meditation

When 2008 turned into 2009, I was sitting on my cushion meditating. I started a meditation practice in earnest about a year ago and got well into it before life intruded. That, of course, is no excuse, but lately I have been feeling the need to get back to the cushion.

When I was recycling some of my old Facebook posts to get myself back into the habit of writing, I could feel in my words the effect of the meditation. There was a spaciousness to my thoughts and writing, an freedom, a very loose grip, a long leash…in short, I could hear echoed in what I was writing the freedom that was taking hold in my mind and body.

This freedom is a very subtle, personal one, difficult to express yet completely known; it is actually one and the same, the feeling and the practice, entering the role of “the witness.” To paraphrase Lao Tzu (again), that which can be named is not the way. While difficult to pin down in words, and probably better not to (release expectations or the need to categorize, label, and organize), the practice of meditation bestows something to the sitter. I miss that “something,” I need that “something” again.

Our brains are plastic and I am certain my neural grooves have been re-wired and re-routed over the years of martial arts, yoga, meditation, and exploration into altered realms of consciousness and awareness. Divination, intuition, dreamwork, tantra, music, dance. Sex, love, friendship, relating, solitude, exploration, journeying, challenges, new experiences, crisis, loss, sadness, ambiguity, ambivalence, presence.

I keep seeing the cushion in my mind. It is just a matter of time before I sit. It’s amazing how everyday we “sit” but to sit with intention of non-doing is another kettle of fish. When I try to approach it logically, it dissolves before me and I can not grasp this dichotomy–to sit with the intention of non-doing. Isn’t that an oxymoron? Perhaps, but the experience of it is anything but.

blood sugar rollercoaster

I’ve been paying a lot of attention to my diet lately. I’ve joined an organic food co-op and even found a place to get pasture-fed, organic, non-homogenized, non-pastuerized dairy products. Yes, the latter is technically illegal but many of us engage in illegal pursuits for reasons far less respectable than health!

I have also been studying metabolic typing and experimenting with a diet that is based on my individual metabolic type and reaction to certain foods.

Between these two pursuits, I have naturally let go of many less-than-optimal habits, such as snacking, white flour and sugar, and processed foods. There’s the 80/20 rule: eat well 80% of the time, and the other 20% is wiggle room. But I’ve been feeling much better as my food choices improve, and haven’t really needed that 20% too much. Maybe on weekends, I use that 20% up in drinks, but during the week when I’m on a tighter schedule, I don’t really veer into 20% territory too much.

Except for today.

And I am paying for it!

I had some small-batch toffees in my desk drawer that I bought before I really started down this new eating path. Ingredients are butter, sugar, chocolate, almonds, salt, and baking soda. Sounds good, right?

Based on what I have learned thus far, I know that a sweet craving 1-2 hours after a meal means my proportions of food were off for my metabolic type; I really haven’t been having sweet cravings much since I started this plan. But today I did. So my proportions were off and I knew this, but instead of going outside to get something that would’ve probably naturally balanced my blood sugar levels, that damn small batch toffee was signing to me from the desk drawer.

I had one piece and now I feel miserable! Miserable! I have a headache, I still have a sweet craving (which means that my body is in need of complex carbohydrates and possibly fat and/or protein, NOT simple carbs) and I knew this before going for the damn toffee! I have a headache on top of it.

So, the lesson here is: if you really want to improve your diet, be serious about it because you may not only lose your cravings for your favorite sweet things, but if you do decide to play with that 20% and go for it, you’ll feel as though you just drank a pint of vodka or something! I feel like one of those drunks who says “I’ll never drink again!” except I really don’t think I’ll be eating any more toffee!

Big Strick – 7 Days (FXHE Records)

B side is the more floor-friendly side. A side is more introspective and moody, especially A1 despite the bombastic title. That sad piano coursing through A1 makes it the type of thing to put on when home alone listening to records. A2 picks up the energy a bit and sounds very 909ish to me, as does the whole release, especially the rim shots that are scattered throughout all five cuts. I dig the dubby sounds that come in the second half of the track: sounds like a water drop tweaked and delayed.

The B side is where it’s at for me. B2 is the instrumental version of B1. B2, a minimal chugger with staccato rim shots anchoring the rhythm, a slightly delayed, mournful piano, and a simple bassline, is deep and perfect for dark late night sessions. B3 “Whatup Doe!” is brighter, with a basic keyboard pattern for the melody and claps that phase in and out, occasionally coming in at nearly every step in 16.

