Free Yoga with Tara B.
April 17th — 23rd, 2011
at New York Jiu Jitsu
666 Broadway, Lower Level

Christa Avampato

More $10 yoga! More great teachers!

Christa Avampato, who has blogged here on Yogoer, has launched an awesome new initiative called Compass Yoga. She not only offers affordable yoga, she donates 20% of the proceeds to the charity of your choice. (She also writes an inspiring blog on entrepreneurship, Christa in New York.)

I attended the very first class last night, and was really impressed. Christa managed 26 students, of all ages and experiences, with ease and charm. She offered variations for the injured folks, and lots of helpful focal points throughout class. I came away relaxed, restored, and ready to face my week.

Classes are held from 6–7pm every Sunday at Pearl Studios, near Penn Station. Christa did her teacher training at Sonic Yoga; classes are slow flow Shiva Rea style.

Stephanie: So, in my own practice, I’ve been thinking about the difference between sensation, and tapas. And realizing that they’re not the same thing.

Rough quote, I’m forgetting more of it, but her words hit the spot. It’s taken me years to realize that yoga is not the Marines, pain is not “a sign of weakness leaving the body.” Tapas, the purifying burn that is a big reason we practice asana, is achieved through appropriate challenges for the body. Not masochism and ignorance.

Leslie Kaminoff was another good teacher of this lesson. Ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue are often overstressed in yoga practice. And they get very little blood flow, so they’re slow to heal if torn. So if you’re stretching a muscle, make sure you feel it in the middle of the muscle (the “belly”). Strong sensation in the joints is a warning, not an achievement.

The word “sensation” versus “pain” is a valuable detail. Those of us with a high pain tolerance probably wouldn’t say that little sharp twinges in the knees or shoulders are painful. (Rowing a 2K in under 8 minutes — THAT’S painful.) But we’d have to admit that we’re feeling sensation in the joints. It’s amazing what word choices can do.

Note: This is perhaps a modern lesson. Light on Yoga, (the “Bible” of modern yoga), describes Padmasana (Lotus) pretty intensely:

People not used to sitting on the floor seldom have flexible knees. At the start they will feel excruciating pain around the knees. By perseverance and continued practice the pain will gradually subside and they can then stay in the pose comfortably for a long time.

But Mr. Iyengar, at 91, supposedly has bad knees — which he blames on Lotus Pose. And one of the main models for the Iyengar school’s books has debilitating nerve damage. So, just know that the guys who literally wrote or followed the books on alignment have learned some hard lessons. Yoga alignment is NOT an exact science. So maybe take it easy.

Tara Stiles

The new house of (Tara) Stiles, Strala Yoga is a breath of fresh air downtown. I finally stopped by last week. A beautiful loft on Broadway and Houston, Strala has magical light and expansive space. A cozy little corner of art and couches invites you to move in. There’s a long wall of mirrors in the back, from its previous life as a Crunch gym, but that only adds to the Real World Yoga feeling. I kind of don’t want to share such a gorgeous uncrowded space, but I have to support their admirable affordable pricing — just $10 for all classes! Even the 90-minute ones! And those with Ms. Supermodel herself.

Classes are Vinyasa flow, but they use a unique system of levels. Instead of Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced, the classes are called Strong, Relax, or Recover. I took a “Strong” class; it was a steady stream of burning poses, but really chill in tone. Tara is super friendly and easy going. She reminded us to use as little energy as needed for each pose, a lesson I could stand to take into other areas of my life. (Or even my front quad as we held Warrior II. Again.)

The Relax classes are aimed one notch easier, towards stretching versus strengthening. The Recover classes let you rest a bit longer in each pose, a nice complement once a week at least. I really like the naming focused on WHY you’re taking the class, instead of who you think you are.

I also took a Strong class with Tara’s husband Mike. [Full disclosure: I do some consulting for his web firm.] He’s also perfectly laid-back and cheerful, even as he demos and dishes some ab-twitching pose. I’ve seen him take back-to-back classes before teaching his own. He combined the Strala sequencing and the studio’s eclectic playlist to keep us smiling throughout class.

Tara is an inspiration, styling yoga for a modern, multitasked life. Check out her million free videos on YouTube, her iPhone app with Deepak Chopra, or her new book on Amazon. Or stop by Strala and see if you can figure out how she makes it look so easy.

