Hike Mt. Wittenberg

Last week I was accosted outside the Food Co-op by one of those flyer guys. I managed to shrug him off, but as I glanced at his flyer I realized I actually wanted one. So I went back.

Brooklyn Outfitters, based in Williamsburg, is leading some cool outdoor adventures throughout the winter. This weekend there’s a 7.5 mile hike up Mt. Wittenberg, “the highest vertical ascent from base to summit” around. Later in the month they’re doing an intro to winter camping, and then a door-to-door ski trip for the same price it would cost to buy a lift ticket.

Get out into nature this season, check out their website: www.brooklynoutfitters.com

Bakasana, by Yoga Journal

From Elias Lopez, at Abhaya Yoga:

Elias, demonstrating Bakasana: You can stay here, with the toes on the ground. That’s the pink variation. Or you can lift one foot, that’s the blue variation. Or the other foot, that’s still blue. Or lift both feet, that’s the purple variation. Any color you wish; all colors are light.

Rough quote, but it was a beautiful use of language. To get people to detach from chasing “advanced” variations, just because they’re there, we need to eliminate the hierarchy of Beginner < Intermediate < Advanced. The variations are like colors, distinct but equal; we just want to choose the one that feels right for the moment.

[Strala Yoga does something similar, calling its classes "Strong", "Relax" and "Recover."]

Visvamitrasana, from Yoga Journal

From Tara Glazier, at Abhaya Yoga:

Student: Why do I feel like I’m pulling my shoulder out if its socket? [in Visvamitrasana]

Tara: You might be!

This wake-up call drew a big round of laughter from the class. It’s easy to forget that the asanas are serious challenges for the body. (She went on to explain that we need to draw the shoulder strongly back into its socket to counteract the force of the leg.)

Tara Glazier, the owner of Abhaya Yoga in Dumbo, was teaching us the concept of arm spirals. (It’s an alignment refinement she said she just figured out last week, after 10 years of practice.) We would internally rotate the arms, rounding the shoulders, to feel the width across the upper back, the spreading between the shoulder blades, and the expansion of the breath in the back of the body.

Then we’d externally rotate the arms, lifting the upper chest, drawing the shoulder blades together, to feel the expansion of the breath in the front of the body. It was a potent exercise that made the arms feel as though they started in the center of the body, instead of stopping at the shoulder. And for me, it gave a fascinating endpoint to the breath. I usually lose track of it somewhere in the throat, but the movement of the chest and lungs illuminated the depth of the inhales.

[Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews teach similarly fascinating spirals at The Breathing Project... it's cool to feel it all coming together.]

All of this related to the idea of fullness. Tara had taken a day of silence last week, and shared her experience. We run around all day, talking and helping and working and playing, spilling out energy until we feel drained. We can balance this external focus with a day of silence. Our other senses come alive; we notice colors, smells, flavors, and feelings much more strongly. We can practice breathing. Inspiration. It refills the tanks.

So as we practiced poses this morning, I really felt the breath as a form of food. As I’m sitting here now, I still am. I’m thinking about other ways to refill the tanks in my life. And it’s funny that it starts with doing less.

Abhaya Yoga

On Friday I stopped through Dumbo on my way home. A friend was having a party in her workspace there, and my can’t-make-it excuse (“I’m supposed to go to yoga”) held no water once she informed me that her office had a yoga studio ON THE SAME FLOOR. So, 6:30 yoga; 8:00 party it was. ($10 new student specials help with spontaneity.)

Abhaya Yoga just opened last week. It’s the only yoga studio in Dumbo, so it’s a welcome addition to the beautiful waterfront. (They lead free classes in the park at 2pm Saturdays.) The views from 10 Jay Street are ridiculous, so I was excited to test my focus against them.

The biggest surprise was that the studio teaches Anusara Yoga; most studios focus on Vinyasa, for all the cardio-loving students. I only know two other Anusara studios in the whole city (Vira Yoga and World Yoga Center). Tara Glazier, the owner, is a long-time student of Elena Brower at Vira.

Anusara Yoga, founded by John Friend, is a slow, detail-oriented practice. There are five general principles of alignment: open to grace, muscular energy, inward spiral, outward spiral, and organic energy. You’ll hold poses for ten or fifteen breaths, as you try to integrate these principles in each pose. I still don’t understand some of the language (How do you hug a muscle towards the bone? I thought they only contracted from origin to insertion.) but it was a very therapeutic experience.

[I'm suffering in the lower back/hamstring regions; there are a variety of culprits (more on that later) but no clear villain. Slow, patient analysis (and weekly tui na massage) is my current course of treatment.]

We started with a brief trio of OMs, and a chant. Tara talked about samskaras, or patterns that we hold. Physical, mental, or emotional, these patterns will continue to block growth until we learn a new route.