Big Strick is supposed to be Omar S’s cousin. Another piece of deep, minimal house from FXHE. Listen here.

the sheer sumptuous simple beauty of…a record

Did you ever notice that you have to get up to flip the record? You can’t just load up two hours’ worth of music in your playlist and ignore. A record demands to be tended to.

The warmth of the sound from a vinyl record has a nostalgic or intimate quality to it that seeps into the heart and soul. Maybe emotion only carries over analog waves?

It’s like that old Naked music song “Music and Wine” — music and wine were the only friends of mine. Maybe not your style of music but everyone has felt that at some point in their lives. Sometimes even if they’re not the only friends we have, they are still some of the best.

A quiet evening at home with some records. Is there really anything better?

Yoga resources for the new year

This is another recycled post from Facebook, but it’s timely because it was almost a year ago today that I returned or perhaps, arrived, to the path of yoga. A yoga studio near my then-job was having a special in November: take class 5 times a week for a month and earn your next month of unlimited yoga for free. It was too good an offer to pass up, so I joined nearby Levitate Yoga (which is no more; it’s been sold and is now run as Reflections Yoga on W. 49th St.) and did a month of yoga.

I’d studied before, about two years of Sivananda hatha yoga, about 2 years of Bikram, lots of vinyasa and some ashtanga, but this was the first time I was going regularly. And it took over me. It became a part of me. That’s another blog post but this is the research I assembled when I first started looking into yoga studios and what sorts of discounted starter programs they offered.

Here are my findings, which are most certainly out of date and will need to be updated (maybe it’ll become a yearly project), but if you are interested in yoga and have been thinking about it for a while, try out one of the many studios in the city. Or, you can try all the studios in the city you want to take class at on the discounted starter packs! I have a few spots I take class at when my main spot’s not convenient. I spread the love :)

=

yoga resources for the new year

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 1:10pm

I am ramping up to start 2009 with a full-blown yoga addiction (a good one to have if you ask me) and have been doing lots of research on schools and specials.

Since everyone is feeling the financial pinch lately, I have been especially interested in the city’s yoga schools and studios that offer new student intro specials. Not only is this a great way to save a bit of money but it’s also a fantastic way to try out different schools and styles and see which ones you like best. You can try out the space, the location, the teachers, classes, and the whole vibe of the place and the people that go there before committing to anything! It’s also agreat incentive to do lots of yoga because if you get unlimited classes for two weeks for $30 (like at YogaWorks), it is SO WORTH IT to get the most you can out of it because under ordinary circumstances, a class can cost as much as $18. For ONE CLASS!!!!

Right now I am a total poly-amorous yoga student, giving my shakti out to studios all over the city and I don’t feel guilty about it one bit!

So with the spirit of supporting existing or potential practices, please utilize my reference here. I will indicate which schools I’ve tried out and add any personal notes where applicable. For schools I haven’t tried yet, if you are a yoga buddy and want to join me in trying out the new student special, please get in touch!

New Student Yoga Specials to Get Your 2009 off to a Radiant Start

Levitate Yoga
It was Levitate’s posting on FB that got my passion for yoga burning again. It was here that I read about a special starting in January where if you come 5x/week for a month,Levitate will give you the next month of unlimited yoga for free. Not only is this an amazing deal, but it’s serious motivation to not only save money, but do you know how good you’ll look and how amazing you’ll feel after a month of 5x/week yoga practice? You will be a completely transformed person.

Levitate is a small studio on 8th Ave. near 48th St. There are two practice rooms. Levitate offers a slow flow vinyasa style. The teachers here are knowledgeable, friendly (especially Lippy, she’s awesome), and the staff is really cool. There is a $30 for three classes special and they will send you a 10% off coupon shortly after your trial runs out. Only downside: no showers.

Reading Levitate’s website and exploring their list of teachers and classes re-awakened my love of yoga. I began looking for yoga information, first at Facebook, then all over the web. The more I looked, the more I saw how much information was available. And there is a lot! I hope this introduction to the resources of the yoga community online is a tempting nibble for those who are curious about the fruit of yoga, and you will be inspired to discover more and most importantly, take a class :)

Levitate Yoga
Levitate earn a month of free yoga FB event
Levitate on FB

Strala Yoga
Another yoga studio with a FB presence that works to its advantage: I learned about Strala via a friend here on FB. Strala is run by Tara Stiles, a long, lean, beautiful yoga teacher whose style is an eclectic and somewhat unorthodox combination of vinyasa and pilates and whatever Tara feels like doing that day. You will use props (blocks) and you will sweat (at least I did!). Tara’s classes include lots of balancing poses (crow, etc) and sun salutations until the cows come home. The studio is housed in a gorgeous space on 5th Ave. near 23rd St. with insanely high ceilings, big windows, and fireplaces. On Friday nights, Strala offers “yoga & a movie” with a movie shown on the wall of the studio after the 7pm class. Strala also brings out organic cookies and juice after class!

