Heart Full

This week’s NYC Yogini Focus, Tsam. I met Tsam over 10 years ago, at Grad school. Back then neither of us did Yoga. What I remembered about her most was her smile, and her great clothes. Years later, we saw each other in class again! This time at at Jivamukti. She still had the great smile, even BETTER clothes, and could bind like nobody’s business.

NYC Yogini: How long have you been practicing yoga?

Tsam: Let’s see … ah 3 years on and off (insert authentic Australian lilt.)

NYC Yogini: Do you have a favorite studio?

Tsam: Jivamukti (meaningful look) … when I can afford it.

NYC Yogini: I hear that. How did you start doing yoga?

Tsam: I was first introduced in highschool and we did … shoulder stand. I really enjoyed the calm. It was a more hatha practice. I rediscovered it again years later after a stressful time in my life.

NYC Yogini: Me too! So .. do you have pose you’re working on?

Tsam: Headstand. *sigh* I feel like I should do another one.

NYCYogini: No, no … not on the bus.

Sankalpah, means intention, resolve, a solemn vow. It’s also a minimal , well kept studio near the Madison Sq Garden area of Manhattan. Discretely located on the 3rd floor of a 5th avenue walk up. The coloring of the studio is deep and intense, imbuing the idea of sankalpah itself, it’s punctuated with playful chandelier light fixtures, adding some levity to the intensity. On the walls of the main studio is Patanjali’s first yoga sutra, hand painted in astonishing detail. Here begins yoga. Here with me, with you, with us.

The first class was an intimate Thursday evening, with a cheerfully congested instructor. She greeted us warmly and gently brought us together. But, I wasn’t feeling the sequencing — at least not in the beginning. The flow was choppy and I wasn’t clear on where she was bringing us. At one point she told us to “fold forward” so my friend and I hauled up to uttanasana (standing forward bend), but it was parsvottonasa that we were suppose to be doing. “Uttanasana” is not the only forward fold we were gently reminded, perhaps not, but it’s not uncommon. At another point we were in a bent kneed 3-legged dog when she called out “ardha chandrasana” (half moon), “too hard” my body sighed, as I lurched forward, “no no..” she intervened, and I thought “oh, OH! .. it’s the OTHER  half moon variation, the Bikram style standing side bend, so I stood up and started bending. But no, it was actually rock star  pose ( a kind of outstretched backbend) but I didn’t make it, my muscles protested getting back on the floor. At this point I was frustrated, glancing at my watch and wondering if I could make another hour. But I would’ve been wrong to give up. The class did an about face, and drastically improved.
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Yoga has made it to NYC in a big way and to Union Sq. (coincidently named) in an epic way. There are at least 10 studios in a 5 block radius of Union Sq. and in this hot bed of yoga, we have a new debutante studio, Yoga Vida. I learned about it from my friend Yadana, who had spied their $10 special for new students. One week of unlimited yoga for $10 isn’t something i can say no to. So we found ourselves there on a cool Thursday night, looking forward to their 7pm Advanced class.

The studio is just the way it looks like on the website, an easy kind of plush comfort. Equipment so new, you could be the first one using it. Private dressing rooms, and roomy hallways, and well organized props, it’s in a class all its own. I haven’t seen anything this luxe since the opening days of Ishta.Our class was in the smaller of the two studios — which was still a nice size since the main studio was a verifiable ballroom. Our instructor (zoe?) greeted everyone with a smile and exuded a bright kind of quality. She provided clear instructions in an unfaltering voice, even while she was providing deep assists. She watched us with care, and made sure to assist each of the students, a welcomed change from the many studios (also found in union sq) where while instructions are good, connections are missing. While she knew how to assist us, I couldn’t help but feel she was lacking in some confidence with the execution, or maybe I’ve become too use to Kristin’s assist which are actually like mini-deep-tissue massages. Zoe did provide however, some eucalyptus based massaging lotion — and my muscles just about sang for joy at first touch.
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Starting a new trend, we’re taking nycyogini to the streets to get up close and personal with some of the city’s yoginis. This week, I’ve profiled one of the yogini’s i admire the most, Yadana. Her practice is nothing less than ethereal, and her infectious enthusiasm for life is contagious. It is impossible to frown around her.

NYC Yogini: How Long Have you been practicing Yoga?:
Yadana pauses and silently counts before decisively answering, “15 years!”.
NYC Yogini: Wow, that’s a long time! How did you get started?
Yadana: Smiling impishly, “I use to watch my mother when I was young, and I tried following her poses.”
NYC Yogini: So, how did you like the class we just had at Yoga Vida?
Yadana: The instruction was good — clear, and I appreciated the bi-lateral assists. Many instructors forget, but it’s important.
NYC Yogini: Do you have a favorite studio?
Yadana: Wisely shakes her head, “No .. no. It has to do with the instructor and how you’re feeling that day. For example, when I went to Yoga Local, it wasn’t the most intense class but I loved it, it was exactly what I needed that day. Deep, relaxing and restorative.”
NYC Yogin: And are you working on a pose now?
Yadana: No, wait actually (excited) yes! I’ve started working on it after I went to Kula’s flight school. I .. err.. i just don’t remember the name. It’s when you’re in a tripod headstand but your legs are in Lotus to the side.
NYC Yogini: Oh… that’s like called, “impossible”.