BACK IN THE OLD HOOD...

Monday Evenings
37 West 17th Street
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
6th floor
Still Mind Zendo

Although it is not yet a permanent location, the Flatiron neighborhood will bring back memories of Prana Studio circa 1998 when all we had was a room and some students and the Prana family began....

Please bring your mat if possible as there will be limited mat rtentals available. This practice space is immaculate.

Classes will run from September 12th through November 28th with no class on October 31st (must be trick-or-treating with the kiddies).
Single class drop-in is $20; 10-Class card is $149 (the entire series is 10 classes)
These will be full series classes

I can't wait to see new and old students together again

Any questions, call me at 212-666-5816.

**Next Workshop**

The Prana Studio is coming on 6 years of doing business here in NYC and has seen a lot of changes within the Yoga community. Yoga has turned into big business (see my commentary in Dec 8th Crain's Business New York) but I intend to keep Prana Studio my own. It will continue to be a warm atmosphere where the Ashtanga Practice is taught, the body is honored, and the spirit is lifted. It will be a difficult endeavor to keep away from computerized sign-in, sleek architectural design, and trendy gimmicks, but I think I can do it. I have traveled to new places in my personal practice over the past year, working on advanced series and enjoying the challenge. As it was taught to me, the third or advanced series represents the spiritual series. Primary series is the physical practice (yoga chikitsa), second is the nerve cleansing (nadis shodana). I am excited to bring some of this series to all my students this coming year. Is everyone ready for these asanas? No, certainly not. It is the resonance of a more advanced practice that I would like to pass on. "Do your Practice and all is coming..." as Sri K. Pattabhis Jois has said. Unfortunately, with Yoga's big business comes the ugly self-indulgent Yoga where money and time are spent impressing others with celebrity sightings and nothing is 'coming' from practice but ego-centric trips to Mysore, India for months of asana, play, and relaxation. I would like 2004 to be about challenging students to advance their practice to a higher level. Realistically, third series postures are not happening for most students this year, but the practice can elevate just the same. I am quite sure that the dharma of every NYC Ashtangi can be more meaningful than sweaty Mysore rooms, raw food diets, and escaping to yet another Yoga playland. All those hours on the mat and Ashtangis have got to get it. There is something more. There is something more between NYC and Mysore. There is something more to do with our lives, our money, and our free time to improve the quality of life on this planet. Risking being too dogmatic, I will say that there are more than 11 million orphaned children in South Africa right now. There are millions more in other countries and the numbers continue to grow. In Bangalore India, 1200 women a month are burned to death by their dowry-driven husbands. In Ethiopia, pregnant 12 year old girls agonize in labor for so many days that their little bodies are literally broken apart so that without a special surgery they will forced into a lonely solitude. There could be nothing more important than trying to make a difference in these places where there is no hope. I am working on providing educational material from the UN as well as other organizations to bring consciousness to issues that we cannot ignore as human beings, especially as Yogis. There is a spirit in all of us that a daily yoga practice should only strengthen and connect to higher places. The luxury of being healthy and able to practice Yoga and live where we live should not go without deep contemplation and gratitude. I am still a very young Yogi but will admit that the physical challenges of Ashtanga have never daunted me as much as actually putting my life's practice into something lasting, real and giving. I thought by opening Prana Studio 6 years ago, I could do something larger than just teach a few students Ashtanga Yoga. I do believe that there is something much larger... Wishing everyone a very thoughtful 2004.