As they say at Strala, it’s “yoga without the ho-hah.” Strala takes a light stance on om’ing, chanting, and other rituatlizing that accompanies some schools’ classes. There’s definitely a sense of humor about the whole enterprise at Strala, and the people who teach and take class there. And their special? Free yoga on Saturdays at 11am. Yes, free. Every Saturday.

Strala Yoga
Strala on FB

Laughing Lotus
LL is one of those old NYC studios that, if you’ve taken yoga for more than 5 years, you’ve probably gone to at least once. Everybody who does yoga knows somebody who studies at LL or got their teacher training at LL. On the third floor of a Flatiron District office building, LL has two sizeable studios and offers vigorous vinyasa practice from early early in the morning til well into the night. LL even offers a midnight yoga on Fridays (10pm-12am, actually), which I plan on doing one of these days.

The sense of community at LL is palpable. There is a small bookstore and boutique where you can buy candles, incense, yoga gear, and a good selection of books. There is always hot tea, filtered water, and organic cookies out for after-class snacking. The dressing room is small but everyone gets along and there is a shower.

Classes at LL can be crowded, especially the after-work ones, so arriving early is a good idea. Two first-timer specials are available: one week of unlimited yoga for $20 or three classes for $30 (one month expiration). Either is a good deal, and either will give you a feel for the yoga here.

Laughing Lotus
Laughing Lotus at FB

Sivananda Yoga Center
The first yoga I experienced in New York. I recently found an old membership card dating from 2000 from Sivanada, and I may have had one before, from 1999 or so. Sivananda will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s an anachronism, a throwback to when yoga was mostly for eccentric spiritual seekers who walked to their own beat, smelled like incense and herbs, meditated, probably were vegetarian, and wore lots of lose flowly cotton garments. The style of instruction here is just as unpretentious. The rooms are sparse, the studio is located in an entire brownstone in Chelsea (which also houses the resident yogis) and has been since 1964. There is no cool ethnotronica playing during class. There is no spa-like ambiance (on the contrary, the changing room is spartan at best).

Instruction at Sivananda is traditional hatha yoga. No flow, no vinyasa, no jumping to the top of your mat. You will hold the poses for a long time. You will not sweat much, but you will create great change in your body and mind. Chanting opens and closes classes. Sivananda is dedicated to the full experience of yoga, so raja yoga, or royal yoga, courses are offered here (classes in meditation, mind control, and positive thinking, overcoming the five afflictions, pranayama, etc.).

Prices are very reasonable and have not changed much over the years. When I was coming in 2000-2002, classes were $10 with membership ($100/year; worth it if you come a lot). They still are $10. $12 without membership. The philosophy, meditation, or yoga courses are also very affordable ($65 range for 4 weeks). There is also an awesome kitchen that is always churning out some fantastic vegetarian meal and is a nice way to get to know the Center, your fellow aspirants, or the Center cat (who is probably on his 10th life at the moment as he was rather old and fat from what I remember. There may be a new one. The old one’s name was Buddha. He was an orange tabby).

Open houses are offered monthly and are a great way to learn more about the Center, take a free class, and also get a 10% discount on any membership or class package you purchase that day.

Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Center NY

Bikram Yoga NYC
Ahhhh yoga in a 100 degree room. You either love it or hate it, but it WILL do things to your body and mind. You will sweat like a hog and exert like you haven’t in a LONG time. This is not easy yoga. But it can be done easily, which is absolutely essential for anyone first entering this practice. All Bikram yoga is the same everywhere. It’s for another post, but Bikram Choudury, the man and founder of this system, won’t allow any yoga that doesn’t follow his exact specifications, from the sequence of the poses to temperature of the room, to be called “Bikram Yoga.” Thus “hot yoga” or the various other names yoga in a hot room will be called.