The physical focus of the class was the lower leg: how to find support there, to open up the systems above. I wasn’t sure that my calf had that much to say, but Tara assured us that it would help our hips, our spines, and things like sciatica. (Throughout the class, she was REALLY helpful in calling out the poses and techniques that would help and heal my injury.) In each pose, we would flex the foot, or press the calf against a block, or bend the knee and engage the lower leg, in order to “dam” the energy of the lower leg, and free the body above it.

My favorite moment came in a pose that normally kills me. It’s the quad stretch where you’re kneeling as if you’re about to propose, and then you grab the back ankle and hug it in towards the hip. Super intense stretch from the knee up to the hip bone. But unlike other methods I’ve learned, we didn’t sink the hips towards the floor; we kept the legs at 90º and the torso vertical. It moved the stretch out of the front of the hip, and into the middle of the quad. When we finally released it, that whole side was relaxed like a rag doll. This is the benefit of Anusara’s take on the details.

I enjoyed the class, and the space, a lot, and if you can just keep your gaze fixed on the Empire State Building the whole time, you won’t be distracted by the sailboats (or the power plant). Classes are still small, so you’ll get more attention, and there are plenty of great shops, cafés, and nature to enjoy afterward.

Sangha Yoga Shala, the new-ish “Community House” in Williamsburg, is offering a free class with founder Alana Kessler!

On Tuesday, Sangha Yoga Shala will make sure that finding yourself in an awkward position leaves you more centered than bent out of shape. As part of its “free yoga Tuesdays,” the studio offers a basic vinyasa class with a professional instructor.

Check it out if you’re looking for a new exercise routine or a peaceful antidote to early-week stressors.

Tuesday, February 2nd
4:30–5:45pm

Sangha Yoga Shala
107 North 3rd St, #2H
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

http://www.brokelyn.com/massages-for-50-and-under-in-brooklyn/

These are the words of Gandhi, a man whose life was defined by selflessness, nonviolence and whose legacy ignited a spiritual revolution. It is true that humans must expand their own individual consciousness and integrate that awareness in themselves before one is able to offer that truth unto the world, but the real transformative power lies in the collective. Only in community can we transcend and truly make a positive impact on the world.

Sangha Yoga Shala, which means “Community Yoga House”, is a place where you can nourish your body and soul with the intelligence of yoga, enjoy a cup of tea with friends, and let loose from the hustle and bustle of urban living with our other complementary health services and unique classes. We offer a variety of classes for all levels including daily Ashtanga (Mysore and Led), Vinyasa, Restorative, Iyengar, Prenatal, Kids Yoga, Pilates and many more workshops and community events.

We are currently seeking Vinyasa yoga instructors to add to our teaching roster. Please include the following in an email to info@sanghayoganyc.com with “prospective teacher” in the subject line:

Teaching resume:

• Description of teaching style (influences, emphasis, intention)
• Personal bio
• Practice background
• Trainings and workshops attended
• Any yoga teaching experience
• References

Letter of intent:

• What brought you to teaching
• Why you are interested in the teaching at Sangha Yoga Shala
• Description of your current practice and interests
• What “Sangha” means to you

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sangha Yoga Shala
www.sanghayoganyc.com
“practice, practice, practice”

To share some holiday spirit, Resurgent Fitness offers a full day of excellent free classes, including abs at 11:15, capoeira at noon, Muay Thai at 1:15, bellydance at 2:30, Congolese dance at 4pm, yoga at 5:15, and Djimbe dance and drum at 6:30. Call for a full schedule.

Resurgent Fitness
845 Sterling Place, Brooklyn
11:00am–6:30pm
$free
(347) 405-6709

That’s Saturday, December 12, 2009. Happy holidays!

QUEENS

Roy Wilkins Park: Yoga W/F 11 AM, Tennis Courts Baisley Blvd & 177th St

Flushing Meadows Corona Park: Yoga M/W 9 AM, Park Tennis Courts Meridian Rd

BRONX

Van Cortlandt Park / Woodlawn: Yoga M/W 9 AM, Woodlawn Courts Jerome Ave & E 233 St

Pelham Bay Park: Yoga M/W 9 AM, Middleton Road & Stadium Ave

MANHATTAN

Inwood Hill Park: Yoga T/TH 9 AM, Tennis Courts W 207 St & Seaman Ave

BROOKLYN

Marine Park: Yoga M/W 9 AM, Nature Center Ave U & E 32 St

Red Hook Park: Yoga M/W 9 AM, Recreation Center 155 Bay St

STATEN ISLAND

Greenbelt Park: Yoga M/W 9 AM,  again at 10 AM, 501 Brielle Ave

Thanks to CharityFocus Blog for the tip. (Click the link to read about her experiences teaching the classes.)