Om Coming
Om Yoga Center one of the great studios of New York City. It’s celebrity is perhaps only surpassed by its’ founder, the yoga guru / mogul, Cyndi Lee. At a sprawling 11,500+ sq feet, over 5,000 student base, retreats, 200hr and 500hr teacher training program, it is an epic yoga school and brand. I’d been itching to try this yoga studio. Not only because its’ so well known, but because it’d been reputed to seamlessly combine Buddhism and yoga.
For the first class, my friend Carolyn and I took the 60-minute “Sweaty Express” open class. The studio was small, but the pillars about the room gave it character, and the fanciful Buddhist insights painted along the walls gave it warmth. The teacher seemed experienced and soothing. Given the name, Carolyn and I were ready to sweat. But I noticed that each time she or I tried to take it further, the teacher reigned us in. Which truth be told, I liked, yoga in my mind shouldn’t be “sweaty”, nonetheless I did want to move.
The second class, was an intermediate class. Which, according to the description, “Introduced students to inversions, arm balances and jump backs”. And it did just that, nothing more. Introductory inversions and arm balances. along with some light sun salutations and standing poses. I have to admit, I wanted to flow more. I usually don’t want a lot of movement, I shy away from practices like Ashtanga and Hot Yoga precisely because I feel like I might just collapse in either of those classes. At the same time though, I want to “warmed” to the poses I’m trying. Instead, I found that as I was lifting into Parsva Bakasana (side crow), I was rickety. My body was rebelling in our pinnacle poses,” too early!” it was crying, despite us having been in class for over an hour.
i will say, the space is breathtaking, the people very friendly, the teachers deeply knowledgeable. The experience… perhaps could be a bit more challenging. After all, how do you know the quality of the tea, if you don’t add some hot water? But if you’re looking for something a little less than Vinyasa, but more than Restorative then there’s no place like Om.