The plus side to Bikram is you can go to any Bikram studio in the world and you will get the exact same class. Once you know it, you know it. Then, you work at refining each pose, each movement, each entry. The fact that it does not change may spell boredom for some, but for others it means a clear means upon which to chart progress, regress, change, etc. I fall into the latter camp. Here’s a NYTimes article about how practictioners of Bikram can just drop in for a class anywhere. I have done Bikram yoga in Miami, New Haven, and will probably do it in a lot more places before this lifetime is up.

Bikram Yoga NY has four locations and offers a fabulous new student special of $30 for 30 days of unlimited yoga. This is an amazing offer and if you do Bikram for 30 days, you will probably be unrecognizable to anyone who hasn’t seen you in a month. You will weigh less, your skin will glow from the inside out, you probably will have lost your appetite, and you will be surgically attached to your water bottle. But hey, it’s a small price to pay for happiness and a very tuned physiological machine.

If you would like a little more perspective on the Bikram practice, feel free to message me. I’ve done a fair amount of Bikram and feel I can speak on what the experience will be like.

New student special at Bikram Yoga NY
About Bikram

YogaWorks
Haven’t tried this place yet, but it is a bi-coastal group of schools, with three branches in NYC and locations in LA and yes, the O.C. YogaWorks style is a vigorous vinyasa practice, but there’s tons more. This is one of those studios that offers so many types of classes, the mind reels. But there is a good new student special of $30 for 2 weeks of unlimited yoga, which should allow anyone to try all there is and decide what works best. There’s also a free yoga class for first timers.

YogaWorks
YogaWorks 2 week special for new students

Integral Yoga Institute
Used to do karma yoga here in the kitchen years ago (karma yoga = volunteering). Would scrub and chop veggies, wash dishes, keep the kitchen clean and serve meals in exchange for classes. Very nice community of people. One of NYC’s older studios. Good focus on pranayama and meditation, mellow vibe. Traditional hatha yoga. Located on a wonderful block in the West Village, and the Integral food market nearby is great for fresh and organic produce. No new student special per se, but there is an offer to receive your 2nd class free. Check the website for details.

Integral Yoga Institute

Dharma Yoga Center
Dharma Mittra is something of a beacon in the yoga scene. People love him and the classes here. Dharma Yoga Center has a very good reputation for turning out well rounded yogis and focusing on all the limbs of yogic philosophy. Sri Dharma Mittra himself chooses things to focus on for the month or day (a pose, a particular practice), strengthening the community experience here and also making the practice about a whole lot more than just the poses. 5 classes for $35 new student special.

Dharma Yoga Center

Kula Yoga Project
Very nice site design. Vinyasa-based yoga (Kula Yoga is vinyasa with focus on creativity and alignment) that also offers workshops and retreats. New student special, $30 for three classes.

Kula Yoga Project

Om Yoga
Vinyasa studio run by Cyndi Lee, who’s very well known in the yoga community. Also offers Buddhist studies and meditation classes, frequent workshops, and a work-study program for those needing financial assistance to do their practice. $28 for two classes introductory special.

Om Yoga

Yoga To The People
YTTP has an interesting philosophy: to take the commercialism out of yoga by offering classes on a donation scale. Yes, pay what you want. The suggested donation is $10, which is radically affordable considering many NYC studios charge $18/class, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The idea behind YTTP is to bring yoga to as many people as need it, in an affordable way. Their model has done well, as the studio has recently opened a 2nd branch in Berkeley, California and classes at the NYC studio on St. Marks Place are always packed.

The style is a power vinyasa flow based on the teaches of Bryan Kest. This is a very VOCAL sangha. I think it’s a Left Coast thing, but there is a LOT of vocalization throughout class: inhale, exhale HAAAAA sound. Inhale, exhale HMMMMMM. Inhale, exhale SIGH. People are letting go like crazy in this class so sometimes it sounds like a big collective moan or like the whole class is sighing from the core of their being. It aids in relaxation and if you are at all inhibited about making these big sounds, I predict half-way through class you will be sighing and moaning along with the rest of them. Candlelight classes are a nice touch and the end of class is marked by an insanely large singing bowl being rung, whose vibrations fill the room with a size I’ve not experienced at any other studio. Lots of actors/dancers/creative types and good looking people. But no shower, only one bathroom, and two small curtained-off areas in the main room for changing.

Yoga To The People

Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York
Hatha yoga based on the principles and teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar (considered one of the world’s most important living yogis). Large and beautiful studio located in Chelsea. From the website, describing the Iyengar method:

Iyengar Yoga uses the physical reality of the body to know our minds and the deepest parts of ourselves as human beings. The infinite perfectibility of the postures or asanas provides a pathway into the development of our intelligence and our ability to concentrate and sustain focus. This intelligent practice develops our ability to grow and to separate what is worthwhile and productive from what to leave behind.

