Happy Summer!

What did you do on the longest day of the year? Well I decided to fill it up with too many activities.
Start:
4:15 wake up, 4:30 train to Times Sq
5am put my mat down in Times Sq
5:30 am, practice yoga in Times Sq

The sun isn't up yet but the neon signs light up the sky, Times Square

The sun is just starting to peek awake! Solstice in Times Sq!

Set an intention. Let everything else go.

7am work
12pm treat someone's knee
1pm teach Yoga

Buddhist Center block party, 15th Street

2:30 pm Buddhist Center's block party
4pm treat someone else's knee
5:30pm nap -omg I needed it!
6:30pm head to South St Seaport
7pm meet long lost friend for food trucks dinner
8pm The Perks of Being a Wall Flower playing at the seaport
10:30pm home
11pm sleep.

Thank you, satsang

Today was one of those days...that when I was teaching my class I felt like I was  in my own skin and as I was teaching I was thinking...this is a dope class. Usually I'm thinking I hope they like this...I hope I'm not making this too boring/easy or too hard. But today I felt like I sat in my skin and gave them a class in which I felt good about. I wish I could do this every time! Not only that, but after class every student in class, legit, told me they had a great class! I think most of the time people say that to be nice but each person lingered when they said it and I felt like...geez they actually really liked it. Maybe it is the theme of satsang this month at Jai that is bringing people together and making me feel a little more held up in my class, by the people in it.  On average I usually teach anywhere from 3-5 classes a week which would make me more of a part-time yoga teacher and full time yogi. I definitely think full-time teachers have a different way about teaching that is way more skilled and confident. Maybe that'll come one day for me. In other news, satsang today was so much about separating out the microcosm of meditating within yourself to find balance and then taking that balance in the macrocosmic way to feel aligned with what's around us. Energetically and off the mat...what do we do with all this yoga? Hopefully we are happier and nicer people!

We want satsang!

We always talk about turning inward in yoga and coming into stillness, solitude and meditation. I think this can sometimes be mistaken for isolating ourselves. Although it is sometimes necessary to do that, its not our goal. The practice of yoga helps us to sit better in our own skin, align with nature and flow better with the environment around us. It teaches us how to move smoother through our relationships. The practice of yoga helps us to function better in our external world. Its a balancing act between our inward and outward worlds. Sitting in the company of truth, among friends and family is also an important part of the yoga practice. Sometimes we seek the mat to find our answers and other times we seek our friends for the answers. Our friends and people we love also help us to sit better in ourselves and walk better in our own shoes. We get to choose who we surround ourselves with and therefore our friends are a great reflection of ourselves. And being in the company of that truth is reassurance, its love and its support. Satsang is why we come to class most often to practice yoga, in a group setting, we connect with ourselves in order to connect with everyone and everything else.  It is important to put it back into perspective and always understand how our yoga works off the mat.

Meditating on the highline

Flash Meditation!

Yeah...that's a thing now.