Tanya Namad

I was tempted to skip yoga today. Forty mile an hour winds kept me from crossing Third Avenue; my umbrella simply wasn’t going to make it to York. But, literally one minute after I’d given up, the cross-town bus arrived like a knight in screechy armor. I made it to class just a few minutes late.

Tanya Namad, a recent graduate of Atmananda Yoga, invited me up to her vinyasa class at New York Yoga. I did my first teacher training at Atmananda (albeit with different faculty), so I just hoped I wouldn’t be too adrift in memory bliss.

New York Yoga is a clean, calm space with all the niceties of the Upper East Side. (See a few more notes in my post about Mia Baer.) The class was comfortably full, in spite of the weather, and I found a cozy spot in the back.

I’d missed Tanya’s intro, but still caught a few neck stretches and cat-cows. Then it was on to the Sequence.

For those who’ve not heard of Atmananda, it’s a set sequence developed here in New York City by Jhon Tamayo with Sabina Stahl. I find it much more fluid and enjoyable than the more well-known sequences of Bikram and Ashtanga. It used to vary some, but now it’s fixed in stone (i.e., they made a poster. Full disclosure: I helped them.) They recently broke it down into seven stages, from the basic poses to the full sequence. Before that it was “just do what you can, you’re welcome to rest.”

Tanya took us through the Sun Salutes and standing poses at a nice, rhythmic pace. Her instructions were minimal but clear, and she didn’t leave us hanging too long on one side or another. We spent ten or more breaths in Down Dog, but the rest of the poses flowed at a moderate clip. You’ll hold poses briefly, but still have time to breathe.

Tanya is a marathoner, and a former dancer, and the class had an athletic feel. She encouraged us to push and pull into deeper variations. If you have injuries, or minimal yoga experience, you’ll need to hold yourself back. She demoed about three-quarters of the class; if you don’t know the poses you’ll have a visual. Friendly encouragements, and a few gentle adjustments, filled her trips around the room.

The class was labeled “Vinyasa All Levels”, but they could have called it Intermediate Atmananda (if more people knew what that meant). We did most of the Sequence. It was a well-balanced selection of standing poses, arm balances, forward bends, back bends and twists. Five glorious minutes in Corpse pose were a welcome ending.

After class I had a blissful buzz. On my way there, I’d been ready to cry; on my way home I was laughing at the world. It was a welcome treat for a rainy day.

There’s an event worth attention this Saturday. Ashtanga Yoga New York is holding a benefit for Odanadi, an organization in Mysore, India, that fights human trafficking (forced prostitution and modern-day slavery) and helps rehabilitate its victims with education, housing, and yoga.

YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK is a one-day global yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking in India. On March 13th, 2010, Yogis around the world will roll out their mats for a mass sun salutation, to take a stand against trafficking and show their support to its millions of victims.

From Ashtanga Yoga New York:

We have a gathering this Saturday, March 13th at the school from 2:30-5:30.  It truly will be thinking globally and acting locally as yogis in 18 countries and 56 cities around the world join to raise awareness about human trafficking in India, led by a group in Mysore.  Our event will be casual and fun including homemade cookies, optional sun salutations, music and chatting and could be a lovely opportunity for us to socialize together. Please feel welcome to drop by at any time; it would be nice to have New York cheerfully represent!

More information:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=290490670058

http://www.yogastopstraffick.org/wp/

Oh no no no

It turns out that yoga in the back of the office is the best idea ever! We’re going to keep it up through March.

The focus is “desk job decompression:” yoga poses to counteract all those ruinous hours at our laptops. We usually do 15 minutes of simple stretches to wake up the wrists, ankles and spine, then about 45 minutes of standing poses, and a guided relaxation at the end.

It’s safe for beginners, and my more advanced friends have enjoyed all the details. Slow flow yoga. Taught by me (Erica Heinz).

Come join us!

Monday, March 8, 15, 22, and 29
6:45–8pm, at GreenSpaces
394 Broadway, 5th floor
Pay what you wish. ($0–$10)

Alan Finger

Yesterday morning I headed up to Union Square. Slushy weather and train delays didn’t help the trip, and I began my meditation practice a bit early as I tried to let the irritable thoughts float up and away.

9:35 was still a fine time to arrive, it turns out. I settled onto a bolster and blanket in the middle of the large, elegant room. Plain white walls and smooth dark floors led up to a colorfully preserved door frame, in front of which sat a beaming Alan Finger.