The method offers:

A safe and systematic progression of yoga postures to develop each student’s ability and skill, both within each class and from class to class
Sequencing that develops strength, flexibility, stamina, concentration, and body alignment
Highly developed teaching methodology
Precise use of language
Demonstration and teaching of specific points to develop understanding and intelligent action
Individual correction and adjustment of students, when necessary
Integration of the yoga philosophy with the practice of asana
Relevance of practice and incorporation into daily life
Ways to use yoga to ease various ailments and stress
Use of props, such as blankets, blocks, and straps, to facilitate learning and adjust yoga postures to individual needs
Qualified and rigorously trained instructors committed to excellence in teaching

$48 for three classes intro.

Iyengar Association of Greater New York

Om Factory
A vinyasa studio on W. 37th St. Haven’t been here yet but interested in trying it out. New student special: $20 unlimited for the week; $99 unlimited for a month. Offers two interesting sub-genres of yoga: Forrest Yoga (which is described as “intense pose sequences, compassionately taught,” and AcroYoga, a combination of yoga, thai massage and acrobatics. Two yoga studios with tons of windows, pale wood floors, and plants.

New student special at OmFactory

Jivamukti Yoga
What can be said about Sharon Gannon and David Life that hasn’t already been said? These guys are the like the mother & father of urban, modern yoga. Jivamukti was one of the first “big” or “fancy” studios that I recall in NYC. They took the hippy out of yoga (which still lives on in one of my favorite places in the city, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center) and helped create the paragon of the lean, lithe, glowingly sexy yogi who floats above the grit and dirt of urban living. Or at least aspires to with a regular practice. Jivamukti style is vigorous vinyasa with a fair amount of chanting thrown in. Jivamukti also offers meditation, sanskrit, and sacret texts classes. The integration of the spiritual foundations of yoga are a big part of the Jivamukti method. From their website:

Jivamukti Yoga is our attempt to integrate the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of yoga practices that originated in India into the modern lifestyle-without losing sight of the ancient and universal goal of the practices, which is liberation.

Offers classes all day and night in beautiful, large, full-service locations. Great workshops and programs available (check website) on everything from vegan cooking to the plight of carriage horses in NYC.

Although there isn’t a beginning student special per se, there is a beginner course of $50 for four weeks which upon completion you will receive a free pass to any class in the schedule, a Basic Jivamukti CD and a certificate for attendance of the 4 weeks course.

Jivamukti Yoga

Atmananda Yoga Sequence
Sometimes refered to as Centerpoint Studios. $25 for a week of unlimited yoga or $100 for one month of unlimited yoga. Also has workshops on detoxing, tantra, sacred vine, intutive cooking, and more. Described as primarily vinyasa based style, but with diverse offerings like aroma yoga, hip opening, and Yoga for Musicians.

New student special at Atmananda

=

I will have to fill these in later on…I’ve been drafting this note for weeks in between this and that, and I fear it’ll be February before I actually finish it. So for the following studios, links only with information about their introductory specials.

Namaste.

=

Kundalini Yoga East
Unlimited month for first-timers, $65. First two classes, $22. Lots of workshops. Strong focus on meditation and mudra.

Kundalini Yoga East

ISHTA Yoga
Interesting practice developed by Alan Finger which combines asana with breathing, meditation, body work, and healing. New student special, one month for $40.

ISHTA Yoga

Yoga Sutra
Large ashtanga studio located in midtown Manhattan near Grand Central Terminal. First class is free. Beautiful sun-drenched studio.

Yoga Sutra NYC

Yoga Yoga NYC
http://www.yogayoga-nyc.com/pricing.html

Prana Power Yoga
http://www.pranapoweryoga.com/studio_pricing.php

Big Apple Power Yoga
http://www.bigapplepoweryoga.com/

Unnata Aerial Yoga
http://www.aerialyoga.com/unnata-aerial-yoga.php

Some Like It Hot Yoga
http://www.somelikeithotyoganyc.com/index.html

Golden Bridge Yoga NYC
http://www.goldenbridgeyoganyc.com/

Then of course, there’s always the Yoga Passbook. $75 buys you free passes (for at least two classes, and in some cases, an entire week or two of unlimited) to most of the city’s yoga studios.