eyes. Don’t look, I thought. Just don’t look.

This is Not Just a Job, It’s a Path

I’ve certainly been through weirder things in my life than Dahn. Yeah, it’s bizarre, but is Dahn really a cult? I decided to head over to the most prominent Dahn center in the city. If you’ve ever walked past the McDonald’s at Union Square, you’ve seen it—but it’s advertised as “Tao Yoga.” 

Among the students I spoke to at Union Square and other places, some were planning to open their own Dahn franchises, while others went only once or twice a week after work.

But if you ask them, most students will say Dahn has changed their life.

Celeste D’Emilio, a 49-year-old graphic designer from Queens, is a casual Dahn student. She started taking classes last May as a way to exercise and relieve chronic back pain. She also found it to be much gentler than