One of NYC / LA’s most well-known teachers, Alan is the co-founder of ISHTA here in New York. (ISHTA stands for Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda.) He studied with Paramahansa Yogananda (author of the pivotal Autobiography of a Yogi), Swami Nishraisananda (a scientist turned yogi), Swami Venkatesananda (a student of Sivananda), and Shuddhanand Bharati (a Tantric master). He also founded/co-founded YogaZone, Be Yoga, and YogaWorks. I’d seen Alan on the screen, in the yoga documentary Enlighten Up! He’s just as funny and enjoyable in person.

Alan started off with a self-described “sales pitch” on the benefits of yoga, specifically the ISHTA sequence for meditation he was going to teach us. Yes, alternate nostril breathing seems simple and boring, but it really works! Yes, you have to practice every day. But if you do, this sequence will take you to transcendence in just about… 11 or 12 years. (You can practice every morning from 4–7am, like Alan did, if you want to shave a few years off.)

So. The ISHTA meditation sequence. The “Ishta Diksa.” It has five parts:

1. Pre-meditative Asana (to stretch out the stiffness, “instead of trying to OM it away”)
2. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing — just 4 rounds, eventually maybe 8)
3. Hum Sa Kriya (inhaling Hum up to the mid-brain, exhaling Sa down to the base of the spine, visualizing a white ball of light tracing the path)
4. Ajna Bedhana (lick your finger and wet the center of the forehead, to “pierce” the third eye… meditate there for 18 minutes)
5. Mantras (to ground the energy, a few repetitions of each of these mantras)

We were fairly close together in the large room, but it was fine for the simple warm up sequences of Cat-Cow, Cobra, Child’s Pose, etc. I managed the whole thing in cords and a sweater; you don’t really even need a mat. The breathing exercises, the kriya, and the meditation brought tingles up my spine. Alan walked around doing Shaktipat (raising kundalini energy, usually by holding a hand gesture near the student), and the tingles intensified like the teeth of a comb running up my scalp and flying out the crown of my head.

We grounded ourselves (brought the energy out of our heads, and back down towards the earth) with the mantras and a few more poses. The mantras were complicated — I was absorbed just trying to match the hand gestures — and I didn’t want to do any more asana, but I had to admit I felt more settled and less spacey afterwards. (He made us do wall sits! I haven’t done that since early morning crew practice.)

I was tickled and touched by the experience, and happy to have another spot of inspiration to support my meditation attempts. Thank you Alan!

Computer counterposes, by donation. We’re turning the GreenSpaces office into a yoga studio! Mondays in February, bring your mat to Tribeca. We’ll practice some dana yoga.

Classes are by donation; you can leave a hundred dollars, or just a smile! Buddhists call the act of giving dana, it’s a way to escape greed and cultivate kindness. It doesn’t have to be money; it can be time, a friendly ear, a happy word. Whatever’s appropriate to the situation, and yourself.

The important thing is the attitude; a good gift makes you happy. Pay in cash, or pay it forward!

Here’s the blurb:

Start the week well. Counterpose that computer time with a few yoga poses. Yogoer is offering open-level vinyasa flow yoga on Monday nights in February. We’ll do some backbends to open up round shoulders, wrist work to fight off carpal tunnel, and standing poses to stretch out tight hips. You’ll breathe and think better all week. Beginners welcome.

GreenSpaces NY
394 Broadway, 5th Floor

Monday, February 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd
6:45–8:00pm
Bring your own mat

By donation

GreenSpaces is kind enough to provide a place for us to practice, and I’m happy to give something back to the entrepreneurs that have inspired me these past few months.

Invite your freelance / free spirit friends; see what a Green community is all about. Come all four weeks if you can — I’m going to do my best to share what my teachers have given me.

Happy Hour Acupuncture will take place this Friday, January 22 from 5:30-7:30 pm.  This will be the last happy hour until February 19th. Feel free to drop in anytime from 5:30-7 pm.  If you prefer to secure an appointment, please reserve your spot by paying in advance.

If the main door is locked when you arrive, please buzz 10R “The Breathing Project” and take the elevator up to the 10th floor.  Please wear comfortable clothing that allows access to your shins and forearms.  Feel free to bring a stressed out friend!

It’s $25 for the session. Reserve your space at http://www.gothamwellness.com/events.php

Enjoy!