Sankalpah
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.
Half way through the class, she found her stride and her voice. The sequencing became playful, the transitions easier, and she called out the poses with confidence and a smile. She started assisting / adjusting us, and at opportune times she even made us laugh. It was good. I decided to come back. The second class was with Mary, a senior instructor I knew from Laughing Lotus, who’s classes were always packed. I couldn’t wait to get her classes in the more intimate sankalpah setting. I wasn’t disappointed. Her sequencing is masterful. Playful, but challenging, friendly but authoritative. She can make any two-left-footed student a verifiable yogi ballerina. I found the smaller setting also made her enthusiasm that much more contagious, I really felt like she was invested in seeing me get to never-before reached poses, and I felt she really thought I was doing well, even when the pose I was in looked like a sweaty three legged dying dog- balancing precariously on one limb.
Still, I have my wish list for Laughing Lotus-style teaching, my most-visited beloved studio of 2009. I wish they’d assist more. I’m not entirely sure why they don’t, I suspect it’s because assisting can cause injury if not executed perfectly. They emphasize instead clear (and descriptive) instruction, a difficult skill which I haven’t seen equalled. And their delivery, I can’t get over it, after class I find myself mimicking”peaceful warrior to the back of the room!” of course it never sounds the same when I do it. I guess I’ll have to come back, and hear it MORE!
