Urban Yoga

Last Saturday marked my debut class at a very cool Pilate's & Yoga studio in downtown Homewood called SoHo-PiYo.

I attended a few classes there beforehand to get a feel for the space, and quite enjoyed being there both as a student and teacher. It's spacious and welcoming, simple and beautiful, great people. A wall of mirrors greets you as you enter the classroom space, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the urban courtyard of SoHo square. They have mats and props on hand for students to use, as well as antibacterial wipes for the mats before replacing them on the shelves.

Practicing in front of mirrors is something I'd never done. I liked being able to check in with my alignment in a glance. My practice generally focuses on how alignment feels rather than how it looks, so it was good to reconcile the two at PiYo.

I look forward to teaching here more...right now, I'm just substituting when able & needed.

Sweet Surrender

I attended my fourth kirtan last Friday at Heartwood. It was a smaller group than the previous three...but I like to think of it as intimate. Attendance at a kirtan, for me, is like a going to a concert-yoga-class-sing-along-party where it doesn't matter if I can carry a tune (most times, I can't, but I can always clap my little heart out). It's good, clean fun, and leaves me feeling uplifted, joyfilled and in a fabulous mood.


The Sanskrit word kirtan may be translated into English as "to repeat". Kirtan is call-and-response chanting performed in India's devotional traditions, and more frequently in yoga studios, ashrams and Honda Civics around the world.


So, my yoga music collection is growing - slowly. I enjoy listening to this music when I'm looking for that calm balanced place within me. (It's difficult to be chanting one moment and yelling at someone in traffic the next!) Indian chants are also a great addition to my personal yoga practice, good background music while preparing dinner, or just putzing around the house.


This past week, had the absolute pleasure of chanting with Prema Hara. If you click on that link, you'll be able to listen to or buy their music. Some others of note that I've experienced and loved, either live or via CD:

Shantala
David Newman
(kirtans #1 and #2, respectively)

Wah!
Bhagavan Das

If Sanskrit chanting isn't your thing, Benji Wertheimer of Shantala, has some lovely discs of instrumental Indian music. Be warned, there is a lot of music out there for the yogic at heart, so do pace yourself.

Do you have favorites? Please feel free to share.

Shanti!